Evening star., 1942-12-14

postal clerk says, NOtHlnR lot yOu. !
Hence she wants to do her bit by
cheering up the lads at the front
but when she sits down to put pen
on paper, she discovers that sud-
denly she has gone dumb.
There used to be handy little
volume called THE Complete Let
ter Writer" that contained form
letters in which one had only to in
sert Dear Mary" or MY Beloved
Evalina" or tom" or Dick" or
Harry" according to the name and
sex of the one to whom you were
going to send the missive' and pres
to. the Job was done. There was
letter couched in the NOSE eloquent
language, expressing the most beau
tiful sentiments, varied to suit any
occasion, a letter that any one Woulo
be proud to write and pleased to get
and no cudgelling the brain or
chewing the pen handle involved.
It must have met long felt want
with many a youth and maiden put.
alas. this valuable help in a time OF
trouble is out Of print now ana
bows and girls are left to FOUNDER
around in the epistlatory quagmire
as best they can.
To these would glady hold out a
helping hand but about the pest
advice I can give them Is, first, not
to write anything in a letter tna1
they would not be willing to see pup
lished in their home paper, and sec
ondlv. not to write letters that are
gobs of gloom. So daughter, II you
cannot be cheerful in letter, keep
away from the ink pot. Remember
that ANYTHING that is written seems
10 times as fatal and final as Wnen
1t is spoken. When our frlendS tell
us about their troubles we pat them
on the back and say, There, there,
forget it. Let's go and have nice
dinner" and over a good STEAK or
lobster Newberg we both put the
matter out of mind.
But when the writer's say their
hearts are breaking and their "orlo
is full of woe, we brood over 1t ana
it poisons our days and keeps us
awake at night. We think they
mean it, and are not just taking
and posing and bidding for our sym
nathv. 1t is literally true that What
we hear In one ear goes out OF the
other as the old adage says, out
what we read is scared in our mem
Ories.
Hence, girls, when you write TO
the bow friend at the front, just re-
member he has plenty OF grlefs OF
his own. Don't pass on any PAD
news to him.
Don't write him that his mother
is looking terrible and that she
bursts into tears every time sne
speaks about him.
Don't feel it your sacred duty to
toll him that his best girl Is going
around with handsome stranger or
that Tom Smith has got his place at
the bank.
It isn't necessary to tell him about
all of the gay parties the bunch are
going to.
Write him all the jolly gossip you
can pick up for he is lot more in
terested in knowing what is gong on
at home than he is in what Is being
done in the chancellories of Europe.
Tell him about your war work and
how many sweaters you are knlttlng
and how you are getting along with
YOUR flrst-aid class SO that he Will
feel that you are trying to serve
your country your way, just as he Is
doing in his. Only impress on him
that his is the big way and yours
is the little way. And don't forget
to keep telling him in every letter
how the crowd misses him, how they
talk about him and how proud they
are of him. Pat him on the back
and blow the bugle for him.
White him little stories about the
people he knows. About your kid
nephew painting up his dogs mouth
with his mothers lipstick because
he thought ladies with red mouths
looked so cheerful. About the two
little cuties who walked out on the
Red Cross when they found that
they would have to wear caps at
their work that would hide their
new permanents; about fussy Mrs.
Jones who sent a list of all of her
sons favorite dishes to the COM
missary department and so, on and
on, about people whom he Is inter-
ested in.
Pad out your letters by sending
your boy friends clippings out OF
papers and magazines. The boys at
the front don't see many of these
so cut out the clever little cartoons
and the articles about things that
you know they are interested in and
put them in the envelope and you
may be sure that yours will be one