Douglas Island news., 1918-07-19
HOME LETTERS
 HELP SOLDIERS
But They Must Be Cheerful and Not of Crepe-Hanging, Pessimis-
 tic Variety
Tho Rcd Gross Issuca lhc follow

The Red Cross Issues tho follow ing:
 That frequent cheerful letters from home actually help to make American soldiers less subject Go shell shock in battle is ono of the significant facts brought back from hospitals in France by W. Frank Persons. director general of tho de- partmont of civilian relief Amcri- can Rcd Cross. Mr. Persons has just returned Co Washington, after spcnd- Ing four weeks with the American Eypcditionary forces in Franco. studying conditions which might ai- feet tho morale of the American inghtcr. lie has been with our troops at reception camps. supply and naval bases and concentration points be- ! hind Che line. Tho American sol- dicrs bllctcd iu little French ham ! lets seemed Co interest him portic- ularly. because they must maintain their morale under conditions that Ioncr no suggestion of American life or institutions.
 Cheerful Under New Surroundings
 "Of the morale of our lighting mon. heard only uniform approval throughout France" said Mir. Per sons. "Thcy arc maintaining that morale under conditions which, be- cause of loneliness. strangoncss and rcmotcncss. do not, in themselves nrc-disposc to buoyancc of mind. 10 is obvious that we i'm America must do certain things that will help di- rcctIy Co overcome the absence in surh surroundings of anything sug- rcstlvc of American lilc Tho Eng fish and Che French military ou- thoritlcs arc fully awake to Che trc- mondous benefit Co morale of main taiuing home interests and satisfy. nr the homiug instinct of their sol- dicrs They. therefore. make a 10. day mrlough every four months a regular feature of their military sys. tenn. and make it possible, if not obligatory. that the leave shall b' for visit home. Our soldiers can not como homo for such visits 1 Therefore. as far os it is possible tr do SO. we must take thc American home to thcm. Tho recreation agen. clcs and tlc cautccns maintained by Che Red Cross help by supplying th' ! American articles they like and par. ucularly by giving contact with thosc who spcal, English and who really understand what a young American means when he talkl about back home.
 Importance of Photographs
 "vcry important n keeping th' . American homo living reality In France are letters from home
 cheerful letters giving complete news personal news not worth , |lnc perhaps In any newspaper bui of real moment Co every member o .that particular family group Thcs' letters must como regularly and irc oucntly and leave no gaps in hom, history And this serial story of th' home lie should be illustrated with plenty of snapshots and pictures News and frequent pictures of th' children arc peculiarly important Those at homo see tho childrcr daily But from a distance Of 3.OOO miles and in war environment i is difficult to imagine a 2-ycar-olC as a 3-ycar-old child, or Co make 6 satisfactory mental picture of how a child left n curls and rompcr
 looks as real boy, with hair cu
 short and sticking his hands into his first pants pockets. Such homo
 news keeps brother. father or uncle
 buoycd mp and in fine fighting spirit ! lts absence may send him into bat ! Gle worried. blue, morosc, and h
 no mental shape to take carc of him
 self or do his full part In protecting
 his trench mates.
 Maintenance of AmeriCanism After hearing an about his home tho normal American wants news O
 his friends. his ncighborhood, hi
 community, and his state. That h'
 ls kept in touch with local civic of
 fairs has very direct bearing ol
 his citizenship when he is rcturne'
 to civil life, His Amcricanism mus
 be kept steadily up to date; his low for American institutions must b
 maintained in surroundings whicl
 offer little suggestion of his own To
 cal community. Not only must th
 home fires. but the fires Of dcmocrac!
 be kept burning. for at the close O the war thc soldier is Co return an' have a citizens part in shaping ou
 future institutions.