Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-26
VOICE OF A WOMAN
SPURS MEADE SPIRIT
Don't Stop at Top of Hill, Go
Over" Is the War
Call
AID FOR THE FRENCH
Number Of Philadelphia Officers Will
Be Promoted
Today
Ru q star Corrcspondenl

CAMP MEADE, Admiral Md, Jan %
Don't stop-don't hesitate. l beg OF
You when you get to the top Of the hill
70 over the other side. And don't forget
that when you are doing this you are not
doing IL TO save France, but TO save
America"
These words characterized by GEN
eral Nicholson as the very last from
war-strlcken France" were uttered by
Mrs. Benjamin Lathrop, a feminine dy-
namo of human energy who addressed
1890 Camp Meade officers in the Y. NJ.
CA. auditorium Mrs. Lathrop, found
er OF the American fund for French
wounded, made an appeal for the cause
and incidentally shattered the illusions
OF many officers concerning their future
experiences "over there
TO appreciate the Importance OF the
opening paragraph 1t * necessary TO as
strt that General Nicholson during
private conversation with Mrs Lathrop
had described General Pershing as the
real thing in fighting men.
HThe General tells me- said Mrs.
1.athrop, that General Pershng is the
kind OF soldier who goes up Hill, and,
3 not satiefied when he reaches the SUM
NIT continues down the other side.
That is the kind Of leadership we need
!. IN France
'ss AID FOR THE FRENCH
- OHicers who listened TO the address
sproved that their hearts were right, for
raowhen the Angel of Mercy, as she is called
1ry! the French. had finished speaking,
ma, Dung officer from the 5l0th Field Ar
.~illery. jumped to his feet and pledged
MAJ 500 for the cause. Then General Mich
tor ,lson announced that he had a certified
be' check for $3.50 and am hour later rank
ing officers at Little Penn announced
pf that before a week had passed $4,000
d, would be raised for the wounded French.
= Although Mrs. Lathrop appeared al
Camp Meade to advance the cause that
Is dear to her heart, she unCOnsCiously
made a notable contribution to the Lib
erty Division. for in her dramatic re-
cital of conditions in France she aroused
the fighting instincts of Little Penn men
as they never have been aroused before.
In voice that shook with emotion,
the speaker. in short crisp sentences,
told the officers that service in France
is replete with hardshps and that they
must bear them without "A murmut.
Touching on the croakers who are find
ing fault with minor defects in the eX-
peditionary forces Mrs. Lathrop. for
moment lost her self-cOntrOl. Waving
her arms and in a high.pitched voice
she told the story OF a soldier who wrote
home that he had lost the soles OF his
, shoes in the muddy trenches
Think of Il man writing letter like
that" she cried. In peace times l have
heard young men boast Of how they
suffered hardships in camping trips, and
now when they are engaged in winning
a war for civilization they find fault be-
cause they lose the soles of their shoes"
NOT ALL ROSES
Concerning living conditions Mrs, La
throp told the officers that many of them
would be quartered in stables that are
200 years old "And an age of 200
years" she added, "begets other thinks
besides dignity, such as odors And you
will lind Vermn. In fact everybody
does experienced it, but like others.
caused to find fault. So / shall tell
YOU now that If you want good things
TO eat and warm places to sleep, you
had better not go to France In the
American camps you will have to take
pot luck, but make the best of what
you get. a few Of you may find quar-
ters in the hittoric chateaus, but you
will find them damp and the dampness
that you will experience decelops rheu-
matism. But bear in mind that con-
tracting rheumatism and losing the soles
Of your shoes are minor things when
We consider the issues at stake in this
war"
That the Huns know where the Amer
leans are located on the. western front
and that they are familiar with every
move made by Pershings men, was
another assertion made By the speaker
Their airplanes,' she said hover
over our lines continually, for they are
anxious to keep in touch with the Amer
lean movements"
Today will be "A gala one for 200
officers Of the division, for announce
ment has been made that that number
OF men are to be promoted. The bulk
OF these promotions will be confined TO
second lieutenants who have met with
such success in the training Of selects
that the war chiefs have decided to
boost them In the list which will be
made public today are a number of
Philadelphians.
THE TRENCH HAIRCUT
Relatives of the men i'm the 3l2th
Field Artillery (an all-Philadelphia out
fit) may not think that the boys look as
well, but they will have the satisfaction
OF knowing that they feel the same.
To make this bit clearer It IS ua,
as well TO state that the Philadelphiaus
have enjoyed the benefits Of trench hair
cuts. Colonel Brady wanted his men
20 be ready for any emergency, so or
dered every man I'm the outfit 10 get a
trench haircut. That means that the
wavy, curly, straight and other kind
of locks have been cut short The
trench cut leaves the hair sufficiently
long TO comb back. a Ia pompadour as
Jim Corbett would say. Some Of the
boys look a bit odd. but as Walter
Small, of Headuuarters Con1napyy ea,,s