The Ely miner., 1943-09-09

stops with some old packs of cards
at the Red Cross, buys stamps for
the baby's book, waters the Victory
garden, and writes a loyal, happy,
encouraging letter to her brother
overseas. She says that nothing is
too good for our fighting men and
she means it. For herself and the
older children vegetable soups, plen-
ty of bread and butter, fruit and
jam and salads would more than
suffice for another year or ten other
years of war. The relief to her mind,
the saving of thought and strength
that such a regime would inaugu-
rate is incalculable. But she must
fight on among points and short
ages and blanks in the market, must
fight on despite her own conviction
that most of this discomfort is COM
pletely unnecessary, is the result of
mistakes and oversights, stupidities
and cupidity in high p1aces-for the
sake of the man of the family.
Man Could End Ration Troubles.
If the unknown who wrote this
article will say to his wife tomor-
row, Lets give up meat for the
duration. We can spread our points
then on butter and salad oil. 1t
won't hurt us, and it will mean one
more tiny load lifted off the COM
monwealth," he will see light Of
actual rapture in her eyes. and their
rationing troubles will be over.
It is my profound conviction that
women are better patriots than men.
They have more to bear, and they
bear it more quietly. They don't
strike when life treats them cruel
ly, as it often does. They band to-
gether valiantly in peace, to try to
understand the causes of war, and
to prevent war, but when war comes
they put into it every ounce of cour-
age and endurance they can mus
ter; kissing the hard young faces
good-by, closing the doors of empty
rooms that once were the heart and
the noise and the joy of the house;
cheering a lonesome father who
comes home weary at night, cook
ing, economizing, serving, tempting
children to eat new foods, folding
bandages, toiling at the humblest
duty of all in hospital wards, gath
ering cigarettes and muff1ers and
socks to send to our service men
yes, and making the gifts no less
welcome because of the despised
little card that says "To a Soldier
Boy"
"The ladies in America think a
lot of us Marines" said shy, il
literate, freckled, brave little hero
from Guadalcanal to me not long
ago, when I gave him a lift. "And
we think of the ladies, too, when
we're out there. Sometimes they
put little notes in the packages, and
boy, do we like them! There's one
lady," he went on simply, ''who
sent me rolled-up newspaper comics
every week while was in the South
Pacific, and she'd always put a note
in, that she was putting up peaches
or that her little grandson had mea-
sles, or something. It made me
feel good"
He was one of the millions of our
boys to whom the love, loyalty, serv-
ice Of American women are dedi-
Gated. If the man of your family
thinks that you are an idiot soul, with
brains lolloping SO loosely about in
your head that you cannot compre-
hend the simple question of war de-
mand and war supply, challenge him
to eat with you the meals to which
YOU will reduce the family table
for the duration. Lettuce sandwiches
and other sandwiches, corn and to-
matoes, gingerbread and jam and
tea will more than satisfy you.
How about HIM?