Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 285, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1917 — Why W. Are At War [ARTICLE]

Why W. Are At War

Prepared ’ for the Indiana State Council of Defense, by Father John Cavanaugh, President of the University of Notre Dame. z The militaristic spirit of Germany must perish, or America can not survive. • When the lion and the lamb lie down together, the lamb is always inside the lion, and a peaceloving commercial nation can never be safe so long as a militaristic, powerful, and aggressive nation lies within striking distance and eager to strike. _

Let not the gentle-mannered think that'we can have no proper concern about the thoughts and the internal organization of neighboring nations. Where these things are merely matters of taste, we have indeed no right to interfere; but when any strong nation avows a policy that involves the destruction of our country, we should be less than reasonable, we should be insane, if we permitted that nation to build up a monstrous machine for carrying out its purpose, while we bartered and played. It does not promote the happiness of a kindly fat man to know that a burglar or a murderer is lying in wait for him with a club, as he goes his peaceful way on a dark night. That was precisely the situation of our people before the war began. We rhapsodize over the men of Washington’s time and the stalwarts of Lincoln’s day, but let us not forget to acclaim the heroes of this critical hour. Of what avail was it that the Revolutionary patriots created America, and the Civil War patriots unified America, if patriots of today do not conserve America?

This war is as sacred as either of the other great American wars, and every man and every dollar within the bounds of our country must help to win the fight. Whoever shirks qr shrinks is constructively a traitor. This is- a war against war, and pacifists themselves, if they were wise, would see in American victory the only hope of the triumph of their cause. ' This war is to purchase permanent peace and it must not end till the spirit-of militaristic aggression perishes from the earth. It will require the exertion of all our people’s gigantic might to see this conflict through, and any American who, for any reason whatsoever, is cold or backward in this war is unworthy of his sacred inheritance.

Having had people call on me for Christmas orders for glasses, has suggested the idea of a very useful gift, and in order to help carry out the useful gift proposition, which should be observed this year if ever, I have on sale attractive Christmas orders which may be had at different prices either by mail or at the office. They can be presented to a friend in need of good glasses, the name of the friends to be filled in blank space left for that purpose and blank space left for the signature of the one who gives it this, when presented at my office, entitles bearer to examination and glasses. DR. A. G. GATT,