The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-04-30
WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE
ON PARCELS POST.

Writing TO the convention OF INT
Southwestern Lumbermen's Associa-
ton. held recently in Kansas City. he
says:
The preservation OF the home
trade 10 the home town carries with
il the preservation OF many OF our
American institutions.
1T seems to me that lot OF good
things in American life will pass II
the country town passes. and it will
pass Just SO surely as Capitalization
OF retail mail order business con-
tinues
THE American country town, the
town of from one hundred 20 one
thousand people. preserves better
han the crowded city and better than
the lonely ranch and isolated farm
life, the things that make America
great.
THE American country town with
its broad circle of friendship, with its
close, hOmelike relations between
men. with its spirit of cooperation
and with its economic status that
permits the creation of no indecently
rich and no abjectly poor, the Amer
isp tn i.
the most hopeful of our American in
stitutions.
ITO destroy the town, furnishing
the marker for the farmer and giving
steady employment to labor, means a
reorganization of our commercial. So
cial and industrial life that will be
revolutionary more matter of
doubtful value.
THE mail order house therefore be.
comes menace to this country, the
mail order house unrestricted will
kill our smaller towns, creating great
cities with their terrible contrasts Ut
life, with their cruel social relations,
with their inevitable caste feeling that
comes from the presence of strang-
ers who are rich and poor living side
by side.
And that brings us back to the
first principles; if we who live in
these small towns in America cannot
See that our duty to our country lies
first of all in our duty to our neigh
bors. then we are blind indeed to the
basis of real patriotism, for, after all,
patriotism is only neighborly kind
ness. Patriotism is not in cheering
for the flag; ii is not in feeling our
eyes I'LL with emotional tears at hear
ing The Star Spangled Banner;' but
patriotism is just old fashioned hui
man duty.
ITO sacrifice our neighbor-the
man who helps the town with his
taxes, with its public business. and
with its myriad activities for neigh.
borly righteOusness-to sacrifice that
man and his business for the mere
sake OF saving dollar on the pur. !
chase of hundred dollars worth OF |
goods is Just as unpatriotic as II IL
to spit at the flag.
For the flag if it means anything.
means the golden rule; the flag means
friendly burden bearing; it means
mutual help in trouble; it means
standing together against common
foes.
Thc motto of he mail order house
is every man for himself and the
devil take the hindermost-an YOU
bet the devil will.
That spirit never fails to work;
and the weak man. the unprotected
mali, the man alone-the man on the
farm. at the end of the fact, when
MS farm market is gone, when the
town is gone, when the spirit of sell
hshncss and greed has left this coun-
try cold and hard and mean and
heighbOrlcss the farmer will be the
so | am glad to know that this
association is taking up this work
IA cherries, thankless but necessary
ana patriotic task-and pushing it to
successful conclusion. You have
my heartiest sympathy and NAV call
upon ME whenever can help. Ma
flonal Glass Budget.