Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 February 1918 — What Can We Do? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What Can We Do?

- The Work of School Children and Youths. , Above is the picture of a lad wearing a knitted sweater, helmet and longwristed mlts of the regulation sort made for the soldiers. He has joined the ranks of knitters for the Red Cross and will occupy himself, during his spare time from school duties, with this and other work that he Is able to do for the benefit of our fighting men. When the spring comes It is planned to give thousands of youths from fifteen to twenty-one, work in the fields and gardens. In the meantime boys big and little are knitting, making trench torches, canvassing for yearly members of the Red Cross and proving themselves “men among men” in war work. Helmets, mitts and scarfs are usually knitted, but women who are unfamiliar with knitting and accustomed to the crochet hook, may make equally good ones. A clever method of joining the knitted sweater (when It Is finished) along the sides has been introduced by some resourceful mind lately. Yarn in a contrasting color is

used for sewing the straight edges together so that these stitches and no others may be cut, in case it is necessary to open the seams to take the sweater off, when its wearer is wounded. This saves the sweater for future use. But however carefully all these garments are made they will wear out and we must all stick to our knitting for some time to come. Another Item of comfort for the soldiers, that disappears like snow under the sun, is the needed trench torch. Millions of these have already been made by school children and millions more must be made. Then there are the caps, bootees and other garments school girls are making successfully. In planning the work of the school children for 1918 it must be given variety. Boys and girls did some efficient work in selling bonds for the second Liberty loan and not many of them will return quite empty handed if they take up work in the campaign for new members to the Red Cross. Some of them seem to have such an especial aptitude for this work, grown-ups hate to turn down the young enthusiasts. .