The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-17

have taken---for letter writing in
some days. / wrote home, and will
devote the rest of the minutes be-
tween now and bedtime to a long
delayed letter to you. l only just re-
turned to my company after being.
away for month-iu a blamed sight
colder place. ! had a long and Won
derful trip. the details OF which /
can't. of course. recount. Let 1t be
mentioned. however. that among
other things / did was sleep in a real
steam heated room, with sheets, flye
electric lights, all going at once, a.
bathroom. / was a next door neigh
Dor of Hank Wales. OF the l. n. s.,
who, / discovered, worked in Sacra-
mento. taking the job / left wheh i
went TO Panama. He knows you, an
mentioned that | did, but didn't
go into any details. My trip, my one
night OF luxury and my reversion to
the life of the army have brought
realization of ono thing, though:
To pervert the title and main strain
of the latest Broadway and hrst-lfne
trench hit, the fun is over, over here.
From now on It's business.
France. to the American soldier,
never again will be what IL has been.
This thought began to formulate it
self in the minds OF the lucky Amcri-
summer OF 1917, about the time the
snow began to fall and the fog to
come in from the coast. Now 1t has
crysialltzed. The grave, whole-souled
sincere six-months' welcome of France
Ia over. 1t was Il welcome not so
much regal az il was genuine--not
one such AS is spoken at a banquet
when the mayor turns the hypotheti-
cal keys of the city over, but of the
20 IN In hr.ry ayN4 kaf ell
and says, not in words, but in deeds.
You are one with us, what we have
In yours" And fortunate were the
Americans who were present at this
welcome. The army that comes this
year will be welcomed, but not as we
were.
Not that France has Intentionally
moderated her tone, There has been
a merely natural relaxation. OF course.
and the 'soidat Americana" now Is
accepted as a matter OF course than
as a novelty. But the big factors
are that the United States is getting
into the war--and it Is winter. There
is less liberty now than there was
40 all-nsht passes. and frequently
Sunday il broken by inspection and
drills. Il There is no military permits
sion TO visit nearby cities except on
business, Visiting OF the safes is per
mitted only between noon and 2 z. NJ.
aud % +. M. and s 80 for officers and
enl cited men. Winter has brought
long nights and cold days. Its Red
Liess ~, "a ers and the seventeen
pairs OF so& from homa, and, incl
dentally the keenest appreciation OF
three fruits OF civilization which
back home" are such common~place
that their existence creates no usare
thought than the nea on Hector's
back
These are light, heat and water.
War. and it's concomitant economies.
cause a step backward In evolution
and human progress--superncial at
least--and luxuries vanish. one by one,
while what the American OF today
sunconsciously considers aa necessi-
ties are stintsd. An aeon or 30 ago
water and artificial heat and light
might have been considered a luxury
or dissipation by our developing an.
cestors But now they are normally
In the class OF things we must have.
There Ia. OF course, no alarming scar
city OF any of these things, Merely
y conservation
Over here we hear that the lights
ere going out on Broadway, ana Dear
born street. and Canal street, and
Market street: that they are mixing
soft coal with hard to conserve, but
ut che same time give the fiat dweller
e. warm radiator TO get up by. And
then we figure that the scintiiiating
pn-and-on cigarette sign. at the cor
ner of Broadway and Sixth avenue
for instance, would supply enough
light for whole division: that just
one of those restless snakes pursu.
Ing each other around the edges oil
that sign would illuminate the whole
Of this Grand Hotel du France, liz
which we now are billeted and be a
distinct bettermeut on our present
two-candie power (actuai) lighting
plant.
am divulging no outstanding
physical characteristics which might
bstray locality" when l mention the
Grand Hotel du France They are
as common as Maxim's restaurants
I'm the United States. Every towr
has one, and they generally are au.
gust, aged hostelries, living. like tht
mississippi river steamDoaes, on their
reputation. This one is q comparative
Juvenile. 1t is only l0l years old
according to a cornerstone we dis
covered the other day. But at tina
It hasn't got electric wiring and
plumbing and a furnace In the base.
ment, and II We only had just this
rattle on the end OF that snakes tai
hanging on a cord in room No. II
there would be four jubilant soldiers
I'm that petit chambre."
When the United States took owe,
the Grand Hotel du France it got Il
unfinished, Of courses 1t immfA
diately refurnished 1t with twt
double decker hunks OF the latest typ,
nothing more. We sleep two I'm 1
corner, and have one OF the lowers
We have discovered. by the way,
virtue In this arrangement. The bed,
are sturdy. but can be Jared by 4
juggling OF the body, and. In the. even
that your bedmate. above or below, /.
addicted to snoring land you woult
be surprised how many soldiers are
you can always stop him by rocking
the cradle" until he turns over. Thh
10 very handy, 1t saves looking al
over the room for shoe when you ge
up In the morning.
There are four of us tsa~fhis room
The most optimistic OF the succeeding
landlords of this hostelry must hav,
had trouble In recommending it t,
tho four generations of transients
who have abided here and gone. Bu
all the soldiers do not fare SO. W,