Evening star., 1918-02-10
CITES HARDSH|PS| IN
RED CROSS CANTEEN
New York Society Woman De-
scribes Task Making French
Soldiers Lot Easier.
a RAILWAYS AT JUNCTION
By the Associated Press.


NEW YORK. February - How
American women of wealth and ref1ne-
ment are performing the most menial
tasks and undergoing severe hardships
to make the lot of the French soldier
| easier on the way to and from the front
is told graphically in a series of let
| ters received here from Mrs. Belmont
Tiffany, New York society woman
and leader in Red Cross work. who or
ganized a Red Cross canteen at
French railway junction. She wrote
with no thought of publication. but the
letters-written to relatives and re-
leased for publication today by the
American Red Cross-tell their own
story.
on October 25 last. Mrs. Tiffany ar
rived at the railroad center. some
where" behind the French front. Four
railroads converged there, she found.
and more than 5000 men a day stopped
over at the station for refreshments.
which We're procurable In liquid form
only. There were no other facilities
for their comfort.
Il wish you could see our little vii
lage. so tiny and primitive-one long
street winding up a hill with the big
junction railroad station at the bottom
and the church at the top, and
stream, winding under bridge half
| way up. stream which allows the
inevitable laundry to go on Mrs. Tiff
French villages go, but rather too poor
for beauty and there are no gardens,
at all, which Is strange"
Dormitories Are Wonderful.
Less than month later. November
| 13, to be exact. Mrs. Tiffany told of the
progress achieved In establishing the
90 pt rSh ho1
added to the station. and dormitory and
| a recreation room had been completed
while reception room to accommodate
one thousand men was in course of
construction.
We have red and white oilcloth on
the tables. red glass carafes and tur-
key-red window curtains. and always
flowers on the counter Of the recrea-
the gayest. brightest room you ever
| saw. However, it only holds 120 men.
| Our big room is to have a huge kitchen
| and seats for over thousand men.
| "The dor1nitories are wonderful.
never was so proud of anything before.
Two hundred canvas stretchers for
beds. We have a splendid fumigating
plant and an incinerator, and the place
| is model of cleanliness.
"All the men take off their wet and
dirty boots. and we have good felt slip
pers for them. There are two big stoves
! in the room, two woolen blankets for
ShCn, an OTOeFly VINO wakes the men
for their trains, good shower baths and
washrooms. Altogether, when the big
room is finished. 1 honestly think it will
be a model of what it should be.
Last year the men slept in the road"
| However the speedy transformation
was not effected without the expendi-
ture Of great effort. Mrs. Tiffany sum-
med 1t up by saying:
Work Only for Strong and Robust.
Everything is going awfully well,
and the whole unit has been fine. No
one should come for this work who 10
not as strong as a. horse and indiffer.
ent to cold and fatigue. 1t is terribly
hard. The good it does is enormous.
however. and more than repays one.
probation and gratitude for the food
we give the men and the price we
charge. We give them whole meal
/ for Is cents-soup. meat and vegetables.
1t is really good. too. l thought I had
a good many occupations, as l wrote
you before, but since then I have been
particularly proud Of being good
cook"
| Mrs. Tiffany in another letter de-
scribes in interesting detail the routine
! of the canteen's might shift" which
she regards as more xrenuous than the
4 day relief.
| '"The station is always empty when
we arrive. but fifteen minutes later it
! fills up as il by magic Mrs. Tiffany
says.
4 This crowd keeps on pretty contin-
uously. 1t is never an overpowering
rush, but steady stream until about
/ 2:3O and sometimes until 4:30. The men
buy their tickets at the first window
and then pass on to the counter. where
| the foo dis served. OF course. they are
always in a tearing hurry and push
and shove each other as if they were
going to get left If they. didn't But
there is no reason for 1t. because they
don't come in for meals unless they
| have at least an hour. and usually they
have a wait of three hours. But that
makes no difference. They act as If
| they had one minute in which to get
and eat their food. But all are good
natured, and if the regular food gives
out they will cheerfully accept any
substitute.