New Britain herald., 1916-08-24
co. !. MEN OFF ON HIKE TO HILLS OF LONE STAR STATE Yankee Soldiers Wonder at Wildness and Beauty of Na ture As Revealed in Paint-Pot Scenery Way
 Down in Texas.

sheets of water to fill the trenches that our little dog tents need. The stars afford little light but are suff- cient beacons for us to dodge the Cactus, the only vegetation that stones as we now descend 600 feet to the banks of the lazy waters of the santa Cruz, winding through heaps of sand where the company is to camp.
 The departure of a guard relief at this time eNemplified the change that has gradually been imbued into the men. Guard duty a few weeks ago was a signal for hesitancy, nervous ness and every sign that rookie must possess even apparent to one in- experienced in military life. The men now well on their way to their respec- tive posts have ceased so retain all the unfortunate qualities that invite endless joshings Each has come to take the life as a matter of course, gradually giving less and less of his attention to unnecessary excitement and of the thoughts of home. I must confess that at the start of these let ters, my pages could have been filled with but one lone item for a nucleus -hOm esicknesS. Such an ailment has now ceased to exist.
 'Sobs" Sec Print
 The return home of those rejected from the various camps because they could not meet the high requirements ae set by Uncle Sam and the state ments attributed to the first returned batch of admirers of our uneasy reighbors, has worked a severe in justice to those responsible for welfare on the border. Some of the "sobs'' that have seen print deserved strong language or even more severe handling. It is preposterous, much less a low standard of patriotism, ttat absolute untruths should be given for nourishment to the public's overwilling insaginations. Doubtless, an exaggerated impression of border life has squelched many an enlistment that is certainly necessary. Let us give encOura cement to strong army supporters that the idea at least has proved an axiom for a real govern ment Our presence here on the border has put an end to all maraud- ings that were wont to be a certainty for the daily calendar, previous to the call for puny pen-pushers to fall in for trench-digging, With such
  stay here can hardly be believed to terminate in September. A show of strength has been proved necessity as long as unsettled conditions pre- vail in the interior. Our duty on the border will not be of such short dura- ton as seems to be the common con- ceDtion at home; nor will it be as futile. To continue in rcprimand of any false statements that sOrrOwful rejects have made, the cries against the policy of the government were in- Toked from either or all of these three: Personal grievance, unfitness, CT denial of all the comforts of home. The men from New Britain have given the correct aspect of the | conditions that we have had to cope | with. It would be well if the reports 1 had been universally backed with the 1 same spirit that calls for only a mans l snare of common sense. Lest I give foundation for a pipe dream that gives Camp stephen Little a resem- 'lance of SaVin Rock, I'll call off any further dcnials of our discontinue; !, 1t is hoped that they are unnecessary.
 Leave From Duty Not Easy.
 Another idea that seems firmly fixed in the minds of New England people ID ClltC It lS put a matter or course to obtain leave from duty even at short notice. If the army service were as easy to fall in and out of, some of US would have perhaps dared risk a vaca- . tion during rifle practice All the men hope to get home just as soon as possible, but we are all here to re- main until mustered out of service and no sooner. Our stay here has brought about heavy sacrifices on cer- tain individuals but that can hardly be avoided. New Britain people be- lieve that because we share the same roof with Company E at home, we are closely affiliated with hOme-toWns- men in camp. This is quite the op posite. Company F. is located at the