Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-02-17
ggasK1E EylsE CITY
or
HOUSES ONCE STOOD
system 81 BarTowins HAD Made ase-
memG Conaections Aad Whose as
Mess Cemfegsably Furnished


New York. Feb III Alice Id Won
IderIandr would have appreciated the.
underground explorations Of Miss
Margaret Williams whohas returned
10 New York after i've months Of II.
Nj. &. Al. entertainment work IN the
war zone with an account Of a sabter
ranean city found beneath the ruins Of
q she'll demolished town. where the
Germans had lived an elaborate II
mole like existence
As the army advanced after the re-
treating Germans We passed through
ali the wasted land tina; had been
fought over for four years. said Miss
Williams During this advance ] was
taken to the site OF q town that had
been destroyed So Systematically that
| ii could scarcely be distinguished
amid the general desoiation when !
was thoroughly imbued with the feel
ing 81 loneliness and desertion. | was
taken through an opening into an I'M
derground city that had been made By
the Germans BIZ connecting the base
rnents. II was lighted By electricity
and fitted UP with comforts that the
Allies never allowed themselves
Miss Williams, with Helen coliey.
yardon and Perry comprised The
Live Wire Unit recruited By the
Overseas Theatre League 70 play over
the q NJ. CA hut circuit, present
ing comedy entitled Food ~ Cecil
de Mile In the course OF her exper-
lience iii France, Miss Williams met
Major Reginald Barlow, a we'll known
actor serving as entertainment officer
Iof the Second army, who gave the fol-
lowing verdict:
"One show at the 7. 81 c. AZ Is
worth weeks leave Of absence TO-
the boys
And 1 could readily understand II
when remembered how the boys after
each performance had begged me TO
send other players to them, Miss VIII
liams declared They were always
the most appreeiatiye audience that
any American actor had ever played
to. ii we sent word ahead to an EN-
Ecampment half hour In advance we
would always find the NJ G. a. hut
packed to its capacity and even a row
Eof men sitting around the stage And
the appreciation they showed was the
most impressive thing ! encountered
in France
Considering the good Of the cause
our best work was done In the camps,
but considering the individuals good.
the most satisfactory work was With
the sick and wounded We would 20
ito the hospitals and give a performance
ION each floor. Wounded soldiers
would take me BIZ the arm and beg
me not to leave without singing again
One remember IN particular. He was
blind and our singing. his friends told
me, had been the first thing that had
Interested him In months.
Illness brought me back to Amer
lea. but the unit went on into Ger
many With the soldiers, and IS still
playing there The most tragic thing
about having TO come hack was the
fact that after the armistice was sigH
ed and the activity and tension LET
down the men needed M G. a. en-
tertainment as never before II is like
the need in the hospital great in
diyidual need Many of the women
over there also need rest; and must
come back, and they must be replaced
BY volunteers from this side Every
won&n who has been on the stage
should take her turn In the Overseas
Theatre League on the MI C Al cir
cult
Miss Williams is Louisville girl
who has been on the stage twelve
years one half her life.