Smyrna times., 1944-07-06
The
What Not Shelf
By Louise Hoffecker Burslem

One of the worst disgraces that
has happened to this town was the
response of the good people of
Smyrna to the Bond Rally last
week. 1t was a humiliation to
walk into that club house and see
less than 20 persons in Smyrna
showing enough interest to attend.
The affair was well advertised,
both in this paper and by hand
bills and posters. The Dover Army
Air Field sent the men who are
doing our fighting up here, to en-
terrain us. They sent a speaker, a
young lieutenant who was as in
formal as your old bedroom slip
pers, and who had been through
enough war to tell you what it
was all about. They sent for your
entertainment concert pianist, for
whom thousands have paid big
prices to hear play as concert SOLO
list with the New York Philhar-
monte and other famous symphony
orchestras. They sent Glee Club
to sing the old familiar songs for
us. So what happens No less
than 20 persons turn out to hear
them.
Did the good people of Smyrna
think perhaps they had to buy a
bond then and there? Is that the
reason they stayed home? Did
they think there would be lot of
raving emotionalism = or senti-
mental propaganda? Is that the
reason? Yes, perhaps both of
these reasons kept a handful of
persons away. The farmers had a
good excuse-they were threshing
wheat, working night and day to
produce food for the nation. But
the big reason why practically
everybody in town stayed home is
because they just weren't interest
ed-they didn't give two boots
about being inspired to buy bonds,
and they didn't give one boot about
cooperating with onyone who was
interested.
Good people of Smyrna, this
CONFERENCE.-The la-dee-da atti-
tude within the towns reaching
alarming proportions. Some of you
are doing the best you can with the
time and money at your disposal.
Others with neither time nor
money at least show an interest IN
the war effort. Interest-that Is
what counts. An honest desire to
do everything within your power to
help. You will find that the bus
lest people are the ones doing
these extra war jobs-the volun-
teer iobs-the Red Cross, the Ra-
ton Board, the U. S. O., etc.
This is a peoples war-and that
does not mean all peoples EXCEPT
those living in Smyrna. There are
more than 500 sons of Smyrna
parents fighting for the things that
Smyrna people enjoy and CHERISH
Too many of these people are IN
terested only in their small family
groups, and not in the community
as a whole. Proof? You could
count on one hand the parents OF
bovs in service who attended the
Bond Rally More proof! Many
mothers can't afford the time to
spend a few hours week on duty
at the U. S. o. here, and many
have dropped out because they get
"bored." This does not mean that
all parents of sons in service are
complacent, but a majority are. 1t
also does not mean that these are
the only ones who do not rally to a
need when a need is seen. The So
called service clubs, both church
and civic. COULD do even more
than they are doing, both to ale
the war effort and to aid the COM
munity. One has only to point tc
other towns to see this. In othel
, towns, service clubs send refresh
ments to the u. S. o. and cooper
ate with the work there; they
raise the necessary funds to pro
vide and maintain a Youth Centel
] for the young people; they stimu
late the purchase of war bonds by
giving benefits of various kinds.
r The war is not over yet. There
' is going to be a great deal mor'
service required, and a great man.
more war bonds to buy, and prob
ably great many more OF ou
: local boys killed or taken prisoner
Il