Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-12-16
Edw. w. Prince Writes Letter.

from EDWARD T.. prlnce, former Well
known Webster City attorney, now in
France with the 34th division, has just
been received by friend here:
France, November 10, 101S.-We
have been here for about ten days
1t is a new camp situated about four
miles from (deleted by censor) city
of about 10000 people, The city is
quite old and quite picturesque with its
winding narrow streets and occasional
large open square. The buildings are
nearly all two story affairs with steep
sloping slate or tile roofs. Many of
them are several hundred years old.
went to town yesterday morning as
(deleted by censor) was celebrating
the signing of the armistice and nearly
all the bands from camp We're there to
assist in the celebration. All the cafes
and restaurants did big business.
All sorts of gay and sad looking uni
forms were in evidence. The French
seemingly have hundreds Of different
kinds and colOrs of uniforms, from
somber gray to brilliant scarlet, drab,
brown and sometimes grand mixture
of them all. Troops from Cochin,
China, Algerians and all the French
colonies make it quite a cosmopolitan
army.
The city was gay with the tri-colors
Of France, the Star Spangled Banner
Ga close sec0nd} and the various flags
of the allies. The French are mstint-
ed in their praise of the American
troops and the assistance rendered
them by the United States
At night groups of American and
French soldiers, and French civilians,
male and female, from so to 8 years,
paraded through the streets, headed by
band of perhaps cornet or two
and Mse drum, singing the Marseil-
les, Hail, Hail, the Gangs All Here"
hurrahing and yelling like mad. !
wish we Americans could get the pep
and volume in our national anthem
like the french DO They, sing it like
demons. OF course peace means much
to them. They have bled and staked
everything on the outcome
1t is hard to buy real meal at the
restaurants. One has TO go out and
buy loaf of bread at Il shop and with
the staff of life unwrappcd. on account
of the scarcity of paper, you hunt up
a restaurant or cafe, muster up your
best French and you are lucky if you
get small bcefsteak and string beans.
Everything else is ''Tont finit' Gall
finished). Every soldier, If he knows
no other French phrase, has this one
indelibly written in his memory. We
tried to get n streetear at S:I last
night but. the conduttress called out.
"Tont Unit" which nteantr that they
had quit for the night and were on
their way to the barns, so she blew her
whistle, which gives "A funny-squawk
that sounds midway,ibetween a dnck
call and one Of those old time squawk-
ers which the American boy blows up
at the county fair or circus and then
lets the wind Tout il 4 succession OF
walls such as is frequently given out
by fretful one month old baby, and
away sped the funny old street car
and its smiling conductress.
The city, like most old French cities,
has wonderful old cathedral. Was
told that it was commenced in the 18th
century and was Il three hundred years
old building, but do not know as to-
this. The stone archways, the great
nave and transept, the organ. the won
derful stained glass windows, give us
an idea of the great loss the French
must have sustained in the destruc-
ton of the cathedrals at Rheims, Arras
and other places. No wonder they
have fought so fiercely. Some OF the
stone figures along the carvings OF the
cathedral would not he considered very
chaste or in good taste in America in
this Goth century, in fact they would
be considered positively immoral by
us, but we must remember that the
people hundreds of years ago were
low morally, all of which shows that
civilization is certainly advancing ana
improving.
/ never saw such. country for
walls. Every little yard has its stone
or brick wall Enough money has been
spent in building high walls to pay the
German national debt. Nearly every
house of the well-tO-dO has big iron
gate. These walls and gates j suppose
ares relics of medieval times when II
was necessary to protect the house
from the raid of marauding bands, but
can't quite understand why they still
persist in building their high walls
and great gateways.
The French have great love OF the