Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1919-04-17
By Charles Alden Seltzer.

ing day of the Second Loan campaign
passed and Corwin refused to sub
scribe, Molly's attitude toward Corwin
became one Of cold restraint.
BY this time, however, Corwin had
become sullenly obstinate. He vowed,
mentally, that he would never buy
another bond--no matter II the war
lasted a dozen years. It was q mat
ter Of principle with him. he told
some of his friends-he was in q
class with the conscientious OBJ
jector."
Morley Roberts attitude was similar
to Corwins, the only difference being
that Roberts was chagrined over what
he was pleased to call 'ths Govern
ment's autocratic methods" For a
government agent had made survey
Of Roberts plant and had laid be-
fore Roberts scheme of expansion
| and readjustment under which the
Roberts factory was expected to pro-
duce war munitions according to the
demands of the War Department.
Although the Government had in.
sured Roberts against loss, Roberts
resented the thought of anyone dictat.
| ing to him. His factory was doing
the work, though. he admitted-and
he had bought some bonds. But he
had bought the bonds merely because
everybody was expected TO buy them.
he said, and not because he was in
sympathy with the war idea.
| Roberts and Corwin lunched to-
gether many times during the summer
and fall And they criticized the
Government without stint, and with a
| fervor that left them with feeling
that there was foundation for the
criticism. 1t was remarkable how
easy it was to find fault with what
the Government was doing-how the
war work was being done, how certain
things could be done more quickly
and efficiently, and how certain men
they knew could fill positions more
acceptably that those already in Office.
Like the man who tells lie so
often that eventually he believes he
, Is telling the truth, Corwin and
Roberts became obsessed with the
conviction that nothing was being
done correctly. And the more they
brooded over the situation the firmer
grew their conviction that the whole
country was being sacrificed to the in
efRcients and the blunderers
A righteous indignation seized them
They found satisfaction in venomou.
criticism: they became sconers. NAL
contents, voicing malignant skepti
cism. And when-in the anxious day!
Of the summer of 191S-they saw thu
French structure of defense begin II
crumble under the terrible offensiv.
OF the Hun armies. they began to fee
their convictions had been vindicateC
that the continued defeat OF tht
Allied armies was due to the nation
wide incompetency of the war machine
built up by the government. They be
gan to predict disaster for Allied
Arms; they told their friends how il
might have been different, how disas
ter might have been averted and how
victory might have been won.
However, they gave little thought
to the gigantic task faced by the khaki
clad boys who, to the number of two
or three million, were at grips with
the Hun hordes on the battleields oi
France and Belgium. The boys were
not in their mental vision: they were
remote and far, and for all they knew
experiencing the emotions of sympathy
that fill the heart of the jealous patri
OF, their imaginations could not lear
the mighty gulf that separated then
from the horrors of war; they lacked
the power to bring the war.picturt
into their mental vision; they could
not see beyond themselves and the
universe of cynicism which encom
passed them.
For the third time Falltown failed t.
subscribe it's quota; and in the fall
when the Fourth Loan campaign be
gan. the patriot element of FalltowI
began to betray some curiosity as Il
the identity Of the citizens who were
playing the role Of bond.slackers.
Corwin had not failed to note thu
change that was coming over Fall
towns citizens. During the days of th,
first loan there had been much enthu
siasm. and the drive" had beef
launched amid music. hsg-waving, tn,
ringing Of bells and the blowing o
horns. Corwin was convinced tina
many persons had subscribed to thu
loan while under the spell OF the en-
thusiasm aroused by the noise and th'
clatter. Some Of those buyers hat
not been 80 enthusiastic during th'
second campaign; and when the thirt
came there was still less visible en-
thusiasm. And the fourth campaign
began with remarkable quietness.
Corwin, going and coming. watch
ing faces in the street. noting the ab
sence Of enthusiasm, smiled derisive
ly. He told himself that the peopl
were hsginning to see what he himsel
had OWNED from the Hrst-that tn
war was monstrous blunder. tina
certain capitalists had forced the cour