Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-04-26
AMERICANS IN FRANCE
EDollsh Writer Tells About What
They Are Doing.
FRENCH CONSIDER Army A MIRACLE
Largest Aviation Camp In The World
Nearing compIetion-Soldiers From
The United States Who Can Speak
French In Great Demand-But
French People Think They Can un'
derstand All The Same.

French In Great Demand-6ut
French People Think They Can un'
derstand All The Same.
Lawrence Jcrold. who has recently
returned to London from visit win
the American forces in France. has
this article in the London Telegraph:
The old towns and villages Of Cen
,r,l France look upon the American
army in their midst as the greatest
miracle they have ever known. one
motors through scores OF little towns
I,pd Villages where the American SOL
dirrs swarm. The villagers put up
IinIn,ing. calico signs, flags, ana nave
STOCKS of American canned goods in
their shop windows. The children
when bold play with the American
.olIicrs and when shy venture 10 go
up and touch nm American soldiers
| log. Old peasant ladies put on their
Sunday black and so out walking anu
talking with American soldiers. tn"
village mayor turns out and makes n
sucrch utterly incompr"hcnsibl" to
the American soldier whenever n
Ir, sh contingent arrives. The l9l9
lass. just called up. plays hnGl's anu
shouts Good morning" when nm
American car goes by.
Miracle to Our Boys, Too.
Vice versa. Central France Is per
haps even more of miracle 10 inc
American troops. TO watch the Amer
iron trooper being shown over Il castle
which was In its prime under l.o'l'S
NIL, and dates back 10 Roman iort-
rcss. now beneath il. Is wonderful
sight. There is nothing of the "inno-
rcnts Abroad" about him. heard
scarcely anything of any American
hrop of modernism. On the contrary
the soldier is learning all these wonders
of the past. The officer too, even the
educated officer, is beautifully aston
ishcd ut all this past.
The American officers who speak
French are, Of course. heroes In ever!
town. and sought after by every
| french officer and man. Those VINO DO
| moi know French are learning IL.
4 great French preacher in n SER
mon in a Paris church said that this
coming to France of millions oi i'ril-
| ish troops and future millions oil
American troops may mean eventual
lis one OF the greatest changes III
continental Europe the world mas
ever known. His words never seemed
TO me so full OF meaning as they did
when | was among the Americans.
There of course, the contrast IL IN
Gnitely greater than it can be III the
France which British troops are oc-
cupying and defending. These Amer
leans, building up numerous works oi
| all kinds to prepare for defending
France, have brought with theh
Chinese and negro labor: and Chinese
and negroes and German. land Aus
trian prisoners all work IN thesc
American camps under American OIL
iicrrs' orders.
Imagine what an experience TINS
spectacle seems to the country ioik
of this old French soil, who have al
ways lived very quietly ana VINO
knew. indeed, that France had allies
fighting and working for her. but had
never seen any of them until THESE
Americans came across a thousand
miles OF ocean.
American Activities.
Something Of a miracle. also' IS
what the Americans are accomplish
| ing. They are doing everything on
huge scale. | saw aviation camps
training camps, aviation schools waste
tracts where barracks were being pnt
up. railways built. tclegraphs anu tel,
cphoncs, installed by Chinese and
negro labor, German prisoners labor.
under the direction OF American
skilled workmen, who are In France
lby the thousand. There are Y. NJ.
Ic. A. canteens, Red Cross cantcens.
clubs for officers and for men, the
atrcs and moving picture shows Tor
the army and prodigious amount
| OF food all from America. the mans
alone | saw strung up In one cahtcrh
would astonish the Germans Ameri-
can canned goods, meat, fruit. con-
dcnscd milk, meal, &c, have arrived
in France in stupendous quantities.
| | cannot say either the number OF
| American troops now in France OF
the number OF troops who are eX-
pected to arrive this year, but the
former figure is well up TO cXpecta-
i ton and the latter figure Is as
founding.
Men Are Well Fed.
| | made one objection TO American
| Ouartermasters: These men have
arrived in France: they can he
housed. there Is room for them. How
are they to be fed?" The answer
was, Before we bring the men we
bring the wherewithal to feed them.
This, indeed. Is done thoroughly and
methodically. No body Of American
troops land in France until what Is
required for their sustenance several
weeks ahead Is already stored In
France. Only the smallest neces-
saries are bought on the spot. and
troops passing through England on
their way TO France are strictly Tor
hidden, both officers and men. TO buy
lany article of food whatsoever In
England.
| As for the quality Of the food. the
American has nothing 10 complain
OF. All pastry cakes. sweets. are
Ihcnceforth prohibited throughout
civilian France, but the American
troops have these things in plenty.
saw marvellous cakes and tarts. The
bread Is of pure white -four. such rs
no civilian knows nowadays.
1t is the engineering. building and
machinery works the Americans are
putting up which are the most as
tonishIng. Gangs OF workers-labor
drafts. think they call them-have
come over In thousands. Many OF
these young chaps are college men
Harvard or Princeton graduates
They dig and toll as efficiently as any
laborer. and perhaps with more zeal
One American major told me how a
party of these young workers arrived
straight from America at $50 p. m.
and started digging at o'clock nex'
morning.
The Aviation School.
Perhaps the biggest work of all the
Americans are doing Is certain avi-
alton camp and school. In q few