The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-19

Miss Lucille johnson, Miss Helen
Louise Kresie, Miss Geraldine Gregg,
Miss Alberta Rietz, Miss Doris Thomp-
son.
AND THIS IS TRUE.
I'm going to recite a grewsome
tale, exactly as it was told to me. 1t
comes from the lips of a wounded
man, just back from overseas. I hope
those who read this will think up
some plan. And see if they can't.
least once a month, write to some
soldier man. And here is the soldier
story, just as he told it to me. Now
who've gone overseas.
And he said
As he lay in his bed.
1--WE stood for days in the trenches,
knee deep in the muck and the nire.
I've felt the effects of poison gas, been
in No Mans Land my arm hanging
loose at my side, it was torn to bits
by n German shell, the pain had mo
petrified. In shell holes I've stood,
where the dead were so thick I
couldn't move my feet The blood of
the gore was ankle deep. I've seen
my comrades nailed on doors, children
killed by the sword. Women outraged
and sacrificed for the lust of this
Teuton horde. Innocent babies and
harmless old men shot down in
in front of a shop was a baby still
hugging her doll. And that's my tale
fof the trenches. but they're not the
worst tragedy. There's one that's got
| 'em skinned a mile, I know, it's hap
pened to me. It's when you've been
thru this hell. you return to the back
to rest. It's then you want to write
your folks. tell 'em your life's still
| blest. You're dog-tired and dirty,
your hearts like lead. You go to the
Y. NJ. c. A. It's mighty disheartening,
it tears at your inners, when the man
says-.No Mail Today"
Among the George Washington rec
ords at the Congressional library in
Washington, D. c., is the old account
book of Caleb Gibbs, who bought the
supplies for Washington's staff all
| thru the seven years of the Revolu-
tionary war: It's pages are yellow,
and the ink is faded, but the old
| hero's records are still clear, and it
| is Interesting to see what the fighters
| of those days ate.
The book began in April, 1875, when
Washington's headquarters were in
New York City on Pearl street, oppo-
site Cedar At this time the war had
| The first purchases on April 10 were
seven pounds of beef at sixpence a
pound; one tongue at three shill1ngs;
| four pounds of butter at one shilling
! sixpence a pound: salad and sellery,"
| one shilling: six birds at one shilling,
! and a shilling's worth of potatoes.
There VS. no sugar at all. A shilling
| in those days was 1914 cents in our
modern MONEY, SO you can see that
Caleb Gibbs's expense account was not
| very large, according to our standards
| today.
! There was not much variety in the
war diet of 1875. On page after page
we find beef. cabbage, salt, eggs, milk.
| butter, asparagus, bacon, nuts, cider.
Asparagus. cabbage and potatoes. and
| occasionally cucumberS are the only
vegetables mentioned.
| There were some of the same food
problems then as we have now. Trans
portation was the cause of shortages,
| just as it often is today. but then it was
| the ORLEANS that broke down as they
dragged along the country roads. or
were blocked by military transport.
| In the first part of the Revolution
| the states were taxed to provide mon
ey for feeding the army. but later they
were required to send the food itself.
instead of money. 1t was then that
! things were at the lowest ebb for the
Continental armies.
| IflTu II al C1u SdleD 1lDDS car
| ried on as his seven-year account
book shows, with its endless cabbage.
potatoes and beef-and beef, potatoes
and cabbage.
| The spirit of 1875 is again abroad in
our land. With the same valor and
self-denial that they manifested then
we shall keep our soldiers well fed
with the simple staples without which
| they cannot fight.
Il
| THERE'S A WOMAN IN OUR TOWN
| Who prides herself on being SO
smooth that one is always suspicious
of her. If she holds your wraps for
you you are sure she is just trying to
see the mark on the inside of your fur
collar or If there is tailor's mark in
your jacket.
| X X x
The following young people Of the
! Topeka Edison company enjoyed, a
wienie roast at the city waterworks
Wednesday evening: Mr.. and Mrs. Tom
Martin, Miss Edith Zednick, Miss
' Anna Carlson, Miss Vera Sanford, Miss