So I determined to take my usual vacation even though on the
face of it it seemed a crime to devote myself to nothing but fishing
for a whole month."
Theo glanced into the face of the big, earnest man before him; he felt
suddenly very grown up. His father had seldom talked to him like
this.
"This war," went on Dr. Swift thoughtfully, "is going to make demands
on all of us--demands for money, work, and time. We should be proud to
give these, for it is the first time our country has ever asked
anything of our generation. We have taken unthinkingly all the
benefits America has to offer--libraries; schools; well ordered cities
to live in; the blessings of constant peace and prosperity. For it we
have returned to the government only the slight taxes demanded for the
up-keep of these things; and most of us, I blush to say, have grumbled
a great deal about it, at that. As a nation we were becoming too
comfortable, too rich, too selfish, too complacent. Now a crisis has
arisen when the United States is asking more of us, as it has every
right to do; and we should be eager to prove our gratitude for all we
have so freely received. Only those who have traveled much can fully
realize what a home and an education in a place like America mean.
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