Evening star., 1943-02-07
| Just
| Between
Yourselves
BY PHILIP H. LOVE
Editor, The junior Star.

MdllA DOSS dItN III ID DCAiCHc tINS
are helping to win the war by
writing letters to Servicemen.
Several young people have told me
they have been encouraged by teach
ers, club supervisors and other adults
to write to soldiers, sailors and ma
rines as group project. Most of
these letters have gone to strangers,
or. at best, slight acquairtances.
1t is true that letters from the
folks back home are helpful to the
morale of the men in the services,
especially those who are beyond the
boundaries of their beloved United
States. But these men want to hear
from their immediate families and
close friends, not from strangers or
mere acqualntanceS.
Delivering mail to men in the
services. especially to those on for
eign duty, is difficult project, and
letters from persons who are not
close relatives or friends only make
it more difficult. No soldier, sailor or
marine would willingly swap 10
letters from stranger or Slight
acquaintance for one from his
family or a close friend. But that is
what your letter may mean If you
are not extremely careful in choosing
your service correspondents. If you
want to be really patriotic in your
letter writing-and, of course, you do
you will observe this simple rule:
Write only to your relatives in the
fighting forces, or to friends or &C
quaintances who otherwise might
not receive mail. Letters to strang-
only to clutter the mails, and, no
matter how well -intentioned. are
really unpatriotic. AS the Junior
Red Gross Bulletin points out in a
recent issue:
I'VE are all in favor of letter for
every man, but let's be sure it's the
letter for which he is waiting"
A girl who knows and observes the
patriotic rule of correspondence with
servicemen is Janet Helferty, II, of
6203 Forty-third street, Riverdale,
Md Il am writing to three soldiers
and one merchant seaman" she
reports. They all tell me how much
letter from home means to them.
One soldier and the merchant sea-
man are overseas"
Janet's rule is: Never write to a
serviceman you don't know, as it
confuses the mail. Always have the
right address, so there will be no
confusion"
Mary Kathryn Ilsley, whose poem,
"A Piece Of Cloth" is one of today's
prize winning contributions, attends
Trinity Preparatory School, Ilches-
ter, Md, on scholarship earned by
her intelligence quotient. She was
given Benet psychological test by
the New York University Clinic for
Gifted Children and came out with
an I. @. rating OF 100.
Mary Kathryn also won second
prize in New York in a city-wide
contest with her original poem. "A
Ride With Jim. My Coal-Black
Roan,'" writes her mother, Mrs.
Irene M. Ilsley, who is doing her bit
for Uncle Sam as an employe of the
Coast Guard. This poem was set to
music by Kathryn Allen Lively, IA
nous composer of childrens music"
Frances Demma, another of to-
days prize winners, is a victim Of
infantile paralysis. She has been
under treatment in Gallinger Hos
pital since August, 1941.
Il am In the ninth grade" Fran
ces writes. Il have been enabled to
continue my school studies by
teachers from the Visiting Instruc-
ton Corps. I go to school on Mon
days, Wednesdays and Fridays in
a classroom on the second floor of
the Crippled Children's Clinic"
Charles r. McClay of Hyattsville,
Md, a corporal In the cadet corps
at Greenbrier Military School,
leWisburg, w. Va. has been pro-
noted to the rank of sergeant.
Writing poetry is the favorite
'iooDy VI NdtIlcl lilc TOOlt, 10, mount
Rainier (Md) High School. An
other Of her hobbies is collecting
pictures OF movie stars. Janet
Moran, j. S. correspondent at Be
thesda- Chevy Chase High School
In 1939-40, is now Mrs. w. B. Tyer,
jr.. OF Smithfleld, N. c. Her hus-
, band Is in the Army Air Forces.
Il can well remember the good time
had as BIC. C. correspondent" j."
she writes. There certainly was a
lot OF excitement in your Office that
| day we young correspondents were
given a chance to interview Gene
Autrey, wasn't there? l recall the
fun l had covering the WPA chill
dren's art exhibit that year, too.
I've often wondered how other for
mer high school correspondents
were getting on. Do you hear from
many Of them? I haven't heard
from Harriet Wallis in ages"
Harriet, who preceded Janet as B.
c. c. correspondent, is now living In
Chicago, I understand.