The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-16
Many Forget That Soldiers in
France Still Smoke.
Tobacco Is Their Greatest Com
fort While on Duty.
GUY EMPEY TELLS OF NEED
Wounded Ask for Smeke Before
Telling of Wounds.
Stretcher Bearers First Words
Are "Want q SmOke?"

Smokes for the soldiers?" a man
was heard to say the other day when
his attention was called to the jars
where subscriptions can be left to
purchase tobacco for the boys in
France. why 1 thought that lot
of tobacco had already been sent over
and did not think that the boys might
want some more. Here give me one
of those envelopes" dollar was in
serted in the little envelope, the Civ
er's name and address were carefully
written on the outside and soon that
dollar will send So worth of tobacco
to the boys in the trenches in France.
''This little incident typifies the way
a good many men look at this idea of
sending tobacco to the soldiers" said
G. b. Merriam, chairman of the SOL
diers' tobacco fund committee. MANY
men give and give literally to this
fund when it is before their eyes, but
as time goes on they forget this Civ
ing in the cares of the moment and
never for moment think of what the
boys in the trenches must suffer for
their thoughtlessness.
This No Time to Quit.
when the first American troops
landed in France the people of the
United States were very thoughtful of
them and sent them tobacco, and
many other things, some of which
were HOl Heeued OF wanted But now
every day sees more of our boys in
the trenches and getting ready to get
into the trenches. This is no time to
quit giving to the tobacco fund, rather
it is time to put every penny posi-
BILE into that fund. 1 hope that the
people of Topeka will see this and re-
new their giving for this fund"
1t has been said by one or two of
Topeka's public speakers that not ali
OF the boys in the trenches smoke.
This may be true, in a few exceptional
cases, but Arthur Guy Empey, the
author of "Over the Top" and First
CALL" s-ys in the latter book: per
haps you will say My boy is over
there and l : doesn't smoke Don't
fool yourself-after he has sat it out
on the fire step of front line trench
Tor rev days, he will smoke. He
can't help it,
At another point in the book, speak
ing of a wounded soldier in No Mans
Land answering two Questions Of a
stretcher bearer. Empey declares that
the wounded soldier asked for the
in regard to his wound second
The conversation of the Tommy and
the stretcher bearer is something like
this, according to Empey:
Want smoke? Where are you
hit?" says the stretcher bearer
And Tommy says in answer to both
questions, Yes. In the leg"
We Do Not Realize.
This story, or part of a story, was
shown to Merriam. and Merriam said
I'VE over here do not have any inkline
of the hell of shell fire the boys in the
trenches go thru. Nor have we any
conception of the long nights OF
ained agony that the sentries in
the front line trenches endure There
fore We have no idea of the solace
and comfort lust one little smoke can
give man. The story in Empeys
book has been borne out time and
again by speakers of the allied forces
men who have been in the trenches
and know. and they all say send the
boys smokes