The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-05-08
LETTER FROM
YANk IN FRANCE
Letter Deals With Conditions and the.
Camp Life Back Of Fighting Lines
Of the War Zone. e3g
SEE MANY GERMAN PRISONERS
The French People Are Al FARMERS
but Reside in Towns, Walking to
Their Farms Daily $

Today is the first of April and we
have not beein doing any work. FoA'
the last two weeks we have been TAXI
ing more training. 1t has been said
that the most OF us will be put with
troops. This means good hard work
and also fighting for we shall then
have to go in the trenches. Just n wv
the biggest battle Of the war is ra,g-
ing. The Germans are looking to .bre
through but they never will. In tl1<
ing to do this they are losing thOuS-
ands and thousands Of men. This
has been told by those who were near
the fight The Germans are gaining
a little ground but it never will re-
pay them for the men which they are
losing. Some of the German prison.
ers taken in this battle. passed through
here. All were decked out In new
suits. Guess they intended to spend
April FOOLS Day in Paris where they
expected to rush to when they broke
through the English and French
lines. Instead Of being in Paris these
fellows are now working in a stone
quarry not far from here. Many seem
to thing that wien this battle is over
that peace will soon come. hardly
think so, but we all shall be pleased
| if it turns out that way. I am feeling
fine now, except for a slight cough.
Many of the fellows have been bother
ed with lung trouble for it does get
real damp and chilly over here at
times. We have had some real sum-
mer weather and | sure do hope that
it keeps up.
This is the most out-of-date country
one can imagine. 1t is so far behind
the times that it will never catch up.
Everything is so much different than
l expected to find it. The women and
girls here wear cheap gingham Dress
es Of bright colors, nearly all wear
aprons and big. homely shoes. The
people live in little towns with big
walls around them, every house Is
also surrounded by stone wall and
entrance is made through an iron
gate. The people are all farmers
and they walk out to the farms every
day. You never see building out
in the country at all, the people All
living in villages. They bury their
dead in their front yards and erect
monuments for them. Every build
ing here is made of stone. We have
not yet seen a wooden structure. I
don't believe there is building in
town that is under two hundred years
old. They have town crier who
comes along every night and beats
on a drum until he draws crowd OF
natives and then reads them the news
of the day. They have. funny eats
here too. The principal foods are
war bread and goat butter and rabbits
for meat. Wine is served at every
meal. The wine tastes very much like
vinegar to me. The farms are all
run by women and old men. They
don't accomplish as much in a week as
one of our farmers would in an hour
They don't have much in the way OF
farm implements and they SOW their
seeds by hand. Instead of having
four wheeled wagons they have big
two-wheeled carts and in place of rid
ing and driving the horse, they walk
and lead him. 1t is an interesting
country, however. and l like it quite
we'll The only trouble have is with
the language. the only thing I can
say in French is hello and "yes."
am going to start right in now and
learn to talk the language, providing
the war lasts long enough. ~