The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-05-06
NOT A TEAR WAS
SHED AS FRENCH
Sol DIERS GO.
BACKTOl'RENCHES

EDAUM | MIN O1EO
In a letter to his mother, Mrs
Thomas Torson, Moorhead, Lit. HARRY
A. Torson tells Of witnessing the de-
parture from Anglers, France, of Of
ficers and men returning to the front
trenches. Not a tear was shed by
the women and children who were
there to bid them goodbye.
I'll say we have something be-
sides politeness to learn from the
French" writes Lit. Torson in the
letter which follows:
Dear Mother:
Today is a national holiday in
France and ALL work ait the school
was dispensed with. Consequently
We have had two holidays running,
Sunday and Monday, and we took
the time to pay visit to Anglers.
must tell you about it. We left here
at 9 o'clock Sunday morning, Easter
and got to Anglers before lunch. First
we went out to the American fospi-
tai, where there are several fellows
from school here who have been hurt
by being thrown by horses or, in
other ways. We had lunch there and
enjoyed real American coffee with
out the chicery which the French
seem to think must be added to
make 1t good.
The hospital itself is an old mon
astery, formerly used as a hospital
by the French, but now given over
to the Americans. Everything Is
hustle and hurry there now, as they
are making big preparations for the
80 ~
expected as a result. of the present
way, we are all ticlxled to see that
F'och has been made generalissino
as you are, presume.
After lunch we had a most in
teresttng time of it. We went to
the cathedral of Anglers, where
Easter mass was being held The
cardinal, several bishops and a
throng of people were there. The
cathedral is beautiful and one of the
oldest in France. It dates back to
the fifteenth century or whereabouts
and the stone of floors are worn
down several inches by constant
footballs. While the building itself
was interesting, the people who at
tended the mass were far more so
There were the French civilians
women in little white lace caps-men
in austere black and the girls all
dressed up in their Easter clothes
just as in any other country the
world over. Soldiers were scatter
ed everywhere, Poilus in their long
blue overcoats with service stripes
on their arms showing two to nearly
four years in the trenches; Poles,
who wear a uniform like the French
but with square blue caps with a
red crown embroidered on. the side;
Arabs, who don't look like much in
their brown -colored khaki, but who
have proved themselves to be among
the best "shock troops in any army;
Algerians, Italians and last but
quite numerous the Americans. All
these took part in the service. It
was a great sight. When see some
of the Algerians, for instance, all
covered with medals 1t makes me
think that John Philip Sousafs decr
orations would look rather mediocre
in comparison.
We met a lot of American officers
on the street outside. Some of them
were on the Tuscania and they told
us their story of what happened. One
little fellow, who is an aviator, was
there. His nerves were so shattered
by the experience and exposure that
he is going to be sent back to the
States.
Our next stop was at the museum
where the Anglers tapestries are kept.
(Pm afraid this letter sounds as
though was over here on a cooks
tour rather than with the army, but
one might as well take advantage of
a holiday and besides this is the
first one i'm nearly three months of
more strenuous work than we ever
got in college.) The tapestries form
the finest collection in France, not
even excepting those in the cluny
museum in Paris. They date back
to Charles VII and 1923 and Of course
the wonderful thing. about them is
that they have kept their color per-
fectly all this time. There is an
original Rubens in the gallery also,
which wish you might see. 1t is
marvellous.
The last event of the sight seeing
part of our tour was a. visit to the
castle. The Duke of Anjou built it
III have forgotten just when, but
some time in the middle ages. The
outside walls form a veritable fort
and there is moat and drawbridge
and everything just like in the story
books. The inner court contains a
beautiful little chateau with beauti-
full little spires. The rest Of the
court is filed with French ambul-
ances, discarded ammunition wagons,
etc., now. A woman met each party
at the dGawbridge. She led us
through all the maze Of the stairWays
and halls into the conventional
oh,p I,n Ia
has one. have come to find out
talking all the while in French in a
high pitched drone which sounded
much like the professional barker at
a. baaly hoo. Although she spoke
very good French as every one does
in this part Of France she got a.
little mixed on her dates. A French
lieutenant, who was with us. re-
marked, I'm quite sure what she
says is not true for Louis XIV was
not even born yet in 1850"
Along about six O'Clock we left Of
in our search for romance and fe-
gan to look for a place to sleep. We
had tried earlier in the day, but with
no success. 1t was some job to fihd
a bed, although we finally located
one. You know you can't rent a
house for love or money in the in-
terror OF France now All the avail
able accommodations are taken by
refugees from. the Invaded sections
and now every one who can is get
ting out Of Paris to escape the long
range gun and the air, raids. Peo-
pie wait in line for hours TO get
tickets on trains a week hence. =
was talking to a young married
couple In the hotel after lunch today.
They are Americans and lived In
Paris. They said everything was In
a furry. The long range gun fires
every fifteen minutes and people
know when to expect the next shot
and hold their breath waiting for the
exnlosion.