Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09
SIMPLIFYING 'oth@r Cheer" Hundreds of Sick Soldiers

a BOUT 10000 boys are scat
IN tered around Washington in
IN fourteen training camps; out OF
q 4 this number more than 400 are
sick Some have measles. others have the
humps Walter Reed Hospital and the
other military hospitals around the Capt.
tai are treating these fellows on the sick
list.' and getting them well as fast rs
possible.
E:ut it's miserable to have to lie in bed
inactive. when one is training to be a
soldier And it's worse to have to lie there
with some minor ailment. miles away
from the ministering hand Of mother"
The hospitals give medical attention. good
food and eficient care. but the coddiing
that comes from mother is. Of course.
missing War eliminates coddling. ana
yet. war or no war the soldier boys are
human. and tender attention and Thought
full solicitiude from loving hands are truly
necessary and always more than welcome.
Two women here in Washington realised
this. and thew set about to supply this
mother sunshine to 40 SICK boys II u
was big job, but they are putting It
through. Mrs Everett Brown. chairman
of the committee Of the District war serv-
ice commission. which looks after the
land Stearns are the ones who began the
movement which has frightened many
a moment that would have been other
wise dull and drab for the sick and con-
valeScent soldiers
Here is the program of cheer which
these women supply every Thursday at
Walter Reed Hospital: shiny apple,
a smelly orange. slice OF cake. a
flower and a scrapbook are given to
each soldier: then come cigarettes and
an automobile ride. Thursday is the
great day" for the cake is eaten both
at dinner and supper the bright red
apple and the yellow orange lend
gay and festive air to the bed. the
flower looks pretty. the cigarettes give
peace and comfort. the scrapbooks en-
tertain and the automobile ride makes
trouble disappear.
How the boys love these things;
When the sound of the Walter Reed
ambulance is heard leaving for down
town on Thursday morning to collect
the goodies" they brighten up. as
go ueh f f 'eEs hen the
returns laden with mothers cheer.
several volunteers from the Y. NJ. c. A.
dsstribute 1t and the pleasure begins.
Then arrangements are corDleted for
irving the BOYS an outing. Mrs. Harry
King wife of a prominent merchant in
the city. has enlisted the automobiles
and services Of thirty women Of Wash
take an automobile full of sick bows
out into the sunshine to enjoy the
beauties of washington's parks and
to have the fresh sir aid in making
them well.
when Mrs Brown and Mrs Stearns
hogan this worthy work. after getting
their inspiration from a sermon on the
honesick. lonesome BOYS they went to
CITY big and small. Protestant and
Catholic. and asked for the co-opera-
ton of the women. Mrs. Brown ad
dressed the ladies' aid soeieties. the
guilds and knitting societies and asked
them to help her in supplying little
touch of mother to these sick soldiers.
The idea appealed TO them. The re-
snorse was encoura ging from the very
beginning. and VOW the entire orgari-
Zation is esta blished and the cheer
work il growing beyond the proper
tions which Mrs. Brown hoped it would
reach.
snecifiad just what she wants. 1t takes
about 200 cakes t" go round and the
get tngethe- "nd bake this number. 1t
was decided that n sirGle church. or !,
few small ones grouped together should
supply the cheer. in turn; For in
Johns day at the hospital, another
should be the Foundry day. another ST
Matthews day and so forth. In this
way energy is conserved and the church
is put on its mettle to make its day
success
The women supply the flowers which
they obtain from their gardens or in
market as well as the cake The Young
men of the church contribute toward
the cigarettes and fruit, and the chill
dren make the scrapbooks.
A word should he said for the SCRAP
books. They are indeed novel in con-
ception and a source of comfort to the
soldiers. Mrs. Brown appeared before
the Sunday schools and demonstrated
her plan for manufacturing" these
books. She suggests saving all the
comic sheets and the pictorial sections
and cutting out all jokes and short