Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-04
SOLDIER WOMAN
TELLS OF HER
PART IN BATTLE
Writes on Her Cooperation
With u. S. Food Adj
ministration
Washington, d. c.

Washington, d. G.
Dearest Edy:-A neiShbor Of mine
told me this morning that she didn't
soc any use signing the Food Pledge
now because she didn't do it when
l:shed the card in the newspapers a
month or so ago.
Did you ever hear of such an alb
surd excuse?
Suppose some soldier would de-
cline to fight because he wasn't in the
first draft! There would be just about
as much sense in it!
or course the right time for every
woman to have signed the Food
Pledge was when the Food Admins
tration first asked it. for the request
was not made until the need was
vital. But that does not affect the
fact that the need grows every day.
1t Will never be too late to cooperate
with the Food Administration as long
as the burden of feeding the world
rests upon America. That's going to
be not only the length of this war,
but through the years of reconstruc-
tion after the war. Unless every
housekeeper does her part, the world
is going to actually suffer for food.
1t seems to me there is quite enough
suffering now without adding the hor.
rors of starvation. To prevent such
thing we have got to study the
home card" suggestions and follow
them as closely as possible. Every
body ought to know that they were
not made lightly. They are all based
on the accurate calculat tions made by
food experts of the worlds food
needs.
Out of the long list of food prod
ucts we use daily it does not seem
much OF a hardship to economic in
FIVE. Do you think so, Edy dear?
Specially since we must have these
five things to feed our soldiers in
France; to feed the soldiers of our
allies; to insure the liberty of the
world.
. The new home card" tells the
whole story in its first paragraph,
which says:
Our problem is to feed our allies
this winter by sending them as much
food as we can of the most concen-
trated nutritive value in the least
shipping space. These foods are
wheat. beef. pork. dairy products and
sugar" The Food Administration
makes 1t clear. at once that this is
to be accomplished rot by boarding
or by skimping but by substituting
food products that cannot be sent to
the soldiers in the trenches for those
that can be sent. We are not asked
to limit ourselves in any way that
Will affect health. Neither are we
asked to greatly change our food
habits.
Our solution is to eat less of these
twheat, beef, pork, dairy products and
sugar. and more of other foods OF
which we have an abundance, and to
waste less of all foods"
The schedule for doing this briu orc
no hardship to any one. 70 begin
with the wheat: We must send more
wheat to our allies because England,
France. Italy and Belgium taken to-
sc ther import, in peace time, forty
per cent of their breadstuffs. But
now with their reduction in harvest
they must import sixty per cent We
must increase our normal export sur
plus of SS.OOO000 bushels to 2O.OOO,-
600 bushels" The Food Administra-
tion goes on to remind us that it can
be done in but one way,-by econo-
mizing and substituting
The plan for this is to have one
wheatless meal a day; to use corn,
oats. rye. barley or mixed cereal rolls
mufhns and bread in place of white
bread, certainly for one meal and, if
possible, for two. We are asked to
eat less pastry. In the case of or
derng white bread from the baker,
1t us urged that we do so a day in
advance that he may not bake beyond
his needs. We are told to cut the
loaf on the table and only as re-
quired, and to use all stale bread for
toast and cooking
If everybody in the United States
uses just one pound less of wheat
flour per week the Food Administra-
tion assures us that there will be no
difficulty in meeting the wheat need
of our allies.
Well, dear girl, I can do my bit"
in the wheat conservation plan with
out much trouble to myself, and with
certainly no inconvenience to my
family.
Tomorrow I'll write you more of
the new "home card" In case YOU
do not understand my use of the word
new" let me tell you that the new
card differs in no essential from the
original card which was distributed
by the Food Administration in the
early summer. The need was at that
time presented in six Saves" Some
women construed save" to mean
hoarding-whichw was not and is not.
the idea at all. The new home card"
tells just what the American woman
is asked to do to help win this war
and tells it so clearly and helpfully
that no one can fail to see that the
whole program is merely one of sub
stitution, without any necessity to
skimp or to hoard.
In every instance the substitution
asked is simple, and makes no hard
ship,-a mighty good thing for, every
woman to know, war or no war!
Love to VIII and the babies, from
Your devoted sister