The Washington herald., 1915-10-17


day Editor Of the New York Sun. and
formerly Editor Of the Cosmopolitan
Magazine.
| Copyright. lsl5)
Every train arriving at Montreal bring.
in pathetic figures from all parts OF
Canada. They are the women whom the
great war has made helpless and home
| less on their way back to their folks in
| the old country.
! noticed particularly one that boarded
our train at some little station in west
ern province She was small and pale
and wornout looking. In her arms was a
baby only a few months old and clinSing
| to her skirts another child just old
enough to walk. Her meagcr belongings
were crowded into a couple Of cheap and
shabby dress-suit cases and then there
we're some bundles and baskets that
seemed to contain food to last her On the
way.
Two sturdy farmer boys helped her into
the train and wished her an awkward
and embarrassed good-by. II was we'll
along in the evening. but she did not
take a sleeper or even one of the less
extensive tourists cars in which there
are berths. but camped out on seat In
the ordinary day coach. prepared 10
! make the best Of it for three days until
she reached tidewater and the steamer.
or course the baby was fretful and
cried most of the night. preventing her
from getting even the little sleep she
hoped for curled up on the seat and also
keeping the other passengers annoyed
When she reached Montreal it's Won
der she had energy enough left TO get on
the boat.
Her story was a very common one.
The husband had enlisted and gone 10
the front She had heard nothing from
him for months and whether ne was
killed. captured or wounded she did not
know They had taken up little tarm
but she could not do anything with II all
alone especially with two small children
to look after, so she raised what little
money she could on the land and their
bc,oncines and started home for Eng
land She did not take back rosy pic
ture of Canadian settlers lie.
AS YOU get toward the bigger cities in
Eastern Canada the war fever increases
Gaudy recruiting posters flame on every
dead wall and recruiting meetings ana
speeches and parades dominate all other
functions. They look on the war as
very vital issue, much more than they
do in the west I noticed that at all the
cigar stands in the hotels. bar-rooms.
drug stores or news stands there was
ALWAYS a large black tin box with Silt
in its top and label saying. Drop
cigarettes for the soldiers in here
Nearly every one who purchases pack
of cigarettes obeys the invitation ana
drops one or more in the box. The re-
suit is that thousands of cigarettes are
contributed for the "Tommies' to smoke
in the trenches. The contents of these
boxes are collected every day and the
cigarettes bundled up in packages OF
ten and shipped to the front. great
quantity of cigars and smoking tobacco
is also received in the same way. Ihis
cigarette collection, however. is not
confined to the east. 1t is universal all
over Canada.
Last spring a war tax stamp was au-
thorized for all mail matter so that
now It is necessary to put an extra l.
cent stamp on all letters and postal
cards. Nobody objects to that, but
thousands Of people do object to GER
tain rule relative to its enforcement. IL
through oversight or ignorance OF tne
new law any one neglects to put the
extra l-cent stamp on a letter, it is not
sent along in the usual course and the
1 cent collected at the other end, but
il is sent to the dead letter office in
Ottawa From there a card is sent to
the sender stating that on receipt Of 1
cent the letter will be forwarded to its
proper destination.
The result of this fool regulation is
untold expense. delay. confusion. anger
and profanity. When this law nrst
went into effect not one-tenth OF the
people in Canada knew of 1t, and the
dead-letter office was simply swamped
with mail matter lacking the war tax
stamp Even now they are way behind
in handling it and the innocent writ
of Iaft hav suffer for
the delay Naturally in many cases
the delay is very serious matter. 1t
is also very expensive for the Do
minion government. as it is estimated /
that in clerk hire, stationery. etc, II
costs the government about 10 cents to
collect each l.
There are tive things that any one
who goes to Montreal should not miss.
One is Col. George Ham. on whom the
sun never sets and nothing else would |
ever presume to. The other is lunch |
con at the Montreal Club. where every |
day they have twenty-three different |
kinds of cold dishes. The dining room !
is on the top of tall building next i
the Bank of Montreal. and in the mid !
die of the room is an enormous table |
groaning under every kind of cold |
food that was ever invented-cold |
roasts. fowl. fish. game. and patties in |
most tempting profusion and prodi- |
gality. There are always just twenty
three different kinds. no more. no less. |
imagine the members suffer from |
different kinds Of dys-
pepsia also.
All except Col George Ham. He
doesn't suffer from anything. He has
4 strong constitution. but no bylaws.
in Montreal knows him. II
he don't know them. He is always the
same. Always happy. for he is the
apostle of good nature for the Cana
iian Pacific and it's part of his job.
He even always dresses the same. in
l suit of gray tweed. which he HIM