The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-11-01
CIVIC CLUB WORK
A Most Interesting Paper By
Mrs. C. Semmes Hamill.

the town ana county generally
An order was passed directing that
two Liberty Loan Bonds of $50 each be
purchased which affords a good invest
ment for the funds on hand as well as
showing the patriotic spirit of the men,
bers.
Early in the spring the Club offered
several prizes to children who would
cultivate gardens, the awards to be
be made at the end of the season. Forty
entries were recorded at the outset
Roland Michael, of near town seems to
have been the only boy of the forty
who perseYered and as a result he was
awarded the prize of $500 offered.
Mrs. G. Semmes Hamill read highly
interesting paper on Food Conserva-
ton" and at the request of the men,
bers of the Club it is given space in
these columns. Mrs. Hamill's paper
follows:
Women of the Oakland Civic Club:
Mrs. Sliger, your President, has ask
ed me to say few words to you about
the campaign of food, conservation now
being carried on. A short time ago
anything m aterialistic as food dear as
it may be to the hearts of US alb would
have seemed a strange subject to
choose to talk about before a body of
women whose purpose in meeting is for
mental stimulation and civic better
ment. But times have changed. You
will notice that | address you as
women" rather than ladies', for it is
to the WOMEN of America this great
message to conserve food is being sent
and the word women these days is
synonymous with work.
With one decisive blow war has
struck off the letters of tradition which
bound women and has cast her bodily
into the ocean of life to sink or swim.
That she is not going to sink, but has
struck out boldly for her country and
herself is clearly shown in the fine
patriotic examples set by American
women in their response given every
where when the u. S. entered the war.
War has br0ugh the passing of that
feminine type known as the "clingiug
vine. To-day women have taken a
bite of the fruit fOrbjdden,-nOt by
God but by man and with the eating
thereof has come the revelation OF
what she really can DO. When war
clouds first began to gather 10000
American women offered their service
to the Government in case of sudden
National need, and now that America
IS actually at war woman s ability and
feminine preparedness may be locked
upon as the country first line Of de-
tense.
As in the days gone by when Ameri-
can women helped suppress the Tory
and Indian guerillas, even at times
working in the thickest OF battles as
gun leaders, so our European sisters
are now taking their places in the firing
line. Hundreds of women are fighting
In the Russian army, notable among
ehem Madame kOntasheva, woman Of
great culture and refinement, a writer,
a pOetess, and a musician of note
Three other Russian women, one q high
school girl, have received the Order Of
st. George for distinguished service at
the front. Italy has her brave women
wsrrlors, and in Serbia the organiza-
zion known as the Legion of Death,
composed entirely OF trained women
warriors who are expert rifle shots, is
especially feared and hated by the Ger
mans and Austrians But we cannot
S1'4 ~ Ai4 ZIG III HE, We cannot all EC
Red Cross nurses at the front. There
are some of US whose duties in our
homes and on our farms are too pumer-
Gus for US to spare much time to even
sew for the Red Cross. What can we
do? The reply like the clear note of
clarion is heard throughout the entire
land. Mr.. Hoover S message: Let the
women in the homes now do their part
by reducing the consumption of those
articles of food needed not only bv the
allies bat by OUR OWN BOYS, physi-
CLANS, nurses and other brave war
workers cover there. Use LESS
wheat, use LESS meat, use LESS sug-
or, u-e LESS fats Gutter, lard. etc.D
Use MORE corn meal, more fish when
Obtalnable(, more vegetables, more
syruDs-DON'T WASTE.
There is an abundance of those foods
III the United States. We must then
be willing to send the food across the
5000 submarine-menaced miles that re-
qulre the least tonnage IN proportion to
their nutritlve value. This is the nu-
cleus OF the message. Nearly all fruits
and many vegetables are useless for
expert SO let us feast on them at home
We have bumper crops of corn and oats.
Our wheat crop this year is short, yet
we must send across the ocean in 1918
one billion bushels of wheat and it
takes 1900, 900 acres to produce this
amount. The food animals of the
a.hes have decreased 80, 900, 900 head
since the war began, thus the cource of
their meat production is decreasing. at
the same time the needs of the soldiers
and war workers have increased the
necessary meat consumption. And if
we are to win this war this need must
KEEP increasing.
The war has laid waste large areas
of agriculture lands in France and Bel
GUM. Before the war Italy and Bel
GUM produced just enough sugar to
supply their needs, while England drew
most of her supply from what are now
enemy countries. France and Italy
can produce but little now. Every
where instead of fertile fields of wav-
ing grain grim munitions factories now
stand. In addition there is the U-boat
menace. If cargo is sunk there must
be another to replace it. Let US re-
member that every flag that flies op-
pOsite the German flag is by proxy the
Amarinan Hon apd tbot Fba arro;oa