Evening star., 1917-09-30
Tncle Sam Extends to All Kitchens of Nation

workers will carry the message all over
Dixie land
Besides the instruction through
county agents to volunteers and by
them to home makers. there VIII Be
exhibits in towns and At county fairs.
and the winners at these will be en-
couraged to send their products to state
fairs. Women and girls also are al
ready organized all over the south In
poultry clubs and in groups to learn
butter making. AS an example OF the
extent of his housewife educational
work. pick at random a single state.
Kentucky, which shows up like this for
1916:
Women enrolled, 1.10o: clubs organ
ized. 60; women giving demonstrations
in cooking. 90: fireless cookers. az: Ice
less refrigerator plants. IA; fly traps.
226: wheel trays. s: ironing boards. IL:
water systems installed. IA: houses
screened. 1873; miscellaneous articles
made. 1873; devices made or purchased
in butter work. 1si; winter gardens.
10; restrooms installed. 2; total number
canned products. e.59s: value Of canned
products. $9.0864s; value of poultry
products. s1.715: pounds Of butter made
under demonstration methods, 226.
Then remember this was the work OF
a peace year. and this years record
will show 1t multiplied. under war
pressure. ten. twenty. perhaps a hun
dred fold. All the effort centers around
these points. production. conservation,
elimination of waste and utilization.
that is, adequate food on the basis of
what is needed, with especial attention
to the diet of adults and children.
In all this activity a major factor not
hitherto mentioned is the work Of the
state agricultural schools. their domes-
tic science courses and their extension
work. But what they are doing is a
story that would have to be told state
by state. So far as the work radiates
from Washington it is centered in the
United States bureau of education, and
the big contribution of that branch of
the government has been its work in
conjunction with the food administra-
tion to give the courses in summer
schools where thousands of school
teachers received instruction they will
carry back to hundreds of thousands
of communities They will aid in form
ing community groups, will encourage
home and school associations and pa
rent-teacher bodies to aid in food con-
servation, and they will teach children
directly in classrooms the essentials of
food saving, dietetics and economy in
eating.
AS a supplement to all this work the
speakers bureau of the food administra-
ton, being organized by Mrs. Nina Van
Wrinkle Of New Jersey. will be ready to
supply speakers where impetus and In
struction is needed. Being only In process
of organization this speakers bureau
modestly puts forth its plans as tentative.
But the program probably will include
campaign to create demand for speak
ers, through organized bodies Of all kinds.
formation of state and local committees
to work out speaking enga gements. util-
izing chautauqua circuits. conventions
and even motion picture shows as chan
nels for food conservation pleas; and the
or state wide fame to be strategically
placed when demand is made for them.
State lecture bureaus may be organized
to duplicate in states this national pro-
gram
Nearly 5000 speakers. mostly volun-
teers. already are listed as available, and
the list contains such persons as George
Foster Peabody, William Jennings Bryan.
Jane Addams. Beatrice Forbes Robertson
Hale, George W. Wickersham, Ida Tar
bell. DR.. Anna Howard Shaw and high
government offlcials-all men and women
who are assured good audiences wherever
they go.
As proof of the effectiveness Of the seed
already sown one has but to glance
through the clipping files Of Mrs. Alice
Allen at the food administration ofice to
see newspaper reports OF schoolnouse9
open for canning and drying work. Of pub
lie spirited citizens who have paid sal
aries Of instructors. Of food conservation
classes taught by volunteers. Of neigh
borhood centers for marketing. Of school
gardens doing conservation work, of pos
ter campaigns for food saving. Of farm
ers' centers organized to facilitate dis
tribution, of systems for disseminating
food information, of rural centers for war
economy education, Of schools to teach
colored cooks canning. drying and pre-
serving, OF food conservation days and
economy weeks in various localities.
Herbert c. Hoover. man with a vision
and great faith in food conservation
possibilities, frankly admits himself sur
prised at the whole-souled efforts Of the
American woman to volunteer for her war
time service in food saving and declQrA
that her work entails a greater respon-
sibility upon the government to do its
share in keeping up the supply and keep
ing down prices.