The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-01
& JEFF.

me Kansas Dinner CluD Will nave
its annual party Thursday evening,
November 8, at o'clock in the dining
hall of the First Methodist church.
The club banquet is held every year
during the State Teachers association
convention. The members of the club
are women connected with the colleges
and universities of the state, high
school teachers and grade school
principals. The club party is one of
the affairs of interest in connection
with the convention.
y x X
There is nothing more interesting
these days to the people of snug and
secure central part of the United
States than the foreign mail and its
news from the war zone. Mrs. II. b.
Hogeboom has lately received letter
from her brother, c. +. Sheldon, who
is with the troops in France. The let
ters are written on paper bearing the
letterhead ION Active Service With
the American Expeditionary Force,
and in one corner is the red triangle,
the symbol of the Y NJ. c. A. The
men are not permitted to write much
OF the work they are doing or prepar-
ing to do. The censors forbid it, and
SO the letters are made up chiefly of
personal news.
Az Mr. Shelden's letters afford a
glimpse of the everyday affairs in a
soldiers life that make them inter-
esting in a general way. He says in
part:
1--WE are all fed IN good eats. Until
q few days ago we have been eating
what they call war bread which is
brown and sour. but now we are
happy because we are going to get
white bread hereafter. Some nights
after supper we go up to a little
French pastry shop and get the best
cookies and cake. Our meals consist
mostly of stew. beans, potatoes and
molasses-somctimeS roast beef or
steak. Oh. it's great compared to
what the other countries feed their
men.
Yesterday. being Sunday, one of
the boys and 1 went to the city and
had good time. In the afternoon we
went to one of the large theaters-
they call them music halls. The play
was a French musical comedy, and
of course we couldn't understand
what was said. but we laughed when
the others did. l am picking up a
few French words each day.
"Our winter weather is just start
day, and say, the mud is sure slip
pery-just like grease. Our shoes
have hob nails in them which makes
them nice and heavy. We sleep in
huts with about fifty men to each
hut They are long buildings made of
thins boards and tar paper. The tar
paper seems to be mostly for looks,
as about all the huts leak.
THE worst evil we have to con-
tend with, is the wine shop. These
shops are everywhere. The boys are
not used to the wine. and it goes to
their heads pretty quick. The French
people drink it instead OF water, as
the water is not pure nor fit to drink
until it is boiled. l drank the wine
at first, but L can't bear the taste of
IL any more. 1t is sour and bitter.
They don't make sweet wine here but
get ii from Spain.
Il had my hair all clipped off and
then had il shaved so l was a sight
for while I wish l could tell you
about the work. but the censor says
No and that settles it, What we
want most is letters from home, even
II only postal cards"
y X
Miss Nellie Rugg. of Upland, Cal,
formerly of Independence. Mo, will
arrive Friday to visit her aunt, Mrs.
j. G. Harmon, and Mr.. Harmon. Mrs.
Harmon will give a dinner party for
her Saturday evening. and the guests
will be friends who have met Miss
Rugg during her previous visits in
Topeka.
x \ X
The following young women had
dinner together Wednesday night at
the Throop hotel, followed by line
party to the theatre: Mrs. T. A. Ran
kin. Mrs. f. w. Smith. Mrs. w. Wen
dell, Mrs. p. J. Dillon, Miss Madge