The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-12-08
OvR BOYS PUZZLE
TOFRENCH HOSTS
Californian Writes of Experiences
E'0Ver There"
MUCH They CANNOT TELL

Uncle Sans Censorship Most Drastic
Adopted by Any Natlon-WhistIIng
of Americans Annoys the French
SoIdiers-campaign Hats Are the
Vogue in Paris Fashionable Circles.
A California soldier with the Amer
1can forces in France gives his expe-
Fiences and observations In an interest
ing letter to the folks at home:
MY Dear -:
81 have before me, as a precaution
A twO-page digest Of d new eight-page
order, outlining the censorship re-
strictions, 1t is an impressive doc
Ument. Uncle Sam, though a novice
In the game of doing something with
out letting the world know about it,
has gone his beligerent associates one
better than they ever thought Of. This,
I suppose, because of the comparative
ease with which q spy otherwise could
operate in the American army.
'"The new order is the most drastic
ever adopted by any nation and
blow to the Sammie ambitious to tell
'em about 1t. 1t embOdieS an ocean
of 'don'ts' and not a single do and
one is wont to wonder, after a first
perusal, what the deuce he can write
about. l was puzzled myself until
got the knack Of sticking to generali-
ties. A good way to fill up white pa
per, also, is to devote two or three
paragraphs to telling the folks that
you can't tell them anything, and
why.
"Sorted, and alphabetically ar
ranged these 'don'ts' run from A
to - After reading down through
@H and Il the newcomer finally de-
cides to sit down and write, merely, I
am WELL All references or opinions
to present or future whereabouts, work
or operations is prohibited. The men
tion Of troops in connection with any
particular place is forbidden. And
this is carried even to military CORE
spOndence, 1 am told, the addresses
reading merely Regiment So and SO,
"A. b. f., three initials which will be
used a lot in the next few months
or years. Postcards, both of the pic
ture variety and those with messages
on them, are taboo. Other subjects /
can't discuss are: Information con-
cerning casualties, unless they've been
officially announced; the effect of hos
tile fire, all information about aircraft
and the condition, moral or physical,
of our own or allied troops. And,
what Is more, no criticism of any
sort will be allowed Of our own Off
GERS or those Of the allies. SO l
can't, for instance, tell you what
think of my corporal. AS matter of
fact, however, I haven't got one. I'm
the clerk of my company, and spend
most of my day fighting the Germans
with a typewriter-no casualties yet.
I felt no conscientious pangs about be-
ing armed with so innocent weapon
as a typewriter, however.
More Than Guns Needed.
sThere are many things besides
guns which figure in this war. Over
here, the side rule, the surveyors
transit, the cross-cut saw, the cleo
trician's pliers, are a few that are as
honorable as the Krag, and the baker
and the cook, the dentist and the bar
ber, the store clerk in the quarter
masters, and the cobDler, the woods
man and the bridge builder, the track
layer and the rod builder all are use
ful-and essential-in their place.
And their work is regarded as being
as honorable as that of the man who
goes down into the first line trenches.
Or, rather, will go down.
"There is q lot of speculation as
to when Uncle Sam will start things.
Every soldier has an ear open for
the latest rumOr-and there is one
every few minuteS-and deep curl
osity as to the immediate future of
his troop, but there is no answer to
the question, When do we gOY And
the constant repetition of this ques-
tiOn has had but one result, a special
order, prohibiting the discussion of
probabilities as to when we will take
over a stretch of line. 1t is a pun
ishable OffenSe for an officer to de-
bate with his men, for example, the
question. Of one thing only am l
certain-that the United States will
not start until everything is ready
/ used to think that all an army had
to do was to march up to the firing
line and go to it, but this trip has pro-
duced realization Of the elaborate
preparation necessary before we even
begin to fight. There must be hospi-
tails behind the lines, manned by
nurses and doctors and attendants
railroads to convey troops and food
automobiles, bakeries, bath houses,
1aundries and hundred other things,
and all these must in in readiness be-
fore the actual fighting begins.
There must be a pretty efficient or
ganization perfected merely as a pre-
1iminary. And that is why there is
a dignity to the man with the shovel,
the ak and other tools l could emu
merate. He already is at work while
fbp fiphter is waiting 1IDfiI thn stage