New-York tribune., 1918-02-24

of us were running a wholesale business. But
we had not counted on the farmers.
The Red Cross auxiaries sent in vegetables
the prettiest looking vegetables that were ever
seen at county fair. They came in baskets
on mans arm. They came in automobiles
and hay racks Everything was piled full Of
golden carrots and smart looking onions
Every one in the rural community could do
this, and every one wanted to help the sol
diers. Every wanted to feel that he was
standing back of the firing line, if only with
can of hot soup in his hand. Children put
small punches of turnips onions in the
vegetable box by the front door. 1t bore
Red Cross with its bright color plain to be
seen from the road. Old women came with
few pet punches of celery. If the soldiers in
the hospitals, when they eat that soup, get
any Of the flavor Of love and gratitude that
was in the hearts of the contributors and
workers, it can't fail to please them.
The vegetables, it seen at once would
far outstrip the cans Three thousand were
filled in week. There were many more
vegetables More cans were ordered Seven
thousand seven hundred were filled Still
there were many more vegetables, but no
more cans. So the remaining vegetables were
sold and the proceeds turned in to pay for
the barley. 1t was found that the kitchen
had capacity of 1000 quarts of soup dav
If things went we'll
When realized the possibility of 1000
quarts in nine hours and thought of the three
weeks work Mrs. Davenport had put in on
her first 1000 quarts, it seemed like history
of the evolution of labor done into moderr.
moving picture. Yet this was strictly an anna
teur performance. 1t was just what anv
little town can do that is settled in the midst
of farming community where the women
are willing to give their time, and the farmers
are willing to give their vegetables. and a
factory man is enough of patriot to spend
little money and upset his shop bit bv the
adventure.
NOW is the time to plan next seasons CAM
palgn. Ask farmers in your community to
plant extra vegetables for Red Cross SCUM.
ASK rural auxilaries to plant and donate Ger
tam amounts Of vegetables. Ask them to do
this planning while it is still winter. Let
them plan it about the winter fires with the
seed catalogues in their hands.
The rest of the story is quite simnle
Red Cross label was printed The Bow Scouts
and the high school girls stuck these labels OF
the cans and packed them in the cartons thew
came IN. These were sent in heavy wood
packing cases ready for foreign shipment
Ihoy were ordered over to France for base
hospitals near the firing line.
We are just country town of 2. 200 peone
with five bits CT villages to help US. The out
put looked small enough beside one dav's run
for a canning factory. But we were NOT =
canning factory, neither were we of a size TO
easily count up large sums of money. e. So The
small money involved, together with the dona-
tons of vegetables and the labor of love all
counts together If every village this size in
the United States would do as much the needs
of our soldiers to-day would not be so great
we crltlclse our heads of departments our
army and navy, but after all it is our war
Ihey are only fighting it for US Let us he,,
what we can f