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Show THE NATION OF KICKERS Kicking has always been a favorite sport of the American people. It seems to give them solid comfort to get together and declaim about the alleged abuses from which they suffer. Having got these grievances off their chests, they throw themselves into their enjoyments en-joyments with a zest which suggests that they are as-a as-a whole a happy people. For every one who really does something about the real or alleged wrongs, and tries to remove them, there are probably 50 who never take any active steps themselves to right the conditions of which they complain. com-plain. Kicking is not wholly futile. Some countries need to do more kicking. In Germany the people blindly accept whatever outrages the government puts over on them. Circles of kickers gathered in every haunt and home would create public sentiment against such things, and many of these wrongs would be righted. So our nation of kickers in America produce some result with their groaning. Public officials make efforts to relieve the trouM.es with which people find fault. In a time like the present, when the leaders of the nation have a task laid on them demanding almost superhuman ability, kicking is overdone. It has the effect ef-fect to spread discouragement and pessism. A country where these emotions spread is not so likely to be a victorious nation. So the American people would do well to adjourn their chronic kicking until after the war. They have the right to criticize when things go wrong, but such complaints should be made in a reasonable manner, and not so as to discourage the nation. What we want in war time is hope, optimism, and energy. If people- feel they should kick, let them make their complaints in-a constructive way, in quarters where they will do good, and not where they will spread any atmosphere of de- featism. |