Evening star., 1945-01-15
By CASPAR NAMES.

They come from every State and
from every country Of the United
Nations, these soldiers, sailors and
marines who use First
Presbyterian Church's Friendship
House, 1929 Connecticut avenue
NV, for sleeping quarters on Sat-
urday nights.
The men fill the 106 beds in the 10
rooms of the four-story building.
Latecomers sprawl on chairs, lay on
mattresses placed on the floors in
rooms and in Railways, and even
invade the Rev. DR.. A. j. McCart-
ney's private study in the search for
a place to sleep.
Each cot has sheets. pillow cases,
towels and blankets piled neatly at
its foot, ready for the person using
it. A room sign asks the men to
leave them in the same way, and .he
request Is rarely unheeded.
The men are registered by Miss
Ethel Wakefield in the evening and
Miss Marian B. Nevius during the
afternoon. Both are members of the
church voluntarily giving their time,
as are more than 100 other members.
Coffee and Doughnuts.
The visitors are offered hot coffee
and doughnuts on arrival, and they
wake up Sunday morning to the
aroma Of freshly made coffee and
hot biscuits.
"If they come once. they come
back again." Miss Wakefield said.
That's right" GI registering at
the desk chimed in. He was Pvt.
Eugene Brunelle. 10, of Providence.
r. I. 1--WE been here half dozen
times" he continued, land I've
brought several friends. Here's one
Of them." he added, pointing to Pvt.
Richard Clelland, %, of Clinton,
N. Y.
The house first opened December
19, 1912. That Christmas so Brit
ish sailors slept there, and stayed
for 10 days.
One English mother wrote from
London thanking DR.. Mccartney
and the church for taking care of
her son. He was a Catholic and
the church members had awakened
him in time to go to Mass. Many
Catholic boys, DR.. Mccartney said,
stay at the house and they leave
notes stating the time to be called
for Mass.
Jewish Youths Also Stay.
Jewish youths also stay at the
house. One Orthodox Jewish lad,
sleeping on the floor near the hall
entrance to the church, was awak-
ened and told to go into the church
for cushions and bedclothes. He
started with the others and then
ran back for his hat. '"The Lord will
forgive me for going into q holy
place in night clothes but he won't
If I 60 without a hat" he explained.
The boys are often careless and
one night John Williams, chairman
for the mems committee in charge
of the house, saw a white sailors
cap in the small chapel on the
first floor. He started to get the
hat when he saw a sailor kneeling
before the altar. Mr.. Williams
stepped outside the room. The
sailor soon passed by him, explain
ing, I was just saying little prayer
before going to bed"
Nearly 100 Nisei, japanese born
in America, in the service have
stayed at the house and have proved
to be fine guests" DR.. Mccartney
said. A letter from one Of them now
overseas, Pvt. K. Sugano, thanking
the church for its hospitality was
recently received.
Another soldier who enjoyed stay
ing at the house, Pvt. MARROW S.
Cowan, wrote from "a remote, un-
civilized, hot, rainy jungle covered
Southwest Pacific isle" on Christ
mas Day to tell DR.. Mccartney how
much he appreciated the previous
Christmas spent at the church. He
identified the church as being
across from California Kitchen"
restaurant.
More Than 5000 Guests.
More than 5000 servicemen have
used the house Sinco IL u,os etortod