Newspapers / The University of North … / Sept. 4, 1918, edition 1 / Page 1
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r,Z The news in this publica tion is released for the press on receipt. THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA NEWS LETTER Published weekly by the University of North Carolina for its Bureau of Extension. SEPTEMBER 4, 1918 CHAPEL BILL, N. C. VOL. rv, NO. 41 Ediiorial Board ■ E. 0. Branson, J. G, deR. Hamilton, L. R. Wilson, R. H. Thornton, G. M. MoKie. Entered as second-olass matter November 14,1914, at the Postofflee at Chapel Hill, N, G., under the act of August 24,1912. A STUDENT’S WAR CREED We are non-combatants. I am sure, however, that each of us feels that we have a duty to perform and a seiwice to give. After a careful consideration of what we may do and after trying to make it personal to myself, I have formulated for myself a statement which I hope may appeal to each of you and to which each of you may find himself a willing subscriber. As a non-combatant, I propose to render service to my country and to her Allies in the following- ways:— I will keep myself so well posted on the causes and progress of the world war that I may be a source of informa tion and influence to others. I appreciate so thoroughly the dan ger of internal enemies that I will re port to the proper authorities the name United States, all who revere America and wish to keep her name without stain and reproach, will co^(Operate— not passively merely, but actively and watchfully—to make an end of this disgraceful evil. It cannot live where the community does not countenance it. I have called upon the nation to put its great energy into this war and it has responded—responded with a spirit and a genius for action that has thrill ed the world. I now call upon it, upon its men and women everywhere, to see to it that its laws are kept inviolate, its fame untarnished. Let us show our utter contempt for the things that have made this war hideous among the wars of history by showing those who love liberty and right and justice and are willing to lay down their lives for them upon foreign fields stand ready also to illustrate to all mankind their and location of every native or alien citizen whose conduct oi' utterances in-; i i*. it, i i • i dicate enmity to our country or lack' things at home which they wish to see established every where as a blessing and protection to the peoples who have never known the privileges of liberty and self-govern ment. I can never accept any man as the champion of liberty either for our I selves or for the world who does not 1 will assist i„ ever, ..ossibl. t, | S'u” “wf selves have made. He has adopted the standards of the enemies of his coun try, whom he affects to despise. of sympathy with our aims. I will do all in my iiower to encour age increased production of food ma terials, both animal and vegetable. I will cheerfully change my habits of eating so as to help conserve wheat, meat, animal fats, dairy products and sugar. make the Third and all succeeding Liberty Loans a success. I will practice economy and deny myself luxuries so that I may contrib ute large sums to the various neces sary war philanthropies. I will help to stabilize public opin ion by showing the reasonableness and necessity of the government’s demands and the baselessness of the unfounded rumors relating to the war. I will bo a friend and comforter to the families of soldiers and minister to their needs in every possible way. I will try to meet all the varied events of the war with patience, calm ness and optimism. I will work harder and more earn estly so that I may contribute my part to make up the loss due to the with drawals from industry of large num bers of men for the army.—American Education. MOBS LYNCH DEMOCRACY President Woodrow Wilson My fellowcountrymen: I take the liberty of addressing you upon a sub ject which so vitally affects the honor of the nation and the very character and integrity of our institutions that I tnist you will think me justified in speaking very plainly about it. I allude to the mob spirit which has recently here and there very frequently- shown its head amongst us, not in any single region, but in many and widely separated parts of the country. There have been many lynchings, and every one of them has been a blow at the heart of ordered law and humane jus tice. No man who loves America, no man who really cares for her name and her character, lor who is truly loyal to her institutions, can justify mob action while the courts of justice are open and the government of the states and nation are ready and able to do their duty. We are at this very moment fighting lawless passion. Germany has outlawed herself among the nations, because she has disregarded the sacred obligations .of law and has made lynchers of her armies. Lynchers emulate her dis- graceful example. I, for my- part, am anxious to see every community in America rise above that level, with pride and a fixed resolution which no man or set of men can afford ^ de spise. We proudly claim to be the cham pions of democracy. If we really are, indeed and in truth, let us see to it that we do not discredit our own. 1 say plainly that every American who taxes part in the action of a mob or gives it any sort of countenance is no true son of this ,roaJ *»««■:««■ but its be trayer, and does more to discredit he: by that single disloyalty her stand ards of law and of «^ht than the words of her statesmen or_th® sacn flees of her heroic boys in the trenches can do to make suffering peoples be lieve her to be their savior. How shall we commend democracy to the acceptance of other . we disgrace our own by pr e it is, after all, no protection to the weak? Mobs a Stain and Reproach Every mob contributes to ^erm^an lies about the United States what h TOWN AND COUNTRY Making report on the fine results of the canvass for War Savings stamps in Chapel Hill township. Orange coun ty, the UnWersity News Letter says: “But it Could not have been done without the help of our splendid coun try people. The man who thinks the farmers are stupid or stingy does not know the country people of North Carolina. All they need is information and understanding, and then they al ways do their-full duty.” The last sentence tells the whole stoiy. Unthinking urban dwellers of ten criticise the rural people for their see.raing lack of interest in or their willingness to help in public move ments. Sometimes the criticism seems well fpunded; the seeming indiffer ence is exasperating. But the urban dweller fails to stop to think of the difference in conditions —of education, information, environ ment and custom. Urban dwellers have better opportunities to be inform ed, to meet and discuss issues that arise from time to time, and it bcomes a habit, a custom, with them to do cer tain things. Because the inhabitants are scatter ed over a wide area, public meetings, except church services, are not common in the rural regions and the rural dwell er thus lacks in a degree the enthusiasm, information and inspiration that comes from more initmatie contact with his fellows and a more frequent discussion of the issues presented. He is not ac customed, either, to frequent canvasses of his community with subscription lists for various calls (the town man takes this as a matter of course be cause he is .accustomed to it by habit), and when he is asked to subscribe or to give money to something, it is not surprising that he sometimes wants to think about it. • Moreover, by the nature of his busi ness or his employment, the rural dweller doesn’t always have the ready cash; and by nature conservative and careful, if he intends to pay his obli gation, he wants to consider where the money is to come faom and he thinks of the possibility «f crop failure. But when he fully understands he does his duty, generally speaking as fully as his town brother. This is by no means an excuse tor any rural dweller who fails to dis charge his duty as a citizen at any time, and especially in this time ot war when so much depends on him. Sometimes, in the matter of raising funds, the disposition, simply through custom and habit, is to “let George do it ” 'But these remarks are made as a matter of justtcemnd to remind the urban dwellers who are hasty m crit icism that they are by nature neither more patriotic nor more gen erous than their rural dwellers—they are only seemingly so as a result ot en vironment. , We have slackers in town as well in the country. All of us need to patriotism and public by the way of caluniny. least say that such things cannot hap^ pen in Gern;any, except m most gifted liars cannot cannot ha in times revolution, when law is swept j I therefore very earnestly emnly beg that the Governois of a the States, the law „nd community, and, above all, th women of every community TEN WAR COMMANDMENTS The economic and social section of the League of Patriots, with headquarters in Paris, 4 Rue Ste. Anne, has distributed a leaflet, urg ing the French to endure without complaint the restrictions imposed upon them in the interest of their country. The following is a copy: 1. Do not forget that we are at war. In your smallest expenditures never lose sight of the interests of the native land. 2. Economize on the products necessary for the life of the coun try: coal, bread, meat, milk, sugar, wine, butter, beans, cloths, leather, oil. Accept rations. Ration your self as to food, clothing, amuse ments. 3. Save the products of French soil, lest some day you deprive your father, your son, your husband, who are shedding their blood to defend you. 4. Save the products that France m.ust buy from the foreign coun tries. Do not drain reserves of gold, which are indispensable to victory. 6. Waste nothing. All waste is a crime which imperils the national defense—prolongs the war. 6. Buy only according to your needs. Do not board provisions; your selfishness raises prices and deprives those of smaller means of things indispensible to existence. 7. Do not remain idle. According to your age and your ability, work for your country. Do not consume without producing. Idleness is de sertion. 9. Accept without murmuring the privations which are imposed upon you. Reflect upon the sufferings of those who are fighting for you, up- , on the martyrdom of the population whose hearths have been devastated by the enemy. 10. Remember that victory be longs to those who can hold out a quarter of an hour the longest. “That France may live, she must be victorious.” and means a more self-sustaining and in dependent agriculture.—Federal Week ly News Letter. for more than 100 furnish a burden freight cars. Since we entered the war, the Treas ury has taken out of circulation all the gold it could lay hands on, merely as a measure of economic safety. If you notice, you will observe that the form erly familiar yellow-back gold notes are rarely seen nowadays. These notes are exchangeable on demand for gold coin a^ the Treasury or any subtreas- re- quest) turn them in whenever they are deposited, and the Treasury replaces them with reserve bank; notes. When you come across one, bank it, and you will help Uncle Sam.—Philadelphia Public Ledger. as cultivate our spirit; to study the public weltoe and public benefits, remembering that all of us are interested as citizens and that all of us must do our share for the public good if we are worthy citi- Lns. Get away from the narrow a^nd selfish viewpoint and take a broader view.—Statesville Landmark. the war forces a change Until four years ago not a single carload of hogs was shipped from 17 counties in southem Alabama. In the yeaiythan ended April 1, 1918, the car loads of hogs shipped from the same 17 counties numbered 2,352. The total value of these hogs is estimated to be- more than $4,000,000. Formerly this section produced little except cotton. Now it is contributing bo the food sup plies of the Nation. It is raising pea nuts, velvet beans, corn, oats, and winter grazing crops and has perman ent pastures of Bermuda grass and lespedeza. These forage crops are D-ansformed into pork by the direct feeding route. Pea Crops Increasing In the census year 1909 only 12,560 acres were planted to velvet beans in the South. Suddenly southem farmers discovered the effectiveness of this plant as forage and feed for live stock and in improving soil. In 1917 the velvet-bean crop covered 4,600,000 acres, all in the South. Soy beans grew on only 1,629 acres in 1909, but this crop advanced so rapidly in appreciation that its area in 1917 was estimated at half a million acres. And North Carolina by the way leads the soy bean procession. Cow- peas; v/hich have been planted in the South for many years, are estimated to have trebled in acreage since 1909. In North Carolina and Virginia the area plant to peanuts remainded about the same as in 1909, but it has increas ed sixfold in the Georgia-Florida-Ala- bama field and eightfold in Texas and adjoining States. The total peanut acreage reported for the census year was below a million. In 1917 it had expanded bo more than three and one- fourth millions. The area of velvet and soy beans and peanuts in 1909 was 884,000 acres. According to estimates of the Bureau of Crop Estimates of the Department of Agriculture, the total for 1917 was 8,350,000 acres, mostly in the 'South, The acreage of these three legumes has been multiplied by 10 in eight years, and in the same time the area of cowpeas, the number of acres of which has not been ascertained, has trebled. Benefits of the South The significance of the change that southem agriculture is undergoing through the enormous expansion of the, acreage of these four legumes can be expressed in important results. One is the improvement of a soil much in need of humus and nitrogen, both of which these crops supply. Animal feeds and forage are produced in great quantities in a region that hitherto has brought them in from the North Cen tral States. These crops are meat and milk producers on farms that were consumers of surplus meat and dairy products shipped from northern States. A notable increase of live stock on Southern farms diminishes the eco nomic weakness of one-crop farming A STRANGE SPECTACLE Are our young girls and women merely thoughtless, or are they entire ly selfish and heedless of the great tragedy the world is facing? This thought is suggested by the numerous girls one sees on the trains, in other u^y! "Th^bankrTby'^Government public places, and in private homes, - ' using up colored wools m knitting and crocheting sweaters. These sweaters are not to perform the natural func tion of a sweater, to keep out cold, but are to be used in the heat of summer to gratify a whim, a fad, a fancy of fashion. Few raw materials will be more precious during the coming winter than wool. Our short-sightedness in not protecting the sheep industry has helped to aggravate this situation. A liberal supply means comfort for our soldiers and for the millions of men, women and children of stricken Europe. A shortage means suffering and death to many. To gratify a fad, we will be directly responsible for this shortage, w'hich will bring death and suffering to thousands. Are we -will ing to take the responsibility? Such thoughtlessness would be bad enough in normal times; now it is criminal. The government should take steps at once to prohibit the manufac turers from dyeing wool for such pur poses. Our bQi;s in the trenches rate selfish ness as one of the cardinal sins. Our j girls are selfishly consuming, to no ’ purpose, two bf the most vital necessi ties in the world today—wmol and labor. If all the time taken up in knitting fancy sweaters and similar articles were given to the Red Cross work, think what it would mean in in- ! creased output for the Red Cross—and i in character building for the girls ! I Doubtless, very few girls will read i this, as 99 per cent of them read only ; the Society Column or Funny Page. ! Let us hope, however, that the older I women will take hold of this matter through their clubs and as individuals, and bring to the attention of the young girls and women a realization of their duty in the present crisis. Let’s not get too far behind our boys in unselfish service and idealism!— Harriet M. Berry, Chapel Hill. UNCLE SAM’S GOLD Uncle Sam is rich. That is a great help in the present struggle. And, what is most important, he is rich in gold, which is the basis of credit. The Treasury of the United States today holds more than one-third of all the money gold (coin and bullion) in the world. Very little of it is kept in Washington, however. The bulk is dis tributed among the various mints, and at the Assay Office in New York city there is a great quantity. According to the latest ' Treasury figures, the Government now possesses about a billion and a half dollars’ worth of gold coin, and a little more than an equal sum—$1,538,500,000, to be exact—in gold bullion. Were this country seriously threat ened with attack by the Germans, the huge masses of yellow coin and bullion (the latter in the shape of bi’icks) now stored in New York and at the mints in Philadelphia and New Orleans -would be promptly shipped inland, to put the stuff out of possible reach by the enemy. This would be much more of an af fair than most people are likely to imagine. For gold weighs a lot—it is twice as heavy as lead—and one does not really grasp offhand the hugeness of the quantity represented by the sums above mentioned. One million dollars in gold coin weighs 3,680 pounds. Whence it ap pears that the total quantity of coined gold now possessed by Uncle Sam would tip the scales at 2,760 short tons. This would load 1,380 wagons, at two tons to the cart. March these 1,380 wagons along a road, allowing forty feet to a team, and the procession would extend over a distance of ten and a half miles. The gold they carry would load fifty- five freight cars—fifty tons to the car, with ten tons left over. Efich gold coin contains its full face value in gold. In addition, it contains 10 per cent of copper, to harden it and make it wear well in circulation. _ The copper alone in the above mentioned $1,500,000,000 worth of gold coin (now held by Uncle Sam) weighs 276 tons —representing 138 wagonloads. But the reckoning above given has to do merely -with the Goined gold. There is more than an equal value of the yellow stuff in bars, which look much like bricks. They are virtually pure gold, but, inasmuch as they carry no copper, not quite so many vehicles would be required to transport them. Roughly speaking, however, the total gold now owned by the govern ment of the United States would load a line of wagons (at two tons -to a cart) about twenty miles long, allow PROPOSED WAR TAXES The greatest tax bill ever presented to the American Congress—and prob ably to any legislative body—will be ready for vote in the house by Sep tember 1. This is the notice given to absent members of Congress by Representa tive Claude Kitchin, Democratic floor leader and chairman of the ways and means committee. Members are advis ed to make their recess plans accord ingly and to prepare to return to Washington by that date for a vote on the eight billion dollar tax measure. Deliberations of the ways and means committee today were marked by esti mates from the treasury department that the xccent list of taxable luxuries and non-essentials sent down to the Capitol by the treasury officials would produce two billion dollars in revenue. In other words indications now are that of the eight billions needed one- fourth of the amount will be raised by taxing things which in war time are classed as luxuries or near luxuries but which have heretofore been Classed by the easy going American people as every day conveniences or necessities. France Leads the Way In the government luxury list are the following articles, taxation of which apparently will furnish the twm billion dollars spoken of by the treas ury department: Automobiles, all ornamental house furnishings, club membership dues, household servants, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks, jewelry, hotel bills above $2.-50 per day and clothing for men, w-omen and children costing a certain price. After France had been at war three yegrs she cast about for additional things to tax. With the Hun almost at the gates of Paris, whose people long felt the privations of warfare, France put into effect early this year a luxury tax w-hich is declared to be pro ducing many millions lof dollars al ready. _ This tax w-as levied on what France called De Luxe articles, and the United States is now to follow suit. It is known that certain members of the ways and means committee have earnestly studied the latest French taxation law. It embraces a number of articles not enumerated in the schedule of the treasury department in its list of several weeks ago. Heavy Tax an Vanities Americans may as well prepare to pay heavy taxes on all their luxuries from photographs records to field glasses and bright-colored lamp shades. Here are some of the articles upon which France levies a ten per cent tax: Curiosities and antiques; silk hosiery and underwear; tapestry, modern or ancient; pleasure canoes and boats; hunting-garments and riding habits; billiard and pool tables; guns and sporting accessories; photographic ap pliances; motor vehicles; paintings, perfumeries, liveries of servants; horses, ponies, asses and mules for pleasure purposes; artistic bronze work. Going further, France has put a graduated tax on dozens of other ar ticles, the tax ranging according to the price. That is, when the retail price ex ceeds a certain sum a tax is levied. For instance France levies a tax on all lamp shades costing more than 10 francs; on smokers requisites above the 10 franc price; on women’s hats above 40 francs; men’s hats above 20 francs and so on. The graduated list includes scores of articles of clothing,, mirrors, trunks, cutlery, toilet necessi ties, ’blankets, quilts, carpets, gloves table cloths and even devotional ar ticles. What France has done furnishes an index of what may be expected when Representative Kitchin reports the war revenue bill to the house late in August. The treasury thinks at least two billions "should be raised by the luxury tax. This means every Ameri can is going to pay the government something unless he or she..is satisfied with very cheap clothing, household, furniture, bric-a-brac, and dozens of other every day things which Ameri cans have been accustomed to buying without thought of taxes in the good old days of peace.—Theodore Tiller, ing ifirty feet to a team. It would j Greensboro Ne-ws.
The University of North Carolina News Letter (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Sept. 4, 1918, edition 1
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