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Show r: . - - Nation's Nutrition Problem Is Subject of Wide Study Experts Seek Methods of Restoring 'Pep' To America's Diet; Chaplain Has Vital Role in U. S. Army. .. aWA g, J By BAUKHAGE National Farm and Home Hour Commentator. WNU Service, 1343 H Street, N. W., Washington, D. C. Starving in the midst of plenty! That is what is wrong with a much larger segment of the American people peo-ple than we ever guessed. And a lot of the hungry have plenty of money in the bank and a lot of others have plenty of potential food in their garden plots. Sounds ridiculous, ridic-ulous, doesn't it? But it is true. And in a week or two you will probably see one of the 2,000,000 pamphlets which were printed by the government printing office in Washington and distributed by the office of the co-ordinator of health, welfare and related defense activities. This pamphlet asks and answers an-swers 20 questions about "enriched bread." Because modern bread is not what it used to be when it was the strong "staff of life" that helped our healthier ancestors, a hundred years ago, battle their way over life's highroad. Of course it's the vitamins we lack. What are we going to do for the thousands of Americans who are only "half alive," as the famous nutrition nu-trition specialist. Dr. Russell M. Wilder Wil-der of the Mayo clinic, puts it? We are going to try to make them "all alive' and alive longer, too. This month, organizations have been meeting all over the nation to talk about this problem that has come upon America since we began be-gan refining the "pep" out of our foods, our bread and our fats and our sugar. The American Medical association is taking a hand. So is the National Society of Home Economists with 17,000 teachers in it just to mention two of the many groups which have joined Uncle Sam in this job of building better bodies, bod-ies, brighter minds and a more stalwart stal-wart nation. I sat today in the office of Mn L. Wilson, head of the extension service of the department of agriculture. I hated to leave, so fascinating were his stories,, true stories from the laboratory and the home and the canning factory, the garden and the field, the hospital and the kitchen. How the missing vitamins and minerals min-erals through the co-operation of food-processors will be restored chemically to products. How a great educational campaign will teach people how to choose from the foods they have; how to provide food elements for those without means; how the house-wife, the doctor, doc-tor, the dietician and the restaurant keeper will be shown ways to help nourish the nation's sinews. "Only about one-fourth of the families fam-ilies of the United States with diets that could be rated good" were found in a recent survey by the department de-partment of agriculture. And so a national nutrition conference con-ference was called which mapped the job conquering hunger, "the oldest old-est enemy of man." . Why America Doesn't Want War In the hours when Washington was awaiting the details of the sinking of the American ship Robin Moor, reportedly by an "unidentified submarine" sub-marine" there was, for these days, an indescribable calm in the capital. After the White House press conference con-ference I walked down the winding path under the elms which seemed to cast a shadow of peaceful security secur-ity across the whole nation. I reviewed re-viewed in my mind conversations of the week with certain earnest men in high places in the government. govern-ment. They had given me reasons to hope that the United States would not be drawn into Europe's frightful fright-ful struggle. When I reached my office I jotted jot-ted these reasons down. Here they are: 1. The people do not want war. 2. The United States is not prepared pre-pared the navy, yes; but not the army or the air corps. 3. If we went in there would be a demand for supplies at home which Britain needs. 4. If we took an aggressive step against the Axis powers, Japan would be bound to join Germany and Italy against us. 5. If Germany struck first, Japan would not have to go in, therefore, there-fore, Germany would avoid "incidents." "inci-dents." These were the reasons, I believe, why Washington awaited the "details" "de-tails" of the sinking of the Robin Moor with such calm. Chaplain Is Important In Army Life "In all my years of service I have never known a boy who was led astray by anything in the army." There was a bouquet of red roses on the desk, of the sandy-haired colonel who made that remark to me. It was his birthday but the 28 roses were for his 28 years as chaplain chap-lain in the army. He was William Arnold, chief of chaplains of the United States army, whose job right now is being head-shepherd head-shepherd for flock of a million new lambs, the boys in the regular army, the navy, the marines and the new selectees. "Chaplain," I said, "if you could write a letter to the families of these boys who read the weekly newspapers, newspa-pers, what would you say to them?" The genial features above the clerical collar lit up with interest. "The one thing I'd like to tell them," he said, "is this: as far as religion goes a boy is just as safe in the army as at home." "From 5 a. m.," as Colonel Arnold Ar-nold put it, "until the stars come out." And then a twinkle came into his eyes that I wish every mother's son might have seen. "You know, they say the devil finds things for idle hands to do," he smiled, "Well the devil is out of luck in an army camp, hands and feet and head are pretty busy from reveille to taps." "Even old soldiers," he went on, "when the day is over are ready to read a little and maybe sing a little, lit-tle, and then go to bed." And at this point, if I may interject inter-ject a personal word, I can come out for confirmation of that statement state-ment I know. I was there. But as far as the soldier's spiritual spir-itual life goes things are different from when I was in the army and when Chaplain Arnold began his service. Today there is religious service every day in an army camp. But let's get down to brass tacks, as the chief of chaplains and I did in our talk. I call it a talk. It was not an interview, just an ex-soldier ex-soldier talking to another in a room with the scent of red roses and a calendar open showing Jesus before the tomb with the stone rolled away. Is the boy in trouble', is he heavy-laden, heavy-laden, is he sick? It's the chaplain to whom he goes or the chaplain who comes to him. Suppose the boy is just laid up with a cold. The chaplain is there, every ev-ery day in the camp hospital or the sick-bay, to say, "Howzit, buddy?" bud-dy?" Suppose he is too sick to write home. Down sits the padre and takes the letter. Suppose he is real sick. The chaplain talks to the doctor, doc-tor, and then writes to the folks. Suppose it is critical. Then the chaplain, chap-lain, if he doesn't happen to be of the same faith as the boy, gets the lad's own pastor or rabbi if he has to send to the nearest town for him. But suppose the boy is heavy laden la-den with some of the troubles he does not like to write home about. Nine chances out of ten the chaplain has guessed it. If he has not he will listen and give advice out of his wide experience, out of the devotion de-votion and charity that are in his soul (or he would not have the job). We talked of these things and others oth-ers in the quiet office and then Chaplain Arnold leaned across the desk and said: "Here's one thing I wish you'd tell these people you write for, tell them to write a letter about their boy and address it, 'Chaplain' and the same address they write to the boy. And if they know anybody any relatives rel-atives in the town nearby the camp, write to them and suggest that they invite the boy to come to see them over the week-end, and write to the priest, or minister or rabbi of their own denomination. He'll be glad to co-operate." At that point he leaned back and smiled. "You know," he said, "Our chaplains in the army represent 27 denominations of the 261 in this country and they give a fine example exam-ple of co-operation that the churches outside the army might well copy." |