The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-09-05
@1CY ". 3. S..
REPLY TO THE KNITTERS

In yesterdays Tlmes-Record we
had an article from the Literary Dr.
gest written by one Mr.. Dale, who
made the statement that it was a
waste of time to knit sweaters as the
soldiers did not wear them in the
trenches. Today we have been handed
very long reply to that, but it is too
long to print the whole article so we
will give extracts from it. The writer
says:
"He quotes Major Boehm as saying
that he never saw men wearing sweat
ers in active service. We have had a
million men in environments, forts, and
naval bases in this country the past
winter who were glad to have Red
Cross sweaters, and there were sever
al hundred thousand in France who
wore them also, for there is less of
protection against the winter weather
in Franch than in this country And,
what is more, the men will need them
this next winter, both in France and
this country, so there should be no
fear that there will be an oversupply
of sweaters and socks.
1T may be true that better knitting
can be done by machinery, but there
Is not that sense of intimacy or senti-
ment IN garment made by a machine,
given to a soldier in wartime, which
a garment made by the hands of some
patriotic woman possesses. This may
seem like cheap sentiment, but that is
what the kaiser would call the senti-
ment OF democracy for which the
world is fighting.
"As to ships, or the lack of ships,
in the Pacific ocean, to move the Aus
tralian wool, / am very sure from
what l know that this country will
have more wool than it can use in a
very few months.
"But one of the worst implications
in Mr.. Dale's communication, although
he may not have intended it, is that
the Red Cross uses both its money
and its energy almost exclusively in
knitting. He should remember that
the Red Cross has very great and
grave duty to perform in this war be-
sides the mere making of knitted
goods, and that it has performed this
work so effectively in France, BEL
glum, Italy, and other countries that
General Petain has said that, in case
Of France alone, the American Red
Cross hal SO fortified the morale of
the French people last year as to be
equal IN value to an army of 1,5OO, 900
men. 1t has been one of the great evil
dences to all the Allied countries that
America is behind them.
$50 feel that such criticisms as
Mr.. Dale makes rather tend to weaken
the spirit of patriotism in our people
than to strengthen it. When the house
is on fire there is no time for petty
family squabbles, and often in putting
out the fire more water is used than is
necessary"
A Canadian sergeant, Mr.. Thomas
N. Gourlay, who writes from the mil
itary hospital at Whitby, Ont, takes
exception to the statement of Mai.
M. $. Boehm. of the Canadian forces,
quoted by Mr.. Dale as saying that
hand-knitted articles were little
thought of by soldiers in the trenches.
He says.
"1n my opinion Mr.. Dale has been
misinformed. Where Major Boehm
gets his information is beyond me. No
Canadian soldier who has been on &C.
tive service and who has been in
touch with men in the trenches could
possibly make such an error.
If Major Boehm will look me up
ne will have the privilege Of seeing an
ex-soldier who has worn a sweater in
France and Flanders. and who has
seen many other soldiers wearing
sweaters. as we'll as other hand-knit-
ted articles.
II served twenty-five months as a
private and sergeant in the Canadian
Army and have two brothers still
serving. We are blessed with a good
mother and many friends who. kept
us supplied with hand-knitted socks,
cts. Factory and mixed goods are the
cause of many sore feet, so my advice
to the women Of Brookline, Mass. and
to any woman who has relative or
friend in active service, is to knit and
keep on knitting until the war is
ended"
-BrY ". S. s.