The Washington herald., 1920-05-28
DON'T WRITE DIsCoURAGING
LETTERS.


During the war the families of
the soldiers were constantly urged
not to write them gloomy letters,
for IL was found that nothing so ef-
fectually and quickly took the heart
out of the men, and broke down
their morale as to get letters from
home filled with walls. and weeps,
and dismal news.
The ban on the doleful letter is
one of the wartime measures that
we may continun in peace with ad-
vartaee. Most of us are every day
at grip with life in a battle that is
just as fierce as any ever fought on
the bloody fields of France. and
that calls on us for just as much
courage, AMI endurance. and as
high spirit, IL we are to win out,
and we. too, need words of cheer to
back us up, not screeds of woe to
depress US, and take the last bit of
fight out of US
The writing of blue letters is a
crime against our peace and happi-
ness that is chiefly committed by
those of our own households. for it
is only those who love us best who
feel that they have a perfect right
to make us miserable.
And II is crime to which the
female sex is as prone as the sparks
are to fly upward. Heaven knows
why. but gene, ally when a woman
sits down. and takes her pen in
hand to indict letter. she seems
not to dip into ink but into well
of tears.
Possimism of the deepest. dark
est dye pervades her every line
Funerals, and divorces, and hideous
accidents. and bankruptcies are the
It'd bits of gossip she chronicles.
She recalls the sorrows of the past.
SIe dwells upon the narrowing state
of the present, and draws a melam-
choly forecast of the future. The
lamentations OF jeremiah have
nothing in gobs of gloom over the
average family letter.
Not long ago a woman who has
many cares, and anNieties of her
own, and who is making an heroic
struggle to support herself and her
two children. said to me:
Il adore my mother. but when |
get a letter from her it is some
times two or three days before
can summon. up nerve enough to
even open il. The very sight of her
handwriting on an envelope sends
my spirits down to zero, and makes
me feel that some awful calamity
is hanging over me.
For mothers letters are simply
sodden with misery. She begins by
reminding me that she is getting
old. and will be with us but a few
years more. She dwells on every
little pain and ache until l fancy
her mortally ill. and twice have /
fed to what supposed was her
death bed to find her we'll and
clipper.
She tells me about everybody
who is sick, and has had an opera
ton. or who has been run over by
an automobile. or lost their money,
or had any untoward misfortune.
Then she begins on family news,
and really gets down to, business.
John isn't getting along we'll in
business and she forsees that his
family Will lanu in the poor house.
Johns wife MAS been nasty to her
and l get detailed account of the
perpetual mother-in-law and .daugh-
ter-in-law warfare.
"Sarah's husband stayed out until
a. m. playing poker, end-SarsA
~ 1N anu 'OIlS
hopes for he children's sake it
won't come to divorce. Tom has a
cough that she fears means con-
sumption, and there follows a long
chapter about aunts and cousins
who have lost lneir money, and
their cooks. OF broken their legs
and who seem to have punched
every ill that flesh is heir to.
And then mother pities me until
/ want 20 sit down and howl be.
cause Ihave to work for my living
instead of being "a millionaire. and
because ! am business woman in
place Of being a queen, although
ordinarily think I'm lucky in hav-
ing a good job, and am merry as a
cricket.
Mother writes the same sort of
indigo letter to all of her children
who are away from home. ] often
wonder way she, does It, and IL she
never realizes. that after we have
received one OF her pessimistic
ePistles ,'wef fec that the whole
world is vail of trials and tribu-
lations and that there is no use in
trying TO achieve any happiness or
success in It.
She knows that haYe about as
heavy a sburdcn to bear as. can
- s'asger along under. why. then.
hdfI IN ~ = \