Mount Vernon signal. (Mt. Vernon, Ky.) 18??-current, 1918-06-07


do as he says not as you would
like to do. Every young mau
that has become eighteen years OF
age will wear the uniform ard
fight for his country if We gain
the liberty that we are fighting
for. Of course, our people hate
to give up the boys from the
homes. But listen, think the mat
ter over. aud see who has the big
ger burden to bear. The folks
back home looses one, or. maybe
more, say two. Well, they loose
two boys that they love and have
raised from childhood to the pres
ent time. Just when they can be
a real help and blessing to their
parents, they go to the canton
ment, don the uniform of soldier
ready to fight for his country and
friends as long as God lets him
live. and yet the people think that
he don't care where be is, having
a good time. You will hear them
say back home, where we boys
came from "Well, / know that
John or George is all right, for he
did not stay at home when he was
where he could come every week. "
Well. listen folks, we boys have
hearts as big as mill stones, we
may have been careless when we
were where we could be at home
more often and would let minor
pleasures keep US away, but it
was not always because we didn't
want to be with father. mother
brother and sister. There is not
a boy serving under the Stars and
Stripes today that would not do
more for his parents than 1
would. No, there is not a man
living that would go farther than
1 would to see the old folks at
home. While the old folks al,
home are losing that boy, or those
boys as it may be, that same boy
or boys, is losing everything. He
has had some plan for the future
laid or mapped out to go by, and
that is all torn flown, all hopes for
the future are thing of the past
because the length or endurance
of the war is uot a definite thing.
All he can look for is to learn how
to STAY his enemy with as little
exposure of himself as possible.
He writes letters to the folks at
home and says, "Dear dad and
mother, 1 am having the time of
my life, and it 1 was at home I
would enlist tomorrow" My Cap
tain is fine fellow and the Ser
geants think we'll of me, aud all
that. All that may be true but
down in that boys heart, there Is
a longing for the days to come
when peace will be universal and
he can be at home with the folks
and friends he left behind, and
above all he is looking to spend
one more happy hour with that
girl that is tue and is still wait
ng for his return. You will hea,
some say: well, Bill has gone
to the army for about a year nov
and he don't care so much abou
coming home any more" lie
me tell you there is not a mai
wearing the uniform that woul,
not be glad to have the chance t.
spend a month with home folks
no matter what the cost of tina
stay should amount to in dollars
he would be glad to give it for tina
chance. Even with all thes
things to bother our minds, if W
would let them, we are the mos
jolly fellows that the people i
| civilian life ever cast an eye upor
We are many thousand strong an
brothers from homes. We hav
good beds to sleep In and plent
: of good wholesome food to eat an
enough exercise to cause you d
! gest almost anything in the wa
of food.
Here is the way the recruit see
) things when he arrives at til
5 camp. Say he arrives at 10 pm
the sergeants take them throug
a building which is (the old sol'
ier) called the mill and they al
S questioned as to the kind of wor
d they have been doing for the la
= five years, takes out $4,000 il
e surance and makes his stat
g ments as to who his finals (whie
g is his pay and insurance. shoul
d go to at his death. Then he