Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1918-10-30

SlonS:'
(While the following letter from
Captain Haddon Johnson to Walter
E. Duncan is of personal nature, be-
cause of Captain Johnson's popularl-
ty in his home town it will be read
with the greatest interest.)
France, October 1, 1918.
d Dear, dear Dune:
Believe me when tell you that
next to my baby's picture and letters
from my wife and mother, the most
precious thing l have received since
l reached France was big bundle of
Aiken Standards that came Sunday.
got these around me and proceeded
to enjoy a most riotous revel. Every
bit was good! even read the Tanlac,
Castoria and Lydia Pinkham ads; and
studied with great gusto the numer-
Gus Summons for Relief" that ]. B.
Salley is, always sticking in. 1t was
all fine. Keep it up. You can never
know just how much that means to
fellow over here. It's like running
across an old pressed flower that re-
calls something you thought had
grown away from you, and found to
be very sweet.
It's no use trying to tell you just
how wonderful it feels to realize that
am at last in France-something l
have yearned for for over year. But
knowingyou as do am sure you can
I appreciate to a large degree the SEN
sations l experienced, the emotions
that crowded thick and fast when
with the stars and stripes huttering
above, the band playing the French
anthem and the French calling wild
ly, we placed our feet On French soil!
Dune, it was worth everything. And
somehow, one could feel only glad
and very, very proud of the privilege.
And all the days since have been
equally wonderful-constantly some
new experience. And in the minds Of
the French there is nothing too good
for the Americans, And, I am glad
to say, the Americans feel there is
nothing too precious for France
not even life itself-for France is
a wonderful, beautiful country of
wonderful people. l sometimes think
that their favorite hymn must be,
''In the Cross of Christ l Glory" be-
cause at least they are very religious,
and along every cow trail and at
every crossroads there stands, wea-
ther-worn, patient and centuries old,
a marble sculpture of Christ on the
cross; sculptures that were standing,
some of them, before the American
nation, whose soldiers now pass, was
born. Here we stand, side by side,
an old nation, young, young ma
ton, and both with but one supreme
passion-freedom! All, Dune, man
has to be here to feel it. He has to
see the women going about in black,
and smiling; he has to take the faith
erless little children and hold them
close and listen to their childish "Par-
ley-voo;" see the young girls who be-
come old so quickly because holo-
caust of sad and terrible things comes
so swiftly to the blue eyes and the
golden hair and the rosy cheeks. And
yet they always laugh-laugh to hide
the tears; but sometimes a hollow Bit
terness creeps in and sometimes you
hear a sad and horrible story. Still,
they prefer to smile; to go about
helping where they may. Their pas
sion is to give more, more, ore,al-
ways more THAT is best illustrated
by the following:
One lady had three sons at the
front. One day an officer came and
said: MADAME, he brave" She stiff
ened a BIT and in a cold, calm voice,
asked: "Sir, which one of my sons IS
dead?" The officer turned away sad
lv. Gail three of them, Madame" he
replied. And in a proud voice, the
woman said: "Thank God have with
me here four more boys that 1 can
give. Sir, they will take the place of
the dead" And she sent these other
Youngsters away. That's not fable,
Dune. That's the story as l got it
from the woman's niece, a girl who