Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-08-26
PROF. MITCHELL
: WRITES N / letter
Former webster City School Man
Writes An Interesting Letter
From New York on Eve Of
Departure
OFF FOR SERVICE IN FRANCE
Tells of Many Sights in the East and
Of the Men in His De-
tachment.
OFF FOR SERVICE IN FRANCE

The war has provided the great ad-
venture for many man, but, to one
at least, it seemed to be looked upon
as the great experience. Prof. NJ L.
Mitchell, former faculty member OF
Lincoln high school here, who with
two OF his colleagues, left the profess
sion Of teaching and Joined the ranks
of the nations defenders, is now ready
/. to set sail for France and the culmi
nation of war experience.
A letter written to friend in the
city is illustrative Of the professors
interest and humorous insight in life.
1t follows:
This must be at least the second or
third farewell, America" letter that
/ have written to you, but this time
can give you positive assurance
that it is the genuine article. You
can draw the obvious conclusion.
Well, l am glad to be off at last and
hope that the 162d will have chance
to do its part in winding up the war
in the proper fashion
1t certainly does seem as though /
should be getting ready to come back
to Webster City and instruct the class
of 1919 about the laws of falling bodies
and the inversely Tor perversely) pro-
portional ratios, which used to worry
some of the pupils SO much. Here's
hoping that by next August Kaiser
Willie will have learned something
about falling bodies himself, and that
the world can get back to its normal
pursuits.
Hot in New York.
il can sympathize with you about the
recent hot weather for we had it, too.
In fact all records were broken in New
York City and other places close by.
One or two days we had dust in addi
tion, and the boys all felt qualified as
caravan drivers in the Sahara desert
after it was over. However, drills
were cut down and Office work just
slid during the severest sweltering-
ness. The weather is fine and cool
now.
In justice to Philadelphia, want
to say that it may be old-fashioned
but 1t would be my choice of a resi-
dence city out of all the big towns L
have seen yet. San Francisco would
come long ways down the list, and
Chicago pretty high.
Hog Island Yard.
Did tell you that one afternoon my
brother and took boat down the
Delaware to Wilmington. Del, and
saw the big Hog Island shipyard
This latter was impressive, and the
river view gave an idea of the i'm
mensity of the thing that could have
been gotten in no other way. The
ship-ways loom up against the sky
like the pyramids of Egypt in the old
school Biographies, and when you put
fifty of them side by side, it makes a
sight that would make Won Tirpitz
claw his beard. II he has one.
Betsy Ross House.
The last thing did in Philadelphia
was to look up the Betsy Ross
house. 1t was late at night and my
brother and / had been out at sub
urban park (only twenty miles QUIT
to hear a symphony orchestra concert
We were hurrying to catch train, and
/ happened to recollect that we had
not seen the birthplace OF the flag,
and felt morally certain that some
time you might ask me whether l had
seen It, and what excuse could l give
IL had failed to look 1t up? So we
found the place by inquiring Of a
policeman, went block out of our
way, and there the building was. just
like its pictures. tits the tiniest little
place imaginable, with big flag over
the front doorway, and the moonlight
streamed over it in very dramatic
way. We gazed at the place minute,
and then beat it for the Camden ferry.
Lacey" (DarnelD will get along
fine in the army, predict In fact,
army life soon gets to be quite endur-
able and even enjoyable. In my own
case think the breaking-in was as
hard as it often is found to be, because
the life was such an abrupt contrast
from my entire previous history that
1t was not easy to break away from
my old work and take UP the new;
but I rather like it now. 1t is GER
tainly educational to say the least, |
and gives one chance to see all sides
of human nature Including the staff |
officers, the detachment Of sixty-threel