The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-11-07

HEADQUARTERS Convalescent Camp,
Hospital Center, APO $50. Some
where in France, Oct. ,1st, 1918.
Editor of The Herald:-If you re-
member, as I was leaving home to
don the khaki you asked me to write
The Herald a letter occasionally. l
have thought many times of doing So,
but the strict rules of censorship
which prevail heretofore deferred
me from complying with your re-
quest, and even now there are many
things which ordinarily I should like
to say, but are not permissible. l
am feeling fine and dandy and enjoy
ing the best of health. am approx
mately 5000 miles from home and
have exactly thirty-six cents to get
back on.
Perhaps your readers would be
glad to know something of the coun-
try in which I am now located,
France, our great sister republic and
ally, the country of the almost sacred
heroine, Joan of Arc, and the birth
place of one of the great heroes OF
the American war for independence,
Marquis de Lafayette; indeed, the
land of light wines, yellow jackets
and milk COWS. You possibly have
also heard it dubbed the country of
beautiful women, but those folks who
termed it that had never been to
South Carolina. While there are
quite a few rather pretty girls, still,
1 haven't found any growing on trees
ripe and ready to be picked yet, and
if the country numbered as many
good looking women as it does yell
low Jackets and milk cows France
would be- far more interesting to a
young bachelor. And permit me to
say right here that my observations
thus far do not bear out the general
American idea of the low standard
of morals of France.
I first set foot upon the soil of
Europe's apostle of liberty early on
Tuesday morning, July 23rd, and
with a seventy-fve-pound pack on
my. back and a Springfield rifle on
my shoulder marched through the
streets of a city of 100000 inhabi-
tants. That's the day whispered
to myself: Lord, practicing law
was never like this" Here, as in all
other European cities of France, Eng
land and Scotland which l have visit
ed, there was a noticeable, even
marked lack of the American busi-
ness hustle and enterprise. The next
afternoon I boarded train for a
ride of two nights and day to the
little town in which we were to be
quartered until sent into the Lines.
French railway cars are not very
similar to those of America; they
do not have doors at each end, but
are partitioned into sections, with
about five sections to the car, each
section accommodating ten people
and having separate entrance. The
passengers do not have individual
or double chairs or seats but all sit
together. There is passageway at
the side in the interior of the car
which extends from one end to the
other, and on the outside there are
running boards from door to door
somewhat like those seen on some
American electric street railway
cars. The wheels are not solid, but
are constructed like cart wheels
Sometimes if the roadbed is direct
and the engineer feeling well the
train might make as much as eight
or even ten miles per hour for a
short distance.
The little town to which went is
situated in a broad rolling section
with steep green hills rising almost
to the extent of mountains and broad
fertile valleys, all of which afford
beautiful surrounding scenery. The
town is nearly as big as Olar; yet
there is not single store or place
of business in it save a cafe, or what
we in the States would term bal
room. incidentally it is operated by
and your drinks would be served by
woman. Mark you, I said "you1
drinks" not mine. Towns nearly as
large as Bamberg have only two OF
three stores and those Slightly small
or have none at all. But they all
have their saloons. I have been to
quite a number of these villages and
one is typical of them all. The peo,
pie get their necessities from wagons
which come through. When one
does find store it is usually little
dinky place about ten feet square in
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