Evening star., 1919-03-09
MANY IN UNIFORM
/ USE LIBERTY HUT
Thousands Served Food and
Lodging Every Day
Since Last July.
ALL ENLISTED WELCOMED

Since July .. 1918. Liberty Hut has
been the temporary home and recrea-
tion place OF more than $4,000 SOL
diers. More than 1000 uniformed men
are fed each day at it's canteen, and
tas rule all of its 1900 beds are used
each night.
During this period the \. NJ. y. A.
officers have added much happiness TO
the soldiers while in Washington, and
The Liberty Hut has become an insti-
tuition of the capital.
This historic building played an i'm
rortant part in the war period PC
ture it on any dark. damp night. d
great. shadowy bulk. 500 feet long.
looming upon the Union station plaza.
its red triangle illuminated by the
arc light overhead. One enters into
a burst of light and is immedlatel|
impressed with the warmth of the
greeting and the comfort that Is
awsiting him.
Journeys soldiers are received on the
platform in the Union station by "
men and are cordially invited to step
across the plaza to the hut to enjoy
hot coffee and some real pie and sand
wic.les. The reading and lounging
tories are at their disposal.
Volunteer Secretaries Needed. r
There is no question about the part
Liberty Hut has played in the lives OF
the soldiers who have arrived strang-
ers in Washington. For those who
use the dormitories the Y. M. c. A.
charges only 50 cents a night.
On Saturday nights, when the great
foyer is packed with men playing Dill
lizards, listening to concert on the
stage at one side of the auditorium
or eating and drinking at the canteen'
the regular force of twenty-five sec
retaries is augmented by volunteer
workers Such men have been the
president of the National Rotary
Clubs, the assistant secretary OF
state and prominent bank president
of Washington, all of whom have felt
that this service was worth giving.
The writing room is filled usually
with men writing letters home or to
somebody else's home, on the in
evitable red triangle paper. The
library, a room roughly speaking
Portable chairs and honey tables on
which stand student lamp electroliers.
This room is usually filled in the
evening.
Courses in civicS, economies ana
good citizenship are part of the pro-
gram now being carried out and each
lesson is a unit in itself, so that every
men who comes to listen or take part
in the discussion will carry away
something worth while.
Opera Singer in Vaudeville.
There is a vaudeville show every
few nights-real, old-fashioned vaude-
vile such as the sailor man and
the soldier boy loves. And. by the
way, Martin Richardson, the "Y" sec
retary, who is signing now, was at one
time a tenor in the Royal Opera in
Milan, Italy, as any one who has
heard him sing would know. 1t is
quite the thing for Washingtonians
to give their services at Liberty Hut,
and at times there are an extraor-
dinarily good violinist. a regular Ed
die Brown. and a girl who is quite as
good as Elsie Janis. in the opinion of
~ the men who worship at her shrine.
FATTY" Bassett. who was in the
vaudeville business once him self, pre-
sides over these entertainments with
great eclat.
The service of the hut has been Of
a most practical nature. 1t welcomes
the soldier when ne comes in, 1t helps
to feed or lodge him while in town.
its secretaries are the last to wish him
good luck and godspeed as he sets out
on the greatest adventure OF all, the
return to the old home town