The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1940-07-19
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

By KATHLEEN NORRIS
DERHAPS you are one of
1.-THE mothers - the many,
l. many mothers! - who are
vaguely worried today for fear
that a fifth column" is form
ing, or is already formed, in
America, and that Nazisrn and
Fascism and Communism are
about to break out in our midst.
Fifth column you know, is
oneof the phrases coined in the
late Spanish war. It means
those enemies within our own
ranks, those quiet forces that
operate underground, winning
converts and gaining strength
that is someday to be used
against America.
How strong these elements are, in
our country, I don't know, and I
don't suppose anyone else does.
When I was young it was the So
cialists who were appealing to the
restless and rising generation. But
they never put a candidate into Of
fee; they never formed anything
like a formidable party. And so
much more violent, radical and I'M
natural are the isms of today that
much that the Socialists advocate
has come to seem to us quite prac-
ticable.
America Has Progressed.
For although we never adopted a
socialist platform, our ideals have
changed. Working hours and wage
scales and living conditions have all
undergone changes. Time doesn't
bring about ALL that the reformers
want, but it does much, and to read
Henry Georges great land value
classic Progress and Poverty to-
day is to realize that the world
really HAS grown better-at least
in America, since 1873.
If fear for Americanism, our in
situations and ideals, our Constitu-
ton and our Bill of Rights, really
haunts you, there is a simple thing
that you can do to check, combat
and eventually destroy the last shred
Of anti-American activity in our
midst.
For these foreign doctrines,
brought here by the disaffected from
other lands, reach our rising genera
ton first. In other words they reach
your children and mine. And those
children, like the children Of every
generation, are looking about the
world critically, wondering why SO
many things are stupidity done,
wrongly done; why there is so much
preventable poverty and idleness
and suffering and sin. When strange
panaceas are presented to them they
accept them gladly, neither able nor
anxious to criticize them too keenly.
The cure for this situation, which
is actually worrying America very
much, was suggested to me few
days ago by fine old American
woman who has raised sons, taken
an active part in the hundred civic
and social activities, and who served
America as one of California's rep
resentatives in congress for many
years. see no reason to conceal
her name: Florence Kahn.
Study the Constitution.
Mrs. Kahn and were talking
about the recent awakening-or be-
ginning of awakening, Of American
women to a sense Of civic RESPONSE
bility and civic power, and ! told
her that many of our groups in the
National Legion of the Mothers Of
America were taking their first In
terest in the Constitution, and had
formed clubs to study it.
II WISH" she said, ''that they'd
60 q little deeper than that. wish
they'd take the matter right into
their homes, read the Constitution
aloud at the dinner table, discuss 1t,
get the children 10 discuss It, and
keep It up-keep It up-keep it upl
Until" she finished, every grow
ing American girl and boy would
realize the simple truth. that there