The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-15

Now that the wars over, seems like
we can look back and Singer at some
of the side lights on it. They was one
thing that was brought out good and
strong, and that is, that the hoi-
polloi is the Teller that brings in the
bacon. come peace time or war.
Some folks is still talkin' about war
bein' great leveler, and how all
class feelin' was disregarded, and all
that kind O. stuff. It just sort of
makes me laugh, and I reckon our
boys is goin' to laugh fit to bust their
selves over that there same idee, when
they get back into civil life, and don't
have to do no more saluting, nor boot
backing, nor nothin' of that sort.
Take this yere war work right here
in Topeky-and 1 reckon it was the
same way everywhere felse. They
made it more or less of a society thing
in the beginning. A few folks tried
to keep it confined to their society
sets, and they Just the same as give
other folks to understand that they
was trying to break into the sacred
circles, by goin'. down to work where
they was callin'~for volunteers. They
was all officers, with mebbe two or
three privates, and they run a sort
of exclusive officers club of it, where
the buck privates and enlisted women
was not wanted. They got their COM
missions mostly because they BE-
LONGED-whatever that is.
But it want long before they saw
that they couldn't never win this war
with just only officers, either here at
home or across the water. They's one
thing that always shows up in the end.
It's the AVERAGE man or woman
| that really puts things across. I bor-
rowed that phrase from a smart man
| I know, who was ta1kin' to me about
| this very thing.
Couldn't no war be won by officers
alone. There can't nothin' be done
along any line, without enlisting the
| aid of the plain common people. Can't
no man be elected to office without
the votes of the great unwashed. Can't
no society woman break into print, nor
| give a party, nor do nothin', without
some of the folks she'd mebbe not
| recognize, has hand in it, one way
or another. A few select folks alone
| can't do nothin'.
| So it was with this we're late wal
work. These society folks that didn't
want nobody that didn't mebbe PLAY
| in their bridge clubs, or belong tt
their little dancing sets, to have the
audacity to show up in their little ex.
elusive work rooms, or leastways. II
| they did, run the chancet of bein
snubbed, found after awhile that then
few select officers they admired bein
with because they talked about the
| same things, year in and year out
| without no change of scenery OF
views, couldn't never get out theil
quota of work without just THROWN
down the bars.
1t hurt their dignity, too, THROWN
down the bars. a thing they'd never
done in all their little lives before
But they didn't seem to be no Other
| way outen the trouble. They made
up their mind that it had got to bs
done. and they was goin' to be rea
heroines about 1t, and receive these
we're plain common women, withou
even using gas masks. They was goin
to be real noble-bein' willing to suf
fer for their country's sake The,
talked awful pretty about the Cause
and how We was all workin' together
to help win this war.
But la, it was a mite too late. Som,
women come back anyway, bein' will
ing to overlook the fact that they'f
been snubbed, or at least treated will
GOODNESS in the beginning. But the,