Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-09-04
HOUSE AT CAMP DODGE.

HOW the Camp DOQSe HOSTESS
House has served the home folks" OF
the boys in training there and the
boys themselves, is shown by the des-
cription of the first months of its
existence, given by Miss Adele Seyle
directing hostess That the Camp
Dodge Hostess House, is only one of
the 1O1 Hostess Houses erected or
about to be erected in the army camps
of the country at the request of their
commanding officers by the National
War Work Council OF the Y. w. c. A.,
is pointed out by Miss Seyle.
Just the numbers Of fathers, mothesr
wives, sweethearts, sisters and friends
of boys in the cantonment who have
gotten in touch with their soldiers thru
the Hostess House telephone, have
waited for them in the great homelike
living room of this building and visited
with them on its pleasant porches or
before its glowing fire, it is impossi-
BILE to determine, according to Miss
Seyle. Just how many women and
girls have used the dressing room,
rest room and checking facilities of
the house, is also not known altho
they probably run into the hundreds
of thousands. But during the first
z months, $4,000 people have been
served in the cafeteria served as many
as 1850 people day and no less than
1900 day. The ice cream bill alone,
for July, totaled over $4,000.
Altho guests are kept in the house
over night only in emergencies and at
govt request, $50 people have been
Accommodated in this manner. Most Of
these were mothers OF boys seriously
i'll at the base hospital, a few of whom
were able to reach the death beds Of
their SONS only because they had been
allowed to stay within the cantonment
over night. The emergency room,
which is equipped with hospital fac
ilities. received one young mother and
6 months old baby one night at IL
o'clock in a pouring rain, took in
one grief prostrated mother whose
son had just died at the base hospital,
served many women and men as we'll
who had tainted or suffered minor ac-
cidents. Another room in the Hostess
House which has been put to good use
is the nursery, which is equipped with
small bed and a chiffonier full of baby
clothes. Hundreds Of wee sons and
daughters of soldiers have slept peace
fully here while their mothers had a
fquiet chat or happy meal once more
with "daddie."
During the moving the SSth div
ision, countless goodbyes were said
within the walls of the Hostess House.
Fathers and mothers who had perhaps
come thousands of miles for few
minutes with their sons, were permit
ted to have those last few minutes in
homelike surroundings. The long dis
tance telephone booths were also kept
busy with farewells. Many night
the Hostess House kept open long
after its ten o'clock closing hour in
order that some relatives of soldiers
who arrived late from a great distance
might have pleasant place in which
to spend their last moments with him
or that long distance telephone call
might come thru and enable depart
ing soldier to send last goodbye over
the wire to his girl in some little town
a big basket of homemade goodies for
a bly, basket of homemade goodies for
their boy found that he had left just
a few hours earlier, and after being
gently told the hard news by the hos
tess in charge were cheered and COM
forted and given their lunch with hot
coffee from the cafeteria at little
table by the fire.
While the Hostess House is main
tanned by the Y. W. c. A. primarily
for visiting relatives and friends of
soldiers, it seems to fill great need
with the soldiers themselves. They
drop in continually to make use of the
comfortable chairs, the piano, victrola,
magazines and fireplace to get a cup
of coffee and piece Of homemade pie,
or to chat with the hostess and get a
touch of home atmosphere.