The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-06-27
RED CROSS REST
ROOMS IN FRANCE
LOOK LIKE HONE
TO TEE YANKEES
American Boys cover
There" Made To Feel At
Home; They Like It

New York, June 26.- Glimpses into
the railroad resr-Stations for Amer
lean troops in France established by
the American Red Cross and q re-
Election of some Of the happiness
Of the soldiers served in those stations
are given in letters received here
from the Red Gross 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 a
hot shower bath, and a good meal
after hours Of journey in crowded
trains. Those places seem more like
home to the soldiers because they are
waited upon by American girls. Here
they often pause to write a letter
as to enjoy milk, butter, jams, pud-
dings and desserts 'just like those
mother used to make" H.
One Of the most interesting letters
comes to the Red Cross from Mrs.
Belmont Tiffany, a New York social
leader who has been engaged in the
organization Of these railway rest
stations, which Is distinct from the
Red Cross work for civilian relief in
France.
II started in rest station at B.,
which consists of an infirmary Of
ten beds, a canteen, recreation room,
restaurant and splendid hot shower
baths and fumigating plant" wrote
Mrs. Tiffany. The men here were
of the Signal corps, theBell telephone
men, laying American telephone wires
through France. They were a splen-
did lot and, though 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
rightly that a rest station must be
homelike, cheerful and restful, the
construction department built charm
tered walls and ceilings and was al
lowed to decorate and furnish them
as I thought best.
IF the women at home and the
men too could see how their boys
appreciate it all, how they love
the cleanliness and the color Of 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 re-
alize what this side Of it means. War
is such a ugly thing, such a dirty,
sordid thing; at best there are so
many hateful unaccustomed things
our men here have to do that at lea
we can give them warmth and clean
illness and color wherever we can.
picture to yourself fifty, dirty,
tired men falling out of a cattle train
where they have been cooped up two
or three days with a detachment Of
mules, eating and sleeping with them.
They have 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. These people
who have given us 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, I have a grudge against you.
I have to censor all our mail and the
mems letters home have more than
trebled since you opened the recrea-