THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 97 



have much in common. One of the things they have 

 in common is their interest in their community; for 

 each wishes to see it progress. 



If the democracy of a nation depends upon the democ- 

 racy of the individuals who compose that nation, then 

 assuredly the war garden is a forge that is daily strength- 

 ening the links in our chain of democracy. Our soldiers, 

 shoulder to shoulder in the trenches, learned, that, 

 whatever their respective stations in life, they are 

 brothers. In a heat a little less intense, but none the 

 less sufficient to weld the strongest souls, our garden- 

 ers, too, have fused into a solid unit. Link by link the 

 chain of our democracy has grown stronger. 



With it has grown our civic pride — the pride of each 

 community in the progress it is making. One of the 

 progressive things cities are proud of to-day is the 

 extent of their war-garden activities. Just as different 

 communities aimed to be the first "over the top" in a 

 Liberty Loan campaign, and to secure the flag which 

 spoke of patriotic duty performed, so they have been 

 anxious to excel in the number of war gardens they have 

 planted and in the amount of food they have raised to 

 help the boys "over there." 



The National War Garden Commission has received 

 from hundreds of cities and towns throughout the 

 United States expressions showing how proud they are 

 of their war-garden records. Typical items of this 

 enthusiasm are these: "Every bit of available land 

 is being cultivated;" "There is scarcely a home here 

 without a war garden;" "All back yards and vacant 

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