The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-12-14
AS BARNUM SAID

the vast amount of glltterlng rot De-
ing fed to the people behind the lines
by correspondents who have to write
for living This is not an unmixed
evil, however, for people-particular-
ly the American people, as Barnum
said, like to be humbugged. They
would much rather see things as they
want them to be than as they are.
The following from a young man in
the American Volunteer Ambulance
Corps, which is doing good work in
France, to friend, prominent law
yer in New York, rather puts the XII
bosh on some of the fancy stuff that
IS being fed to the public by writer's,
even in such high-class publications
as the Saturday Evening Post and
Golfers Weekly.
France, September 81.
Dear Eliot: Through various chan
nels the highly colored articles in
magazines and newspapers about 4the
brave American boys" at the front
come floating into our corps station
ed temporarily within sound and al
most sight of the guns of the town
Of Verdun.
They are our greatest amusement
and relaxation. / do believe our
American public loves to be bulldozed
and stuffed The half baked war cor
respondents who write the rot about
the ambulance drivers at the front
have an imagination that is stupen-
dous and awe inspiring. They should
head their articles
"War as She Amt"
Stories of regiments returning from
the trenches crowding around am
balances to thank them are bull pure
and simple. They are either too
tired to do anything except keep
walking or else are apt to sling the
usual soldier jokes--same the world
over.
Any fellow who cannot distinguish
the sound of one of his own guns go
ing off from shell coming is apt to
spend miserable life if he stays long
in these parts.
Most wounded are too busy keeping
their own nerves in both hands to
bother about ballroom speeches. The
first wounded load had any acquaint-
ance with had one among them who
spoke little English and his first
question was, "When does the train
leave for Paris ?"
Rules of the road"-there aren't
any. Motors pass horse wagons be-
cause they are quicker. Camions pull
out when they hear you if they hear
and can pull out.
One man has, written "Ambulances
come after troops, after ammunition
and food wagons" Well what is there
left on the road after all these but
ambulances. This road business is all
a matter of expediency. If you can
squeeze past string of camions you
do, otherwise you fall in line and wait
your chance.
Because you see star shell it does
not mean you are within sight of the
Bosche and right behind the first line
by long shot, for you can see them
20 miles from behind the lines.
Sentries asking for passwords on
roads under fire is foolish-and you
can go right up to any front line
trench if you are big enough fool
without worrying about any password.
Everyone takes it for granted you
wouldn't be around there unless you
had to. One night went from way
out beyond Verdun toward the lines
back through the town and half way
to Barbecue and no one wanted to
know anything.
You can't make all life serious out
here and this driving by the stars
with an iron grip on the steering
Wheel may please some people but
can't see why.
wish you could have seen our
corps the other day indulging in an
dlCSAAOOn SdHLS VI OHC-Olu So0 WASh
five German Taubes came sailing over.
When they began dropping bombs
every one did 2:20 in record style
and in all directions and did not wait
for "Taubeproof" checks either. But
even as they started to run the gang
began to laugh and it developed into
a pursuit race in two minutes.
Don't get the idea though that they
come over every afternoon they
don't.
Don't get the idea that the daring
little ambulance driver lives in a con-
slant atmosphere "of shell strewn
roads dashing through fires of bar
rage" for he doesn't-thank heaven,
don't believe they ever put bar
riage fire on a road an ambulance had
to travel. They have put roads under
heavy Smelling for hours and days at
periods, but no ambulance or any
thing else can go through barriage
that's cold fact.
AT times the corps has been thru
periods of night and day work all
night and day but it hasn't been dan
gerous to a degree. 1t has been a
miracle that it has come through with
no casualties, but mostly it goes or
It's way doing it's daily task and max
ing no fuss over it-but the French