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Show I WOMAN MADE HER ' PROTEST, an a recent speech in tho South, Clarence Ousley, assistant secretary of I agriculture, told his audience that, I without food from us, our allies must fail. If they fail? all the vast burden of the war falls upon us, with tho future fu-ture Yery dark, j A woman in the audience met Mr. Ousley after the meeting, and told her experience. "I have a son who is now in France," said the woman. "And I have a neigh-borwho neigh-borwho has not been following the government's request either in food production or in food conservation. This family lives on a fine farm, and neither the woman in her kitchen nor the husband in his fields has changed the accustomed way of living. . The , man has been planning to put most of his land in cotton. Their table has had as much food as it ever did, and upon all days, because they seem to think that since they produced the , ' food they need not conserve. Finally I I could stand it no longer. Not long ago I went to this woman for I knew if I could make her understand, the husband also would be changed. 'You are trying your best to kill my boy,' I said to her. 'I'm sure you haven't realized real-ized that this is the effect of what you and your husband are doing, but It is the effect just the same, and you must understand what It means. If my boy must be killed, I want the enemy only to bear tho burden of responsibility for his death. I want to know that he died for his country, truly. I don't want my own neighbors, the people who pretend to be my friends, to help kill him. I am glad and proud for him to fight for humanity; but I am not willing for him to suffer and sacrifice in order that gluttons may be gratified and greedy misers increase their gains. I think you will change your way when you understand that your conduct may sacrifico my boy whom you have known all his life ever since he was a baby with curly hair, toddling around and trying to learn to walk. I don't think you want to join the Germans Ger-mans In fighting him. And you have got to change, now that you do understand, un-derstand, now that I have told you what it means.' " "And she did change. She was in tears before I finished. I am afraid I wounded her very deeply, but it had to be done. She is conserving food now no one in the county Is more ardent ar-dent than she, and her husband Is going to put in some food and feed crops and not plant all his land in cotton. cot-ton. I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't changed, but I'm sure there is some way, and I would have found it and I would have done whatever was necessary to do." oo- |