The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-04
ALabanaa Man Writes Of
 Elsie Janis at the Front

waves and smiles at the drivers. Most of them passed without much notice 1e yond a sheepish grin. One incident fitted in so nicely, puiled off as n # wee" pcearranged that it brought the crowd down. Elsie had been waving, smiling. throwing kisses With iiile reward Finally along runbled a wagon with g very high seat on which a long, sleepy boxing soldier vas half reclining, spo,
 ing Else a pretty figure indeed, al smiles, a black Tam pushed back ,on her tosstng barr ana waiting him kisses he suddenly sat erect. snatehed off his cap waVes t madly. then pointed ahead, sadly shrugged his sholders, as if 70 saN
 C'est la suerre.' All this without a smile on his part seemed to get Elsie { goat" as an officer observed.
 Sire had a song she said. Instead of over There it has become Over Here. want you to follow the words closely for you are to sing t with me.
 Elsie you must sing over There first" said Mother Jans
 IN, I'm not-theyve heard it so much, But Mother Janis,- obdurate and firm, carried her point. and we heard Over There" Then she sang "over Here. The boys took np the words readily and it was sung several times It was wonder fa to note the magnetic n1annet with which Elsie would stamp her feet and stress the last lines
 And We won't come back
 Till it's over, over here!'
 1t was growing dark, and her mother wanted -her to direct the band. That seemed to be one of her pieces, and a dance was in 1t. So she signaled the band far in the rear Cries went up "The bandi the hand!"
 Suddenly and unexpectedly the band strdck up The Star Spangled Banner, then America. Everybody came to at tention, including Elsie. facing the music and isalutng. After that her perform anee stopped for notwithstanding the hundreds of eager cries, "Go on Go on Elsie would not. No bovsp she said gratefully laugh hfng. T really cannot and should not after those pieces. even if 1 would real ly be happy to stay here all nigns. Now | will say eoodby and if you are one per cent as happy as l am all of us are a very happy bunch
 At college we used to call the boys "rooters" who stood on the sidelines at football and baseball games and ! shouted encouraging words to the players and sang college songs. Ina | is just what these musicians. and ae- tors. and dancers; ana singers, and i takers. all who come over here IS | 'cheer leaders," May we have nor. I like Elsie Janis.
 ! our ship tonnage is daily increasing and more can come Occasionally you , hear remarks made by the humorousiy ! inclined as to the amount of waste ] tonnage brought over Tn the shape Of i certain men and women. Miss Eisie iJanis must have occupied nightly ht- 1 lte space compared to the enormous amount of good cnee, and eneouraSe ment she has brought to thousands
 nd thousands of fighting Amer icdn ! boys.
 i That night as I watched those boys drink in the fun and merriment of Elsie IJanis, I realized the danger of tht days and months of waiting in barn ibillets and adrean barracks. Miles Of fdusty road, hours of tedious waiting nights of loneliness-all overcome by active playactors. It is their privilege to play to the biggest and most appre ciative audiences they have ever had. Al is their privilege to receive the.-mosi l lstupendous, heart thrilling, tumultuous welcomes they have ever known. It is their power to stir and fire soldiers more than martial musicals they leave I for the trenches or for an advance. ROSS c. SPEIR.
 Captain Nj. C.