The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1918-03-28
LETTER FROM GEO. MURPHY.


The following letter from George
Murphy nephew of the editor OF The
Herald. and who is known to many
Beaver people, having taught in high
school here. will be read with inter
est:
Camp Jackson, South Carolina.
March 4, 1918.
Dear Folks:
! Have had two letters from Okla
homa since I have written so guess
Il is my move.
We have had change OF officers
in our company-have FIVE commits
stoned officers now-one captain,
two first lieutenants and two second
lieutenants. When they came we
thought we we're going across imme-
diately but now the dope runs an
other month or six weeks here for us.
You'd think they were going to take
us abroad on pleasure trip because
everyone is anxious to go-1 don't
believe there is a man in our com
pany that wants to stay on this side
| If there is he is afraid to say so
for the rest OF us would make II hot
for him. / know I'd be mighty dis
appointed II I didn't get to go. One
report came out that no one would go
over until they had successful vac
cination. That didn't encourage me
much because / have been vaccinated
seven times since / come into the
army and none of them have taken"
Most OF us think that report was
"latrine gossip'-Ill see II any OF
YOU can figure out where "latrine'
gossip would originate.
Yes, Uncle Will, l know exactly
how you feel when you say you'd like
to be with me. But l don't think
your place. under the circumstances.
is in the army. For my part l don't
want to see anyone who is really
needed at home taken-there are lots
of sides to all these questions. ! do
know few fellows though whose
going is going to please me just
simply because they are trying to
dodge 1t. I'd like to be in command
of a bunch of that kind for a while.
It makes one think of war to stay
around here. OF course we see al
most nothing but uniforms. Some
times at drill we can see one gang
digging trenches. another bunch go
| ing "over the top" with bayonets
fixed, still another learning to use the
gas masks and over at the range we
can hear the machine guns and big
artillery. Sometimes we are kept
awake at night by the firing in night
maneuvers. believe this is going to
be the finest trained army the world
has ever seen. ! am sure the men
are Of higher class than has been
usual in armies, excepting of course,
the countries which have universal
military training-and you can bet
my little old ballot is going to be
cast for the men who stand for mill
tary preparedness as long as ! am
voter. A few years ago we thought
large wars were thing OF the bar
baric past. I am of the opinion now
that there will be wars as long as
there are people living on the earth
and my logic now is-be able to get
the lump on the other fellow and
never get caught again like we did
this time. hate to think what
would have happened to the U. S. A
had the Kaiser seen fit to strike us
first in his devilish plan Of creating
for himself a world empire. / uset
to believe that an army would spring
up here over night and be able to re
sist the whole world but l have beer
rather forcibly impressed with thu
error Of my views. That kind OF tall
makes fine Fourth of July thunder
but IL isn't worth much when 4
comes to waging war against
scientific country whose entire re
sources have been conserved fo
Iyears with no purpose other thai
war. The preachers and Y. NJ. c. A
men here include "our enemy II
their prayers but for me, they cal
go to the devil and l won't shed an.
tears. That is just little too mucl
turning of the other cheek for me.
Shall write some of you agaii
soon. Tell Professor Hill that IL
like to see MIN pushing that bah!
buggy around.
L \ Ax,tnulu