Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-05-07

CorUSx. Oxford Dsmocrss. south PsEis. Ne |
Eat Cake.
AS THE SITUATION APPEARS 10 ONE
WOMAN.
(By Eva J. DeMarsh)
sWhat mean those unseemly sounds
at the gates?" inquired the gay young
Queen Of France.
s"Tis the multitude olamoring for
bread, your Majesty" answered court
Ter.
"And why do they olamor for breadP"
inquired the Queen.
"Because, an 1t please your Majesty,
they have n0ne," answered the man.
"Then why don't they eat cakeP" In
quIred the Queen.
"Eat caker' You and laugh ct the
folly of It. Marie Antoinette had had
bread and cakes, and silks and velvets,
and warm clothes and beautiful place
In which to live an her life, while per.
hsps hundreds of those men, women and
children out yonder scarce ever bad had
bread enough to eat. As for cake, l
wonder how many Of them knew what
{ tasted likeP
Her ignorance cost the beautiful young
Queen her head, and yet, Marie An
toinette was not bit more foolish than
many q WOMAN yes, and man, too, OF
today. For instance: read splendid
story the other day. It was filed to the
brim with patriotism and self.sacriflce.
There was lot In 1t to make one think,
| but It told how women with abundance
of means were letting their maids 90 and
doing their own Homework, and how
the maids were "going into the factories''
instead. / hope they were, but In our
city, and many another, I fancy, the
factories have all the help they need;
indeed, many of them are finding 1t, for
one reason or another, necessary to use
less help, instead of more, principally
because these same women who have the
money, by not spending 1t, are curtailiDg
the output of the factories; for manu-
| facturers cannot afford to hire help and
make that for which there is little, or no
demand.
Theoretically, it's beautiful thing for
milady or Milford to wait on himself or
herself, and, no doubt, both would be
theless, that retinue of servants they
have been maintaining cannot, perhaps,
quickly find other jobs, nor can they live
on theories. Thrift Is the watchword
of the hour. We do need to save, but
in our efforts at economy there must al
ways be the leaven of practically and
common sense. Employ no more SER
wants, Madame, than you need, but be-
ware that in seeking to serve Paul you
rob not Peter. Keeping the grocer's
children in shoes and helping to educate
the dressmsker's daughter, by your
patronage, may be just as important an
element in "doing your bit" as buying
Liberty Bond, or subscribing to any Of
the various agencies for taking care of
our soldier boys, essential as that Is, but
there Is no reason why you should not
do both. Tom and Dick and Harry do
need every thing We can do to help them,
and we are going to give 1t to them; but
BY and by, those boys are coming home,
and we want them to find things hum
ming when they do come, and how can
they hum unless We keep them goinep
There has been a great deal of talk
since the war began about eliminating
unnecessary business" but somehow
those in authority f1nd 1t hard to say just
what is unnecessary business" Time
was when q business might be inde-
pendent. but that time has long since
passed, and today business and personal
interests are so closely interviewer that
separation seems impossible. When we
stop John Smith from doing certain
things, Peter Roe and Alec Jones and
Arthur Hudson may have to quit, too,
for each of them has been getting his
living by helping John Smith In some
way. Maybe they can "eat cake" that
is, find something else to do, and maybe
they cannot. If not, what becomes Of
the wife and childrenp
Perhaps each of those men bad little
savings account, and now 1t has to 60.
IOf course that affects Peter Roe and
Alec Jones and Arthur Hudson individ-
ually, but, too, there are others who feel
its effects. For instance: The baker and
the butcher and the grocer. And when
the baker and the butcher and the grocer
have less business, naturally, they will
require fewer clerks and bookkeepers
and stenographers. Likewise, fewer
heads of departments will be needed.
And 80 It goes, in an ever widening
circle. By our mistaken attempt at con-
servation, we have disturbed the whole
social and economic structure of our
community. Those bard-headed BUSH
ness men over 10 Washington know how
it 10, and that Is why they hesitate to
apply drastic measures until ell others
have failed.
Conserve, Madame, but 90 further and
do better, see that your abundance helps
just as many people In just as many ways
as possible. Not only make the dollars
count; keep them moving. Rather than
turn Betty out to find work, II she CAP,
keep her busy in your own kitchen. The
world needs many services such as only
you can perform, and taking both bread
and cake from Betty's mouth is not one
of them.
In the winning of this war, material
we'll being at home 10 Of quite ss much
importance as military skill and valor
abroad. The populace may not always
L oot ooAo-iuooeos mduy VI 10 sto ossoS
but limited quantities of it-but 1t must
have bread, and 1t is up to you and me
to see that they obtain It In self.
Respecting manner. 10 these days, 90.
peoially, We must use both heads and
hearts.
1.-THE best service for the least money"
may be all right, sometimes. At others,
1t is not, for 1t Is "a true today as ever 1t
was that "the laborer is worthy Of bis
hire" It does cost a good deal more to
live in these days than 1t did few years
ago, and 1t bebooves US to save, that
thereby We may have to expend judi.
oiously; but with all our saving, we must
give and that TO purpose. While We
must make little 60 long ways, 10 40
doing, We must be sure that no one is
deprived Of both bread and cake; that
is, OF his rightful living.
II