The broad ax., 1916-02-12

Every morning." recently said Lady
Essex, who was Miss Adele Grant
of New York. Il go to st. James pal
ace and work. with large number OF
other ladies. from 10 o'clock until l.
that is. for Queen Mary's Needlework
guild. We have made 100000 respi-
ratOrs for the soldiers in the trenches
against gas attacks. and we have made
innumerable surgical stores-bandages
etc.
"A good many other things fall to
our care. This morning. for instance.
100 bales of towels arrived from the
country Dressing gowns. shirts, un-
derwear. all sorts of things. come to
US as we ask for them We sort these.
repack and send them. in required
quantities. to their destinations. You
may recall the war office asking for
100000 pairs of socks about Christ
mas time year ago. These were sent
to us from everywhere. many Of them
incorrectly marked or not marked at
all as to sizes. We had to measure
every pair label them and put them
in packets of ten. That task alone
meant six weeks continuous work.
My other duties are really too nu-
merous to remember offhand. Let me
see. At Watford-Watford is a town
of 10000 inhabitants In Hertfordshire.
where We have q country place. am
on the executive committee Of the ur-
ban council for war relief-that is.
for the relief of civilians. lam presi-
dent of the Soldiers and Sailors Fam
lilies association, which supplements
when necessary the war allowances
given to wives and families. We have
voluntary helpers, who take different
districts. visit. write letters, find out
if the families are getting their allow
ances and give privately additional
help where it is needed. Often a wo-
man wants to attend some function of
her husbands regiment and lacks prop
er clothes. or. as an instance. wife
had word that her husband was
wounded and in hospital at Plymouth.
She had no means of her own to go
to see him. and these had to be pri-
vately supplied her.
Take the motors. AT the beginning
of the war the Automobile club was
Immediately offered 1000 motors for
war service Since then many more
have been quietly given. and those pri-
vate individuals who have any left do
not keep them for their own pleasure.
Then everybody who has one lends
it three or four afternoons a week for
cOnvaleScent soldiers. We may be
told after awhile that the use Of mo
tors must be cut down on account of
petrol.
Another luxury that may seem
Strange-the theater. No one dreamed
of going to Il theater at first. We
hadn't the heart to do anything. Later
the actors came out and said they
were starving Then the children re
turned from school for their holidays.
and we felt we must exert ourselves
to make things little cheerful for
them. We took them TO the theaterS
Gradually we ourselves got to going
again. Now there are the convalescent
soldiers who need entertainment, and
their relatives. and the soldiers on
leave-there must be relief.
There is no longer any such thing
as dinner parties" Lady Essex added.
We've quite put them out of our
minds Eight or ten people meet per
hapS several times a week and hap
pen To dine together. but there Is no
thought of dress and little of the din
her. rXrep; Ia keep ii simple and SUI
licicnt. \ dinner used to begin with
soup and fish: there was an entree
But now. Now it is soup or fish; there
is Il meat course and a sweet: that is
all