The Washington herald., 1917-06-17
Is National Spirit Revived
In Americas Hour of Trial?
Community Spirit Must Make Way for Ma
tons Need of Industrial and
Military Preparedness.
BY EDWARD HUNGERFoRD.

A man from New York went down
into Tc.aS not long ago-a State for
which he has a peculiar affection-to
talk to chamber Of commerce upon a
heart. His reception was cordial. And
the meeting was enthusiastic. First
1t toasted the new Made in Texas"
league, then 1t toasted BeXar. finally
the fertile county in which the enter
prising city of Bexar stands. After
which it was the mans turn to take
the floor.
II am going to take woman's priv
ilege," said he. "and change my mind.
The thing which brought me to Texas
is dear to my heart, but there is an
other thing which Is far, far dearer
to it. am coming to you. loyal
citizens of Texas. with an appeal upon
my lips. l am going to beg your in
dulgence and your interest in behalf
of a friend who needs more friendship.
This man has many sons and daugh-
ters; he has reared them to compet-
ence and great estate, but they have
not always remembered this. AS q
result my friend Is lonely. forgotten
and unSung.
MY friend is the United States Of
America-my country and yours, II
you please. And tonight for a little
time l am going to ask you to for
get your smart city, your growing
county, your superb State, and give
your loving thought to the great
United States. which stands for and
behind each of them"
And having thus cleared the air, I
made bold to make any points clearer
to them. We have had. in these last
few years, remarkable revival of
the community spirit here in the
United States. 1t has taken various
forms, not all Of them commercial, by
any means. OF course, commerce has
not been neglected; towns and cities
nave scrapped joyouSly and endlessly
for banks and for factories. But big
ger and better has been the commu-
nifty spirit which has expressed itself
in schools and pavements, in street
The civic festivals and pageants have
been worth all they cost and then
much more besides. Even the COM
munity Christmas trees have played
no small part in tine rejuvenation OF
many and many small town.
1t has been community pride ex-
pressed in a more distinctly CONNER
cial form which has led to Campaigns
for the preferential buying of local
products. One or two States have
followed the same plan, which in the
long run scenes to defeat their own
ends: For sooner or later. generally
sooner, some local citizen finds that
his deep-rooted preference for a for.
eign" product outweighs his locaI
pride. He falls. And a community
idea which fundamentally lacks eco.
nomic soundness is just so much the
| weaker.
am the last to decry communit,
spirit. particularly when it is ken,
within seemly bounds. There ar,
many evidences of community spirit
| that can hardly be too highly Com
| mended. But 1t must not be forgotter
that community spirit lessons nationa
| spirit; when the one grows, the othel
| weakens. No man can serve tw,
masters. And I have yet to see tn,
man who can give himself entirely Il
! community spirit and projects and We
| remain, in the fullest sense, an Amer
| lean citizen.
! Today we need a national spirit, Ir
the greatest crisis which has come n
: the United States since the Civil Wal
! broke upon it in full force and fury
the nation needs the deepest Thought
the fullest energy Of each of its citi
zens. This is the day to forget aboIIt
the local wants and desires. Let III,
| Made-in-C Cosmopolis-League languisi
! for a time. Perhaps the town car