Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-12
EMERGENCY AID CLUB
HAVEN FOR DOUGHBOYS
Paris Recreation Center Spon-
sored by Rodman Wanamaker
Popular With L. S. Soldiers

Women of the overseas committee of tho
Emergency Aid heard their director, the Rev.
Frederick w. Beekman, former rough rider
and rector of the American Church OF the
Holy Trinity, in Paris, recite the achieve
ments of their club in the course of his re-
port to the committee. He spoke at the Ritz
Carlton yesterday.
Theodore Roosevelt. Rodman Wanamaker
and the ice cream ladies' of the Emergency
Aid of Pennsylvania are the idols of the
American doughboy on leave in Paris he
said Formed under the announcement or
Colonel Roosevelt and sponsored by Mr. Wan
amaker, the Soldiers and Sailors Rest Club
of the Emergency Aid has grown to be the
largest recreation center for troops In Paris
and is the only club which General Parshing
has ever visited. He has attended at meet
ings of the club three times
"The red banner OF the Emergency Ala OF
PENNSYLVANIA is the best-known spot Tor
doughboys in Paris" he said. only eighteen
months from the day we sailed 10 frahce
have passed, and yet we have the reputation
of being the best-organized and most encieht
organization in America. The Emergency
Aid of Pennsylvania Is accredited abroad as
being 1.-The most beloved of the war-work
organizations with Paris branches,
Dean Beekman. who was formerly of Beth
lchem, prefaced his report on the activities or
.
club with praise for the American soldier.
"The American army is the freest from
drunkenness of all the armies in the Held l
saw personally hundreds of thousands of men
at all hours of the day and night, ana, all
told I never saw more than three men who
were under the influence of liquor. The Amer
lean is the greatest fighter. the most intel
ligent soldier and the most responsive to the
finer impulses of all the Allies. He is profane
in his soldier-like manner, without meaning
to be irrelgious, but he is essentially clean.
Dean Beekman told the Emergency Aid
how the idea of having a recreation center
for American troops had originated with
Mr. Wanamaker and how the project had
been referred to Colonel Roosevelt for de-
cision.
roosevelt told me to go over and take
a chance. that the army rules on the other
side might be less strict than they were
here" Dean Beekman reported Go see
General Pershing and say that I asked you
to 60 and see, then. II anything can be
done were the parting words that the
greatest American since Lincoln told me,
"When | did see Pershing and told him
about the plan. it took the general only five
minutes to give me permission TO establish
the club.
Irniformed members of the Emergency Aid
were at the Chateau -Thierry battlefield with
in a few hours after the wounded began to
stream back. Ice cream in huge amounts
was rushed TO the field hospitals to relieve
the fevers of the men.
"They called girls the ice cream
angels" said Dean Beekman, "and they
praised us in the highest terms possible fol
them to use The Red Cross authorities
heard of IT, and thereafter we supplied nine
tenths of all the ice cream used in the Paris
hospitals.
1--WE had the only pool table in Paris, anG
the only bureau of information where mer
could learn news of men from their owl
towns. We kept a card index of our callers
DOreu ri
dav long to hear news of their friends, w,
also had exhibitions at night at which tbs
cost to a private giver would have run VI
to $4,000 for the fees.