Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1917-10-21

system will gradually be perfected
l know an American woman who
has shown what an immense national
service may be rendered through the
power of a single compelling idea,
such an idea as may come to any one
of us, no matter how simple or CON
fined our lives may be.
This woman heard that tire was a
terrible lack of chloroform for the re-
lief of wounded soldiers on the Euro
pean battlefields. She so resolved to
raise money for chloroform and, hav-
ing no organization to help her, she
started one of those chain-letters
which are familiar to all of us, and
that have been, I regret to say, very
largely misused
In this case the appeal was amaz-
ingly successful Twenty-four cents
to buy chloroform for wounded SOL
diers! Each person was supposed to
forward the letter to four other per
sons, which, through the amazing null
tiplication of figures, would have ex-
hausted the entire population of the
earth before the fifteenth link was
reached, if they had all responded.
This lady was not worrying about
mathematics, however, she wanted
IcbIoroform
Letters begun to pour in from all
parts of the country. Hundreds of
letters! Thousands of letters! And
each letter brought twenty-four ctnts.
Soon her mail was so enormous that
the postoffice ASSIGNED special men to
handle the sacks that accumulated
every day, In fact. when / was an
nexed to one of the numbkrless
strands of the chain ION link 159),
this lady had been receiving over five
hundred dollars day for chloroform,
which of course, necessitated an elab-
crate organization for bookkeeping, in
spection and vtrification of funds
All because one woman started
something.
The fact that this war is to he
fought with food as much, if not more,
than with guns and men, is becoming
plain to us.
have wondered why the call for
wheat has been stressed more than
the call for other food products and
until read what former Ambassador
Gerard said on the subject was still
, puzzled. He says:
1T does not seem clear to the aver
: age American woman why we should
J send our wheat to our allies This is
/ simply because fifty per cent of
! Frenchman's food in peace time con-
: sisted of white bread. 1t is not easy
: to change the diet of nation, even in
: normal times; it becomes almost inn
) possible to change it when that nation
is engaged in a life-and-death strugll
s 1t certainly is no time then to try eX-
Iperiments with new f1ours. Hence ii
n is that every woman should, where she
5 lean, conserve wheat, so that we may
send it to the French who are fighting
e so valiantly"
# Some ask Why not send some OF
cur corn abroad for corn bread?
a The answer is a2ain that the men and
p women abroad are not used to corn
$ meal. They do not understand its
If preparation; they regard it with dis
: trust 1t is again not the time, in
the midst of the terrific war upon them
d to teach these people across the sea
: American cookery
/. Two million American women have
= signed pledges to follow the food col
servation directions of the food admin
istration They have promised to
have one wheatless meal day; to
serve beef. mutton or pork not more
than once daily; 20 make their own
SOAP at home out OF the saved fats
and to help relieve the coal situation
by burning fewer fires and using wood
wherever possible.
Secretary Houston of the Depart
t ment Of Agriculture, says the hous =
keepers control eighty per cent of the
food expenditures of the nation. In
eliminating waste they perform dis
tinct service All American women
can serve the government in conserv-
!; ing and utilizing to the best advantage
:. existing food supplies. At this juno
Iture, no service that women can per-
form is more important or necessary
! Thus, the government makes a direct
appeal to the women to help the Ken
to produce more, to eliminate waste
ito substitute cheaper foods for those
! that have grown costly to conserve
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