The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-28
ALLIED FIGHTERS NOW HAvE vELUXURY
 IN REST BELIEFS
Hardship Such As Endured In First Years of War
 Unheard of.

French Front, Feb. 28-(Corres- pondence of the Associated Press)- The veteran of 1914 who has passed four winters at the battlefront is apt to make ironic remarks about "feath- cred soldiers" when he hears newly 1olned comrades speak of the discom- forts of cold-weather cantonments. At the beginning of the war the fighting men were more than pleased to dis cover comparatively dry spot under the trees of forest or in a drafty stable or barn in which to pass their very rare and short periods of repose.
 Now all has been changed and ev- erything possible is done to provide some sort Of comfort and distraction for the men sWhen they come down l from the front-line trenches. It must not be supposed that all the modern aids to human comfort are furnished to the soldier but his lot is luxurious compared with that during the early months of the war
 In every village in the immediate rear of the fighting line out of range Of the German guns town major has | been appointed, who makes it his busi ness to know of every nook and corner where men and horses can be housed. l When a battalion or a regiment marches in, everything is in readiness for it's reception. Regimental work shops and offices, stables and kitchens already are arranged, and billeting ac- commodations for officers and men listed in such a way that the soldiers have only to. gQs in and occupy their quarters. Sometimes they are lodged in the cottages, but in general it has been found more convenient to place them in farm-houses and barns, as the hygienic facilities in the country houses are far from modern.
 | Every available grange and barn has been thoroughly gone over and made watertight by having it's roof covered with tarred paper and it's walls made: draft-proof by thick crenelated cardboard. Electric light has been installed, every building pro- Nided with a stove and washstands. Partitioned off is compartment where the men may take hot and cold shower baths. In the nearby kitchens every requisite is handy for cooking. As to the mems personal comfort each of them is given a trestle bed, with straw mattress, known generally as "siX-foot feathers" bolsters, sleep ing sack and blankets.
 In the vicinity of the villages sports grounds have been enclosed and marked for football games, while numerous plots of land are set apart for truck gardening and generally cultivated by old reservists who do not go into the firing line. The pro- l duce is much appreciated by the troops, who, when at the front, have to content themselves with canned vegetables.
 In each cantonment large hut has been erected to serve as a recreation and reading and writing room. It is provided with a fairly extensive li- brary and all kinds of indoor games, Every week or so a moving picture performance is given by the Army i theatre, which also arranges dra- matic shows.
 Besides these official arrangements for the troops other efforts are made | by private bodies to cheer the men between their arduous and perilous periods of trench work. In almost every cantonment a canteen has been I established under the auspices of French, American or British women who serve the men with hot coffee, tea and bouillon and little food deli | cacies.
 During the chilly months from Sep tember to May each soldier is given extra supplies of warm clothing com
 prising three cotton shirts, two pairs
 of f1annellette undergarments, two or three pairs of woolen socks. three
 blankets, one sweater, one scarf and
 a pair of woolen gloves, and in the Vosges mountains and other sectors
 where the cold is most severe still
 more warmer clothing is placed at the
 disposal of the troops in case of need.