The Washington herald., 1917-09-08

The war has forced US to modify
many of our national doctrines. 1t is
a good time to change some of our
national traits. Women can best do
this. Feminine voices are declaring
all over the country that We love our
native land and what can we do for
it. 1t is only a step into the kitchen,
ladies, where a long and patriotic
campaign lies just before youS Ex-
travagant and American are synono-
nous adjectives, and one of the chief
nouns they modify Is kitchen. The
ambition in many quarters has been
to possess a table that "groans"
Such a table should now and forever
be added to the list of the seven dead
ly sins. The garbage can is this ia
ble's close relative. What a danger
Gus hanger-on IL Is to harbor may be
seen by a glance at the returns from
garbage and fertilizer plants. The
vast amounts OF fats and nitrogenous
materials thrown out our back doors
is appalling.
The secretary OF agriculture places
the annual amount of preventable
waste of food in our homes at the
huge figure of 500, ,Oo0O To help
save that tidy sum would be the
effort Of every cook and housewife
and to that end the doctrine of the
clean platter will have to be preached
in and out Of season. In the first
place, the utmost pains must be
taken to cook and serve all food in
a palatable manner and the next is
to give smaller portions. There is
grave doubt that there will be any
leftovers. then, to tell the tale and
to be carelessly scraped into the
garbage pail. But IL there should be.
spoonful of today's dinner served
in a luncheon dish tomorrow may
add to 1t an unexpected zest and
delicacy. When conditions permit,
chicken or two will thrive on such
table refuse as seems inevitable, and
Is also future roast or stew in
the daily and inexpensive making.
Seven hundred million dollars seems
impossible to save by just a little
more care in your kitchen and mine,
all over the land, but the cumula-
tive effect of small savings is vividIy
and concretely put by Mr.. Hoover,
who says that merely two cents a
meal saved on each person in the
nation will mean an annual sum of
s2.O0O, ,O0o, 900!
II we save what we have hereto
fore wasted in garbage and in ad-
dition sacrifice two cents every meal
for each member of the family, how
many liberty loans can't we launch,
how many victories can't We win?
Granted that the garbage question
is settled. how. can we make a drive
to raise the 5000, ,0o0, 900?
l. The appeal for kitchen gardens
has been widely responded to. Max
ing a garden on a spring day is a
pleasant adventure, but to assidu-
ously hoe and weed during summer
heat is nothing but hard work. But
viii any self-respecting person allow
such enemies as too much rain or too
little, or an insignificant bug or a low
lived weed stand between him and the
victory of fresh vegetables for pres
ent use and plentiful canned supply
for winter?
2 No one who has been brought up
on hoecake can understand the timid-
ity with which less fortunate persons
view the substitution of corn meal for
wheat Hour. A hoecake is the simp-
lest and one of the most satisfying
delicacies. Take little meal, a pinch
Of salt. a tiny lump of shortening and
enough boiling water to mix into a
thick consistency. You may have to
forego baking it on a griddle in hot
ashes, but it is almost as good cooked
on top of gas flame. Some butter
on 1t, while 1t is piping hot. or a
spoonful of syrup, and the most con-
nrmed wheat eater will call for two
wheatless meals a day instead of one
which our government is making a
plea for. The initiated, of course, do
not have to be told about the delights
OF other forms of corn bread-muf-
ms batter cakes. spoon bread, dod-
gers, corn pone and the like. :
8. Excessive meat eating is an In
temperate habit, both financially and
physically at all times, but now 1t is
almost treasonable. Our cattle and
hogs are decreasing, and our allies
must nave certain supply. Less
meat and smaller portions will cut
down both doctors and butchers bills
and will also greatly swell the sun
pnes or both ourselves and our allies.
4. Inc use Of fats, such as butter
and lard, should be curtailed. We
consume three times the amount of
rats which we really need for nutri-
uon. Use no butter for cooking. and
as Tor lard, eliminate pastry. Pastry
Is not nearly so healthful as fresh or
stewed fruit, and its elimination saves
three things-four, shortening and in
digestion.
.. Dispense with the fourth meal
the bedtime bite at home, or the after
theater supper at the cabaret. There
Is not a question in the world that
this fourth meal is not only absolutely
unnecessary, but that 1t is positively
injurious. Nobody's stomach should
be asked to do more than its day's
JOB. and no purse string should be
pulled these days for midnight SUM-
per when millions are starving for a
monday meal.
Mr.. Hoover has paid the American
woman the compliment of being the
quickest In the world to rise to an
emergency. In the food question is
an emergency worthy of the keenest
wit, the most cunning art, the most
altruistic spirit she possesses. The
world faces the gravest shortage of
supplies in Its history. Every bit of
honest saving in the lowliest kitchen
Of the land will reward not only the
woman who does 1t, not only her coun-
try but all mankind. Our flag un-
furls its stars and stripes beside
Frances lily. 1t floats with the BAN
ners of our allies in London town. 1t
fiutters down countless homeland
streets. II 1t flies at the front door,
why not at the back? 1 call to arms
every woman in the Union. Put the
fa f, he