OCR Text |
Show risah and w w.M ara In fl th pitch and toaa of tha ahall racked attrth and wa could aaa our dd and tha daad of tha i"fm- t hat had rn killed ao lona; that lhara waa nothinr lfl but tha fraraa of what waa onca a man. Tea; for thoaa faw ahort mom ant a ha took ua back to tha flaMa of Kranca and wa aaw and tH onca mora tha thlotra that no power on earth caa da-aasr4b4d da-aasr4b4d Hwi afcawaaV " tha mother talktna to har boy and her boy anawarina; bar: and we, t,t know what -war te. could tha awful hatefulneaa In tha thlna; ha waa de-acrlblna; de-acrlblna; and than ha took ua with1 him to tha man who aha In hla houee by tha aide of the road and acorna thlne;a and In dolnjr ao. ha woke ua from our dream and brought ua to tha reality of today. Five abort yeara ao wa went towarda the Eaat. where tha war waa belna fought. On our way wo were patted on tha back, aa tha ay In la, by everyone; even by tboee who were afraid to tfo themaelvea. and we were told that wa were heroea; that tho country waa proud of ua; that tha country waa behind ua and would care for ua and for those wo left behind, be-hind, and wa went over there and took our place on the line and dtd tha beat we could. Wa were men thea, atroaa and In rood health. Today wo ara broken wrecks and ara forgotten and the man who patted ua on the back j Letter Written by War Hero To Mr. Salisbury of Pantages by the side of the road and seems us for ths things ws have done; hut that actor man took ua back over tho trail again and for a few abort moments ws forgot what wa ara and lived again as wo were. He tried to show his hearers what a hateful thing war is and maybe there were aomo who have been touched dep enough by the flame to realise the? truth he waa telling and maybe there were eorne who heard him and thought because be-cause the politicians of the various coun-tr1df coun-tr1df had agreed that there would be a reduction In the armed forces that, war waa at an end. 1 wonder. Conductor, how many there were who beard the actor ac-tor man talk realise that Kurope today la a seething caldron which might boll over any momnt. Don't they know t hat Germany haa been beaten to her knees time after time and hae alwavs promlsavd to be good? Don't they know that Franca haa been Invaded by Uer-many Uer-many on an avrage of once every fifty yeara? .Don't they know that the Oer-man Oer-man people do not admit that they were whipped, and that they ar angry be-cauee be-cauee thjr hava to pay for the damage they done? Don't they know that there la grave danger of aa angry Germany furnishing arms to a discontented Roe-aia? Roe-aia? Don't they realise how Impose! bra It la for tha eeethlng caldron to boil over without our being touched. I ait at night In my "a In wee hooae broken and alone and I live again the dare when I. too, waa a e'rong man wandering In far cornera of the earth. I have seen and done things, but now they ara of no value to me except aa- memorise. mem-orise. I can't even use them to keep other moths from the flame and ! am sorrv, for we a re going to hava ot her mars, and I ah udder when 1 think what they ara going to be like. Poor fellows. I know tha pries they will hava to pay. For me tha trail ts ended. My barque rtdea awaiting' tha fullness of tha Lxla Tha following latter , received by Monroe Faltebury. haadllner at the Pantages on this week's Mil. hi one of tha moat eloquent trlbutee ever paid vaudeville prforroea Tha writer a-as la the regular army during tha Uts war and haa addreaaed the letter o the conductor of the orchestra. Would you mind moving over a woe bit. Conductor and letting me crawl Bp on the fence with you. Thaaka many and many a time I have wanted to Join your circle and Itstea to the talk and maybe aay something myaelf. but you see. Conductor. I can't honestly hon-estly amy that I alwaya carry out the oae big rule of the Congregation, ao I muat stay outside the circle or bo a hypocrite, and you kaow that no matter-whet your faults sod failure are. there la alwava a chaace for ua uatll we become hypocritee. When wa bo-coma bo-coma that, wa hava left bops bo-hind. bo-hind. 1 What I really wanted to aay. Con- due tor. waa that I met a "Buddie the other day and ha took ma over to the I theatre. The picture waa good and carried a lea eon. and after It was reran rer-an actor man came out and talked. In one of hla pleoea he told as about the , red pulp that waa once a maa and 1 about the mother talking to her boy about the chaagee that had come to him while he waa off to war and la another piece ha told ua about the man who sits by the side of the road. Tho -actor man didn't know It but when he told us about the blood red Eulp of the thing that waa once a man e carried na back to the days that were when we were cold and wet and louoy and hungry and mavha nick, and when we ware ao awfully tired and when there waa no reet to bo had and we aaw again the blood red pulp of the things that were once men. and we could smell tho blood and the torn whereon I am to slip my cable and eroas tho bar, 00 1 ward bound on the great adventure, ad-venture, and even though I am acormed by the man who alt a In hla houao by tho side of the rood, there la nothing but a feeling of pity within me for htm. for 1 know that be doee not know, that he never can know the feeling that eomes to 'those who follow traits of man and aea men dia for mti. I thank you. actor man. for taking ma back over the trails again. Tours. el. H. STRAt'CH. Formerly afaslor Hospital argea.at. Reejuiara. |