The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-09-12
FRHM The SOLDIER BOYS.
Extracts from Letters Which Contain
GIimpseS Of Army Life in The Ser.
vice Of Uncle Sam.

in France" writes: When on
my way over, | experienced no
sea sickness; although, when
we hit the Gulf Stream, felt
sort of dizzy, due, | suppose, to
the stiffness Of the air in the
quarters, for we were pretty
well crowded. Since in the SER
vice | have ridden and slept in
every thing-including Pullman
coaches, ocean liners, third-class
European railroad coaches, box
cars and horse transports. The
box cars of Europe are joke
compared with those in America.
They are not one.third as large,
and have only about a fve-ton
capacity. Seeing the world
through a part hole on sea, or
through the door of a box car on
land, may haveits disadvantages,
but one certainly does accumulate
a lot of material for comparisons.
The more | see of Europe, the
more | appreciate America-the
Stars and Stripes, and what they
stand for, 1t takes wartime
army life, and the sight of the
so-called old country, to make
one appreciate the United States
as the Sweet land of liberty"
the home of the brave" the
land of plenty, the LAND Of
opportunity the nation upon
whom God has placed the re-
sponsibility Of making and keep
ing the world free from Imperi-
alism and a safe place to live in.
There is no hustle nor scurry
in the towns over here like in
the United States. They seem
to be doing things as they did a
hundred year ago. Pleasure au-
tomobiles in Europe are as scarce
as submarines in Licking Creek,
and bicycles as numerous a 8
Flivers in Whips Cove. Every
body rides a bicycle-from the
children to grandfather and
grandmother.
Most of the hauling is done by
great carts with high wheels,
drawn by one horse; when two,
or three, horses are used, they
are hitched. one in front of the
other, instead Of driving them
abreast. The reason for this is,
| presume, most of the country
roads are very narrow. Women
and girls are doing the work of
men in nearly every avocation
including street cleaning, team
ing, operating street cars, and
acting as engineers and iiremen
on the railroads. Of course, it
must be kept in mind that this
condition has been brought up
on the women by the war-the
men having been taken into the
army.
The French people show pro-
found respect for the Stars and
Stripes and for the American SOL
dier.
The scenery of France is very
beautiful. From the top of a
hill near our camp, we can view
the surrounding country for
miles, with its peaceful villages
and fine farms. We are under
going a strenuous schedule, and
T ON confident that our efforts |
will be felt by the Bloody Ger
mans" as the English soldiers
call them, when we get up on the
firing line. We are not a bit |
homesick. There are too many |
interesting things to see and do
every day. We can buy fine
Champagne for less than $500 a
quart; and as it the first op-
portunity most of our boys have
had for months to taste anything
stronger than army coffee, you
may imagine how we like it,
We boys are too busy drilling,
and confined too closely to camp, |
to meet the refined French girls;
so American girls need have no
fear of loosing their soldier beaux. |
We boys have a great time
with French horses. They are
taught to obey French commands,
and they understand an Ameri-
can about as we'll as we under
stand a Frenchman.