The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-08-10
Only Pure-GoId Man or Woman
Remains.
FRIED eggs FOLLOW FLAG
American Boys In France Demand
Home Eats Early and Late-Much
More Drudgery Than Glory for Vol
unteer in This War-Writer Shows
One Side of What Work Means Over
There-lt's Work That Counts.
BY FOSTER.

val "oIh III france is a crucible.
thousands who have gone abroad vi
sioning themselves as heroic figures at
the very battle front, only to find that
there is much more drudgery than
glory for the volunteer, have stood the
test. Some, who were insincere in
their purpose, have weakened. They
have been sifted out and probably are
back in America. Only the pure-gold
man or woman is permitted to remain
and do the hard, prosaic work which
will help the men in khaki to win the
war
just to show one side of what work
means over here, take one of the con-
ventional Y. NJ. G. A. huts outside the
war zone. Up at the front, of course,
there is plenty of excitement to leaven
the toll, the d%rudgery but until a man
or woman has been tried out and found
able to make good, the red triangle is
chary about sending that man or wom-
an there. And so they are tried out
where there is nothing but work-just
work. DR.. Charles Parks cafe for
soldiers at Tours is such a place.
The name of the establishment is
the Old Port Duquesne canteen.
Originally it was a cafe, one of those
big fiyblown, smelly buvettes so char
acteristic of this part of France. In
January last, when Doctor Park, a
resident of Santa Barbara, Cal, went
there the cafe was going out of bust
ness. The war had put a crimp in it's
trade. The location was just the one
Doctor Park was seeking, so he bought
out the proprietor.
They Did Much.
With the doctor were Mrs. Park, her
daughters, Miss Betty and Miss Nancy.
They had agreed with the Y. NJ. G. A.
not only to pay all the expenses of the
place, but also to do all the work. On
January p last the cafe opened its
doors, the staff at the time consisting
of the Park family and half a dozen
paid workers. These latter did the
cooking, the dishwashing and the
scrubbing of the floors. The Parks
did all the rest.
And what they did was much. The
first meal, breakfast, a regular Amer
lean meal, was served at Z a. m. That
meant that Someone-the Parks, it
happens-rose every day at six o'clock
or earlier. When breakfast was fin
ished they galloped on, getting ready
for dinner. And when dinner was
finished that did not mean the days
work was ended. Till ten o'clock be-
lated soldiers from all oVer France
kept dropping in, demanding fried
eggs, fried potatoes, coffee, chocolate
and tea.
The Sunday the writer was at Tours
n had literally to fight his way in
side the cafe. Seventeen hundred meals
were served that day. And after it
was all over, Doctor Parks two daugh-
tiers and the six assistants who now
wait with them at the tables fell into
the nearest chairs. They had been on
their feet, all of them, anywhere from
ten to fourteen hours.
No Romance in War.
"Romance?" inquired the older Miss
Park. "There isn't any such animal
not in this mans war, at any rate"
The other Miss Park shrugged her
shoulders disgustedly.
when this wars over l hope to
goodness l never lay eyes on food
again. The whole wars nothing else
than foods; eggs, fried potatoes, then
fried eggs, fried potatoes, after them
fried eggs" Again she gave a shrug.
'Food! Ugh !"
But hardly had she said it when she
leaped to her feet with a smile and a
quick, CHEEKY greeting. 1t was a be-
lated soldier, a boy in the transport
department, she welcomed. allow do
you do, Eddy. Fried eggs? Why,
certainly" And off she sped as gayly
and cheerfully as ever, seeking the
days last eggs for a hungry, tired lad
in khaki.
And there you are. All work and
no play makes Jack a dull boy, and
this wal over here is filled with that.
Just the same there are a lot of them
In France, all volunteers in the work,
that get good, sound, honest joy out
of the work they are doing. 1t may
not be glorious, that work, but It's
work that counts. Most of the fight
ing in this particular val is being done
behind the lines.