The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-27

L0T1HE following letter has been sent
 to Birmingham friends by Miss
 S Flora Milner Harrison, who is now at the hostess house at Camp Pike, and will be read with much interest:
 To the Dearest People:
 This is combination of Friday and the 18th, but even that can't disturb my equilibrium because-the books are balanced! Please be duly impressed with the significance of that. 1 have told you the same thing for several months but it is a source of unfailing surprise and pleasure to me that really do make two and two equal four. They are all balanced and recorded. and three beau tiful reports are ready for the dear head quarters.
 With that off my mind, and my horn vigorously blown in celebration thereof. I can stop now and enjoy the fact that we are having perfect weather. That is not merely to fill up space. It really is wonderful. the most beautiful clear skies. and an ideal temperature. It Is the most beautiful early fall and the trip into town, part of the way, is-well. you just draw long breath. and look and look, and wof. fer # 1t could be more perfect. It Is realis- not magnificently beauti- full country, but the common things are so pretty. and the air so perfect.
 The work goes on about as usual, since the early summer. when it changed very much. The division left then, and this was made a replacement camp, winch means that the men are here for only few weeks or months of initial training, end then go on to other points, and Sd the name of replacement camp. The men are from this state, Missouri and Iowa. They are all transients, and for some reason or other their families all come to see them here. I do not know ex- actly why, but they all seem more or less pathetic. We have so many cases of wives coming immediately after the arrival of the men, while they are still in quarantine, and so many come with no money, and no place to go. and mo- body to look to. The Y. w. c. A. in town has an emergency secretary, and Q special war work secretary, and the Red Cross has civilian relief worker. all of whom look after cases and we send to them they send to us The whole thing is less settled than with a division, where the men are here TOT months, and they and their visitors take things more calmly, and visit more peace fully. Now so many come only to find that the men have gone. One Sunday there was girl here with her father, and the wee baby--her husband had ex- pected to be here till Tuesday-and had left on Friday. She said: It wouldn't a-done the baby any good to see him, but it sure would a-done him good to see her" There was another case of an old man who came and Mrs. Parrott went in the car with him to his son s barracks to see him, and he was gone the same stofy-already transferred. The old man stood, with tears in his eyes, and said Its all right. LII go back home" And when he got back to the house and out of the car and told Mrs. Parrott goodbye, he said: I'll re- member you when l pray It's worth a whole lot to be able to help them. I have never in my life been so i'm pressed with the need for genuine, in born kindness, and courtesy and unselt- ishness and consideration. And I have never before realized how people stand or fall according to their own merit. It is just what is in them, themselves. They are big or little, according to their own souls, and their own views. It's tr,e with the men, officers and privates and it's true with the women who come to visit here, and with the staff and relief workers, and with the servants here in the kitchen.
 new staff worker here has charge of the cafeteria and kitchen. She was formerly principal of the St. Louis open air school for tubereular children, and is one of the most capable sensible won- en I've met and it certainly is great thing to be associated with her. She ia an example of what personal ability and standards mean.
 Another is Mrs Parrott the director, who is giving her services. She happens to he in a position where she can do 1t money and no family ties-she is even rich enough to have a pair of white overshoes, which I think is the climax of luxury, and she has worked from the