Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-03-01

As It assumes he form Of It's chief
Importance all European roads will
lead to BreS.
To Keep the Well Diverted.
The big thing as the responsible
officials view it. Is 70 provide the
healthy men with diversion 10 keel
them not only ont of mischief but in
good spirits while waiting for trans
portatlon Men who have been living
next door 10 death and constantly IN.
der the thunder Of great guns are
finding life at detention and intern
ment camps rather undressing Il
is the purpose of the officials respon,
sible for their welfare to keep them
occupied so that they will not miss
the tumult Of war or brood too much
upon the delay OF getting home.
. Up to date the chief occupation OF
the 10000 men Who are conferred here
has been confined to speculation as Ia
dates of departure and taking n close
up view of the few attractions OF
BreSt.
Some idea of tho native entertain
ment is furnished by the fact that
there is only one moving picture show
in the town. Severe restrictions arr
placed upon the ventures of tht
doughboys in the night life of thu
ancient burg. The girls OF Brest are
not particularly attractive Theit
faces are not lacking in qualities Of
classical beauty, although their hands
and feet ar" not the sort that inspire
the sculptor or painter TO reproduce
them in mud marble or on canvas.
The military police keep "a pretty
sharp eye on the men i'll ahaki, and
the penalties for lnfractions of army
law are pretty severe.
The doughboys make light of the
mud, their we'll shod feet squash into |
1t, and their comfortable clothes re |
SiSt the penetration Of the mist that /
floats over and around the FiniSterrt |
peninsula There is little or no dis, /
comfort from cold, because while
much further north than New York,
BreSt catches the eastern end Of the
Gulf stream, and the temperature
rarely falls below 80 and most FIRE
quently huctuateS between - and -
The men are we'll fed and comfort
ably housed The mothers of some o.
them would probably raise thei
hands in horror at one or two features
Of their daily life, but the health re.
ports of the camp furnish substantial
proof that the precautions taken by
the government are working out much
more satisfactorily than the regimen
Inspired by home influence.
The army and navy officials point
With pride to the fact teat in one day
$4,000 American troops debarked at
Brest, and that during the next day
: 900 were added TO the total It's
means that an aggregation of fighting
men one-half the size of the mobile
army Of the United States four years
ago was dumped into the mud al
Brest by "A convoy of the most i'm
Dressive ships that ever sailed the
LeyIathan, Mount Wash
ngton, President Grant, George
President Lincoln, La
France, Paris and the Lutetia.
Medical Regulations Rigid.
The medical regulations that prevail
n the chief American military de
)ark8tion port are most rigid. Ma
soldier is permitted to enter or leave
he camp without a thorough exami
nation and when he receives his ticket
o go aboard ship to go home he must
,e 100 per cent physically
Arriving by train from interior
POINTS his clothing Is taken from him
md is subjected 70 process that
,recludeS the possibility of infection
n insect life. He gets a complete
lew outfit and many other convent
noes that were not possible while
le was up near the fighting line.
The facilities for handling the