Show kathleen norris says peace and fourth of july bell syndicate features feature air c unfortunately it has become lecome the fashion to belittle ourselves oune liei just why it is ii hard to say lay by KATHLEEN NORRIS THE HE other day at a worn wom amous ans club I 1 heard a fa man talking about the war we have so gloriously won and the world crisis that is following the war three hundred women looked at him respectfully while he told them how mistaken america has been in her postwar policies how pitifully she has failed in her postwar obligations how deeply she is despised by the great doun countries tries overseas for whose liberty she has spent young blood money and arms arm s so prodigiously he repeated every depressing rubber stamp generality that all all his type of speakers use and wound up with the disheartening statement that we had not seized the advantage that our victories gave us and were hence the laughing stock of europe and even the orient orent when anyone talks this way and men are always coming back from china and europe and everywhere else and telling us these things I 1 see red and I 1 think the fourth of july in this first year of peace Is a good time to say so this man and all the others like him who are flocking to platforms platform chasn and the radio and into print t evidently done any thinking on his own about americas share in the world W wide de disaster of the second great war he has taken the criticisms of other men as ignorant or biased as himself and because life abroad is barely sufferable lerable suf and life at home not too comfortable he blames it all on america and grows eloquent in knocking his own country foreigners jealous of Us it has unfortunately grown to be the fashion to belittle ourselves just why it is hard to say except that as each country of the whole globe awakens from the nightmare of six years of horror it realizes jealously that there Is a country in the western hemisphere that was not invaded that Is rich that is almost ludicrously generous and that there are clothes and wheat and medicines and money still existent in large quantities in that country end and so why not try for a share of them countries that did nothing to prepare for the war that saw it coming coining and shut their eyes and went on en prospering and growing fat are now bitter in their criticism of the magnificent country that belligerent that want to extend her borders or run over any little neighbor that la Is wealthy because of her principles of of applied democracy that has proved her way to be the way to the greatest highest level of human living ever known in the world they dare to criticise criticism critic ise the country that has ha given given given of her stores of both wealth and possessions in a river of help that would deplete any other nation to point they dictate how much the she must give they ask us to raise the price of our products for our own people so that their inferior factories and slower production may compete and we do it they forget the convoys the planes the arms the money that supported them in the fight for the democracy for which now they have no use pride in ourselves I 1 dont often write of any but domestic matters but this is the tl our unparalleled generosity sene LETS RESPECT OURSELVES it is a strange thing comments miss aliss norris after hearing a speech how ive americans like to run ourselves down after lv winning inning a great war to which we contributed more than any other nation we are expected to take care of all the hungry and homeless people all over the world we are endeavoring to this and are trying to ration ourselves so that there will be more for starving europeans and this is a most noble and christian effort we lve are glad to do our share and much more than our share but when ithen it hen we are constantly being criticized by lor foreigners eigners for not taking tailing care of everyone without expecting recompense reco nipe rise we feel hurt and angry no of other nation is giving anything lilie like the he amount of food and clothing arid and medical supplies on top of our enormous war ivar debt we vre are expected to 0 o shoulder staggering burdens for nati nations ons that contributed little or nothing to the arar or the relief of liar ravaged populations it is is bad enough front from foreigners but when native american spokesmen berate vs us for not giving everything lie it have av e way aldo including our precious defense secrets we lie get mad it is is time miss aliss nor ns ris reminds us to thin think ic of ourselves and our virtues as nell ivell as our shortcomings the fourth of july is a good time for puffing out our week of fourth ot of july and every drop of american blood in my veins Is apt to get hot when ft hen I 1 consider the magnificence ol of our war effort our unparalleled generosity in both peace and war and the calm assumption rp tion by all the rest of the world that we e are created and existent to fight their wars pay their debts feed their hungry bind up their wounds these ars are beautiful things to do christian like things to do but we are human too and unless we feel in our own hearts a certain pride in ourselves nobody else is going to feel it so whatever the foreign press says of it and however ridiculous their claims and their reflections upon us are dont you be one of the americans who lament our stupidity our meanness our international ignorance think twice before you ou quote the glib speakers all about us those men who reiterate re iterate that america must not be left behind in the rebuilding ot of the new world america must do her he sharel share her sharel share I 1 ask them some time what the other nations propose to do what their share Is no other nation has as yet told is us anything ot of operative cooperative co action in helping and rebuilding they all went want help lots 0 of f it but each one wants it exclusively c clu lu for or itself it if you have heard of any european nation or even any other nation in the western hemisphere whose people are planning to help any other people I 1 would be glad to be notified ot of it tor for I 1 have not and meanwhile on the fourth of july and every day ol of the year three cheers lor for the red white and blue |