American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1919-01-03
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.


had a friend one 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
ut 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
lectors. 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
them very long, he used to take them up
to 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 with a
flourish and say in ar 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, Bill said, and just looked awed.
Then Bill knew. of course, tina 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 up
everybody to join the Red Cross, seem
to think that the main thing there is
to tell people about the Red Cross is
that If they pay a dollar to belong they
will belong to the Largest Collection of
People Who Have Paid One Dollar In the
World.
! felt a little superior to this at first
and began thinking how I wouldn't do it.
But when l began thinking what the
biggest Collection of People in the World
could do by just being the biggest an6
by all wanting the same thing with a
different one dollar. it became impress
sive.
1t would even be impressive IL forty
million people in America all wanted the
same thing with the same Dollar!
All wanting the same thing would be a
nation praying-all the grown-up people
Of a nation with their little half con-
seious children round them-praying!
The dollar a man Joined with, would
not be a mere one dollar. The dollar
would De a receipt TO every man III
America that 80, 800, 999 other men or
women belonged to him, and that he be-
longed to them in getting what he want
ed for three million soldier boys and for
their children at home.
Forty million people-sll the grown-uI
people in this country pick out three
million men and say to the three milliot
men they have picked out, You go and
die for us. you go and be saviors OF th'
world and die on our crosses for us!"
Then whGt do the forty million do?
Ii would be be something II we would
all line up-the whole forty million o
US to a man. with our little pallid insipiC
mpeechless dollar bills in our hands from
Maine to California Christmas Week anC
use our two dollar bills a year as ballots
stand up in line and be counted anC
cable to the men across the seas tina
we vote one carfare once in two week.
TO stand by them, to stand by the SOUL
and bodies OF the children of the mel
who have made a standing offer to di'
on our crosses for us!
Who wants to be LETT out OF this I'M
by Christmas Eve?
What man would want to be stood vi
in q row of those who are left out whtl'
all of the children. of the world file b!
and look at him, while the little children
of nine hundred thousand dead men II
England file by and look at him. or tn
children of the soldiers of France givinI
their lives to protect the skyscrapers o
New York?
For that matter it need not take 81
many children. What man who let him
self be left out would feel safe in hi
own house with his own children climbing
up into his lap believing in him-saf
with his own baby pulling on his face
tabbing his small trustful fists in hi
eyes-if he let hir ,Helf be left out?
OF course. IT seems a little like
mockery TO cable over to France Christ
mas Eve that we give one carfare ono
IN two weeks to the children of the me
we picked out to die for us. but It woul
be E start.
Nobody needs to think it would be
big thing lust to belong to the Red Cross
but It ia going to be a big thing to b
left out.