Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 January 1918 — Helping to Win the War [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Helping to Win the War

Advice to Americana Betweea tbs Agai of 16 and 21

BY GEORGE ADE

This is a letter to the fortunate ones who, ten years from now, will be en-

joying the benefits of what all future histories will call the Great war. You (the girls of sweet sixteen and slightly upward and the boys who are getting ready to vote) will know more about this war when you are plump and middleaged than one can possibly know this year.

When the dust has cleared away and the large events of the war can be seen from a distance then you tviil understand that the issues Involved had to be fought out, that the United States had to take part, that the task we are now undertaking had to be accomplished. ■ ■ Let us hope that each of you ean say, twenty years from now. "I was young at the time but I knew what the war meant, and I helped.” Not all of the heroes are in the trenches. To prove that brave men remain at home, here am I, a case-hardened bachelor, venturing to give advice to young women, everyone of whom knows all about the war or, at least, about one young man who has marched out to win the war. No need to tell them to knit They are knitting. Why whisper to them to beware of “slackers.” The poor “slacker” already has felt the scorn of their glances. , Perhaps some hints may be tabulated in the methodical style so dear to professors. Efficiency or soldiers at the front and in the training camps is dependent upon:

(a) Physical welfare, resulting from comfortable garments and sensible attentions, provided by young women between the ages of sixteen and twen-ty-one. < (b) Mental calm, induced by the knowledge that all the girls at home wtil postpone definite arrangements until the soldiers come back. (c) Spiritual exaltation, encouraged by, the occasional receipt of letters from young ladles between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one. From the above analysis it becomes evident that the successful prosecution' of the war Is not dependent up*n the president and cabinet, or even upon the council of national defense, but upon Flora and Elsie and Agnes and Jessie. Don’t let anyone tell you that war is strictly a business proposition. We can’t win the war unless the bands play and the girls wave their handkerchiefs. ' . t The French weep a little and kiss one another on each cheek and sing the “Marseillaise” and then they are ready to capture some more trenches. Repressed emotions sometimes turn sonr. Don’t be ashamed to let your enthusiasm float publicly to the breeze.

You never saw a football team ad-' vance the ball unless it was getting encouragement from the girls on the side lines. • Now for the boys. Perhaps you have heard about the Working Reserve. It has been carefully organized under government supervision. It has received the official indorsement of the president. The whole plan is working out successfully wherever it is understood. The trouble is that some of the bojs and some of the parents are still a little doubtful regarding enlistment, because they don’t know how much of an obligation is assumed. Here is the plan in a nutshell: Thousands' of enlisted and selected men have gone to the training camps. It may be that thousands more will go next year. These men are being called from factories and workshops and farms. Every factory and every farm must continue production if we are to render full service to our faithful allies during the war. How can we fill the places of the young tnen who have gone away to fight? We must rely upon the boys who are oid enough and husky enough to work, but who are still too young for military service. So here is a trumpet call for all city boys and town boys between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one.

Prove your patriotism and help your country by jumping in and doing th* work of a soldier who has gone to th* front Go to the recruiting officer and enlist for the Boys’Working Reserve. Then, whbn you are called upon, go and make good in the job assigned to you and win your medal and wear it and b* proud of it Doesn’t your common sense and your knowledge of addition and subtraction tell you that If we suddenly take 1,000,000 or more men right out of the productive industries of this country, we must either find a million men to take their place* or else go short on production? The boys between sixteen and twen-ty-one can and will supply the shortage of man-power. There will he a loud call for them in 1918 and they must answer the call.;