The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-24

Another unusual feature of the Bir- mingham canteen service" Mrs. Smith said, lis the hearty cooperation of the Vigilantes. There are many times when the most independent of us are exceed ingly glad to send out the $ S signal to mere man and get response. There were some situations in the canteen that have been rather trying, and very diff ticult to cope with; one was that unde- sirable women and g1rls very often, by some hook or crook, would evade the authorities and get in to the troop trains. They would take up the mail from the soldiers, smuggle packages in or out of the station and make them- selves generally objectionable. The Wig ilantes have eliminated that pest and, besides that, have done thousand and ono other things to help the work. In fact, there are two of them on the job from early morning till late at night every day in the week and there is no duty too small nor none too large for them to do I have seen a smart bach elor escortng negro regiment through town.
 "One boy came in few days ago and could not find his mother Mrs. Smith continued. "She had removed from the last address she had given him, but he had vague idea of her present loca- ton. He had only a short leave of ab- et the boy bed and board for the night. then got horse and buggy, if you please, and followed the R. F. D. mail carrier in the direction the boy thought his mother lived, and inquired at every house till he found her.
 'The sad times during the influenza epidemic" Mrs Smith said, when we had boys i'll, boys going home dying boys who were just recovering, boys who had to be rushed from train to ambu- lance and hospital, some of them, poor fellows never to recover consciousness, the Vigilantes and canteeners never left their job for second. Telephones, teie- grams, sorrowing parents and relatives all were looked after with warm personal feeling and never glimpse of the per- functory and professional attitude one would think would be bound to creep into such a big institution. That's where the Red Cross gets the title of the greatest
 Mother in the world. The tenderness
 with which it meets any situation. Effi-
 ciency, yes promptness. perfect organ
 ization, but all snffused with tender ness.
 .sThe commonest soldier, and, love them as we do. we are bound to admit there are a few who are so-called undesir- ables" Mrs. Smith observed, but the commonest, toughest type will always give respect and deference to the sign of the Red Cross.
 Someone was giving one a stamp one day-by the way, that's another thing the Birmingham canteen did for the sol- diers, that is not done elsewhere-stamp the post cards given the boys. You know how impossible it would be to make change for postage, with thousands of men-they are so eager to get card posted home always. Well, this sailor lad was trying to pay 10 cents for Scent stamp ana the canteen worker said, Oh, sonny, we don't want your money, the Red Cross stamps your letter for you. He said, Bless your heart lady, you're the first person who has called me sonny since I left my mother If you want to feel a dozen different thrills at once, just see a troop train pulling out with the boys all hanging out the windows waving hats hands, sandwiches or what not, shouting at the top Of their voices, 'Hurrah for the Red Crossn Officers and enlisted men alike enjoy the hos