Part 62

“We do indeed appreciate your thoughtfulness in sending words of comfort to people who are utter strangers to you.

“Accept again, the gratitude of my parents as well as the other members of our family, including myself.

“May our Heavenly Father bless you all and glorify your good works.”

Miss Evangeline Booth,

Commander of the Salvation Army, New York City, N. Y.

Dear Miss Booth:

I beg of you to pardon me for writing you this letter, but I feel that I must. On the 17th day of March I received a letter from my boy in France, and it reads as follows:

“Somewhere in France, Jan. 15, 1918. “My Dear Mother:

“I must write you a few lines to tell you that you must not worry about me even though it is some time since I wrote you. We don’t have much time to ourselves out here. I have just come out of the trenches, and now it is mud, mud, mud, up to one’s knees. I often think of the fireplace at home these cold nights, but, mother, I must tell you that I don’t know what we boys would do if it was not for the Salvation Army. The women, they are just like mothers to the boys. God help the ones that say anything but good about the Army! Those women certainly have courage, to come right out in the trenches with coffee and cocoa, etc., and they are so kind and good. Mother, I want you to write to Miss Booth and thank her for me for her splendid work out here. When I come home I shall exchange the U. S. uniform for the S.A. uniform, and I know, ma, that you will not object. Well, the Germans have been raining shells to-day, but we were unharmed. I passed by an old shack of a building—a poor woman sat there with a baby, lulling it to sleep, when a shell came down and the poor souls had passed from this earthly hell to their heavenly reward. Only God knows the conditions out here; it is horrible. Well, I must close now, and don’t worry, mother, I will be home some day.

“Your loving son,”

Well, Miss Booth, I got word three weeks ago that Joseph had been killed in action. I am heart-broken, but I suppose it was God’s will. Poor boy! He has his uniform exchanged for a white robe. I am all alone now, as he was my only boy and only child. Again I beg of you to pardon me for sending you this letter.

December 10, 1917.

Commander Evangeline C. Booth, New York City.

My Dear Commander:

I have just read in the New York papers of your purpose and plan to raise a million dollars for your Salvation Army work carried on in the interests of the soldiers at home and abroad, and I cannot refrain from writing to you to express my deep interest, and also the hope that you may be successful in raising this fund, because I know that it will be so well administered.

From all that I have heard of the Salvation Army work in connection with the soldiers carried on under your direction, I think it is simply wonderful, and if there is any service that I can render you or the Army, I should be exceedingly pleased.

I have read “Souls in Khaki,” and I wish that everyone might read it, for could they do so, your million-dollar fund would be easily raised.

With ever-increasing interest in the Salvation Army, I am, Cordially yours,

(Signed) J. Wilbur Chapman. Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

Salvation Army Is the Most Popular Organization in France.

Raymond B. Fosdick, chairman of the War Recreation Commission, on his return from a tour of investigation into activities of the relief organizations in France, gave out the following:

“Somewhat to my surprise I found the Salvation Army probably the most popular organization in France with the troops. It has not undertaken the comprehensive program which the Y.M.C.A. has laid out for itself; that is, it is operating in three or four divisions, while the Y. M. C. A. is aiming to cover every unit of troops.

“But its simple, homely, unadorned service seems to have touched the hearts of our men. The aim of the organization is, if possible, to put a worker and his wife in a canteen or a centre. The women spend their time making doughnuts and pies, and sew on buttons. The men make themselves generally useful in any way which their service can be applied.

“I saw such placed in dugouts way up at the front, where the German shells screamed over our heads with a sound not unlike a freight train crossing a bridge. Down in their dugouts the Salvation Army folks imperturbably handed out doughnuts and dished out the ‘drink.’”

War Department Commission on Training Camp Activities, Washington

45, Avenue Montaigne, Paris.

Commander Evangeline Booth, Apr. 8, 1919. Salvation Army, New York City.

My Dear Commander Booth: