Every faithful son of his nation is bound to be ready for sacrifices in order to see his people victorious in a War waged because it is striving to prevent democracy to be trampled in the dust. America must win so that militarism is swept from the surface of this globe, that justice be shown to the small nations, that these may gain the right to decide upon their own destinies, and finally, that the entire civilized world, and civilization itself, be placed upon a new basis. This war must be the last, and any repetition must be rendered impossible. These are gigantic aims. They are sublime, exalted, and call for heavy sacrifices. The greatest of all sacrifices are to be asked of the women, the mothers, who will have to lay upon the altar of the fatherland the dearest in their possession, that which is tied up with the very roots of their own lives, their sons.

The Herald, in its Sunday edition, treated this subject very appropriately, emphasizing that though women's sacrifice is immense, they show no less willingness than their boys themselves. The article says further that the American mothers will probably not have to carry the same burdens as the mothers of the soldiers of Europe; the dire necessity which caused the war seems leniently to ask less of this country than from its Allies.

The article continues by drawing a difference between conventional help by women in hospitals and ammunition factories. and the unavoidable, natural sacrifice that is demanded of mothers. It quotes Olive Schreiner: "We are paying for the entire human life." It proceeds:

"If the organization of the world had been laid into the hands of the women, there would perhaps be no break in human relations brutal enough by which it could not be atoned other than War. But neither the men nor 3the women have created that society which oppresses them now. They will, therefore, sacrifice what they possess; men, their energy, and women, their children, to spare the future generations more similar sacrifices."

In concluding, the Herald says that men and women are giving their best without grumbling. If they did not, they would feel dishonored just as their ancestors would have felt if they had dodged their duties to fight for the Union and the freedom of the slaves.

The American women have given their dearest. Our Czech mothers ought to think of the Czech mothers in the old country who had to countenance the slaughtering of their sons for the wrong cause, for the destruction of the Czech nation.

The task put before the poor woman is of the highest order. She performs it unnoticed. No one praises her or prints her name in the daily papers, 4as is the case with women rich, or socially prominent. The newspapers ought to cease their practise of featuring women as heroines who in fact consider War as a plaything. They should not forget the lone woman who has given her son, or the one who works in the hospitals to alleviate the sufferings of the wounded.

The American working woman will, when necessity demands, do the same as her sister in the old country, work in ammunition factories. It is the poor woman only that will have to take recourse to this kind of occupation, and not the rich woman who likes to parade her picture in the papers. However, when the demand becomes really urgent, the American working woman will do her bit without a murmur and by performing any task required, she will not stand back of her European sister.

We hope, however, that fate will not make demands such as these on us, but our women will surely help otherwise to assure victory. They will 5be judicious in the use of food in their kitchens and will not waste materials; they will arrive at an understanding with the farmers' wives so that there will always be sufficient supply on hand, and any possibility of famine eliminated.

The American women have always been against war, because they knew it might tear from their arms what is dearest to them. But circumstances forced War upon us, and American women are prepared. The knowledge that their sons are fighting to banish war from the world altogether will encourage them to do the work to which President Wilson is calling all loyal Americans.

No one can predict what fate has in store for us; all indications point, however, toward a short duration of this horrible War, and final victory for America which is standing up for a good and noble cause.

Our women will surely do what is expected of them, especially those women to whom the newspapers print no eulogies, Mothers, women of the people!