Evening star., 1942-10-11
Wartime Slogan
Make 1t Do-Make 1t Last-Good Motto
By Marearef N0well


Hold on to what you have.
Make it do. Make it last" This
is the slogan for wartime living,
and one that every American
woman can understand. It may
be interpreted to cover the spirit
ual as well as the material things.
We will hold onto the tires and
mechanical equipment and by
unusual care will make our worn
rugs and our wool clothing do for
many a year. We will also give
them up without a moments
hesitation If that becomes neces-
sary. But our peace of mind, our
sense of humor, all the little
things which make for mental
and spiritual equilibrium and
which are so closely knit into our
every day living we will hold onto
forever.
The war in one way or another
has come into all our lives. The
home that many of us bought lost
its mainstay when the head Of
the house" went into the service.
This in itself is a blow, demand
ing great readjustment to the
family left behind. It is wise
woman who can work out some
method to keep her house, her
furniture, all her 'lares and pen
ates" around her. Difficult though
it may be, it is a place Of her own.
Because she and her children are
accustomed to it, it offers more
security and contentment than
any other arrangement she may
make.
She will do well not to let "spur
Of the moment" thinking warp
her judgment. At first it might
seem wise to rent her house, take
a small apartment, get a job to
fill in the hours and possibly place
the children in boarding school.
In doing this she multiplies all
her wartime adjustments hun
dred fold. All these things may
be necessary in the long run, but
If they are she may cross each
bridge as she comes to it.
Right now her business is to carry
on, in her own home, as much in
the accustomed way as possible.
She must learn to keep calm and
collected, to carry her own re-
sponsibilities as well as those Of
her husband in the service, to
teach her children to accept their
share. Once these things have
been accomplished she will know
that she has made the first set OF
adjustments and she Is ready for
the next.
Most of us, secure in our own
home, don't realize what an up
heaval it is to leave it. Children.
especially, become accustomed to
their own" 1t is the immediate
business of adults to ease them
into new situations and avoid the
nervous upheaval which is the
result of too many changes, too
quickly.
If change is necessary, make
. it as easy for yourself as possible
by taking with you those furnish
ings in your house that mean a
great deal to you. These may be
reduced to a minimum, but let
that minimum include the things
you cannot live without, such
as your own tea set, picture or
two that has meaning for you,
your own lamps, your own bed
side table, all the small familiar
things that are so important be-
cause you have encountered them
every day for years.
Make this change less difficult
for your children by letting them
in on the deal" It is much easier
for you to farm them out" with
the neighbors while you select an
apartment and get the moving
done, but they will not have been
included and their new home will
break over them like a tidal wave.
With the fun of searching for a
new home, the excitement of
planning what to take and how
it will be furnished, they will have
made it their own by easy stages.
The interest in settling in new
quarters will take some of the
sting out of leaving home and one
of the first lessons of learning to
take 1t" will be understood.
1t is our business to hold onto
what we have. Among these
choice possessions are good judg-
ment, serenity, and ability to
laugh it off and capacity for
understanding.
Women know lot about
morale. 1t is their business
through a lifetime, not only in
wartime. From the day when
her young husband lost his first
job to the time her eldest son
graduates with honors, a woman
has weathered many a storm. No
matter how protected her life, the
personal crises of her family and
friends have not left her un-
touched.