| Show Kathleen Norris Says These Are Smart mart W Women Omen Bell Dell Syndicate Syndicate Features i 1 l c cr r r v vv v 1 y f b x j I e s 2 f 1 1 f r l r rf f ix Everyone was amused and amiable and nobody seemed to feel that the formality or dignity of the dinner had been jeopardized By KATHLEEN NORRIS TORE ORE than one hundred M MORE I and twenty men and V X girls working in a single single sin gin sin sin- gle gIe department of a Washington Washing Washing- ton office have voluntarily renounced renounced re re- re all ideas of going home for Christmas They are leaving the Pullman cars for the servicemen One of these young women has an offer offer offer of of- fer of a free trip to California where are her mother father and small son But she wont won't add to traffic congestion and perhaps prevent some boy from his last home leave Not this Christmas Another girl lives in Salt Lake City when she is at home two brothers both in un uniform orm will be there this year But Rosemary wont She will eat her Christmas dinner in Washington D D. D C C. C The spirit that inspires these exiles exiles ex ex- iles tired to death of the rush and strain of living at the capital hungry for home quiet and home love promises promises promises prom prom- well for a better world after the war Mary Bailey of Hot Springs S. S D. D has another good idea for wartime economy an idea that I wish every woman who reads this would pass along to clubs and social organizations organizations everywhere This Is quite a place for conventions conventions conventions con con- says Marys Mary's letter and andas as a hotel hostess I 1 have to handle large groups and get ready for big banquets Lately I have been workIng working working work- work Ing on the cafeteria system when these affairs take place Our big dishes now are duck turkey or chicken chick chick- en and with these as you know under under un un- der the old system went generous helpings of mashed potato dressing gravy and vegetables Even in the theold theold theold old lavish times it used to make me ashamed to see how much of of this good food was untouched masses of it scraped away perhaps a little white meat and the vegetable eaten and nothing else No Waste In Cafeteria We now form torm a natured good leisurely line and file by a smiling row of volunteer girl waitresses who give everyone as much as he likes but no more On the wall behind their heads I 1 put a sign Take all you want But we like well-cleaned well plates in wartime The first time we did this the letter goes on my figures showed a saving of third one-third of the food Many of the women wanted only half of the broiled half half chicken chicken that was a serving most of them refused gravy potato dressing entirely was amused and amiable and nobody seemed to feel that the formality or dignity of the dinner had been jeopardized How about this federated clubs and Lions and Kiwanis and Rotary members club managers and hotel stewards Isn't this winter a good time to try to introduce so eminently sensible a rule Fleda Martin Marlin of Dallas also has hasgood hasgood hasgood good ideas for this winters winter's particular lar problem My family is two girls in war war- war war-I work she writes a high school school- age son a good tired patient husband husband hus hus- band and my mother Pop gets home for lunch so we sit down six every day and we have a n filling meal Whatever ingenuity and brown tickets can do is done then But But But- no more serving dishes go on the table Serving dishes waste food and mean more washing Each plate is filled in the e kitchen with due reference ref ret reference to personal tastes and whatever whatever whatever what what- ever is left isn't shifted from pan panto panto panto to plate and back again Cooks Cools Two l I Meals als at Once I When I boil or bake any anything anything- prunes potatoes bread pudding PATRIOTS OF THE TIlE HOME FRONT Throughout America patriotic patriotic patri patri- otic citizens are making personal personal per per- sacrifices large and small to help end the war and to make things easier for those actually fighting it Kathleen Norris presents a typical cross section o of f these home front soldiers Tr Washington ashington office girls sacrifice trips home over the holidays so that servicemen service service- men may ride the trains a woman in Ohio moves her family into the first floor o of f their three story home so as to save fuel and in South Dakota Dako Dako- ta a hotel hostess urges guests to clean their plates so as to save food stew beans I make at least twice too much for the current meaL This saves work and heat And Isn't Ita it ita ita a good feeling coming home tired from Red Cross work to be able to think There are the beans and the applesauce and the cold biscuits to toast and all I need stop for is lettuce I like to have every meal lap over the next or the next but butone one Suppers ore are simple We like cornmeal mush with raisins and top milk We like milk toast waffles jelly pancakes rice macaroni deep fruit pies We always start with soup and if the family dimly recognizes reco in the soup the beans the spinach spin spinach spin spin- ach the cauliflower the boiled onions onions onions on on- ions the crust of French bread the chicken bones and the duck gravy at least the family never complains and the good hot thick soup will continue to be our first course all through the winter No butter except except except ex ex- ex- ex with breakfast And were we're saving saving saying sav say ing fuel by the Chinese expedient which is to wear warm A Chinese doesn't heat his house he keeps his person warm So Ive I've found good solid flannels and even the girls have accepted somewhat modified versions of them and confidently con expect to keep away from coughs and colds because of or them In short were we're challenging the situation instead of sinking under It it And as that's what our boys are doing everywhere concludes this valiant letter it gives us a feeling of kin kinship hip with them to keep up our aUf end And finally from Montgomery Ala comes a n last hint perhaps as important as any The Robert Browns of of that town found themselves themselves them them- selves strangled by petty debts when the news came from Pearl Harbor Their son was called to the colors their daughter took a job They looked the bills in the face and found them something over two thousand dollars Yes just grocery and dentist dentist den den- t t and tailor and frock shop and club and milkman over milkman over two thousand thou sand dollars They knew that postwar times arcI are arc I not times through which to struggle with debt So they paid up at the rate Of about a month It meant self denial denial scrimping discomfort even embarrassment But they did it And doing it they did one of the most important things any moth mother er and father and sister can do for forI forthe forthe I the boys who arc are coming home A woman In Youngstown Ohio has moved her family downstairs for forthe forthe forthe the winter Conserve Housework and antI Fuel Fuelin in Home Our only bathroom is upstairs which somewhat complicates says her letter But I have a small electric stove for that room Otherwise Oth Oth- Otherwise our two upper floors wont went be heated this winter Dad and 1 I have made a comfortable bedroom of the parlor my daughter has a wide couch In the old study and I the two small grandsons have the warm dining room for playroom and anG I nursery |
