Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-02
Cut Out Useless
Work
The Only Effort That Counts To-
day Is Something That
Helps Win the War.


that some men are engaged IN ron
essential work in every town IN the
country. In Athens, Ga, census
was taken to find out the exact
wastaee of muscle that could be
turned 10 war work 1t was fouEu,
according to conservative reports,
that the non-essential house ser
wants alone, in that town OF 2O,oOo
ueople. could furnish the labor 1or
cuitivat4ng enough land TO produce
at A moderate yield $4,000 bushels
of corn.
There is only one test to apply
TO any human effort today 1or the
determination of its value-and
that is, does it help win the war
| Usually within a few hours rlde
of towns where men are engaged
in work that is utterly useless from
a war winning standpoint there
are farmers seeking labor to pro-
duce crops-crops that will help
win the war-crops without whlch
we cannot win the war!
In every town local public sentl-
ment can cause these non-essentlal
workers to go to farms and help
win the war.
Do you suppose Hindenburg is
! losing sleep over the surplus SER
wants in Athens, Ga? Do you sup
pose the kaiser worries because a
town of 10000 keeps enough use
! less house help to produce Io,OVo
| bushels of corn. If they were on
I farms? But, when Athens, ia,
actually has $4,000 additional bush
els of corn 10 show for the work
of the useless servantS-When eV-
erv town in this country has taken
husky men from such Jobs as run
ming elevators. standing in liveried
/ glory in front of hotel doors, check
! ing grips, driving taxicabs and do
/ ing a score of things women can
| do or the public can do without or
1 individuals do for themselves
| then the blasphemous braggart OF
| Berlin and his companion butchers
will find in Athens, Ga, something
1 fearful and foreboding something
to give them the dread that comes
/ to all beasts when they sense the
real arousing of a superior foe.
I our IO"H 10 AAIChS' "a A'SA
! town is Athens, Ga That partlcu-
/ lar place is named here merely for
the sake of illustration, because 1t
| happens that Georgia extension
workers took a careful survey there
| and the figures are available as sub
I sanitation of general statements
applicable to practically all towns
| in the country. You know we can
win the war without food; you
know food can't be produced with
out farm labor.
AS long as your town continues
TO employ men in non-essenuaI
work while farmers in the county
need help. YOU haven't gone to war!
You NAV buy Liberty bonds and
give to the Red Cross, but you are
not at war when farmers seek help
and YOU continue husky men in
needless work Your windows may
fiv proud service flags, but you are
contributing to the Huns effort to
crown with sombre crepe those
brave banners.
After the survey Athens, Ca, was
asked these questions:
Have you boy in camp or fight
ing in France? He is washing his
own clothes, perhaps, doing his
own dressing. cleaning up his own
place of abode AND working many
hours per day in the midst of dan
ger. He is doing these things with
out useless servants. Are you bet
ter than your boy? Do you want
him to do your fighting, and be his
own servants, and at the same
time go hungry, because your sur
plus servants were not sent to
farms to grow food for him?
You must answer that. Your
town must answer it.
Apply the acid test: Is this work
of war value; can the man now do
ing this non-essential work do val
liable work on a farm? On that
basis Athens. Ga, found between
800 and 500 men uselessly unem-
ployed in a town of 10000. For eX-
ample, the survey shows 40 licensed
chauffeurs, with the conclusion that
80 are non-essential. Women could
take their places or owners could
drive their own cars. These men
handling farm tractors would be
really helping to win the war. Eight
men were running elevators, all of
farm qualifications and all listed as
non-e essential, because in another
office building in Athens girls are
already running the elevators most
satisfactorily. Eighteen males who
make their living shining shoes
were listed as nOn-essential work
ers upon the theory that neatly poi
ished shoes in Athens, Ga, do not
help the American army break
through to Berlin, whereas these
IS strong men at work in the fields
to produce food will help us to win
the Athenians shining their own
shoes the while if necessary
And SO the survey continued
through various classification
useless deliverymen. soft-drink dis
pensers, surplus servants. And
farmers not far away DESTROYS of
labor TO produce war crops,
VIII your town do as Athens. Ga.
declared 1t would-turn non-essen-
tial town workers to an activity that
will really amount to something in
this war?
Buy a Liberty Bond
HOME IN CAPITAL.
A fine, large house has Just been