The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-06-27
WHAT KANSAS DID
Nearly a Hundred Thousand Town
Men in Harvest Fields

Something like 10000 men. maybe
few thousands more. maybe a few
thousands less. are out IN the Kan
sas wheat fields. or will be before
June and July have passed. harvest
ing this years war-winning crop.
Where does this army Of harvest
hands come from? We'll, where
does pcrshing's army Of fighters
come from?-from stores and banks
and farms and Offices and shops,
from every trade. every profession,
every walk Of American life Just
So in Kansas. The army Of harvest
ers comes from the villages and
towns and cities-men Of every call
ing. men Of every kind. who left
their town affairs for a fey weeks
and nocked to farms for precisely
the same reasons that their relatives
and friends come 10 the colors-toI
play a part in winning the war.
Kansas is using as much outside
farm labor as could be secured. OF
course. but that supply is sufficient
to flll only a part Of the need. Kan
saS is doing what every state has
done or must do-harvest its own
crop with its own labor, for the
most part
Kansas towns have "shut up
shop" SO to speak. during the heavy
period Of the harvest. Men from
towns and cities have left their
comfy jobs and professions and are
putting in few weeks Of the tough
est work they ever tackled-doing It
for sheer patriotism, although, OF
course, they earn harvest-hand
wages-dOing it TO save a food crop,
the saving Of which is as necessary
as the holding of a sector on the
fighting line.
II is an inspiring picture Of pa
tliOtism. First the young manhood
OF a free people freely marching
away TO fight for the worlds free
dom; now the home remaining man.
hood leaving desk and shop and
turning TO the harvest fields, in or
der that the fighters. and the civil
ians sustaining the fighters. may be
fed and the fight continue TO vic
torious end.
IL really means that the Allies
have won another great battle-that
is the true apprisal of this scene
in Kansas, where men from every
town and city went into physical
training classes for a few weeks
and then swept across the
grain fields, toiling determinediy-
not because Of compulsion, no. be-
cause Of wage inducements, not be-
cause Of anything unde.' the shin
ing sun except that they are Ameri-
cans. and therefore are willing and
eager to work until they drop, if
that will help crush the Hun.
The town women of Kansas vol
unteered for the harvest army, and
so did the boys. And they are work. !
ing-the women peeling potatoes
and washing dishes and cooking I
food for the harvesters; the boys ,
fitting in at every sort Of odd job
for which they are sufficiently
strong or skillful-the men thus be- 4
ing free to devote their entire en-
ergy TO the actual harvest.
For months the United States De-
partment Of Agriculture has advo-
,ated for every community and
county the policy which Kansas
has given statewide application. '
The people Of Nebraska, Minnesota,
North and South Dakota plan SINH
lar concert Of action as the harvest
swings nOrth-ward. In every state I
md for every harvest, or crop emer- 4
;ency. this is the safe and certain B
md patriotic solution of the farm L
abor problem-the utilization OF :
own volunteers TO the extent that :
needs may require.