Within a month, he had moved to larger theaters, and so many owners asked him to visit their houses during the four-minute breaks between movies (but not between reels of the same movie; that interruption had proved disastrous) that he recruited his friends to fill in. The idea quickly spread to other cities, and Washington realized it should, in its way, federalize the program. Peer-review boards judged performances on projection, poise, demeanor, dress, clarity, forcefulness, and grammar. They swarmed to every movie theater, church, and picnic in America. Biweekly bulletins contained helpful reminders like “Consider the words of Jesus Christ, Master Four Minute Man.”

There had just been a photo spread of ten good Four Minute Men in Motion Picture Classic magazine, with accompanying discussion of how they could well become motion-picture stars. And now the best in the country were touring together in the Liberty Loan Drive.

Four Minute Men were exempt from military registration.

Further, there were auditions later this very afternoon. A limited number of slots were open, but one had been booked in advance, via ship-to-shore telephone call. From 4:08 to 4:12, the slot was held by Mr. Lee Reid, who by a very similar name was sitting in this very theater, watching his competition, and realizing that his name would not be Lee Reid but Lee Duncan. His ambition had reignited.

Onstage, one of the Four Minute Men had dug his hands into his pockets, and strolled to the center of the stage. He kicked his heel downward a few times, modestly. He was saying, “The topic, my friends, the topic today is ‘The Fruits of Your Labor.’”

Another man walked past him, downstage, saying, as if it had just occurred to him, “Have you ever stopped to think that, every moment of your life, the vigilant eye of Uncle Sam is watching over you? How he is the master of the biggest business in the world? And how it is all your business?”

A third man, standing still, continued, “He has more might and majesty than all the kingdoms of history—and all this might and majesty is yours. Have you ever stopped to think about that?” He paused, folded his arms, and looked directly into the crowd. “Have you, San Francisco?”