The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-04-10

| leoth upon foreign field merely .
uphold an ideal
One night. standing at the fringe o.
a crowd that was listening attentively
to wildly gesticulating man who
stood on a wooden box. Corwin heard
the principles Of the Socialist Party
| expounded. Until now. Corwin had
con idered the Socialists rattle
Drained radicals intent upon the dis
memberment Of the Government. Bu,
by the time the man had finished Cor
win felt there was some virtue in the
Socialist platform, after all.
lie was aston shed that he should
admit IL. but the man had created an
Impression upon him. The appeal of
he orator had been made TO the pas
ions. TO the elemental in man which
Is rritated by all authority. Wars
we're criminal. the orator said; the
solution OF the world.difficulty was the
adoption OF the doctrine of "the broth
erhood OF man" draft was immi-
nent. the orator said: and he advised
all men to resist ito the point OF
revolution. IL necessary.
Also. the orator had something to
say about bonds They. too. were
evil. There could be no war IL the
people refused to finance II. The rich
men Of the country were behind IL all
the poor did not want war-they
would not have IL.
Al this point in the orators speech
- fw.a. ~t0
wv. strong faced man who stood near
Corwin raised his voice sneeringly:
BAH" he yelled at the orator;
how much does the Kaiser pay you
hootine o. yonr MOUTH"
There was a laugh. some Kisses, and
some applause for the interrupter.
Then suddenly. the crowd began TO
move. There were shouts, hoarse i'm
locations. blows.
In an instant turmoil reigned. The
crowd became a huge blot animated
by swinging arms and articulate with
curses and Infatuated yells. Corwin
aw the interrupter. grim smile on
his face, drive into the press. swing.
ing his arms Ike fails. He saw men
so down under the mans blows; and
as Corwin ran for a position OF safety
he mentally remarked that the express
ion Of the mans face was much like
that which had been upon the face Of
his stenographer when she had told
him: Because America is America!"
He OWNED that the fighting instinct in
the stenographer was as strong as
that which had driven the strong.
faced man TO grimly attack the friends
Of the orator.
However. this incident strengthened
Corwin's conviction that the country
did not want war And when from his
position of safety he saw policemen
fighting their way into the crowd. dis
persing il. and arresting some of the
disturbers. he cynically remarked to
a bystander that the incident proved
that the workers of the world had no
voice in the policies of their govern.
ments-liberty of speech was even de-
MED them. And when, the next morn
ing, Corwin heard that the offenders
the orator especially-had been ac-
cused of treason. he grinned satur.
ninely.
Sullenly. Corwin noted the prepare.
tons for the first Liberty Loan cam
paign. He heard rumors that the com.
mittee had examined into every mans
resources. and that every citizen OF
Falltown was expected to buy bonds
To the extent of his means. On the
streets-in the shapes of placard and
poster and handful and sticker-ap.
peared the slogan:
Send Falltown over the top"
Advertisements began to appear in
the Observer - pointed paragraphs |
were there, appealing to the patriot
ism OF Falltown's citizens. And on
the morning when the loan campaign |
was launched. Corwin drove TO his |
Office in his closed car. dreading to be /
accosted by the workers that thronged |
the streets.
Corwin had got down early. and /
after he opened his desk he sat be- |
fore it for long time. thinking OF the .
young man who had sneered at the .
speaker some nights before.
The young mans face had made a
deep impression on him; he could see
the fellow plainly-grinning his con-
tempt Of the orator and his friends
that victory was at hand. and he had
done nothing toward winning IT,
Something lacked in Corwin; there
was void somewhere in his heart
He felt as a child feels who has not
received an invitation TO party
which all its friends viii attend. lie
was an outsider-forgotten. unconsid-
cred.