Foolish Virgins of 1918

Foolish Virgins ofJ 1918 By F. S. Harris, Ph. D., Director Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah Agricultural College

"And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage; and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not." Never in the history of the world has there been a time when it was more necessary to have our lamps filled as well as trimmed and burning. The entire civilized world is at war. All the resources of the fighting nations are being marshaled for the purpose of insuring victory. Each side of the conflict is deter- mined to win at any cost. Not only are soldiers and ammunition important, but food promises to be one of the deciding factors of the war. The military forces are so evenly balanced that an early victory based on arms alone seems unlikely. Food and supplies for armies as well as for the civilian population will determine largely what each nation is able to contribute toward the winning of the war. The countries nearest the war zone have experienced con- siderable shortage of food. Actual famine has been felt in a number of instances. Even in our own country, which is full of resources, and which has only recently entered the war, and that at considerable distance from the center of hostilities, has had a shortage in several important foods. Our second winter of war, with a much larger army abroad, promises to be even more trying than the first. Transportation facilities will prob- ably be even more congested, and the needs of the government will be more insistent. Every patriotic citizen will do all in his power to lessen the strain at that time. He will now, before the bridegroom ap- proaches, fill his lamp and be ready for the winter season when the real test on the nation will come. Plenty of coal can be had now. In the winter it will be needed for manufacturing of war munitions and supplies. It costs no more to fill the bin this summer than it will cost next winter. By having the bin full, a possible shortage during a cold spell can be avoided.

FOOLISH VIRGINS OF 1918 981

This summer there is an abundance of vegetables and fruit. These may be dried and in other ways preserved for winter use. By having an ample supply of these foods on hand it will not be necessary to use transportation that will be needed for other purposes later on. It is not necessary to have the spirit of hoarding in order to insure the family against famine. If the farmer knows how many beans his family will use during the year, why not save them out of the harvest and thereby make himself secure? Many kinds of food cannot be shipped great distances; an especial ef- fort should be made to use these at home. At the time Utah was settled, the leaders gave advice that can be followed to good advantage now. In essence it was: "Keep your lamps filled and trimmed." Those who do this will not only be rendering a patriotic service, but they will also place themselves out of the class of the foolish virgins. Logan, Utah.