The Glenwood post., 1921-04-09
Uncle Ted's Bed Tine Stories
Current Events For the Children
and Grown-ups, Too
UNCLE TED TALKS PROPAGANDA

UNCLE TED TALKS PROPAGANDA.
''What is 'popgandy,' Uncle Tedf"
1t was Ruth speaking as her uncle en-.
tered the room after completing q late
dinner. t
ga whatf" responded that accom-
modating individual, hesitating in the
process of unfolding the evening paper.
ga 'popgandy. ("
'Why, l never heard Of such .
thing; where did you get that wordf'
81 heard two men talking about them
on the street car today. One of them
said that the foreign propagandies are q
menace to the United States,' answer
ed Ruth.
ooh, you mean 'propagandists.' ;
That IS different. There isn't any such
word as 'popgandy.' Those mon you
heard on the street car wer talking
about citizens of other countries who
print papers or pamphlets, or write arti-
cles for magazines, or make speeches in
this country, for the purpose of making
The people Of the United States believe
the same way they believe concerning
important public questions. Uncle
Ted settled down in an easy chair and
began to read.
''Well, are they menaces' inquired
Ruth.
"Not much of menace-just a nui-
sance," replied her uncle, going on with
his reading.
"But, Uncle Ted, that man on thu
street car said they were making lots
of trouble, and the man he was talking
to agreed with him. said Ruth.
"Oh, let Uncle go on with his read
ing; besides, you are bothering me when
! want to finish this book before bed
time,'' exclaimed Jack.
'That's all right, Jack; and l can
read later; and | rather think the SUBJ
jeet Ruth has brought up is worth talk
ing about responded Uncue Ted. ~
will tell you all l know about it. Of
course, nobody knows exactly how much
foreign propaganda work is going on in
this country, or exactly who the propa-
gandists are. In order to accomplish
what he sets out to do, a propaganda
usually works secretly-gets his ideas
before the people before they know
what he is about. He keeps under
cover and mixes his anti-American
teachings with other things so that
many people would not notice what II
was doing. OF course, some of them
work openly, and the government is
able to deal with those who are so
radical as to be dangerous. The ones
who work secretly are the clever
and are really the most dangerous.
"Still, as | said before, think they
are more of nuisance than menace.
Ruth, where is that old history you
were showing me few days ago-the
leather-covered history written by
Samuel Whelpley and printed way back
in 1908? You remember, 1 read some
thing out of it to you and told you
that if you would put it where it would
be handy, 1 would tell you something
more about it later.
eyes: that's it. Now wait a min
ute. All, Here is what ] wanted to
find. More than a hundred and thir-
teen years ago the historian Whelplev
said in his book, when he was discuss
ing American newspapers: we cannot
omit the occasion Of observing that sew.
eral of ourpubli c papers have been
conducted by foreigners, who, could it
be presumed that they understood the
nature of our government and civil pol.
icy, are utterly incapable of feeling
any interest in, or concern for, either.
|. 1t is matter of serious regret
that the people of our country should
give them countenance, be led by them,
and look up to them as their political
guides. We hope we shall not
he thought impertinent when we ask
what would be the fate of an American
printer who should go to London, or
Paris, and set up his political manufas-
tory upon so large a scale as those for
eigners do among U.s..
"Now, remember, children, that was
printed in a revise edition of Whelp-
Iey's history hundred and thirteen
years ago. 1 suppose the first edition
was printed several years earlier. The
point ! want to make is that in the
carly days of this Republic great his.
torieal writer was warning the country
against the foreign 'popagandies,' as