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Show ; ROY NORTON WRITES OF WAR & a js ss w i k GIVES ADVICE TO AMERICANS; i Famous Author, Formerly of Ogden, Discusses Conflict Con-flict in Europe. WITH daily reiteration it is brought to the people of America that the inhabitants of this land do not realizzc by the one-thousandth part what the world war actually means. Jt is only when somo close friend, temporarily dwelling on the other side of iflie sea, writes even a tittle of the true situation that those Americans who are readied by his words begin to understand. And it is good 'I that huch understanding be brought ! home to this country. Letters of this sort unfortunately are rare, but they are far more convincing than the published pub-lished word. Dr. M. R. Stewart, former health commissioner of iSalt Lake, is in receipt re-ceipt of such a letter. Moreover, the letter is written by a trained, writer, one of the world 's most noted authors, j and for that reason is essentially valu able and extraordinarily interesting. l!oy Norton is the author of the letter. Norton is in every sense a Utah man. Although he has now attained the pinnacle pin-nacle of success in the literary world, and lives much abroad, he is intensely American, and a perusal of his words leaves no doubt that the spirit of the west is as virile in his make-up as ever it was. With Beach in Klondyke. When Norton lived in Utah he had not the slightest foresight of the success suc-cess which would, in these later years, attend his efforts with the pen. From IS'.)!) to 1893 Norton was assistant cashier of the Rio Grande Western at Ogden, serving under Dr. Stewart. Later he engaged in the newspaper business and founded and directed the San Bernardino Ber-nardino Sun for several years. He "was successively a member of the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Call, editor of The Wave and of the San Jose Herald. His departure from the newspaper field was followed quickly by his entrance into the mining industry. He spent several years in j Alaska with Rex Beach, a close personal friend, at a time when the Klondike excitement ex-citement was at its height. Every reader of current magazines is familiar with Norton's stories. As a short story writer he is accounted one of the very best. His most widely known sustained work probably is "Marv Jane's Pa," a comedy which has flayed to hundreds of thousands. Among "his numerous works may be .Mentioned ''The Vanishing Fleet," 1 "T'le Plunderer," "The Boomers," J "Whiffing Sandy" and many others Surgeons Are Needed. In his letter he points out to Dr. ! Stewart the urgent need of surgeons and earnestly desires Dr. Stewart to ' promote the organization of this branch j' nf the service. That the war has made i heavy inroads into the incomes of every professional man is proved by the nota-, nota-, tion to the, effect that Norton's " in- I come has dropped from $22,000 in 1913 ; to $-5000 in 1916." Referring to America's complacency j even in these direful times, Norton I says: "We have so long grown fat I that the girth of our chests seems to ; have slipped down to our bellies, unti. , 'we have threatened to become too weal i to fight and too fat to run." J Respecting the best menus by "which America can help win the war, Xor- i ton says: "If every farmer in America j! could be induced to increase his pro- i Suction by ten bags of wheat and one bullock, to- be givon voluntarily for i export to this side, he would be doing his part in the winning of the war." No Point Obscured. i The entire letter is a document well worth the reading not only because it ' presents the whole situation in un usually clear form, but also because it is so phrased that no point is left ob- , scured. The letter follows: It strikes me you can be of immense im-mense service In this war, owing to ' the prominence of your standing in 3'our profession. There is going to be a prodigious dearth of competent surgeons sur-geons before this war is over, and there is no way in which Americans can be of more value and service in this war than by assisting voluntarily voluntar-ily in this part of the work. Why don't you get up a movement in your alumni, of which I know you were at 1 ; one time president, to induce a few thousand competent men to volun teer their services for this side? There are all sorts of things they might do. For instance, the older ones who are affluent could spare six ( months or a year to relieving some of the civilian practitioners on this side who are themselves young enough to 1 , go to the front for active service. This country, I am certain, would ap preciate and approve of Just such assistance as-sistance as this, and you could not better add to your fame than by ac- ROY NORTON, novelist j and short-story writer, who urges friends to aid the i allies. $3H' ''.''',: 1 PMC--.:. -1 fe- ': tively taking hold of such a movement. move-ment. You could start a movement of this kind more effectively than any oth-I oth-I er man in the west, and you have the time, means, energy and influence to start a snowball that should be of inestimable value, not only to our own country's prestige, but for the benefit of our allies as well, that would make you a very marked man, and bring to you probably a great many honors that might not otherwise other-wise come. I am intensely interested interest-ed in seeing our country thoroughly represented in every way in the task of exterminating the Boche. T think the allies could accomplish the task witliout us, but the more energy we put into our participation in the task the sooner will the war be ended. It is up to such men as you to actively assist in all organization organiza-tion toward that end, and I suggest, therefore, that the avenue I propose is right in your hands. Of course, I am not the British government by a long way, nor even a subject thereof; but I love this country and have done everything I could since the war broke out to be of service in every way within my power, and would dig up a blunderbuss and go down here to croak cheerfully rather than see a single German ever pollute this land with his dirty feet. Says Germans Are Mad. I tell you that you people over there on that side don't realize a thousandth thou-sandth part of all that the Germans have done since the war began. I could tell you stories of what I have actually seen that would send you tramping up and down your offices and cursing like a madman. It is my candid opinion that the German nation na-tion has gone mad, and that before the job is done a lot of Americans who now look on its people with a certain cer-tain amount of pity and tolerance are going to be ready to exterminate them as relentlessly as they would a mad dog. And it doesn't matter what people say, this is no pigmy task. It is going to be a fight to a finish, but it is good for a nation as well as for a man that he purge his soul to attain at-tain justice and a spiritual ideal worth while. And mind you, I do not speak as one who has not paid more or less his infinitesimal part of the big price. My income has dropped from $22,000 in the year 1913 to less than $5000 in the year 1916, and heaven knows that if things keep on as they have been I shall have to begin over again, a little bit frayed around the edges, considerably tired and worn, but perfectly per-fectly happy and unafraid, when this war is over. Pacifists Not Wanted. I will do it without regret and without a murmur if we can win this war as it should he won, without compromise, and if I am given the feeling that my country has played a noble and unfaltering part. It is the duty of all Americans in times like these to keep together and fight like hell. We must have no time for pal-terers pal-terers or pacifists. We are actually at the beginning of the most momentous momen-tous combination that the world has ever known, and this Is an opportunity oppor-tunity that may never come again for the complete welding together of the English-speaking races and all that they represent. This is our opportunity to prove, not only to the world at large, but to those men of the United Kingdom and of her colonies, that although we are an independent government and doubtless shall continue to be such, we can be depended upon to stick by them through thick and thin. We can expect neither admiration, honor, credit nor tolerance unless we play our part, nor should we be entitled to it. I am fervidly eager to see our country exert its full strength, which after all is the strength of nearly a hundred and ten millions of people, to its very utmost. Sacrifice Is Needed. We shall suffer more or less, but, for that matter, the only way that steel may be burnished is by thrSjst-ing thrSjst-ing It against the big emery wheel. We are scummed over with dull fires. . We require the rasping, the vicissitude vicissi-tude and sacrifice to bring us back i to what we could be and to justly consider ourselves fit to join the 1 shining shields. We have so long grown fat that the girth of our chests seems to have slipped down to our bellies, until we have threatened to become too weak to fight and too fat to run. It is time we got into training. train-ing. Money has come so easily 'to us, with all of its attendant luxuries, that we have long since ceased to struggle strug-gle very hard, being content to let things drift, and now we have come to a great crisis, where money, after all, doesn't count so much as actual strength, vigor and determination. It reminds me of the winter of 1S97 in the Klondyke, when an old bloke in Manook camp, who had struck it rich, died of scurvy because he could not buy a few potatoes at any price, and after he was dead they found a wash tub helf filled with gold under his bunk; but just the same he went to heaven, or the other place, with stiff knees. America must not jump Into this war stiff legged; she has got to reduce fat, come down to plain and simple living and be fit to put up a man's fight. If you were not an influence in a big city, and in a great profession, I should not write this to you, but I sometimes wonder if even you, who have been abroad, realize the exact condition of affairs over here. Concrete Facts Given. I am taking a chance even in writing writ-ing this of the censor holding up my letter, but here are a few other facts which every American of influence should thoroughly realize and weigh: So far we have had no shortage of food whatever. There has been no luxury cut off for those who had the price, even as in normal times. There has been no hardship whatever as regards re-gards apparel for the body, food for its maintenance, or means for intellectual intel-lectual enjoyment; but all our allies i . have millions of men at the front, many of whom have been withdrawn from civil sources of production, and are needed in the fighting lines. Farm labor was already scarce m France when I passed through there and stopped for a time at the beginning begin-ning of the war. Farm labor here has been undertaken by those who, though extremely willing, are but novices, many of whom are incapable of prolonged physical effort. The U-boat U-boat campaign, piratical and remorseless remorse-less although it has not achieved its ambition, has at least been sufficient to threaten the value of the allied fighting forces through lack of proper prop-er nourishment, and to render those who are incapable of going to the front, the women, children, decrepit or Invalided men, anxious concerning the future. Looking to America. If the war were over within the next six months no one would suffer; suf-fer; but if it is prolonged the allies of the west will be compelled to look upon your and my country as almost their sole resource for food and supplies sup-plies with which to continue this fight. Any American who has influence, influ-ence, is so widely acquainted with and so broadly known by as rich and productive a section of our country as you occupy should conceive it a duty to preach economy at home, that others abroad may be maintained. If every farmer in America could be induced to increase his production bv ten bags of wheat and one bul-luck, bul-luck, to be given voluntarily for ex- port to this side, he would he doing his part for the winning of the war, and there would not be ships enough to transport this purely voluntary contribution. If he is merely a philanthropist, phil-anthropist, as most men are at heart, he would, at least, have the satisfaction satisfac-tion of having played his part and given to those who need the giving. I don't say that we civilians on this side shall starve to death. Personally Personal-ly I probably shall not suffer; but I do say that this is a practical avenue for every man of influence to enter into for the achievement of our aims. I will bet that you know at least 500 men, farmers all, who, if you were to approach personally, could be induced to thus give their share. It is not the spirit of our countrymen regarding regard-ing w-hlch I am so concerned as their lethargy. Realization Is Lacking. They don't realize it has been too far away from them. They have no more conception of what this war involves than so many sheep on a ranch. They have got to be stirred up and aroused to the terrific things involved. They have got to learn that even though they are thousands of miles away they can play as big a part as if they were on the Somme or in a fighting unit down near Arras. And every American who helps to bring them to this realization and effort, ef-fort, though he may be "unhonored and unsung," can eventually die in the secure conviction that he also had a hand in the biggest job that humanity has ever tackled. So you see, old chap, I am really asking you to do two things, which you are fitted, qualified and able to do first, the professional thing, which is immediately within your reach, and secondly, to use that indirect in-direct influence of patriotism which will stir our people up to what may become necessity. If I were gifted as was my great-grandfather, Patrick Henry, as someone has said, with "the voice of bells and the hands of flame," I should be over there; but I am not. I can only do the best 1 can as an American who has seen and knows and thinks, but I can at least talk to my friends and urge upon them the vital issues in which all of us are involved. So it is to you and a few others upon whom I call. We are in a fight, and we have got to win or die. Do get busy. |