Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1918-01-04
DON'T WRITE TO STRANGERS.
(Roanokc Times.)

All over the country it is becoming
Il fad with many young women to
enter upon correspondence with sol
diers, unknown TO them personally.
who open the way for such CORE
spondence by writing plaintive let
ters to newspapers, setting forth their
lonesOmeness. The columns of some
newspapers carry three or four such
letters daily. This newspapers has
received number Of letters of this
character, but all of them have found
their way into the waste basket in
stead of into print. We sympathiZc
with the soldiers but cannot see our
way clear to subject the young wom-
en- of this community and section to
the undoubtcd risk attendant upon
such promiscuous correspondence.
There is always grave danger of I'M
pleasant consequences when young
women write elusive letters to men
Of whose pcrsonlty and character
they know absolutely nothing. A case
or two may b pcrtinently cited, per-
haps, in proof of the foregoing con-
tention.
The War Department has made
public facts communicated by the
postmaster at Chillicothe, Ohio, re-
garding soldier in nearby canton
ment who chad never received a let
ter" since arriving in camp Accord
ing to the postmaster, the soldier in
question received as many as twelve
hundred letters daily from girls
throughout the country who had gen.
erously and impulsively decided to
relieve his lonliness. The postmaster
reports that the man cannot read or
write and can he seen daily surround
cd by score of men looking over
the letters and amusing themselves
at the expense of the sentimental
feminine writers, besides helping
themselves to the money and postage
stamps sent.
Another case in mind was revealed
IN = letter TO the Baltimore Sun from
responsible citizen of nearby
town. at does seem to be n very
dangerous proposition for a girl to
jeopardize the high standards of
character which are her principal or
only safeguard in this life by casting
aside her good common sense and
modest reserve in writing to unknown
men," he writes. every lately a girl
who, to all intents and purposes, ap-
peared to be highly respectable and
of good moral character, in n spirit
of fun or sentiment began cor
with an unknown man
whose name had attracted her atten-
ton and soon each had a natural de-
sire to sec each other and after some
identification marks had been agreed
upon, a meeting was arranged and
the girl. by a sharp lookout. caught
first sight of her supposed Beau Ideal
when, 10, and behold, he happened to
be negro. Quickly removing nor
signs she passed on unidentified" The
same correspondent writes of having
witnessed soldier take an elevated
position on a public street and read
aloud letters from young women for
the dedication of his comrades.
Unhappily such cases are fire.
1uent and they point Enthusiastically
to the folly of young girls who enter
upon correspondence with unknown
men. Write to soldier, by all means
i you will and cheer him in his lonely
hours. To do so is thoughtful, kindly |
md praiseworthy in the extreme. But
write only to those You know and
who will not take advantage of your
trust and confidence. No nice girl
should consent to correspond with a |
man she does not know When she |
ioes she runs a risk of subsequent
and embarrassment that
n justice to herself she cannot afford
o undergo.