The Republican journal., 1918-01-31
Help Brighten Soldiers Lives

are to assist in the nation wide campaign
for furnishing funds to provide entertain
ments and amusements for the boys in
the service at the sixteen cantonments
throughout the country. Plans have
been made and a committee appointed,
consisting of Samuel Adams, Elbridge S.
Pitcher, Zenas D. Hartshorn, Roscoe
Arey, Charles F. Hammons and Bert L.
Uavis, to sell books of admission tickets
called "Smileage Books" which were
devised by the National Entertainment
Council, appointed by the Secretary of
War and are being sold throughout the
United States.
1t is the plan of the national military
entertainment council to raise 81, 900, 900
through the sale of these books, and this
is the fund which will be used for pro-
viding the soldiers in training at the can
tonments with the best entertainment
available.
The government has built, or is build
ing, theatres at each of the cantonments
in the various sections of the country.
but the government is limited to the
amount of money that can be expended
in furnishing the entertainers. The cost
of providing Broadway companies with
the best theatrical success of the season,
the best music and vaudeville programs,
ioho olo Of vryin
amount to quite figure, and the admis-
sion fee to the theatres to the perform
ances will be from five to rs cents. Not
withstanding the low cost, there are
many of the boys who cannot afford to
go, for there are many of them who are
sending most of their pay home, and the
pay of soldier is not large.
Therefore, the military entertainment
council originated the plan of the Smile
age Books. 1t is book of tickets that
members of a soldiers family or his
friends may send him at the front. They
are made up something like the railroad
mileage books, and there are 20 tickets in
the 81 size and 100 in the S5 sizes. These
coupons are good for payment for seats
in any of the camp theatres at any of the
cantonments. Probably as the move
ment grows they will be made good for
other and similar uses
| An army recruited by draft includes
the best young men of the nation The
off hours of these young men are the
loneliest hours Of their camp life. If
those hours are to be pleasant and health
fully filled there must be provided, not
only places to write and read, but per-
| formances of the grade to which the men
are accustomed at home and opportuni-
ties for them to develop and exhibit their
own skill
| Four comedy companies are already as
signed to this new field. They are Broad
way organizations, presenting accepted
Broadway successes-Turn to the Right;
Cheating Cheaters; Here Comes the
Bride; Inside the Lines.
| Other companies and many stars are
volunteering to fit themselves into the
plans Of the council, following the beau
| tiful example of Miss Maude Adams and
| William Faversham, as soon as those two
| leading actors heard of the "Smileage"
project
| -Four vaudeville bills have been as
sembled by General Manager, E. F. Albee
( of ho 9th Fho,r
be arranged, of course, so as to prevent
an UNMARRIED succession in any camp of
any one kind of entertainment
] Ordinarily the cost of booking such at
fractions would be prohibitive. But the
performers and managers of the United
States have met the council with such
patriotic CO. operation as to put these
productions within the reach of every
soldier in the United States. Operating
expense has been reduced to bedrock.
The operating expense is borne by the
tickets in the ''Smileage Books" paid for
by the families, the employers, the COM
pany of friends, of the men back home.
The "Smileage Books" are to be on
sale at
Adams Jewelry Store,
Pitchers Music Store,
Arey's Candy Store,
Dinsmore's Shoe Store,
Davis Clothing Store,
Mr. Hartshorn, the principal of the
Grammar school.
1t takes but one dollar and it will bring
hearty laughs to every soldier who gets
one