A Friend

A Friend By Ezra J. Poulsen I had a friend who was true and tried; for through all the enchanted years of blossoming youth, we trod the hills and vales of life together. At manhood's dawn this friend of mine joined the vanguard of a great cause the cause of human liberty. Willingly and cheerfully he went into the bat- tle line. He went, not as a servant forced by the iron hand of a master, not as one drunk with a lust for the blood of his fellow-men, but as a citizen soldier, equipped with a true conception of eternal justice, and armed in the defense of a righteous cause. He was a friend and companion of the brave, a protector of the weak, and the scourge of cowards. Trusted and loved by all who knew him, this man was an honor to his country and his God. He met the onrush of the enemy with an eager eye, and with an arm strong and steady. It was a hapless foe that met his steel. But in the crash and storm of the conflict he was borne down. And there, on the molten crest of the battle's wave, he died. There are many things that man may do to win the gratitude of his fel- lows, but the sacrifice of life is the supreme test of all. It is the test that made the Master suffer the agonies of Gethsemane. And, to use his own words: "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." Let me say, as the world groans under this great cata- clysm of the nations: All honor to him who dies that we might live, and be free! Garden City, Utali.

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