The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-11-15

1SlLcI anu llS II say u 16Il0T
 They write them in the Y. M. c. A. huts by the 15,000 or 10000 day. They walk up to the desk, help them selves to the piles of stationery and envelopes, to buy nine or 12 or 153 cents worth of stamp. go back to the benches. and sit there crowding every last inch of space at shelves along the four walls andsat the center tables for four full hours nightly.
 They don't write one letter apiece, they~write piles of them, cards and letters. Two. hundred and fifteen were writing fin hut A tonight when the reporter stepped ir1 their heads buried over the pen and paper, lost to the world of army training, think ing of the folks at home.
 Clustered close around the sheet iron furnace stove were 15 or 20 rockies, just sitting and thinking and talking. The talking machine, which had been going from 6 a.. m. when the guards of duty came in and which would keep on going until 9:45 tonight, was grinding out. Home, Sweet Home.''
 Why they insisted on the lonesome record no one knew. Perhaps for the same reason that makes the men in the Maine and New Hampshire hut demand 'fWhere Is My Wandering Boy Tonight" every night, in the singing fest which ends the evening.
 But my wandering boy is not wan dering far in Camp Deyens at night. From barracks sto some other build- ing which isn't vibrating with orders of sergeants or corporafs and back again, that's the whole wandering.
 Down the center of the Y M. c. A. buildings are long rows of benches without backs, every one of them in every hut filled every night. For an hour of the evening it may be movies, some of them good, some that men wouldn't stay to see in a free show at home. But they stay put, stand deep back of the seats and crowd up the afs1es here.
 Stay for the next hour. It may be the most interesting in the whole evening. French Class Tonight Prof. sTournier'' reads the poster. Some of the movie crowd moves out tor the other room. The French rock ies take their places. The stalwart French professor steps to the plat form, strokes his goatee and says.i "Bon sofr, classe.' .' ts,. 2& sisf
 eve have only attended one class this season. Make allowances, please).
 Back in a corner wflfred Racine of Suncook, N. H., is showing new clog dance step to. L.a J. Bishop of Berlin, N. H., one of the bunch that came parading into camp in Septem- Der with the "Berlin, N. H. to Berlin, .Germany' sign. The professor scowls pleasantly: Pour Iamourvde Michael donnez-mot une .chance!" es,fe
 The rockies cIiortle. s.' For the love of Mike, give him a. chance" ]" they echo. ..s sf es-s.e.5
 These. French lessons attract 200 and 300 and 500ein some buildings and the methodssis very direct. That so many men appreciate the chance to learn the language of the country they are going to fight in is surpris- ing. They will appreciate it over |there. As the French say eff they translate it into English) > >"Among the. blind, the man with one eye is king" and the soldiers with a smat- tering of French will be kings in France.
 Prof. Tournier tells them an anec- dote in French, an amusing story H. frustrated on a paper blackboard. He draws the house and kt the bears and the hunter, and the rockies, a hun dred or more of them, sit rapt, re- beating each French word in unison. laughing at intervals, but so intense. Then they sing. a simple French song, an army song, perhaps, which they have learned a week before. What will France think of ascom- pany marching through Paris sing ing in French2 .,,. ss Another night you will find an English class there, men who may know French, but don't know Eng fish, with another teacher. The next night class in arithmetic or geom- etry will be closeted in a side room. What inspires these men who have been working all day to go to school of their own free will at night, to a school which their officers have noth- ing whatever to do, and from which they get no reports? Draftees are teachers more often than not, after | the classes are started.
 | Over in Headquarters Company of the 303d Artillery 10 or 12 men sit around a telegraph key with one of game. Jo
 And then there is, all the entertain | ing talent this camp has disclosed The auditoriuns. of the K. of c. and Y. M. CA. are in demand every night by this company or that which wants to. put on a stunt show or minstrels. | The books, too, and the magazines. are whole stories in themselvesy Why Is it that nature study books are more in demand than any other at Building 237 But it's SO; the men who are learning the killing game are happy with a. book of natural life.
 The recreation hours have discov- cred games by the tens that were new CT known to the playingest youngsters
 of New England, blindfolded boxing
 games. hopping, jumping, racing
 games. But checkers still reigns supreme
 ss an tndor sport. One building has
 So eLsckerboards. and needs f2 more.
 Every game is busy every evening.
 Wherever two men can ,, squeeze g square foot they set up the board, forget the crowd and the day and
 puzzle for a double jump.
 In barracks through the evening
 hours 1t is auieter. A few men doze
 on cots, A few stretch out and write
 on pads. A few are washing under
 clothes er seFubbing ieggfngs, And
 there are Friendly games of cards
 and dice, The infantry is lucky with l it's room for pool tables.