New Britain herald., 1918-05-30

l 1 Among other mon military" neces-
 ! sities allowed for by the government
 are many opportunities for contact
 1 with the kind of influences the men
 l have been accustomed to at home.
 For in these is amelioration for the
 1 dull bangs of homesckness There
 1 is the He Man" there. He acts as
 the guide, philosopher and friend. In
 his position as secretary in any one
 1 of the Y. M. c. A., Knights of Colum
 bus or Jewish Welfare buildings,
 l his. opportunities are unlimited. 1 He may write a letter for an il- 1 Hterate, or engage in an inn l promptu debate with a college l undergraduate to the relative merits of Isben and Shaw, he may l lead a Bible class or referee a boxing match He must be good mixer first and last 1 There are many req sons for these
 men becoming known as the Big 1 Brothers to the men in camp. Here l is one:
 He was a Tive wire" He had l seen all sides of life and met all 1 kinds of people. He had a brand 1 of slang quite his own, a sense of 1 humor to match, and a smile that l l the bed of his ombination office 1 and bedroom was a sizeable cache of cigarettes. "They're for the 1 boys" he said, when they need cheering up"
 They have mastered the art of per i sonal service, these men, they know 1 the personal likes and dislikes of the 1 soldiers and sailors and minister to 1 them in surprising ways. But it is 1 the Hostess House of the Y. W. c. A. 1 that does most to Keep the Home 1 Fires Burning" Here is an aston- ! ishing military discovery. When from 30,0o0 to eo,Ooo men are gathered together in 1 training camp or station where discipline of necessity disregards ! the individual and where each 1 man is but cog in the machinery 1 of warfare, there is nothing on l earth most of them want so much as to see their families and l friends Many of them are mere 1 boys, especially those who have l volunteered in the navy. A com ] fortable, cheerful spot where they ! can go and spend their time off l with mothers, wives or sweet l hearts has given a new meaning to life for them. After such visit the boy goes back to the dis i cipline of his man-made world with a new courage and a new 1 readiness to do his whole duty. They go whenever they have free time, for
 They know they can always find a hearty welcome. There are urh la tn and unburden their hearts. There are other times when they simply want to sit by the fire and read, play game of checkers with pal. They come for a cup of coffee and a sandwich They have before now borrowed an outfit of clothing from an obliging hostess for an amateur show de luxe. Weddings not infrequently take place in the house. In fact all sorts of re- quests are met there. And, as Mir.
 Fosdck says, it makes the men better
 soldiers by keeping alive the mem ories of home, and supplying a sub stitute.
 'The Hostess House." says Lieutenant-C Colonel Reille, sent here by the French government in connection with teaching our soldiers trench warfare, would help to solve a big difficulty on the other side. And I feel that l 1t is going to be one of the ways in which our new allies will help us'
 1 The Hostess House is furnishing the home life in camp. The War Camp Community service is furnishing it for the men on leave. What have I l done for soldier or a sailor?" you 1 instinctively stop to ask yourself after reading about the 305 families with l in five blocks of Service club in New York, who opened their doors 1 to men on one holiday; and of the "blocl1 parties" given in Chicago; and 1 other unusual entertainment offered l since take q soldier or sailor home 1 with you" passed from a slogan to a 1 habit Cities and towns everywhere are vieing with each other in ex- ] tending real homo hospitality to the men.
 ] And when all these little l human details are traced back to the commissions on training camp activities which represents the United States government, 1 one can grasp to a fuller extent the SlEnlHcdnCS or Lne movement, l and when one realizes that it is all a part of the governments purpose to make better fighting men and better citizens for after the war, he cannot but wonder at the far-sighted policy that in spired it.
 MT. Allen has shown throughout 1 the chapters devoted\ to the various 1,~o If ircin 1 how the government is offering every ] ipceotiyp to the men to lead clean