The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-07-17
CAPT. JORDAN TELLS SOMETHING OF LIFE CLOSE UP ID FRONT Boys Have Taken Fritz's Measure and Now Know
 They Can Whip Him CRACK JOKES IN
 MIDST OF ALARM
 OVER GAS ATTACK It Is Not All Fighting in France and There Are Worse Places
 Than the Trenches

capt. Mortimer Ii. Jorudn ol the I6Tth infantry. one of Birmingham's popular officers in France. knows how to write an interesting letter.
 In the days before he became a doc tor and later an infantry line officer. Captain Jordan was reporter on The Age- Herald Mrs. Jordan has consent ed to the publication of a letter just received from her husband, which reads as follows:
 Somewhere Over Here,
 June 24, 1918.
 Every time l write letter with anything in it. something always creeps in that might be of interest to old Fritz. so I have to rewrite the whole thing. For that reason I am afraid my letters have been painfully dull and uninterestinE.
 "It could be of little interest to any body to be told Gas so often happens) that T am not now where I used to be, but am in another place not far from where I would have been had I come here before, but not nearly as close as the place I expect to go to later on." Or that q am not now on the same kind of duty as before, but on something else which is very much like, but not entirely so, what might have been the case had I not been put on the present job" etc, etc. But I suppose you have become accustomed to such letters by this time, and can stand them.
 NOT ALL FIGHTING
 "As to our present affairs, just take it for granted that not quite all the time of our regiment is taken up in fighting, for there are some quiet mo- ments in which we are not engaged in mortal combat. Do not get the idea that we are being shot at every mo- ment, or that the Hun is forever straf- ing us. Just remember that we have lighter moments in which we are about as safe we would be at home, and that we then rest and take things easy, and clean up and get civilized once more. At such times we can realize that there are worse places In the world than French village back of the lines.
 q believe that people at home with relatives in the A. r. r. have an ex- aggerated idea of the horrors of trench life, and so add greatly to their own anxiety and unhappiness. My observa- tion has been that although front line trench is not by any means a health or pleasure resort, it could be a great deal worse. A look at the average youngster of our army, who has just finished tour of trench duty would surprise his anxious mother very much. Instead of the pale and ghastly spectre, worn out with fighting and heart sick with the horror of it, that she has pictured in her mind. she would see burly young ruffian full of strange oaths and a great deal more interested in the dinner hour and the tobacco supply than in any hardships he may have undergone. She might be shocked at her darling's language, bat she would be overjoyed at his physical improvement. She might congratulate herself that he may become a real up- standing, two-fisted man at last
 DEPENDS ON INDIVIDUAL
 "The effect of the trench life seems to depend great deal upon the make up of the individual soldier, Most of them improve. But on few nervous natures, or those who are cursed with too much imagination. it has the ex- actly opposite effect. The subterra . mean existence the noise, anxiety and constant vigilance have a woeful ef- feet upon some men. . have known several who were absolutely unable to endure life. Some never get accus- toned to it, while others take it as a natural thing.
 indifference shown by our men and the readiness with which they have fit- ted themselves into the grim game they are playing. They have adopted the philosophy, common to soldiers the world over, that they will "get it. when the time comes and not before. Every man believes in his heart that he Is not to "get it." and so gives very little thought to the danger of the game.
 They have come to regard the ene- my with great deal of contempt. They admit his ability to fight in large masses, but have learned long ago that as an individual he is no match for the average American Whenever two patrols meet in No Mans Land the Kaiser invariably loses some soldiers.
 HAVE TAKEN HIS MEASURE
 "Our men have long ago decided that they can whip old Fritz any day in the week, provided they can get chance at him. They have learned that he is a poor sport and d bad loser. His readi- ness to resort to any sort of dishonor- able or disreputable strategy to get ad- vantage of his enemies and his quick ness in holding up his hands and whin- ing Mercy, Kamarad," when he sees that he has not got the auVantage,. as well as his shameless way of shooting his captor in the back after his sur render has been accepted has taught us that he is not person to be truated.
 There is plenty of tragedy in the front lines, enough to sadden the most but the men manage to get plenty of fun out of life, nevertheless. Ever a gas attack, a form of deviltry that the Germans forged on the world to add to the misery of the war, can not dampen their spirits. There is never a gas alarm that is not followed by the inevitable stock of jokes, which travel from platoon to platoon and so on through the regiment.
 GAS ALARM NO JOKE
 "Now gas alarm is no joke. for of all the terrors of the war. none can compare with this silent, creeping, treacherous death for pure unadultera- ted hellishness. Once put over, noth- ing can save a soldier in it's path but d good gas mask and skill in using it. The sick, wounded and helpless fall
 (COntinued on Page Efght)