| Show K kathleen a ahleen norris says what price An america terica dell service 0 aj r J I 1 gather the youngsters into your house for debate and coffee and doughnuts once a week let them aboto that under their civis constitution they can introduce ally changes they wish fiat it is the miracle and privilege of democracy that is can change and develop with the changing by KATHLEEN kamma NORRIS can only D work if the members of that domoci democracy acy work for it democracy can only be proved a success among the varied types of 9 government overn ment the world has tried and is trying if every one ofus wakes herself out of the slumber of centuries and asks herself what democracy is and whether its a good thing and whether its worth fighting for and when I 1 say fighting I 1 dont mean with guns and bombs for my own profound belief after more than 20 years active service in the cause of world peace is that no gun and no bomb ever did anything to defend democracy or establish anything else that is good I 1 mean fighting with gods own weapons of brotherhood service sympathy understanding these are wisdom understanding counsel fortitude knowledge piety and tear fear of the lord all ot of which are the true weapons and the powers of evil can never stand against them democracy challenged our fight for or democracy must go on in our homes through the little dally daily job that we have to meet and solve and unless it succeeds there it is going to fall in the world for never since its very beginnings has it been challenged as it is challenged today A democracy which in out our form Is a republic means that the people rule they look at their candidates they decide which ones they like and they put those men into power fascism nazi ism and communism mean that the people are told what to do oat eat spend wear think and say monarchies and Czari czarisms sms and oriental rule also meant this the thin little fringe of places and peoples who believe in democh democracy icy is diminishing now to a very small percentage indeed unless we defend it it will vanish from the earth good men and wise men from the days of the greeks and romans have been dreaming of world republicanism lican ism world democracy plato dreamed of it sir thomas more afore dreamed of it washington saw the great vision and through bewilderment and desertions treason and poverty and failure and despair I 1 brought it to birth we possess it i what Is Fre freedom edoin to you but how much do you care about it how much Is it worth to you that america shall go on as america tree free of speech free of press free to worship god in her own way 00 you care enough to read one or two books of the thousands that are arc being circulated now telling you what other countries are doing and how their ways differ from ours are you willing to say some evening evenin 9 in the near future george lets go to that meeting or that rally or that lecture or that debate and see sec what these candidates are like and what they are promising and planning do you care enough to know the answers to your childrens questions when those children speak airily of the superior methods of russia or slightingly of the greatest country in the world which is their own if you dont if you still think the most absorbing problems in the world are those of getting the spare room blankets cleaned and being sure the lower piecrust pie pic crust Is good and crisp then you dont deserve to be an american you dont deserve to uve live in a democracy and youre do STICK your most absorbing problems in me I 1 world are those of meal planning getting the attie attic cleaned or seeing that young teddy wears his rubbers then men you dont deserve to live in a democracy at least tats the way kathleen norris feels her view is that you shou should id exercise 10 your 1 1 r mind study read discuss digest 9 st the world changes going on about you dont miss this streight to die point argument ing your bit to aid the totalitarian governments every voice needed dont think that because you live 0 on n a limited income in a rented house and run just a little over the budget every month that y your our voice needed and valuable great national changes dont necessarily come from privileged men lincoln napoleon stalin mussolini hitler and countless others knew the sharp touch of poverty and lived the first third of their lives in obscurity the reason the dictators have gained so strong a hold is because nine tenths of the men and women they rule are arc abysmally ignorant of what is going on of their own rights and cowf ra dont keep yourself in that group unless you want to see our own country menaced by the forces that are honestly convinced that the dictators way is 13 the right way our share of citizenship now as american women Is to demonstrate lust just what Is true democracy to perfect our own system it Is for us to do away with unemployment poverty slums to discourage false philosophies loso phles to the faith of our great forefathers if you can do that for the smallest spot in the smallest of our towns or villages you will be doing an incalculable service to america the ways of doing it are infinite first line of defense study unemployment and housing and and sanitation in your own community for instance find out why youngsters in high school and college are taking to european ideas gather the youngsters into your house for debate and coffeo coffee and doughnuts once a week stop lamenting that undergraduate morals are something deplorable and the half baked communism those children are talking is really frightening and do something about it let them know that under their own constitution they can introduce any changes they wish that it is the miracle and privilege of democracy that it can change and develop with the changing world women who are arc unwilling to make this effort to uproot themselves from the age old laziness of not thinking or acting at all in national and international affairs women who dont know t ta i names of their representatives it washington nor how those representatives ore are voting on questions of vital importance to every wife and mother t be surprised or horrified it if american democracy really does totter under oppression from abroad war naturally destroys democracy tor for the time being the individual cannot have any opinion in war he obeys and he does nothing but obey lie he serves in the ranks or in the munitions factories he kills Is wounded dies without one moment of freedom this is inevitable A plan necessary but when the wars are over and someday they will be ended then it will be for us to build a new amet amei lea ica even as they will have to begin to rebuild shattered europe and that will be the time for us to decide between a dictator who will tell us that he knows exactly what wo we must do or follow a wise and safe democratic plan of our own |
