The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-03-11
100 MINUTE MEN
DISCUSS WORK
At CONFERENCE
Orators Not Wanted, They
Bore Hearers, Is Message,


Chamber Of Commerce this forenoon
we're Curtis Nickerson and Prof Bert
ram Nelson. both Of whom represent
Washington headquarters OF the Four
Minute Men and came TO Oklahoma
City especially to advise Oklahoma
speakers, coming here under the orders
OF the Committee on Public lniorma-
tion Of which the 25m -Four Minute
Men now speaking nightly to 10000
movie patrons are a branch
The presiding officer At the Four
.lMinute Mems conference was Chair.
man N. r. Graham Of Tulsa Nearly
one hundred -Four Minute Men are m
attendance on the conference besides
mrs +. D. Aiken OF Shawnee who Is
10 -Four Minute Woman. (doing the same
public work as the mem
4 Minute Mems Ideal
y Curtis Niekerson said in part:
"The -Four Minute Men. It seems to
me can have no better ideal 20 keep
before him in this work for his gov
ernmeni, than the one sentence OF most
Significance from John Adams when he
said, Let us have one country, one con
stitution and one destiny We can have
no better moral support, !, has seemed
20 me than the significant words OF
President Wilson when in one OF his
messages he said. With our army Of
-Four Minute Men speaking, we may
feel we are thrice armed
II wonder II you -Four Minute Men
here have an accurate conception OF the
amount OF publicity, by way OF carefully
iprepared bulletins, which are being sent
out from Washington In connection
with the war savings stamp work I.SD
1000 bulletins on the subject were sent
10 our public schools in America This
is to be followed by as extensive a bul
'ietin campaign among the nations
lschool children on the subject Of war
Iaardens and little later, bulletins on
poultry raising.
Now On Eighteenth Campaign.
"You will probably be interested 10
know there is -Four Minute Mems or
saniration in Hawaii, in Alaska, in th'
Canal rome and on. now forming IN
Porto Rico. The Four Minute Men oi
America have participated in seventeen
speaking campaigns, Il mean speaking
on seventeen different subjects) and are
now engaged in their eighteenth cam
paiqn. The activities OF your organira
tion are now directed by 1000 chair
men and the number Of Four Minute
Men now speaking is estimated TO b
nearly $4,000"
Nickerson was followed by Prot
Ber,ram Nelson of Chicago who SAT
he was sent to the conference by Wash
ington headquarters to aid in the speak
,)ng methods, delivery and text, used b
the -Four Minute Men in Oklahoma. II
bald:
Orators Not Wanted.
A "EIoquence is one OF the creates
turses Of our Four Minute Men today
I'VE do not want orators. We do no
Mant the type OF man who thinks wheI
he starts to speak, SEE me make
sspeechr II the -Four Minute ma
would get that idea Of speech out o
his head, he would get ahead faster
You appear before movie audiences
khe direct representative OF the Unite'
States government. You must not for
yet that You have a war message L
Heliyer and you have no need to forge
Ahat, but you must remember this
"You can infringe on a mans rellg
ion, his political views, perhaps HI
wife's cooking, with more or less q
impunity, but you cannot infringe o
his right TO enjoy himself and hav
amusement when he goes TO the pictur
show. II is better for you to keep YOU
talk under four minutes than over II.
"In this work of spreading the propa
ganda Of patriotism under the susplce
Of the Four Minute Mems organization
YOU do not have TO make the eagI
scream, and you do not have TO becom
obse,sed Of the idea that you are a ma
tural born orator and you are going
sway that movie audience with yo,
silver tongue You are not there fC
that purpose.
"Don't Waste Time"
"In fact, you will do we'll il you wi
stick to the bulletin sent 10 you fro
Washington, telling you what to say
q given subject A -Four Minute ma
certainly has not got to tell how
came to speak, what caused the war
thank the manager Of the movie fof a
lowing him TO speak,
"As regards this thanking the theatr
Sai manager for allowing you to speal
special bulletin on that subject h
been prepared and on a given nlgl
N every motion picture and eve
heater where the -Four Minute m
has been given the privilege Of spea
ng for his government the four mi
utcs have been set aside and will
used up in the business OF your tellii
he audience facts about the PATRIOTS
of our theatrical men that probably {
general public is in ignorance Of.
Regarding the text of your talks,
has been decided at Washington that
y absolutely unnecessary for a speak
b give a diagnosis Of his speech. 7
bcst editorials in the country, under t
sew method Of editing Fapers, are co
Gned into the space OF between $50 a
90 words. The editorial writer h
pst that much space and time to get
esssge over and put the punch in
And the example of what usage a
lopular sentiment on the subject
ditorials has forced the best writ,
b journalism TO adopt is an exam
pst we Four Minote Men may prof
Nv adopt"