The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1917-06-08
MORE PREPAREDNESS.

The present week is to witness IL
| ceremony impressive and unique in
the history of this nation if not in
| the history Of the world. Ten mil
lion men, men in the prime of their
youth, regardless of race, will regis
| ter for actual service in the great
world war.
The act is hardly less impressive be-
cause these men must-not may-of-
! fer themselves, with a severe penal
ty for failure. From this mighty
host half a million men, the fttest,
are to be chosen for the first army
with which the nation will defend its
right to be called a free and indie
pendent people, and other half-mil-
lions are likely to be called to the co.
ors within the months to follow.
Almost since the days of Revolu-
ton, the people of the United States
have been boasting their ability on
short notice to Click all creation" but
since this country was in the Click
ing" business, some 10 years ago,
when it encountered a rather easy
and quick job, war has changed 50
marvellously that Shermans famous
definition has come to be almost tame
and meaningless. .
Not yet have the individual citi-
zens of this country, with the few
exceptions of those who are official
ly in touch with developments, come
to personal realization and accept.
ance of actual conditions that have
led them to personal sacrifice for
their country. They have not yet
changed their methods of living or
quickened their preparation for what
is to come The principal changes
are those that have been forced up
on them by the enormously increased,
and so far almost unnecessary, cost
of living.
Not until the world conflict at
present staged three thousand miles
away, shall bring direct and personal
results into our own lives will its
meaning dawn convincingly in our
souls. The loss of son or brother or
friend in the trenches Somewhere in
France" the appearance of a German
warship bombarding an American
coast city, would bring it home to
us, and nothing less startling will
arouse r,any of us to voluntary per-
sonal sacrifice for our country.
How many of the ten million
men of the United States, who are
offering themselves this week, will
meet the requirements of physical
preparedness fixed by army authori-
ties as requisites Is one in TWEEN
ty ready for the training that will
transform him into a "frst-clas5
fighting MANI" Are there two or
three in twenty?
Those who may not be called INTO
the first or the second army, all the
men and women who remain behind
must do their bit at home. The con-
servation of the shortened food sup
ply is the one thing that reaches and
touches every one-that and the in
crease of crop production. Not yet
perhaps, but soon, Floridians in COM
mon with all Americans may have to
eat what they can get, not what they
want or even what they may have the
money to buy, but what they can get.
Then they will discover to their great
surprise that they can get along COM
fortably with much less than they
have been accustomed to, that all
their lives they have been eating
more than they needed, more than
their physical systems could assimi-
late. They will find that they will
be better off with one-third or one
half less meat than they have ordi-
narily consumed and they will I'M
prove under the change. They will
discover that they will improve I'M
der a ration" of sugar and syrup,