Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1918-02-25

Certain other types Of letter ought
never to be sent TO the men at the
I front. One is that written by the sell
( fish or thoughtless woman whose
closely written pages are blurred
with her tears, and taken up with her
own sorrow in having her soldier so
far from home, and her plea for him
TO come back at once, since every
thing is going wrong without him. One
of the Young Mems Christian Associa-
lion secretaries in France tells OF a
promising young chap who came back
from leave with every appearance Of
having been drinking heavily.
You see" the young soldier told
the Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton man, Il got a letter from my
mother, and she was so worried about
my going wrong over here, and so
sure that | had inherited alcoholic
tendencies from my father, that l got
desperately blue, and went on a spree
to forget all about it."
Moral Conditions Are Good
Moral conditions in the army are
great deal better than is commonly
reported. Captain Pearson said. No
mother. he thought, needed to worry
more about her soldier son on this
score than she would if he were any
where else The army is as safe a
place for a boy as can be found. But
the home. town across the seas seems
long way from the shell-scarred
field in France. and there is little 10
remind a man OF the home standards
and home traditions in the strange
new life within range of the bursting
shells. He needs letters from his
/ family TO do it. In maintaining high
moral conditions. as we'll as in keep
/ ing the morale OF the army what II
should be. Captain Pearson believe:
that letters from home play larger
part than any other thing.
Men don't talk much about home
sickness, and perhaps women dom
understand just how lonesome life Il
for them over there" he said. NV,
seen big, rough soldiers, the mos
hardened ones in camp, turn all VIC
man when 1t came to cuddling som
French youngster who happened to b
about the place, some baby that lool
ed like one of their own at home o
that they imagined looked like on
of their own. It's the unusual soldie
who doesn't come and show the Y. N
c. A. worker snapshots of his gil
back at home, or a picture of his me
Their, or OF his children"
All women want TO help In wa
time The trouble is that most {
them would like to go over TO Franc,
, or in some way to give personal Sc
-, vice to the soldiers. But the real wa
-, to be of aid is to do ordinary, unspe
, tacular things over here. to send the
, men off cheerfully, and to write tn
-, kind OF letters that keep them of goo
courage.
Get Ready To Do Mems Work
There is very little that wome
=. can do for our soldiers over there
Captain Pearson declared. What Il
American women ought to be doir
lasts a long time. In France you vi
now, in my opinion. in case the vi
see them busted with almost eve
, task thdi men formerly did. hitched
the pillow i'm the fields. driving ii
motor cars in the cities. doing almo
. everything you can mention, bray
devoted women who are every WI
as good soldiers as their men at q
front. In Canada and in England
:. is almost the same; there are fe
men left at home, and the wom'
must do the work.
when it comes to sending HON
boxes to the soldiers overseas. won,
should be sure that they sond gif
that arc needed, and that won't spc
en- route. A lot of junk merely cit
tiers things up for the soldiers ther
', But letter Is n gift that L. alwa
- timely. and never in the way.
"War just shows how wonderf
" women can be. But sometimes tn
don't understand how lonesome S,
diers get, and how far from ovel
hing they feel over there on the b,
der Of No Mans Land. They WI
=" for answers to their letters and do
;" stop to figure out that they are I
glocting one Of their wartime jobs.
Write 10 them"
-. =
.C z..-