Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-11-08
WHEN THE WAR IS
OVER over THERE
A Mother In The Middle West
Sees Visions And Dreams
Dreams
WHEN PEACE is ASSURED

A mother from the middle west wrote
in the other day to friend in New
York: I'VE will be in New York in
January. We are coming to meet our
son who has been in France fighting
for two years. can hardly wait. My
husband says l have given up count
ing days and am now counting time
by the hours.
The friend who received this letter
was aghast. She hoped it was an I'M
usual case, but TO her great surprise
she speedily discovered that it was the
hope or delusion shared by almost
every mother she met. One Mother
even argues the point with her.
Il know my son will be home soon,
this mother explained. THE Germans
cannot hold out much longer. When
peace is declared / know my son will
take the first boat back. You don't
think, do you, that the boy will hang
around to get another view of French
scenery when he could be on his way
home.
The first boat back. The woman she
spoke to had a mental vision of two
million boys in khaki and blue throw
ing their baggage into service bags
and making a rush for the first boat
out just as if it were ferry boat from
New York to New Jersey. 1t was
queer idea and she tried to laugh al
| it. but somehow the laugh stuck in heI
throat
AS she talked with this mother she
| found that driving the truth home was
as painful as the first news had been
that the boys would have to enlist
| The fact that these men will not re-
| turn to American for monses after
| final peace negotiations have been alb
solutely settled is a new condition
which mothers are just beginning to
realize at the present time. They are
trying to face it bravely. 1t will take
courage to get through the first try
ing days of peace and the women OF
this country are beginning to realize
| it.
1t took a long time to accustom the
world to the thought of long war
| 1t will probably not take so long al
though it will take time, to accus-
tom the women of this country to the
idea that peace and reconstruction
work will take many months before
they are finally consummated.
If peace comes by nezt spring, and
the most pessimistic do not put it on
later than that there will be weeks
and months of inactivity while peace
| is being talked and planned by the
diplomats and generals of the nations
at war. After that there will be more
months required for the demobiliza-
ton of the armies. In many ways this
period of rehabilitation will be the
most critical time of all for the men
and women now employed in active
war service. There will no longer be
ahead of these people the great ideals
of war which lifted them above their
own personal worries and temptations
during the days of international crisis
Formerly they made personal sacri-
fees through service. The great in
centive to sacrifice will be taken away
with the coming of the object for
which every man and woman give UP
their dearest desired. When peace is an
assured fact reaction will set in and
every man and woman now in service
will face the natural conviction that
having done their duty to the world,
they owe a little duty to themselves.