Show POPPY DAY work of preparing for the annual poppy sale of the american legion auxiliary went into full swing today when the memorial poppy which will be worn on poppy day may 23 in honor of the world war dead were received at auxiliary headquarters here the little red flowers packed in neat boxes came from war veterans hospital where they were made by disabled veterans under auxiliary direction they must be counted and arranged for distribution to the volunteer workers who will offer them on the streets on poppy day the poppies are paper replicas of the wild european poppies which bloomed on the battle fields in prance france and belgium during the world war mrs horsley who is in charge of the work at auxiliary headquarters explained it was this flower growing between the rows of wooden crosses above fresh battle graves which inspired the famous poem in flanders fields by col john mccrea since the war the flower has became the sym bol of war sacrifice 1 I wonder how many of the people in Co alIle who will wear these P copples ap pp Is this year realize the story that Is behind each little flower mrs salmon remarked as she examined one of the little paper blossoms each poppy has been made individually by some disabled veteran who through this work has been able to help himself or his family in the long struggle against the handicaps of war disability often there is a tragic and pathetic story wrapped up in these flowers each poppy made means one cent earned by some needy disabled veteran for the support of his family or to aid him when he attempts to reestablish establish re himself in the world three hundred flowers a day is the limit usually placed on the workers to prevent them from overtaxing overtaking over taxing their strength but three dollars a day Is a godsend god send to mm man who have earned nothing for months and years approximately of the poppies have been made this year and about has been paid by the auxiliary into the empty pockets or of the disabled men |