The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1919-07-05


&SN2S kN5N are truly great people me-
EHSESx0N times we are so great u we
G3St&f14 astOnish even ourselvesWe
have astonished Ourselvfor
example, by the way we have behaved aDotooo
during the last two years.
When we entered the war we were the Died
people on earth and had been for generatlonAn
incidental proof of this is that the Americsol-
der astonished Europe with a new physicape.
the result Of favorable conditions of life an1e.
quate food. And this new physical type Ted
itself little huskier and harder and deadiat
the business Of killing than any previous tlof
man.
But when we entered the war, at the mer,g
gestion of the necessity that faced US, the 1ls-
600 Of us curbed our appetites, denied ours
goodies put ourselves on ratiOns and startp
pon honor to conserve .food-and stuck to II
the necessity was past. 1t was a most astong
spectacle.
Not only that, but millions of us solunt
started in to make gardens and raise 6cd.
of these voluntary gardeners hardly knew
from hoe; some probably thought that pou
grew in the grocery store. Certainly lots OF
gardeners had no land But it made no differ
The American people went to gardening. !
The Atlantic to the Pacific the war gardens Of
.TOrkeTS stretched Ill hlIlOSl uuDEOhcu uuC. K
cotton mills Of the East, the lumber camps of
gon, the mining towns of Arizona, the great
tories of the middle West, the shipyards Of y
all saw the upspringing Of innumerable war
dens. The second summer saw the first redoul
It's too soon for us to begin to appreciate
this war rationing and this war gardening has
in winning the war, feeding the world and b
fitting the American people. But anyone in
ested in getting a first glimpse at what this 4
dening has done for us should get hold Of B
Just out, 1.-THE War Garden Victorious" by Cha
Lathrop Pack. It is not for sale, but it Is BIZ
distributed to libraries, and to organizations
individuals identified with war garden work.
Pack is the organizer and president of the matte
war garden commission and his book Is rec
of war garden activities and successes dedica
ito the war gardeners Of the United States
allied countries in admiration Of their success
adding to the worlds supply Of food during
worlds war" Mr.. Pack fittingly presented
first copy to an American woman who is typica
the spirit that made the war garden victorios
Mrs. Thomas Edwards Of Oberlin, 0. She is n
ty-five years Of age but she enlisted with
war gardeners at the first call and showed
was not too told to learn by changing her life-l
methods and adopting the cold-pack method
canning.
Cooperation Wins Victory.
Some people might think book of record
reference on war gardens must necessarily be
reading. This one isn't. It's good reading
real American can get patriotic thrills out Of
besides learning lot. Mr.. Pack is not labo
under the delusion that his national war gal
commission was the whole thing. He knows it
the loyal cooperation of the people that made
war garden such splendid success.
Mr.. Pack also appreciates what the press of
country did for the movement. He knows tina
the purpose. all the enthusiasm. all of the alb
of those In charge of the commissions activ
might have been the sweetness of effort waste
the desert air Of Indifference had not the Amer
press got behind the movement with all its pc
The closing chapter is devoted to an illumina
account Of the tremendous enthusiasm with W
the American daily and periodical press respol
to the opportunity. and how the publicity mat
was prepared and distributed.
"The printed word, the most powerful
known to civilization, made war gardens pOss
In no other way could they. have been mad
multiply so rapidly In all parts of the land. I
y printers Ink to parsnips and parsley is a
lump; but the newspapers and magazines r
that Jump along with the others which they
for Liberty .oan the Red Cross, and various
war-work campaigns. How much Of Diet
gratitude the nation owes to 1t patriotic edito
probably Will never be able to realize fully. b
does know that without their wholehearted
port and their loyal assistance it would I
have been able to arouse the people of the u
States as > whole to the strenuous efforts "
they exerted to back up the government an6
lighting forces. No note of appreciation to
editors Of The country could be overgenerous
praise or 700 liberal in its expression Of heal
thanks fnr their substantial aid"
War Garden Commission.
That the world faced a deficit in food and
there existed an emergency which could be
only by the raising of more food, was app
curing The early months of 1917