Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-12-06

I take the liberty of writing to the
Salem mothers thru your columns.
First of all I want to get down to the
q knitting proposition. [ have visit
ed the boys in camp at an Atlantic
seaport and l feel sure they are out
fitted properly and as warmly clad as
it is possible to be. OF course we have
had cold weather when no matter how
well clad you were you had to move
fast to keep warm. They have their
warm underclothing from the govern
ment and don t think they are suf-
fering. We know, if we have any fore
sight or common sense, what a tremend
GUS task our government has before it
and that they need the cooperation of
every woman who can knit, but we OF
the east know they are making wonder
full progress toward equipping and out
fitting these boys. l might suggest
knitted sleeping caps (not helmets)
might be acceptable and 1 ami sure
helmets are appreciated if the boys
haven't them already. However you
can lust remember that your local Red
Cross will put this knitted goods where
it will do the most good and that it is
needed somewhere, as you will see from
ington, D. G. However, this call for il
need not carry with it scare that the
BOYS are freezing, etc, but this you
must remember, that it should be there
when the need for it comes.
Appreciate Supplies
There is another thing about these
supplies from home whicn counts. You
will get it from this. Company G OF
Aberdeen, Washington, two weeks af-
ter they arrived in camp got a com
plete set of knitted woolens for each
man in the company. They, too, had
been outfitted by the government;
they were not in need, but they turn
ed back their supplies whenever nee
essary and every man felt a little rlch-
or because of his knowledge of what
the home folks were doing. | pass this
along because there may still be few
" slackers" who need to begin their
active work for the comfort of Amer1-
can boys.
Also 1 want to pass along something
which one of the boys said to me,
which I shall always remember: Why
we are all taken care of now and l
know if we had left from Salem or
gone thru Salem every last one OF us
would have had set of knitted goods
have talked with many of them and
thew all seem well cared for in wool
ems at this time.
have visited them in camp several
times and l want to say that our gov
ernment army officers are turning out
men. These boys have gotten more val
uaible experience and discipline in these
few weeks than they have ever had
before. They are not eomplainers, nor
are they "toughies they have var
ions opinions of what constitutes
GOOD time, but any hardships they have
found so far (I doubt very much II
thew have found any real onesl go to
make real men of them. All this ex-
perience will go to make the men who
will ego over the top" of any dlrfl-
entities that comes into their hves--not
around. or under, but over.
Is Making of the Boys
T am not a sentimentalist and do
love mankind, which of course lneludes
men as well as women and chlloren'
7 slppose / shed as many tears as the
average woman. 1 get choked up Just
when + don't want to, too. When l at
tended playground training school IN
Chicago (pardon this footing of my
own horny l was credited by my teach,
ers. as well as some Of the best social
service workers in that city, of being
the best "boy worker with discipline
in class of some forty social work
ers. Might say for the benefit Of some
Of my old school mates who knew me
to be ready to scrap boy at the drop
OF the hat, that most of this under
standing has been acquired within the