The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-28
DO NOT WASTE IT.
Lieutenant KeilmanR Tells
Girls What To Send.
Soldiers in France Throw Away
Unnecessary Articles.
SPOKE TO Y. W. C. A. CLASS
One Hundred Girls Listen to
Interesting Address.
American Lass in "Y. NJ" Hut
Looked Good to Him.

"Of the quantities of articles sent
abroad to soldiers" said Lieut.. E. D.
Keilmann in an address before the
Girls Battalion of the Y. W. c. A.
Wednesday night, 81 nave seen from
my battery as much as hundred and
fifty dollars worth thrown away-no,
not thrown away, but given away to
the eager French people of the war
zone. AT all events. the boys to whom
they 3. ere sent could make no use of
them. The question as to what the
American women can send to their
men abroad has been asked me over
and over by women in this country
since | returned from aboard.
Now what Lieutenant Keilmann
went on, what do you suppose SOL
der can want with pajamas or bed
sheets or feather pillows or dainty
hath robes? Yet great quantities of
such stuff has been sent over to the
men. The quartermasters depart
ment. which is now most efficient,
supplies the men with clothing. They
have just so much room in their
equipment for clothing. The govern
nent does not allow them to dispose
Of the articles which it supplies; so, in
case the mans kit is too full, you may
know which articles will be left be-
hind when the soldier moves on. If
YOU want to send the boys gifts. let it
be things to eat. tho not soft cakes
and pies and chocolate creams 1
have seen some terrible tragedies in
chocolate cream boxes when they
were opened in France
Those American Girls.
II cannot say too much" Lieuten-
ant Keilmann went on, lin praise of
the work of the Y. NJ. c. A. in the
war zone The first time l went into
Y. M g. a. hut-and the one for
our brigade was one of the first erect
ed out there-and saw two Ameri-
can girls, just stood still and gazed.
Nothing in this world ever looked so
ooc to me. The girls were i'm
menscly proud of their uniforms, but
we persuade! them not to wear
then We told them that to be in
the company of a group of charming
American girls was too good to be
true. and if they had American clothes
with them, for the love of Mike, to
wear them. The girls held little tea
parties every afternoon, inviting the
officers and men in groups for diff
ferent days. We used to fight among
ourselves to get a chance to go out
&c our turn, SO good did it seem to
be guests at these little parties"
Lieutenant Keilmann explained the
four fferent kinds of artillery, tell
ing especially of the heavy artillery,
% which he was attached, He said
that he had done no trench fighting,
and had only visited a few of the
trenches OF the French and British.
Along the 'front.' he said these
trenches just look like a long row of
trash heaps. But it is not safe to
tampeI with the old tomato can you
see lying ah1u.. 1t may contain
rifle muzzle, OF grenade. The men
were scattered thru the trenches
when | saw them. some watching and
some sleeping, and others were back
little wa playing cards. OF course,
there were no troops in action at the
time I vert up to the front"
Nastncss of Operations.
The speaker tried to give the audi
ence some idea of the vastness of the
army operations abroad by telling
them of the great numbers of men
engaged and the enormity of the oper-
atoms. He said that the weak link in
the chain was transportation from the