Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-07-02
GRATEFUL TO THE US.
Letters Written by Russ Sold
iers to Petrograd Hospital
Form Testimonial.
IN NAIVE AND SIMPLE STYLE

Correspondents of the Associated Press }
Petrograd, June l3.-The following
excerpts from letters written by Rus
sian soldiers to the American hospi-
tai In Petrograd not only form a
quaint testimonial to the work done
by members of the American colony
in caring for the wounded, but at the
same time provide an interesting
study of the intimate feelings, the
childlike simplicity and naive i'm.
pulses which govern the millions OF
soldiers who make up the Russian
army. The little reading done by the
Russian peasants is confined to the
Bible and fairy tales and their natu-
raj mode Of expression is a quaint re-
ligious style, touched with the ele-
mental poetry of primitive peoples.
One letter reads:
Charitable Committee: Now we
see that it was you taught us the
thirteenth chapter OF the gospels. And
truly everyone ought to know this
chapter. In it is contained love to
God and to ones neighbor. Although
we are Christians, yet the teaching OF
Christ in US is like a clouded glass,
we see little through it, and man
does not see the light of Christ's
teaching and gropes in the dark.
Charitable committee, all your kind
hearts and well-wishing thoughts and
all the gifts which come from you
and in addition your warm love for
US, all these gathered in me make a
stout ship amidst the waters which
have already swallowed up many and
in which are struggling Others,
drowning in the waves of this diff
cult time which has fallen to the lot
Of nearly the whole world. You go
about on your ship and gather up us
drowning ones and take US to your
selves and cheer US and make US
again like new, ready for fresh deeds.
For me there has never been such 4
happiness from my birth as at this
time, this gift which has flowed from
your good hearts. 1t is an unheardof
thing, such a great sum. cannot i'm
agine how I can ever repay you for
such great thing. l have no means.
Only in one way can ! pay you, com
mittee of well-doing, Eternally | and
my unfortunate family will pray to
God for you and for Sister P. Eter-
nally we will remember that your
strong ship came up in time to save
me in my little boat which had al
ready begun to sink under the water
Now | see that Providence watched
over me and sent the sister who in
terceded for me, and you with your
warm love to your neighbor fulfilled
the preaching of Christ and saved
me and my family by your gift Once
again beg you to write your names
and send them to my family, and they
will pray God for you day and night.
Excuses Self to Benefactors.
Excuse me, my 'benefactors, If I
trouble you with my letters"
Another letter reads:
Greetings, my dear sister, as the
duty of my letter l hasten to assure
you Of my deepest respect and with
great love / bow low to you and
wish you from God good health for
many years. I inform you, my dear
sister, that I received the money
which you sent to me, roubles, the
18th of April, and for which l ex-
press my deepest gratitude to you and
to the whole committee of the Ameri-
can colony. | was surprised and
deeply touched by these 4 roubles,
for the things | had made were very
few and | did not ask to have money
sent me for them. For this reason
am surprised and deeply touched, not
only l, but all of my family, that
among US Russians there are also for
eigners who enter so into the needs
of our dear defenders OF the father
land. What can I write, how can I
express my thanks to you and to the
whole colony. If I only had wings
| would" fly to you and kiss you all
for your interest and kind hearted
ness, for your gentle and wise talk.
When l feel homesick for you, then
l look at the picture, and it brings
to me again Our dear Lazaret, and
closing my eyes I see one sister, and
another and the third moving about,
I see the ventilator buzzing, the aero
plane turning from side to side, and
it seems as if l were back in our dear
Lazaret, and this comes very often to
my mind.
Nov l hasten to tell you about my
health. 1t is not yet very good, often
my legs ache and my loins pain me
all the time. My stomach also trou-
bles me. can do little work at
home, but not much.
Further, announce that I have a
new daughter, Maria, born about the
first of April. The godmother re-
ceived her from the font on the dear
blanket and at hearing where this
came from the public in the church
was much surprised"
Gratitude to Committee.
A third reads:
"A great gratitude to the kind
hearted committee of the American
colony. From the wounded and sick
Ivan Pavloff Goosief, formerly under
your care. Greeting, charitable COM
mittee, | send you my sincere greet
ing, and bow to you all, and l thank
you with tears for the gifts which we
receive from you. These kind deeds
of yours will remain ineffaceable with
us all our lives and when we no longer
live our children, who are already
praying God for you, will continue to
pray for all who founded this commit
tee, and the happy day when you gave
help. Truly now we have left our
aged parents and our little helpless
children. This we have done from
love for our native country, for our