Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-12-19

will get il. We sure are having al
interesting time, and | am learning
lot of new Things, the least ahioAs
unicn is that there are some pfStS
clever liars IN the world. II is amusiiAt
cow some OF the men concerned -
10 get out of difficulty. and the pleas
and stories that they Tx up wouia mel
me heart OF a stone, but this 10 uie
army and the man who does "Iohs
mas small chance to get away Win any
thing, and the sooner they learn tha'
s,mpie fact the better OH they VIII DC
tor tne government sure has long arm
Everyone is talking about coming
home now, and often wonder luS'
how great change will be noticeapIe
in the States-just what erect the wal
work has had on the home folks-Wha'
changes will have taken place IN Dusi
ness methods. | know that there haVs
been many changes both physical anu
psychological, and it will be interesting
70 notice Just what a change mas Deen
wrought. Another thing that IS goih
TO be mighty interesting is the change
in the fellows who have been over mere.
Many of the men who have come ovei
here have perhaps not amounted to
great deal back home, and 1t has taken
lust such an upheaval as this to bring
them TO their own. Then there are
perhaps many who have been pretty
high in home affairs who have not peer
able to stand the strain and who Will
be considerably lower when they com,
home. This life over here has made
strong men out of many 4 the weak
ones, and some strong me-. lave peer
broken, but the biggest advantage is
that there will be turned loose into
the United States a horde OF men who
have come through the battles OF
strife and the battles of life with clean
noble records, and these men are going
to constitute force that will have 1t;
effect upon the whole life OF our own
country. 1t is true that there are men
who have done little for their country
and less for themselves. but those >men
are in the minority by far, and wneI
this bunch of true Americans have all
returned, the home folks are going 10
be mighty surprised at the enect these
months have had on the men over mere.
Our own organization is fair sample
there are men in it who when we came
over were Just plain ordinary no-gooo
and today they constitute some OF the
hest men we have in the company
On an average the benefits are SO lar
ahead of the failings that it has pee.
worth while to have come. II for nc
more than for the good that the ma,
jority of us have derived from tho
experience. Real men have come t.
the front and the slackers-we have
them here-have fallen behind. One
man in our company went to the Cap,
tain the other day and complained thas
| was always picking on him, and the
Captain sent for me and asked me why
it was. | got the Company Punish.
ment Book and showed where this par.
ticular man had broken rule after rule,
and where the sergeants in charge of
working details had given me his name
time and again for Sunday work since
he had not done his share. Then the
Captain told the man a few things and
explained to him that if he expected
favors he would have to do better, and
that the next complaint would see him
busted to a private, and that young
man went out sadder but wiser. You
know we keep book of all small of.
lenses and the punishments. and when
you confront man with his record
and 1t shows up bad he can't have a lot
to say.
! see by one paper that number OF
my friends have seemed to enjoy my
letters to some extent. must tell them
that it is mighty hard to write interest
ing things when you are held in one
spot nearly all the time, and don't Gel
a chance to get out and see more OF
what is going on. The men back of the
lines deserve all the sympathy in the
world, for all they have to do is work
and they don't get any excitement of
any sort unless it is riot among the
Chinese or clear day or some similar
event, and it does not take long to run
out Of writing material. ! have to
scratch my head and figure a whole lot
to get anything that will be interesting
to write about. There is so little going
on that ! almost have to manufacture
news. You folks at home know as
much and more about the war than We
do, for we depend on two-page daily
papers for all the news We get, and once
in awhile we get some rumors which
usually turn out to be incorrect, and
so far as personal experiences are con-
cerned am out of luck. There has
been new base hospital opened here
recently. AS there are about fifteen
hundred wounded American soldiers
here, | am going up to visit them soon,
and ! may be able to get some interest
ing stories from the wounded soldiers.
Against that time the most can say is
that | am at my limit for this time.
Lovingly,
BILL.