Evening Republican, Volume 59, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 March 1917 — APPEAL TO PATRIOTISM OF JASPER COUNTY YOUTHS [ARTICLE]

APPEAL TO PATRIOTISM OF JASPER COUNTY YOUTHS

Confronting War Evening Young Man Should At Once Seek to Receive Military Training.

1. • The fololwing appeal to the patriotism of the people is by Majo, ■ George H. Healey, and is timely an< should cause every person to responc with the full vigor of loyalty. Today we are facing war with Germany. Tomorrow may see us plunged into the great cataclysm .that has torn Europe to shreds. i Shall we continue to sit idly by and ignore our danger ? Or shall wo recognize it and do the reasonable thing to combat it? If we are to engage in war with

Germany it will be necessary that hundreds of thousands of young men enter the naval andmiiitary service. The sooner training is begun the better. The spirit of patriotism should inspire every yputh and every parent to a full regard of conditions and to cause every .sacrifice and pasttime in order to get all the preliminary knowledge of the service possible. There are at hand now in almost every community mdn capabel of imparting this' instruction and their services should ibe utilized while they are here and able to give it. Full ap-

preciation of conditions should inspire young men to enroll at once and start training. Nothing but danger lurks in delay and indifference. The local armory should be crowded each night with young patriots clamoring for training that will make them better able to render valuable service in case of war. We have now waited too long, for the past six weeks should have been utilized but even now the start may be made and in some the spirit of leadership instilled.

You can not hand a hundred rifles to a hundred young men and have them appoint officers and non-com-missioned officers and consider that a company has been formed. Weeks are required to make a good start in military training and when the militia companies are called out there won’t even be left a text book of instruction. • ••■.• For this reason it is not only important but it is the very essence of loyalty and patriotism that men qualified for leadership and others for service start now, today, at once, to get every bit of training possible. - Classes should be lormed. Schoos of drill and theory conducted, and the many features of training undertaken. Not only are the drills important, but the study of the rifle, the stuejy of signaling, of first aid, cf message writing, of the care of clotning. and equipment. The problem is a big one and for this reason and In order that some may receive trainiag in every branch of the service there should be classes formed to take UP the different work. Captain Tuteur has a large class of young men in training every ednWesday night at the armory. This is highly commendable, but now the time has come when the training should be followed every night of the week. On Friday .night of this week some of the local officers will go to Brook to present the matter of military duty at a mass meeting to be held there, who was a sergeant in the machine 'gun company, has interested a number in this duty and has arranged for a public meeting to be attended by parents and young men eligible for service. Arrangements will be made to have a drill sergeant visit every community where a number desire military training and can secure a hall for the drills. Certainly this opportunity should not be missed. „ Let every person brush the scales from their eyes; let them see things just as they are; let the realize that the present is possibly the most critical in our history and let their American spirit of patriotism lead them to do the very sensible thing and prepare for the worst that may happen. If, by unexpected good fortune, the catastrophe is averted, not a particle of harm will have been done by the action for training, and much permanent good will result to the individual and the community. Let my appeal at this time sink into the hearts of every loyal citizen and may he respond by measuring up to the fullest duty of citizenship and that at once. MAJ. GEORGE H. HEALEY. *