The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-03-27
EVANSSEES HUNS
IN HANDS0F IT,
A Pleasing Sight and Thrilling One,
He Asserts-Thousands Of Ger
man Prisoners at Work.
HOW Y. CHEERS NEW ARRIVALS
Efforts Are Made to Entertain Uncle
Sans Fighters As Soon As They
Land-Courteously Received
BY Fl. e. EVANS
Copyright, 19lS.)
(Y. NJ. G.. A. Secretary

u NJ. y. ~. Secretary
SOMEWHERE IN FRANCE, Feb. %
IL have stood at the Golden Gate and
watched the orb of day bury its GRIM
son bulk in the billows Of the Pacific,
its melted rays marking the blue wa
ters with variagated colors; I have
seen the sun rise over the lofty peaks
of the Bernese Alps in Switzerland,
its rays shimmering down the snowy
mountainsides to the verdure clad val
leys below; ! have stood by Niagara's
side. charmed into bewilderment by
the beauty of mist and shadow and
colOr-but never before have l seer
so glorious sight as the Stars and
Stripes floating in a foreign port!
l have seen with great satisfaction
my state divorce itself from the liquor
traffic; | have gone the hard, uncer-
tain road Of poverty and doubt into
conditions where the grasp on the
better things of life seemed assured;
with a deep sense of gratitude have
l seen relatives and friends crafty
their ambitions. but never have
experienced such real. genuine satis-
faction as when l saw a company Of
Prussian prisoners OF war tramping
through the mud guarded by two Unit
ed States soldier boys!
U. S. Takes Prisoners.
And this is common sight III
France. These German prisoners, and
there are thousands and tens of thous-
ands of them, go about their daily
tasks apparently unconcerned and
happy. No doubt they are pleased to
be on this side Of the trenches. for
here they are safe and we'll fed They
are cleaning up Y. NJ. G.. A. huts in
the mornings, building United States
warehouses. constructing roads, etc.
They are given their board and to-
bacco, decent place to live and a
larger per diem than they received
while fighting for the kaiser The
only complaint they make is over the
loss of their beer. Simultaneous with
the loss of beer went the roses out OF
their cheeks, the bloom off their noses
and the fat off their bellies. so they
present now something of the appear
ance of faded. willowy blondes. They
are meek as lambs and mute as oys-
ters, affording marked contrast to
the staggering. am cock OF the walk
of their fellows whom l saw
in Germany.
Prisoners Well Treated.
They often go about the camps and
towns. in the performance of their
work, unattended. Every one seems
to be trusty. Even if they wanted
to escape there is no way to do it.
They do not slack or slight their
work. In no sense are they resentful
or insolent. l have never seen the
least discord between guards and pris-
oners. They are we'll behaved and
are we'll treated. They have become
a part of the wOrk-a-day life of
France, are taken as matter of
course and excite no comment or par.
ticular attention.
These prisoners are not fed by the
German government as French pris-
oners are by the French government
and people. think | wrote you two
years ago from Switzerland about a
visit to the Berne postoftice where |
saw the morning mail that came out
OF France to French prisoners in
Germany. The mail that day consist.
ed of forty thousand loaves of bread,
each LOAF wrapped in piece OF brown
paper and addressed to some French
soldier in prison pen.
Our government has arranged with
the Berne post office to handle food
stuff for our boys if captured by the
Germans, A few Of them have been