Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-08-07
Experience of Columbus With the
Community Service Plan
of Action.
ALL had CHANCE. TO AID
Drive Reached Every Home In tho
County and Made Each Citizen q
Patriot-lneenious Stunts That
Eniivened the Campaign.
BY c, e. DlrTMER.

embrace or the Hun; to Dullet-DrOkeT
applications Of families at prayer; tt
the chant Of death over blackenet
embers Of destroyed homes"-respond
ing to all this, the people Of Colum
bus, Ohio, 100000 Of them, have an
swered most emphatically by enlist
ing themselves on the side Of right In
democracy's struggle for existence
The response came when 10000 Of the
individuals of that city subscribed
| $780, 1852 to War Chest.
As result Of the War Chest cam
paign In Columbus, there are fewer
modern Neros who are fiddling with
good intentions" while the whole
world is atlame. The War Chest cam.
paign brought home to Columbus the
seriousness of the nations peril. Its
answer to the disciplined German
autocracy is that its citizenship rep
resents a wholly self-sacrifcing popu-
lace. 1t enabled every soul in the city
to make his patriotism count. And
as secondary result, it created for
the city new community spirit; 1t
developed community awakening.
Columbus found itself.
In Columbus the War Chest cam
paign produced a noble and idealistic
championship Of universal democracy.
It enlisted in the fight "over here" the
dollars and service to support the men
subjected to the mud, the muck, the
mire "over there" Columbus, the cap
ital Of Ohio, set for the nation an ex-
ample in practical patriotism.
Reached Into Every Home.
Previous to the organization of the
Community War service, upwards Of
1900 people Of Columbus supported
the many financial campaigns for war
time funds. BY proper coordination
and organization the War Chest drive
reached every home in the city and
county and produced for the citizen
ship the realization that the war is
'his own"
The Columbus Community War
service made its goal at 100000 to
meet the 1913 wartime demands. This
was exclusive, Of course, of Liberty
bond and War Savings stamp pledges.
The organization was the outgrowth
of plans devised after weeks of study
by a social service bureau Of the Co
lumbus chamber of commerce.
Several weeks before the War Chest
campaign was launched committee
Of Columbus men visited Toronto, Can
ada, at their own expense, to study
the methods followed in that city for
meeting demands for war funds. This
visit resulted in completing arrange
ments for bringing to Columbus 20
wounded and MANNED Canadian sol
diers, who had seen service in France.
These brave boys appeared in public
meetings during the entire week of the
War Chest campaign.
Enlisted in the campaign were 1000
volunteer workers. They were divided
into divisions.
Snappy Campaign in Columbus.
For a week preceding the opening
Of the campaign a cryptograpRic SYM
Dol reading Il to 31-War Chest" APP
peared in the newspapers, on bill
boards, in the street cars-in every
conceivable place where it might be
seen by people of the city. The mean
ing Of the cipher was disclosed the
day before the campaign opened.
ut stood for an estimated, ALIEN
bracing personal contribution to the
War Chest fund of one days pay out
Of every month, based on 4 schedule
of subscriptions on the income of the
individual" y
Every day during the campaign a
special stunts" committee scheduled
program of freak entertainment, in
tended to enliven the community spirit.
At central point was CONSTRUCTED an
immense War Chest, surmounted by a
Columbus Liberty bell made in replica
of Americas original Liberty bell. Fol-
lowing luncheon meetings Of the cam.
paign workers every day during the
campaign total subscriptions to date
were registered by means Of scale
on each side of the chest, and the
Liberty bell was tolled.
m every C0nceIv;15Ie and legitimate
way, the War Chest drive was brought
to the attention of the people Of Co
lumbus. Even the traffic signs at the
street intersections bore the warnings:
"Make Our War Chest Co." and "The
Kaiser Would Like to STOP Our War |
Chest" Innumerable frame sign boards |
were hung from the cluster light |
standards. Captions on these minia-
ture boards were changed daily.
The true spirit of the campaign was
best illustrated by instances such us
of SIG from 10 blind |
men working in the broom factory of |
the state commission for the blind; |
gift of SIS by one young girl, who |
earns but 81 week; a delivery wagon !
driver who subscribed $40 One large |
industrial concern, which had been |
supplies for the gov
eminent, made a subscription of $120,-
600, including those from the officers |
and employees.
All subscriptions were made pay !
able in II installments, the first of |
which was due seven weeks after the |
conclusion of the campaign.