Four-Minute Men

From the Encyclopedia of North Carolina.

After listing this in the last post, I just had to find out who the Four-Minute Men were.    I had heard of the Revolutionary War's Minute Men.  Were these just a bit slower group of men?  As it turns out, this was directly applicable to World War I, whose centennial starts next year, but not until 2017 for the United States.

The Four-Minute Men gained their nickname from the four-minute speeches about the importance of backing the nation's participation in World War I.  In 1917, after a German submarine sank the RMS Lusitania, the federal government created the National Four Minute Men's Association to inspire support for the war effort (and to get the country into the war).

The asswociation was also called the Flying Squadron.  These men were very skilled in public speaking and also were busy getting support for the Liberty Loan and Thrift Stamp campaigns and the United War Work Campaign.

In North Carolina, the Four-Minute Men were formed under the direction of John Sanford Martin, private secretary to Governor Thomas J. Bickett, with the primary object of encouraging the purchase of war bonds.

Stuff I Didn't Know.  --DaCoot