Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-06-18
ropvrsght. rafs. bv Puoiic Led0er Co.

& hour later that he was informed that the
feason the depositors in his Star of
liberty Savings Bank were withdraw
Ing their money was TO loan it to the
ARCHER Tool Works. Then the financer
burst into a fit of rage beside which
4 his other explosion had been as the dis
charge of popgun to the roar OF
\ Nsixteen-inch howitzer.
"Close the doors! Stop It I. Shut 'em
on" he beloved Get the police re-
serves out there. Clear 'em off the
/, premises
3& This was done. and it had the effect
4 Of Increasing the panic at a time when
the back-fire Of simple explanations of
\ the first Withdrawals had begun to
cool the crowd madness; but now
there was no cooling it and in conse-
e quence long line of angry men and
women, camped stolidly through the
Z afternoon and night in front of the Star
Of Liberty. determined now to have their
money on the, morrow at whatever cost
OF Inconvenience.
Up at the tool works, too excitement
reigned; but it was hilarious excite
mcnt. for the flow of subscribers to the
loan was steadily increasing. To speed
up the issue of the notes clerk stood
n,w on eaca side of Paul and another
par on each side of MIR. Archer. one
clerk advanced a blank for signature, the
\ othe., blotter in hand laid it on the
tfssh nk-scraw and slipped away the
note. These signed IN blank were now
passed into the teiler@ cage and filled
In and ISSUED to subscribers as their
money was passed over. The tellers
worked nerNously; both Paul and his
father were suffering from writer's
cranp; and the line still grew. 1t
. stretched out along the corridor. wound
around and down the stairs and backe"
up The shady side of the street
II was an eager. good-natured line;
but the day was hot, the atmospner.
dusty and waiting Lnpieasant Jerry.
however. continued to assume that every
bripgel' of money was personal guest,
and his or her comfort to be looked after
as such. He provided huge buckets
Of iced lemonade, and set a force OF
boys and young women to passing 1t
palm leaf fans were also provided, and
with his own personality radiating the
cheer he felt, he kept the waiting line in
Rc,.d humor, and gave to the entire func-
ton the flavor OF a lawn party.
1t was apparent too, that "A very
clear ser,,e of wnat they were there for
pervaded the whole line of subscribers.
They were coming to the rescue OF bat
and tyrannicaI power which had sought
rGthiessly to crush him. This resolu.
tion to come thus to the rescue had
grown in each breast separately, and
some of them must have set their faces
toward the works obviously and with
misgivings in their hearts. But when
they got there and found ahead of them
line of others upon a similar errand
of faith and good will. that and the
electric contagion which flows from any
crowd swept away every doubt ana
Iused all feelings IN great wave oi
enthusiasm.
rhis situation created also a. sense of
pie s~'p We're N strangers ar to {aeh other; they
caIue from all over the city; tney were
Of many walks OF life and nationality
some were men Or women of the middle
class in fairly prosperous circum-
stances, who had come resolutely to de
posit thousand or five hundred dol
II, been able to scrape up the fifty-dol-
lar minimum, but there they were, !
united in what all felt to be common
Tae ice of non-acauamtance was
easily broken. They chattered Nolubly
to each other. There was strong SAVIOR
S5 o'clock somebody started to sing
America 1t rose along the hali.
where, after a single stanza it was
melted into the star Spanged Ban-
ner,'' and the increased volume of tore |
Indicated that, with the educational ef-
q feet of the war on the public mind, there |
was greater enthusiasm for the more
martial song. -,
lures of the queue for the morning pa
pers when this singing broke out. News
OF II went downtown by them. Ihe
Dirit of crusade hung over the Whole
II oceeding now, and the crowd grew
sfeadily. At 6 O'Clock Jerry's corps
Of lemonade dispensers added sand
forts for work work as fast as the tell
ers could it was evident some of these
waiting people would be very late Tor
dinner. ~
But by o'clock the line had short
en4d and the end of the work of re-
ceiying subscriptions for the DAY seeLuen
near. However. about cioek, .nero .,
all parts of the town. These were from
homes where husbands and wives, sepa-
rated during the day, had time TO con-
suit together at supper time, and reading
that subscriptions would be received that
night had hurried over to help throw
= fear into the common enemy by max,
hundred of such people in all and they
.gWelIed the lines, so that it was ham
past 10 O'Clock before the last money
was received and the last note passed
Henry 7. Archer and Paul. who had
Been catching UP on signatures from the
&ifne when the system was changed SO
'fhey merely signed the notes in blank,
tat listening to the click of the adding
machine and waiting for the days totaI
to be announced. Jerry was talking
aver the telephone in tones that al
though exultant. were none the less low
md honeyed, making 1t comparatively
Easy to call up vision of the party on
the other end.
8. sEiRhty-four thousand three nifty"
'onnounced Henry T.. reading the figures
N a slip the cashier had just handed to
him. There was gulp In the old pa
1riclan's voice and suspicious shininess
IN his eyes. Il wouldn't have believed
Looks like victory, hey?' demanded
Jerry who had just hung up the phone
and slipped to the door as the figures
we're announced.
s'Victory? | should say and Henry
70 sneezed violently. for he was very
much melted up. Il wouldn't have been /
1lthout this experience for ANYTHING,
~ reflected Its almost made demo-
fsTat out of me-"
sJerry, old man. you're wiz ~ was
fBanl's admiring comment,
Ibid you hear EN- sing?" inquired
Ibid II" responded the brother.
when you can get people to sing while
foY're throwing their money at you,
30r place as a friend OF the people Is
f6fty well established l should say"
~ three joined in the laugh.
Thore remained but to tell the news
Drs what the result had been and the
was closed.
<oh, the blessed newspapers " ex-
mined Jerry. What would We do
|1h0ut them"
{bmorrow?" speculated Henry r. |
Uker lines Of anxiety coming into his |
again. I'VE must have at least /
1red thousand more tomorrow. 1
1er II we will get 1t, or II we'v.i
1n1ed the cream today"
twice as much tomorrow" declared /
~ philadelphia is not city that /
BODY can stampede in day"
Xonlorrcw's the real test" agreed |
~ II predict that tomorrow We win |
IoGe Tomorrow they'll either over |
Nm " or they'll lie down on us alto
" was quite true that the issue was |