The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-06-12
REST STATIONS
ALMOST LIKE HOME
Those Provided by American Red Cross
are Appreciated Greatly by Amer
lean Soldiers in France.

New York, June l2.-Glimpses into
the railroad rest stations for American
troops in France established by the
American Red Gross and reflection of
some of the happiness of the soldiers
served in those stations are given in
letters received here from the Red Cross
agents in France.
"Gee, this looks almost like home" is
the common expression of the travel
wearied soldiers as they settle down and
relax in some pretty rest station, where
they have obtained hot shower bath,
and a good meal after hours Of journey
ing in crowded trains. These places seem
more like home to the soldiers because
thev are waited upon by American girls.
Here they often pause to write letter
home to mother or sweetheart as well as
to enjoy milk, butter, jams, puddings
and deserts "just like those mother used
to make"
One of the most interesting letters
comes to the Red Gross from Mrs. Bel
mont Tiffany, a New York social leader
who has been engaged in the organiza-
tion of these railway rest stations, which
Is distinct from the Red Cross work for
civilian relief in France.
81 started in a rest station at B,
which consists of an infirmary of ten
beds, canteen recreation room, restau-
rant and splendid hot shower baths and
fumigating plant" wrot Mrs. Tiffany
"The men here were of the signal corps,
the Bell telephone men, laying American
telephone wires through France They
were a splendid lot although they have
dug post holes till their backs were
lame, they always come to play the
piano and sing and write their letters in
the evenings. Because they believe right
ly that rest station must be homelike,
cheerful and restful, the construction de-
partment built charming brick buildings
with we'll plastered walls and ceiling and
] was allowed to decorate and furnish
them as I thought best.
eff the women at home and the men
too, could see how their boys appreciate
1t all, how they love the cleanliness and
the color and the gaiety, how glad they
are for every pretty thing you do for
them, if you could see their poor tired
faces relax when they settle down, you
would realize what this side of it means.
War is such an ugly thing, such dirty,
sordid thing; at best there are so many
hateful macc,1stomed things, our men
here have to do that at least we can give
them warmth and cleanliness and color
wherever we can.
picture to your self fifty, dirty ned
men falling out of a cattle train where
they have been cooped up two or three
days with a detachment of mules, eat
ing and sleeping with them. They have
a couple of hours to wait, so they take
a hot shower with plenty of soap and
towels given to them and then have a
good meal, waited upon by such cheerful, |
kindly American girls, play the piano a
bit, write a letter home and go. Those |
people who have given us the money to |
do this with would be so very glad, so |
very grateful if they only could see!
about the letter writing, by the way, |
the lieutenant of the signal corps came |
to me and said: Mrs. Tiffany, / have |
a grudge against you. have to censor |
all our mail and the mems letters home /
have more than trebled since YOU opened |
the recreation room | believe If I do /
nothing else in France, ! shall be glad of /
that; you see, | know what it means
when l see my boys writing
THE whole rest station when fur
nished Is extremely efficient and most
attractive. The infrmary is so fresh
and clean with its white enamel paint /
and muslin curtains; the other rooms are
as gay and bright and full of color as
paint and curtains and plants and flow
ers can make them. There are such good
beds and mattresses in the dormitory.
such warm fires on cold days, such guam