The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-12-28

herewith printed, but it is SO full Of
sound advice to our business men
that we feel obliged to print it.
Somewhere in Texas,
December 4, 1918. |;
To the Editor of The Record.
am not a native of Rock Hill nor
even a citizen but as your town is as
rear home to me as any a vagabond
may claim, want to put the people,
especially business men with the fu-
ture of your town at heart, next to
mighty good tip.
The army is discharging daily
men and officers who feel like Sink
ing home with their tail between
their legs because It fell not to their
lot to fight in France or Italy. When
we see man or woman with a serv-
.. ice pin, we cross the street. I at
tended D. w. Grifhth's Hearts OF
the World" with a group Of brother
officers These men sat through the
entire play. They kept a stony 81
lence until the end, when there
| flashed upon the screen the pictures
of American troops marching to the
rescue of the French, and every
man broke down and alternately
cried and cursed because Of their
great disappointment at not being
able to serve abroad. In that party
was York county boy, an aviator,
and, in our opinion, an excellent pi-
lot. Because his own reports were
painfully correct handed in on time
to the minute, he was put in an Of
| fee early III the war, and since that
time he has flown a f1at-topped desk
and done banks, loops and tail-spins
in a swivel chair. There was Pilot
Instructor B., who has been in the
army since this seasons century
plants were saplings. He was kept
! instructing because he was a good
one, and watched his students, one
by one, get overseas orders while he
stuck to the same old grind.
Well, these boys will be home
soon. They are not any too proud Of
the service they have seen, for you
civilians cannot understand the
army. Then, too, they have the su-
per-sensitiveness of their extreme
youth (1nost pilots are very young)
and they feel as if they can't bear to
be at home when the boys from
overseas arrive. I have heard three
! York county boys say they did not
intend to return home.
Now. the Chambers of Commerce
of this section are making every ef-
fort to persuade them to remain IN
the West. They try to put every
discharged officer and soldier IN
i touch with employers needing men
Recently there has been great devel-
opnent in the new oil fields OF
Texas They promise to give en-
ployment to thousands Of men
Right there is where York County
South Carolina, and any other sec
ton or State is going to lose a lot OF
fine youngsters, and that mighty
I quick, unless you get busy.
Mr.. Editor, unless the business
men Of your community wake up
real quick and individually or
through the Chamber Of Commerce
find a job, and a good job, for that
boy, he isn't coming home at all.
Those from overseas will return
mostly from homesickness but
largely to blow out any shining
! light veteran Of Texas service who
may be hanging around. Now, it
won't do to offer them job at the
wages you used to allow him. Army
life is ageing and that boy who left
Rock Hill a year ago is man now.
The last remembrance most of you
have of him was when you made
him stop playing ball on your va
cant lot because it injured the turf.
When you last saw B. he was all
puffed up with pride because he had
moved up the school house clock and
school let out ten minutes early.
You still have a grudge against that
A. boy because he BACKED your sons
eye in wonderful fist fight Your
wife won't let you forget, either, the
time he shaved her poodle all but
head, legs and tail, or when he dyed
her canary a flaming crimson, but
Yesterday I overhead a group Of
men say that if all officers were like
II. they would as soon Sgo to the
army when they died as Heaven. B.
was presented with a box Of cigars
bv the men under him and they
were of brand that you haven't
been able to afford since sugar was
six cents pound That A. boy is
doing stunts in a ship that are so
spectacular and daring that the Col
onel forbade him to fly in order to
save his life.
Seriously, I would advise the
newspapers, business men, Chamber
of Commerce and any employers to
get busy and get these lads back
home, for with oil booming, busi-
ness brisk, jobs plentiful and sal
aries ample in this section, they will
think twice before going back to
South Carolina Here they are, men
and treated as such, but they know
that back home they are still