Catoctin clarion., 1921-11-17
ONCE MORE-OUR MEMORIAL


The Memorial seems to be "festina
lente," so to speak, or perhaps as the
lawyers put it, 'in statu quo" Just
why it should be either is rather per-
picking. After the second public
meeting it was thought that it would
go forward without further question,
but it drags and appears to be loaded
down with Indifference.
A meeting of the Memorial Com
mittee has been called for this Friday
evening at 500 o'clock in the Commu-
rity Club Room, and the notice con-
tains this important paragraph: THE
action taken at this meeting will fl
nally decide if the memorial plans
presented to and ratified at the public
meeting, shall proceed, or whether
they shall languish and die" which
would seem to indicate that the COM
mittee has been brought face to face
with a situation that means either go
ahead, or fail. We can't bring our
selves to believe that community
that has furnished such a large quota
of young men for the war, will now
fail to honor them and their posterity
by Withholding their moral or tinan-
cial support of the memorial which it
is proposed to erect and maintain for
them. 1t is unthinkable, unbelievable.
A memorial park, as has been finally
decided on, and located as it is, serves
a dual purpose. In the first place as
a memorial it will become a sacred
spot to all of us;where we can recall
the deeds of .valor and the sacrifices
made by those who went out from our
midst, and the memory of those who
gave up their lives for their country.
A spot that recurring years will make
more and more hallowed; and second
ly, it will become place of interest
and beauty in which every citizen can
have share, spot that Thurmont will
be proud to show it's visitors. OBJ
jectors and critics should not attempt
to kill the project before it gets start
ed. Some don't like this, some don't
like that, some don't like something
else. The great majority of our peo-
pie are not among the ranks of the
objector or critic.
This park is the only form of men,
orial that will not require all the mon
ey at one time to complete it. 1t
would be folly to undertake it if that
were the idea of the committee. If it
takes five years to finally complete it,,
that would mean that after the major
part is done, the beautifying can con-
tinue each year until completed.
Plans in the meantime can be
changed to bring out the final setting
of the park. Think over the matter,
financially. The final goal is, as we
understand it, for the completion Of
the whole memorial, $4,000, which in
cludes the purchase of the Grimes lot
at $1,000. We have, approximately,
800 voters in the District. Would it
be too much to expect an average con-
tribution of $6.25? Many will give
much more, some less and some none
at all, but surely the average is not
too high, and is, practically in the
reach of all. We were told during
the war to "give until it hurts"-why
not apply this slogan for our memo
rial?
| 1t seems to us that this memorial
should appeal so strongly to everyone
that it should obviate the necessity Of
making canvass OF "drive" Why
shouldn't each one come forward vol
UNFAIRLY. With the permission of the
committee we are going to start, In
The Clarion, a column devoted to the
receipts Of pledges for this purpose,
.