The Glenwood post., 1917-06-23
PATRIOTISM BEGINS AT HoME

Inc loHoWlHS are lew extracts
from an editorial under this heading in
Pictorial Review for July:
'Fanatical patriotism is pitfall
that American women would do.well TO
guard against. In the first six months
of the European war, when women
rushed in, infant mortality jumped IN
six months to the highest rate in years,
and a well known writer said, ''Unlcss
drastic steps are taken to remedy this
evil, posterity will have harsh things to
say of generation that allowed its
women to- do men S work to the neglect
of duties which nature and the nation
interest called upon them to perform
From such experiences as these
American women can learn valuable
lessons, and they must not be STAN
peded by false sense of patriotism
and shrill cries of impending disaster.
The first call on woman is for woman s
work, and in doing war service She
should not attempt to do what men can
Wv oSepCi, hOl AVSlCCl Tile "OTk Inat
none but women can do 1t is for
every woman to realize that she has
some definite national duty to perform,
and to consider, with intelligence and
deliberation, what that duty is.
"Almost simultaneously with the call
to serve came the command to cor.
serve-a command that every woman,
no matter what her station or her lin
itations, can obey. The problem of the
nation 8 food supply is vital one, and
the woman who helps to solve it is
serving her country well. Women know
the cost of bringing lives into the
world, and they know the effect of the
shortage of the food supply on the
health of their children, therefore, how
ever much they may be interested in
territorality or sovereignty, to them
the economice aspects of the war loom
large. The home and all that goes
with it, calls for the first and best at
tention of our women, and patriotism
may be expressed by the use of the
d'et that is best adapted to produce
healthy Americans
Never before, perhaps, in the his
tory of the world, has nation so def
nitely recognized it's children as one of
It's most valued and cherished assers,
The children of America have been
made to feel that they, too, have a def
mite part in the performance of the
national task. Youthful ambition has
been stimulated, the childish pulse has
been quickened, and finer, cleaner
race must result Enlistment of the ma.
tion s children means enlistment of the
nation S mothers, and no American
mother need look long for an opportu.
nifty to serve her country. The nation
needs an army of men to fight. but IL
also needs an army of people to pro-
duee food, and the Boy Scouts, as well
as school children everywhere, have
risen superbly to meet the obligation
that has been placed upon them. Con-
necticut's stirring war cry, ITO Arms
or the Farms, has been taken up in one
state after another and everywhere the
flag is being planted in the furrow. A
recent report shows that there ale more
than 100000 boys between the ages
of fifteen and nineteen in cities and
towns who are not now engaged in nro-
ductive work that is vital to the ma.
tioh. When these two million boys are
mobllized and organized a tremendous
force will be released, the driving now.
er of which will be the two million
mothers, the real generals of this army
of products.
True patriotism for the American
woman begins at home and it is there
that the foundations of her service for
her country must be laid. But no one
doubts that she will rise to meet anv
demands that may be made on her, even
though it be to dig subways ten feet
under the surface of the earth as the
women Of Berlin are doing. While do
ing her duty as she sees it in the light
of today, she must hold herself ready
to answer any call, not forgetting that
over and above her domestic and pro-
fessional duties, the state has claim
upon Der for direct help should it be
needed.
mo one could ask more, for who
can weigh the active secrifice of the
man who goes to war against the pas.
slve one Of the woman who sends himi
And who can compare the supreme ex.
altation and agony of death in the
trenches with the years of sorrow and
loneliness of the woman back home,
"For the women of America, patriot.
ism begins at home even though it msy