Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1918-07-05
Letter from Prof. Jones.
Camp Clellan, Ala,
Army Y. NJ. C. A.,
July 2, 1918.


July 2, 1918.
Editor The Beacon:
sometimes wonder if we all
don't get just a little bit con-
ceited at times about our own
particular little job or the in
finitesimally little sphere in
which we move, whatever and
wherever that may be; and i
wonder, too, if most all of us
haven't little hobbies and little
gods that keep our minds in
trenched and away from bigger
and better things. We are all
learning the lesson Of sacrifice,
though. The war is teaching us.
1t is no little job these boys in
khaki are doing just now, nor
have they any hobbies in doing
it. Self never enters their minds.
It is others they are living and
fighting and dying for. Practi-
cally all Of them that / have
talked to are sending half of
their thirty dollars per to the
folks back home; they pay six or
seven dollars for insurance, and
they give the remainder to the
barber, and yet they are training
for the supreme sacrifice if
needs be. Withal they are hap
Ply.
] see mothers everywhere ] go
wearing little service pins--the
little blue star that represents
him whom she has loved from
he time he played with his pratt
.les-and how high they carry
heir heads and what a wealth
# pride is theirs! Certainly the
poys are not the only ones who
IRE making a sacrifice. Nobody
nows but a mothers heart what
| mingling of pride and grief is
,ors when he marches away to
var. And in all this living for
)thers the fathers seem to have
oeen almost forgotten when the
tory of sacrifice is told. Nothing
sentimental has ever been con-
nected with them, but heaven is
witness that a fathers love for
his child is the love of a man, and
though silent in his sorrow his
sacrifice, too, is supreme.
There is never a day that | do
not for some man read letters
from and write them to his loved
ones. And | am working with
u~ntiring energy to prepare them
to write their own letters. It is
a great thing to be working with
a fellow who is a man to the
core, teaching him to write to his
own mother, or maybe his owr
wife and baby. | wrote a letter
yesterday for a man to his wife
and when we were about ready
to close | asked him if there was
anything more he wanted to tel
her. "Tell her." he said, "tha.
am doing well in the army, ant
for her not to worry about me.
Then | asked him what was tn,
last thing he wanted me to Sa!
to her. His reply was: Tel
her that | love her with all m!
! heart" Splendid message of low
and cheer! Being of a more o
less emotional nature, | had t
draw myself together to keel
} back the tears, for | thought o
my own family and the though
of not being able to write to tn
little girl and her mother wa
sikening to me. But withou
his knowing my childish feeling
| collected my thoughts and toll
him that that was a splendi
message for a man to send to hi
wife.
They always want to pay m
; for writing their letters and DE-
ing little things like that, an
when | absolutely refuse the
persist in showing their apprec.
alton by taking me to the car
f teen and treating me to sol
t drinks or ice cream. | Away
go, but | pay for the drinks my
self. | would shine their shoe
if it would be any service
them and they would let me d
n it, and | am not a hero wol
y shipper, either.
Some of the men in my classt
e come from far away Ital
| Greece, Roumania or Salonic;
d others from our own blue hill
e and fertile plains; but they a
1; have one common purpose-or
n end in view-and they alike d