Get out of the cities; get onto the land! Why not preach this part of the gospel? Help people to understand that the unnatural appetites and the desires for artificial food are penalties paid very largely by those who seek to maintain themselves by their wits. One mighty step has been taken toward the prevention of waste and in economy's favor when men learn to earn their bread in the sweat of their face while tilling the soil.
Late hours, business worry, nerve-wrecking noises, the hurry, the wear and tear of living in a crowd, the dust and filth of the city air, the struggle of competition,--these would be replaced by purer, saner surroundings if parents settled in some country place where children are born with a heritage of fresh air, grassy playgrounds, wholesome daily tasks in the house and out of doors, and are fed in a simple manner befitting their surroundings. But do not transfer the evils of the city to some country site. Not much need to urge "the gospel of the clean plate" to the healthy country child! A good appetite is the best seasoning for plain food.
The world has been roughly awakened, and forcibly compelled to study food economy. This upheaval should result in permanent good to every individual. We have not fully appreciated the fact that our sinful indulgence and our careless waste of time, money, and food is a violation of the great commandment, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." By our extravagant ways, multitudes have been robbed of the necessities of life. But our horizon is broadening. We begin to understand why we should eat and drink to the glory of God. Provision is now being made for the bread we save to reach the hungry in distant parts of the earth. We can now prove that he who gives even a cup of cold water shall in no wise lose his reward. To-day, as truly as on the shores of Galilee, the great Master is saying, "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." And if we enter whole-heartedly into this food conservation movement, we may expect the blessing of the Lord to rest so greatly upon the fragments saved that the wide world will be fed.
_A ten-pound loaf of war bread baked on the old Gettysburg battle field. This bread keeps in good condition three weeks._]