Meade County news., 1917-12-13
CARE OF US. soLDIEDs AND SAIL
oRS ORGANIZATIONS FIRST
AND SUPREME OBJECT.
MEAL COSTS ONLY l3 CENTS
Shower Baths, BARRIERS, Movie Thea
ter Everything Free Except
Food-Work Near the
Firing Line.

the American Red Cross, which will
launch Christmas membership drive
Tor 100000 more members in the
Southwest Monday, Dec. II. continuing
until Christmas eve, is the care of
Uncle Sans own army and navy.
TIE safety, health and comfort >of
the men who are fighting the coun-
try battles 5000 miles from home
will at all times be the prime object
Of the organizations attc2 lion.
When Frerch army Offices were
asked what the American Red Cross
could best do TO hearten the army and
give the soldiers a concrete token Of
aIcc~,cGn CO operation they sad:
Give us canteens and rest stations" Z"
The Red Cross is accordingly estaS-
fishing canteens at II important rail
way stations in France for the special
use of soldiers on leave, who are con-
stantly passing on their way to and
from the front. The woman's bureau
undertook to recruit 100 women to
serve in canteens and rest rooms in
France. Only women of robust health,
between the ages of 80 and SO, were
considered, and applicants were re-
quired to show that they had worked
for the American Red Cross or in reg
ular occupations requiring high or
der of service and capacity for self
sacrifice Fifty-two of these women
already ara In Eranpo
Serves 1000 Troops Daily.
The first of these canteens was
opened in September and began i'm
mediately to serve large numbers Of
french soldiers and some American
troops. 1t has been used by an aver
age of 1000 men daily. The first yisi-
tors were troop of chasseurs who
aad been instruct.ns the American
troops, and on the same evening a
!Grge number OF American engineers.
-eaving by train at l o'clock in the
morning, were given a warm welcome.
There are Is women who serve day
and night. The menu includes SOUP
bread, meat. vegetables, salads,
,Aeese, SIS, coffee, chocolate aad
tea.
Arrangements for announcing the
departure OF trains have enabled be
tween 300 and 400 men to catch few
hours of much,needed rest in com
Portable, clean quarters, without fear
OF missing their trains Six hundred
men can be so accommodated. Show
ers and wash basins also are provided.
Everything Free Except Food.
The picture presented by such can
teen when 1t Is filled with soldiers is
described in cable from Junius b
Wood. American war correspondent.
in part as follows:
Back Of q long porcelain tilsd counter Amer
lean women In white caps and white aprons
were pouring coffee, ladling soup and handing
out Sandwiches ~ fast as their arms could
diers, American and French, with bowls Of
soup or coffee in ono hand and sandwiches,
'alisages and tobacco In the other. making their
way gingerly through the crowd from the
counter to seats at the tables in the big ROOM
This canteen seats GO an hour In the dining.
rooln. which Is capable OF handling 5000 guests
1aily. There are twenty-one shower baths u
barber shop, q clothes sterllizer and bo.nbproof
movie theater. All is free except the food for
which there IL q nominal charge. On the other
side OF the railroad tracks garden has been
laid out whore, in akiosk, the French Govern.
ment dlspenses VINE to Its own troops. While
waiting for trains the soldiers relax and rest.
Every thing Is sold at cost no allowance be-
ing made for the big overhead expenses In
addition, much s distributed free. bowl OF
soup, which Is quite different from the usual
JnIUn-fiavoured greasy hot water, costs cents,
and other things are sold at proportionateiy
.ow prices. Soup and coffee are 10th served
N bowls.
There are no spoons, cups knives or forks
Tor these never return. For IL cents one gets
a dinner consisting Of soup, beef or lamb, vege-
| liable salad, cheese, padding OF fruit, coffee,
chocolate bOulllOn Tea is brewed especially
Tor passing British troops.
Near the firing line the American
Red Cross is establishing field can
teens Extending the work already
begun by branch OF the French Red
Cross, it will provide one of these can
teens for every corps of the French
army and later for the American army
as we'll
A field kitchen is maintained there,
from which the refreshing drinks are
| distributed along the front by wagons
and light motor trucks. -Four thou
sand portions-coffee, tea, cocoa, boul-
lion, lemonade, etc.-are sometimes
served from one canteen in a single
day.