South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-07-15
All aboard for the Farm
BY Woods Hutchinson. NJ. d.

Z
There ought 20 be less trouble
than usual this year in deciding the
burning question. Where shall we
90 for the vacation ." The whole
wide acres of the meadows and the
grain fields, the orchards and the
gardens lie open before US sm Iing-
Iy inviting US 10 come and harvest
them And while haying and har-
vesting and berry picking in July
and August are a good deal like
work, and hard work at that, there
is no reason why, With a little in
! telligence and good will on both
sides, we should not be able 10 reap
double crop of health and recre-
alton for ourselves and food saved
for the country.
First Of all we may rid our minds
of any misgivings as 10 whether, in
view OF the serious emergency and
danger which confrOnts US and the
tremendous and increasing drain Of
/ the draft upon the working force
/ of the country. We ought 70 take d
( vacation or not this year. II we
wish 10 do the very best OF which
we are capable this coming fall and
winter, which from present indica-
/ tons IS going 10 be the crucial one
Of the entire war. we owe il 10 our
country, TO our families and TO our
! selves, to take at least two weeks
/ vaca ton, even If that vacation be
only changs Of work.
The most brilliant vindication the
world has ever seen OF the absolute
/ necessity Of both regular holidays
and reasona BILE hours Of work has
I Just been furnished in the munition
works and other war industries in
England and France. They began
with the old wooden headed idea
{ that the way 10 get the most work
done was TO labor Il. "A and II
/ hours every day in the week and all
day Sunday and give up their legal
/ holidays as a sacrifice on the altar of
patriotism After six months or this
sort or thing they were driven by
/ the logic Of bitter experience 10 the
finding that the largest output Of
the best quality of work could pc
obtained by working not more than
eight hours day. with Sundays off.
with a half-holiday on Saturday and
every one OF the legal holidays
/ taken.
II must be frankly admitted tha'
there were serious difficulties in the
way of making summer work on the
farm either healthful or pleasant 20
the average city dweller or towns
man. The binding glare of the sun
/ in his eyes, the sweltering heat, the
day-long wrench and strain on un-
accustomed muscles, the piistering
and Gripping wear and tear on his
! hands, make his working hours more
of a punishment than OF a pleasure
/ While lumpy or Doggy beds. air
tight bedrooms, coarse, mOnotonous
and badly balanced food. and a
plague OF flies by day and mosquitoes
BIZ night make his hours OF ease
scarcely as restful a. they should be.
But these difficulties are getting
less and less every year. and the
/ beauty OF the situation is that
everything which is done 10 dimin-
ish them benefits the farmer him
/ self and MS FAMILY al least twice as
much as il does his temporary help
ers
Drawn IL playing smaller. brain
a larger. part in the farm work
every year Instead OF being q man
who labors chiefly with his hands
and his hind feet. the farmer il be
coming a mechanic and an engineer.
for nearly two-thirds OF the farm
work is now done by machinery Of
some sort. and the old reproach
which used 20 attach 20 the man
who wore out the seat OF his overalls
faster than he did his shoe leather.
no longer applies, for blowing. plant
ing. moving. harvesting. even potato
digging and manure spreading are