The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-12-18
YOU CAN'T DO TOO
MUCHFOR SOLDIERS
WARNS SGT. MEEK
Treat Them Like Heroes and
They win Live Up To Expecta-
tons In Hour Of Battle
LOCAL BOY READY TO
RETURN TO THE FRONT
Doing Our Bit" Not Enough, He
Writes; We Must Be Our All,
To Be Assured of Victory


A note Of warming to those who
are left at home, urging them to do
their utmost for the men in uniform,
rs sounded by Sgt. james Meek,
former Honolulu boy, in letter writ.
ten to Albert Wallace, Of the Honolu.
lu Iron Works.
"You cannot do too much for the
boys who are leaving you TO fight in
France, writes Sergeant Meek. Threat
them like heroes and they will live up
to your expectations when the battle
hour arrives, ,, he adds. "Nothing you
can do win be too good for them. Be
proud of them and they will be proud
of you, proud Of their country and
proud of Themselves
Sergeant Meek, whose many inter-
esting letters have beer published in
The Advertiser during the past three
years, has written this most recent
series of patriotic American postal
cards, some of which bear these inscrip-
tions: Advance America 'sFor
Liberty, and "Now we shan 4 be
long" His letter, which concludes with
the inscription, Yours for LibertyU
is as follows;
hem1ndS Him OF HAWAII
II am out today with a party of
forty Maori boys on trench practice.
I am the only ''haolen in the bunch
and listening to them talk and sing as
they dig | am reminded of the days
when I worked alongside their Hawaii
an kinsmen ON Honolulu jobs. They
are being trained as Pioneers at this
depot, and being naturally good at bush
craft they are great asset TO the New
Zealand division. While here they
organize fine native concerts which are
usually packed to the door and bring
lot of money to local hospital funds.
They have just finished lunch and had
cup of coffee made on the field and
are now playing ttwo up" They are
very like the Hawaiian boys; fond Of
bit Of flutter at gambling. They
are not sent to the front as fighting
units now although they fought well
when they were organized as infantry
on Gallipoh. They feel sore at not be-
ing n tdoughboysn but the New Zea-
land government. doubtless wishes many
of them to get back to their native
soil, and so, instead of using the bay
onet they use the pick, shovel AMI axe.
They are some workers, believe me. 4
Today they. are making model
trenches on our training ground. In
spite of all the improvements in the
machinery of warfare trenches still re.
tain their Importance. The only refuge
from modern high explosive shells is In
mother earth. Big cities are no longer
considered impregnable il they have
ring of isolated forts of stone and steel
and concrete around them. They are
defended by trenches now, similar to
those which defend the small villages
of Flanders. 49,. ~"
| Trenches are important because
they are difficult TO observe. Even If
observed they are difficult 10 hit ex.
actly. And even If hit by shell the
effects Of the explosion are eompara.
lively local. They conceal the move.
ments of troops. They are easy to
construct. They screen the defender
and at the same time allow him TO use
his weapons against oncoming forces.
And they serve as jumping off places
for troops who could not be brought
across the open to attacks strongly
fortified positions OF course, i cannot
| tell you what we consider the best
method in laying out trenches but
nave no doubt that your U. 4. A. boys
are being instructed in the latest
methods employed by the Allies.
Eager for Battle
My time here is drawing to an
end. feel like a shirker here and
considering the set back of Italy and
the chaos in Russia, shall 90 back
with good heart and feel that the
fuli services of everyone, including
myself, will be valuable at the front.
from what j can see here / am salts.
fed that England is still capable of In
creased effort. There are too many
idle women in places like this and there
are too many servants to attend on
them. The time has gone for talk of
doing out btu We must do our
all. We must be loyal to the dead who
have given all. We must generate eyery
ounce OF energy and direct it towards
the battle front. WV g. 80
IbelieFe we shau soon BEE uniyer
sal eonscriptionisevegy a soldier or
working to feed, 'elothe, and will nut
all previous struggles in the shade.
Should Russia and Italy be weak Ger.
many will aim heavy blow at France
IN hope that she may stagger. Hurry
up, America! Almost every day / read
IN the papers about the vast prepare.
lions being made in the U. S. A. I
thrill with the thought of being in nc.
tion alongside American lads before
long. ] tell my mates that the Yanks
are stickers and IL they were slow TO
enter the war they will be slow to quit
Can't Do Too Much ~
let me tell those of you who ara
left at home that you cannot think too
much of or do too much for the bows
who are leaving you to fight in France,
Treat them like heroes and they. will
i've up TO your expectations when the
battle hour arrives. Nothing Won can
do will be too good for them, BE proud
OF them and they win be proud OF Won.
proud Of their country and proud Of
themselves. b +. - -. rN -
"a few more days of comfort and
pleasure and am going back TO the
cold, the mud, the Smelling, the gas. the
snow, the monotoDy of the front. But
! VIII meet there. men of America and
there Is nowhere else at present that
! they % should wish to be-"