But, the Great War that was taking place across the Atlantic began to penetrate her happy world more and more. She barely paid attention when her Edwards talked about the war overseas. Worry didn’t come into play until the night she was at her piano, playing out an old tune, when fourteen year old Edward came running into the house from being out with his friends, waving the evening paper about.

He knew the latest headline of what was going on overseas was of more interest to his father so he went directly to show him even as she continued to move her fingers along the ebony and ivory keys. It was the anger in her husband’s voice and the excitement in her son’s that finally caught her attention.

Apparently a German U-boat had sunk a British liner called the Lusitania and 1,198 civilian souls had perished. Close to one hundred children had died and that along with the fact that Americans had been on board meant that the war seemed much closer than it had before. After all, the attack had been unprovoked. 

Her husband was angered by President Wilson’s policy of isolationism and their son hung on his every word as he went on and on about how they couldn’t stay out of the war now that the German’s had crossed this line. She knew that her son was not only in agreement, but it was almost as if she could see him imagining himself as a soldier, gloriously marching off into battle.

As she got this image in her mind she closed the cover to her piano and left them alone I the parlor.

At the dinner table that night she said grace like she usually did, but she added a prayer for the people lost on the Lusitania and that God would bring peace to those who needed it. It was the first time she mentioned the Great War when saying grace, and she mentioned it every night thereafter.

That night she and her husband fought. Heated discussions were a rare thing between them, but when she requested that he not encourage their son about this war he had argued that Edward was growing up.

“He’s almost a man, Lizzy! You can’t coddle him forever!”