The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-05-02
"DONT'S" FOR MOTHERS
OF RETURNING SOLDIERS

'When the boys come home what
are we going to do for them?" "Find
them good jobs" is the prompt ans
wer of the practical economist But
the problem of readjusting the young
soldier to social life will also be q
pressing one, and it is natural that
it should be uppermost in the mind OF
a woman and a home-maker. So it is
a woman, Mabel Fonda Gareissen
writing to the New York Times from
the Y. M. C. A. Officers Club at Lii
moges, France, who tries to tell AM
erican mothers what changes they
must expect to see in their returning
soldier sons, and what they must do
for them-also what "Don'ts" they
must keep constantly in their minds.
One of Mrs. Gareissen's most emphat-
ic "Don'ts" relates to certain forms
of American home cookery and vi
ands. She registers rigid fiat
against stews. Thus. she says:
am almost tempted to have a
list of "Don'ts" printed for the Amer
lean women to hang in the hallway so
the boys will be sure the instant they
enter the home door that certain
dishes will never again be inflicted
upon them. Let them know at once
that stews are abolished Forever. So
many "stews" they hvae#been forced
to eat their name forit is2"slum." The
very thought of "slum" contracts
their stomachs. Canned salmon
(alias goldfish, and corned beef
(alias monkey meat, corn Willy, red
horse and bully beef are equally
as are hash, oatmeal, and
beans. Bread pudding is another de-
spised dish. The artillerymen call it
ARTILLERY pudding" Theysa after the
K. P. cleans the mess kitchen the
cook uses anything and everything
for the mixture that the K. p has
gathered up. They have turned
against carrots and rice, too, with
good reason. | went with a colonel
not long ago to the Haviland facto-
ries to help him select some china for
his wife. AS we looked about, l
spied a pretty and unusual dish. The
colonel admired it too, SO asked Mr..
Haviland what it was for. The ans
wer came, at is a rice, dish" The
colonel turned quickly, actually nau-
seated, as he said: eff my wife ever
serves me rice, I'll leave home" The
thought came to me, if colonies feel
SO, how must buck privates feel?
At the request of many of the boys
with whom she has been in contact,
Mrs. Gareissen explains, she is try
ing to give American mothers a
heart-to-heart talk which may help
70 prevent misunderstanding and
uncomfortable situations. So she
continues:
The boys agree with me that. for
several weeks after they get home
you will spoil them outrageously.
Then you will begin to wonder, and,
having been so far away from the
frightful scene, your wonder will in
crease.
Your sons are changed. They are
going home, after these few but in
,ense months, with an entirely differ
ent outlook on life. They came to
France upsophisticated They are
'eturning the most worldly-wise men
If the earth. They have seen the
nations, America included, as they
are, not as they thought they. were
Nations as individuals show their
'eal characters only under tremend-
Jus pressure). War has failed to bTu-
allie our American boys. They are
Is gentle and affectionate as when
hey left home-certainly they are
more simple and unassuming. There
S not much of the egotistical ego
eft. But there are other ways in
which they are changed less import
mt perhaps, yet not trifing. ~I
These modest, unassuming boys of
ours, who dashed into the accused
German machine-gun nests as fear
essly as they would step out into the
have told me tales so har-
owing I have turned faint and dizzy.
Must not these ugly experiences have
eft a lasting mental influenced?
I am sure you are prepared for
change in your sons, but they are
more changed than their manner in
licates. Of necessity thew have