everything she said.
She would say like:
"Good news from our battle-front to the North, Ten Brothers and Sisters are spreading the gospel of Ecanaanomics in West Los Angeles, and send an epistle to the Mother Fort to say that they expect to start an Encampment there within a short time."
Then everyone would applaud and look happy.
"And this will make the sixteenth Encampment started Since the Mother Camp and our dear Sister Patsy started the great message going out into the world less than three months ago."
Then they would applaud again.
She read off a lot of announcements like that—how Sister
This had been to Santa Barbara spreading the word, and how Brother That in Pomona had taken a collection at the place he worked and raised thirty-eight dollars to add to the War Chest. And how Station Something or Other had promised to broadcast the weekly rallies and singsongs on Friday nights.
Each time they would applaud.
"And now, dear Sisters and Brothers," Mamie said. "Tonight is goodwill offering night for our dear Sister and Leader. Let us give freely and well, to show her our appre ciation of her unfailing toil in our great work."
Imagine that. I thought sure people would jump up and give her the horse laugh out loud, but they all applauded and never cracked a sm ile. Those people were so slap- happy they couldn't have told the difference between Thursday and a fan dancer.
Then Mamie walked off, and all of a sudden four girls dressed in white and with sandals on walked out and sang something about "Let fleecy flocks the hills adorn and val leys smile with wavy corn."
That line kept coming over and over. One would sing it, then another would sing it out of tune.
After they were finished they walked off and the stage went dark. Then, when you couldn't see anything a trumpet blew a long call and after it finished a drum began rolling, soft at first, then louder and louder. Then you could see something in the middle of the dark stage. It grew lighter and lighter, and sort of bluish, and you began to get the creeps. All the time the soft blue lights were coming up and the drum kept rolling louder and louder, but the audi ence was quiet as mice.
Then, all of a sudden, you could see what it was. It was Patsy in her white robe and gold sandals, and they had a couple of blue lights turned on her from the side. She was standing stock still with her arms stretched out and her hands turned up and with her head looking up in the air, like she was Christ on the cross.
She just stood still, not moving, and they started opening up golden-yellow lights from the back of her, making her all blue but her hair and robe like it was outlined in fire. Then they began burning up still stronger lights on the front, and these threw a great big shadow like a cross on the back ground at the back of the stage.
They kept turning the lights up and the drum kept rolling and then the trumpets started: Tan-tan-tara-tara-ta-ta-ta-ta- tara-tan-tan-tan! By the time they stopped she was standing there all lighted like gold with the blue shadow of the cross, big, at the back of her. It was dead quiet and she just stood there. When the people saw that, they all began applauding like mad.
She waited until the applause was over, then she brought her head down slowly, and smiled. She stretched her hands forward, turning the palms down. She acted like she was a Saint, or something, and she said:
"My dear, faithful, beloved people; may the dear God above us all bless you."
Then they all began applauding again, and somebody started to sing. The piano and the trumpets picked it up, and Patsy just stood as she was and smiled while they sang. It was a song something about:
The Ecanmnomic Party
Will aid both weak and hearty Po-verty we’ll banish,
When the E. P. Plan goes through.
They sang that to a tune that was like "Yes We Have No Bananas." But nobody
She would say like:
"Good news from our battle-front to the North, Ten Brothers and Sisters are spreading the gospel of Ecanaanomics in West Los Angeles, and send an epistle to the Mother Fort to say that they expect to start an Encampment there within a short time."
Then everyone would applaud and look happy.
"And this will make the sixteenth Encampment started Since the Mother Camp and our dear Sister Patsy started the great message going out into the world less than three months ago."
Then they would applaud again.
She read off a lot of announcements like that—how Sister
This had been to Santa Barbara spreading the word, and how Brother That in Pomona had taken a collection at the place he worked and raised thirty-eight dollars to add to the War Chest. And how Station Something or Other had promised to broadcast the weekly rallies and singsongs on Friday nights.
Each time they would applaud.
"And now, dear Sisters and Brothers," Mamie said. "Tonight is goodwill offering night for our dear Sister and Leader. Let us give freely and well, to show her our appre ciation of her unfailing toil in our great work."
Imagine that. I thought sure people would jump up and give her the horse laugh out loud, but they all applauded and never cracked a sm ile. Those people were so slap- happy they couldn't have told the difference between Thursday and a fan dancer.
Then Mamie walked off, and all of a sudden four girls dressed in white and with sandals on walked out and sang something about "Let fleecy flocks the hills adorn and val leys smile with wavy corn."
That line kept coming over and over. One would sing it, then another would sing it out of tune.
After they were finished they walked off and the stage went dark. Then, when you couldn't see anything a trumpet blew a long call and after it finished a drum began rolling, soft at first, then louder and louder. Then you could see something in the middle of the dark stage. It grew lighter and lighter, and sort of bluish, and you began to get the creeps. All the time the soft blue lights were coming up and the drum kept rolling louder and louder, but the audi ence was quiet as mice.
Then, all of a sudden, you could see what it was. It was Patsy in her white robe and gold sandals, and they had a couple of blue lights turned on her from the side. She was standing stock still with her arms stretched out and her hands turned up and with her head looking up in the air, like she was Christ on the cross.
She just stood still, not moving, and they started opening up golden-yellow lights from the back of her, making her all blue but her hair and robe like it was outlined in fire. Then they began burning up still stronger lights on the front, and these threw a great big shadow like a cross on the back ground at the back of the stage.
They kept turning the lights up and the drum kept rolling and then the trumpets started: Tan-tan-tara-tara-ta-ta-ta-ta- tara-tan-tan-tan! By the time they stopped she was standing there all lighted like gold with the blue shadow of the cross, big, at the back of her. It was dead quiet and she just stood there. When the people saw that, they all began applauding like mad.
She waited until the applause was over, then she brought her head down slowly, and smiled. She stretched her hands forward, turning the palms down. She acted like she was a Saint, or something, and she said:
"My dear, faithful, beloved people; may the dear God above us all bless you."
Then they all began applauding again, and somebody started to sing. The piano and the trumpets picked it up, and Patsy just stood as she was and smiled while they sang. It was a song something about:
The Ecanmnomic Party
Will aid both weak and hearty Po-verty we’ll banish,
When the E. P. Plan goes through.
They sang that to a tune that was like "Yes We Have No Bananas." But nobody
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