The weekly soliphone., 1917-07-26
FRENCH SOLDIERS SENDING
 THANKS FOR TUCK BAGS
| (By w s. Forrest, United Press
 Staff Correspondent

1 du Nord is the great railroad sta tion of Paris through which Am erican troops will pass on their way to and from the front. General Per lshing and his staff had their first glimpse of Paris through it's big front door.
 Otherwise it is the happiest and saddest place in the French met ropolis. The happiness is made in | America. The sadness is, of course, the war.
 If the American women could | sec the results of the handy bags they sew and send to France and l the money they collect in America to cheer soldiers at the Care du Nord, they would feel justly com pensated for every cent and every hour of work.
 In a great hall in the basement of the station French poilus gather to be entertained by vaudeville ar lists and to have luncheon furnished by Mamade Couicol, a benevolent French woman who assures Ameri- ca that American soldiers will be just as welcome. The men are leav- ling for the front-passing back to the firing line.
 1 the work of tens of thousands of | American women is handed to the soldiers by kindly faced American women in Paris doing the work of the American Fund for French Wounded. These include Mrs. Mary Beech Needham, wife of the late famous American writer, and Miss Brent of Chicago Hundreds of tuck bags" sewed and provisioned in every state of America are hand ed to the eager poilus.
 Big, strong men, who know that within twenty-four hours they will be back fighting death in the firing line, almost weep and bless the American women. The bags contain what-nots of every description-- needles, thread soap, towels, tooth brushes and paste and hundreds of things that cheer men cursed with almost three years of war.
 On the night the French poilu re- ceived his first message direct from General Pershing and was intro duced to the American officer, the 1 United Press saw what kindly Am erican women were doing to cheer the soldiers of France. Captain N i E. Margetts, aide-de-camp to Gen eral Pershing, and Major Church i'll, of the general staff, represented the American army. Four hundred and fifty poilus cheercd the Am erican officers and American wo- men until their throats were tired.
 "Vive PAmoricue," "Vive le Cen oral Pershing, "Vive Ia France, ' came from all the 450 throat8 ''Vive everybody shouted one old poilu after the others had finished Captain Margetts told the soldiers in slow, careful French that Gen eral Pershing, like all America admired them for the valorous fight they had made for nearly three long years. We are with you until the finish" Captain Margctts said. Gen eral Pershing asks you to continue the struggle until the American comrades arrive and fight by your side"
 Then came the American tuck bags" Eager uniformed arms reach ed for the treasures. Scemama Ellie a big, handsome, blonde zouave who has been through hells of fire dozens of timse, wrote his name or slip of paper and asked the Unit ed Press to thank Miss Ruth Fry linf, Concord, North Carolina, fol the bag she sent ''to some unknoWT soldier" He cannot use the two boxes of face powder, but he'll sen( them to a girl he knows, while hel enjoy the othre things the bag contained. Ellie wrote his front address as follows, "Scemama Ellie 4e Zouaves, Compagnie Mitrailleur dude - Battalion - Sector Posta ISL" Katheryn II. Shay, S14 Soutl University street, Ann Arbor, Mich. pitched her tuck bag across tn, ocean into the arms of Simol Schaukroun, another young Frencl Zouave who thankfully penned hi address, "Gem Spahis Lemarche, le
 Section dc Mitrailleurs, Sector Pos tai 6S."
 These was joy in the eyes o
 Rogue Joseph, young soldier o
 many campaigns, when he pulle'
 the name of Miss Helen Eaglesfleld 1852 North Pennsylvania st.. In
 dianapolis, from his tuck bag II
 didn't mind letting Miss Eagles
 filed know his address: George Guinard, Seem d'infanteries,, Com pagnies Hors Rang. Sectof Posta 93, received the bag sent by Mis-
 Hattie Norton of the America
 Fund for French Wounded, Louis < vile, Ky.
 , | Loor co,,f Mice E,ni1u NNov