Evening star., 1927-12-04
Toe H. TO GATHER
AT HOUSE WARMING
New Headquarters of Wash.
ington Branch Formally
Opens Wednesday.

The entire national executive COM
mittee of Toe H. organization EN-.
biematic of the brotherhood of the
trenches. some of them coming from
New York and Philadelphia for the &C.
casion, will participate in the house
warming of the new house of the
Washington branch of the organiZa
ton, 1924 Eighteenth street, Wedne g.
day evening. The national headquar-
New York to this city.
The celebration will be partly in the
nature of a service in connection with
the annual festival and ritual that
took place in London, England, and
many other parts of the world last
night. Following services in West
minister Abbey, 1000 persons from all
parts Of the world gathered in Albert
Hall. where the Prince of Wales, the
patron of the order, lighted the lamps
of maintenance for several new
branches, including those in Calcutta.
Bombay. Madras, Ceylon and five in
South Africa.
Padre" to Talk.
Wednesday night the evening will
be opened by Rev. Hugh f. Saw
bridge, a pioneer padre" of Toe H.,
who is in this country organizing the
movement. He will give a brief re.
sumo of the history of Toe H. for the
benefit of the ladies and outsiders
present. The usual ritual of lighting
the lamp Of maintenance will take
place and the remainder of the eve
ming Is to be devoted to sociability.
Toe H. is an organization that orig.
mated during the World War among
soldiers of the British Army. The
name Is the Signal Corps slang for
Talbot House, which stands in Pop
eringhe and was known as the first
outstanding and habitable place met
with by the soldier as he came out
of the semi-circle of mud and suffer-
ing shown on military maps as the
Ypres salient. Here a house" was
conducted by Rev. "Tubby" Clayton,
where an extraordinary spirit of Eel
lOwship and service is said to have
existed between men of all ranks.
In the chaos that followed the war
this spirit was the inspiration for the
founding of Toe H. First in Eng
land and then in all parts of the Brit.
ish Empire and finally in the United
States branches and groups were
formed to preserve the feeling of
brotherhood and to encourage young
men to assist in social work.
In this country there are but three
branches of the order, the first here
in Washington and one each in New
York and Philadelphia. Every week
the members gather and to the repeti.
ton of the last verse of FLANDERS
Fields" the lamp of maintenance is
lit. symbolizing the spirit of service
that. is to be handed on from one
generation of young men to the next.
Many of the houses are replicas of
the original Talbot House. In these
the services are held before a wooden
bench such as was in the attic of the
house in Poperinghe, representing the
bench of the Carpenter of Nazareth.
Business Meeting.
Such will be the services Wednes.
day evening. Wednesday afternoon a
business meeting of the national exec
utive committee is scheduled to be
held at the home of Coleman Jennings,
its vice chairman.
a tea Is to be given the members of
the local mark" as the chapters are
called. on December Is. by a group of |
Washington women interested in the |
organization. it was announced yes.