Evening star., 1918-01-20
"SM|LEAGE BOOKS" FOR
SOLDIERS IS NEW PLAN
Will Admit Enlisted Men to The.
aters Being Constructed in
Cantonments.

"smileage" is going to be as big a
word in the war as "camouflage" and
'cushy.' It's going to stand for the
good times that are provided the boys
in the training camps and cantonments
the new kind u military recrea-
tional activity that Uncle Sam has in
vented.
The "smileage" system will be oper-
ating in full force before the month is
out. 1t will have it's complete inaueu-
ration with the opening of the sixteen
theaters now being completed In the
various cantonments. This announce
ment is contained in the SmiIeage
News. the first copy of which has just
come from the press.
This new publication, which will be
purely a soldiers paper. carrying lots
OF news that will interest the folks
back home. is published in Washington
by the military entertainment service
committee of the War Department
commission on training camp actiyi-
ties. While Of modest size. it is illus
trated and attractive.
Plan to Sell Books.
"Smileage" is something more than
a word. for every man, woman and
child in the country is to be asked to
help make it reality in it's fullest
sense. The plan is for those who dc
not go to war to buy 'smileage" books
and send them to the fellows who are
in training for the big task on the
other side. These books contain cou-
pons which are good for admission to
the theatricals that will be staged in
the sixteen cantonment theaters and
the thirty-two chautauqua tents in the
National Guard camps.
The Sender's name will be On each
"smileages book Could you get a closer
contact, asks the war service commits.
sion, between a mother at home and he,
boy in camp than this book Of coupons
virtually theater passes. good unit
used? Why, every time the boy goes
to show he has his attention drawn
forcibly to the sender of his .smileare
book And he goes to a show every
chance he gets And the shows are the
sort ne could take his mother to. anc
she would enjoy them as much as the
boy does.
Expenses Are Reduced.
due to the cooperation of variou,
organizations under the commission OF
training camp activities" states tha,
body. the overhead expenses are great,
reduced. The admission fees run frorT
10 cents to rs cents, never more thar
the latter. Smileage books are in two
SIZES oic CoSliuS 3i, Win twenty five.
cent coupons. and one with 100 coupon.
for IS. The coupons will pass a soidie,
into the shows for a period of two week.
to two months. AS a tie-up to the friend.
outside" 1t is sure fire hit.
Smleage has come to stay II wil
start about the end Of January, and con
tinue as long as the training camps ar,
used. The shows begin when the funf
from the initial sale of smileage books II
large enough to guarantee the CONTINUES
operation of the chain of forty-eiehl
theaters. Thus this sale of smilea 20
corresponds exactly to an adyanc.
ticket sale. The coupons are good 10,
any entertainment in the camps con.
Quoted under the general direction n,
the commission on training camp ac
tivities. So in this way censorship i.
automatically established, and at tn.
same time with the best theatrical re-
sources in the country behind It GOOD
snappy shows are positively assured"
fIl w.