The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-03-16
By BERT MOSES.

DJ NhSOSOs
History is made in a hurry, but
the writing OF history is drawn out
through the weary years.
When this war is over, the first
historians will talk of generals ant
admirals, OF liquid fire and poison
Gus gases; of machines that shoot
twenty miles and of guns that NOV
men down like ripe wheat before Z
hurricane; of the doings of arm
les and navics; OF submarines and
aeroplanes and tanks.
And after while the real his
torians will come to see that Ian
guage had as much to do with vic
tory as lead and steel; that words
are as powerful as ordnance; that
the men who helped the govern
ment with their heads and tongues
share the glory in equal degree
with the men who pulled the trig-
gers and aimed field pieces.
"The pen is mightier than the
sword but the spoken word is
mightier than either.
No history in this world war will
be complete unless full chapters are
devoted to the Four Minute Men.
You go into a movie theater, and
between the reels man comes
upon the stage and talks in a rapid
fire of words for four minutes.
He bows, walks from the stage,
and the show goes on.
The man is a direct spokesman
for the United States government.
The message he delivers comes
straight from Washington, and the
words he utters are words the ad-
at the capital wants
the great American public to know.
He is a small cogwheel i'll great
machine that turns and moves with
the precision OF bank presenting
a sight draft.
Throughout the states thousands
OF men like him are doing precisely
what he is doing.
Their talks are all inspired. and
they get their cues from bulletins
issued by the division OF the Four
Minute Men committee on public
information.
At frequent intervals the topics
lpon which they talk are changed,
and these changes are uniform from
he great Atlantic to the still great
er Pacific.
Thus do the desires, the hopes,
he aims, the aspirations, and the
accomplishments OF the administra-
ion reach every corner OF the land
simultaneously.
Josh Billings said: "I don't kare
low mutch a man talks if he only
,ez it in a few words
That is the inexorable rule the
Four Minute Men must follow.
They are told to talk four min
ties only, and then stop.
ii they violate this fixed rule,
heir further services are not want
ed.
Most men can tell all they know
II four minutes, and even then
nave little time to tell a few
hings they don't know.
The cry of the times is for men
Who can say something and sit
lown.
A talker needs terminal facilities
Is much as railroad.
And it seems to me that the Won
leriul work being done by the Four
Minute Men is largely due to this
imitation OF language.
The man who conceived this idea
md carried it out should rank in
with General Pershing,
ieneral Haig, or any Other big of
icer among the allies.
1t is vital that the masses OF the
,ountry should know in tabloid
what is going on.
In the newspapers they get the
ong details.
The Four Minute men boil the
acts all down and cut. columns to
ines.
The public has no time to read
,ach page in a newspaper, but it
lever misses the four minutes in a
movie.
The Four Minute men are the
news and the editorial pages com
,ined,
They deal both in news and in
They appeal to the head, the heart
md the hand.
They kindle patriotism, inspire
oyalty, and play upon the emotions.
They preach economy, and teach
nan, woman, and child how each
an help.
With everybody helping, the day
If peace looms just over the hori-
.on.
Nothing can conquer a united
people whose guiding inspiration is
liberty,
\ movie audience taken the coun-
ry through, is highly representative
II what Lincoln called the Com
non People-perhaps more so than
my other gathering OF any other
sind.
1t differs from political audi
,nce in that, while such an audi
snce assemblies largely because OF
a movie audience gathers