5~TO -ft 15. fa % of Asutrtra Class "1)5? Book__._i.> £S<£- Copyright N° COPYRIGHT DEPOSFR to tht (&olb g>Ux Harnett nf Attwrtra Compiled by RT CARLT Honorary National President Service Star Legion MRS. ROBERT CARLTON MORRIS Published by FRANK S. SHANKLAND 502 Polk Building Des Moines, Iowa S+ Copyright, 1920 By MRS. ROBERT CARLTON MORRIS. Published November, 1920. 24 1920 cl fc600079 FOREWORD The program of the third annual con- vention of Service Star Lesion included an Hour of Remembrance in honor of the women of America whose blue stars turned to gold during the tragic days of the World War. As national president of the organiza- tion I keenly desired that these women might receive, on this occasion, greetings from statesmen, prelates, and leaders, and messages penned by writers who, having the gift of words, can express the undying love and gratitude of us all. The following inspiring letters were re- ceived in response to my request, and were exhibited during the convention in the corridors of the state capitol of Iowa, at Des Moines. The letters are now published in book form, in order that all American women may be inspired to continue to serve the highest good of our beloved country in these days of peace, even as we served in war. Mrs. Robert Carlton Morris, Past National President Service Star Legion, 2648 Kirkwood Lane. Toledo, Ohio. THE WHITE HOUSE Washington. To The Service Star Legion: The time has now come when it is pos- sible to survey and properly appraise the service rendered to their countrv bv the women who stayed at home during the late war and did their part in the great task by lightening the burden of the men who went out to fight, and perhaps to die, for high principles. In this, as in all other wars, victory would not have been possible without the sustaining spirit of the loved ones at home, and the memory of the brave women who bore their sacrifices with fortitude will be forever cherished by a grateful country. With those members of the Lesion who rejoice in having back with them the ones whom they willingly gave to the service, I rejoice; but to those members who evi- dence their sacrifice by the gold star they wear, I can do no more than to remind them that death in so great a cause is a glorious victory, and that their sacrifices will be made the foundations for enduring understanding and amity between na- tions. Woodrow Wilson Page Four American Expeditionary Forces Office of the Commander in Chief. Washington, D. C. July 8, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — On the occasion of the special session of your annual convention in honor of the women whose sons and husbands gave their lives in the World War, I would be gratified if you will convey to them my respectful greetings. To the wives and mothers of the men who made the su- preme sacrifice came the great sorrow of the war. Yet, while they carry the heavi- est burden of our loss and command the deepest sympathy, the knowledge that their men set the highest example of pa- triotism and devotion to the country and died as heroes in a great cause must be a great consolation in their sorrow. I tender them my deepest sympathy and at the same time my congratulations on being the mothers and wives of men whose sacrifice will be an inspiration to our people for all time. Very sincerely yours, John J. Pershing Page Five WAR DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF WASHINGTON August 31, 1920. My dear Madam: — It gives me great pleasure in answering your letter of August 2, 1920, to extend to the Service Star Legion, through their National President, my very sincere wishes for the continued success of an organization founded on such broad pa- triotic principles as are set forth in its con- stitution. There is before the Service Star Legion together with the American Leg- ion, an unlimited field of national patriotic endeavor, especially at a time when there is so much unrest throughout the world, and I feel sure that the interest of the women relatives of the men and women who actively participated in the World War in the former and in the present enlisted and commissioned personnel of the Army and Navy, and their patriotic efforts to promote and to guard their wel- fare will constitute a great service to our country. By serving to promote the maintenance of the cordial and helpful co-operation Page Six which the women of the country during the war so generously extended to the Army, and which constituted a very great factor in the development of the matchless morale which characterized it throughout the War they will add materially to the future contentment and efficiency of the Army and will perpetuate the memories of the brave women who shared in its hardships and in its accomplishments dur- ing the World War. Very sincerely yours, Peyton C. March Chief of Staff, U. S. Army. Page Seven Chicago, Illinois, July 22, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — Your letter of the fourteenth with ref- erence to the Service Star Legion reached me this morning. We could not have played our part in the great World's War as we did had it not been for the work and support of American women. Their suDnort of the war made it possible to apply the draft law without friction, to call nearly five million men to the colors for service in the Army, Navy and the Marine Corps, to send two million men overseas feeling that the en- tire country was behind them. Our women were filled with the spirit of ser- vice and sacrifice. Upon many fell the sorrow and burden of loss through death in service. While the loss has been great and the burden of sorrow heavy to bear, it is a consolation to know that the sacri- fice was made in the great cause of human rights. It is now our duty to see to it that the sacrifice was not made in vain. We must do all we can to keep alive that spirit of friendship between ourselves and the Allies which grew out of the Great War, Page Eight and while doing this reach out a friendly hand and do what we can to aid in the re- establishment of normal conditions in the war-swept areas. They who died did their duty fully. It now remains for us who live to so do our duty that those who have gone before will not have died in vain. Very sincerely yours, Leonard Wood Page Nine Archeveche de Malines August 2d, 1920. Dear Madam: — I am grateful for the opportunity you give me of expressing my sympathy and appreciation to the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of the many brave Ameri- cans who fought so gallantly for our free- dom during the Great War. I send them my heartiest greetings, and remain, Yours very truly, D. J. Cardinal Mercier Archbishop of Malines Mrs. Robert Carlton Moms, National President Service Star Legion, Toledo, Ohio. Page Ten Translated from the French SENAT Julv 15, 1920. Madam President: I have been a witness, during long months, of the magnificent devotion which, during the hostilities, the mothers, wives, sisters and daughters of America have given proof, and I thank you for giv- ing the opportunity to express to the "Service Star Legion" my undivided admiration. Please accept, Madam, my distinguished homage. Poincare Page Eleven Translated from the French Chamber of the Deputies 72 Boulvd. de Courcelles Paris, July 26, 1920. Madam President: Mr. Rene Viviani has received your letter and is very glad over the new oppor- tunity which is offered him to renew his admiration and his gratitude to the Ameri- can women, who have served in the World's War. Please accept, Madam President, the assurance of my most distinguished es- teem. Le Secretaire Page Twelve Translated from the French Cabinet of the Kins No. 2683 Palace of Brussels, July 27, 1920. Madam the President: The King has learned with great interest of the communication which you were kind enough to address to him by your letter of June 28 past, and His Majesty has ordered me to take the honor of felicitat- ing you in his name for the pious work, which you have undertaken, in honoring the memory of the dead of the great war within those whom they have left among us. My sovereign is glad to be able to tell you this and he is sending to the mothers and wives whom you intend to honor at your reunion of next September, the ex- pression of his cordial and real sympathy. Please accept, Madam President, my re- spectful homage. The Chief of the Roval Cabinet Count d' Arschot Page Thirteen Maryfield, 114, Stamford Hill, N.16 London, July 29, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — Will you give the following message from me to the Service Star Legion at your Convention in September. As a War Correspondent in France and Flanders during the great years of tragedy and heroism, I want to tell the American women whose sons and husbands gave their lives for liberty with noble self-sacri- fice, that England is grateful to them, and that we shall never forget them for their gift of manhood when we were hard press- ed. I saw the suffering of men and the death of glorious youth on the fields of battle. But I saw also, and my heart bled most, for the suffering of the mothers who gave their sons, and agonized for them. It is the women of the world, with American women leading, who alone can prevent another such sacrifice by chang- ing the hearts of the people and leading them through the great adventure of Peace to nobler ways of life. Believe me, Yours very sincerely Philin Gibbs Page Fourteen Far End. East Preston, Sussex. August 3rd, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — There can be only one message to women who have lost a son, a brother, or a husband in the War, and that is that up- on them in particular lies the solemn duty of seeing that their beloved ones did not die in vain. The cause of world-liberty is far from being won. On the contrary, so complex is the working of human forces, that it has had, in some respects, a set-back, even in America itself. There will never really be world-liberty until mankind not only believes in liberty, but is able to endure it. I join with your expression of love and gratitude towards the women who have to bear so unfair a part of the common burden. We, too, have to see that it has not been borne in vain. Sincerely yours, Israel Zangwill Page Fifteen Ewhurst, Rottingdean, Sussex. August 9th, 1920. Dear Mrs. Moms: — I must thank you very much for your letter of June 28th, which has only just reached me here in England. I regard it as a great privilege to be asked to send a message to your annual convention in September; and I think that the best I can offer is contained in the following lines from a poem which I wrote recently. I hope that they will reach you in time, and that they will serve your purpose. With best wishes, Yours sincerely, Alfred Noyes Page Sixteen There's but one gift that all our dead de- sire, One gift that men can give, and that's a dream, Unless we, too, can bum with that same fire Of sacrifice; die to the things that seem: Die to the little hatreds; die to greed; Die to the old ignoble selves we knew; Die to the base contempts of sect and creed, And rise again, like these, with souls as true. Nay (since these died before their task was finished) Attempt new heights, bring even their dreams to birth, Build us that better world, 0, not di- minished By one true splendour that they plan- ned on earth. And that's not done by sword, or tongue, or pen, There's but one way. God make us better men. Alfred Noyes. Page Seventeen Oswalds, Bishopsbourne, Kent. Dear Mrs. Morris: — All I can say in my individual capacity would be inadequate to express the pro- found and sympathetic appreciation and respect for those American women who at the call of humanity had made the sacrifice of these affections that make life on this earth sweet and valuable to human beings possessed of natural affections. There is no comfort and consolation that one can offer suchbereavements except the expression of one's conviction that their sufferings will be always remember- ed as courageously borne in the greatest idealistic movement that the American Republic has contributed so far to human history. I am, dear Mrs. Morris, Yours very obedient servant, Joseph Conrad Page Eighteen 63, Avenue De Paris Versailles (S-&-0) August 2, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — Your letter of July sixth has been for- warded to me here in France, bv the George H. Doran Publishing Company. This will account then for mv apparent tardiness in answering. I am indeed flattered to feel that any- thing I might have to say would be of in- terest to those to whom the world owes a debt of gratitude. It seems to me, how- ever, that the glory of their sacrifice is be- yond any earthly praise; and the spirit of love in which it was made will persist as long as the world lasts, making immortal the names of all those who gave their lives for the cause of liberty and justice. Faithfully yours, Frances Wilson Huard Page Nineteen Dunstall Priory Shoreham, Sevenoaks July 28, 1920. My dear Mrs. Moms: — In reply to your letter I feel that any- thing I could say of them would be pre- sumptive. The best that any of us can say is what one feels in one of those rare moments of what we call inspiration. So I send you what I wrote in November of the year before last when I heard we had won the war, and I tried to express a feel- ing that suddenly came to me as I looked back dimly over things I had seen, and dimly felt what they meant. If I dare offer anything to the wives and mothers of the fallen, I should like to of- fer them that. Yours very sincerely Dunsany Page Twenty A DIRGE OF VICTORY Lift not thy trumpet, Victory, to the sky, Nor through battalions nor by batteries blow, But over hollows full of old wire go, Where among dregs of war the long-dead lie With wasted iron that the guns passed by When they went eastwards like a tide at flow; There blow thy trumpet that the dead may know, Who waited for thy coming, Victory. It is not we that have deserved thy wreath. They waited there among the towering weeds : The deep mud burned under the thermite's breath, And winter cracked the bones that no man heeds: Hundreds of nights flamed by: The sea- sons passed: And thou has come to them at last, at last. Dunsany. Page Twenty-one London, England July 16th, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: Your Service Star Legion is a noble Or- ganization, and I am pleased to know it has taken hold of the minds of the Ameri- can people. Those who gave their lives in the Great War for the cause of the Allies were giv- ing a boon to humanity. The United States coming into the conflict made its end sure, and once more showed that the American people are the persistent friends of Freedom and Liberty and Justice and Right. The co-operation of the United States gave the death-blow to the tyranny of Germany, which aimed at world-do- minion. The United States in helping so powerfully to serve the world, served her own interests as well, for sooner or later she would have been attacked by Ger- many. To them who gave of their blood and bone and flesh and life for this high cause, I, as a life-long admirer of the American people, say that their supreme sacrifice is sacred in the minds of all those who care for the welfare of the world. Sincerely yours, Gilbert Parker Page Twenty-two Hill Crest, Boar's Hill Oxford. Dear Mrs. Morris: — Thank you for your letter of June 28th. I would just say: "Count us your Allies still for the patching up of this bat- tered world." Wishing you a most happy and success- ful Convention, I am, Yours sincerely, John Masefield Page Twenty-three Coole Park, Gort, Co. Galway, Ireland. July 18, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — "It is not a little thing for a man to die, and he protecting his neighbor." That is a thought from the old Irish, that often comes to mind, and may per- haps dwell also in the mind of other sor- rowing mothers whose loss has been akin to my own, and they have my love and sympathy. Very truly yours, Augusta Gregory Page Twenty-four 54 Westgate, Winnipeg, Canada. July 21, 1920. Dear Madam: — To offer sympathy to the women of our common Anglo-Saxon race who have given their men for the cause of justice and freedom would be almost an insult, unless with the sympathy I hasten to offer my respectful felicitation that they have been privileged to give husband or son to the greatest cause in world history for which men have ever died or women sacri- ficed. America, as Canada, entered the Great War not for glory nor for gain; but, that those essential principles that all free nations reverence in common may be pre- served to form the common heritage of the race, our men died and our women gave them to death. The splendid valor, the endurance, the gallant devotion of our men upon the field of battle were only equalled by the same qualities of valor, endurance and devotion in the women who sent them forth. To these women I venture to send my respectful greeting, and ask the privi- Page Twenty-five lege to join with them in thanksgiving to Almighty God by Whose grace they were enabled to make complete that sacrifice for the good of human-kind, the surrender of those whom they loved better than life for a cause greater than life. And may I venture to suggest, for their comfort and inspiration to further sacri- fice, that those whom they have given have passed not into, but through the realm of the dead and have found their place among the immortals. Yours very truly, Charles W. Gordon "Ralph Connor" Page Twenty- six Cardinal's Residence 408 N. Charles St. Baltimore. July 3, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — It is a real pleasure to send a few words of greeting to the third annual convention of the Service Star Legion. I understand you desire particularly to honor those noble women whose sons and husbands gave their lives in the Great War. While the men on the field of bat- tle made the supreme sacrifice, the dear ones they left at tome made another kind of sacrifice which they alone can under- stand. The glory that comes to their de- parted is their glory as well. To each and everyone I send my sincere sympathy. With sentiments of esteem, I am, Fathfully yours in Christ J. Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore. Page Twenty-seven So. Worthington, Mass. July 27th, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — It is an honor which everyone of us ap- preciates deeply to be associated with the patriotic men and women who sympathize sincerely with those whose hearts have been so fatally wounded by the fatalities of the World War. "A wounded spirit, who can heal." Every honest citizen, interested in the welfare of his country, will be glad to help those who suffer in consequence of the War; for the Nation would never be safe in future emergencies if it did not show its gratitude to those afflicted in the last great victory. One could not devoutly raise his eyes to the Great White Throne in sincere praise or prayer if he had neg- lected to sympathize with and care for "the least of these." My soul's heartiest greetings goes out to each one of them. Yours in fraternal fellowship, Russell H. Con well Page Twenty-eight Dear Mrs, Moms: — No words of any body can add to the worth of such women as gave and lost for the world's sake, their brave men. Such doings belong to the epic poetry of human kind. They make us proud to be- long to the human family. The graves of the dead soldiers are not so deep as the wounds in the hearts of those women who long with unabated longing for the voices and the presence they shall not have to solace them again. The best I know to utter is — "May the Lord God, whose the battle was, bless and comfort their hearts and heal their wounds by the springtime of His presence. Other help is there none." William A. Quayle, Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church August 15, 1920 Page Twenty-nine Rev. Francis A. Kelley National Chaplin, American Legion 1312 Massachusetts Ave. N. W. Washington, D. C. My dear Mrs. Morris: — I am in receipt of your letter of June 13th, which was forwarded to my Wash- ington address from Troy, New York. I am indeed privileged to be asked by you to send my greetings to the members of your Organisation. It is not given to every man to talk to those who have pro- vided so splendidly in the past and the present for the safety and continuance of American Democracy. Here in America women occupy a posi- tion more honored than in any other country of which I know. Justly is this the case because of the fact that Mothers make and fashion the destinies of nations through their sons. If America has been called the home of the brave, is not one justified in saying that the title finds its foundation in the bravery and the high-mindedness, the de- votion to duty and the spirit of self-sacri- fice which animates our American woman-hood? Boys were brave in battle because Mothers had brought them up to Page Thirty be honest, zealous, devoted and God fear- ing sons. No man is a coward save only the one who fears to meet his God. Our lads, bearing the reflection of the noble training of our noble mothers, possessed no fear of the meeting with their God, and for that reason we had no craven cowards. It has been said that the men who gave their lives on foreign battle fields made a sacrifice supreme. I do not feel that such is truly the case. My idea of supreme sacrifice is that which is made by the American Mother who knows that her American son shall know no com- ing back to her hearth and her home, yet raises her heart and thanks her God that it was her privilege to give, that by her giving America might continue. One American Mother, whose heart was wrung with anguish at the loss of her son, wrote to another son in service and said: "You asked me to be brave in the cross which God has sent me. Let me tell you, my dear boy, I was the proudest Mother in all America when I saw my two sons march forth to the service of their country. I felt I had given my all to my country, and you may know now that in the giving I had no string on the gift." What could one expect of Mothers whose hearts flowed over with such a spirit of Page Thirty-one patriotic devotion and resignation to the will of God? Whilst American Mothers may mourn and grieve, their sons are basking in the light of the God of Peace. They live where no war, nobattle is known. Why then say that these lads have made the sacrifice supreme? Yea, rather say, their Mothers who sit and find their only solace in the thought of the happiness of their sons and the fullness of their sacri- fice, these, I say, are the ones who have made the supreme sacrifice. May God rear for America another generation like to the women with which He blessed America during the recent World's War. In that shall we find our hope — that America may continue as the haven of those who seek liberty and free- dom, as the nation of intrepid Warriors, as the land of the men who know no serf- dom, and the home of those who know no ism, save Americanism. I pray God bless you, your national of- ficers and the members of your Legion. All the world honors them. At their feet we place the wreath of victory, knowing that through them and by them came forth our victorious army — an army which fought for none greater, for none worthier, than those who gather within the ranks of your organization. Page Thirty-two Again I say, God bless you and prosper your Organization, and may the woman- hood of America in years to come find in what you stand for an example which will cause them to emulate in every particular and noble standard you have set. Very sincerely Francis A. Kelley National Chaplain, American Legion. Page Thirty-three Sagamore Hill, August 11, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — I can send no greeting closer to my heart than the enclosed message: — copied from the book which my husband pub- lished after Quentin fell. It is dedicated to every member of The Service Star Legion. Will you tell them for me that I keenly feel how closely we are united in the kin- ship of ideals snared. Faithfully yours, Edith Kermit Roosevelt "Nations are made, defended and pre- sered, not by the illusionists, but by the men and women who practice the homely virtues in time of peace, and who in time of righteous war are ready to die, or to send those they love best to die, for a shining ideal." Theodore Roosevelt From The Great Adventure Page 83. Page Thirty- four Short Hills, New Jersey August 12th, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — I am just home from a long holiday and find your letter concerning the Service Star Legion. May I thank you for it and send with this a certain verse that I think will convey the message I would like best to send. I think the gratitude and admiration of the world so rightly belongs to these wives and mothers that they must be aware of it unconsciously — as one is of the air and light, but a word of comfort — no matter how faltering it is — is good to hear some- time and sometimes helps a little. With every good wish, believe me, Most sincerely yours, Theodosia Garrison Page Thirty-five THE EASTER ANGEL Two angels were in Mary's life, — One came when she was young, When the fields of Spring were blossom- ing And the birds of morning sung. In a green garden between folded wings He gave her heart the promise that was Spring's. Two angels were in Mary's life, — One came when she was old, She sought her Son on an Easter dawn In a carven tomb and cold, And Lo, one stood before her there who said: "Rejoice, Rejoice. "He lives and is not dead!" Two angels were in Mary's life, — The second loved she best; God grant this day he comes to stay Each heart that grief-possessed May turn to sudden rapture at the voice That Cries, "Thy dead have never died — Rejoice!" Theodosia Garrison Page Thirty-six May I say to the women who have lost sons and husbands and fathers and brothers in the world war, or in any other war, that there remains to them one of the greatest and most honorable tasks in the world service. This task is one which they are peculiarly fitted to perform, be- cause they know what they are talking about, and people are duty-bound, honor- bound to listen. It is a task which can fall only to those who can speak, as they will speak, from the heart, to voice the heart of humanity. And the task is this: To co-operate and uphold the spirit which is striving to be born into the world, which shall make war in our world unthinkable. Sometimes I feel that if the war is to leave the world, it is women who must drive it out. Always I know that it is women who can foster and cherish every faintest effort to speak out against the use of wounds and death as a means of settle- ment of social difficulty. Bear in mind what they say: That another great war would be fought chiefly by use of deadly gases and disease germs. Help to save from that the boys of the future. Help to save from that your country and the world. Page Thirty-seven Will you pass resolutions and publish them broadcast, will you initiate giant petitions among your Service Star women, and join your energy to the groups of men and women the world over who are trying to make clear to the world the anachron- ism of war? You can do this with the ef- fectiveness of the love which you had for those whom war has taken. You can do this because there is no one who will not listen to you. You can do this for the world tomorrow, whose hope lies in today. Zona Gale Page Thirty-eight Moosehead Lake, Kineo, Maine July 23, 1920. Dear Mrs. Moms: — I enclose a poem, my message to the women of the Gold Star. I have an ad- ditional reason for being very glad to send you and them my greetings and Mend- ship. My husband was wounded in active service, and came very near never coming back to marry me. So the gift that other women made is a very real thing to me. Thank you for writing me. Yours sincerely, Maragret Widdemer Schauffler Page Thirty-nine PEACE-TIME Where the cruel bullets fled, where the guns gave death, Wistful scarlet flowers sway and hope that men forget, Sun and wind make smooth again and summer brings its breath Sweet with flowers that we loved well ere grief had found us yet. Earth forgets so soon — so soon! Not a wind that blows Tells of blackened fields it knew, tells of death gone by, And the bird in Flanders trees — what then if he knows Bitter things and sorrowful? Still his song thrills high. Surely where the others are, they who died to save Quiet days and children's peace and little laughing things, They are glad to have for gifts things that dear Death gave, Heaven's flowers for earthly flowers, gold wings for white wings. Surely they too go this day down a flower- set way, Page Forty Jesting still and singing still in boyish gay accord, Glad of sun and air and youth and heaven- ly holiday, Greeting in this time of peace — their Cap- tain and their Lord ! Margaret Widdemer Page Forty-one THE SERVICE STAR. To the new Star in the firmament of humanity, cousin to the Star of Bethle- hem! In its sacred import of love and suffering and sacrifice, how shall we or- dinary human beings understand and measure up to its message? Surely it does carry a message to a world too ready to forget love and sacrifice and suffering. Its significance should command us to aims higher than mere self interest; should teach us that there is something in the world besides doing everything for ourselves. Even should we Americans lose sight of the word patriotism — still none of us can root out of his heart a feel- ing that the one really great thing to do in life is not to do something for ourselves, but something for someone else. That is to say, the splendid thought of service is after all instinctive in the human heart. For this reason I think we may, without irreverence, call the Service Star cousin to the Star of Bethlehem. They both draw their lasting light from the same un- failing source, vast, kindly and beneficent. They both will always shine undimmed, and the ages in time will understand alike the one and the other. Page Forty-two With every respect for those of your Organization who are trying to bring into the workaday world a clearer vision and a higher unselfishness, I send my best greet- ings and wishes for continued prosperity. Emerson Hough Chicago, Aug. 30, 1920. Page Forty-three 120 East 30th Street New York, N. Y. August 1st, 1920. To you mothers, wives, sisters, daugh- ters and sweethearts, who gave so much in the great World War, there is so little that the rest of us can say. How can we tell you all that we feel for you, all that we owe you ? But you have the greatest con- sciousness of having rendered, through your patient suffering, more than your valiant share in the battles that saved humanity; and to you, no less than to those who died that we might live, there is a debt of gratitude on the record of Time that we shall never be able to repay. Our hearts go out to you; and the clean, fine, splendid spirit of America will never forget you, Charles Hanson Towne Page Forty-four July 19, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — Thank you so much for your kind letter. I am very glad to be here in time to send my message. It comes from the heart: "Life's deepest and most holy places are Beyond the power of any words to reach. Between the Sisters of the Golden Star There is no need of speech, — Only the look, the pressure of the hand That says— "I Understand." Grant us in your high comradeship a part Whose stars of Gold are hidden in the heart." Greetings and all good wishes. Amelia Josephine Burr Page Forty-five 35 Newbury Street Boston, Mass. July 22, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — I am interested to hear of the conven- tion of the Service Star Legion. I feel very strongly that we all owe, to the women who gave what was dearest to them in the world that the world might be saved, a debt of gratitude and apprecia- tion. To those whose sons "Sleep in France", I send my deep sense of their sorrow and their pride, and with it comes my grati- tude for what they gave, when they sent husbands or sons or brothers over to Europe. Sincerely yours, Margaret D eland Page Forty- six July 30th, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — I am honored by being allowed to send a word of greeting to the wives and mothers of our dead soldiers. They like their husbands and sons, made the great sacrifice. That the world should hold wrongs which call for such a righting is a stern lesson to humanity. The men who died to save us from degradation will never be forgotten while history is taught, and truth is spoken. Sincerely yours, Agnes Repplier Page Forty-seven Bedford Hills, N. Y. July 21st, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — I am greatly flattered that you should desire some message from me and, while my pen is not capable of rising to the op- portunity, I send you the best it can ac- complish at the moment: Wars are won by mothers no less than by soldiers. Every body realizes, of course, that if there were no mothers there would be no soldiers; but it is too often forgotten that the bravery of the soldiers is inspired by the maternal courage and may be measured by it. Mothers give twice to battle: their own hearts and the heart of hearts that every son is to the one who gave him life. The triumph of our country is due to the fact that the American mother is unsur- passed in valor, wisdom and in the pride of partnership with her children in all that concerns them. Yours faithfully, Rupert Hughes Page Forty- eight Gamp Content, Gray Maine. August 30th, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — As one who had the privilege of serving for a time in France under the auspices of the Y. M. C. A. as a member of the A. E. F., I take pleasure in sending a word of greeting to the Service Star Legion. It is good to know that such an Or- ganization exists to foster the idealism for which we all unitedly stood throughout the War. May the Service Star Legion be blessed in every way. Yours faithfully, Horatio W. Dresser Page Forty-nine Arlington, Vermont. September 11, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: Here is the little message, written out of a full heart which you asked for, for the American women who have lost someone in the war. I hope it may be what you wanted. Mrs. Browning once wrote to a friend whose only son had died, "I write you with my arm around my own little boy, and love knows the secret of grief." Those words have been in my mind like the refrain of a poem, ever since I was asked to send a message to the American women who lost their men in the war, husband, or son, or brother. During my three years in France, with my husband in service, I was never without the pang of terrified apprehension which made me fear every knock on the door, every ring at the door-bell, every arrival of the mail. I slept through no night without starting awake to know that fear again, without seeing before me in the dark, one horri- fying possibility after another. My husband came home safe. I was spared the bitterness of the loss which other women suffered. But love knows Pasre Fifty the secret of grief, and it is from a full heart, aching with tender sympathy, that I send my respectful and affectionate greetings to the brave American women who are facing life, after the greatest of all losses. With sincerest greetings and congratula- tions on the fine work you are doing, Cordially yours Dorothy Canfield Fisher (Mrs. John R. Fisher) Page Fifty- on « 743 Greenwood Ave., Portland, Oregon. Dear Mrs. Moms: — Your letter makes me proud and happy. Thank you for letting me send you a mes- sage. I had three brothers in France, and my heart is in all I write. With my love, Mary Carolyn Davies To The Women of Service Star Legion: The bodies of certain men and the hearts of certain women, have been chosen as the pages on which the history of the American nation has been written, To those women who have been so chosen to be part of \he book of our country's greatness, we do not give pity — only a great reverence. Mary Carolyn Davis Page Fifty-two 110 Waverly Place New York City, N. Y. Sept. 6th, 1920. My dear Mrs. Moms: — I hope I have not waited too long before writing you and that your society has not already held its Convention. I put your letter aside as not needing an immediate answer and then it got overlooked. However, I am hoping this will still reach you in time for your Annual Con- vention, for I want very much to send your Organization a greeting. Please tell your members for me, that I feel this is the woman's day. That the world has reached a state of disorder and upheaval largely because the woman's voice, the mother's voice, has not been heard in public affairs. Now woman has her opportunity, She must take her place in public matters beside man. She must do this not because she is like man, but be- cause she is different, because she has things of her own to contribute. As I stood on the battle-field and viewed the destruction and disaster, I could not help thinking of the mother who went in- to the nursery to find everything smashed and the small boys fighting one another. Page Fifty-three One little son might be right and the other wrong, but the mother would insist that there was another and a better way of settling disputes than by bloodshed and destruction. It is with that same spirit and attitude that women must face the world. They must, if you like, take their brooms and dust pans out into life and clean up the mess, — make another war impossible. They must remake reformatories and prisons, stop child labor, insist that every child be fed, and that mankind love one another. Women have made the home. They have made it a place of love, and peace and happiness. Now they must extend their task to the whole world. They must grease the wheels, remove the friction, fill the world with joy and justice, bring mother spirit into all life. Trusting this message reaches you and that it is what you desire, with all good wishes, Very sincerely yours, Madeleine Z. Doty Page Fifty-four William Graves Sharp Elyria, Ohio. August 25, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — I am pleased lo learn from your letter that the third annual convention of the Service Star Legion is to be held. It seems peculiarly appropriate that one of the sessions of this convention is to be devoted to specially honoring the women whose sons, husbands and brothers gave their lives in a foreign land in such a great cause. As a proud witness "over there" of their valor and manly behavior, it is most pleasing to me to bear this message testifying to the lasting appreciation which has been accorded to their memory by those whose sons fought beside them under other flags. With the zeal and faith of the Crusaders of old, did these American boys with both the cause for which they fought and im- mortality. By their unselfish sacrifice they made more secure the cause of world liberty and justice. They gave to their country's name an added luster in that the only return they asked was the triumph of these principles and the heritage to the world of an enduring peace. Fortunate Page Fifty-five indeed for the stability and perpetuity of the best traditions of our country, their ex- ample will continue to live and be ex- emplified in the citizenship of millions of their comrades in arms. To the members of the American Legion have been be- queathed obligations as sublime in character as will be, I am persuaded, the manner of meeting them. Surely the soldiery of no other nation ever gave nobler response to their country's call then was given to the ex- alted appeals of President Wilson by these young heroes, living or dead, whose deeds you will meet to commemorate. Wishing for your convention the fullest measure of success I am, believe me, Sincerely and cordially yours, Wm. Graves Sharp Page Fifty-six Mohawk, New York. August 6th. 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — Your note has been forwarded to me. I take pleasure in sending a greeting to the women who gave their sons and husbands to their Country's service. In the midst of his great sorrow at the death of his son Quentin, my brother, Theodore Roosevelt, was filled with solemn exaltation that his own flesh and blood should have paid the price of self- less patriotism, and had he been alive, his greeting to the women whom the Service Star Legion wish to honor in September, would have been far more of pride in the achievement made possible by our gallant men who died than of sympathy in their loss, — keen as his sympathy was for those who had had to bear what he had to bear. My own two sons came back to me, but having lost a splendid son, just twenty, by a cruel accident, I can envy the mothers whose boys died nobly for a great cause. All honor to those boys and to the women who bore them and gave them to their country! Sincerely yours, Gornine Roosevelt Robinson Page Fifty-seven 533 Mount Prospect Avenue Newark, New Jersey July 29, 1920. Dear Mrs. Morris: — I wish you would say to the women of America who have given sons, brothers or husbands to the War, that it is the firm faith of millions of their comrades that they are not dead. They still fight in the hearts of men for the fine ideals for which they made the Supreme Sacrifice. They can only die when we forget. Yours sincerely, Coningsby Dawson. Page Fifty- eight Irvin S. Cobb Rebel Ridge Ossining, N. Y. My dear Mrs. Morris: — I realize only too well that no feeble word from me could add anything to the undying glory of the memories of the men who died for their country in the Great War. But to the women who gave their sons and their husbands to die for us I ask leave to offer this brief message of sin- cerest sympathy. Yours very truly, Irvin S. Cobb Page Fifty-nine Hollywood, Calif. July 23, 1920. My dear Mrs. Morris: — Will you present my congratulations to the noble and intelligent women of the Service Star Legion, who played so great and indispensable a part in the history of their country, and who, in common with their men, may be relied upon to perform the same part again and again? Let us hope they have only peace and happiness before them; but it is not to be ignored that the world may be in turmoil for many years to come and that we shall have to assume our share of the burden. Gertrude Atherton Page Sixty Merrymead Hill, N. H. My dear Mrs. Morris: — I do not know of any personal thing that could be said that isn't bathos in contrast with the old imperishable words: — "Dulce et Decorum est pro patria Mori." Sincerely yours, Alice Brown Page Sixty- one Seal Harbor, Maine, July 20th, 1920. Mothers of the Starry Band — be thank- ful for the victory of those who died, in- spire the service of those who live, and look forward! Sincerely yours, Henry Van Dyke Page Sixty-two The price of this book is one dollar, postpaid. Orders should be sent to Frank S. Shankland, Polk Building, Des Moines, Iowa. The royalties on all sales will be used to promote the patriotic work of Service Star Legion.