The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-11
100000 TROOPS
STILL NEED SMOKES
Big Task Still Lies Ahead of
"Sun" Fund and It's
Friends.
MEN ARE APPRECIATIvE
Fund Sends Them Just the
Kind Of Tobacco They'd
Buy Themselves.

A million men OF the A. e. r. are tell
ing each his own particular story about
the war and Europe to his family, but
there are stin "over there" a million who
win have to wait before their time for
story telling comes. and after these are
brought home there will be 800, 900
American soldiers left in occupied Ger
many. This number OF men can't use
30 much tobacco as a couple of millions,
but II will take q lot to satisfy their
wants.
The kinds of tobacco that have met
the need of the soldiers through the Of
foes OF THE Sun Tobacco Fund will
continue to be provided. Az the be-
ginning the smoke fund mado q few
mistakes of selection perhaps, but these
we're incidental to a start AMI long
before we had men in Europe tho fund
knew Just what smokes the boys wanted
and supplied them. It was easy to ac-
ouire this knowledge at the training
camps
Gifts Pleased the Men.
THr Sum Tobacco Fund wasn't like
certain people who when they give
things choose for themselves and not
for the recipients; obviously that
would have been easy, but the fund naver
did things because they were easy. It
consulted the soldiers taste and catered
10 It For that reason the gifts of
tobacco which II purchased with the
money supplied by the donors had q
great success with the men; 1t sent
TO them the kind of smoking tobacco
and cigarettes they would have bought
for themselves II they had been where
these abounded.
That success of THE SUN Tobacco
Funt must be apparent from tho very
first cards sent back to those which
are coming back now. How many
times have the soldiers written |:
You've sent Over my favorite tobacco
for the pipe" or THE cigarettes have
received from THE SUN Tobacco Fund
are my favorite brand" This constant
success in hitting the mark was always
very agre cable 60 the fund.
From the soldiers point Of view a gift
was twice blessed when to his Joy he
found, on opening package of tobacco
or q carton Of cigarettes that what 1t
contained was exactly what he would
have picked out for himself That has
had its effect in making them feel that
the fund was their best friend. But
why put this statement in the past
tense? THE Sun Tobacco Fund Is still
giving the soldiers who remain in
France just the kind Of smokes they de-
sire. ..-...-.s-..
In Germany me heed for American
tobacco by Americans is even greater
than 1t was when the same soldiers were
in France. These soldiers have not
written so frequently about their dis
taste for the tobacco purchasable in that
country as they did in the former land
for several reasons, the chief being that
they have had a larger share per capita
since they occupied the Rhine of the
good stuff from home. Another reason
is that when their supplies were getting
low they had not to fear a period of
being compelled to smoke the German
tobacco because they knew that with
little economy they could tide over lean
days until another distribution came to
them. A good many OF the obstacles
that once prevented anything like regu-
lar distributions have been overcome and
the soldiers knew 1t and this fostered
patience.
Besides in Germany they were not
Obliged by their own feelings to divide
with anybody. The Germans arc salts
fed with the molasses favored rubbish
they call tobacco and are not laundering
after the American kind. In France
can tobacco and were constantly beg
ging for 1t Our boys too shared with
the Australians as 80 many letters and
cards from that fine lot OF men have
witnessed
Now the soldiers tell the fund that
there are numbers Of Frenchmen who
cannot smoke the French tobacco, their
taste has been quite changed in the war
and only an American cigarette satisfies
Their wish to smoke.
All this is succintly put in a letter
nent hack on April 20 signed Company
u, S02d Engineers. 1t says:
THE Sum Tobacco Fund has never
permitted US TO suffer from lack OF the
smokes we crave and we have also been
able TO take care OF other soldiers than
our own We recognize the wide and
visa generosity of the fund donors in
sending the very kind we want and we
have tried to emulate 1t by dividing with
the other men.
Soldiers One Luxury.
Tobacco is the one luxury relished
ana enjoyed by every soldier. and we are
al the time wondering not why THE SUN
IS 30 constantly looking after us, but be-
cause 1t does It so perfectly, sending us
exactly what we want"
Dear friend" writes Sergeant-major
henry wilson from Paris to the Irving
Club "a donor), II can only say thank
you and God bless you. The boys of my
platoon will never forget the kindness
uey have received at your hands"
TO Mrs. A. C. Randall comes this card
nom iansbach. Germany. dated April "a
and signed by Private j. N. Marquis:
our contribution to THE SUN Tobacco
=, una received and gratefully accepted.
4hanks from myself and comrades"
a good deal has been written by the
soldiers in Germany about their desire
70 come home and the feelings Of home
SICKNESS that Cypress them from fear
OF being kept over there longer. Once
~ a while a card says that this feeling
mas been exaggerated, and while the
tp1dlers do OF course want to start back
ueir feeling doesn't correspond to nos
'Algla, They are healthy and happy,
Ape 70 do their work well.
But despite this there is general
out perfectly reasonable chorus OF ~
want TO come home" In a letter re-
gently received from the Citadel. Ehren-
tre!tstein, on the Rhine, which Is
manned by Americans, a poem was en-
.Iosed which probably gives the feel
hFS OF most OF the soldiers. 1t shows
eNfrhl emotions rather than pulling
ronesickness, and for that reason the
fund prints it
Westward Ho,
They are waiting there in France
pfor the ships to bring them home:
HM them singing see them dance,
~ no lhelr hearts are light as foam,
what they did there lies behind,
,St II walt future glance,