Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 174, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1917 — HELP CHEER THE JACKIES [ARTICLE]

HELP CHEER THE JACKIES

Friends and Relatives Urged to Writs Cheering Letters to the Boys in Training.

Great Lakes, 11l. —A movement to bring a little more Joy into the lives of the young men at the United States naval training station here has been started by the Loyal Girls of America. This society has inaugurated a campaign to impress upon the friends and relatives of the bluejackets the importance of writing them cheering letters. “Don’t write your son John that you are unhappy while he is away.in the service of his country,” says Miss Gertrude Elmore, secretary of the society. “Don’t tell him- that his favorite dog is pining away. Tell him how envious the boys at home are of him and his opportunity. Tell him that you expect him to make good, that he must make good for the sake of himself, his home and his country.” Many of these youthful sailors are away from home for the first time in their lives and it is but natural that they should feel a little homesick at times. Letters from home written in a cheerful vein will work wonders in keeping up their spirit and Inspiring them with the determination to give their best service to their country 4“ its hour of need.