The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-11

sets and battalions from Nebra
ica's people, the greatest collect
a practical task, from the Hig
Princeton, and Columbia; from
Michigan: Wisconsin, Illinois,
bockers, Hoosiers, Cavaliers al
massing-the biggest collection
Piles yet displayed in this or an
American officers in London are
rigidly silent as regards themselves
and their dispositions, but they chat
| freely ION the outskirts" of their or
ders, and the following extracts from
conversations not strictly military will
reveal the spirit and attitude of young
| America, now across the Channel, in
the hush which precedes the sturg-
gle.
How do we like the British? Just
fine. But they ask funny questions,
just in confidence. They mean well.
One q bit sarcastic asked me II L did
not find it a disadvantage to have no
language of my own. Another, wheth-
err one often sees Buffalo Bill in New
York society; or whether Shakespeare
or Bernard Shaw is most read in the
States. Our. fellows try to be polite,
ad clothe their answers in humorous
DISCUSSES. The French we meet al
low US to tell them things. The Bri-
fish extract information like dentists
But there is great admiration for the
British in every camp"
Sammy
I'VE swap books with both British
and French, but mostly British. We
find your British officers very eager
to read our writers. 1 have observed
ICooper's '"Tales of the Open Air,
I Mark Twain in any guise, William
Dean Howells, George W. Cable, and
among our women, Alice Hogan Rice
Ruth McEnery Stuart and Mary John
ston are most acceptable; but most o.
them practically unknown to wei
educated British officers. L DWELL
Holmes, and Longfellow they have {
passing acquaintance with.
81 think the marked trait of the
American officers now in France il
contrast with British and French i!
their love. Of nature. They have al
ready strong affection for their sur
roundings. 1t is especially marked il
the country camps. 1t comes, I TAXI
it, from their love of great freee for
ests, swift-rushing rivers, wooded
mountain ranges in the East, an(
snowy peaks and many-colored can
lyons in the West. Our men are large
ly members of the Audubon societies
Such companies of boys and girl
studying wild flowers and birds as vol
do not find in Europe, Their interes
is not so much scientific as vital ant
itemperamental
Another feature said an officer
sis our sense of humor. OF course, w
have come to Europe with the repu
tation as a nation of jokers, who's
jests like our ready-made shoes, hav
an oblique form which makes othe
nationalities find difficulty in getting
into them. The contrast in the hu
NOR of the various camps as I hav
seen them is very marked. Our hu
NOR has nothing of French brillian
cy, little of the spice Of practical jok
ing which plays a big part in Eng
lish fun. 1t is not like the German
joke, which announces its arrival will
the sound of a trumpet. 1t usual,
wears a sober face and speaks in
quiet voice.
Eyes! we've a pretty substantial ar
my already in France, where the maj
and officers have been additional,
trained since they left America. The.
have constructed Independent lines O
communication and supply and vas
storage and other facilities. No sucl
provision has ever been made befor
in the camps and behind the lines TO
the comfort, health and well-being o
an army. This is reflected in the of
l fetal returns. The death-rate in tn
American army in 1915 was pc
1000. In France it has been under
per 1000. and just per 1000 in tn
training camps in the states since las
September.
I'VE are an army largely equippe
, by the Allies-England and France a
t present. We have had the pick O
their baskets-the best. The major
. fty of our men are shots with a modi
fled Enfield. We have a very nea
. three-inch gun of our own particular
ly designed for anti-aircraft. We hav
: your splendid Lewis guns on our aero
planes; but not in the trenches.
think General Pershing's view is tina
we have an equivalent. Let the Ger
+ mans find out. Big artillery? Yes
we have some!
, What we Americans can't gri
well is the class distinctions in Br1
= fish Army life. When we do, it's har
:, to endure them. In the America
: Army there is well-marked, genuin
comradeship between officers an
men. There is no social inferiorit!
But we don't drink tea-we leave the
for women and invalids-or say Isl
and salute whenever we dare to speal
Sing? I should say we do. But OF
s. songs are not British, There's n
! Boys of the Old Brigade or Upper
e ary' about our music. We run on
Is didn't raise my boy to be soldier
i Honey, boy, I hate to see you leaN
Il ing, My Old Kentucky Home;' bJ
e we get near to you with Harry Lau6
Il er's Roaming in the cleaning 'Cc
lumbia' is a standby, and the Sta
I Spangled Banner a stock in-trade.
Through the winter we have bee
9 growing bigger and bigger Rigorol
training has continued in all weather
Swedish drill, gymnastics. musket1
d practices use of cover, company ar