The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-08-25
NATIONAL RED CROSS
NOTES

Canteens and rest stations Ior u
French and American troops Will b
established It once in France by tn
American Red Cross.
The War Council has been tryin,
to find out just what the Red Cros
could do most effectively to heart
en- the French Army and give t
French soldiers q token of the fac
that America is with her Ally witt
all her power. The French Arm,
officers have told the Red Cross thai
canteens and rest stations would d.
more for the immediate welfare and
contentment Of the soldiers than
anything else that could be done
Therefore, the problem is going to
be met thoroughly and at once.
The poilus come out Of the
trenches, to 60 home on leave, mud
stained vermin-covered, reeking
with infection. They are marched to
the nearest railroad in that condi-
ton, where, perhaps, they find a
little station with scanty accommoda
tons for a dozen passengers.
The Red Cross is going to put
shower-baths there, and laundries
and disinfecting rooms, which
will remove the menace of dirt
and disease which these men carry
to their homes. Then there will be
rest-rooms where they can read and
write and play games, to make the
transition to civilian life easier, and
small stores where they can buy tin
ned delicacies, tobacco, and odds
and ends.
Similar canteens will be opened
at the railroad functions where the
men must wait en- route. At some of
them now these men, still trench
stained, have to lie on station plat
forms all night. There will be dormi-
tories at such places and lunch
rooms at all of them where hot
meals can be bought at a price just
above cost.
Nearly fifty thousand soldiers are
passing through eleven Of these sta
tons every day. They will have a
convincing proof Of American
friendliness when they find Ameri-'
can women-the Women's Bureau
is now recruiting fifty of them for
such service-ready to help them.
Just behind the firing line the
Red Cross will put field canteens.
Extending the work already begun
by the French Red Cross, we shall
see that every corps Of the French
Army, and ultimately our own, has
one of these stations, which will sup
ply hot and cold drinks 10 the men
who are fighting. Many of them now
have nothing to relieve their thirst
except their days ration which they
carry in containers which mey be
smashed at any minute.
The canteen is placed in or near
the second line, and refreshing
drinks are carried right into the
front trenches. Each station can
keep about 1875 gallons Of hot
drinks at the boiling point and has
several thermos containers holding
NIX to twelve gallons apiece. Four
thousand portions-coffee, tea,
COCOA, bouillon, lemonade, mint
ire sometimes served from one can |
cen in a single day.
Here too American workers will |
'e found. The 'convoyer' in charge
# the canteen will be a Red Cross
nan, with French soldiers to help
i'm. Many of the .poilus will get
heir, first glimpse of the American
Inform in this way. Just the cup
f coffee, or the cold drink, may
make all the difference between
agging morale and spirited fight
1g. -. ~.
To- carry out these plans the
Var Council has appropriated about
100000, which will serve to estab-
sh the canteens and maintain them
Or about three months. Much of the
1uipment will be supplied by the
rench Army.