The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-07-28

DAY, JULY e. f9tz.
AN APPEAL TO cOUNTRYSIDE
BY Kate Douglas Wiggin Of the
Vigilantes
(These who are awake 10 th~ d.
mAnds Of The war--to tAs ohlisa ton
spon every loyal America. 10 de-
vote his energies to the call OF his
eouktSy-ars ever ON the alert for
tho opportunity to put The will to
serve into performance. Kate
Douglas Wigs;n, the famou. author
whose "Ths Birds Christmas Carol, 81
and "Rebeeca Of Sunnyhrook Farm
are household Looks a.; over Amer.
iea, of in the depth. Of rural
Maine, is inspired by the sight of
quiet, sleepy hamlets into ponderins
upon the Possibilities of service for
their inhabitants who withdrawn
from the turmoil of a larger world,
also miss its inspiration. She Issues
through the Visilantes her call to
the lonely ones who may be seeking
a path to service.)
Oyez! Oyez! All you little villages
and small towns along the country
side of America!
Oyez! All you scattered hamlets.
You lonely farm houses up on the
hillside, you unneighbored dwellings
far from railways! Are you awake
to your country's needs, keeping,
vigil lest you be found wanting in
some unexpected hour of danger?
Because you have no millionaires
among you, no leisure class sacrific-
ing now its leisure to war work; be-
cause the days tasks both for men
and men, placed as you are, already
hard and long; because your in
comes are none too large and the
mouths to feed are many,-do not
think for moment that there isn't
something beautiful and honorable
still left for you to do for your
country. We human being are made
in the Divine image. Perhaps the
likeness has grown fainter and
fainter since we came from God
trailing our clouds of glory with
US; but SO long as it still is there we
can never be wholly bankrupt in our
power of giving; never utterly help
less in good cause.
The man who is tried with his
days sowing and reaping can al
ways plant twenty square feet more
for his country. The woman who is
weary with her daily round of
can always give an hour
now and then to the Red Cross
Branch in her section and get the
that comes from working
with other women. Labor done side
by side for common cause has
more joy than weariness in it, for
certain magic is always set free
when there is cooperative work,
done under. the inspiration of .
ideal.
For the invalid, the cripple, there
Is still the blessed task of knitting
wristlets or socks or -nufaers, or he'll
nets. The stitches made by frail old
ingers, or BY hands stricken with
many pains, win carry double COM
'ort and healing to those who are
un-dreamed of tortures on
he battlefield or in the trenches.
Every man, woman and child has
gift, however small, for the coun-
~ that gave him birth. To hold it
'ack Is gross disloyalty; to be indif-
'erent or indolent in service isl
lothing short in crime.
Forget al about the splendid
lifts that you see printed in the
Ten million dollars
rom one man is no better, no, nor
'alf 80 good as ten million dollars
rom ten million men. America can
lot do without her small villages,
Ter almost unknown hamlets! Per
laps you are not. known on the map.
lever mind! Take in the villages all
round you and make . unit of pow /
r and service and patriotism that
Vill put you on the map. You have
lready prepared if you have done
ommunity work of any sort, and If
on have not, that is what has kept |
on off the map. No man or wo-
ian can toll for church, Sunday
chool, district school, library, 4
range, better roads, better sing
g better cooking. without every
hing, without being prepared BY
fe for life. When % prepared, The Il
Ision Of privilege. Of responsibility. l
rows, and we are ready for the