The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-06

Miss Lanham was stationed at Brest at
hospital 80. With her company she
entertained in the wards as well as in
the recreation hall. The doctors were
particularly glad to have them enter
tain and be very funny during the try
ing hour when the painful dressings
were done. 1t was narrowing, Miss
Lanham says. and particularly when
the boys wanted you to see and appre-
ciate their wounds as they so often did
And yet the hospitals were the most
satisfactory places to work. They
were so appreciative, so responsive.
When the entertainers would go into
ward and greet the patients with a
response would be a few discouraged
grunts. And when they stated their
errand and asked if they would care
to be entertained they would guess
so" and many of them would pull the
sheet over their head and act disgust
ed. And then they would begin with
a clever little song written by an
American soldier, "Beaucoup medami-
soles'' and in less than five minutes
the sheets would go down and the
boys would be smiling and happy.
"Finis' and "Merci Beaucoup" and
Take Me Back With My Pals to My
Home Town" were others that never
failed to please. The programs they
used in the hospitals differed from
the camp programs in being made up
OF shorter, lighter numbers. And the
programs they gave when they first
went over hard to be altered after the
signing of the armistice. The long,
heavy patriotic readings Miss Lanham
gave in October wouldn't go in De-
cember. The whole atmosphere and
attitude was changed and all the boys
wanted was to go home and that as
soon as possible.
The hardest evenings work she did
was one night when she tried to help
entertain about 1000 engineers who
had been taken from a boat that had
actually started home. They had said
all their farewells ard they were
bound for home. And then they were
brought back to France and told they
would have to stay for two more
months and work on the roads. For
the first hour of the entertainment
the only response they would give was
a chant of We wanta go home"
In the camps if the entertainment
companies were willing they would
often give their entertainments out of
doors in order to accommodate the
crowds of soldiers. And always it
was raining. raining. At these times
the tin hats were particularly useful.
Miss Lanham has a very wonderful
helmet painted by one of the soldiers
with the insignia of many of the di-
visions as well as the triangle of the
Y. NJ. c. A. II looks like some sort
of artistic camouflage. On the ends
wear, Miss Lanham has sewed many
of the division emblems. 1t is a won
derful souvenir.
But speaking of hats. In the Paris
hat box made of wood that Miss Lam
ham carried back with her, she
brought a whole array of headgear-
two tin hats, a Paris dress-Qp hat, her
uniform hat as well as the cap of the
costume of Brittany. the perky cap
of Alsace and a number of other caps
worn by the people of special prov
inces. She also brought the aprons
and bodices that belong with the caps
and the wooden fur-trimmed shoes of
Brittany. She will use these costumes
in her work as a reader and enter
tainer.
There is so much to tell. but while
on the subject of costumes Miss Lam
ham said the American Indian cos
tune she wore while abroad made
who saw it. It was so different so
typical of the wonderful America they
were learning Of
The French men were always so
eager to be allowed to come to the en-
tertainments given by the Americans,
and very seldom were they admitted.
One time Miss Lanham gave a man
who was formerly the state treasurer
of the republic of France a ticket to-
an entertainment. He was delighted
with the favor. and as an expression
of his gratitude he sent to her a beau
tiful letter and in a red leather box
lined with red velvet the white quill
pen which was the last pen used by
the late President Faure of France.