The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-11-14
ED.

The following from Corporal Mason
Smith, SD Infantry, to Mrs. Charles
May, under date of August 10, is in
teresting:
Just short letter today to let you
know am still among the living, happy
and enjoying life for all it's worth,
even tho l am far from home and in a
land of trouble, turmoil and strife, but
these three things have become so COM
, mon over here that no one pays atten-
ton to them at all. All they are think
ing of at present is to establish their
lines over the Rhine. With the close
cooperation of the Allied armies the
Boche have met defeat on all sides and
| think their race is nearly run. The
aptitude for fighting was never so
great in any army as in the American
army right now, for they are well fed
and we'll taken care of and every one is
feeling fine and waiting for the COM
mand to go over the top and when we
heard last week of the inhuman act
they tried to pull off in the quiet, peace
/ full city of Wilmington, n. c., it had a
tendency to increase the hate which
every American soldier has for a Ger
man. Do not doubt one word of their
crimes that you read about for they are
guilty Of all things. They have no re-
spect for International law, and none
for women and children, and all in all
you cannot call them anything but edu-
Gated brutes, and fighting them Is not
a boys JOB.
Il had no idea when left my home
three months ago that l would be in
France so soon. but am glad row that
| am here for it is my greatest lesson
in the school of life and | have seen
many things since leaving home that |
would never have known were in exis-
tence had not eros ed the ocean.
have travelled since leaving home many
miles and about 70 per cent. of it was
on the water. My voyage over the
ocean was long but pleasant, for the
weather was fine and we were on a
large ship. Some OF the boys were
sick the first few days but they soon
forgot it and the whole voyage was
made without the slightest event. The
ship captain said it was the happiest
outfit of men that he had ever crossed
the ocean with but don't think there
was q man in the gang that ever fully
realized the dagger ae was really in. |
know did not, for at that time life
was not worth much On the Atlantic
ocean.
This is a beautiful country, but
they are far behind the U. S and es-
peciaily in machinery. They are still
using the old chaff piler to thresh their
grain and then clean it with tanning
mill and IT'S al done by horse power.
The railroad system they have here now
would haYe ben popular in America
fifty years ago, but the U. S. Govern
ment is taking great part in the rail-
road work and have improved it to a
| great extent in the past year
Il have never wanted for anything
since came over here only tobacco and
we have plenty of that now and can buy
it for less than half what we can at
home The Government issues so much
each week to every man and what we
buy all comes through the Y. M. C. A..
Both the Red Cross and the Y. M. C.
A. are doing great work IN the army
and there is no praise too great for
them, but they are not the ones who
are going to win the war. The men
who are going to win the war are the
ones who can work and fight twenty
hours each day, lay down on mother
earth with the blue sky for a roof and
sleep four hours, then get up and do the
same thing over the next day. These
are the old reliable infantry or the
dough boys" they are called over
here.
81 have not heard from my people
since July Bird so you can imagine how