New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-24

June "a, 1915
My Dear Friend: Can you guess what 1t
means to spend twelve days and twelve nights
most of which are NUTS banches) in first
line, with very little, if anything, to smoke :!
II don't think you can. So | will not
attempt to tell you how felt when
Il received your four boxes of Oxfords. To
be sure, many of my friends were IN the same
plight was, and as sefshness is unknown IN
the ranks, especially in war times, they, too,
had a glorious smoke on you. Many of them
had never tasted American cigarettes, but can
assure you they found a real delight in pulling
them. We usually have plenty of tobacco ana
of everything else, and if this is the worst
war men have ever seen, it is perfectly true
that soldiers were never better taken care OIL
The fact that we ran short Of tobacco was due
to an unlocked for alerte which woke US up
in the middle of the night while we were au
repos. In less time than it takes to say IL
we were going to an unknown destination
talk about thrills-that's where you get them
and as strange as it may sound to an out
slider, we do love them; if you recall what
has been going for the last few weeks
think you can safely guess where we were
bound for-'nough said. All the piou-pious
that had a whack at them want to join me IN
thanking you. My friends in New .ork and
elsewhere have sent me about dozen boxes
of 100 Rameses, too but never received them
except one. Isn't il shame? I've written
to the Reggie, but so far haven't had any salts
faction. | can't understand how yours got
through.
Reading over your letter makes me think
how fortunate you are. Not that | regret
having come for would never dare show my
self to any one had / stayed, but simply be-
cause this is no life. ! sometimes think how
foolish men are to have to resort to these
mad orgies of wholesale murder and pillage
in order to settle their differences. Talk
about progress and civilization! Why, we
might as well destroy the hypocrisy OF It,
since il cannot save US from these caldmltles
which already involve millions of homes. Why
not set back the clock n few centuries and
revert to the simple habits of the cave man 4
This may sound like strange talk TO you
no doubt it will. But what do you think hap
pens TO the gray matter when thousands, hun
dreds Of thousands, of shells are hurled above
ones head? | am sure ! doL't, although do
know something does happen. And what
about the untold misery Drought Oh u! auOH
monstrous bombardments? No one is better
able to know it than |. Sometimes | get
so damn mad to see in what savage way the
G.. conduct the war that | wish to turn in my
brassard and get back my rife. I've tried 1t
twice now, but the major wouldn't lot me.
Fortunately this trench warfare shant last
forever, and do earnestly hope that we shall
soon be able to measure ourselves in the open
with ces messeurs and have it out like white
men should. OF course they not friends
of the assault la baionnetta. | don't blame
them, either, for, although they can run
pretty fast Owe seen them), they can't get
away from our grognards.
Some three weeks ago | threw bunch Of
American papers into their trench and waited
for results wish you could have heard them
groan and shoot and swear; they were moth
ing short of raying mad Evidently some one
among them could read English anyway, The
Tribune cartoons were eloquent enough, es-
pecialy the one you sent; also the one repre-
senting Count Won Bernstorf addressing his
countrys sympathies to the American public
YER the Lusitania dead-enttle "The Crown
ing Insult" Have you seen it? II must have
struck them harder than any shell ever did
at least judging from results
j. B. CLAVERIE. !