Arizona republican., 1918-12-31

| have seen and learned a lot, but /
think I will always regret that I never
got into Paris. The second day we
were in France We went through the
suburbs Of the big city and were then
afforded a meagre idea OF what il is
like but it proved barely taste. For
a week or ten days l was stationed in
a village some 80 kilometers out OF the
city but we were busy and every day
expecting to move, so we passed up the
chance of paying visit. And now we
are headed away from it. Whether
we'll ever get back that way | know
not. All Unexpectedly we have moved
into what might be termed a land of
paradise after the year and more that
was put in on the war front. How
strange and interesting it all WAS. On
the day that our actual move into the
new territory was started We were sta
toned near the old front lines. Tie ~
miles or so that we Travelled through
the regions that for four years and
more had seen nothing but war were
crammed full of sights. One fellow
who put in a few months at Douglas,
Arizona, remarked that the scene No
Mans Land" presented reminded him
very much of that old haunt. 1t was
worse than any Arizona desert, though.
The landscape presented a view of
nothing but shell holes and trenches
and barbed wire entanglenents. The
truck trip over the shell rutted road
was i'll itself one long to be remem-
bered. Then from all this We gradually
emerged into d new land, ruined vii
lagos were replaced with the settle
ments that had never been shelled and
bombed but little fields We're in culti-
h. Il h. ort1a
highways of olden France. That night
we stopped in a village just on tile
border of Lorraine and there, as when
we set foot in France a year before a
new language, new people, and new
customs greeted us-and incidentally
we bumped into the new money ordeal
again. In exchange for our francs, We
received marks and l presume that We
will get them from now on. The Ger
man language seems as foreign to me
as French ever did and it almost seems
a shame now after spending Il year ac-
quiring a little French that it is of no
longer to be of any value In the town,
that particular night though the
natives for the most part spoke French
and German. Farther in only the ma
tive language is heard and but for the
fact that we have developed a number
of heretofore unheard of Dutchmen
among us, we would be rather up
against it. A. half dozen or so of the
fellows among us speak German flu
emily, though little did they ever dream
before that they'd ever have occasion
to use it.
The question of the rate of exchange
from francs to marks is a popular one
these days, and apparently they are
tha haC nc
tive shopkeepeds value mark at a
franc Il or the old pre-war rate OF
about rs cents. Actually | understand
that a mark is worth about As centimes
or cents at the present time. Our pay
will continue in French currency SO
presume that the popular exchange o.
| a franc and q quarter will continue.
In this little country, despite the fac
/ that she has been enveloped in the wal
/ though not actually in 1.-THE peopl,
/ seem prosperous. Unlike the French
/ localities, the villages and cities arr
| clean and sanitary and abound will
beautiful homes. The civilian popula
ton rather resembles America in pre-
war times. Young men in civilian
clothes are everywhere and at tn
cafes, restaurants and dances in TIL
evenings, the young folk seem to hay
as good time as ever we did at home
A cafe isn't a cafe just now unless i
has a music and dance hall attached
and believe me Americans and tn
natives are joining in the celebration t
utmost. All last night / listened to tn
dance hall music. AT $3.50 this a. N
they were still going. Early this after
noon they started up again and it
apparent that they are in for anothe
all night session.
! After I've written all this, the fellow
have argued me into the belief that
is permissible to state the country W
are in, so here it is-Luxembourg. To
small a country to resist, it was sub
ject to occupation all through the wa
by our enemy, but so far as we ar
able to judge from outward appear
ances, it has not suffered from tn
ravages of the war except for bein
, shut off from Intercourse from othe
, countries. Foodstuffs are APPARENT
very limited and prices are high
considerably higher than ! have eve
, seen, lettering even those that we pal
in France. Expect We will have to lear
to say "Cest la guerre" in Dutch to eS
: press ourselves.
Our evening spread is about read
, so I'll have to say good night. Low
and best wishes to all.
: Lovingly,