In the early years of World War II, the pages of The Mount Holyoke News regularly featured calls to fundraise for people in China affected by the war and updates from the British War Relief Society on knitting and mending efforts. Its articles focusing on the war increased significantly with the United States declaring its official entry into the war in December 1941. Students were understandably concerned about how this would affect the College, with many articles looking back at the changes in student life that happened at Mount Holyoke during the first world war. The concerns around World War II weren’t just present in the articles, but the advertisements too, which encouraged readers to buy war bonds or send letters to overseas soldiers.
