Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-09-11

won his stripes by hard work
and is after more-tells OF some
OF the Camps side-lights as he
sees it with Uncle Sans soldiers
at Camp Macarthur, Texas:
Camp Macarthur, Texas,
Something unusual happened.
| am taking the time to write you a
.etter. The past few days we have
been having a glorious time; sand
and dust storms Before that time
however the weather was quite warm
and the way these sand storms keep
1t up keeps one wondering when the
let-up comes. Just before a storm
breaks the whole works puts in one
mighty effort and nothing can be seen
for dust and sand. The finale comes
IN when everything in the tent is top
sy turvy and you yourself are covered
with dust from head to foot. Then
this mixed with the rain it is mud.
Now this mud you must know
is just plain everyday stuff; quite diff
ferent from what you folks have in
Villas county. When dry it blows
all over creation and when it gets in
to that gooey condition it sticks to any
old thing. Why it sticks about as
good as the reputation of Villas coun-
ty. | am quite fortunate in having
floor in my tent but being so busy |
have not had time to-day to police up
my tent. All | have to do is to get
shovel and get some of that mud off
the floor. Now if anybody asks you
if policing means anything like city
police just give them the tip that po-
ling the Company streets means to
pick up cigarette butts, matches, pa
per, discarded chews of tobacco, etc.
Men that do the policing do not wear
stars on their coats. 1t is an honor
able job too; cleanliness will help win
the war.
Do you realize that it is nearly a |
year since Pemberton and | left for
Camp Grant? | have wondered
time and again how it was that we
ever got started. The entire system,
was new but somehow or other Uncle
Sam always seems to adjust himself
whenever the acid test comes. He
does not run around and find how
and what is to be done. He just
goes ahead and does things. Now
that is what counts The fellow |
has something to. do and goes ahead
and does it the best way he knows
how even tho it is all wrong is much |
farther ahead than is the fellow who
stalls around and doesn't do anything.
Even though there are mistakes
some thing is done and that is what
counts. That is what | have learned,
do something even tho it is all wrong.
Mistakes can be corrected, but job
undone cannot be done at the critical
moment. That reminds me of the
story of the orderly who was given a
message by his superior officer to take
to one of the front line trenches.
The orders were get there The
orderly did not know how to get
there, neither did the officer But
just the same the orders were get
there So he started off with his
motor cycle and did not get very far
when a shell took the car from under
him. When he got to his destina-
ton all he had with him was the ham
die bar. The message was delivered
When he returned he was asked
why he did not take care of his car
and then he said "Well, my or
ders were get there and | got
there. - That is the whole game.
1t does not make any difference how
a thing is done as long as you put it
across. So far Uncle Sam has
already put it across and also from
the looks of things he is going to
keep it up. Kaiser Bill makes his
people believe that Uncle SANS army
consists of nothing but buns and SO
on. That is all right for him to say
so but he does not realize that these
buns are far superior to the buns he
has in his army. There a reason.
I have been reading with consider
able interest the article you published
in your paper some weeks ago. |
do not remember who wrote it but it
was one of the best articles | have
vet read from the heart of one who
was not afraid to state why all their
ambitions were turned towards Amer
lea. And this man came from Ger
many himself. Now is there any
thing more convincing than state
rnent from man who knows where
of he speaks when he speaks from
experience? And yet there are those
Pro-Germans who con-
slider there way of thinking far super