Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-07-25
MISS CROWELL
TELLSOFFRANC
Local Girl, Home From War
Zone, Tells of Work
Over There

Miss Edith Crowell, of 169 Rector
street. who sailed for France in
November, has now returned to her
home after spending a strenuous
winter and fall in Red Cross canteen
service.
Miss Crowell early in the war,
when the United States first entered,
ATTEMPTED TO get across but owing to
the fact that her brother Malcolm
was in service and because of the law
passed by congress which stated That
no sister Of q man in service could
be enlisted in service she a need
70 wait until that law was repealed.
The morning of its repeal h went
post haste to New York where she
took her physical examination. Then
che was held up from sailing twice,
once because of Nthe Morgan explo-
sion and then again on account OF
influenza in her immediate family.
Finally she was ready bag and bag
gage and she set sail on an italian
Timer. It was a long route and Miss
Crowel to get to her duties in France
was greatly vexed that she would
land In italy and then go across to
France, but now h admits thai n
would not have been able to have
seen Gus much Of the continent IL she
had sailed straight to France.
On board the ship were Red Cross
It HIjB18t Ik&u NIOSS ShtiAtSii
Of which Miss Crowell was one, and
other welfare workers. Upon arrfv-
fng In Paris after a weeks delay W
ing to the holding up of their pass
ports In italy, Miss Crowell was as
signed to duty at the American Off
GERS hotel. The Red Cross and the
". NJ. @. A. took over a number or
the hotels in Paris after the armis-
kfce was signed in order to accommo-
date the influx of American soldiers
who were on sightseeing quest. The
hotels were run with American girls.
m the one Miss Crowell was quarter
ed at there were twenty-five girls
but the number varied owing to their
size and the demand. In these hotels
were shopping booths, information
booths, etc. In each was an Amert
ban girl and as the soldiers said, "a
little touch Of home" Some of the
girls In the evening worked In can
teens at the stations in Paris.
Paris unlike the American cities
nas not one great station but a num-
Der OF small ones and at each were
canteens where the girls could serve
hot coffee, sandwiches and most of
all an American kind word and an
American smile. A complete meal
was also served there for fifty CEN
times, about ten cents in American
money.
One thing that Impressed itself
upon Miss Crowells mind was the
beautiful A. e. F. cemeteries. Every
mother can feel that the care and
beauty of these cemeteries scattered
over France is some compensation
for the supreme sacrifice of their
loved one.
Miss Crowell worked eight hours
d day, hat is eight hours of steady
work. AS hard as they worked 1t
must always be met with O
smile. Entertainments were al
ways being gotten UP II after
an eight-hour stretch of hard
work the workers would pile into
trucks and dance for hours just to
amuse the boys. Dancing was one
of the great things the boys craved.
They would go out to the hospitals
and dance with the convalescents
who were able to dance or with the
orderlies.
Miss Crowell returned to this
try on-a transport with a large con-
fingent OF the A. e. f. Library work
was also part OF her work
while abroad. She saw a number of
the Perth Amboy boys while across
and whenever she heard of any of
them being near Paris she always
tried to see him even IL she didn't
know him, for the boys were home
sick, too.