Weekly journal-miner., 1919-11-26
CBY SHARLOT M. HALL)

It IS going to be a sermOn-of a sort. And the editor is not responsible for anything in it-though very likely he has it in mind to run in a sermon of his own-for once a year it seems in the air and catching-just as good resolutions are at New Years.
 But anyway, the editor is not to blame for this sermon, putting i'll on the Thanksgiving number; it has been
 storming around in my mind for years 1 suspect, and like a carbupcle has "come to head" all at once because every paper l pick up lately has something in it about American ism" and about half my mail is ap- peals from somebody to join some sort of society or send along some money to help promote more Amer icanism."
 It happens that none of the articles in the papers or appeals in the letters tell just what this ''Americanism" is but one thing they all agree upon it is to be brought about by doing something to the people who were not born in the United States. We who were born here have some won derful gospel in this "Americanism" with which the person who comes to us from another part of the world is to be made a great deal better as soon as 1t is made clear to him.
 That is about what the papers and letters mean-and l suppose the req son this sermon came up like a vol cano in my mind just now is because the letter which asked for quite a big contribution came from state which would, ] am sure, pass as perhaps the most American of all-and it also happens to be one in which some years ago great scandal came up and was well aired in our leading magazines because votes were sold there not by ones or twos but in blocks of hundreds-and not just in cities but out in the country districts at least that is what our own Amer ican periodicals said quite freely. Still this letter from the society for the promotion of more "Americanism" didn't speak of combating that spirit among the native born citizens of the state-it wanted the money to spread among the foreign born dwellers there the wonderful light" which the native born already had-just by be- ing native born.
 As 1 put down that letter I thought ! of young foreigner 1 knew who once said to me after someone had urged him to take out naturalization papers: I'll tell you why 1 don't want to be . all American citizen-I am better man now, more honest man. Every where 1 work since I came to the . United States, in the mines, i'll cities. everywhere; when time come for cleo ton all the men I work with laugh and joke and tell how much money going to get to vote for this man or that man and how much whiskey this . candidate or that one will buy for everybody that has a vote. I never hear any American say, I am going to vote this way because it is for the right and the good for everybody and help everybody-they say, That man will give me good job if I vote for him, or he pay $ for vote-and he is just as good as any of the gang they're all d-n rascals anyway Then all the men laugh like it was big joke.
 "I don't see the fun; if vote is what make good government and make United States better than Old Coun- try, then if is bad not to vote for best thing best man. The man that vote for man he think not good help to make bad government for everybody. He get few dollars in the hand maybe but he lose more and every body else lose too"
 l could not convince this thought tul foreigner that there really were Americans who also thought it wrong 10 sell their votes or vote for a man they knew was not either intelligent or honest-he had heard too many American men talk during his years in America. Then one day this young man came to me with face beaming with pleasure; it was just at election time and he had heard a man boast of the money he could get for his vote and laugh as if it were a great joke Then he had seen an old man turn on the joker and call him down 10 d finish, saying just what the young foreigner had always said, that 10 sell his vote was for d man to help make bad government for all.
 The old man was speaking the real i Americanism which he had been liv- ing all his life and then and there he gave a better. lesson than all the so- cieties and magazine articles-just the sort of lesson that every native born l American ought to be giving every day in the year-the sort that ought 10 be taught everywhere in America to every one of our native born Amer |; jeans.
 Just because this sermon" is d 1 slice out of real life and not just what