The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-04-27
PREPAREDNESS, THE GREAT
QUESTION OF TODAY.


QUESTION OF TODAY.
This question of preparedness is
so vital in its very nature until it is
almost sacred word, and if the war
hath not done anything else, it has
caused men to become acquainted
with the terms preparedness and UNI
preparedness. Possibly one of the
great effects of the war is to remind
man of the fact that he should he
also ready. The government of the
United States, great and powerful
organization, the ordinary citizen
would have thought that it was pre-
pared for almost any task with its
great resources. with 1t states and
men, the ordinary mind could hardly
conceive the idea that the government
was not ready for almost any emer-
gency, but if reports are to credit
cd, it will take the government some
two or three years to put itself in
nrst-class condition to meet siren
uous and long engagement with an
other powerful and aggressive coun-
try.
1t appears that the country is not
only lily prepared from standpoint
of war materials, and war machin-
cry. and war vessels and men, but
that it is poorly prepared from
standpoint of supplies, so poorly pre-
pared until here in the very begin
ming of the war some sections of the
country are on the point of suffer
ling. The government is urging peu-
, Iple everywhere to prepare for
; crisis in the food supply market. 1t
is to be hoped that the Negroes
: wherever opportunity will permit
, will plant plenty of foodstuff. One
=. of the great hindrances to the Ne
e gro in helping the government to be-
l come prepared along this line is that
: in so many cases he is simply a
v tenant, and has no say as to what
: he will raise, what he will plant
l but is solely under the dictates of
the great landlords, and they in
y variably direct that such crops will
e be planted as will yield them the
g greatest income regardless to the
!, suffering, or possible suffering of the
). community of laborers about him,
l. IOne of the great lessons, therefore,
s that shall he gathered from this
preparedness, or unprepared1ess
a that obtains in the country, is that
r 1.-THE people will be taught to raise a
h greater variety of foodstuIs in fact,
e God has given the world to man that
= man might eat from it's bosom, and
4 not particularly amass dollars and
cents. The earth will feed the race
$ OF men if the race of men will treat
= it rightly. But this preparedness
y question goes all through life. DO
v We not find sufficient food for
z thought along all the lines Of life?
j The Negro especially should study
y this question of preparedness, this
n question of unpreparedness, foi
k there is scarcely any great thing
. upon which he is eminently prepared
and thus he should get move on
himself He is not prepared from .
B. mental standpoint to do his OWL
thinking, therefore should lay up q
d stock Of mental power. He is moi
4 prepared materially to feed himself
If without help one week, we meal
n as a race and therefore should be
~ gn to economic and lay by food
\. stuffs and the means to secure food
., stuffs in abundance. He is lily pre-
e pared morally to face The great is
10y sues that confront race; lie is sad
ii ~ wanting in his moral life, an,
m when we say his moral life W
ls mean his ethical nature generally
" lie should build himself up alon
- that line, and, in fact, along ever
III line he should begin to prepare hin
I'D self for more and more he will /
called upon to stand alone, to figh
OF his own battles, to paddle his Ow,
10 canoe, and if he is not prepared
II. there is chance for great SUI
err fering. Does it not also make U
a think of our final or religious pr,
Ut paration? Does not every re;
90 thinking man get a lesson from thi
re unpreparedness in the government
nd from this hurry, scurry effort to pl
d. ones self in shape in the time {
bo a crisis? Is it not logical, is 1t NJ
ed reasonable, is it not the only sens
'ly bit thing to do, to prepare ones Sc
"a for the great crisis of death an
40 judgment before the hour arrives
he Let US study the question broad
or and seriously and act accordingly
rn The Peoples Defender.