The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-12-20

Camp Pike, Ark, Dec. 3, 1917.
Dear Bill: 4
What would you write about if you
had arrived here two weeks ago. had
been ouarantined ever since. had been
nothing, heard nothing and worst Oh
all had not got a letter or paper from
your home town? Well, that's the
case with most Of us. In the hrst
place we have been quarantined on &C
count Of prevalence of measles mere
and the ban was not lifted on Our
company until Saturday. AS far as
not getting mail is concerned, we can
not fathom it, but we haven't had
letter from Sank Centre or paper yet
and not half the mail forwarded from
Camp Dodge has arrived since our
transfer. The joys Of being commls-
Grated are odious. Saturday the guards
were taken off so most of us got
pass and hit the trail for Little ROCK
..to see what we could see.
Little Rock is city of about se'ooo
or 10000 population, is located on the
broad Arkansas and has numerous
long, high bridges leading into IT, we
saw our first house boats here, at pres
emf tied up along the banks of the
strea- and a big electric sign "Wel-
come to Little Rock" came next. All
day long we toured the berg, incident
ally spending all our money for halr-
cuts, shaves, shines, shows, Dances
soldier equipment and incidentals| The
sight seeing was made difficult >condi-
tions, however, as for some reason or
other, SHOWS has arrived~week earlier
than it ever did before down here for
our especial benefit, I guess. The
weather got down to zero once last
winter, so tomorrow may bring sun
and slush.-
Speaking generally Of the city and
people, we would say that they are
SO per cent slower at this particular
place than similar sized city would
be further north. Naturally we had
our eyes peeled for the so-called
southern beauties. We do not say that
they do not exist in the south, but on
this visit, and we covered the town
pretty thoroughly, including dance
halls, ETC., they were marked by their
absence. Things have a retarded
transacting business and business
houses have caught the contagion from
the people, yet everyone seems satisfied
and all wear the gay abandon" ex-
preston. The southern dialect or
drawl is another feature we must men
tion. You should not be surprised if
you are accosted later with where
you all gon?' I'm suah 7 don't know"
Come heah, right now" 81 jus come
in from camp" or go long boy"
Getting accustomed to seeing so many
colored people is queer experience
for us. They have their own sections
in the city; in many places they are
not allowed; deposit have waiting
rooms for them apart; they nearly al
ways take off their hat when entering
a business place conducted by a white
man and we told the officers in
the army are not given as much re-
Spect as they are farther north. The
spirit that permeates the southern
whites is to keep the blacks "in their
proper place" and we would tell the
world they generally do.
We have seen many negro boys come
III lIOIl civil lie OH the SeleCtlVe OfaIt
law and some of them are not gifted
with super abundance of brains, try
as they will. I have been saluted sew
eral times myself, on account of their
ignorance to recognize insignia of Of
: flee, and the only reason 1 can think of
for their mistake outside of the above
would be the hard boiled soldier ex-
preston on my face. Everything is
'Satgunt" with them, even if they
should be conversing with colonel,
and when their captain tells them of
their mistake in thinking everybody is
sergeant, they cannot comprehend
it. They come in closer touch with
these men and every day on the drill
= grounds see the "sagunt' bossing the
corporals and the corporals bossing
them. So this non commissioned Of