CANTEEN WORKERS CATER
TO POILU’S APPETITE
FOR OYSTERS AND SALADS
Eleanor Robson Belmont, Home From Europe,
Tells of Her Unbounded Faith
In the Red Cross.
By ELEANOR ROBSON BELMONT.
TUESDAY'S ELECTION
The Democratic Primary
Election held Tuesday result
ed in the largest vote being
polled in the history of the
county, the total being over
1900.
There were about 50 ladies
who voted at Cotton Plant and
147 at Augusta. Several ladies
voted at McCrory and other
places in the county, this being
the first opportunity given the
women of the county the right
to vote.
Mr. E. T. Wherry has return
ed home from Hot Springs and
we are sorry to note that his
health is not much improved.
Peas for sale. Chas. Ander
son, R. 2. ltp.
Forty acres of land for sale,
about half in cultivation with
house on same. S. M. Jones, p
Planters Merc. Co. received
a car load of buggies this
week.
Mrs. W. M. Comer is in
Pine Bluff this week visiting
her sister, Mrs. I. E. Sanders.
Mr. and Mrs.W . B. Fakes
motored to Holly Grove Sun
day and were accompanied
back by little Miss Virginia
Rose Davidson.
ROAD OVERSEER’S RACE
DeView Township
The race in DeView Town
ship for road overseer resulted
in the present incumbent nos
ing out ahead by only eight
votes. Although it was one
of the minor races, there was
much interest manifested. The
vote was as follows:
McCRORY BOX
J. L. Bronte 69, R. J. Mc
Daniel 49,- Granville Wilson
42, E. C. Caudle 25.
DeVIEW BOX
Wilson 66, Bronte 27,
Caudle 17, McDaniel 16.
CHAPPELL GROVE BOX
Bronte 22, Wilson 11, Mc
Daniel 5, Caudle 1.
JELKS BOX
McDaniel 23, Bronte 9, Cau
dle 3, Wilson 0.
TOTAL VOTE
Bronte . 127
Wilson . 119
McDaniel.93
Caudle . 46
WHEN I left for Europe a few
months ago I had no cast
iron reverence for the Red
Cross. When I returned
from Europe I brought home wilh me
unbounded belief in th£ organization.
1 had seen enough to make me realize
that this was the best method of serv
ing the soldiers and sailors. We are
waging an economic war. Therefore
the surest and most effective way to
help is through the established chan
cels selected for that purpose by the
government.
The main work of the American Red
Cross, however, is, of course, carried
on in France. The policy of those
heading this work is to back up the
French in their own efforts and to
help them develop along their own
lines, not to root out French institu
tions and transplant American ones.
Whether we work, then, in canteens,
in warehouses, in dispensaries, for
poilus or for refugees, in Paris or in
huts used for this purpose are little
alleys marked “Paris,” “Dijon,” or “Ly
ons.” These little alleys are laid out
with bunks filled with sleeping men.
If a poilu is going to Paris, he throws
himself down in the Paris bunk, serene
in the knowledge that he will be called
in time for the Paris train.
In some of the canteens the lights
have to be dimmed on account of aero
planes. Often the lights are covered
with colored muslin shields which
make a rosy glow that is very home
like. One of the canteens has been
decorated by some of the best camou
flage artists in France, who have taken
great delight in covering the walls and
even the ceiling with their pictures.
The canteens are open day and night
for the benefit of the men at the big
junction points.
Do More Than Feed Men.
The women in the canteens do more
than feed the men, however, impor
tant as that is. Poilus leaving their
families are naturally depressed and
need sympathetic listeners. Some one
to admire his wife’s picture, some one
to laugh over the baby’s latest sign
of genius, some one to tell him that
the oldest boy is the image of his
handsome father—this is as real a
need in the poilu’s life as salad or
soup. In fact the presence of these
fine women is such an influence for
good that officers say the morale of
the army is distinctly higher wherever
the canteens are. This causes great
rivalry among the canteen workers.
Each one wants her canteen to be the
best and most popular in the service.
Besides this direct, personal service
to the soldiers the Red Cross is doing
a kind of John the Baptist work with
dispensaries. We have fifteen dispen
saries scattered through districts
where war has been or is likely to be.
France had mobilized 18.000 of her
24,000 physicians, leaving about 6,000
for the whole of civilian France.
Sometimes you will find one old doctor
taking care of several villages with
no means of transportation except oc
casionally an aged, overworked horse.
Here is a chance for the Red Cross to
step in and help. There is a syndicate
of physicians to which the Red Cross
applies to find out if a certain village
has a medical adviser; if not we estab
lish a center and operate in a given
section around the center.
k
ELEANOR ROBSON BELMONT. ,
the devastated districts, tor the chil
cirt*u or for the aged, it is always on
the same plan of backing up the
French if they have any organization
01 plan.
Poilus Like Oysters and Salad.'
The canteen work is one of the most
gratifying ways of helping the men.
To see those poilus enjoying the first
delicacies they have had for days is a
soul-satisfying sight. The English and
French maintain canteens where they
dispense soup, hot coffee and cocoa, to
bacco. chocolate, etc., but the Ameri
can Red Cross canteens serve real
dinners at cost or under. The poilus
are inordinately fond of oysters and
salad; when they can order a plate
of oysters or a dish of salad In an
American canteen they are as happy
as children. We have six canteens in
the French zone for the French army
— France is, of course, divided into
zones. In one line of communication
canteen we serve from 4,000 to 8,000
men a day. These canteens are near
the railroad stations for the benefit of
the men going to the front, being trans
ferred to some other section, or going
home on a furlough. In one section the
Bathing a Luxury.
A Red Cross doctor and nurse go out
regularly to the tillages in their section
Each village is informed when they are
coming so that all who want medical
advice or treatment, can meet together
in one spot and save unnecessary calls.
Of course, if any one is too ill to come
to the doctor, the doctor goes to him.
The nurses carry among other things
shower baths for babies. In many re
gions of France, owing to lack of facil
ities, bathing is a luxury, so the super
stition has grown up that it is dan
gerous. Now since the mothers are
convinced that their children will
be Deither killed nor Injured, but on
the contrary benefited by baths, how
they do look forward to them !
After all this inspiring activity of
the Red Cross on the other side, ro
mantic in spite of the drudgery and
tragedy, I expected the work here to
be an anti-climax. I was amazed, then,
when I returned to see what we were
accomplishing at home.
Miss Jack Woodbury re
urned Thursday to her home
it Munford, Term., after ten
days stay with the Misses Lou
ise and Florence Kyle.
Found: One tire for a
arge automobile, Thursday,
April 25, 1918. Owner can
get tire by describing same,
and paying for this adver
tisement.—Adv. A. J. Marsh.
After visiting relatives here,
Mrs. H. Y. Swayze left Thurs
day for a few days visit to
relatives in Little Rotck. From
here-she will go to San An
onio, Texas, to be with her
husband and son.
Bob Buchanan was in Mc
Crory the first of the week bid
ding his friends goodby, he
Laving joined the Marines last
^Wednesday. His many friends
here will miss him very much
but each one knowTs that he has
the right spirit and if they will
just give him a chance, he will
bring old Bill’s scalp back as a
souvenir.
Perry Holland, our energetic
tailor, has installed a Hoffman
s:eam pressing machine in
} is pressing parlor which
i lakes his place of business
i ot only up-to-date but it is a
time and labor saver and the
work done on this machine is
nuch better than by hand.
Mr. Holland is expecting a
Iirge trade this summer and
he says he can do much more
?nd better work than here-to
fore. We are always glad to
see any improvement in our
(town and we are glad to have
citizens here who believe in
advancing not only treir own
i iterest but theinterests which
concern the progresive little
jcity of McCrory. When your
cld garments need cleaning
and presing he asks tha t you
give him a chance for he
guarantees his work.
% CONSERVING.
“Last winter I used to feed the
dear little snowbirds.”
“Won’t you keep it up?”
“Certainly not. Instead of wasting
bread crumbs on the dear little birds,
I feel morally obliged to catch ’em
and eat ’em.”
HOME REASONS.
“Why do you think a man like
Jaggers, with a wife and growing
daughters, is so anxious to go to the
front ?”
“I heard him say he wanted some
peace and quiet.”
BETTER COMPANY.
“Bliggins is studying French.”
“Great. Bliggins will aever stop
talking. But it will be some comfort
not to be able to understand him.”
LOST LABOR.
He—Our hostess swept out the
room without a single glance.
She—Well, that doesn’t surprise
me, the way her room looks.
ONE IS ENOUGH.
Country Editor—Will you pay
your subscription with vegetables?
j Country Subscriber—I will pay it
with a vegetable.
CLASSIFYING HIM.
“Your honor, I arrested this mao
. at the Frivolity theater.”
“Is he an actor?”
l “Yes, sir—bad.”
MUCH WORN.
“It is said that furs will be very
much worn this year.”
j "I know my furs will be. They
were very much worn last season", m
I fact, nearly worn out.”