Show THE COLLEGE STUDENT AND WAR WAR HOOVER HOOVER By Herbert Hoover United States Food Administrator From the Patriotic News Service of the National Committee of Patriotic Societies Washington D. D C. C To the college coHee men of America I address address ad ad- ado dress myself with confidence a confidence confidence dence born of unforgettable ence In the relief of Belgium most of the actual work of the commission in inthe inthe the thc occupied territory was done by young oung American collegians Each time timea a call caB was made for volunteers many more mole than asked for offered their services ser ser- vices And those that were chosen performed performed performed per per- formed their duties not only effectively effective effective- J ly but with a spirit of devotion that made their service beyond praise They combined and enc ency It is the combination that moves the Ute world forward Today all the young college men of America face a special responsibility and duty dut At no time in the worlds world's history has the technically trained I mind been at a higher premium And this need for it and demand on it wj will continue after the war is over Hence the young man in college is faced with witha a serious problem He must ask himself himself him him- self Is the immediate need of me bym by m my country countr in my present stage of training greater than this need will be later and when I have a higher training This is a question the clear answer to which cannot be indicated for all an b by a single formula because the young men in college find themselves under varying circum circum- stances Yet an answer in general terms of some helpfulness may be made sr To the younger men mien the lower Jower classmen classmen class class- men only beginning their professional training I say Keep Keen on with your college college col col- col lege work worle If If the war lasts long you ou I will be needed more later than now and ald you rOll will be bo better qualified to fill the need then If the war ends soon there will still be he urgent need for your help in the necessary great work of reconstruction and rehabilitation The Thu Themore more advanced your training themore themore the themore more mature your judgment the more valuable you will be So try to possess yourself in patience and stick to your our college work To the upper classmen I would sa say Hold yourself ready to respond to your country's present need at any moment i Where you see your wa way celar tomake tomake to tomake make your training useful do not hesitate hesitate hesitate hesi hesi- tate to follow the wa way But nut you too should remember that every additional month or semester of training will make you a more more- effective helper to your our country in this time i ue of f its emer enier- emergency gency ever growing more critical Sobe So Sobe Sobe be willing and and ready to go out but go goin goin goin in no thoughtless hurry not merely morel to satisfy the natural restlessness of the moment Finally to both bolh lower Jower and upper upperclassmen upperclassmen classmen and to the great army o of American college and university ity graduates graduates grad grad- I would sa say The country looks to you ou for justification of the advantages advantages advantages ad ad- vantages it is now giving you ou You are a n privileged class All special privilege privilege prix liege brings special responsibility and special dut duty Yours is the advantage of the expanded mind and the uplifted spirit Your knowledge of the conditions conditions condi condi- and needs of your countr country and your understanding of the real meanIng mean mean- Ing lag of patriotism should be beyond those of the man many denied your lege Therefore your response to the I call of your our country's need should b be e quicker r more insistent more persistent persist persist- ent and more read ready to adapt itself t tany to o any form of this need than that o othe of f the unprivileged many You have already already al ready responded nobly to the call t to o the colors But not all of you can now march to battle batHe not all of you should shout d try to but all who should not or ca canot can cannot n not and all who are arc sticking to their work of making themselves themselves' fitter fo for r their future service can still serve and serve now There is very much that you ou can do right now I would call your attention to just jus t one of the many ways in which youcan you youcan youcan u can help and help importantly It is the way to insuring the absolutely necessary necessary essar essary food supply to ourselves and to our allies Especially must the matter of the fo food d supply of our allies be stressed The vital problem of world food is not generally understood The pop popular lar lariew view is too self centered too selfish selfish- to use an ugly word It does not look across the sea The wash back of Europe's misery does not carry to our shores Ve We do not know and hence cannot feel the pangs of r hunger and pain of hunger weakness that are everywhere in Europe They Ther are pains felt by br our allies as well as by our foes We Ye must make this known to toaI aI all our people that all our people may i understand the great and indispensable indispensable j sable and immediate role they must I play in this important all part of the war situation Yo You who can readily understand must help You can impress on the people around you OU and wherever you go the fact that the thc critical phase of the world food problem is now not the question of high or low row prices but the question of producing and saving and sending enough food to our allies to toJ J keep them alive and strong and steadfast steadfast steadfast stead stead- fast in war The critical question now in this war is the question question of f the actual actual act act- ct- ct ual physical strength of the fighting nations You can understand it it and you can explain it You can help us let the people of this countr country know that our allies depend absolutely on us to maintain maintain main main- tain their food supply They themselves themselves them them- selves simply cannot do it If it is not done for them by us the end of the war is near and it is a bad end an inconceivably bad end From every American college man the country ex ex- expects expects expects the thc truest devotion the truest patriotism and the highest service And it will get it You will give it |