The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-15
BackYollr Soldier
 Boy With Grit,
 Not With SObs
By AMELIA JOSEPHINE BURR. Of the VigiIantes.

In an old Morse tale, the dragon which almost overcomes the hero groans as it finally expires defeated, "He was too strong-there. were Wo- men behind him." It has been said that the morale of an army depends upon the spirit of the nations women, more than upon any other single fac tor. That is good sense. The woman at home can be a dead weight on the man in the field, or she can double his strength and courage by making him feel that she is as truly in the service as he is. Unfortunately, the woman at home does not always real ize this. A lad I know writes from camp: Cant you drop a hint to sister to cut out the sob stuff? I didn't go into this thing for a picnic-I. know what I'm up against all right She needn't rub it in."
 One imagines what sisters letters must have been. Compare that pie ture with what this shows you of different kind of sister, quote word for word from the middle of a friendly letter: Christmas Eve>I had word from Dad that my youngest brother had been officially reported killed in action. We had a telegram Thanks giving Day that he was reported miss ing, but, of course, we hoped. So far we have no details, though Dad has cabled to several.
 Went GIadIy-Prepared to Die.
 "My brother had been in the service since 1915 he went absolutely gladly and quite prepared to die if needs be; he had just gotten out of the hospital after an attack of trench fever and in a letter I have from him, written the day he was killed. he said he was feeling pretty fit except that his arms and legs still ached a bit, and, of course, ache when I think he may have gone back too soon. He wouldn't mention any little discomforts.
 "We are wonderfully busy. I par celed 320 sweaters, 270 pairs socks, 75 scarfs and 75 pairs wristlets last week-so far we have sent 300 sweat CTS, 1900 pairs socks and over 800 of the other articles just from this valley; we are very proud. Our knitters can use 300 pounds of wool a week with ease, if we could only pay for it.
 T wish you might have dropped in Monday evening to see 15 ladies, heads of the Mormon Girls League, and 15 ladies, heads of the Mormon relief workers, all here planning Red Cross work It will be a good thing for our church to have them know us better and fear us less. They are such a splendid lot of women"
 So many could have a spirit like this, if they would. So much of the ''sob stuff'' is due simply to thought lessness and to lack of habltua1 self control. I wish that every woman in this country might have day on duty at the door of the hostess house at an embarkation camp, a day given up to. seeing how other women bear the or deal of goodbye, and how their atti- tude reacts upon their men. After my first such day I felt I never could whimper again. One meets all phases of weakness and strength-the hero ism is not sensational but of a quiet, matter-of-fact kind that grips the heart. N
 He Has Never Seen Me Cry.
 To one woman with a baby in her arms I had to break the news that she had made her long journey too late-her man was gone. She this may seem incredible, but it is true-she was sorry for me. Another a pretty, plump little dimpled thing who did not look as if she were made of heroic material, told me that she was leaving that afternoon as she did not want to wait to see her husband go. You see," she explained, "he hasn't seen me cry once since the war began, and I don't want him to. I'm glad and proud for him to go and do his little bit, and he knows it, too. But if he should see me cry he couldn't help remembering that sometimes"
 A friend of mine, young teacher, was married only 8 short time ago. Now her husband, physically disquali- fled for the army, has gone over as a Y. M. c. A. secretary, and she has gone back to her teaching to support herself while he is gone. She does not call 1t sacrifice, either. She, too, is glad and proud.
 If the understanding of what our spirit means to our men is once fully burned into the consciousness of American women, if we, like our sis ters of France and or Ag1and, fall in behind our fighting force to back up their efforts with every power we have in body and mind and heart, the war for liberty and democracy is won.