Evening star., 1923-09-16
BY THOMAS II. MARSHALL,
Former Vice President of the
United States.


Early in April, 1917. a young man
had never met sought an interview
with me. His name / shall not attempt
to spell. ! can't pronounce IL even
yet. Had one been searching for an
American this young man would have
been the last among the hundred and
ten million he would have picked be-
cause of his foreign name. / found
him TO be a fine, outstanding chap OF
about thirty years. He was engaged
in a business which required his per-
sonal attention, and, ! learned. the
moment he ceased to give 1t his own
attention the business would cease to
be. He was convinced that it was his
duty to enter the Army, and his intel
ligence and experience made IL prob
able that he could serve his country
better as an officer than a private.
At the time we had not yet learned
how much show of force IL would be
necessary for us to make in order TO
Impress the imperial German govern
ment with our deliberate intention TO
sacrifice, if need be, every dollar and
every man to the winning of the war
1t was at an hour when / thought
loose volunteers to meet all the needs
of the republic. j was informed of
the struggle that the man had made
to develop the business in which he
was engaged and 1 failed to see how
just then either duty or desire would
induce him to sacrifice the results of
his enterprise in order to furnish one
more man or one more officer to the
expeditionary force. His language
and conduct so impressed me that !
m iFln Nxrh 70 n
his burning zeal to get into the Army
and 10 get in at once. His answ er
was a story of how right-thinking
persons become loyal, devoted, self
sacrificing Americans.
II was the story of his family I
need not name the country of his
ancestors. 1t is sufficient to say that
in the 40's of the last century a flame
for the freedom of a people had
flashed, seeking to burn up the tyran-
ny of centuries. 1t had been snuffed
out. The young mans father. left
an orphan at four years of age. was
brought to the United States, where
he fell into the hands of a sturdy
farmer in one of the eastern states.
Amid rural surroundings he spent his
boyhood. He was sixteen years old
when the civil war began. Day after
day the urge grew stronger within
him to fly to the defense of the Union.
Day after day the old farmer and
his wife pleaded with the boy to stay
at home, as he was the sole staff Of
their declining years. And then one
bright June morning as he was fol-
lowing the plow in peace the urge
of duty and love for his country he
came so strong that he dropped the
lines, left the horses standing in the
field, went to town and enlisted. He
followed the ensign Of the republic
through battle. murder and sudden
death for four long years of that aw-
full conflict. When Grant, at Apo
mattox. guaranteed the peace and per-
petuity of our land, he returned home,
married and took up again the dis
charge OF the duties of peaceful citi-
zenship. To him was born the young
man who visited me.
:: :: X !;
From the lips of this young man l
learned that not a day ever went by
while he was at home that his father
of foreign birth did not impress upon
his mind the idea that America was
his super-father, that to it and to the
preservation of its institutions he should
gladly give his fortune and his life