The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1918-01-25
Former Pastor of Christian
Church Writes Of Boys
At Camp jackson.
MUCH HUMAN INTEREST
AMONG SOLDIER BOYS
Considers Army "Y" Work An
Undertaking of Greatest
Magnitude.
Friday Night, Jan. 1S, 1918.

Friday Night, Jan. 1S, 1918.
My Dear People:
| really didn't know how dear you
all were to me until l realized that |
had actually cut loose from you. l
have always loved you-but partings
awaken us to the realization of the
extent of love-just as the passing
of loved one, awakens US to sense
of attachment never before thought
of. have been in Camp Jackson one
week tonight. 1t is impossible for
you to realize what a camp is until
you have actually visited one. l had
read about them, talked about them,
talked to those who had been in them,
seen pictures of them and thought
had fair idea of what it would be-
but one cannot grasp the magnitude
of the things going on within an i'm
aginary line known as Camp"
You cannot know the heart yearn-
ings | have had in this short time
of how often / have held the tears
back that would cmoe to my eyes
of how you long to give out yourself
to help that other fellow. You cam
not understand just what kind Of job
all this is until you are here in it and
a part of it. This is Friday night
in the "Y" building it is Letter Writ
ing Nigh" we send from our build
ing an average of 600 letters a day.
The boys have been here since supper,
6 o'clock. Stamps, paper, envelopes,
packages. We stand at the desk dis
tributing these from six until ten at
night.
There are all kinds of fellows here
some who don't care-some who
are cold hearted-some who are ten
der-the home ties are dear and the
separation hurts them In looking
over the letters each day, that go out
Il often notice the writing, some OF
it is the poorest kind OF scribbling-
yet l know that within there goes the
messages of love, longing, to the folks
at home. One boy came last night
he had no testament and | gave him
one and while talking to him found
out that he had only one three-cent
stamp and was using that for last
letter home. | told him if he needed
more stamps he should have them. A
home-but he was ,"busted" and
gave him stamp-that stamp meant
everything to him.
/ have been trying to decide VIVA,
l think about army life today. My
ooinion is just about the same as
Sherman's was about war. came
here on my own accord and can leave
Il know | can go if | just will, yet
there is something about it even Tor
me in that situation that makes me
dislike it. The soldier is here in this
condition-only he knows he is here
and must stay. He can't leave If he
wants to, and the daily program, soon
to become an old thing to him in
little while. It's like being cut off
from the world, entirely apart. You
are in a new world. A world where
personality, individuality and initia-
tive are wiped out and you become a
part of great machine. When the
power is turned on you have to move
with the mass whether you like it or
not When this or that order is CIV
en- you obey it whether you see the
necessity of it or the sense of it or
not. If you see better way you
cannot express the idea. There is
the absence of the mother touch and
sympathy. Everything here is just
soldering, and soon every man be-
comes to be just mana man IN
uniform like unto yourself.
1t tends to create in ones heart
carelessness-a don't care spirit--you
get into the mass yet you are alone.
After meals and when they have time
off, the only place in the whole camp
life that offers them a place for ac-
tual freedom and relaxation is the
Y. M. C. A. building. They come
here and have to meet as equals
man to man-and be free. / have
not heard thing about the Y M C.
A. since came but praise. The
boys appreciate it far beyond all you
can believe. The "Y" men are their
Big Brothers-friends.
/ want to tell you about my first.
Sunday here. We have about eight
/ Bible classes started and going on in
the different barracks in our district,
from 900 to 1920. At 10:45 we
have service here IN the building !
talked that morning. About 200 or
more men--think of that--and inter-
est, you folks at home don't know
what it is--they listen. After din
ner we sold stamps and cards and dis
tributed writing paper all afternoon
and wrapped packages of clothing for
the boys who were sending the old
things home after getting their uni
form. 1t seemed little queer to be
Idoing that kind of stuff on Sunday,
but do you know what it means? Do
you know what writing letter home