The Cordova daily times., 1918-05-18
AMERICAN BOYS
IN FRANCE: ARE
ISSUING PAPER

WASHINGTON. May 1S.-There is
almost no trace of the horrors of war
in plane News" a newspaper edited
and printed by soldiers of the Ameri-
can expeditionary force in France.
The war anniversary issue, dated ION
Active Service, April 6, 1913" Just
received here, tells of MINISTRIES and
vaudeville, symphony concerts and
literary contests, and the little every
day complaints of the men of the ayi-
alton corps.
For those Americans back home
who grow weary in well-doing, the
newspaper is one grand topic of OBJ
timism. Stretching across the top of
the papers four pages is the para
phrase of Secretary Redfeld's famous
letter to his bureau chiefs:
Forget how things were done be-
fore the war Eliminate red tape We
must learn with the Germans that the
war won't wait. Delay is the kaiser's
ally"
The corps is proud of what has been
| accomplished in the first year of war.
Prominence is given in the paper to
an official communication from Brig.
Gen. B. d. Foulois, chief of the air
service, to Lieutenant Colonel Walter
G. kilner, commanding officer of the
post, saying that the progress made
has met with high approval from both
Secretary Baker, whose picture,
sketched by an army artist, appears
on another page, and General Per-
shing. An article reviewing the ire
mendous expansion of the signal CORPS
appears under the signature of Cadet
William B. Stone of Kansas City, Mo-,
formerly of the San Francisco and
Chicago Offices of the Associated
Press, in which he quotes a high of
ticer as declaring confidently:
when the American airplanes are
iOauy III TIC lIOHI we Will nave plIOtS
to drive them"
But it is with the recreation of the
students and pilots that the paper is
chiefly concerned. William Janau-
shek of New York, doing Y. M. C. A.
work with the army, organized a min
strel show among the aviation cadets
which was pronounced without an
equal among A. E. F. shows.
From ragtime the paper turns to
concertOs for diversion. A seventy
five-piece symphony orchestra is be-
ing organized under the leadership
of Lieutenant Won Ezdorf. When music
pals there is wrestling, with trophies
for the champions. For the less
brawny, literary contests are pro-
vided, with prizes for the funniest
poem and the funniest story dealing
with army life.
Professional players also are in
France to help the boys in their fight
by giving them wholesome amuse-
ment Elsie Janis was booked to ap-
pear twice at the main "Y."
Then there are numerous informal
notes about some of the personnel,
which perhaps never were intended
to percolate back to the Safes. Tn
der the caption of What a Uniform
Can Do" the exploits of Harvey,
4Sth," are recounted It is alleged
that he receives thirteen letters daily
and openly boasts that he has a girl
in Columbus, San Antonio, Arkansas
City, st. Louis, Toledo, Cleveland,
Erie, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse,
Brooklyn and +. For some rea-
son the name of the last town was
camouflaged by dashes.
"The Height of Misfortune" has
been found by the camp paragrapher.
He records: San officer and a cadet
on this post correspond with the same
girl back home, and the officer CEN
sors the cadets mail"
The tragedy of war has found the
reflection, however, in the midst of
the merrymaking. Touched by the
sufferings of the people among whom
they are living, the boys have adopted
several French war orphans. Chron-
icling the fact that Plane News has