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808 ILLUSTRATED WORLD
"Her Whole Duty in This War Is Not Done When She Kisses Some
Soldier Good-bye—"
think of in the quieter moments. I believe
that if the idea were seriously taken
up the organization would have tremendous
influence. It would go down in history
as one of the big war contributions
made by women.
This organization could do much
more, however, than merely to send
bright, breezy messages. To some extent
it could look after the
soldier's food. Napoleon
said that the "Soldier
marches on his
stomach." No army is
efficient that has not a
satisfactory food supply.
The commissary is the
most vital thing in an
army. Upon satisfying
the men in this respect
frequently depends an
officer's success in leading
his men. A full
stomach makes a cheerful
fighter.
Hannibal, the Carthaginian
general who battled
with the Romans
more than two hundred
years before the Christian
era, on one occasion
fed his army before
dawn and attacked the
enemy before they had
time to breakfast. From
this simple strategy resulted
one of his greatest
victories.
Civilians, it is true,
cannot hearten the army
by sending shiploads of
Swift's, Armour's, or
Libby's best beef. They
can, however, send chocolates,
dried fruits and
similarly condensed delicacies.
Army rations at
best make a man frequently
more homesick
for waffles and sirup, hot
mince pie, and custard
puddings than one can
well imagine. He grows desperate for
sweets. An army diet does not satisfy.
In Belgium, Hoover found that the
under-nourished people preferred to
make pastries out of their ration of flour
rather than turn it into the less expensive
and more easily digested bread. The
demand in Berlin and Paris for candies,
no matter what the price, has been enor-