Thursday, May 10, 2012

War-Savings Stamp campaigns

During World War I, three $50.00 (cash) state prizes were available to the schools of Bossier Parish in the Thrift and War-Savings Stamp campaign. Schools would be divided into three classes—Class A constituted all provisional high schools; Class B constituted schools below high school or provisional high school, three or more teachers. Class C constituted schools of one or two teachers. Each school principal was to fill out a monthly report of the sales of his/her school and submit it to T.H. Harris. Reports of sales for December and January had not been good and Harris wrote a letter to the teachers of Louisiana in which he took them to task for doing “little or nothing in the Thrift Stamp campaign” during [those months]. Further, he promised to have harsh words for “the parish or school that lies down on the job in this second contest” (the February/March campaign). “Let every school organize its forces and work hard and consistently in this second contest.” In addition to the three $50.00 prizes, local Bossier students had the opportunity to win prizes of $10.00, $5.00, $2.00 and $1.00. The prizes would be awarded only if an aggregate sum of $2000.00 was raised and it had to be in the hands of the hands of the Parish Superintendent of Schools by the evening of April 1st. Benton High School students were reported in the February 14, 1918 issue of the paper to be showing their patriotism by purchasing and selling War-Savings Stamps. The March 14, 1918 issue of The Bossier Banner reported that the pupils of Plain Dealing High School were determined to “lick” some of Uncle Sam’s War Stamps and claim all of the prizes being offered. The article’s author advised: “By all means buy War-Savings Stamps. What are you going to do, Bossier Parish? Are you going to respond liberally to our country’s call and make a decent showing, or are you going to be content with a like paltry showing as was made in the first drive?” Be sure to read next week’s article to find out which schools and which students received the prizes.

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