The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-16
HELPING TO WIN THE WAR.
Advice to Americans Between Ages OF
80 and so.
(By George Ade.)

ihNs "fi supply POI -
I. and most of the pep" needed to suppl,
!, and encourage a huge amy in the field
u II is for them to realize that we hav,
. passed the period of doubling and ques
ton answering,
We have come to the days when hus
Ting must supplant conversation.
1t was all right six months ago tc
spare an hour day in trying to convince
someone with vacant eye and dark
mind that we were really justified in
accepting the insolent challenge thrown
at us by Germany.
You are to be forgiven if, even three
months ago, you spent valuable time
trying to convince q sluggish minority
3 that
First. Government bonds are a safe
investment.
Second. Pro-Gcrman propaganda are
to be hit in the head
Third The allies are to be trusted.
Fourth. The Red Cross is above sus-
pcion and does not obtain either money
or knitted goods under false pretenses.
Fifth All taxes which have been lev
led are justified by extraordinary and
unprecedented conditions.
Sixth. This is not a rich mans war;
it was not precipitated by any Wall
street influence; it is not concerned over
private investments; it is not grand
benefit for munition makers,
Seventh. Fair promises have no value
when they are made by criminal who
finds himself backed into a corner.
Eighth. The men in our training camps
and aboard transports and stationed
| -, haino fa
| guarded as American soldiers never be-
fore were looked after, as regards whole
some food, proper sanitation, prevention
of disease, and moral guidance.
Why enumerate furtherg
Abe Martin met Teller down in Brown
county that never heard of Tony Pastor,
and we have a taxpayer in our township
who thinks the world is fiat, and you
can find cabaret performers in New York
City who don't believe there is such a
place as Iowa, and clairvoyants still find
customers, and you can name people who
will consult patent medicine lad" IN |
preference to a doctor, and old Jethro |
Tiford, over in Shelby township, carries
a dried-up potato to keep off the rheu-
matism.
In every community you will find a
contrary minded sediment of the human
race-people who keep themselves some
what in evidence by noisily denying facts
which are self evident TO all of their
neighbors who happen to be in the full
enjoyment of sanity.
They are somewhat like frogs, j. e.,
they make an awful noise in proportion
to their number.
Now, if YOU will take the trouble to
check up in your immediate neighbOr
hood the people who, from the beginning
of the war, have been full OF doubts and
questions and false alarms, you will find
that they are few in number and of prec-
ious little Importance, except as atmos
pheric disturbances.
Also, did it ever occur to you;
That the man who had bought most
literally OF government bonds never
questioned the safety of his security?
That the woman who was knitting the
most socks and sweaters never believed
the silly stories about the Red Cross be-
ing crooked institution
That the soldier boy about to board l
transport and join his comrades of N
France and Great Britain never was N
known to doubt the sincerity of the men NJ
With whom he was soon TO join shout H
lersY N
No, indeed N
All the walls and misgivings and fish
tories are put into circulation by few III
,icayune outsiders who were just built III
o be obstructionists and somehow can't HI
lelp it. III
They are in class with the Tories III
Who feasted the aristocratic British off Ill
ers while Washngton's army starved at III
ALLEY Forge. MI
They are hold over of the Vallandig- Hi
am clan that reviled Lincoln and gave iii
n underhanded copperhead support to III
he cause of slavery, even after il was III
oomed. I'LL
They are the kind of people who OPP iii
ose public improvements, will not buy III
ckets for the Chautauqua, criticize the II
mister if he smiles in public, and at III
,ch the presumption of guilt to any I|l
oman attacked bv scandal iii
They are the small bores, the two by iii
,urs, the gnats, the sand flies, the ticks
ut ON earth to teach good people the
lality of patience.
The time has come TO ignore them
If we cannot lock them up for safe III
aeping. at least we can shut them out Hi
ON our daily program and 60 ahead I
it'll the important work laid out for us. =.
This is no time to waste precious hours i
ID vocal energy in trying to prove that Il
20 and two make four, and water is
ct, and the sun sets in the west, and =
e mad dog of Prussianism must be r.
uzzled. Il
Don't try to convince the miniature 1
Follettes, because they don't wish to
convinced. They derive bilious com
rt from being different. They have
armed that no cloud has a silver lining;
is festooned on the interior with L;
epe. :.
If all the optimists along your street al
ould arise some morning into a world 2
decked with dew sparkles and eXclaim q
unison, What a beautiful, sunshiny
"" then some two-legged crab would
lerge behind a lilac bush and say,
es; but ! think it'll rain before night" br
II you find a banana skin on the an
reshold Of patriotic opportunity kick
aside and don't permit yourself to be- A
me fused. <
The stalwart men and women of mid 3
age are 10 keep the home fires burn Y
during the supreme ordeal now at 4
I'd. y
They are TO raise the crops, speed the
tories. collect the taxes, organize the