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Clyde M. Hill

Supervisor of Junior High Schools

and

John M. Avery

Legislative Reference Librarian

State of Vermont
State Board of Education

1918

HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY

GIFT OF

GINN & COMPANY

MARCH 17, 1927

The publication of this Bulletin

is authorized by the

State Board of Control

MONTPELIER
CAPITAL CITY PRESS

1918

M

INTRODUCTION.

HANY of our homes must furnish their young men for the army and navy. This involves a large sacrifice and we may depend upon such homes to do all that they can to assist their boys in accomplishing a victory. Everyone, however, must be led to be equally willing to sacrifice for the country's welfare. This can only come about when our boys and girls and their parents come to understand and appreciate the fact that this war is not the concern of any class or group. When we are called upon to endure inconveniences in order that we may save food or fuel it is not for the purpose of helping a food or fuel administrator who may be located in Washington or in our state capital. It is, first of all, to assure that Vermont boys and others who have been called to the colors shall have proper food and sufficient equipment, and then to assist in preventing the starvation of those people who are fighting with us in this great

cause.

It is therefore necessary for everyone to know how our armies are raised and cared for. We should also understand why we must produce and conserve every possible bit of food and fuel.

This book has been written for the sole purpose of furnishing this information to Vermont boys and girls. The State Board of Education wishes to express its obligations to Mr. Charles F. Lowe for the careful reading of manuscript and for valuable suggestions in reference to the sections dealing with savings banks; to Mr. Fred A. Howland for the reading of the manuscript. and for important suggestions relative to the sections dealing with investments; to Mr. Frank C. Williams, Bank Commissioner, for valuable suggestions in reference to investments and banking; to Captain Stephen S. Cushing of the Adjutant General's office and to Mr. Charles Mitchell of the Naval Recruiting Station at Montpelier for suggestions relating to the army and navy; to the State Fuel Administration for suggestions relating to the fuel situation; to Miss Bessie Bacon Goodrich and Miss Mary

Maud Patrick for help in connection with the sections dealing with teaching methods. Free use has been made of the publications of the National Security League, the American Bankers' Association, and the United States Committee on Public Information.

Montpelier, Vermont,
January 28, 1918.

M. B. HILLEGAS,

Commissioner of Education.

WHY AMERICA FIGHTS.

The outbreak of the European War in August, 1914, came as a complete surprise to the American people. It had always been our policy to refrain from participation in the August, affairs of Europe, and the rumblings of the war 1914. clouds that had been hovering over Europe for the years immediately preceding had not reached our shores. The president immediately issued a neutrality proclamation calling upon all Americans to refrain from partisanship.

"Every man who really loves America will act and speak in the true spirit of neutrality," he said, "which is the American spirit of impartiality and fairness and friendliness Neutrality to all concerned . It will be easy to excite pas

sion and difficult to allay it."

Notwithstanding America's firm pursuit of a course of strict neutrality, the German Imperial Government, through its insidious spy system, spread a network of intrigue and conspiracy throughout the United States which culminated in countless. explosions in factories and destruction of bridges and industrial plants. Disregarding the rights of American citizens traveling on the ocean, German submarines attacked and sunk ships on which there were passengers. On May 7, 1915 the The Lusitania was torpedoed without warning and 114 Lusitania American lives were lost. In response to urgent and earnest attempts on the part of our government to secure reparation and promises for the discontinuance of such illegal submarine warfare, vague and indefinite assurances were made by Germany, only to be altogether broken and finally disregarded, when the German ambassador in this country handed to Secretary of State Lansing on January 31, 1917 a note announcing an unrestricted policy of destruction of merchant ships within the war

zone.

Almost immediately there resulted the breaking of diplomatic relations with Germany, the exposure of the Breaking off rapidly developing machinations of the German Diplomatic spy system in this country and Mexico serving but to increase the growing tensity of the situation.

Relations.

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