Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-03-06
LETTER FROM A WOMAN
WORKER FOR SOLDIERS
I'M FRANCE

First, as to the business feel that
want to tell you as a member of the
war work council committee that the
Y. M. c. A. work Is the most splendid
ly organized work have ever come In
contact with, and the men are the
grandest and most efficient men that
it has ever been my fortune to meet.
The soldiers from every army are
most enthusiastic over the work that
the z. NJ. c. A. is doing. All agree that
it is the greatest thing in connection
with the life of the soldier in camp. 7
have talked with English, Belgian,
French, Canadian and Australian SOL
diers and all agree on this point.
writing this to you in order to assure
you that any time you give to this
work viii be more than we'll spent,
and You can feel that you are sewing
your country as efficiently as the nan
In the trench Every dollar that is
spent is well spent. and such is the eff
ficiency of the management that
feel sure that not a cent is wasted.
'I have been very highly honored
in being selected as one of three Of
our unit to go to the French army. In
addition to the regular canteen work
that is done in the American camps, I
shall have the delightful work OF
teaching English to the French Off
GERS. My ability to speak French, my
experience as a teacher, and my gray
hairs, are my valuable assets.
II shall probably not hear my native
tongue spoken until I have taught
some one to speak it. The French
work offers larger opportunity for
service, inasmuch as it means the ce-
menting of the fraternaI relations be-
tween the missionaries. l am also
doing something for our own boys. 7
went out Sunday morning to the Red
al T.,
convalescent American soldiers are and
played the hymns for the service and
afterward visited among them, and in
the afternoon a number Of our ladies
went out and took an American Beauty
| rose to each man in the hospital. You
never saw men so happy to see anyone
as they were to see us Many of them
shed tears when we gave them the
roses.
along with all the serious things
that come up each day | have no end
of fun trying to get around Paris. I
feel like a fly in spider web. Getting
lost is a daily occurrence with me, and
results in a personally conducted tour
home every evening. You know Paris
is dark, and in consequence the 9TH
erwise friendly signs on the street
corners are obscured, and am help
less. But the French people are so
kind and polite that anyone is willing
to go any distance out of his or her
way to see me home. Sometimes I am
escorted by swell French officer who
| Is fairly dazzling in his brilliant uni
form, sometimes a lovely woman in
heavy mourning, but more often the
| 'garcon,' or small boy who just falls
all over himself in his efforts to do
the gracious thing, and let's out more
French words to the minute than any
one human is supposed to command.
The other evening l asked market
woman to direct me. She locked up
her little cart and left it standing on
the street while she escorted me two
or three squares and then she left me
with a bright smile and a CHEEKY wave
of the hand, and 'Vive i Amerique!' I
enjoy it all.
"Take this from one who is on the
ground, there is no sacrifice too great
| to make, and no amount Of money too
great to spend, to accomplish the end
| for which we are fighting.
| "The American people have not yet
begun to understand the meaning Of
| the word sacrifice. wish you could all
see what the French people are doing
but must close now.
sincerely yours
(Signed) MYRTLE STINSONs"