The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-28
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
Blu REAU
FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington. d. c.
HOW THE FIGHTING MAN LIVES
Warrington. d. c.


made attractive, or even clean. 1t is
thing to be endured. But soldier
spends only half of his time in the
trenches, and II he has something to
look forward to in the other half, he
can endure his stint of trench duty
with Uninupaired morale. That is why
recreation for soldiers is SO important.
Raymond Eosdick. head OF the COM
mission on Training camp activities,
| who has just returned from the front
| in France, where he made a detailed
study OF the life of the American sol
| der abroad is. now making all ar
rangements for a great drive to obtain
funds for the Y. NJ C. A. the Y. w.
! c. A, the War Camp Community serv-
| ice, and the American Library asso-
| citation The drive is to begin Novem-
Der IL. The American people are 10
the Y M c. A. is to receive $100,OO0,-
| 900: the Y. w. c. A. S15.o0o,00O; the
| War Camp Community service $lo,-
| 100000 and the American Library as
| ISOLATION s3,5O0.000. The other or
| gantzations working on the soldier
recreation problem will repienish their
| funds by a drive in January.
If the great American pocket, air
ready tapped by such a host OF taxes
and charities, is to bring forth prompt
| ly these millions for recreation, the
| appeal will have to be backed by
1
scription of the life of the American
soldier in France is that argument
Little seems to have been written
ohout the daily personal life of the
| soldier. except when he Is in action,
and that is a small part OF the time.
| His first glimpse of France Is sea-
lport town, and it is agreed py an op-
servers that a seaport town IN france
is now one of the most dismal places
|
houses, cluttered wharves and streets
where dirty children play, women IN
black. decrepit old men. Indeed. this
description will apply TO most french
cities. Paris alone remains piaSe oi
gayety and spectacular vice. and Par
is is forbidden territory to the Amer
| lean soldier. Even officers can go
there only by special permission.
Arrived at the front, the soldier en-
ters upon regular routine. he
days, in the trenches. and then Pc
l.riod of like length in billet. One week
in every four months he Is given as
leave, and sent to one of the leave
areas in the Savoy.
While in the trenches, he lives In a
dugout. This is hole in the ground,
perhaps twenty feet square. with an
iron roof, and wooden hunks built all
the way around. 1t has no ventilation
but the doorway. and no light except
that a11OrQeQ a rev CdnOlGS anu
lanterns. The men are not allowed to
congregate in the trenches outside
these dugouts lest they attract the at
| tention of German observers. Meth
e- are they allowed outside the
trenches, altho the officers have great
difficulty in enforcing this regulation.
After being cooped up In the trench
for a few days. the new American re-
cruits have strong tendency to climb
out and start a game of baseball or
quoits. feeling that the recreation is
worth the risk.
For the most part. however, the
men spend their time playing the great
American games of craps and poker
reading, and writing letters. They
cannot get enough letters and reading
matter; the mail is the great center OF
interest. American newspapers are
| literally. read to pieces.
Both the Y. NJ. C. A. and the Saliva.
ton Army are represented in the
! | trenches. but they can do little. The
Y M. c. A. dispenses hot chocolate
and cigarettes, under difficulties, ant
: the Salvation Army serves pie ant
j.. doughnuts. The Salvation Army girl.
are especially popular. Two of them
l in the Vosges mountains, established
themselves in cave within the ZONE
of fire, and there. equipped with regu
, lation steel helmets, dispensed rea
: American doughnuts and smiles Il
thousands of American soldiers. Wher
: an order came for them to move. be
cause women are not allowed within
: the zone of fire. a howl of protes
went up from the trenches.
The Y. M. c. A. men usually e
along the trenches. and from one o
them to another, with their hot choco
: late and cigarettes. One of these men
attempting to wriggle across the space
: between the front trenches and thi
!. / second line with a five gallon can o
!. chocolate. was spied by a German
e sharpshooter. At least the five-gallol
I, can was. for the Hun proceeded neatl!
Y to put five bullets thru the upper par
8 of the vessel, without touching tn
t man. and without causing any heav.
leakage of the chocolate, which wa
e duly delivered and consumed.
The great pests of trench life ar
= the vermin. 1t seems impossible t,
quarter large numbers of men on tn
n bare earth for any considerable length
t of time without producing a pest o
: lice of several different varieties. TIL
= trench dugouts are sprayed at regula
: intervals, and the men are put thr,
S "delousing hospitals" These consis
: of a series of chemical shower bath
a thru which the man is chased, Will
: his clothes are put thru a simila
| process. In spite of all these meas
< ures, the 'cooties" and ..'graybacks
Il manage to plague the boys good dea
$ more than the Germans do.
o There is always mud in the trenches
d and a man remains fairly covered wit
5. it from a time soon after he enter
: them until he leaves for billet or vaca
II ton.
e The spirit of the men in tn
g trenches under all of these discomfort
5. and hardships is reported to be re
markably fine. There is not niue
protest or blaming of anyone for any
thing. The usual attitude is well G
II home when the job is done. so tn
1t sooner i.'s done the better-t Many {
~ the men have a quietly fatalistic al
; titude; they do not expect to get bac
: alive, and regard it as pleasant SUI
= prise every time they come out of a
- action unhit. Others spend all of the
time planning what they will do whe
l. they get home again.