The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-11-10

-''ieiioa' SO easy to reach. No ques-
tion OF shipment. long Journeys over
sea, nor red tape I'm distribution Jusi
great box, and express companies
that give consignments for canton
nhehts the right of way! And for boys
who shiver needlessIy.
All over America today, women arc
knitting-without knowing where the
'hished garments are going. 1t is ali
rlght in a way. Some fighting man
VIII get their gifts sometime, but why
not certain boys now-while they arc
close at hand?
Here i'm New York. the Knitting
committee of the National League for
Women's Service, 257 Madison Ave
nue.. heard that the Rainbow Division.
consisting of mon from all over the
United States. training at Mineola
Long Island, was only half eouipped
with warm garments. An emergency
call was issued. The entire basement
of the Madison Avenue Headquarters
was turned over to chem. They urged
their friends and neighbors, personal
". to come to headquarters and knit
regular working hours. They issued
statements in the daily papers. They
concentrated on the Rainbow Division
as a business man concentrates on
the weakness of q certain part of his
plant. And they are equippinp this
regiment as fast as knitting needles
can perform the beautiful miracle.
Every community can do the same
thing. Outfit your own boys frs.
Whether you have q Red Cross Chap
ter or any other sort of war relief or
sanization, form new committee. a
personal, intimate. get-right down to
business committee and call it "Our
OWN Boys First Committee"
Find out the name of the regiment
md the company in which each and
every man from your town or COM
nunity has enlisted or been drafted.
can tell you-your post
master the editor Of your local pa
per. the National Guard enthusiast of
your town.
If you have sent out an entire COM
pany, write to the captain and learn
the Individual needs of his men in the
way of warm clothing-and fill them.
Don't wait for Uncle Sam. He is do
ing his best with contractors. We
women can beat the contractsors with
our knitting needles. Is you have not
sent any men from your town. from
your district (and II seems incredible
when look on this sea of men en-
near New York, that any
town however small has not sent it,
Doy) then write to the next town and
ask what you can do TO help provide
'or their boys.
Never mind If you do not know Jim
the boy on the next block
who was drafted. Never mind if you
have not spoken to the mother of
Billy Green who enlisted With Co. c.
Work for Jim and Billy and for the
village ne'er-do-well. If he has gone
War may make heroes of all three
And you'll be glad that you helped to
warm their bodies and their hearts
with your work.
Even IL you know no man in
training. knit for one ond make sure
that your finished garments go to
some one man from your part of the
country. Don't send your sweater or
muffler or socks To the nearest big or
and say want this to
go into a box for the boys from my
State"
1t cannot be done that way. All
these organizations are huge machines
which must do things in a big, imper-
sonal way. They cannot fit the gar
ment to the man. They must deal
with the army as whole and answer
calls as they come most loudly, from
America or Europe.
But you can do the warm. kindly
thing in personal way. Your gar
ments can reach the men from your
town--if you will seek out those men.
And how can you DO less?
How can you fail to realize the ex-
ira pleasure you will have i'm knitting
IL you know your work goes to warm
n lad from your own State? We are
q great nation, with tremendous nat
ional pride-but we are still neighbor-
ly--and our own boys should come
first.
Don't misunderstood me. be-
lipvp I'm SoIlnI tinpc oOJ oll