Probably more men are led astray in the war zone when they go on leave
than at any other time, in reaction from the deadly monotony of camp
life, or the inferno of the trenches. London and Paris are the chief
centers of danger. In London, just before sailing for the States, we
visited the finely equipped American "Eagle" Hut in the Strand. It
would be difficult to devise a more homelike or attractive place for
soldiers. In addition to sleeping accommodations for several hundred
men, the lounge and recreation rooms, the big fireplaces and
comfortable chairs suggested the equipment of an up-to-date club, in
marked contrast to the surroundings of a cheerless soldiers' barracks.

[Illustration: The "Eagle Hut" in London.]

In Paris, in addition to the permanent headquarters at 31 Avenue
Montaigne, we are hoping to provide hotels and hostels and guides for
supervised parties to see the chief points of interest, and to plan
such healthy occupation for the soldiers that the evils of the city may
be counteracted. Better still we are planning resorts in the French
Alps, where summer and winter sports, athletics, mountain climbing, and
physical and mental recreation will obviate altogether the necessity of
leave to Paris for many of the soldiers of the United States and
Canada. In the first resort we are arranging for special rates and
moderate charges at the hotels and have the pledge of the civil
authorities to keep the place wholesome and absolutely to prevent the
incoming of camp followers. The Association is planning to take over
the best hotel, which can be made into an attractive social center for
the entire camp. A score of American and as many Canadian ladies will
help to provide social recreation and amusement for the men, which will
prove a greater attraction than the dangerous leave in Paris.