New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-03
NATION REPLIED
70 GIRLS APPEAL
Dime in a Letter Touched
Hearts of Americans
Everywhere
r.R. AND EDISON
AMONG SUPPORTERS
Congress Failed TO Accept
Fund, but Patriotic Tide
Flowed On

Secretary Daniels has his Bataesh'P
-, Il WAS presented 70 him by
y.-r.-et z. Clough, niece OF Con-
..r,n Cyrus A. Sulloway, Of New
nn.h,re. and Walter NJ. Miller. Of
1.ootlvp. a young friend Of Marjorie
s.,yr,tt founder Of the BattieshiP
Fund.
-. presentation marked an epoch
.,s movement started by the little
o.,,t,vn girl 20 build battleship FOR
-, SAN. Secretary Daniels wasn't
80. ,~.brs;astic about The movement
.,4,.. he sent back Marjcrie's dine
=, .be statement that her impulse
-. in the right direction but that her
-,thod was open 70 question. Uncle
c. he said, could build all the
,,,tlsships he needed with the revenue
- from taxation which his rep
~.,.,,a.ives saw 81 70 impose.
sill the Dimes Came
~, sscre.srys dictum did not dis
Garage Marjorie, but It undoubtedly
.,.,ourred lots Of other girls and
-. vhO Otherwise might have added
,h,I, dimes TO hers for the ~. s. D
a.L,.s Nevertheless the dimes con-
- 20 roll in, and the movement
....,,r,d to spread until children and
,,ovn.up,. too, IN all parts Of the
s,n,.rv had heard Of her patriotic
deed. -.
p,-bsps Secretary Daniels was right
p.-hs,. there are more important
.h,,g. for school children 20 worry
,b.,r keen young brains about than
,bs condition Of their eountry's navy
Tia. is neither here nor there in the
r,.,,pt story. The fact remains that
nstuOtic miss sent dime TO The
Tribune to found fund and that the
fund has since grown 70 more ina"
100000 times its original size
Here Is the Letter
tn, i, the letter that started all
a.. tTouble. lust ss Il came into Inc
T-jlnre ofee one morning ten months
ago:
Brooklyn, n. "
February 2, 1918.
Tn the Editor Of The New 1ork
Tribune.
Dear SIR
read in your paper every
norning a lot about preparedness.
Wy Grandpa and my great Grandpa
we're soldiers. II / was boy l
would be a soldier. too, but l am
mot 40 | want to do what / can to
helm Mama gives me dime every
week for helping her. l an send
ing YOU this weeks dime 10 help
build battleship for Uncle sam
know a lot of other kids who
would give their errand money II
you would start a fund. ] am thir-
teen years old. and go TO Public
school No. g, Brooklyn.
Truly yours.
MARJORIE STERRETT.
am true blue American, and
want TO see Uncle sam prepared
TO lick all creation like John Paul
Jones did.
P. s.-Please call the battleship
America.
The letter was printed on February
l. The next morning two checks for
SO, 81 bill and a Decent piece came
u TIE mail 10 add 20 MarJorie's contri-
button.
Three days later Marjorie received
. three-page letter from Theodore
Roosevelt, in his own handwriting, in
answer TO one which she had sent him.
i contained $40 cents a dime
ipsce) for Oracle Roosevelt. Richard
Derby I'd, Theodore Roosevelt Cd, and
Cornelius Van Schsak Roosevelt.
For Grandchildren Unborn
The other 60 cents" the Colonel
explained, "sre for my other six grand
Children. They are not born yet. II
hey are girls I think some Of them
will be named Edith, Alice, Ethel,
Eleanor and Belle. II they are boys
some Of them viii be named Kermit,
Archie, Quentin and Jonathan Edwards:
jonathan Edwards was an ancestor OF
their gTxndmother's, who lived in Colo
niAl times lie was great preacher
and strong and good man. don't
iree with all his theology; but his
lie teaches the two lessons which are