The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-05-02
BRADLEY WRITES
ABOUT THOUGHTS
OF BOYS At FRONT
Receipt of Fruit Cakes
Starts an Interesting
Train of Thought
LETTERS FROM HOME
MAKE SOLDIERS KEEN
Interested in German Drive and
Wishing fer an Opportunity
to Get Into the Big
Action

Leon c. Bradley, first lieuten-
Iant Company NJ 164th infantry, in
France, Who left the city editors desk
at The Age-Herald to take UP his mil
itary duties, has written an interesting
letter to Mrs. e. w. Barrett under date
of April ?, upon the receipt of some fruit
cakes which had been sent December 1
in order to reach him by Christmas.
Some Of the extracts from the letter
are here given as an indication of what
the bows at the front are thinking about
and doing:
From early youth ! have always be-
Ilieved that the too frequent use of the
Isuperlasive degree was mark OF lnsin-
lcerity, which could be generally charac-
lterized ly that shorter and uglier' word
SO often used by our strenuous express
Iident to maIign those who took issue with
him. For that reason when compliment
ling either persons or things, | nave
usually resorted to a little camouflage, II
necessary, rather than render the words
summa cum laude.' All of which is
apropos the receipt by me of two fruit
cakes which you, Mr.. Barrett ana MT.
Stanley sent me.
THE cakes arrived last week, March
les after travels which would make
globe trotter look like a stay-at-hone.
THE wooden box which had been all that
stood between me and the loss OF those
cakes for nearly four months, was spin
tered One more journey and l fear
those cakes would have gone to relieve
the food shortage in some billet other
than mine. But much to my surprise ana
delight, the contents of the box were
luniniured, the paper not even having
been broken.
GIVEN WAR HONORS
AFTER eating one slice of the cake
decided that since l was in the war zone.
it's excellence was worthy OF military rec
ognition and accordingly / followed the
example of M Georges Clemenceau and
bestowed upon it the 'Croix de guerre.
Continuing in the parlance of those
friends of the business office, the patent
medicine ads, after eating second and
larger piece, l awarded the cake We
toria cross In order to be absolutely
certain that I had not acted hastily in
granting these recognitions | took
third, and still larger slice. When / had
finished the Legion d'Honneur' was
added to the other awards. / then called
in nine ten friends who agreed hear
| tily with my Judgment and each in
sisted upon adding at least one bar to
each of the medals I had bestowed. So
you see, the cakes despite their lengthy
! travels arrived in perfect condition and
were highly enjoyed, not only by me,
| but a number of other officers. / cer-
tainly thank you for sending me the
best fruit cakes l ever ate. They were
absolutely perfect.
| II wrote you a little note of thanks on
| March 20. but a combination of circum-
stances prevented me from sending it.
| ] had just moved into some Adrian bar
racks the day before and did not know
how badly they leaked. After being out
several hours during a heavy rain,
found a pool of water on my bunk ana
the remnants of your letter floating on
| top too much mutiated to be legible.
Much to my satisfaction I have moved
again since then and now have very
good quarters where the rain can't
reach me-when I am inside.
REMEMBERED BACK HOME
II doubt if in all history there was
ever an army which was so fortunate
/ in being remembered by the people
I back home as the A. e. F. You can't
/ know what a tremendous effect for
good this has on the morale of our
troops. I did not suspect it myself
until I went through many successive
/ weeks without a line from the U. S. A.
tThis was during the time when I was
moving around so much my mail could
/ not reach me) I find this condition
1 existing among the men, especially
among the younger ones and those
! who are married. When they receive
1 letters from home and newspapers
| and too much stress can't be placed on
| getting the newspapers-they are con-
! tented energetic and happy. The most
Iinsi gnificant items are eagerly read
! and passed on to their comrades.
| Things in provincial newspapers which
| probably bring down ridicule upon the
head of the rural editor at home are
! items of the greatest IMPORT lance to
! the men over here.
/ They hear much war and mill
| tary strategy and see so much of its
| gruesomeness that they crave news OF
1 the trivial doinrs of their friends and
| associates in the U. S. A. Some times
! I even find myself wondering il Mr..
| STANLEY or Scudder Ryall ever tried
herpicide as a remedy for badness. |
ponder over the possibilities Of matri-
1 mony for Johnny McRae were he to
| cease being such a reckless. domineer-
/ ing daredevil sort of fellow. often
| think of the unlimited possibilities in
| the Journalistic field which are open
! to Mr.. Frank Willis Barnett II he ever
| overcomes that innate modesty and
| timidity and gains the sangfroid which
| as so sadly lacking in his early days
| on The Age Herald. I have even
thought of plans to give him the re-
/ CURED self-confidence-the will to use
the pronoun OF the first person when
/ the occasion demands.
THINKING OF HOME
During the long nights Of last win
ter v-e over here had plenty of time