Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1914 — CALLING TO US. [ARTICLE]

CALLING TO US.

In these days of wars and rumors of wars, when Europe is drenched with rivers of blood, and the shadow of the little brown man threatens the peace of our own continent, it is meet that we turn our thoughts at times to a house where nobler things are taught. While the peoples of other nations •are answering to the call of the God of War, let us consider the teachings of the Prince of Peace. When the labors of the week are ended and the day of rest is at hand, let us spend an hour in the house of darkened windows, where sweet voices sing the praises of the meek and lowly Nazarine, who gave of his life s blood that we and others might be ennobled by the fruits of his sacrifice. 'While the day of rest is being profaned by other nations of the earth —while shot and shell are leaving the maimed and the dead and dying on the crimson field of carnage—let us of America give heed to the wisdom of the black robed men of God, whose teachings proclaim peace on earth and good will to men.

While the Omnipotent One is bowed with grief that His children in other climes should be as the beasts of the jungle—rending, tearing, destroying—let us look into our own hearts, that we may avoid the pitfalls that are engulfing our brothers across the seas. Let us journey to the house of God on Sunday and there join w r ith the minister in his supplication to the King of Kings for the restoration of peace and a return to the ways of righteousness and sanity. And let us emulate the wise example of the talented ruler of our own nation, who, stricken with his private grief, yet implores his people to refrain from comment or action which might tend to create racial s trite or jeopardize our own position as people at peace with the world. The house of God calls us in this hiur of gloom. Let us go! War in nil its horrors, and a few added thrills, has 1 penetrated the peaceful boundaries of the United States. Rich Americans marooned abroad are straggling home by way °f the steerage and their tongues and imaginations are working overtime lor the edification of a heartless and unbelieving public.

This is an opportune time for the United Slates to set a worthy example to the rest of the world by attending strictly to its own knitting. Wa r to the right of us, war to the left of us, war behind us, war in front of us. war above us, war all around us, and hell beneath us. The unholy war has claimed its first victim of note in the death of the pope. His heart was broken over his failure to preserve peace. How can we curb the food speculators and price boosters?" wails a distracted housewife. Easy— stop eating. Having devoured the earth, the armies of Europe expect to eat their ( hristmas dinner in the capital of Mars. To Let One perfectly good building known as the Palace of Peace. /'War is hell," said General Shermam But hell objects.

September was the seventh month in the Roman year, and get its name from the Latin septem (seven). When Germanicus had cleaned up the rest of Europe, he turned his attention to Rome, which had backed out of the Triple Alliance. The Roman army was for the most part in grand opera, and before it could get borne Germanicus had bagged the country and established himself as the head of an empire which extended from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Everything went smoothly for a while. The Belgae, who had jumped Germanicus when lie marched through their country to get at the Gauls, were busted; the Helvetians had not yet discovered what lii t them, and the Triple Entente was still in tlie repair shop. Germanicus thought that so great a name as his own ought not to perish, so he followed the example of Julius and Augustus Caesar and inserted it in the calendar. Probably nothing would have come of this had he exercised <1 little discretion,- but when he announced that September would hereafter be known ,|s tin- month of Germanicus, he started something that with all his military genius and his tremendous resources he could not stop. The name of September was not only dear to the civilized world, which had incorporated it in a great many beautiful poems and tender songs, but 'organized labor saw in tin* imperial edict, a ruse to do away with. Labor day, which came on tlip first. Monday, i his settled it, and "hen Germanicus was found dead in bed with a bloody sign. “Votes for Women!” pinned to the bedpost, the name of September was restored and that of Germanicus was everywhere expunged. Since then no one has cared to tamper with the original name in any way, and it, comes to us through the-centuries without change in a single letter.

The hots's of autumn shall advance I'pon tlie doodlebugs and (lies, A’u! what is 'happening in France Shall happen right before our eyes. The migrant scouting down the sky Shall mark the fortress and the tow n. The hunter with a watchful eye Shall do his best to bring him down, The warlike cliigger shall succumb To I'oenian he has long defied !'lh‘ pleasant rolling on his drum Shall keep the conquerors in stride, Tim oyster and the pumpkin pie Shall put the cantaloupe to flight. And ilie festive calf’shall all hut die < t mingled happiness and fright.

The startled hired man shall bawl for thicker armor on his bed and dying army worms recall how valiantly they fought and bled. The crowd around the soda fount shall down a stimulant and fly, the winds of Boreal shall mount their whistling chargers in the sky, the frdg shall throw intrencbments up and dig a safe place in the mud, the frost shall stalk the buttercup and make the morning glory scud, the sumach with its war paint on shall hold the summit of the hill, the quail shall terrify the dawn with uttering a martial trill, the summer girl shall break the vows she made with 20 men to wed, and the soft peace velvet on the cows shall turn a military red.

Ye hosts of happiness to be, press on till we shall hail thee blest. We long from summer to be free that have a season been pppressed. The tyrant Sun shall be subdued, and all his counselors resign’; the eye of vengeance is glued upon him all along the line. A taste of Paradise awaits beyond the desert and the dust, and through those dim but grateful gates we shall go joyously or bust. We’ve had our fill of Palm Beach suits, of mad dog scares and canvas pants; the bliss that Autumn constitutes i s that for which our fancies dance. The Kaiser’s men may kill the Czar s, the British navy may explode; the Serbs may smoke their bad cigars within the Emperor’s

abode. The Turks may win, it matters not; the Hollanders may lick them all ; or Greece subsist on pickled Scot, we’ll gain the pleasantries of Fall. Beyond the borderland of bliss We there shall see the harvest moon, And thinking of that time and this Shall thank our stars for such a boon. The filmy haze that fills the skies Shall render beautiful the days, The beauty spread before our eyes Shall lend enchantment to our ways. The cider press shall groan and whine Its woes upon the ears of men. The wild goose going down the line Shall sound its Klaxon now and then. The poet’s song shall be about Those things which all of us have felt, And plain suspenders shall step out Ami snatch the trousers from the belt.

September will give us a very good idea of why our forebears left Europe, some of them suddenly. It is probably the best place in the world to be from. Coming direct from that warlike continent, our forebears had little difficulty taking this one away from the Indians, and they establisned here what was' designed to he a permanent refuge from just what is going on over there now. A good deal has been said of offr forebears in a patriotic and military way, but little has been said of them mentally. Now is a good time to consider whether their beads were mere loafing places for wigs. The war will continue throughout September, and probably by the end of the month all the countries that are going to fight, will have gotten into the ring. Meanwhile our own army and navy will mobilize around our neutrality, and if any of the warring powers gets • bat away from us it will be because it could pull on it harder that way than we could pull on it this. After the war our idea will be so popular that pretty nearly everybody over there will come over here. This is the life. , “ At any rate, the gentle art Of peace lias sadly gone to pot. And rests in peace, the' world apart. Unless awakened by a shot. It was a pretty thing with which To play while armament was made. . “■; . ' While kings grew powerful and rich. And keels of battleships were laid. A man, we find is much the same Today as when the world was new; A tailor cannot make him tame, \or any course he may pursue, lie always killed his fellow man In season, j 11st like ducks and geese And when the time omes ties a can i o nil Auen theories i- [.eye

I here will be 30 days in Septembf>i, hut there won t he war news every..day. The European censors are very sparing of war news. They say that is one thing they can he saving with, anyway. The moon will lie full on tlie 4th. The one hope of peace will come on the 21st, when the September equinox occurs' If this (loesn t make any of the European longs feel his throne Slipping under him the war will go right, on until tlie winter solstice. The 22d will be I he. first day of fall. i hen sweet 1 (a toiler shall return With po '-y to guide her. And wed; forget the world s concern In good old apple cider.