The Mankato free press., 1917-11-02
Halt Called By Uncle Sam;
Save Is the Slogan
DUTY TO YOUR COUNTRY
Pledge Week Is Booked From
October 28 to November 4;
Purpose
[Associated Press Dispatch

days of, the food administration to-
day announced that it's army of half
a million men and women volunteer
| canvassers is mobilized and ready for
the campaign under the various state
food administrators
Food Pledge Week begins Sunday,
October %, and ends November A.
The 100000 canvassers reported on
a preliminary survey several days
ago that they were sure to get the
signatures of approximately 100000
American housewives to the food
the country's 22,000,000 housewives
already have signed the card promis-
i ing to conserve food. This leaves
between seven and eight million un-
, accounted for, and the food admins
tration today expressed the convic-
tiOn that all of them will be pledged
before the campaign ends.
School Children Organized.
Reports show that school children
are orga1 iZed in many places as vo-
lunteer assistant units to help in the
campaign to enlist all the country's
twenty-five million housewives in
the work of conserving "war foods
of which there is a world shortage.
Among the 100000 workers who
will visit every home in the country
is a large number of war Mothers y
, women whose sons or other male rel
atives have gone to the front or are
in training in this country.
Sunday, the opening day of the
campaign, will be marked by war
60 I~x, @ID
country's 100000 ministers in churches
all over the land. The food admins
tration states that the response of the
ministers has been extraordinarily
generous in this respect.
The Working Machinery.
State, city, county and local or
| ganizations constitute the working
machinery of the campaign. Begin
ming and continuing until Saturday,
these workers will make a house to
house canvass of the country, inquir-
ing of each housewife of the 22,000,-
900 families in the United States
whether she has enrolled as a men,
Der of the food administration by
signing the food pledge card.
The workers will carry cards for
those housewives who have not yet
enrolled To each housewife who
hasn't a "home card" telling what
! foods the government would like to
have them conserve and why, they
| will present one.
Object of Campaign.
| The workers will explain briefly
and clearly what the governments
! food conservation idea is and what
| is asked of each housewife.
| The food pledge is not, food ad-
ministration officials pointed out to-
day, an effort 10 get people to eat
| less, but to substitute those foods OF
which the country has an abundance
for those than are urgently needed
, by the peoples of the allied countries
| in Europe and their armies and
! Americas.
| President Wilson, in letter to the
! food administrator has said: "In nc
| other way can they (American wo-
mem so greatly assist as by enlisting
in the service of the food administra
| ton and cheerfully accepting its di-
| rection aid advice. BY so doing, they
! will increase the surplus OF food
available for Americas army and for
export TO the dlueS.
Provide the Supplies.
| "To provide adequate supplies fol
the coming year is of absolutely vital
/ Importance to the conduct of the war
| and without a very conscientious
| elimination of waste and very strict
| economy in our food consumption, we
cannot hope to fulfill this primary
duty. l trust, therefore, that the wo-
men of the country will not only re-
spond to your appeal and accept the
| pledge to the food administration
which you are proposing, but that all
men also who are engaged in the
personal distribution of foods will
cooperate with the same earnest
ness and in the same spirit"
The obligation assumed in enrolling
as member of the food administration
| is simple 1t involves no dues or
| other fees.
Following is the briefly worded
| pledge each housewife is asked to
sign:
The Obligation Taken.
II am glad to join you in the serv-
ice of food conservation for our ma
tion and l hereby accept membership
/ IN the United States food admlnlStrd-
ton, pledging myself to carry out the
| directions and advice OF the food ad-
ministrator in my home, insofar IS my
circumstances permit"
"a Membership Window Card
| will be delivered to each enrolling
| member upon receipt of the signed
pledge, and from ime to time sugges-
tions will be sent out, these sugges-
tions, taken as a whole, constituting
series of lessons in home economics
There is no threat of privation, .
| said the food administrator in a
statement formally announcing Food
| Pledge Week" 1--WE wish only that
| our people should eat plenty, but
wisely and without waste. Wisdom in
eating is to make possible such ad-
justments in our food consumption,
shipping and war necessities as will
| allow us to fulfill our duty in exports
to our allies. By elimination of waste
We serve ourselves economically and
morally.
Duty of Necessity.
"This is duty of necessity, hu-