Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-02-23
London THE war
BASE Of The ALLIES
MRS. NORTON WRITES ENTER
TAININGLY OF ACTIVITIES IN
GREAT CITY.
PRICES OF FOOD IS ADVANCING
City is Crowded with Soldiers from
Countries Allied in Great Euro
pean War.
Londcn, January %, 1916

LondCn, January %, 1916
I want to tell you Of a day spen
in London, to describe to you what
one sees as they walk the streets
to present to you if possible, some
thing of the atmosphere of this cos
mopolitan center, this city in which
all the interests of the allies are to
day centered, the war base of the
allies, in other words.
l find it almost difficult to avoid
speaking of our own happy and blest
work, in every article of mine, and
cannot forbear inserting one par.
agraph in this article, pertaining to
our particular labors.
We have had to take a larger room
at our hotel, and have made it gay
with potted plants, and flags, and a
home to scores o.. Belgian boys, as
we'll as many English Tommies, and
we keep open house. We have now
close to sixty Belgian soldiers
who are representing us at the front
in the distribution of Scriptures and
who report to us regularly. When
they come here on short leave, by
the kindness of the British Govern
ment, (but with no money in their
pockets, for their army pay is only
five cents a day), they come to us.
Some we keep at the hotel, others
we send out to another place kept
by friend Of ours, but they gath
er in our room at night for instruc-
ticn, counsel, and word Of prayer.
But dear me, we do not stotp at
spiritual help. l wash their handker-
chiefs, wash and darn their hose
(which have often never been taken
off since they were first put on in
trenches), patch their trousers, and
render any other first aid that is
sorely needed And the things we
send to the trenches! We are all
the family these boys have and it is
no wonder we are Father, and
Little Mother,' to them; to one lit
tie lad scarcely eighteen, I am al
ways his "Petite Mere Cherie." St
it is no wonder we love them, and
would give the last ounce Of our
strength to this work. But we do al
so all we have strength and time for,
to aid the British Tommies. Last Sat
urday night we held a meeting at a
Y. M. G. A. Hut in the heart Of Lon
don, where are gathered the soldiers
who are passing through the city, or
who have come to London for a short
leave.
They have provided dormitory ac-
commodations at this but, for close
to three hundred soldiers, where
they can have a good bed for six
pence the night. Our meeting was
held just before midnight and we
caught thus all the poor boys who
we're returning from the public houses
(salcons). It was a lively time, one
soldier persisted in charging the Turk
with chair in lieu Of bayonet, and
there were other disturbances, but
there were some splendid results.
We invited some of the soldiers to-
have dinner with us the next day.
and five of them responded and not
only stayed for dinner with us, but
spent the entire afterno oon.
1t was Sunday afternoon, so we
sang all their favorite hymns. and
had an impromptu Sunday School,
and they enjoyed it! This despite
the fact it was a lovely day outside,
and their last day in London. One
boy only eighteen was from South
Africa; another who bore the Dis
Conduct Medal, said as he
left us, "It is the happiest day I ever
spent, how can I thank you?' But
the thing that made. us most glad
was when one boy stayed behind, to
tell us he was in dire trouble, for he
had overstayed his leave twenty-five
days, entrapped by the glamour of
and he feared when they
caught him it would mean six months
in military prison.
"What should he do?" He ap-
pealed to us. My husband told him
there was but one thing to do. That
was to return to his camp that night.
confess his wrong, tell his officer Of
the change that had come into his
life and take TIE consequences Of
his wrong-doing He promised to do
this, and sure enough this morning
we had letter from him, saying he
had done as he promised us and got
off with twenty-five days in the
"cells.'
But now for a day in London! 1t
opens warm and grey. and bit fog
gy. One has to learn to adapt him
self to this climate, and we have
learned we cannot do as we should
at home, in bracing climate. We
work late at night, often I am writ
ing away at my correspondent I'm
til midnight, then rise later the next
morning. 1t is very warm, the warm
est winter they have rad over here
for long time. AS we leave cur no
tel and reach tie Strand, we pre-
pare to be crowded off the walk by
the soldiers. Not that they are rude,
but there as so many Of them, that
they fill the narrow walk completely
There are literally tens of thousands
of soldiers in London daily.
We pass Scotch soldiers with their
kits and Highland bonnets, We push
our way past Australian and New Zea-