"A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM”

A STORY OF SAVING FOR VICTORY

WHEN James Curtis got out of the car at his door, after a short day's work at the shipbuilding plant, little Marjorie was watching for him and came running up.

"Daddy," she greeted him, "I want to earn some money to give to the Government. I want to help win the war. Teacher says if we save money we can help, and can save lives too. Tell me, daddy, what can I do to earn the money?" "Did the teacher put all that into your head, Marjorie?"

"Yes; some Secretary sent a paper to her. He wants us all to help like the boys and girls did in the Revolution. We can't load guns and fight like they did, but he says we can help just the same. I've got the paper in the house for you to read to me again. It tells of some ways that boys and girls can earn money, but most of them are for boys and I don't know anything I can do since we got Mary to do all the work. I wish we did not have Mary; then I could help mother."

"Well, Marjorie, I will read the paper after dinner and then we will see about it. You run and play now."

At the table that night, Marjorie told again about her big purpose to help win the war. Her mother's statement that a little girl like her could not do much only increased her enthusiasm.

"But, mother, think, if every little girl and boy in the United States earns money and gives it to the Government, that would help a whole lot."

"Well, Marjorie, that's a long speech for you. I guess your father will give you some money to help the Government. How about the money we give you for candy and the money in your bank upstairs?"

"I had thought of that. I was going to buy Christmas presents for you and Daddy, and Gra'ma and Uncle Fred with the money in my bank. Uncle Fred is fighting for us and I think I ought to send him some tobacco he likes so much and says it costs so much more in France, and then he cannot get the kind he likes. And Gra'ma is so old that I think I ought to send her something as I have every year; but you and Daddy I know will understand and not feel bad if I give the rest to the Government. I am going to give my spending money, too. But I want to earn some more each week so that I can buy stamps and fill up a Thrift Card and soon start putting the big stamps on a War-Savings Certificate. The teacher said maybe our fathers and mothers would start buying the big stamps to put on War-Savings Certificates of their own. I think you ought to do it; but I want to buy my own stamps with my own money so that I will be doing, all by myself, my share to help the Government."

"You can do that, daughter, if you want to so much; and no doubt if you can do it, your mother and I can help the Government too. Let's all go and read that paper now."

So Jim Curtis read aloud the appeal which Secretary McAdoo had issued to "Young America," calling upon them to help their Government in its time of need, as the boys and girls of '76 had helped in the Revolution. The lesson, the Secretary said, is "thrift-saving to the point of sacrificeself-denial of everything unnecessary.

When Marjorie's father pointed out to her that the money she was going to save was not to be given to the Government, but only loaned that the Government would buy back from her in January, 1923, the War-Saving Stamps which she would get now in exchange for sixteen 25 cent Thrift Stamps and a few cents more, and pay her $5.00 then for each one of them she was a bit disappointed. But her father, on whom

had suddenly dawned the real meaning of this war-saving campaign, because he knew the difficulty they had in getting labor and materials in the shipyards, explained to her that it was not just money the Government needed to buy food and clothing and guns for the soldiers, but first it had to find food and cloth that it could buy, and steel for the guns and for the ships which were needed to carry the food and clothing and guns to France. Then it had to find men to make the uniforms, manufacture the guns, and build the ships. He told her that when she ate candy, she used up sugar that might otherwise be sent to Uncle Fred in France; that when she bought a new coat instead of wearing out her old one she was taking cloth that might be used for the soldiers; that she was asking people to work for her, making candy and coats, who might be working for the Government by helping to build ships like her father was.

"Don't you see, Marjorie," said her father, "by saving your money to send to the Government you are also saving the things that the Government wants to buy. That is what the Government really wants you to do. It is willing to give you back your money, five years from now, and pay you interest because you have saved for it some of the food and cloth and other things which it needs so much at present, and because you do not ask people to do unnecessary work for you when the Government needs the work of all the people it can get. You really give the Government much more than the money you save, don't you see?"

Mr. and Mrs. James Curtis then faced each other with a new consciousness a new viewpoint regarding their duty in connection with the war. Their method of living since he got his present position at the ship-building plant at much higher pay gave them little more satisfaction to think about. They had certainly had a good time. They both realized now,

however, that they could no longer go on that way, not as long as the war lasted at least. They did not realize that this was the beginning of a sane and wholesome life for them and that they were hereafter to be better and broader people and better citizens.

They turned their attention to deciding ways for Marjorie to earn her quarters. The printed list supplied them with one she could clean the silver twice a month. Then mother remembered that she always had to make her own bed when she was a girl. They would pay Marjorie twenty-five cents a week for doing that and keeping her room in order and clean. Her father agreed to give her a regular "spending allowance" of twenty-five cents a week besides. She might also earn something helping to take care of neighbors' babies after school and on Saturdays.

Then Mrs. Curtis went to the kitchen to tell Mary of the help she was to have. She found Mary knitting socks. She did not have to explain about the Government war-savings plan; Mary seemed to know all about it.

"Yes, Mrs. Curtis, I read the papers and I have been waiting for the Government to put these stamps on sale. I wanted to buy a Liberty Bond, but you know I have to help my sister with her three children, and a dollar a week is a good bit for me. I am glad Marjorie wants to help her Government. You can tell her all the time she saves me I will spend knitting for the soldiers."

"But why did you want to buy Liberty Bonds, Mary?” "Well, you see, Mrs. Curtis, when the war started I had $1800 in a savings bank in Poland. When the Germans came they broke open the bank and took all the money. The bank cannot pay me. Now if I buy Liberty Bonds or put my money in these new War-Savings Stamps, then everybody in the United States will owe it to me, and if the Germans come

here and steal the money from the banks I will get my money back just the same."

The introduction of thrift into the front of the Curtis house dated from that night. Marjorie's enthusiasm spread to the others, and she often pointed the way for her mother and father. They were surprised to find that last year's clothes would do for another season. Hats could easily be retrimmed at home. The dark corners of the attic brought forth many things that had been forgotten. They found they did not care for the trips to the city for supper and the theater, not when they had to measure them in War-Savings Stamps. Jim walked two miles to and from his work and saved the price of two Thrift Stamps each day. They all got up earlier anyway, so that Marjorie could have time to make her bed before school. Marjorie learned to knit and she soon had a pair of wristlets for Uncle Fred. Her father sent them with a letter to his brother. In due time the reply came back: "I am glad you see this thing right. God bless Marjorie."

And so contentment came to the Curtises.

John K. Barnes