Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-16

Rev. A. Richard Hedstrom. a
graduate OF Augustana college both
in the collegiate and theological
courses. now a chaplain with the
American expeditionary forces
somewhere in France. has written
an interesting letter of his expert
ences in the field TO DR.. +. F. Bar
tholomew, a former teacher MIR
Hedstrom. following his graduation
from the seminary at Augustana,
took up pastoral work az Colorado
Springs and served there until the
entrance of the United States in the
war, when he enlisted for service
in western camp and was subse-
quently sent TO France for service.
The recipient OF this letter has re
ceived a number Of previous com
municat;ons from Mr.. Hedstrom.
but as this one gives a phase of the
work not often described Il is here
given in part:
Your long, interesting and in
spring letter arrived safely in my
care this afternoon. WI try to
form a reply this very evening. l
dare not put of answering until
some other day. for that NAV never
come. | do realize more and more
each passing day the dangers and
problems confronting me And,
could I tell IN descriptive words CT
cumstances and environm ents OF
the immediate present. you would
no doubt feel surprised that such a
{ thing as letter writing in a con-
= neCted form is possible. l have now
/ been here since the second of Octo-
Der, 1917. and many exciting ex-
periences are already recorded
/ some pleasant and some otherwise.
/ Yet not once so far has the feeling
or wish OF living back home come
over me in any intensity. I cannot
/ say but that wish l was home. but
with peace upon the earth. And so
J long as the devil remains uncon-
/ quered I have no desire to be home
and will not return home. When I
do come l want you all to sing In
one great. grand chorus the peace
; Choruses Of the yet unwritten vic
tory song We are at present draw
ing the hars and soon with cold
steel we shall engrave the notes
And what a shout Of happy souls
when the whole is complete.
know that IT will require youthful
blood 10 make that engraving.
They who must sacrifice their blood
NAV not blend their voices with US
upon earth. hut feel that they VIII
foin together with Gods angels in
heaven in singing the new song
There are 50 manv interoSt'n7
sides in yonr letter upon which
would love 10 dwell but that would
take un too much time and space
which I have reserved for the Dur-
pose of answering voUr question
naire First let me thank Won most
truly for words Of cheer and news
and for the kindness shown hv the
centent and length of vour letter
Vow said that an account OF nv eX-
perienca5 I'm the would would tnte~-
est you II is hard to write mucr
because OF strict censorship rnl7'
which we all love to obey but which
our trends at homo consider a.
obstacles and no dorbt thav apDeal
as obstacles and letters will have
tho stamp Of rigid censorship. Wh0T
first | arrived here with my reei-
ment the commanding officer ap
pointed me reg:mental censor. Ev'
cry letter must bear my stamp II
the o. K. corne- That requires M
little time. Then | have TO reae
} and censor some eighty letters eacl
day. Sometimes when l get through
with a letter II looks more like ;
puzzle than a letter. much to m,
> regret. also OF the writer and tn
: recipient The entire postal ser
vice OF the regiment comes unde
my supervision. The second no
least Of my departments IS the sta
itsstical. As a statistician Of tn
regiment. my work requires no les
than four clerks. The life histor,
> record Of each man OF the regimen
: is kept and We have a record 70
each man: what he ig and where h
is We can point out any minut
where any certain private. non
commissioned officer or officer ma.
be. Then We keep the record 0
the injured: those in the Hospital
, the dead. where they died and whe~
= buried. My dwti@x are. of cours7
IN GAa ia s. .f4s ali records ar