Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-04-01
.07TUMWA TO HELP
. ON DEFENSE FUNI
lestN
GIRL LEADS IN MOVE TO pRc
VIDE MONEY FOR GREAT NEW ~
eATTLESHiP.

The patriotic call Of Marjorie Stel
rett, the little Brooklyn girl who III
raising fund among the children ant
grownups of the land for the building
OF a battleship, has not fallen ON deai
ears In Ottumwa. The children Nsi
this city are going to lead their eldert
In raising money to help prepare THU;
country for defense. Little Miss
Airline Patton. fourteen years old and
very enthusiastic. Is the first IOWi
miss to join with the Brooklyn miss III
her worthy project. Airline came tts
The Courier Office this morning ant
asked that the Courier Junior become
custodian of the fund which she desir
ed to head and which she Is going to-
raise among her girl friends through
out the city. The Courier Junior. Of
course, is glad to cooperate with the
patriotic young Americans and so this
Ottumwa branch of the Marjorie StefI
rett movement can be said to be-
started. NM
Leader is Live Wire. En-
Airline lives at 2104 East Main street
and gees TO the Adams school There
are three in the Patton family, SeS
Airline counts in the two children next
door and says her contribution OF fiftyl
cents represents five people who are
! interested in the raising OF the FUND
Airline Is n live wire'' and is goifffS
/ to preach preparedness to her sch00s
mates. She is preparing to 60 before
them at their, weekly current event18
meeting and explain the purpose 0fs
the movement and ask for their co..
operation. The principal lat her scho0I
mas already given consent to Ariine'el
plan and is glad that an Adams girl|
is leading in the patriotic Move
For the benefit of those who, do not
know of Marjorie .Sterrett and her fund.-
here. is short history of;the move
ment. The little Brooklyn girl cOr,N'
ceived the idea that the children oil
the United States might want n hell
this country remedy it's. state Of unSSS|
preparedness and that they might ~
willing to raise the money for tho
building Of a great battleship tt. pro-
tect our shores from invaders. 81
she laid her plan before The New
ork Tribune and started on with
a contribution of one dollar and r.
appeal to the children of the countr
to give dime each, or as much a13
they were able. M
Idea Bears Fruit M
Marjorie's idea fell on fertile ground
Men and women joined the children
in giving and the fund soon ran tlS1
several thousand dollars Then Mar
jorie sent it to Secretary Daniels Ol
the United States navy departmen&
and that high official refused to tak1f
1t, saying that if the grownups WOULD
not tax themselves for new warship67s
he did not want to use the childreI
to assume the burden.
From all over the country came pre-
tests against the action OF the secrS
tary. He was condemned for failinf
to get the real significance Of Mar
jorie's idea, for failure to appreciate
that 1t was an expression Of pRtri&
=otism from the children or the nati03J
The fund was not dissolved 1t beGx4(3
growing faster than ever and ut thu
present time there is bill In congress
directing the secretary to receive thu
money and use it for the purpose de1S1
ignated by the children. S s
I ChiIaren Are Aroused. II ii
In the meantime, the move has beet
taken I'D in all parts of the c0sintfy
Men and women are giving their dimej
and their dollars along with the dimd4l
of the children. The patriotism 6&
Young America is aro,sed and th
children's warship is going to matsM
ialiZe.
The youngsters of Ottumwa are n
less patriotic than Marjorie Sterref
and they are going to see that Ottup
wa is represented in the fund. Par
Of that great battleship Of the futuYM
is to come from the dimes OF OttumwS
children and their parents.
The Courier Junior will keep y0s
posted hereafter on the growth Of TN,
fund 4 .faSs ssis ~ s,5s
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