The Wahpeton times., 1918-12-05
PEOPLE Who ARE LEFT
OUT OF THE ROLL CALL
Population of the United States
Asked to Stand Up and
Be Counted.
sy GERALD STANLEY LEE.

~ S.0sNeS w NSesS e0Ss
had friend once named Old Bill
Spear, who was the curator and found
er Of the John Quincy Adams Memorial
In Quincy. Mass. He conceived the
idea Of making the house into me.
mortal and, with his genius as . col
lector Of old furniture, filled it with
things to see.
People came from everywhere, and
q twenty-five cents apiece they went
ase0 to see the things Bill had col
leceed and hear Bill talk.
Bill felt very superior to most col.
lectors. "Just collectors" Bill said,
'*collect anything"
Bill usually could size people up when
they came In the door, but when he
wasn't quite sure about people, and sus-
pected he didn't want to bother with
them very long, he used to take them up
to the attic to size them up quick He
would show them a bushel basketful of
something they couldn't quite see, and
then he would wave his hand with a
flourish and say in an impressive tone
o~S tiOy EtVOpcO 10 look closer, 'In1S Is
the Largest Collection of Burnt Matches
IN the World!'
Hundreds of collectors didn't break a
Smile. Bill said. and just looked awed.
Then Bill knew, Of course that he
needn't bother to show them his best
things.
Some Of the people who are proposing
to 30 out into the streets Red Cross
Christmas Roll Call Week and gather up
everybody to Join the Red Cross. seem
to think that the main thing there is
to tell people about the Red Cross is
that II they pay a dollar to belong they
Will belong to the Largest Collection Of
People Who Have Paid One Dollar in the
World.
felt . little superior to this at first
and began thinking how wouldn't do it.
But when I began thinking what the
biggest Collection Of People in the World
could do by just being tho big9est and
by all wanting the same thing with q
different one dollar. it became impress
sive.
It would even be impressive II forty
million people in America all wanted the
Same thing with the same Dollar!
All Wasting the Same thing would be q
nation praying-all the grown-up people
Of Q nation with their little half con-
sclous children round them-praying!
The dollar man Joined with. would
not bs mere one dollar. The dollar
America that 3o,S99. .s99 other men OF
women belonged TO him. and that he be-
longed to them In getting what he want
ed for three e<million soldier boys and for
their children at homo.
Forty million people-all the grown-up
people In this country pick out three
million mon ana say to the three million
men they have picked out. You 60 and
die for US. you 60 and be saviors of the
world and die on our crosses for vs!''
Then what do the forty million do?
II would be be something II We would
all line up-the whole forty million Of
US to man. with our little pallid insipid
speechless dollar bills In our hands from
Maine to California Christmas Week and
use our two dollar bills year ~ ballots,
stand up In line and be counted and
cable to the men across the seas that
to stand by them, to stand by the souls
and bodies Of the children Of the men
who have made q standing offer to die
on our crosses for us!
Who wants to be left out of this line
BY Christmas Eve?
What man would want to he stood up
In q row Of those who arc left out while
and look At him, while the little children
OF zine hundred thousand dead men in
England fils by and look ut him. or the
children of the soldiers Of France giving
their lives to protect the skyscrapers Of
New York?
For that matter 1t need not take %
many children. What man who let him.
self be left out would feel safe in his
own house with his own children climbing
up into his lap believing in him--safe
with his own baby pulling on his face.
jabbfng his small trustful fists in hia
syss-if he let himself be left out?
OF course. It seems . little like Q
mockery to cable over to France Christ
mas Eve that we give one carfare once
In two weeks to the children Of tho men
We picked out TO die for US. but It would
be start.
Nobody needs to think 1t would be q
big thing Just to belong to the Red Gross.
but It Is going to be q big thing to be
left out.