JED’S BOY: A STORY OF ADVENTURES IN THE GREAT WORLD WAR (ILLUSTRATED)

During the course of the Great War, the author was frequently urged—by young readers and others, both in letters and in person—to write a story similar to Jed: A Boy’s Adventures in the Army, ’61–’65, but set amid the events of the present conflict. Some even proposed that familiar characters from that earlier tale be brought back to life. This, however, was plainly impossible, for those who survived the earlier story would now be far beyond the age of military service.Moved by these requests, the author has instead chosen Jed’s nephew as the hero of this book. Inspired by his mother’s deep patriotism and her stories of her brother Jed’s bravery, the young man enlists and serves his country on the battlefields of France, sharing in the great struggle for human liberty.As with all his books, the author’s chief purpose has been to awaken and strengthen a true spirit of Americanism. Patriotism flourishes best where it is carefully nurtured; it is not a growth of chance. The Posts of the Grand Army of the Republic, through their observances on Memorial Day and other patriotic occasions, and through their influence in the public schools, have long been powerful sources of inspiration, fostering love of country in the hearts of the young.That this work has borne fruit is evident in the way the boys of today have risen to defend liberty in the great conflict of their own time. We have witnessed the last remnants of bitterness from the Civil War consumed in a shared devotion to country, as the sons of the Gray and the sons of the Blue have stood shoulder to shoulder in defense of freedom on the fields of France and Belgium.If this story makes clear that the young manhood of America possesses the same spirit shown by their fathers in the struggles of the 1860s and by the patriots of the Revolution, such as Nathan Hale, the author will feel that his purpose has been fully achieved.—W. L. G. Read more