The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-11-22
A PICTURE OF FRANCE
Given By Rev. w. L. Boicourt of Water
bury, Who Is Now Serving There.

bury, Who Is Now Serving There.
The following letter from Rev. w. L
Boicourt, pastor of the Congregations
church at Waterbury, who has been Civ
en- leave of absence and is now dom,
!. M. Z, A. work in France, will be O.
interest to his many acquaintance. Mr.
Boicourt is supposed to be out a littl,
way from Lyons, France.
"A Village in France Oct. 30, 1917.
My Dear Friends: A few DAYS ago
sent you through the Waterbury RECORD
letter written from my window.
That was lovely scene, but there was
something lacking in the room itself. II
mad no steam radiator nor any substi.
tute therefor. Moreover, being in the
principal hotel of the place, it was ex-
pensiye. 30, .girding myself for the task
ana summoning my courage and my lit
tie command of French, / essayed forth
TO hunt room in a private house As
result, i am writing this not at my
window, but by my own fireplace in a
pleasant room where the cost is one third
that OF the former room with its dignity
and tiled chilliness.
Here at this house lives man who
lost an arm early in the war and is now
engaged as clerk in a bank. He has two
boys; three years old and 10 months old.
respectively, and the welcome sounds of
the children in the house come up from
below. The mother is talented pianist
ana good housekeeper and a sensible
mother. This woman's mother has TAX
en- me in charge and gets my breakfasts
OF fruit, coffee, bread and butter. This
she prepares on an open fireplace, SEN
sibly built up to the height of a cook
stove and tiled beautifully in white.
Over the tiny fire which the French
can so skillfully keep burning, hangs the
big black kettle, where water is ken
hot, and close up to the neighborly little
fire usually sits the old cat, named
| 'Bouchon' or Cork from his kittenhood
liking for that article as plaything.
AT the side of the fire is a little CRATE.
where Goals are placed to heat the won,
ans fiatirons and where the milk for nv
coffee is warmed. During breakfast the
grandmother sits opposite and chats to
me, In French, of course, and am able
to get little more of it every day.
out in the garden grapes are still
hanging on the vine. although the season
Is over for the most part A pear tree
is still loaded, ehrysanthemums and
dahlias and other flowers bloom. and
coops of hens and rabbits add a touch of
life. At the further side of the garden
Is private fountain in whose old stone
basin my laundry work is done and well
done.
This is a typical French home The
IL fbnrnttnbifs Ill
cordial neighborly terms with a Prot
estant pastor who lives next door and in
whose church, little room about half
the size of our own vestry, | had the
privilege last Sunday of worshiping
Two of the hymns were translations of
two we all know and were sung to the
same tunes, Stand Up, Stand Up for
Jesus" and ABIDE with Me-" The little
church was warmed tf) by brazer OF
live Goals carried in from a parishioner's
fireplace. All in all, the experience was
rich and STIMULATING. Through it have
obtained access, with few other Amer
leans, to several of the best homes in
town, and Il dear, absolutely wideawake, !
genuine boy of ii years is coming over
to the barracks to stay with me during
the hours keep my little soldiers store
or canteen open to help me 'parler fran
eais.' He hopes soon to be able to say
all three of these terribly difficult Eng /
lish words. the hello and Washington
the initial sounds of which are at first 1
wholly impossible for Frenchman.
They correspond in difficulty with our
attempts at the nasals and the u
Yesterday during two hours of leis.
ure / rode on a bicycle People here hire
bicycles instead of buggiesl to won
derful old chateau where a kindly priest H
showed me some OF the most remarkable
tapestries in the world He played for
me, too, on his private organ and later
showed me his little garden, picking from
A tree black with fruit a handful of figs,
and leading me with pride to the corner
whence may be seen one of the most
stretches of valley and noun
.ains in all France.
when ] parted from him ! was glad
10 discover that great as is my interest
N places and things of historic and ar
.istic value, still greater is my interest
n personalities and people. | hope to
meet that soul again somewhere in Gods
universe. Likewise, in the old church
where | saw large genuine Rembrandt,
nv interest was keener in the dear old
ady who. having finished her devotions,
,ffered her services TO explain the paint
NC to me. It was through her that
obtained access TO the priests house and
o the experiences there before the won
lerful tapestries, experiences which
american gold failed to buy, though;
res. it has been tried more than once
"Of all these things ! am buying post
ards which military law says | cannot
end home. but which in due time hope
o bring home and put under my refec
oscope and shout out loud all these for
idden names. In the meantime, | ad
Use all of you to study history more
han have or some day you will wish
GU had William l.. Boicourt."
Music furnished for all occasions by
q t.