Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-13
The Test of Food Saving

The call 10 the American housewife to enroll
In the food saving army has met ready and gen.
eFous response. Pledge cards approaching the ten
million mark have already been signed and the
work proceeds undated, Undoubtedly the vast
majority of American households will align them
selves with the purposes of. the Hoover food adj
-minstraton. e.
No call vet made upon this nation for the sup
port of war measures has failed or even approach
ed within haiIing distance of the failure line. Men
the country has found in abundant numbers,
the money il has needed has every time and every
where been oversubscribed and now the call to
economy to relieve the food shortage has brought
its millions of volunteers.
timely caution just in this connection is Of
fered by the New York Evening Post, which says:
Obtaining signatures to food pledges is
only preliminary to the real campaign for food
economy. There will have to be considerable
toItov-up work undertaken, IL Mr.. Hoovers
hopes are to see fulhlment. II is easy enough to
sign a card, and equally easy to be enthusiast
tic and we-intentioned at the time OF sign
ing; but performance will be a more pains
taking and difficult process Every woman
who has put herself on record for saving
should be gently and firmly reminded, now
and again, of her promise.
Before the war Americans had a worldwide
reputation for wastefulness and no where was this
food. These habits doubtless came down to us
from the ready abundance of pioneer days when
the forests and plains teemed with game and the
virgin fields in their production kept far ahead Of
the demands OF a sparse population. Since then the
Requirements OF increasing population has
o1tdistanced the food supply but the old wasteful
habits have remained. ard the bonds OF habit are
the hardest of all to break The caution uttered
by the Post is therefore, we'll taken.
Housewives will find the redeeming Of their
food pledge a test of real grit. 1t will mean
radical change Of program. II will mean daily
yea almost hourly pull against the weakness Of
the flesh and the claims of custom. 1t must call
into play discriminating intelligence and the acqui-
sition of the continuous information that will be
necessary upon which to base a really effective
program of saving and at the same time of meet
ing the full food requirements of each family.
This cannot be done merely by signing the
pledge card and displaying the administration
poster in the front window and then forgetting
all about the matter in the operations back in
the kitchen Putting of the adoption of the food
plan proposed emitting it for time after it is
adopted. will constitute points Of danger, being
easy leads into lapse into the old ways
The women of the nation have responded nobly
Ito every call of the and who can doubt but
that they will rise grandly to the sacrifices OF
many kinds involved in the economy of food. II
they will but bring themselves to know in advance
its difficulties and hedge themselves against the
inevitable cross-grain cutting into custom that
must be endured their work will be all the easier.
: Godspeed to them in it,