100 years ago in The Record
Sunday, June 17, 1917
As of today, First Presbyterian Church of Troy has 23 members serving in the military. In dedicating a roll of honor this morning, Rev. Joseph H. Odell tells his congregation that “There will be more to add later.”
The U.S. declared war on Germany on April 6. Some of the 23 First Presbyterian members were already serving in the Second New York National Guard Infantry regiment at that time. Others have joined the regular army, while some have been fighting already in the French army.
“It is fitting that every church in the land make a permanent record of those men whose devotion is already beyond doubt, though not yet called to the front,” Odell says, “This banner before us wil be a constant reminder of the service they are performing.”
Like pastors throughout the city, Odell devotes part of his sermon to the upcoming $100,000,000 Red Cross fundraising drive. The money will go toward treatment of American and allied soldiers in Europe.
“In France supplies are so scarce they are stuffing newspapers into men’s wounds to staunch the bleeding until they reach the rear,” Odell explains, “When you give it means this will not happen to our boys.
“Pay as you like – to United States and Red Cross to win the war for democracy or to Germany when she wants it. You must give it some time, somehow.
This is a question of selfpreservation, not gentle charity.”
IN PURSUIT OF SLACKERS
Today is a day of rest for military census workers, as Americans between the ages of sixteen and fifty have until June 25 to register with their state governments and declare their availability for wartime service.
The census may expose men between the ages of 21 and 30 who haven’t registered for the military draft. “If men available for the Federal service are found in one enrollment and not in the other, they will be ‘spotted,’” the Sunday Budget reports, “and, when the round up takes place, they will be called in.”
In Rensselaer County, the first step toward exposing “slackers” will be to post publicly the names of all men who have registered. Slackers will be identified by omission, and each one “will have to do some very artful dodging to hide from performance of the duty he owes his country.”
Local officials haven’t yet been given orders on dealing with slackers, but “they are ready to act, and the full power of the city police, the sheriff’s office and the United States … may at any time be set in motion to hunt down those who have failed to comply.”