The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1918-07-12
FROM OVER THERE

Frank NJ. Dallam, jrY who is now in
training camp at one of the pictur-
esoue cities of France. The letters
from which the brief extracts are
taken were to members of his family
and not written for publication. He
has been in training for the artillery
sor nearly three months. He went to
France last December with the 41st
division, member of the quarter
master corps, but he wrote that he
could not reconcile himself to being
a uoncombatant when the country
needed every able-bodied man at the
front. and selected the artillery
branch of the army in which to enter
active service:
This is Memorial Day MAY 800
and school is closed, though We OBJ
served the day this morning by march,
ing TO a cemetery and decorating the
graves of French soldiers with flags
and flowers, and the grave of one
American who gave his life in the
common cause. The ceremony was
simple. but impressive. The American
candidates attending the school
marched in column of fours with a
band and preceded by number of
French soldiers and officers. AT the
cemetery an address was made by a
French general and by the American
commandant of the school, and
prayer by the American chaplain. The
candidates formed in line along the
foot of the soldiers graves and at
command placed American flags and
flowers on the graves. Going to and
returning from the cemetery we
marched through the town in which
the school is located and the streets
were lined with women. children and
old men. AS ever the almost total
absence of young men was most no
ticeable. The young men of France
are all giving their services to their
country, either as soldiers or workers
in some war activities. An impress
sion gained upon seeing the populace
of a town, or any part of this country
that | have visited, is that the vast
majority of citizens are either very
old or very young. Even the younger
women, or a very great number of
them. are working in munition plants
and the like. There was no demon
stration of any kind as we marched
along the streets today. The people
looked upon the parade intently, but
neither smiled nor applauded. Their
thoughts seemed to be with those of
their own kind whom they had seen
march away to war, so many of whom
have given their lives, and all the
others, if not permanently and hope
essly disabled, still facing death each
day. 70 me those thoughtful, sober
faces seemed ineXpressably sad, or
numbed with aching sorrow or ter
rlble anxiety. The new forces that
we represented could not revive
spirits crushed by so keen a sense of
personal loss. We may (and shalD
lelp to win victory. and for all time
crush the present menace to liberty,
out we cannot bring back to life the
thousands upon thousands of the
sons OF France who have been waging
his war for us for these four terri
Die years. France has already made
he supremest sacrifices to save the
world as well as to save herself, and
America may do will be
little enough in comparison.
By-the-way, | believe that | have
not as yet described a French Gem
'tery in any of my letters. All that
have seen are alike, and ! presume
hey are the same throughout France.
All are surrounded by high stone
walls and are easily distinguishab'e
rom a distance by the pointed, dark
green sombre pines that are grown in
hem. Most of those | have seen are
I'D and crowded very full of graves.
Win many stone slabs, elaborately
'arved, stone and wrought iron head
'lohes and numerous stone chapels
'rected by families, chapels that look
Ike small mausoleums. All of the
graves are profusely decorated with
intricate bead work and glass COW
red artificial flowers. The general
meet is rather barbaric in its mortu-
Try splendor. In the cemetery we
'islted today the graves of the soldiers
we're conspicuous because the head
'ieces were simple wooden crosses as
hstinguihed from the ornate stone
ma IRON crosses and figures that
mark the other graves.
AT last we are permitted to make
'hown the name of the town in which
We are stationed. Saumur is the
own. and it is a beautiful old place
he Loire is big river at this point
'aumur is built along it's banks and
'Xtends across, covering a portion Of
large island, and even beyond to
he eastern bank. The river is SPAN
led by a handsome stone-arched
'rldge, its shores is walled up with
tone along the front of the town and
hne, broad boulevard skirts it, the
'ioSely built, odd looking houses
ronting on the boulevard for over a
nile. The castle crowns a point of
he high bluffs that skirt the stream.
I is raised high above the town and
ne view from there is enchanting be-
'ond words.
In former letters ] believe that |
Old you one of the things that is
aught us here is horsemanship. We
'lde in a large stone building, the
loor covered deep with sawdust to
'often the impact when we fall, as
requently happens since we began
several weeks ago to ride without
the saddle a little, flat, pan
'ake affair and some of the horses
lutte spirited. For the past week
We have been learning to jump low
hurdles and many tumbles have re-
suited. 1t is all great fun, howev ar
md we have the satisfaction of feel