Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-01-03
War Charities as Viewed by
A Veteran Soldier Publication


Il reckon / foraged a little tht
sturdy old lady said. q never couLt
Itch the difference between somebody
! else's pigs and chickens and horses
and sheep and mine, so just broush'
| along everything that anu my WAY
Food for Romance.
oh, the tales of the things women
did those days will make ramahces
for the 25th century There was nc
drug store" sterilization ia those DAYS
and no absorbent cotton. u I'm,
must be had for the soreiy WOUNDED
in the hospitals. The school children
screamed the lint, boys and girls from
five wears old up. The towns ano
cities were ransacked for old llnen
old cotton sheets and pinoW-caseS'
MANY a bridal trousseau OF hand
woven and hand-sewed linen. dozens
after dozens, were cut in le-lnch
solares and picked into heaps OF
snow-white threads by tiny children
who earnestly did their splendid Dill
for the men in the field.
There were no costly ambuiabces,
no ~piouantly attired women drivers.
The women took "a OF the nome
earned the living and kept the fanny
together, and between times prayer
fuIly and earnestly helped the natloh
out in it's time of peril.
They did it without urging, with
nut splurging, without unitormlng,
without salary, and they were erect
i've and efficient.
So Much Surface" Work.
.orr notwithstanding and all
as well as the advance in medi-
cine and surgenry, have taken much
of the war work out of the hands OF
the women, and it looks sometimes as
though a surface showing OF ciothes
a monogram were about ali lAat
Is Left TO the ONE of today VINO are
willing to work. but, like the lady,
ARE All dressed III and nowhere 10
GO
In their places are a lot of socie-
ties-church, school, navy, army ana
that are feverishly trying TO
do their Bit They are each and
all draining the people of the coun-
try of money, for the membership of
these organizations interlock. II IS a
quarter here, a dollar there, $40 yon-
der. II is Liberty bonds, Y. NJ. c. A,
". Y. C. A, (. of c., Masons, Eiks,
Maccabees. rest rooms for churches.
recreation rooms for clubs. funds for
libraries and the Red Gross. This
latter organization speaks in millions.
Ii simply eats money.
Too Many War" Societies.
Well, the president has decided
this this doubling and trebling' OF
gifts is dangerously unnecessary. The
people are wearying Of ii. Ii has got
To The point in the Departments here
that il Is a practical ~bold-up,' You
give when the paper Is laid before
yeu or the Chief ma interview YOU,
President Wilson has spoken rather
broadly on the multiplying of war so
Secretary Daniels has more
thaa E1iidlg protested, and Secretary
BAKER Las said that Il the people like
10 DO all right, but il is not naces,
saTy. as The var department feeds.
eicthes and snstains its soldiers bet
ter Than any other government On
earth and Will continue 10 do SO.
And mo-. the shipping board is fac
ing = serious problem. The useless
rat pretty, sentimental gifts cans be
transported because necessities must
20 first. ard there are not enough
ships lor food, clothes and munitions,
Hundreds Of millions Of dollars worth
OF sentiment" is piled up on New
York wharEes and liable TO spoil, be
cause there are no ships TO send il
over in.
Abate the Hysteria.
So the powe rss gently hint thar
an abatement of the hysteria and g
getting back CT earth VIII Dc beTte.
fetal to all.
The Red Cross. as our own Clara
Miss Barton made the organization
what 1t is. and the elder generation
IN this day think of the splendid
woman who founded it whenever yot
mention the organization. Doroth,
Dix and Clara Barton VIII lire in 70
nance and story long after those wilt
are trying To emulate their deeds ans
fame are dust.
But when you add to the Red crosI
all the other organizations to which
you are asked Il contribute your goo.
aense tells YOU that they are DOUBLING
on each other and that somepod,
shcald call a halt. We all want i
give. but we should give with SOM
iudgnaent.
Pretty soon Presfaen Wiisoa WI
be forced to come right ont and 81
that the war charities are a good dec
of a nuisance as they are being ma
as-ed now and Will eli a halt.
9H@4IASAF