Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1930-06-12
GOLD STAR MOTHERS HOME
AFTER WONDERFUL VOYAGE

taken the trip abroad, made possible
for Gold Star mothers and wives,
and sponsored by the United States
government.
Facts cleaned from Mrs. Hale
this trip, lead us to be-
lieve it was a most wonderful pill
grimage, and contained so much of
that one could easily fill a
whole newspaper in the telling, and
then hardly be begun. An outline
however is something as follows:
Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Hill left here
May Z, and after brief stop at
Hotel McAlpin in New York City,
sailed in a party of 233 Gold Star
women on the steamship America
and after a nine days journey land
ed at Cherbourg, France, May 16.
Before they left the boat, on which
there had been 1913 passengers in
all, an elegant farewell dinner was
served in honor of the Gold Star
party. The French people met them
with bands, ETC., the French wom-
en- with hearty handclasps. and it
was all a most wonderful greeting
A feature of particular interest was
a speech by French official in
which he voiced his great apprecia-
tion of a government such as the
United States, that regarded the
mothers and wives of it's soldiers so
highly that it would do such a won
derful thing as to send these wom-
en- over to France on such a mis-
sion.
OF the 233 Gold Star women men
toned above, 128 were from Ohio.
After short time at Cherbourg,
the party took a train for their six
hours ride to Paris. This trip was
made all the more beautiful by the
sight of the multitude of apple trees
in bloom At Paris they rested
some, Saturday, May IT, but among
the activities of the day was the
placing of wreaths of flowers on the
French unknown soldiers grave, at
the Arc de Triompho in Paris. Sun
0dJ, tuc OH, IhOy "CAt " tir
American Cathedral church of the
Holy Trinity-Protestant Episcopal
in Paris This is the church with
the Memorial Battle cloister and
memorials for the American dead
of the great war.
From Paris, Mrs. Hale's path of
pilgrimage lay to Chateau Thierry at
the edge of Belleau Woods where
her son Charles Cunningham Hale,
a soldier in the Marines, lost his
life, June II, 1918, after a years
service. His body lies in the Aisne-
Marne American cemetery. Mrs.
Jeanette Hills pilgrimage took her
from Paris in another direction from
Mrs. Hale's, and that was to the
Argonne- where her suess Josiah w.
Hill met his death. and whose body
rests in the Meuse-Argonne ceme-
terry. Several days with trips to the
cemeteries and elsewhere were spent
by these ladies in their respective
localities before they met again il.
Paris, where there was more sight
seeing, shopping, etc, before start
ing on the homeward bound trip.
While in Paris they stopped at
the Hotel de Paris. Many places of
marvellous beauty and wonderful
interest were visited, both in Paris
and in outlying districts, including
the palaces of the former kings, and
the building where the armistica
was signed, and in the last named
there is unique feature. The
place where this transaction really
occurred, was a coach from a palace
car, inclosed within the building.
You may walk around this sacred
enclosed place where an important
world transaction occurred, and you
may look in, but you cannot enter
or touch anything therein, as it is
securely sealed from all intrusion
May 20 found our party starting
on their homeward journey-from
Cherbourg. The trip home was
made on the steamship President
Harding, somewhat smaller boat
than the America, but a speedier
one-at least on this trip, as the
journey back was made in seven
days. Quite a large number of the
ladies became very sea sick-per-
haps because of the faster travel
ing of the Harding. Not so many of
them had been affected On the out
ward Journey. Before they left the
Harding to step once more on Amer
lean soil, and get another glimpse OF
the marvels of it's welcoming har-
Dor, they were given a royal fare
well dinner. They landed Friday,
June 6, at New York, and Mrs.
Hale secured from their official es-
cort a special permit for herself and
Mrs. Hill to leave that city on Fri
day evening instead of Saturday as
had been originally scheduled for
the party. AS on the outward jour
ney, they had stopped for a brief
time at Hotel McAlpin. They arrived
home by way of Parkersburg, Sat
urday evening, June z.
OHe ol CHe MANY treasured SOuV~
enirs of the trip, in Mrs. Hale's
possession. is a group picture of
some of the Gold Star ladies, taken
on top of the steamer America. In
this picture are Mrs. Hale and Mrs
J. M. Anderson. The grave of Mrs.
Andersons son Harold Anderson is
in the Suresnes cemetery.
Another souvenir she has is a
bronze medallion. On it is inscrib-
ed: Medallion presented before
leaving American Gold Star Pill
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