The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-01
OF INTEREST TO WOMEN
Broken Ties
How the Y. M. C. A. Is
Helping to Mend Them.

Out OF the fears and the anxieties Of
fathers and mothers, out Of the broken
connections that are inevitable in war
time, there has grown up q new de-
partment OF the Young Mems Christian
association, the bureau "for tracing
missing soldier and sailor boys"
To the folks back home, one Of the
big tragedies of the war is the fact
that there is no way OF following the
soldier sons into the enemy's country
No way, even, Of making sure that
connections remain unproken. One
week the family reads and re-reads,
laughs over. and pretends not to wipe
its eyes over. the usual letter from the
hoy in France, letter full of bravado
and gaiety, light hearted recounting of
the details of camp life, cockiness
about its hart1ships, conviction about
the outcome Of the war. The next
week the letter doesn't come. They
tell each other that it has been delayed,
try not to listen for the postman's
ring, and refuse to meet each others
eyes when the postman has come and
gone. So the week drags by, and the
next week comes. and the next, and
the weeks after that.
He may be in the hospital. he may
have been transferred. he may even be
prisoner of war. He may be dead.
although they have received no notice
Of his death. They would almost well
come that notice sometimes, in their
anxiety. for there il no grief worse
than such terrible uncertainty. There
Is nothing that they can do but wait.
Connections have been broken as COM
pletely as II the absent boy were in
another planet.
Then they remember that his letters
home have been written on Young
Mems Christian association stationery.
with the familiar red triangle on the
corner. Perhaps the Young Mems
Christian association knows something
about their son. They determine to
write and implore its help in getting
into touch with him once more. Some
times It is the father who writes, ask
ing that the bad news. II there Is any,
be kept from the boys mother. Some
times both father and mother write.
unknown to each other, each trying to
save the other pain.
It was these heartsick letters from
the home folks, mostly mothers, that
led to the creation Of the new bureau
Of the Young Mems Christian associa-
ton. 1t follows missing soldier and
sailor boys almost around the world
sometimes. to bring back word Of their
safety to their people at home. 1t goes
even into the prison camps, to ascer-
tain their whereabouts. During the
last month. the bureau received 81
letters, and was able to trace 81 Of the
boys.
No detective agency ever worked on
such meager clues as the bureau Of
missing soldier and sailor boys must
do. Sometimes only the boys name is
given. Often. the sole hints are such
bits as these: MY boy graduated from
Yale in 1916" Charley sailed from
America on the Espagne' June 49,
THE lad was in ambulance section %
but dropped out, to try to enter avi-
alton"
The method of following clues de-
Ponds largely upon the information
given IN the parents letter. Some
times the University club in Paris.
Rue Richelieu, can give aid; sometimes
the steamship company records are OF
help, sometimes the aviation head
quarters supply the missing informa-
ton. The army register handles &
huge location department. in helping