The Exeter Times, 1919-4-17, Page 6H CANADA WELCOPES HER RETURNING
SOLDERS AND TER FAMILIES
The Citizens. of St. John, New Brunswick, Offer int Canada's Nanie
A Royal Greeting .to Canada's .Heroes, and Give the
Brides From Overseas a Cordial Welcome to
the Land of Their Adoption.
Tr/ the ':unehine of peace, our sol-
diers 4c iu,e. to their native land, the
dant cloud u. warfare lifted ---the cloud
under which tier left our shores and
embarked on the great adventure -
but the boyo do not copse hien, they
are gone forever. In their place
come men, nem who have prsven their
manhood. whose spurs, spiritual and
military, have beee :ton hi desperate
couff ct Many who left in a state of
single untiles t clI es , married the first
year of the e ar, and are returning urning
with wives a;ul children; others are
bringing tile•!r brines. who make the
teleeettire ier<' matrimony and Canada
en the :sue trip. This return in dual
or vie o Oren. calls for a reception
differing from that acseorded to mere
man :; tamed .io the rigors of camp
life, but the geathearted men and
yeomen of St. J>hn, New Brunswick,
know just how to express the feeling
of Canada for those who return and
for those who are new members. of
our large L'.11iily.
t nursery and lavatory, where unlimited
i itupplies of liot and cold water, towels
and soap, turn otit "new women and
babies for old." Adjoining this is the
Red Cross dispensary, ^with a trained
-nurse M. charge, for supplies and
i medicines and everything a baby, sick
! or well, could possibly want, are given
I out.
Beek of this is the kitchen, and eon-
; n,eetieg with the reception room is a
serving -table. where. under the direc-
tion of one of the Y.\\'.tx.A. workers,
the local G..A.D: s serve hot drinks,
sandwiches and cakes.
I When the boat docks the only ones
allowed to go on board are Miss Perry,
Y.W.C.A., and Mre. Lawrence, the Red
Cross Secretary.
Off the boat, up the long stairs, and
"Welcome Hloine" says the great
streamer at the Bead, Along through
the Immigration offices all must pass,
and many have a long wait. The web
. e.erne is repeated by voice and hoed-
: elaep of the ladies of the Reception
Committee, who keep the babies and
the bundles. so that Mother can attend
to her payers with a free hand and a
free mind. This done, all move on to
the Rest Room. which, with its dainty
cilrtaine, easy chairs, bright chintz
• cushions, piano, reading and writing
. tables, is most inviting to the sea ick
travellers. Outside the Rest Room
are the Y.M.C.A., the Salvation Army.
and the knights of Cohtru1n s booths,
which eater to the needs, internal and
external. of the soldier. The Military
Information Bureau and the C.P.R.
1 offices do a land office business in
answering questions, and the Patriotic
1 Fund booth aids the soldier or his de-
Pendent financially, if necessary.
Rested and refreshed, the next step
': in the long journey must be arranged.
The local assistants and the Y.W.C.A.
1 secretaries are everywhere. ascertain-
ing destinations, seeing that babies,
bundles, bags and boxee are collected,
for the first train to pull out. The
Red Cross superintendent see: that a
nurse, with full equipment of supplies,
and loads of extra blankets, is on
every train. This is one of the great-
est of comforts to those with small
children. This goes on all day,
web
coming the coming. and speeding the
departing guest. until the last train
Toad disappears, possibly at eight or
!nine o'clock at night, if, as sometimes
happens, several thousands arrive the
same day.
This fine piece of National Service,
warmly welcoming our own men and
those whom they bring with them.
does not begin or end here. Its source
was in the sending to England as soon
as hostilities ceased. of the Y.W,C.A.
National Immigration Secretary, Mrs.
Burrington -Ham. who went to the
authorities to secure space in which
to open a Bureau for the information
of soldiers' dependents coming over.
' After many difficulties and delays this
was accomplished, and i\Irs. Burring-
ton -Ham's assistance was of the great-
est value to the women. "The God-
mother." as they appreciatively called
her. enceeeded in placing upon each
but bringing a number of women and
children. a Ship Secretary, who looks
atter their needs in every possible
way. aiding lire sick. cheering the well,
carrying babies, and when the time
and mal ale tiler permit, giving talks
on c',rditions in different parts of
Canada. til::t newcomers may not be
utterly at :eel when they Iand. Mother-
less children conning with their fathers
are her especial ch:.rge. until placed
with friends. The end of this work -
but then we cannot speak of the end
of the iri:inite, but rather the follow-
up work of the port s:irvice--consists
in writing to the Y.W.C.A. secretaries
in each town or city to which the new-
comers go, and asking that they lo-
cate them as soon as passible, call
upon them, put them in touch with a
Church of their denomination, and do
all possible to make thia new land a
home land to thew welcome members
of the nation's family. hatters of ap-
preciation (rent, .East and West pay
tribute to this great interest taken by
the Canadian women. This long chain
of Welcome from England to the Paci
fie demonstrates, in Magnified fortis,
the work that has been carried on for
years by the Y.W.C.A. Immigration
and Travellers' Aid Departments. Its
scope and fitness are such as appeal
Se. John. Not St. Peter. at the Door.
By v'irr(:e of the goo ruilhteai loca-
tiun of 'tet. John, is alt zt'ns have be-
come C iu!.lit s O ihial elt'oaiers of
our t:,tttrnt'd soMiers, and right royally
es the old city. down by the sea, open
wide its doors anti extent] the warm
li nd of welcome, and to the home-
sieli men who have been yearning for
a glimpse cif t'';eir native land through
yt'.:rr of the :terrors of war, this
seems aideed the very Gate of Heaven.
To ectn" of the wives coming from
overseas, the prospect was not one of
sinaliuy••l bliss, for mischievous pens
and tongues had set a meatal wave in
motion. that made the English, Scotch
and Irish brides fear that some of the
C':. iadian homes might have preferred
C-ana,lian brides for their sons. How-
ever, their reception by the women
and the men of St. John banished all
s ;ch fears. .As one of the brides con -
filed to a member of the reception
committee. "We were told in England
that Canadian women would greet us
With bad eggs. but instead we have
been treated like royalty." Canada
re, ognizes in these. young women from
the British Isles. these whose kind-
ness in hours of loneliness has won the
he::rte e: our boys, the kind of women
who, with few exceptions. are the type
of citizens of whom Canada will be
justly proud.
The soldiers' reception committee
of nem and women li