Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-08-13

D00n T6C0lFeC HUN SdItoI u. Johnson,
from somewhere in France
July S, 1918.
U. S. N. Aviation Force.
Somewhere in France.
Wausau Pilot,
Wausau, Wis.
Dear Editor Thayer:
When / sailed up one of the harbors
of France and beheld France for the
first time, stood on the deck with
my eyes and mouth open, much |
suppose like little Alice did in won
derland, and they have been open
ever since. | saw quaint Old-fashioned
houses set in among a slump of I'M
known trees or Shrubbery or grape
vines or located on q barren hillside,
or upon the rivers banR, strange like
Just like | had seen in pictures. /
saw men and women, very old and
poor looking, some of them working
in fields, just like | had read about in
magazines, and | saw pastures, small
truck gardens, fields and vineyards in
patches. The country looked like a
big checker board. Just like | had
learned about in my school geography.
Everything around looked peaceful
and homelike. / felt it in the atmos-
phere. Yet, | also felt that there
was little trouble going on some
where in this beautiful country. 1t
was very hard to imagine that not
very far away the greatest war in
history was going on. A war we all
know about. A war for righteousness
and justice, and war | hope will
never have to be repeated.
From my first sight of France,
even until now, l have been very
much impressed with it. With it's
scenery, its roads, it's buildings, it's
climate, its people, its customs, it's
habits of living, its language and
it's peculiarities. 1t is a motherly
country and ought to have a warm
place in the hearts of every American.
We can be proud that we are it's ally,
and / know that the United States
and France from this truggle together
for humanity, will be united together
in inseparable bonds of friendship.
Without doubt this is beautiful
country. A network of roads will
enable any tourist to see any part of
France desired. The roads are kept
up continually and sometimes run
for miles in perfectly straight direc-
ton. Some of these roads are lined
with maple, elm, oak and pine trees
that afford good shade. Again, some
of the roads, especially those going
through small villages are so winding
and narrow that you have to use your
horn quite often.
The houses throughout the country
are mostly one story high and con-
tain large attic for hay, etc. Some
times the barns are connected with
the dwelling houses with a place to
store carts and farm implements be-
tween. These houses are made of
tile or cement and stone. The walls
are from one to two feet in thickness
The homes are covered with good tile
roofing. When the outside walls be-
gin to look old they are often succeed
or plastered over and the house then
looks like new again. There is no
woodwork on the inside. The work.
manship on these buildings is very
good. The framework and doors and
windows are often massive and clumsy
looking, but put up to stay. A good
quality of stone seems to be hard to
get. You can easily cut your initials
in the stone in one of these buildings
with knife. There is little fire pre-
cautions. Many OF these dwelling
houses have fire places in them.
Little wood is used, it is too scarce.
Grape vine twigS, roots, dry weeds,
leaves, pine cones and needles are
used mostly by the poorer class for
fuel.
The climate here is much like our
western climate. In winter and spring
there is quite bit of rain and fog
The summer days are sunny and quite
warm. The evenings and nights are
cool and pleasant to sleep in.
This station is located in grape
belt district. You can see nothing
but grape vines for miles around.
Some of our boys think it very strange
that so much land is devoted to the
growing of grapes. They think it is
foolish and a waste of land.
OF course you must know that
since grapes are grown here in such
large quantities there must be a. lot
of wine. There is. Liquor never has
done bit of good. Almost every
store or cafe sells wine, champagne or
beer. This presents battle in itself
for every American to fight against.
Ii you succumb to liquor and get
drunk you will do many strange
things you would not do if you were
sober. L have been in places where
wine was thrust before me by the
giver as an act of courtesy. The
water here is very poor. The French
people see no wrong in drinking wine.
They dilute it with water and drink
it with their meals. To them it is a
food. / seldom see Frenchman
drunk. If you refuse drink of wine
from Frenchman, he doesn't know
what to think of you and looks at you
sideways like. 1t has been with ex-
treme difficulty that / have kept
away from wine thus far. / have
often thought that if the people of
America are praying for their boys
here in France, they ought to pray
not so much for their physical safety;
that they be spared from the deaden-
ing shot of the rifle of the Hun, but
that they pray more for their spirit
ual welfare; that they combat success
fully the other Hun, the Hun that
wants their soul. L hear remarks
from the boys. They don't like red
wine. 1t is sour, as little sugar is used.
White wine, they say, is very strong
and makes them sick.
How is your boy carrying on here?
you ask. Well you can answer that
question yourself, when l ask YOU,
what has he been at home, where
liquor has always been flourishing
Let me tell you one thing for your
comfort. Under the present rules
and regulations of this station, YOUR
boys are just as well off here, as they
would be running loose in some of
our states. So don't worry.
About twenty-five miles from here
this grape belt ends and different
kinds of grains are grown. Every-
thing grown in this part of the coun-
try is hilled, even the grain. This is
probably due to the ground being too
wet.
The farming is done by women. cid
men, some young men crippled in this
war, children and German prisoners
L have seen old men and women
hardly able to walk any more, behind
the plow or driving OK carts: Children
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