The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-04-20
smile. ! understood what he had
meant when he said:
why, boy that's our home!"
The A'tmosphere rhere.

ne Atmosphere There,
me building itself is like other
barracks. But the women who have
come three and four thousand miles
20 40 their bit have made an atmos-
phere. Their jobs. SO to speak, are
~ prepare food and serve it. But
they are not content merely to do
tnsir Jobs. They work gladly and
enthusiastically always on the look
OUT ror chance to do something
more for the soldiers-their soldiers
our soldiers!
never saw a fine looking lot OF
poys," one of them said to me. The
others agreed. And they meant it.
saw 1t in their eyes, l heard it in
thelr voices. 1t showed in their
Watchful alertness.
I've served these boys every day
for weeks" she went on, "and i have
watched them with all the critical
impartiality l could. They have
freshness and an innocence to con-
tribute. And one of the things
nope for most from this war is that
the Americans will give France their
pest and get from France her best.
There are a good many forces at
work to prevent the exchange Of
American and French ideals on the
highest plane.
Now think that for our soldiers
TO have. in the heart of great camp
ike this, group Of American
women, means much more than hot
coffee and shirred eggs. We are sis
ters to these boys, mothers, if you
like, and without being silly or
preachy we keep before their eyes
every day the American idea of
women.
1.-THE work requires good human
women who are not stiff old maids
nor needless young girls. Look at
that girl serving at the first table
now. She's pretty and celebrating
and solid and dignified. She does
not know 1t. but I've seen with my
own eyes what her influence is"
To return to our canteen. Down
the room on the right was a table
OF newspapers. At another table one
materials and gay calendar. At the
windows they were Just at that time
arranging some chintz curtains in
which scenes of Verdun had been
worked into the bright pattern. I
noted these things as l sat down to
breakfast.
The American Spirit.
All at once someone began to play
the piano. And If my eyes had been
shut tight I would have known that
| was surrounded by Americans
Over there, over there. >" 1.-THE
bells are ringing for me and my
gal. ~" Round big Franklin stove
a cluster Of boys sang each popular
song as the pianist played It, Ny
young officer friend kept time to a
iox-trot with his shoulders.
Two hours later I saw him above
the acrobatic field, as 1t is called,
doing a tail-spin and a wing-slip.
And as l looked up at him thousands
IF feet in the air. his machine in the
'aint winter sunlight with the round
1iscs of color at either end of the
over wings. appeared like some
gigantic dragon fly, darting hither
and thither to catch foe. When
ae came down to earth again he lit
4 cigarette and began to dance to
he same tune he had hummed at |
he canteen.
This is the kind of soldier the can
zen Is serving. 1t Is the kind of |
soldier who says:
1.-THE brightest spot IN camp Is tho
,anteen. You think I'm exaggerating,
,ut honestly it's saved our lives. |
You can't imagine what 1t means to |
is, here in a military camp, to have
! place like that What we think of !
t is proved by the fact that since
he canteen began serving meals to |
he officers 1t has been decided to !
,ut the officers mess entirely in The |
hands"
We had walked round by the can
cen again.
At the present time there is the
Eating barracks and two others be-
lind it where the workers live. The
work so impressed the military
who run the camp that |
,lans have been made to treble its
The present barracks will
orm one side of a large quadrangle.
Connected with the canteen as it now
tands, will be a large. officers mess
md beyond that an officers lounge. !
There will be shower baths, store
ooms, garage. etc, making in all
wo Quadrangles, the front one kind
f service quadrangle. the second
lace for garden where In summer
ca and sandwiches can be served.
The garden will not be merely orna-
mental The vegetables grown in 1t :
will be used by the canteen.
Spirit Of Volunteers.
No department could have won
UGH success if the spirit of the
olunteer workers were not so splen-
lid. While the camp and the can
cen were still in their infancy, I'm
and understocked, more
han fifteen hundred soldiers arrived
0 Join the colony. Their mess was
lot arranged. The camp was not
eady to feed them. The barracks
or the canteen workers to live IL
7ere not complete. They lived at
otel in the town eight miles away
nd were totally unprepared to have
thousand and half men or more
ombard the canteen feeling desper-
tely hungry after long journey.
f they had simply said, 1--WE can't
o it." none could have blamed them.
low could little handful of women
repare food for more than a hun
ro,i +;p,ac DC MANY mem