BACKING UP THE GUNS

[Music] America rich with great natural resources upon which depends victory oil steel unlimited power broad fertile plains it is the development and protection of our national wealth that will make America the Arsenal and the breadbasket of the world but there is one national resource greater more essential than all these our children here are the potential war workers of today the builders of tomorrow developing this young potential manpower is one of the most vital parts of the war program we must succeed here first well trained young minds sound strong young bodies are the very makings of a victorious army armies of men and women in uniform armies in overall the full responsibility of this essential corporation of Young America falls squarely upon the shoulders of our teachers our schools the women and men of our schools are trying to meet this challenge but they can't do the job without your support it's a big job and it begins with the protection of health physical fitness is the first essential in the war program the first step in preserving good health is a careful and regular checkup discovering the signs of danger in time to correct the condition or prevent the spreading of sickness to the classroom work our teacher adds the responsibility of passing the doctors information along to the parents following up regular day to see if the corrective treatment is given encouraging and helping the child in every way to guard and preserve good health training our young girls and boys in first aid work to prepare them for any emergency a vital part of our civilian defense program such training served well even in times of peace periodical health examination in the public schools is one way to make sure that all of children are given this opportunity to better health and if you don't think this is important just remember what we went through in the last World War influenza epidemics that's caught young and old with the deadly speed of bullet sounds strong young bodies our public schools carry a large responsibility for the health of our nation in this war that's the call to stretch young growing muscles train them to move with rhythm develop control a few years ago some people wondered why our schools made physical trust of the students program today a visit to any army or Navy training camp will prove how well our school system has been coordinated with the war program public schools prepare our boys in advance it takes teamwork in the Navy you've got to pull together if you expect to get anywhere in this war and it's teamwork they learn first on the school playground here is where they learn the rules of fair play here is where they learn that one man depends upon another and that they must work together to win no other public agencies is well equipped to train our young men and women to think and act quickly to prepare them for action anywhere they're needed as our public schools no other work could be more important to the war program than to give Uncle Sam men with the strength and stamina to carry the load yes sir here's the makings of good American and they'll be plenty for you to do for your country when this is all over and there's still another field in which your schools contribute mightily to the health of the nation nutrition back of the guns is food that can win or lose a war your government has engaged upon a gigantic program of educating our home makers on the nutrition values of food for the purpose of conserving avoiding waste and at the same time safeguarding help it is a wonderful thing for science to discover new values of nutrition in foods new methods of preparing food to preserve nutrition value it is another thing to make this information useful and practical in millions of American homes how can the government most quickly accomplish this through your schools here in the home making class is convincing evidence of the real practical value of our public schools for here we study the principles of nutrition and then apply them in practice our teachers demonstrate method how to get more out of food how to plan and prepare and eat for better health how to preserve food with restrictions on certain foods inevitable with food delivery sharply curtailed with a growing demand upon our food reserves by a starving world mrs. America is going to have less to choose from you'll find mrs. America coming back to school today to learn how to do more with less she's ready to do her part in the war effort but she needs the help of your school how is the school in your community equipped to do its part in this vital phase of our war program it takes equipment to do this work it takes materials to work with butter eggs flour and gas to cook with costs money it takes the services of an experienced and well trained teacher to convert the progress of our scientific laboratories into sound kitchen practice the health of our nation depends upon the success of this program can your school do its part that's the call to the workers of America the call to fill ships and warships to build airplanes tanks gun a call for the mightiest army of skill Bert when the world has ever known millions are answering and we still need millions more to fill the machines that are needed to win where will they come from from the workshops of the schools of our country here is the nation's greatest reservoir of manpower in training every facility of every school in the land is being pressed into service to meet the unending cry for more trained workmen hundreds of eager young hand make their first contact with the machines of industry in our schools real lathes that turn out real machine tools the kind that build guns and tanks there is much to learn time is short but the ground work in our schools has been well laid and we are meeting the challenge under the guiding hands of experienced and highly skilled teachers Young America is learning in a few short weeks what would have taken months in ordinary factory work translated into tanks and guns for every man who goes through the training shops of our schools months of production timer gains the waste of material and time due to error is greatly reduced that means more airplanes per day more guns per hour from every new war worker who has the opportunity to be trained in our public schools agricultural manpower is being trained here to the ability to repair and keep in operation all the mechanical farming equipment is an essential part of our food production problem we must provide war workers for the field and the factory woman power just as vital has an equal opportunity for training in our schools in this new gigantic war workers army women are taking over responsible job schools are training women indefinite skills for factory work and for the office this training in our schools has always been an important part of a practical education today it is essential today the training shops of our schools are running day and night students and adults work side by side more than 3 million workers have been trained in our school shops in the last two years shall we stop this training of war workers and our schools shall we close some of these shops many of our teachers can earn much more money in a defense plant than their earning here in our schools shall we let them go if the schools are to hold competent teachers they must have adequate financial support if we don't want empty shops remember the great work of our schools cannot be maintained except with the help of competent teachers there is another essential service which our schools and teachers render more vital to our victory and defense training its own it goes on in every classroom every hour of the day you can't measure its work you might call it teaching or fostering the American ideals upon which our democracy is founded is this important today maybe you can see the need for this kind of help than the young faces that confront our teachers you can hear it in the questions they ask what are we fighting for didn't we fight the last war and save democracy can we preserve our democracy and still win the war what will happen us when the war's over and you answer these questions they must be entered our teachers are trying to help these young citizens find the answers in the things that stand for the American kind of Liberty they're trying to explain the kind of love for a country that will make a man die for it as they did twenty fifty a hundred years ago a lesson in the responsibilities of a democracy they try to make young minds understand the ideals of Washington and Lincoln are alive today in us they try to interpret our great institutions of government cement industry in terms of American democracy to make all this a part of our faith our way of life our teachers demonstrate the freedoms we enjoy to work where we choose to worship God in our churches to write and read what we want to say what we think to choose our own representatives than to control the course of our government in the free ballot box this is a part of a teacher's daily work it's the part that has no name the part that goes on every hour of the day is it important in a world that is flooded with propaganda by vicious enemies who is going to help these young Americans distinguish between fact and anti-social confusion who is going to prepare our young men and women for the job of reconstruction when this is all done they have to live through it teaching democracy is the greatest responsibility the most difficult assignment our teachers have today it's the foundation of America tomorrow that's a sacred trust isn't it yes there are many communities which pay their teachers as little as fifteen dollars a week is this a fair return for so great a service is this a safe return for the job to be done there are schools that have poor equipment poorly trained teaching staff inadequate for the important job to be done there are schools and our better communities where vitals training activities may have to be reduced because the present operating fund is not enough to meet the greater demands brought on by the emergency this war is not being fought for any particular section of our state or any one region of our country it's everybody's job every school has a vital part to play in the great war effort young men and women must be made physically fit for action wherever our country needed them young men and women must be trained to build planes ships guns tanks to build them faster and better to build against time young Americans must learn the meaning of our democracy they must have a faith strong to endure the hardships of the new problems that are ahead of them this is the foundation of the victory the work of our public school and our teachers have answered the call with all they've got but it's a greater call a bigger challenge than they've ever had before they cannot win the loan they must have your support all you are asked to do is your part if you want better soldiers and sailors if you want more ships more planes more tank and if you want them faster if you want victory if you want to build for a better tomorrow give your school a chance to do its job [Music]