The Ely miner., 1943-03-04

BILE way of helping with the war eff
fort, comes suddenly to life at one
Of the meetings, and offers to give
all the small children in the block
a party on Big Game day, so that
the fans can go to the game.
Gathers Vital Statistics.
Conscientious little Mrs. Baker re-
ports that there are II hot water
bottles in the block, FIVE thermom-
eters, two ice-bags, one woman who
was nurse, one who took two years
of medicine, one who is a graduate
dietitian, and 27 persons who will
take hour by hour sentry duty in
case of a raid.
Mrs. Bates admits that she never
knew that DR.. Williams daughter
was blind. She will go read to her
twice a week with the greatest
pleasure.
This block scheme was started by
Edwina Kenney Hegland of San
Diego. Her name ought to be a
household word from now on. For
her inspiration is toward the real
brotherhood that is the only cure for
all our troubles, and the only ending
Of war. When nations learn what
these neighboring women have
learned, fear will die, and with fear
hate will die, and we will learn to
construct with our billions, and no
longer destroy. For deep in their
hearts, every man and woman in this
world wants three things, love, Sc
curity, service. And it is one Of
Gods miracles that there is always
enough of these three things, and
that the more of them we give, the
more, by hundreds and thousands of
times, the supply increases.
But remember, when you begin
your block work, that fear and suspi-
cion, and the shyness that masks it
self In stiffness and standofishness,
is all about you. Your neighbors will
think you want to get something for
nothing; many quite intelligent wom-
en- have never learned to share, nev-
er learned to be neighborly. They
will hoard old rubber sheets, old
copper, dentist chairs, chopping
blocks, any old rubbish at all, rather
than put it to use. That the loan Of
suitcase might make some little
girl in the block feel happier; that
the milk that accumulates after a
few days absence, or the magazines
with which one is quite finished
might contribute immensely to the
comfort Of the woman next door, has
never occurred to them.
Breaks Down AIoofness.
Yet those women long for COM
panionship and occupation, and after
rather dubious, chilly, unsuccess-
full meeting or two will blossom out
into genuine helpfulness. What this
will do for them personally is in
calculable, but it is what the scheme
will do for America in this hour of
crisis that counts. Unity, co-opera-
ton, the holding of each others
hands was never so valuable. The
very children will flourish in the
genial atmosphere that will spread
itself over the gardens and back
yards, the front stoops and kitchen
porches; they will feel safer.
Life ought to be like that; life
should always have been like that.
We've been growing away from
friendliness, from common need and
sharing, and we need this fearful les
son of world danger to bring them
back. The greatest Voice that ever
spoke in the world told US ''by this
shall men know that ye are my dis
ciples, that ye love one another"
As very small girl, who was
herself fortunate enough to live un-
der the Block Plan, said, There's
five kitchens in this block that have
cookies In them and my and three
other kitchens let you make candy" /"