Page 8 



BETTER FRUIT 



October 



Savefrate 



c o f^R u oy;\Te o 



PAPER CONTAINERS 



ECONOMY ^VJk'^tS^J*^ 



in the initial purchase — 



cheaper than wood 



in storage space — 



half space of shook, 



in sealing — 



no hammer, nails, slivers 



in freight weight — 



two- thirds lighter than wood 



in breakage — 



every side a cushion 



SCHMIDT LITHOGRAPH CO. 



Main Office: SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 



BRANCHES: — Fresno, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Honolulu 



The Link Between the Soldier and Home 



By William H. Crawford 



OUR boys have gone to the front. 

 They are giving their all for the 

 sake of their country. America's young 

 manhood is facing the cannon's mouth 

 at the call to duty. But they are not 

 the only heroes. The mothers back 

 home -who have sent them at their 

 country's call, to battle with the Hun, 

 are equally as patriotic, equally heroic. 

 The boys have the excitement, inci- 

 dent to martial life, the companionship 

 of other youngsters, the touching el- 

 bows with their fellow soldiers to 

 strengthen and buoy them up. On the 

 other hand, the mother in the silent 

 watches of the night is thinking of her 

 boy in France, and, as the tears which 

 she hid on his leaving, fill her eyes, she 

 is hoping and praying that her boy is 

 safe, that he will not only escape the 

 dangers of warfare, the enemy bullets, 

 but that his physical, moral and re- 

 ligious welfare will be looked after. 

 She is dreading that he will be con- 

 taminated by the army life, that he will 



fall with evil associates because of the 

 absence of her restraining influence. 



She has heard that in France the 

 morals of the people are lax. She 

 knows that her boy is young and that 

 he needs a guiding hand if he is to 

 keep his promise which he made on 

 leaving her— that he would be a good 

 boy. She need not be afraid. Her boy 

 has an older brother in France to look 

 after, protect and guide him. While no 

 influence is equal to that of a mother's, 

 it is comforting to her to know that he 

 is not without the restraining and en- 

 nobling influence of men devoting 

 themselves to his betterment and wel- 

 fare — men who take the place of his 

 parents, strengthen his resolutions, 

 guide his faltering steps, furnish him 

 with clean interests and amusements 

 rather than the evil ones he might be 

 tempted to turn to in his lonesomeness. 

 They interest him in wholesome sports, 

 entertain him in his idle hours, console 

 him in his moments of depression, and 

 are good, wholesome, earnest, real pals. 



The "Y" work for your boy is ar- 

 ranged to fill the gaps in his army life. 

 You are fearful concerning his religious 

 life. You think perhaps he will forget 

 the precepts of piety which you have 

 taught him from his cradle. The "Y" 

 has religious services as often as you 

 have them in your village church. 

 While no elTort is made to force him 

 to go, he probably attends these meet- 

 ings in the army more frequently than 

 he did at home, because he has formed 

 the habit of going to the "Y" for his 

 sports. He becomes a regular visitor 

 to the hut and soon becomes accus- 

 tomed to remaining for the religious 

 services. The "Y" is entirely non- 

 sectarian. They preach religion and 

 not dogma. No proselyting is allowed. 

 He is encouraged to continue in the 

 faith of his fathers and to live up to 

 the principles which you have taught 

 him in his youth. 



You may be uneasy about his health. 

 An experience of eighteen months at 

 the front has shown me that the boys 

 are far healthier in the service than 

 they were at home. The strenuous 

 outdoor life has hardened his muscles, 

 bronzed his skin, put the roses in his 

 cheeks, brightened his eye, quickened 

 his step, made a better man of him 

 physically than he was before entering 

 the service. The athletic training re- 

 ceived in the "Y" has added greatly to 

 his physical welfare. The "Y" has sent 

 trained athletes, professional ball play- 

 ers, foot ballists, physical directors, to 

 leach him how to exercise and to make 

 it pleasant for him. While the boy is 

 enjoying his sports he is building up 

 his manhood. If you could see him 

 now, as he appears fresh from engaging 

 in some athletic sport, you would 

 hardly recognize him. He has improved 

 so much since he left you less than a 

 year ago. 



Maybe you think he is lonesome, 

 pining away for his friends back home. 

 That's where you are mistaken. He 

 has found a bunch of pals at the "Y". 

 Every evening they gather in the huts — 

 these pals, to engage in a friendly game 

 of checkers or read the papers and the 

 magazines or discuss the affairs of the 

 day. His lonesomeness is removed by 

 seeing the pictures, the best the country 

 can send, or in seeing the vaudeville 

 provided by the "Y", part of which is 

 amateur, the soldiers furnishing their 

 own entertainment and a part fur- 

 nished by professionals who have vol- 

 unteered to go to France to entertain 

 the boys. He sees good shows that will 

 not harm his morals but will amuse 

 and instruct him. Or he takes part in 

 a boxing or wrestling match or a game 

 of basket ball. You may rest assured 

 that he is not lonesome because the 

 "Y" has arranged to amuse and instruct 

 him during his idle moments. Before 

 he leaves the hut he will write that 

 letter back home. That letter with the 

 Red Triangle on the envelope which 

 you so delight to receive. 



For one of the most important works 

 that the "Y" is doing is to keep the 

 boys in touch with home. Boys are 

 careless. They love their parents, but 

 sometimes forget to write. They expect 



