The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1944-10-13
War and Recreation Fund Drive

There has been some confusion and criticism concerning
the combining of the War Fund and Recreation Fund drives in
Pascagoula. We will not go into the merits or dement's of the
criticism, except to say that we do believe a large part Of it is
based on a misunderstanding In the first place the $4,000
War Fund quota for Pascagoula is guaranteed, and the Recrea-
ton Fund will not receive one penny until the $4,000 quota
is completed and banked In the second place the Recreation
Fund Drive applies to Pascagoula only and will not affect any
money contributed to the War Fund drive outside of Pasca-
gouta Virtually every city IN the country has combined its
War Fund drive with the Community Chest and other local
fund drives and, as a matter of fact, the National War Fund
advocates such a combining 81 that all community and welfare
drives can be completed at one time. The War Fund, itself,
them all under the National Wal Fund, staged seperate annual
drives. This is logical and reasonable and enables the indi-
vidual to do the most possible good with one large contribution.
There is no comment needed on the worthiness of the
National War Fund Drive. Anything that we can do to
tighten the burden of those who r wasins the war for us
should be done whole -heartedlY and without stint. and
should be looked on a s a duty and not a sacrifice. Proceeds
from the War Fund Drive will. in part bring some recrea-
ton to our men and women of the armed services IN the
battle fronts of the world. and perhaps also bring to them
a touch of home that will mean to them what we, who r at
home. can never understand. IT will aid in bringing relief
TO the devastated and wal torn peoples of our Allies. Itisa
worthy cause and merits a contribution TO the limit of our
capacity.
And now, what will the Recreation program mean for Pas
cagoula?
The Federal Government has set aside a grant of $4,000
for the Pascagoula Recreation program. These funds will
not become available, however. until the city has raised $4,000
as its share of the program to be added to the $4,000, making
a total of $4,000 to be expended on the program. Some
criticism has been leveed at the program based on the assertion
that this is no time to think OF recreation. With this we dis
agree Pascagoua is a city that has a bright future. The COM
plesed, comprehensive recreation program, with its two com
munlty eenters, one Tor white and one Tor negroes, Its three
parks and enlarged municipal park and pier, will mean a big
stride forward in bringing that future to fulnllment Times
are good, wages high, businesses making money. 1t seems
logical, in the face of these facts, that now is the time to lay
the foundation for the future progress of the hamlets. villages
and cities that our more than 100000 service men and women
will return to We are we'll able to contribute literally NOW
to such a drive.
And by contributing NOW and making the program possible
in. the future. we will be making Pascagoula a better place to
return TO Tor those or Ut cftizefS Who have gone Forth 70 war.
These same citizens have given one, two and three irreplaceable
years of then young lives in the wagng of this war. How many
more they will give, none of us know, These are the years
that most of them would have used in establishing their economic
lives in a competitive world. in the completing of their educa-
tions, in the building of their families. No gesture or sacrifice
that we can make, no CT Bill of Rights, no matter how liberal.
can replace those lost years, or the handicap that the loss of
them will impose on many of the individuals involved. One of
our many obligations to these citizens is TO hold as nearly nor
NAL as possible the particular bit of native land, the hamlet,
village or city, that to them is the United States, to improve it if
we can, make it a better place in which to live, a place with
more opportunity for them to pick up, as nearly as possible,
the normal threads of their lives. We can accomplish a part of
this for our own particular youth by making Pascagoua a place
of broader opportunity for bothswork and leisure. A com
pleted and successful recreation program viii be a factor in
accomplishing this,
And finally if you do not think the Recreation program
worthy of support on its merits. that is n o excuse for NOT
contributing to the War Fund Drive. for checks can be made
direct to this fund. Or cash contributed on the same basis.
and the Recreation Fund will not participate in such con-
tributions.