The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-01-30
MAIL FOR SOLDIERS LOST.
War Department Falls to Say How
One Should Search for II.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-Sir. In
regard to soldiers mail: sent on De-
cember II a letter to the War Depart
ment, of which the following is a copy:
THE Secretary of Wars request that
encouraging letters be written to our
soldiers in France moves me to inquire
what has become of the many have
written during the past year and to
which l have devoted the greater part
OF my time and strength. few, but
only few, have been received. Where
are the rest7 My name and address
were written or typewriter on each
envelope.
Those which most deeply concern me
were addressed to a man in the First
Division, A. p. o. 729. What steps
should take to recover them? Is there
not some Official in charge Of this sta
ton to whom l can apply. to return
! them-supposing they have ever reached
it--and IL so, should ] send stamps?
"In the name of that justice 30 hap
| PLY to be inauyurated upon earth.
though hitherto such a stranger In the
, annals Of mankind, claim my right to
| an answer"
After considerable delay 1 received
! In reply an extremely diffuse communi-
cation, far too lengthy to be afforded
space IN your columns, which followed
certain celebrated example In style
in that 1t constantly took back in one
sentence what II had stated In the
preceding.
]. asserted that there never had been
any miscarriage or delay of mail what
| ever except In case of insufficient ad-
| dress, that It never took more than
| three weeks for a letter to reach n sol
| der, and other old flctions, adding that
| in every case which had been investi-
! gated It was found that the soldier
was receiving his mail regularly and
had been so receiving for some time.
| They closed with this gem:
lowing to tho cessation OF hostilities,
which overcomes the difficulties OF de-
livering mail to soldiers in the zone OF
activities, II is believed that there will
be little cause for complaint in future,
thus torpedoing their previous assertion
In the whole long epistle there was
no answer to my query as to the steps
| should take TO recover letters which
IL is agonizing to woman to think OF
as lying at anybody's mercy, tho pur-
pose for which I wrote.
l cannot find that at any time letters
ever were received regularly except by
men in the ports or far behind the lines
in the training centres. In the combat
divisions the men got them at intervals
Of n month or six weeks when they got
them at ALL. and then they received only
a small proportion OF those sent. II
was not due TO insufficient address
either. with mine at any rate, for In
almost every case some few we're re-
ceived.
Nor do md any marked improve
ment since the armistlce. The renova
4 OF the army, the part OF It that had
done most of the fighting. to Germany
and the practice of transferring officers
OF all ranks from one command 70 an
other are perhaps responsible. bu
would you think il would take more
than three weeks to reach England
One OF my correspondents wrote ms
from London on November 40.
answered directly received the Letter
on December 8, and have this week 8
letter from him dated January 3. say
ing he had not a word from me no.
from his mother either and was nov
ordered back to Frarce-no permanen
address.
Any woman who votes for or In any
way supports n Democratic administra
ton after this war will set herself dow
for fool. and not merely for foo
but as wholly lacking In any natura
feeling for our men, individually or col
lec.lveiy A. NJ. NJ.
ORANGE, y. j., January 20.