Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-01-30
.SMILEAGE BOOKS
DRIVE BEGINS
Mrs. Herman Astrich Heads
Committee That Will
Make Canvass

With an organization headed by
Mrs. Herman Astrich, the Smileage
Book is going to sweep into this city
at a mile-a-minute gait. The book,
which is not unlike the mileage book
of the railroad, has the Military En-
tertainment Council back of it ap-
pointed by the Secretary of War as
branch of the War Department
Commission on Training Activities.
It's work is to produce programs of
entertainment for the off hours of
the men in the uniform of the United
States now in National Guard camps
and National Army cantonments on
this side of the Atlantic. For the
present, the work does not reach to
the smaller Army camps or to any
of the Navy camps.
For the entertainment under its
direction the council will use the new
Liberty theaters built by the Gov
ernment, the large auditoriums of the
Y. NJ c. A. and, where the weather
permits, the tents which have been
provided by the Chautauqua Manag-
ers' Association.
The council has planned to present
at the camp theaters first-class the
atrical companies in the best stage
successes, such as Turn to the
Right" Cheating Cheaters," Here
Comes the Bride" Inside the Lines"
and others, interpolated by musical,
vaudeville and lecture programs in
addition to programs by the soldiers
themselves.
Ordinarily said Mrs. Astrich, "the
cost of booking such attractions
would be prohibitive. But the per-
formers and managers of the United
states have met the council with
such patriotic cooperation as TO put
these productions within the reach of
every soldier in the United States.
Operating expense has been reduced
to bedrock.
"As result, the money cost of
these performances will range from
- cents to 25N cents n seat
yet many soldiers will not be able
II attend many performances even
at these prices. Thousands of them
are sending home practically all their
pay.
Therefore, this council has orig
mated type of book of tickets that
members of the soldiers family and
his friends may send to him at the
camps. They are to be called Smile
age Books. and will be made up of
coupons somewhat like the mileage
books of the railroad.
I'm books of one size, twenty cou-
pons will be sold for a dollar. In
books of another size. one hundred
will be sold for five dollars. These
coupons will be good for payment
for seats at any performance in any
camp theater. Probably as the move
ment grows they will be made good
also for certain other and similar
uses.
'The result will be to change a
| danger period in the life of the SOL
| dier into a period of healthful relax
alton and refreshment."
"Auditoriums for such entertain
ment have been made available in
| reasonable nj nber. The Y. M. C. A
has provided Sixteen; the Government
has built a Liberty theater in each
of sixteen National Army conton-
ments. In southern comps. thirty
two Chautauqua tents have been set
up. The problem has been two-sided
to get programs for these audi
| toriums; to get tickets into the hands
of the soldiers at prices which will
meet the operating expense.
The operating expense is borne
by the tickets in the Smileage books,
paid for by the families. the employ
ers. the company of friends, or the
men back home.
THE Military Entertainment Coun-
ell is thus not duplicate of any OF
these other agencies. 1t is instead
an expansion of them. or a partner
ship with them"
The Smileage Book team consists
the following: Mrs. Herman AS
trich, Mrs. David Kaufman, Mrs. c.
Ross Boas, Mrs. Horace M. Whitman,
Mrs. Fred b. Dapp. Mrs. E. ]. Stack
pole. Mrs. Homer Black, Mrs. p. e.
Phillips. Mrs. Alfred Seligman, Mrs.
Clair Miller. Mrs. Otto J. Buxbaums,
Mrs L v. RAuoh