Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-10-24
MIR. BENTON WRITES
Intensely Interesting Letter
From Rev. Bruce Benton,
Engaged in War Y. M. c.
A. Work in France.
Sept. Is, 1918.


Mr.. Isaac S, London,
Rockingham, N. c.
My dear Mr.. London:
According to a promise l made yol
before left home, will endeavor t.
give you few lines bearing upon m!
work.
am located with big aviation CAM
not remote from Paris. This is the char
acter of field service | most desired, ant
it came to me unsolicited. can scarce
ly define the character of my work
Today is Sunday, the second have spen
in camp. Last Sunday arose at 6:30
ate breakfast at Z, wen, behind the coun
Ter and sold cigars, cigarettes, gum
tooth brushes and powder, talcum pow
ders, shoe polish, towels, soap etc, unit
GAS. then ATTENDED bible class til
1885; preached at IL; ate lunch at ll:45
came back to the hut and washed anc
wiped chocolate cups, went into tine bach
yard and made chocolate (aoout 40 gal
lons) in heavy rain: served hot choco
late till $50; went to dinner at GAS; re
turned 70 the canteen and sold stuff I'm
til $50; then went to service in our hui
chapel; returned to the canteen anc
worked until 10; then was ready for my
bunk. That is about days routine
work
l am sort of utility man. At present
| ar looking after the moving pictures
and going into Paris for general supplies
| also help look after the religious end o.
the line.
We have four Y. M. C. A. men and
two We men with our hut----all Americans
And they are all kept busy. Our heac
secretary has been here six months. Tc
give you some idea of the canteen busi
mess, we sci! from $19,Go0 to $l2,oCt
worth of stuff monthly. And we could
sell nearly double that amount if we
had the supplies. We make no profit or
anything sold. In fact the boys get their
cigars, cigarettes, ETC., at less cost than
you have to pay back home.
We provide moving pictures, have the
finest American stars as entertainers, the
best lecturers, and in fact we get about
the best of all things for our boys. Last
night we had three American artists
soloist, violinist, and an impersona-
tor.
The roads are old and good. They are
paved with z kind Of cctblcctoDc. Other
wise there could be but little traffic. Il
rains here with but little proyocation
and the soil becomes so muddy and
sticky you can scarcely get about am
dreading this coming winter. Already
| sleep under four wooden blankets, two
of them double, and awake before day
as cold as frog, The dampness is very
penetrating. You may desire to know
how am succeeding in making myself
understood in French Well l manage
to get by in some way. If cannot TN
derstand what the Frenchman is saying
(and never do,) simply smile and say
,ah, oui, oui." And he thinks / have
taken in all he has told me. If it comes
to the worst, simply say Je ne comprend
pas" Then he will try a hundred ways
to get me to understand. He will 20
blocks with me to show me a given point
WHICH | may be seeking. / am having
some fun with my trouble in trying to
understand the language. l have this
consolation, the Frenchman does not
understand my language any better than
| do his And in my desperation l can
use some choice American, dialect, nom
speakable and non-printable in France.
And believe NE, that is bit of comfort,
too.
But the French people are great folk.
They are wonderful. They are cheerful,
active and apparently happy. Thousands
OF women are dressed in black..--some of
the marks of the war. But they are ar
tistic and beautiful even in these black
robes. | now see why our women have
modelled their fashions after the Partisan
models. These women can take an old
piece Of cheese cloth, or black robe,
throw few sashes of scarlet about the
neck, put little fringe on the garment,
and they looked dressed for a wedding
feast. They are marvellous in their abil.
lty to look we'll dressed even in common
materials. But after all, think | NAV
add, that no women have seen, either
in London or Paris, can equal our Ameri-
can women in charm and beauty.
Paris is great city of beauty and art.
At first sight, one bushes to see the
nudity of their statues and images, but
we soon become accustomed to these
-hings. One also bushes at the lack of
nodesty of the men, and also to degree
'f the women; but he soon forgets all
hat.
Well, have written too much. Aword
about the war. It looks like the big