The evening leader., 1919-01-06
DOING HIS BIT
BY LAURA J. NUNN.
sSOSSOS0OOe . . .
Copyright. 1913, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)

EdTIy III Cne great movement IOr C0o
conservation of food Jessie had
broached the subject to her husband
He had acquiesced most heartily. Ger
tainly he would be glad to "do his bit"
"All want is the plainest of food" he
said. Sand your cooking would make
the worst cOncoctiOns deliciousw
For while all went well. Delicious
dishes based on rice or spaghetti, with
nourishing meat sauces, appeared on
the table, and occasionally an entire
meal of vegetables. And John had
eaten them, first with noisy approba-
ton of the economic value of the move
ment, then with a great parade Of
patriotism, but lastly in a pregnant 81
lence that spoke volumes of martyr
dom. Several times he had tele-
phOned that he would net be home for
dinner-detained by business.
And then one evening the cat was
out of the beg. John had arrived home
almost an hour earlier than usual
laden down with packages. INTO the
kitchen he strode and slammed them
noisily down upon the tub-tops.
'There!" he said as he united a string
and disclosed a huge steak; "there's
piece of meat. That's steak! Beef !!
Allow me to introduce you, madam, to
a meal. / have had all the makeshifts
1 want around here and l am off the
war stuff for good and all Why" he
continued virtuously, "all l want is
simple food. A good piece of meat,
some vegetables, some good bread and
butter, and a dessert. No frills to that.
And I'm going to have them"
Secretly Jessie was Just as we'll
pleased. The "makeshifts" had meant
much extra work for her, and it must
he admitted she did not particularly
enjoy made dishes. She, too, liked
good plain food"
SO matters logged along until John
produced a pair of tickets for a lee
ture on "HOoverizing" "It is tonight"
he said. "We will have to gO-and
thank goodness it is with clear con-
science that we can hear him hand it
to those people who have not been
doing their bit"
''Well, we certainly have" laughed
Jessie.
An hour later, from their comfort
able seats in the hail. they looked at
each other in cOnsternatiOn. But the
speakers words still flowed on in ear
nest appeal, and there was not time
for discussion.
"Hundreds of you good people would
tell me if [ asked you, that you are
doing all you can," he said. "You
will say that you have cut out every
thing but necessities. You are using
nothing but plain food-and plain food
with you means the best roasts Of
beef, lamb and pork; the finest steaks
and chops; the whitest bread you can
obtain, and the Simplest desserts
usually pies or cake which use I'D the
white -four.
DO you honestly think you are do
ing your best? This war will be won
or lost by food. Don't forget that for
one minute. Most of you, in your COM
Portable houses, feel that the war is a
remote thing which can never touch
you. You give five minutes of pity to
the starving children in Belgium or
Poland, and then sit down to heaping
plates of food and promptly forget all
about them. You have a vague sense
that everything will be all right. Uncle
I'm Is behind us, and of course that
~ ans that nothing can harm us. Other
countries have suffered But America?
Impossible! And so you go or day by
day. grumbing a little at the increased
cost of living and continuing to live
exactly as you did before the war.
"Many of you think because you
have bought a Liberty bond you have
done your bit What right have we
to give bit while our men in the
army give their all? So must we. We
cannot all go to the front; some of
us must stay here to keep things going.
But we can and we must do without
the things we like; must sacrifice what
we most enjoy to help win the cruel
est, most horrible war in the history
of TIE world.
'eBegin at home-now-to save the
foods that our men at the front must
have. Cut out the roasts, the steaks,
the pies and puddings. What if you
don't like war bread? Or macaroni?
Or beans three times week? Do you
think the men in the trenches like
it-especially now when winter is at
hand?
Looking at it from this point of
view the housewives of the country
are Of even more importance than its
army. For of what use would be an
army without food?
"And get away from this idea of do
ing your bit Go in all over. A bit
is not enough. ALL of the BEST of
you Is necessary. YOU can win this
war!"
In silence John walked home beside
his wife. She was doing some deep
thinking but wisely refraining from
saying anything-yet.
Finally 1t came out. Was 1t Johns