The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1918-04-04

Our education in war terms still
is limited. The word "hut" or "hut-
ment" the big social centers for the
boys in the battle zones and at the
training cantonments-is still taken
by many to mean 'delapidated sort
Of shack, more or less encountered
with dirt-a sort Of place that
would give any lonesome soldier or
sailor the "jimmies." :,
But war shuts" are the opposite.
Almost two hundred huts by the Sal
walton Army at environments in this
country and in operation close up. to
the firing zone in Europe. are far
examples. Clean as an old maids
home; built artistically, places brln1-
ming over with good cheer-a meet
ing place for the boys where they can
xet a bite of food, have place to
Soaf and to write, where they can
get their socks darned or rip fixed.
Then there are the every ready Sal
yationist women in attendance with
their words of advice and cheer and
the religious services play no small
mart. That is a fair composite pic
ture.
In American camps all new huts
are being built two stories in height,
with big meeting hall, rest and game
rooms, restaurant, etc., on the first
floor and the second fitted with bed
rooms where the soldiers mother,
ulster or wife may stay during her
visit to the loved one in camp. Wives
Of Salcation Army officers are in con-
slant attendance. This is one of the
biggest single features of the work.
What the huts do in the battle zone
Is described in a letter from Ser
geant Herbert Roberts of Chicago,
now serving in France. He wrote:
Eve are exceedingly fortunate
for we have Salvation Army Hut.
This means good cheer, good eats, a
n1odicum of good advice to flavor all,
and best of all good singing.
Consider wooden hut about 30x
120 feet in size. At one end is
counter where you can buy, at cost
price, everything from shoe-laces to
hymn books, from delicious hot cof-
fee to Khaki Blanco' for your leg
gins, from hair brushes to the win
ner Special different dish every
night which you can get for about 80
sentimes (six cents-bring your own
plate). This special makes you
homesick; one day it is custard pud-
ding with sliced peaches, another day
big fat juicy pumpkin pie, and so on.
Oh! Boy!
"There is a platform at the other
end with piano and several guitars
ying around; big picture of Jesus
on the Cross and fine army crest
adorn the wall. In one corner of the
hut there is a quiet room with pen,
INK and paper inviting you to write
home. The rest of the hut is taken
up with tables and chairs.
''About 5 o'clock the hut begins to
ELL up and half an hour later it is
full. At each table the troubles of
the day are aired, laughed over and
forgotten under the influence of
cup of hot coffee. What concourse
Of men!. Big British guardsmen,
Aare-legged Highlanders, tall Aus
tralians, husky Canadians, and the
smart newcomer Yank all hobnob-
hing and having a good time.
"By-and-by the captain and his
wife go to the platform. The lady
gets up to sing and the captain plays
the piano. In an instant the hut is
silent. She sings an old song, a song
Of another age-"There is a Happy
Land Far, Far Away The sweet
voice raises and falls and a hundred
and one pairs Of eyes look and mois-
ten as each soldier thinks of a Happy
land and happy days gone by. Then
the captain prays, calling for a bless
ing on the boys and the loved ones at
home.
"But minute later. What a noise!
War again.
"'We're marching to Zion; half
don't know the words but they sing
anyway for they have been marching
to Zion these three years. Onward
Christian Soldiers; The Day of Vic
sory's Coming; everybody sings. No
need to urge them. Two hundred and
Fifty strong voices roar out the old
hymns and new choruses. Oh Will
helm! What is your Hymn of Hate
compared with these songs of love and
faith.
"The captain is big healthy man
and although past military age is full
of pep and whenever the boys are in
trouble hustles them away into cor
ner and gives them fve-minute
treatment of rapid-fre religion and
good cheer, with the result that they
come out with nice broad smile.
"And the captains lady and her
trusted lassies are never too busy to
sew on button, and the men, am
sorry to say, have an abnormal num-
Der of buttons to sew on. More pow
er to the Salvation Army and its SOL
aiers."
The $4,000, 100000 war fund cam
paign of the Salvation Army for the
maintenance of these huts and fol
The widely varied other war work is
being pushed vigorously. Commits.
sioner Thomas Estill has announced
to make way for the third Liberty
Loan campaign. The commissioner
IS urging that every patriotic either
do '|his bit" so that there may be nc
failure in this highly necessary wa,