The Washington times., 1921-05-08

cultural Department. together to do
war work and during the war their
activities were manifold and varied.
Since the armistice they have con-
centrated their energies on these Sun
day evening parties and have selected
the men from st. Elizabeth's a. the
ones who have the least done for
them and to whom such an entertain
ment brings the most Joy.
The suppers are held on the second
and fourth Sundays Of each month In
Epiphany Chapel House, $50 Twelfth
street southwest. and from nifty to
eighty men are served each time.
They are brought In from the hospital
In great buses, under the care OF
Red Cross men or some OF the hos
pital nurses, and usually they are
taken for q long ride before they pull
up at the Chapel House about supper
time.
There's a long room there. where
the tables are laid. and the Agricul-
tural Department conservatories are
rined OF whatever flowers are In sea-
son so that each long table has
row of gay bouquets down Its mlddls.
Meat and vegetables, . salad all
oicooSN w with matOuH&toSy 0VOoA y
and unlimited quantities of fragran:
coffee which makes the boys mouths
water and sets them to thinking
about home and mother---thats sup
per.
Afterward some one starts the
piano going--freQuently one of the
boys can play and sometimes one
turns up with q violin or some other
instrument--and before you know IL
the men are singing their heads on.
hymns, soldier songs. all sorts OF
old favorites. The girls who nave
been busy about as mattresses take
OF their aprons and join in the fun
and before long they are hearing all
about this boys girl and that mans
wife and babies and exclaiming over
treasured snapshots. And the men
are blissfully happy--with always
uninterested pathetic witness to the
havoc wrought by war-until the
time comes to go back. And i'm
mediately they begin looking for.
ward to the next time.
Mrs Robert M. Reese In chairman
Of the War Relief Association and
the girls from the various bureaus
who take turns In helping with the
preparations on Sundays are agreed
that the work couldn't have gone on
20 long without her. It's hard work,
too, for besides the planning and
ordering. the ladies prepare. cook
and serve the food-and it'A no Joke
to provide for nifty or sixty hungry
2 o'clock in tho afternoon and are
only Just ready when the boys decend
upon them.
with the aid of generous donations
Of fruit and vegetables from Airing
ton Farm. the funds collected by the
Association during wartime were
enough to carry on the work for two
years and during that time-frcm
February /. 1919. to February 1, 1920,
sixty-nlne Sunday suppers were
given. as we'll as four parties at the
hospital. Thirteen extra parties on
holidays and three automobile trips,
approximately $500 individual sna-
pers being served. In addition men,
bers OF the organization visited st.
Elizabeth's on sixty-nine occasions.
Books. some in foreign languages.
were supplied as well as large num-
bers OF magazines. Victrola records.
basebalis, baseball gloves. two GRO
Duet sets, two looms for rug weaving.
candy. cake. pies. fruit, etc.
ACTIVITIES ASSURED
FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
Along about the middle of the win
ter just past funds began to run low
and II was feared that the work
would have to lapse-as most OF our
wartime activities among the soldiers
have lapsed now that every servi,e
man has ceased to be q hero. How :
ever, the girls in the Agricultural
Department started a campaign to
raise 81 900 and they now have al
most sufficient funds in hand to make
IL certain that the supper parties can
be carried on for another year
1 slipped OF one Sunday afternoon
to help the ladies prepare for the
supper and when ] saw what pleas
ure II brought to the patients to have
a change of scene and environment,
IL set me thinking about what a wide
field there ia for such work-and how
little Is being done. The Agricultural
Department draws all its guests from
the service men, OF whom there are
$50 In st. Elizabeth's- But there arc