The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1918-10-18
Many Soldiers From United
States Are BiIIeted in
French Towns.
ENJOY FRENCH HOME LIFE
Learn to sympathIze With the People
and Become Keener Than
re. Ever to Get at the
Huns.

Somewhere In France. - Many
American sildiers are having the
unique opportunity, as well as the
pleasant experience, of learning
French customs and seeing French
homelife by being billeted right in the
houses of their Gallic hosts and host
esses.
In one of the villages OF central
France, high up among the hills,
where one can get magnificent view
of the surrounding "peaks," the val
ley and the winding river below is
billeted a regiment of American ar
tillery lads. Most Of them are from
California, others are from North Da-
kota, Montana, and other states of the
Northwest.
Coming up the road from the rail-
way station one crosses the mill racQ
with its ancient stone bridge, passes
the "moulin nOir" and entering the
village after "recall," sees the soldiers
lolling about in the houses or seated
about the tables in front of the wtne
shops talking to their French friends
whose guests they are.
From one, of the village streets
clear through the town the houses
are marked with the number Of
Americans bilheted there. One place
may have painted at the side OF the
door. ''24 men" and another "2 Of
ficers, IA men," Downsa the narrow
side streets are more billets and from
these winding passageways the SOL
diers come In scores after the eve-
ming mess to wander along the "main
drag" and visit billets of their friends
In other batteries.
No Formality There.
Life Is very informal in this vii
lage since the Americans came. The
doors and windows of the hOme-bil-
let's. opening right into the streets,
reveal the soldiers beds made up in
ship-shape military manner, the
floors scrubbed spotlessly clean and
everything as neat and tidy as home
might be expected to be. In many
places, sanitation, crude in most
French towns, at least, from an Amer
leans standpoint, has been improved
and living conditions improved not
only for the soldiers but for the
civilian natives as well.
"HOw do you like living In billets?"
was asked raw-bOned gunner who
said his home had ben in Idaho.
"All right now" came the response.
1--WE did not think much Of 1t Mt
first: we had to go too far for mess.
The cook shack is away up there on
the hill in the square behind the
church. And In our billet we had to
climb ladder to get into the hay
NOW. I'd rather live in tent, es.
pecially in the summer. But we all
say. like the French, 'C'est Ia guerre'
and let 1t go at that.
"But we're learning lot about the
French. getting lot of insight into
their lives which we could not get
otherwise. We're learning to sympa-
thize with them more than ever. ]
believe 1t makes MS better soldiers.
know for sure that 1t makes us
keener to fight the Germans when We
hear some of the facts the French
people tell us. Why, in our house
alone the old man and old woman
who live there have lost three sons
In the war and another is a prisoner
of the Germans.
"Oh, we get along all right. The
women do our washing and mending
and they're always anxious to do Il
lot of extra things for us. We sure
will miss these people when we move
from here. 1t will be like leaving
home again"
Music and Craps.
The black troops are bringing Amer
ica's folk songs to Europe. Whether
he Is In the overalls OF the stevedOre
or the olive drab Of the fighting man
going over the top, the American ne.
gro sings just as he does In the cotton
fields of the sunny Southland or the
dock along the shores of the Great
Lakes.
The nearness of the war. the whizz