Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-11-20
STERN NECESSITY PROVES
An EFFICIENT TEACHER
Lessons Of Economy Are Forccfully
Taught by Wars Grim
Demands.
NOTHING NOW is wAsTEn
Debris Of Battlefield Is Rcmadc Into
Useful Material-CropJ Are Plant
ed as Soon as Enary's Forces Are
Driven Back.
By II. i. CUMMINGS.
(CODvriYht 1881

and most inslstent teacher OF ccoao.
my. Yet IL is certain that before 1914
few nations appreciated this virtue at
us true value nor was II practiccd
widely by individuals. 1t was regard
Cd rather as one Of those plain. do
nestle qualities that are highly COM
mendablc but unattractivc and to be
cultivated only under the stern hand
OF necessity.
Poverty. threatened disease or dis
Sstcr might perhaps encourage here
and there frugal taste. but speaking
only for the people Of England. it is
safe to state that II was left To the
stimulus to set moving concerted
and continuous effort towards thrift
For 1t ia fully recognized that extrav-
agance in the past was one OF Brit
AIMS greatest faults. AS the thrift
ness OF the French housewife was Il
byword in the criticism OF the nations.
the English. and. worst sign of de-
ITavity. they knew where their weak
ness lay but refused TO care. Their
fatal fondncss for the policy OF laisseZ-
fairc added TO an incurablc optimism
badc them anticipate the future in the
hope that it would be at least no, less
disliked intensely the stigma of mean
ness and the result was a mood tina,
mis;ook an easy-going and often I'M
Warranted lavishness for large
hearted generosity.
Then came the war. But not at once
did Britons realize the changes il was
Z,
from the earliest days preached the
gospel OF economy. 1t vas the time
when barns and storehouscs, factories
and shops were still we'll stocked and
a generation was alive that had never
known great war; so that the voices
o. the prophets forcteliing the years
Of leanness were passed by for others
that struck more cheerful note.
DwISDLiNG FOOD STOCKS
CAUSED GREAT AWAKENING
az
seen the stores OF peace dwindle while
the difficulties Of production have in
creased. The Hun has brough, out
his C-boats. Imports have fallen in
quantity. Ships have been needed for
the carrying OF materials Of war, and
though internal resources have been
before. the effort could not prevent
articles once called nccessarics becum-
Ing luIuries and others, avowcdly the
latter. falling out OF use altogether.
In the meantime. all tina, is lett has
acquired a new value. Nothing wears
cut now in the sense that it is beyond
epplied to any article in these days is
obsolete. Worn clothes. broken Jam
Jars. used bus tickets all hold laten,
possibilities for continued usefulness
and, IL treated properly. Will rise from
the dust heap ripe for second term
OF service.
or nothing comes TO men in the prac-
tiec OF war. without economy their
designs would break before fulnlment
and In order TO avoid such contin-
Iency:: they are careful TO gather in
so-calied wastage and. by renovation,
or. II too far gone for this. by trans.
account.
The efforts of the British army on
the western front provide graphic
example OF the thrift born OF war
time.
The quartermas,er- general in Franc.
IA reporting on the extent, of the sal
gives some interesting and amazing
figures. During ton weeks only OF this
year tMay II TO July 20 he reckons
close on s25.0OO.oOo 2S.5OO.000 OF fred
partridge cases. ll.25000O OF rife am
nunition clips. $4,000 rifles. 10000 bay
These represent some of the debris OF
the battle field which. IL not collected
Fystematically. would lie there to be
booty or more likely to rot.
EXTENSIVE PROVISION
MADE FOR TREATMENT
This treasure: once recovered. is
carried behind the lines. where extern
treatment For instance. there is. only
a few miles from III" battle front a
factory for the repairing of boots and
IN" general doctorins OF leather in al
thoroughly trained 10, their task. re.
ceive material which. in any other con-
y
icing totally unfit for further use. But
rot so here. BY the ingenuity and
thriftiness Of these war workers every
:rch Of leather is made 10 serve some
purpose. So sincere, indeed. is their
effort that even in the case OF boots
whose uppcr: are absolutely beyond re-
pair waste Is unknown. 4 specially ic-
signed machine turns them into excel
lent boot lacnS.
a, the beginning OF the war the cry
was loud. AMI not without cause.
20 q
army. Too often il was good stuff bad
ly cooked and unappetizing!y served,
received less than summary attention.
But methods have changed vastly.
Not only are the cooking arrange
ments better in most cases than they
understand their work tmany OF the
cooks In the British army at the pres
ent time are women that have Joined
the Womens Auxiliary Army Corps),
but food refuse Of all kinds is collect
ed and its useful constituents ex
tract trao,e ,s Ssst quote another example
Of $4,000 pounds of food refuse no
less than thirty-s six tons OF glycerine
have been produced.
Anothir industry is the recovery OF
solder. lSad and zinc from waste metal
for whore guns have been at work
debris OF this sort abounds and is pre-
auartermastcr-g generals figures again.
lie has great kilns established, in
which the work goes on continuouslv
with the result that in these same two
and a half months operations show n
gain from the salvage OF metal of
twenty-four tons of solder thirty-siy
tons of lead and ninetysiX tons Of zinc
LAND IS PUT TO USE
CLOSE BEHIND LINES
But the schemes for economy do not
stop at these efforts on manufactured
articles. There is an agricultural de.
partment. which deals with the ques-
ton Of the cultivation OF the land
close bshind ID, the na Lines In many places
bravely by French peasants veil
within range of the guns. but to al.
low these too near the scene of fight
ing would be to hamper the movements
of the military. 1t is, nevertheless. de
sirable that every square mile Of tor
ritory should be encouraged TO give q
harvest and. in the working Of his
design. no time has been Wasted 'T by
the leaders Of a department., who MAJ
surely claim record for industry and
promptitude when It is known that
land taken from the enemy in the
and good harvest reaped from n in
the autumn OF tho same year. II is
strange also but very convenient tbat
sor ,N.z