The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-30
tCoutinued from Page one)

posture Tn case 1t became necessary to l take to the lifeboats. But due to the
 precautions taken by Uncle Sam and the allies, the trip was without incident of
 any serious nature.
 As you will recall, when wrote you before we were lying in the harbor of an allied port. We had been there for some days and all the people in the city had seen us and, of course, knew where | We were going. In faet some of their own troops were to be in our convoy along with those of other aLsod nations 1 It was just at sunset on beautiful | early fall afternoon when the long tine l of ships began to steam down the bay | Our ship led the way. Word spread rap- | idly through the little city and attract | ed by the blasts of many whistles from l friendly craft in the harbor hundreds Of people lined the wharves and gave us an enthusiastic farewell as we steamed | slowly down the bay. From every wtr- dow, and even from the roofs of houses and buildings, flags were waved and we were bade bon voyage. But to me- | in all these crowds there was one little group that gripped my attention and held it as long as could see with my glasses Tt was young boy in the uni ! form of our allies and his mother
 had seen him and talked with him only 1 two days before, while waiting at the wharf for the tug to take me back 10 | | a year, although he looked hardly IS i then. His right arm was off at the el- 1 Dow-'a Boche she'll he explained with a rather sad smile. He told me of some I of the terrible scenes he had encountered | at the front, of his wound, and finally his return home unfit for further duty He was going to work soon, he said, when he fully recovered and regained sufficient strength. You have family to look after you have you not?' asked him. Only my mother,' he replied, sad ly You see, my father went out with the first volunteers and was killed within a year When I heard that the Boches had killed him enlisted and went over. They didn't get me, but I am no more good for fighting, so I was sent back home. I hope you Americans clean up those Germans quick he said. with a look or eagerness in his eyes.
 THE RIGHT SPIRIT
 "As just as we were leaving for France, it was this boy and his widowed mother that I saw waving us fare we'll They had the spirit that will | make the world safe for democracy "On every side the crews of ships, both of the allied and neutral nations, cheered the departing transports. We soon drew near to a big warship of one of our allies. The officers and sailors, more than 1000 were lined up on the deck and. as we approached, their band | played The Star Spangled Banner while l all of them saluted the Stars and Stripes. We all tried to show our appreciation l by giving them a mighty cheer, but, I 1 must confess that it was in a rather l husky r-o'ca that we rasnon1ad
 SITUATION NO SURPRISE
 "In most respects the situation ex- ! isting in England and France has not surprised me. I had read too much about the war the economic and so- I cial changes and the wonderful sacri- fices that the peoples of these two na- tions had made to be surprised But 1 the spirit of the people themselves | did surprise me. I could not realize, | before I saw them, how they could 1 bear up under the burden they had carried and the privations they had | suffered without becoming sad and oheerless people. But therein I was
 mistaken All that we read in the Unl- 1 ted States about the sacrifices and the [ horrors of war is, in the main, true. i But, despite this fact, the people of i England and France are not discour- aged, nor are they cheerless I might 1 say that the Englishmen look upon | the war as a grim duty which he will I "see through" to the end. And it is
 the same with the Frenchman. What I France has borne we have well known | in the United States But really be- i lieve that today the average French :
 man takes as cheerful view of life
 as we did in our country before we
 even entered the war. I know French
 officers who have been in the thick | of the fight for three years. Some of :, them have been desperately wounded 1 two or three times but they are light
 hearted, cheerful and ready to go back 1 as soon as they are able. l know one
 French lieutenant who is convalescing | in a hospital near here. He lost an arm. his face is disfigured for life and ! in addition, he still has three bullets l in his body. The surgeons propose to | operate and extract those bullets to prevent complications later. He ex-
 pressed his willingness. but asked for l two weeks leave so he could go with I his wife to a city in southern France i for d two weeks pleasure trip. His
 request will be granted. He seems
 about as happy and cheerful as any 1 one I know. and is anticipating his vacation with keenest delight.
 FRENCH AND ENGLISHMEN
 l q have met many French officers I and have teen closely associated with | quite a few of them. Many who lived i life of ease and luxury have suffered l the privations and the wounds Of the
 trenches for three years without a | complaint and return cheerfully to the front when the1r DfleI leaves Ol dp- 1 sence expire. Their keen sense of hu-
 nor and the way in which they view l the situation has been a surprise to l me Tn fact I can say that our people cannot have too high a regard Tor England and France, nor can we ap preciate too much the wonderful flght
 tEey have made. That they are deep
 l ly grateful for the aid America is giv-
 ing and will give goes without saying
 It is shown in countless ways every ! hour in the day.
 SOME ALABAMIANS
 There are many Alabama men over
 here, but unfortunately none or them
 are stationed where I am Only rev
 II Alabamians came over on the same
 ship with me, and we were all as signed to different camps. At pres ent there is not man. woman or chile here or in this vicinity I had ever seer i, in the United States. However the "grand old state, stretching from the
 wave washed shores of Mobile to the
 suu-kissed hills of high Jackson" Gas some of our gubernatorial candidates will soon be saying), is. pretty well rep !, sen.ed I came over with brlgadie' general who is native of Huntsville ? His stateroom adjoined mine. and ht asked about certain people in Alabama Ii Soon after I arrived in France I wa.
 ordered to report to a certain major 5 general who was visiting the camI : that day. Now, l was not accustomed 4 to being sent for hy ra'o" rsenla so I was a bit nervous However, mucf 5 to my relief, he wanted to ask abou a number of his old friends who live
 1 i, J9iry,i in oh m. Fortupately | knew