The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-12-06
The Home Postmark

Home, Sweet Home" never con-
tanned as much sentiment as it E&S
since the boys from home were sepa-
rated from the family and were plac-
ed in environments. And mail tim''
in camp causes the boys in uniform
to allow their thoughts to revert
back to the town where they were
born, and to look anxiously for the
postmark which indicates that the
letter came from home. 1t dies not
necessarily have to come from ones
immediate family to make it inter-
esting. for often letters from acquain
tances are just as welcome.
News coming under the stamp OF
the home postoffice helps to cheer. 1t
is more interesting reading matter
than ever came from the pen of Jack
London. Mary Roberts Rhinehart's
most popular book never appealed to
a soldier like 4 letter from a girl
friend telling of the recent weddings
and the love affairs which have taken
place since ''Sammie" Joined the
colors.
One Camp Meade man recently
wrote the following letter to girl,
who in her anxiety to do her bit at
home, overlooked the pang her in
difference was causing in the heart
of the soldier who is giving more
than a bit" to save her from the
Prussian Government:
81 must frankly confess that l
have been disappointed. AS yet 1
have not received a letter from you.
1t is not hard for me to imagine that
you are busy doing your bit, and l
suppose that you find it hard to get
down to correspondence. But even
that doesn't make me any the less
disappointed.
Nov let me tell you my side,
which, since you have other friends
in the service, l hope you will seri-
ously consider SIS a. m. to $50
p. m. is a long day, but $50 p. m.
to 10 p. m. is much longer many
times. Why so? Well, fellow
comes in tired, but in good spirits,
and repairs to the mail box. Empty
what then? 1t may be unjust, but
the line of reasoning that gets the
upper hand invariably is this: Here
l am giving the best l have for
THEIR salvation, and my friends
don't think enough of it to write me.
l say perhaps it is unjust reasoning,
but it is real.
Certainly then there will be nc
mail to read and none to answer, so
to say nothing of the depression,
there is very little to occupy ones
time. Of course, if enc cares for
fiction or six months old magazines,
which don't, he can read that stuff.
Outside of that it gets rather tire
some putting in all the time reading
army 7egqsarfons and formations.
Then. too. think of such periods we
have off as Wednesday and Saturday
afternoons and Sunday. Two religi-
Gus services on the last day will not
aggregate more than two hours.
Don't mistake me. l am not criti-
cising you or anyone else, but fear
these are the things those behind
don't realize. am not homesick-
l have been away from home too long
for that-but the military life is es-
sentially different. There are no
movies to go to, no church socials.
no ladies to chat with; in short. one
must furnish ones own entertain
ment. If it were not for the Y. M.
c. A. we would have nothing to re-
mind us of home. So please pass
the word on co those who have
friends standing ready to make the
supreme sacrifice that the soldiers
may still have mistaken confidence
in those behind"
It's such small thing to write a
letter or drop card to friend in
the service. That's the smallest
"bit" you can do, and yet there is
nothing that would be greater ap-