The Irish standard., 1919-01-04

had been open to the soldiers and
sailors for over month, but that is
Columbus Day and they held the form
al opening. The club looked beautiful,
all decorated with roses and ferns
and there were great many fine
speakers and several guests of honor,
all high in American and French mill
tary and civil life.
"Mr. Lawrence o. Murray was chair
man for the evening and introduced
the different speakers. They first sang
My Country 'Tis of Thee and I'll
tell the world that it sounded good to
me. Then Mr.. Mccarthy, of the New
York Herald, gave very interesting
talk, after which Mr.. Wheeler, of the
Chicago Tribune, made us all feel
good when he told of the great and
valuable service that the K. of G. chap
lains and secretaries were giving right
up at the front lines. 1t was great
speech.
"Then Mr.. Edward L. Hern, the K.
of G. Commissioner, told the men how
proud he was of their conduct both
in Paris and at the different rest
camps and even under shell fire, and
he urged them, not only in the name
of the Knights of Columbus hut 5ut
for the honor of our flag, to continue
their noble work in the service that
they came here to render. He surely
hit the spot and got great hand.
Then they all stood and sang The
Star-Spangled Banner and didn't they
sing it.
"I'll tell you, Pal, that it always
sounded good to me at home, but to
hear it like that over here by that
body of men, Americans and French
altogether, we'll, if Caruso was there,
he'd have to admit that grand opera
was a lost art. 1, never have heard
anything like 1t. Then Mr. Murray
pronounced the Knights of Columbus
Club at Paris duly opened. 1t was a
wonderful night and I've been going
there almost every night since, and
it's the nearest place to home that I've
seen in France: When you go in, the
Knights of Columbus boys make you
feel at home right away, and you are
sure to find some one who comes from
your town, no matter where you live
in the U. S. A.
.On the lower floor is the reading
and rest room, with a lot of big, COM
Portable chairs and big table covered
with all the latest magazines and
newspapers. Two big book cases with
a thousand good books, and you can
take any one of them and bring it
back when you are through with it. A
fine piano with all the latest music and
a dandy Victrola with a lot of new
American records. It's a swell room
fitted up with all the allied flags and
several large, beautiful American flags.
Several fine paintings-one of Presi-
dent Wilson that was painted by a
wounded Belgian soldier. A fine paint
ing of President Poincaire, president of
France, one of Cardinal Mercier, and
large painting of Supreme knight
James A. Flaherty that will be pre-
sented to him when he comes TO
France. A beautiful, large mirror and
a marble mantel where we leave our
mail. l always have my mail ad-
! dressed there, as 1 get it quickly and
surely, for no matter what your relig-
ion is, the Knights of Columbus treats
every one fine. There will be hun
dreds of our men join the Order when
we get back to America, and am
going to be one of them.
There are several writing tables
there with pelnty of fine knights of
Columbus stationery, and you will al
! ways find lot of fellows writing home
from there every night. But wait till
you go upstairs. OH, BOY! Four
American pool tables going all the
time, and another big writing room
where twelve can sit and write in solid
! comfort. At o'clock we have movies
,, and last night we had reels of VIM.
S. Hart, and just before the last reel
the man who has charge of the Club
tells us all the latest news from
home-how the people of the u S. A.
have been backing us up, and it makes
you feel great when he tells you that
the Knights of Columbus have fitted
this beautiful Club up for our COM
fort. He always winds up by saying:
On your way out I'll pass around the
cigarettes
"After the pictures, which run about
an hour you go into the coffee room
and can you imagine-hot chocolate!
I'll tell you, old pal, that it makes a
fellow feel that he is fighting for the
grandest country and nation in the
world for fho KNIGHTS Of CO1umhnS