The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-04-29
Fine Address of
Mrs. Rucker Adams
On Conservation
Continued from Page Sd

came to me this telegram. But lei
me 60 back in my story, for I said
can go and tell my story, When wal
was declared I had three splendid
sons. They had always had a moth
er's care and attention, but the first
year of the war Donald, my first born
came to me and said, Mother, I have
finished my education and am ready
for military service The countr!
needs me; I must GO and said, GO
my boy; come back to me as good as
you CO. and he said, I will, mother,
and he went He wrote back to mt
that the Red Cross was motherins
the boys there, and for me not tt
worry about him. The next year
Malcolm, my second boy, finishing
school, came with the same words
saying, Mother, the country needs
me, I am going and again | said, Go
my boy, God bless you; come back tt
me as good as you went and he said
4 will, mother and he went, and
cheered him on with smile on my
Then my youngest, only 10
Stewart said, ooh. mother, I cannot
wait to complete school, the boys arr
going, the country calls and I mus
go, and I, with smile on my face
but grief in my heart, said, Go, my
boy. come back as clean and goot
as you CO. He said, I will, mother,
end he, too, was gone. Then the frs
message came, Malcolm was i'll unto
death. The Red Cross mothered him
cared for him tenderly, laid him away
end marked his final resting place
sending me photograph that II
might be later identified. But this tel
egram came to tell me that my baby
boy had been fatally injured in the
fell of flying machine, and he, too
after the mothering and care of the
faithful Red Cross nurses has joined
Malcolm lover there" That is why
come to you. For to you, sisters OF
the States, these troubles are to come
Even as in times of grief in the
household, we appreciate the friends
who help by doing the many neces-
sary things, yet the one who, quietly
slipping hand into yours, expresses
the sympathy which alone comes from
the one who has felt the same Even
SO in the days to come we of Canada
sympathze for we have felt the same
stand to grasp you close and say, We
sympathize for we have felt the same
yet to go forth to work and save and
sacrifice that this war may be won
for right. We have sacrificed, given
all, but my home is today filled with
the returned and wounded and
manned soldiers who need care and
attention and I am giving to them
the best mothering | can to take the
place of my boys who were mcthered
over there. This is a womans war
1t is womans business, for it is a
war for humanity and wherever men
women and children are concerned
that is women's business. 1t is wom-
ems business that there is scarcely a
girl left in Belgium. God alone knows
their fate! 1t is woman's business
that in northern France not an able
bodied woman has been spared from
slavery, They are working in Ger
man fields today. 1t is woman's bust
ness that hundreds of Belgian chill
dren, torn from the arms of parents,
are sent across Belgium into Ger
many through Germany into Switzer-
land, and dumped onto the French
border. Two trains full of such chill
dren pull into Evian every day. There
are no girls among them over 16 .
There are no boys among them over
II. They have been taken into slavery
or worse"
Can the people of America do less
than their all when such is the
worlds condition today? Three things
are needed-men, money and mater
ial We have given the men, are fol-
lowing this with money, but the cry
ing need of the hour is material in
the form of wheat. Hoover said the
Primary function today is to feed
the allies" In conference of several
hours with the heads of the food ad-
m!nistration, on Saturday, after Mr.
Hoover had talked, explained, an
swered questions, and presented facts
for over an hour he turned to leave
the room, when Col. Geo. W, Baine,
the silver tongued orator of Ken
lucky in splendid form assured Mr..
Hoover of the high regard of every
one present for him and his work
and that we would go forth to do all
we could that the people might know
Of the needs and, knowing, do all they
could to help thus to win the war.
Mr.. Hoover with the other heads of
the Food Department are dollar a