The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-03-22
NEWS OF SOCIET AND
 ACTIVITIES, S,,O( OF WOMEN

us, and keep the letters coming. If you can afford material assistance, tobacco more nearly fills the bill than anything else you could senc. Candy and cakes
 we like, but sometimes they reach us in I good condition, more often they do not. Besides, there is comfort and consoia- ton in a fragrant cigarette or mellow
 pipe or a plain. humble, old juicy chew, | that nothing else outside a glimpse of | home could give. Lots of the soldiers | troubles would go up in smoke it he could only get the smokei We wonder why some woman's organization hash ] taken that for it's cue and adopted It TOT a mission What splendid one it would be-supplying condensed happiness to the | boys'
 "When the coloners lady, whose other
 name is Mrs. William Preston Screws, | talked with her friends Ie was on these | things Each member of the little crowd with her had done much war work, ! that is, the usual things. They had dropped out of the most strenuous life | in the most interesting social clique in | Montgomery to knit for the Red Cross,
 campaign for the Liberty Loan and the l Young. Mems Christian association, to Hooverize and economize and help win the war in thousand and one ways,
 but they had generalized and not spe- | cialzed in their good doing | "The spark was lighted which was to set the smoke fund going.
 !" Tobacco must be a solace when one drinks from canteen and eats from a can commented one of the group. There's so much cheer-o spirit in the
 odor and in the whimsical curl or the smoke It is such human thing, so companionable. LeEs keep our boys supplied Let's start fund for that one thing
 .Said-done, presto. An informal com mittee meeting next morning, an an- nouncement that the boys want smokes, boxes scattered, with signs reminding the public that cigarettes cost dollar | a pack over there, and the fund had be- come a reality. There was no formaiity, no canvassing, no holding up of people 1 who have to go into their pocket every whip stitch now that the war is on, no | red tape. It was enough to this part | of Alabama to know that her pride, the | Old Fourth, which is adding glory to 1 the Rainbow division with which it mas been merged had gone into action. All of Montgomery is proud of the regiment | and takes a personal interest i'll every | thing it does because everybody knows | the organiZa tion thoroughly through long 1 and familiar association. All of Mont gomery adores Col. "Bilf' Screws, and anything he wants for his regiment he can have for the asking. The tobacco fund will please him especially because
 it will not only be a tribute to him and
 the faith people have in him, but be- cause he knows the pleasure of a smoke himself His friends keep him supplied with all the 25-cent cigars he can dis pose of but he will be thankful to have Icigarettes to hand around to that fine | bunch of his.
 When news came the other day that | G,-< &f Ina TAO rfr,an, had decorated for valor in their first en- counter with the enemy, there was gen. eral jubilation. Tears rose to some eyes, Ivatchful eyes that are scanning cas- ualty lists for sight of familiar names. But back of the tears were thrills of pride that came with knowing that
 nearly 4Oo0 of our own boys, our very brothers. were in the midst of the big,
 terrible, incomprehensble thing none of [us can understand who isn't there to
 see for ourselves-that they are fighting as so many of the French and British | lads and lads of other nations have done l for four years before them; that they
 are winning their spurs the first moment they are turned into the arena; that they are dying for the glory of their lstate. their country, for freedom, for us--for you, for him for mel
 l :" Ky God said an urchin whose speech | savored of the street corner where he
 was plying his trade of selling the day S lnews, by God, we ought ter have CT parade.
 Mrs Screws passed and he hailed her.
 "'I say. Mrs. Screws, look whut the regiments went an done. Amt it grand? Amt it glorious? say. we
 ought ter have CT parade! With music. A brass band tootin' all up and down ,his street. I wish I wus with 'em, I do, by Godr
 His vehemence was reverence. not
 profanity
 | "It was the psychological moment for the tobacco fund. A silver harvest has
 poured in and letters come so thick and
 fest bringing offerings and asking ways
 to Eelp. that the volunteer secretary
 keeps at her typewriter most of the day acknowledging contributions, answering questions, suggesting how the movement can be spread to other localities.
 i '.The fund has no commercial side whatever, employs no agents and oper-
 ates under no expenses, save the post \ age required to advise subscribers that their money has been receivd.
 Last week the first shipment of to- ! baccu was forwarded to Colonel Screws and contained 125.00O cigarettes, LAO bags of pipe tobacco and 166 plugs of chew ing tohacco-not so much when the con-