The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-10-26
CHEERFUL LETTERS
HELP THE SOLDIERS
Private Asks Why People Are
SO Stupid as TO Write
Sad Letters.
MAGAZINES SCARCE
They Read Something Most
of the Time to Keep the
Mind Occupied.

Your letters bring me cheer and
help. Some fellows families write
such unpardonably distressing letters
they tell me. How can people be SO
stupid? 1t is mystery to me. Can't
they realize that there is enough to
depress the boys so far separated
from all they love without contribut-
ing to their unhappiness?" writes Pri-
vate John Dunnegan to his father.
John Dunnegan is a former student
in the University who has been for
several months in France His home
is in the Ozarks.
''One day last week our general
issmo" was looking over the camp.
He was reported TO have been well
impressed. II is surprising the
amount of work that has been done
in this camp. 1t looks as if our eff
forts were only beginning
THE haze of autumn has begun to
cover the hills of Champagne. | am
told the native population consider
that one of the early harbingers of
fall. The passing days have made
my love of country and of you greater
than ever before.
Tells of Trip.
Two days ago one of my cronies
and 1 had a pleasant day in a neigh
boring town. We set out about 9
O'Clock, arriving in good time for
lunch. The way led along one of the
beautifully kept national roads of this
land. For almost the whole distance
of the eleven kilometers of the way
the camp of the different departments
of our army eXtends-an achieve
ment in itself. The long walk made
us hungry.
Il inquired for the hermitage. a
popular place to dine. We left the
hot day and entered a delightfully."-
cool, darkened room with only three
or four tables. In this quiet and
cool we enjoyed a good five-course
luncheon. Only one other guest came
in while we were there, so we felt
very exclusive There was a white
cloth on the table and napkins, the
first for me in five months.
I'VE walked through the very crook
ed old streets of the town. shopping
bit in some quite pretentious shops.
One huge old place three or four
stories high has been turned into an
American hospital and fellows in
lOunging robes were lolling out of the
high windows, watching passersby.
SSaamS Ear Eran, Hau.a~
After getting back to camp a good
bath greatly refreshed us and that
night | slept without waking. an un-
usual thing for me. One seems very
far away from home. But the Aus
tralians in France are 5000 miles
from their homeland l should think
they might forget from whence they
came.
"One of my friends sits near read
ing some Russian thing. He has lived
in Russia and will go back some day.
He has a beautiful command of Eng
lish and is bright all round. One of
the boys amused me by saying that
he had not been comfortable since
he had been in the army and did not |
expect to be until he got out. I'm |
afraid there have been a great many
uncomfortable people the last four
years.
Il have been reading 'Vie de Jesus"
which l enjoyed much. One tries to |
keep reading something the most of |
the time. 1t tends to keep the mind !
occupied. There is paucity of mag
azines, though books are more album |
dant. One may get books and pack |
ages from London. Uncle Sam pro- |
vides plenty of clothes and food"