The daily morning oasis., 1918-05-09
CANTEEN WORKERS CATER
TO POILU'S APPETITE
FOR OYSTERS AND SALADS
Eleanor Robson Belmont, Home From Europe,
Tells of Her Unbomded Faith
In the Red Cross.
By ELEANOR ROBSON BELMONT.

huts used for this purpose are little
alleys marked paris" "Dijon," or ':.Ly'
ons." These little alleys are laid out
with hunks filed with sleeping men.
If poilu Is going to Paris, he throws
himself down in the Paris bunk, serene
in the knowledge that he will be called
In time for the Paris train.
In some Of the canteens the lights
have to be dimmed on account of aero
planes. Often the lights are covered
with colored muslin shields which
make rosy glow that is very home
like. One of the canteens has been
decorated by some Of the best cameu-
fiage artists in France, who have taken
great delight in covering the walls and
even the ceiling with their pictures
The canteens are open day and night
for the benefit Of the men at the big
junction points.
Do More Than Feed Men.
The woren In the canteens do more
than feed the men, however, impor.
tant as that Is. Poilus leaving their
families are naturally depressed and
need sympathetic listeners. Some one
to admire his wife's picture, some one
to laugh over the baby's latest sign
of genius, some one to tell him that
the oldest boy is the image of his
handsome father-this is as real a
need In the poilu's life as salad or
In 70 he %
fine women Is such an influence for
good that officers say the morale Of
the army is distinctly higher wherever
the canteens are. This causes great
rivalry among the canteen workers
Each one wants her canteen to be the
best and most popular in the service.
Besides this direct, personal service
to the soldiers the Red Cross Is doing
a kind of John the Baptist work with
dispensaries. We have fifteen dispen
saries scattered through districts
where war has been or is likely to be
France had mobilized 1900 of her
24,OO0 physicians. leaving about 5000
for the whole of civilian France.
Sometimes you will find one old doctor
taking care Of several villages with
no means of transportation except oc-
casionally an aged, overworked horse
Here Is a chance for the Red Cross to
step in and help. There is syndicate
of physicians to which the Red Cross
applies to fnd out If q certain village
has a medical adviser; If not we estab.
lish q center and operate In q given
section around the center.
Bathing q Luxury.
A Red Cross doctor and nurse 20 cut
regularly to the villages in their section.
Each village Is informed when they are
so that all whe want medical
advice or treatment can meet together
in one spot and save unnecessary calls.
OF course, If any one is too III to come
to the doctor, the doctor goes to him.
The nurses carry among other things
shower baths for babies. In many re-
gions Of France, owing to lack of facil-
tiles, bathing Ia q luxury. so the super
stition has grown UP that 1t Ia dan
gerous. Now since the mothers are
convinced that their children will
be neither killed nor injured, but on
the contrary benefited by baths. how
they do look forward to theml
After all this inspiring activity OF
the Red Cross on the other side, ro-
mantle in spite Of the drudgery and
expected the work here to
be an anti-climax. was amazed, then.
when l returned to see what We were
at home.