Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1918-08-08
A Letter From Earl Mcdonald.
France. Iuly 10, 1918.

A Letter From Earl Mcdonald.
France, July 10, 1918.
Mamma Dear@My stay here is prov
ing more interesting every day, and even
though we cannot get out OF camp, /
| haven't found il monotonous or time
hanging heavy on my hands. Funny, isn't
il, that | don't get homesick? I've sur
prised myself a lot, but as you already
know have been using my cure for all
ills-that is, to keep extremely busy
at something, not worry, and then time
never hangs heavy on my hands.
Speaking of jobs, I've been censoring
our mail for day and a-half now. Gosh,
what job, and we used up two blue
pencils on it, Everybody writes when
they arrive, and was given the job for
a while. This is only rest camp
We will find our permanent location and
90 there some time soon, and they have
me lined up as yardmaSter. Haven't
heard any guns booming yet. We are
too far away for that. This country is
beautiful, and every inch is under cul-
tivation. American people don't know
what real war garden is, and what
crops | have seen look the very best.
Near the front, though, suppose II is
quite different. Our camp is IN the
country adjacent to a city OF 9O,OOO
people. The city has been built since
the 4th century, and if could get into
il once could spend week there I'M
proving my knowledge OF ancient his
tory. There is a magnificent castle
there that saw coming in, but II is no
doubt a factory now. The harbor
brought my eyes wide open when we
came in. The sight was wonderful, and
TO add ths proper touch of beauty there
was a hundred or more little sailing
fishing vessels bobbing on the water
with their brown sails like so many
corks.
The people here don't have to speak
to show their gratefulness to us, they
show the gratitude in their faces.
Little youngsters running along side
us in our hike here begging pennies
and cigarettes, old women and old men
waving, as we passed a school-house
everyone got up and sang, My coun-
try, It's of thee" in French. Then just
as we rounded corner We came upon
a bunch of youngsters singing, Hail
Hail, the Gangs All Here, in as good
English as one would want 10 hear
One sees old women, girls and boys
under 20 only. Old women carry loads
for miles on their backs, load lots
heavier than my pack, which gets pretty
heavy at times Young boys, s to II:
do mems work, so do the girls. They
all look drawn and stopped from il.
Old women that look to be about 90
years old, go around picking up every
thing they see for fuel French SOL
diers from the front that are perma-
nently disabled, and oh! lots of things
The stories | have heard back home
about the inhuman treatment Germans
give their enemies are nothing TO what
I've seen and heard, here. We have
number Of u. S. soldiers here in camp,
back from the front. l've talked to a
lot, and with what little I've heard and
seen, ! do know to be fact No Won
der these people want to fight to the
bitter end. Anyone would. I'd rather
die hundred deaths than see my peo-
pie at homo subjected to such atrocities.
| feel that | am not making any sacri-
flee by going into this thing. Pm
being given a privilege, and q great
privilege, 10 do my share the best can.
But I'm only giving you the dark
side. The bright side here is that
everyone here smiles. The French
people are wonderful. They bear what
ever burden there is, orphan children,
and husbandless wives all alike, they
grin and bear it, and just hope for bet
ter days. They work all they can, all
houses are well kept, and even though
they do use every inch Of ground 10
grow something, there is plenty Of
varied colored posies around their
houses, that brightens up things won
derfully, and you hear no grumbling
from the French people. The people at
home all through the United States have
lesson to learn.
Pm glad I'm here to help, mamma.
Of course I'll miss you all more than
you know, but | wouldn't be satisfied
back home until its all over and peace
reigns. I'm feeling fine in every way.
The ocean trip was beneficial. wish
| could go into details, but really there
is less danger crossing the ocean than
in 500-mile train ride for troops. Pm
really getting stouter, and hardened
up. We get equally as good food here
as in the United States. The camp is
as good as any in the United States and
we are living in stone barracks CEN
turtles old, and have cots, have good
United States meat and good white
bread. Butter sells for 90 cents
pound, eggs 8 cents each.
| almost forgot to tell you-you and
everyone else in the States have heard
Of the French ladies' remarkable beau
ty, but | haven't seen any real beauty
yet. Several girls and women from
town have store here in amp hap
pened TO buy something there the other
day, and one of the girls spoke excel
lent English, so | 60 down occasionally
of an evening, hang over their counter,
and gas with the little French girl. She
seems to be very refined and well edu-
Gated but darned if know her name
The "Y" puts on good attractions here
too. I'll have to read this over and
censor it to make sure ! haven't said
anything. Very best of love,
EARL.