The Glasgow courier. [volume] (Glasgow, Mont.) 1913-current, 1918-12-13
PEOPLE WHO ARE LEFT
OUT OF THE ROLL CALL
Population Of the United States
Asked to Stand Up and
Be Counted.
BY GERALD STANLEY LEE.


I had a 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 a me-
mortal and, with his genius as a col.
lector Of old furniture, filled IT with
things to see.
People came from everywhere. and
at twenty-five cents apiece they went
about to see the things Bill had col
lected and hear Bill talk.
Bill felt very superior to most COL
l%ectors. "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
then, very long. he used to take them up
10 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 will a
-four sh and say in an impressive tone
as they stopped to look closer. This is
the Largest Collection of Burnt Matches
In the World!"
hundreds Of collectors didn't break a
smile. Rill 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 go out into the streets Red Cross
Christmas Roll Call Week and gather ut
everybody to Join the Red Cross. seem
to think that the main thing there Is
to tell people about the Red Cross is
thai il they pay a dollar to belong they
will belong to the Largest Collection Of
Peo"le Who Have Paid One Dollar In the
World.
| felt a little superior to this at first
and began thinking how l wouldn't do 1t.
But when | began thinking what the
bis gest Collection of People in the World
could do by just being the biggest ana
by all wanting the same thing with a
different one dollar. it became impress
sive.
1t would even be impressive II forty
million people In America all wanted the
same thing with the same Dollar!
All wanting the same thing woul be a
nation praying-all the grown-up people
Of a nation with their little half con-
scious children round them-praying!
The dollar a mar Joined with. would
not be a mere one dollar. The dollar
would be a receipt to every man In
America that 80. 999, 999 other men or
women belonged to him.. and that he be-
ed for three million soldier boys and for
their children at home.
Forty million people-all the grown-up
people in this country pick out three
million men and say to the three million,
men they have picked out, You 20 and
die for US. you go and be saviors OF the
world and die on our crosses for u.s."
Then what do the forty million do?
1t would be be something If we would
al line up-the whole forty million OF
us to a man. with our little pallid insipid
epeechless dollar bills in our hands from
Maine to California Christmas Week and
use our two dollar bills a year as ballots
stand up In line and be counted and
cable to the men across the seas thai
we vote one carfare once in two weeks
to stand by them. to stand by the souls
and bodies of the children Of the mel
who have made a 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 be stood W
IN a row Of those who are left out while
all Of the children Of the world file by
and look at him.. while the little children
OF nine hundred thousand dead men ir
England file by and look at him. or the
children of the soldiers Of France giving
their lives to protect the skyscrapers o.
New York?
For that matter It 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 h.m-safs
with his own baby pulling on his face
jabhing his small trustful fists In his
eyes-if he let himself be left out?
OF course. 1t seems a little like g
mockery to cable over to France Christ
mas Eve that we give one carfare once
In two weeks to the children OF the mcr
We picked out to die for US. but 1t would
be a start.
Nobody needs to think It would he a
big thing Just to belong to the Red Cross
but 1t Is going to be Q big thing to b
left out.