The Washington herald., 1918-08-21
YANKS TOGET
HOMEPAPERS
Holland Writes Of New Or.
ganization Of Col.
Thompson.

On the eve OF his departure sfor
the far west. few days ago. Col.
William d. Thompson perfected a
national organization Of which he Is
president. which reflects an unex-
pected result from a purely local
undertaking OF which he was the
originator last fall.
Col Thompson's activities as a
leader OF the American Red Cross
in Russia have been incessant He
had always felt certain that ulti-
rnately Russia would find herself.
hut that IL would be essential for
the United States and our allies to
assist her people in every reason
able way,
- In addition to his responsibilities
as the leader OF the American Red
Cross in Russia. Col Thompson is q
director of the Federal Reserve
bank at New York, and Is always
greatly occupied with many import
ant Industrial undertakings. al
though OF. course, he is more promi-
nently identified with the creation
and development OF great copper
properties in the far west, than by
any OF his other Industrial or
mining undertakings.
Great TaIue.
= Nevertheless. in spite OF these
constant demands upon his time. he
has made opportunity to put into
effect a service which will prove to
be Of value to our soldiers In
France Col Thompson's home Is at
Honkers on the Hudson, and he has
been associated with important pub
lie service in Westchester County.
of which Yonkers is the largest
town and White Plains is the capi-
tai.
Many OF the young men OF West
chester County. Col. Thompson
learned. were in military service.
almost all of them in France. 1t
occurred to him that these West
chester County soldiers would be
sratifed il they could regularly re-
csive home papers. He therefore
organized what is called the home
paper service OF Westchester
County. New York He subscribed
for many copies of each of the local
newspapers and caused his organiza-
tion so to locate the westchester
county soldiers. that II would be
possible for them to receive regu-
larly their home papers.
Words of Thanks.
Col Thompson was not wrong in
estimating the value which this
home paper service would be. He
has already received many letters
from the Westchester county SOL
diers in which Acknowledgement
Is made of the value of his plan
to send one home paper to each of
the enlisted men of the county. AL
most all Of these letters report that
there Is nothing that the man in
the service Graves for more, except,
OF course. a letter from his family,
than the news from his home town.
The papers arrive promptly and
regularly and are almost always of
the same date as frst-class mail.
One Of the Westchester county SOL
oiers in his letter of acknowledge
Elsnt says: "One day while working
around headquarters. one of my
comrades brought me a package and
when L opened II and saw my home
town papers. IL seemed as il an
angel had dropped them from the
Ikics."
4 National Organization
Gradually reports reached every
State in the Union which told of the
gratitude ard delight with which
these WestchesteT soldiers received
their home newspapers with the as
suTance that they would continue
10 receive them as long as the war
lasted
So there began to come to Col,
Thompson from many parts of the
country requests for information re-
specting the organization of the
home paper service.
The number of these communica-
tons became so great that the in
>erest which they manifested was
20 sincere that il seemed to be the
better part to create a national or
Banization whereby the home pa
pers could be placed in the trenches,
in the hospitals and wherever Amer
lean soldiers are.
Earnest requests came from
Texas. Arizona and the Pacific coast
>or Information which would en-
able those who made the requests to
DO so for their own home soldiers
what Col Thompson had done for
The Westchester county soldiers.
All Soldiers to Get Them.
Therefore the national organization
now perfected after careful study
md. under the direction Of Col
Thompson. American soldiers wher-
ever they are. and wherever theiI
homes in the United States NAV be
will receive regularly and as long as
he war lasts their home newspapers
Whoever Is permitted to read the let.
ters Col. Thompson has received from
he soldiers TO whom he has caused
TO he sent their home newspaper,