USA > California > Santa Clara County > War history of Santa Clara County > Part 4
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The Red Cross drive was a success. The men who could not go across had "put it across." They did it with tremendous sacrifice or personal interests. No mere outline can tell the real inside story of effort and accomplishment, of untiring zeal and the great weariness that accompanied the joy of achievement. There had been no division of days into hours. Frequently the next day's campaign was being planned at 3 o'clock in the morning. The day with the smallest subscription totaled $11,620.15; the largest, $25,079.72. Charles M. O'Brien's team led them all, with a subscrip- tion list amounting to $15,229.61.
One of the heaviest burdens of the campaign, the duties of which did not close with the sub- scription lists, fell upon Louis Simonsen, expert accountant and undersheriff, who acted as treas- urer and cashier. This patriotie eitizen devoted all his time to the work which necessitated not only caring for accounts, but keeping a set of books for the tabulation of all installments for the next four months. Receipts even had to be made in triplicate-one for the subscriber, one to remain with the records and one to be forwarded to Washington.
Treasurer Simonsen and his corps of assistants converted the sheriff's office into live Red Cross headquarters! . Eleanor Brown, Dicey Baugh, Marguerite Vella and Mrs. J. F. Charles won the sineere gratitude of the treasurer and the entire committee for their helpful volunteer service in this busy Red Cross business office.
After the last subscription was listed Chair- man Samuel G. Tompkins sent out a letter of appreciation, which said in part: "Let it never be said that the people are unresponsive to the
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WAR HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY
call of patriotism or of humanity or of duty. Especial praise is due to the many men and women who laid aside their personal affairs and devoted their time to this patriotic service. * * *
* Hats off to Santa Clara county and its splendid manhood and womanhood!"
Particular mention was made by Arthur M. Free, the indefatigable campaign manager; the assistance generously given by Nellie Farliepp, stenographer in the district attorney's office; Bell Gallagher, county official stenographer, and Mrs. Floy Johnson, clerk in the district attorney's office.
In Free's statement following the close of the drive, he said: "The Red Cross campaign has opened to stay open. Already troops are within ear-shot of the guns at the front. It is only the matter of a few days or weeks before they will be facing the enemy's fire. We cannot let them lie where they fall to die without giving them aid." He called special attention to the splendid spirit of helpfulness manifested, mentioning a cer- tain millionaire who acted as chauffeur during the Red Cross drive. "That," said Free, "is the caliber of the men who helped to bring this great undertaking to a successful conclusion." By that sincere tribute Arthur M. Free fixed the status that his untiring effort won for him in the appre- ciation of his townsmen. The heavier burden of the campaign fell upon him and never for a day did his zeal lessen or the emblazoned banner of his patriotism fail to lead the host of men and women who followed him from the home trenches "over the top" for the Red Cross.
The first contingent of our boys reached American lake on September 17, 1917. They arrived in a sea of mud, but sang blithely as they waded, "Hail, Hail, the Gang's All Here!" About that time Lloyd MeReynolds with the "first 500,000," wrote from an English camp.
Then we forgot all our little civic torments in the Book Drive started by the War Service committee of the American Library association. Not with "howitzers and shrapnel" was the tedium and loneliness of camp life to be destroyed; but with "books, magazines and newspapers." The call came for $1,000,000 for reading matter, the big- gest move of the kind ever contemplated.
At five cents per capita, San Jose's quota . was $1750. Mrs. John E. Richards, president of the board of library trustees, presided at a pre- liminary meeting held at the city library to arrange the campaign. Senator Frank H. Benson drew the secretaryship. Charles F. Woods, recently ap- pointed librarian, explained the purposes of the drive. Among interested book lovers who dis- cussed the matter were Mrs. Richards, Charles F. Woods, County Superintendent of Schools D. T. Bateman, Miss Clara Smith of the state normal school, E. A. Wilcox, Mrs. E. A. Wilcox, Mrs. Thomas H. Reed, City Superintendent of Schools Alex R. Sheriffs, Rev. J. J. Evans, pastor of the Christian church and president of the Pastors'
union; Father Blackmore of St. Joseph's church; Mrs. Frank E. Fowler, T. A. Sloan and Grant E. Bennett, library trustce, and George C. Wilson, Y. M. C. A. secretary.
The active campaign commenced September 24, 1917, with Librarian Woods in charge. More home boys said good-bye. That reminded us that they would need books. Louis F. Col, son of Peter E. Col of Walsh-Col Wholesale Co., and Bayard Bowden, started on their great adventure in pat- riotism. J. R. Pennington of the Bean Spray com- pany received a cablegram that his son, Richard I. Pennington, was safe with the aviation corps "somewhere in France." Cables began to be more frequent.
Librarian Woods, ably assisted by Miss Stella Huntington, county librarian, explained that the books were to equip a complete library system in each of the 32 national training camps. These camps had water, sewage, adequate housing --- everything but books! That was our job.
Over 200 posters in red, white and blue pla- carded the town. Each donation of $1.00 or more entitled the giver to an engraved name plate in one of the books purchased. "Send your name to the front if you can't go" was a drive slogan. Librarian Woods was a busy man. He addressed women's clubs, civic and educational bodies, Cath- olic organizations, members of the Bar association and the normal school student body. We were proud to hear him say that the American army "is the most literate army in the world. It de- manded a high class of books from the classics to good detective stories." Side by side were the brick layer and the banker, the hod-carriier and the professor of psychology. There must be books for everybody-books that would follow the boys when they followed the flag to France.
We were interested! The chamber of com- merce and the Rotary club had a conference. A conference like that meant real money. Day by day the amount increased. Then came Saturday, September 27, 1917,-the last day of the week's drive. Many of us remember the little tags to which we were fastened by the mere loosening up of our small change. It was a great "Tag Day." A bevy of San Jose's pretty girls under the direc- tion of a committee headed by Mrs. A. A. Fowler, plaved "tag" all day. If you gave a dollar for a book or merely for a smile, you were "it!" The members of this committee were Mrs. A. A. Fowler, Mrs. J. E. Richards, Mrs. Chas. F. Woods, Mrs. G .. W. Hommedieu and Mrs. Nina Moon. Tag Day brought $300 and the end of the drive for funds. Librarians Woods and Huntington, with the assistance of the interested committees and volunteer workers had "put it across."
After that we had two "drives" for books- all kinds of books! The boys clamored for them! The motion made by the soldiers was heartily sec- onded by Commanders Pershing and Sims. The cry for something to read came from land and sea -and we heard it.
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WAR HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY,
In August, 1918, book lovers began to have troubled eonsciences. Day after day they heard the call for books. Contributions were being received at the eity and county library. It was a time of soul-searching and shelf-prowling. "Which shall it be? I looked at John and John looked at me," was applicable. Many took this for a time of clearing the attie and the top shelves of printed prehistoric accumulations. It ease of "between love and duty" with the book lover. That copy of Tennyson? O- she couldn't! He gave it to hier when they were first engaged! This thumb-marked "Heroes and Hero Worship?" Great Scott-no! Not that! He bought it when his little tin gods were all bright and dollars hard-earned and few! It brought back -no! Not that book! But they did give. They saeri- fieed. They gave beautiful books in wonderful . bindings. One school teacher brought to head- quarters an armful of good books, well bound. “I have had them a long time," she said, "and I love every one; but I want them to help a sol- dier."
One sad little ancient lady in a worn black silk gown brought a Bible. It was a gold edged, "fine-print," very fat old-fashioned Bible, and it was her only book. Don't you suppose its mes- ' sage went right to a soldier boy's heart with mem- ories of an almost forgotten grandmother?
"Stepping Heavenward" in blue and gold was a notable contribution. That must have com- forted a red-blooded fighting man who was step- ping heavenward in khaki with every burst of a shell! There were handbooks on Etiquette; Hints to Young Mothers; an old Directery; and a Na- tional Cloak and Suit Catalogue two years old. Wasn't that adding insult to injury when the sol- dier couldn't order his clothes by mail?
There was a copy of Baedeker's German Guide! That seemed funny until we learned that Unele Sam had asked for it. He wanted to reeog- nize all the sign posts on the road to Berlin.
Among the presentations were perfectly sweet thin little daintily bound gift books of the days of 1840. "From Friend to Friend, " and "Love's Emblem" (with a full blown rose in the corner) might help with a quotation when a fellow wrote home to "her" but they would fail dismally to fill the need of a haunted hour after a week in the trenehes.
With a fine appreciation of the fitness of things there were E. P. Roe's "The Earth Tremb- led." and Eggleston's "The End of the 'World." Some realist did that. "On the Way There" and "Try Again," were misdirected. They probably referred to the Paris drive and were intended for "Bill, Berlin."
. "Alice in Wonderland," was among those present and the "Five Little Peppers" eame to add a dash of spice to the already rather full- flavored soldier's experience. This spirit of seem- ing levity isn't "making fun." There were many kindly donors who just heaped together every book
they had for "our boys" and in the varioius lots there were bound to be some offerings not suitable.
Many, many wonderful books were given. Whole sets of O. Henry and Brete Harte. There were Zane Gray and Rex Beach and Jack London. There were duplicates of Sherlock Holmes and Anna Catherine Green and their detective con- temporaries. The Rotary Club gave 75 splendid books that have doubtless made 75 times 75 dough- boys happy.
There was everything in fietion from Bertha M. Clay to William Dean Howells-and that's somo distanee! There were all the poets from the early Victorian to Virile, two-fisted Kipling and Service. There was history, biography, all the sciences-and heaps of Bibles! San Jose gave and gave and gave until asked to stop!
Nearly all our books went to Camp Fremont. They were all transported by Sheriff Arthur Lang- ford who turned his automobile into a truck and made many trips with loads of books for "the boys. ''
In every book was pasted a slip that read: "Soldiers' Library. Given by the citizens of Santa Clara County, California."
These slips were all pasted and much of the tremendous task of assorting and listing the books was done at the County Library by E. B. Hunting- ton, father of Miss Stella Huntington, the County Librarian. Others who gave generously of their time to this work at the County headquarters were Mrs. O. M. Regnart, Elizabeth Stevens, Miss E. A. Beattie, Isabel Moore, Mrs. M. D. Simons and Stella Huntington.
At the City Library the Book drives increased every day's duties. This extra labor was patrioti- , eally shouldered by Librarian Charles F. Woods, Ada Holland, Ivy Larmour, Grace .Cox, Roslyn Boring, Clara Bassett, Velma Eastin and Clarisse Friant.
San Jose proved two things by its response to these appeals, its love for "the boys" and its love for books!
WAR GARDENS
Early in the spring of 1917 Herbert Hoover began to be very Hooverish. He pieked out "eon- servation " from, all the words in the dietionary and made it a slogan. He sent two messages from Belgium, where he headed the relief commission. One was that word "conservation." The other told that he was coming to take control of the food problem. A eall for inereased food produc- tion flashed across the country. That brought about the war. garden campaign of 1917. Back yards, vaeant lots, every acre of idle land must do its bit. Never before had any eommuniity ex- perieneed sneh a zestful, helpful, patriotic wave of "getting, down and digging" as went over us . then. We turned the old song about. We "hung up the fiddle and the bow" and "took dotyn the shovel and the hoe!"' -
On May the first, 1917; San Jose high school students heard the war garden program outlined
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WAR HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY
by Prof. B. H. Crocheron of the department of agriculture of the University of California. 1Ie held the official appointment made by Dean Hunt of the College of Agriculture to enlist the help ef all boys too young to enlist for other serviee. At the time of his visit to San Jose, which was the first one made in the state, he found that the high school agricultural department had 114 pupils interested in practical erop production. These student-farmers constituted an Agricultural elub, under the direction of Prof. J. R. Case, Jr. This first meeting resulted in the enlistment of 350 high school boys who pledged themselves te crop production and to assist with the year's harvest.
Food production plans occupied the earnest attention of the council of defense. A citizen's committee under the leadership of E. E. Chase became interested. The Rotary club stood solidly behind the campaign. By May 2, 1917, plans were well under way to supervise intensive gardening. The entire committee, chesen frem all organiza- tiens interested numbered nine: George N. Her- bert, chairman; S. E. Johnson, Alexander Sheriffs, J. J. McDonald, Arthur Cann, W. L. Atkinson, Elton R. Shaw, E. E. Chase and Charles M. O'Brien. Members of this able committee did not constitute the entire body of enthusiasts. Every man, woman and child who owned or could borrow a bit of land made up a committee "of the whole." Campiglia advised the Rotarians of the campaign progress in ether seetions-and San Jose just rolled up its sleeves and went to farming.
The response to the appeal for vacant lots was an avalanche! All schools received visits from the committee. By May 3 the Horace Mann children had taken 30 lots, each having more than 4000 square feet. The Grant and Longfellow children planned to eultivate their own baek yards. School heads agreed to farm lots themselves er in co- operation with the children. Rotarians grabbed a piece of land some distance from town and planted 50 acres of corn. They offered special indneements to school children in the form of prizes. For the best garden, $5. Then four prizes of $1 each- altogether about $72 to be competed for. The one specified thing was that 4000 square feet must be planted. Arthur Cann offered a prize of $10 for the best garden. For the second prize, $6 and $4 for the third.
Then work began in earnest. Weeds and dry grass trembled and tin cans knew their hour of deom had come. First of all, the vacant lots must be well "soaked" er the ground would be lumpy at the plowing. This watering was under- taken by the Retarians. The council of defense and other interested organizations found the San Jose Water company eager to help by reducing rates for home gardens and donating water for vacant lots. The San Jose fire department, under Chief Edward Haley and Assistant Chief Herman Hobson volunteered to do the flooding of the lets. The street department, directed by City Engineer Walter H. Hunt, were to furnish teams and a plow
and do the needed work on as many lots as pos- sible. The Bean Spray company offered a tractor for plowing the larger lots and groups of lots.
Then the 100 Boy Scouts of the First Metho- dist church, under the leadership of Rev. Frank MeLain each pledged himself to "feed a soldier." They promised to forget vacation-and they kept that promise. They put on an unexpected and novel program. One evening in May, headed by two stalwart policemen, and armed with rakes and hoes for weapons, they marched through the down- town streets. The scouts bubbled over with pat- riotism. One little laddie said: "Maybe I'm too little to carry a gun, but I can make a garden!" Fer months Rev. Frank MeLain, Mr. Farrier of the First National bank, George Norris and Don- ald Arguello had worked on the Boy Seeut move- ment in San Jose and their efforts found recog- nition in the cheers that greeted this patriotic parade of volunteer food producers.
The Rotarians did more than make speeches and cheer. They dug in their individual gardens and they dug down deep in their poekets and put up several hundreds of dollars to finance the work of getting the vacant lot gardens ready te plant. They seenred the services of C. H. Waterman, who took charge of their planting eampign fer 30 days. It was a unique campaign, for it was the first time in the history of the eity that its government turned gardener! Firemen te de the flooding, police department volunteering to transport the hose from place to place and the city's teams to do the plowing!
The firemen had the worst of it. Their work was done between the hours of eight in the even- ing and four the next morning-but not one of them complained. There was difficulty in finding the lots. Frequently instead of one vacant let they found four and the middle of the night was a mighty inconvenient time to find out which lot to flood! All night, night after night, the fire boys werked. They "dyked" the lets until eaelı one looked like a miniature Holland-then turned on the water. From 10 to 12 lots were flooded every night. Some lot owners forgot that there was a limit to the hose and listed lots far from a hydrant. The firemen's hours were beautifully elastic but the hose wouldn't streteh. During all San Jose's war werk campaigns there was never a more unselfish service than the work done by our firemen during his garden activity. They worked-and worked hard-while the rest of us slept, and beside this service they cultivated some wonderful gardens.
There came a call for more teams and plows and men-and right at that eritical time the civie gardeners' plow struek a snag! Some one dis- covered that if the city teams were used for plow- ing that the city would have to run right square over the majestic body of the LAW! There wasn't any provision-by law-for this expenditure! The Rotarians held a peppery meeting with Charles R. Parkinson in charge. E. E. Chase explained that
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WAR HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY
while the city desired to put its civic hand to the garden plow it was prevented by the cold injune- tion of the law! It all ended beautifully. They talked it over and the Rotarians consulted the depths of the various and several Rotarian pockets and just said that the campaign was going through -law or no law! This plan would not be allowed to slip between the handles of a mere plow. The tempest stilled when Charles Parkinson presented the Rotary club with a framed photograph of past president John D. Kuster to be hung on the club walls. The light of John's countenance restored tranquility and the club farmers plowed straight through luncheon! The tempest didn't amount to a "hill of beans" anyway!
A conference of all the local food production experts was held at the High School cafeteria on May 10, 1819, E. E. Chase, chairman of the origi- nal food supply committee, presiding. Earl Mor- ris, county horticultural commissioner, was made chairman of the campaign committee and the per- sonnel of those attending this conference was: E. E. Chase, W. L. Atkinson, representing the Rotary club. Alexander Sheriffs, city superintend- ent of schools; Arthur M. Free, and J. D. Chace, Jr., of the council of defense; Prof. J. R. Case, Jr., of high school agriculture department, and C. H. Waterman, general campaign supervisor; Karl Hazeltine and Earnest L. Conant. Conant had been appointed assistant to the county horticul- tural commissioner, the appointment made by the council of defense and necessitated by the extra work of the campaign. Conant took entire charge of the county operations and Earl Morris, assisted by Waterman and Prof. Case, handled the city plans.
Arthur M. Free, toured the schools and enthused the entire county with accounts of what San Jose was accomplishing.
J. J. McDonald heard the call for help. He donated a plow. Teams were loaned by John R. Chace and the Standard Oil company. Over 500 high school and normal girl students enlisted in the work. Those who did not actively engage in gardening gave valuable service by listing lots and keeping up a system of card indexing.
Some of us remember a certain Friday at high noon when proud . Rotarians stood on the corner of San Pedro street and Hawthorne way to watch the Bean Spray company's tractor break ground for war gardens. In the first four days of the cam- paign 40 lots were watered and 32 plowed.
Ernest L. Conant suggested what was best to plant and high school boys from the agricultural club whizzed busily around on motorsycles to supervise the planting. We learned to look a seed potato straight in the eye and formed the intimate acquaintance with hitherto unheard of varieties of beans. Children's conversation became a mixture of potato and bean-planting lore. We remembered that William Jennings Bryan said during his Chautauqua lecture in San Jose about this food production campaign: "The value of this food
will be small compared to the value to the girls and boys themselves." We were all digging to learn thrift.
About 200 lots were cultivated approximating 30 acres, beside all the acres back yards that had suffered a change of heart! The pupils of one school gardened plots only 8x10 and grew wonder- ful lettuce and radishes. One small boy found no other "land available, so he pre-empted part of the driveway and dug it up for his garden. It stayed dug up and it was a good garden.
Some one remembered to go over on Sherman street and take a look at A. P. Hill's back yard. One visit became the incentive for greater garden effort. On two lots Mr. Hill had (always does have) a wonderful garden. Beside the lettuce and swiss chard, peas, beans, carrots and onions, there were 18 fruit trees, 200 feet of berry vines and a hedge of bamboo that supplied the trellis for the Flaming Tokay grapes. When asked the secret of his back-yard-garden success, Mr. Hill . said: "Nothing is wasted here-not even space!" His accomplishment was an example of successful intensive gardening that spurred many of the war gardeners to emulative efforts.
Not every back yard or corner lot scored a success. Vacation came and with hundreds of young San Joseans working "in the fruit" and helping with other harvests some of the well started gardens were unattended. But taken as a whole, the War Garden campaign was a wonderful suc- cess. School heads reported that much of the money obtained from the sale of vegetables was invested in war savings stamps by the children. Home consumers paid for the products at regular market prices and accurate accounts were kept. Then after the harvest came the awarding of prizes! This hadn't been easy work for little hands to do. Even grownup arms and backs had ached from the hard and frequently unaccustomed work, but no one complained. Gardens had been well tended-unless it was the night when Mary Pickford came to town. No one remembered a garden then!
The winners of the first and second prizes offered by the Rotary club in the schools were: Gardner school-Herbert Heyer, Jack Hewett. Lowell school-Willie Jury, Harris Willson. Washington school-Frank Guerra, Emilo Gag- liaido. Hawthorne school-Mario and Frank Duino, first; George Straight, second. Grant school-Louis Arnone, first; Denward and Fred Davis, second. Horace Mann school-Albert Haehnlen and George Bliss, first; Vivian Thornton, Thelma Lanz, Alves Davis, Ruby Withers, Thelma McGary and Carol Ames, second. Longfellow school-Byron and Thelma. Hunt, first; Walter Dooley, Emile Ricca and Cecil Morehead, second. Lincoln school-Ray Nicholas, Jack Gilleran. Awards were all made by Assistant Horticultural Commissioner Ernest L. Conant.
No story of this 1917 garden activity would be complete without special mention of Rev. J. H.
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WAR HISTORY OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY
Wythe, who, during the entire period was deeply interested in the movement and who aided its sue- cess in every way, not only because of his govern- ment appointment on this commission but because of his love of gardens. During 1918 Prof. Joseph E. Hancock was given the chairmanship of war garden activities by C. C. Moore, chairman of the state council of defense. Prof. Hancock had an extensive campaign planned when the armistice removed the pressing necessity for increased food production.
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