The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-02-28
A Soul Hunger

oOui munger
How ridiculous, when we look back
on our prewar existence. that we
ed to come back or our soup was not
quite the right temperaturel We have,
learned how to live since then.
We have fought for days without
food; we have drunk half-poisonous
rain water from shell holes; we have
been indescribably dirty from living
for week after week in the field with
out even unlacing our boots; we have
shivered through long October nights,
| lying drenched and without covering
in the mud and rain, too cold to sleep
except in fitful moments brought by
sheer exhaustion. And always death
piaying among us and taking COM
| rades we had come to love. Civil life,
surely, has no duties or hardships
which will daunt US. 1t seems impossi-
ble that anything, ever again. can
seem hard to us.
We have learned the value of little
| things; drink of cold water, a warm
bed, food. We have regarded these
minima of existence sometimes as un-
attainable luxuries.
Surely there will be for US no more
restless, frenzied search for a frivo-
lous, false happiness. We have discov-
cred an emotion deeper than happi-
ness.ZI know no name for it. but
have felt it. / think we have found
ourselves.
One thing we have missed most of
all over here. mention it with lit
tie fear than it may be misunderstood
and appear ridiculous. We have
missed women. Not in any sentimen-
tai, foolish way. But normal men
land we are abnormally normal men,
for all the strange life we have lived)
need the companionship of women to
keep them balanced. We have been de-
} prived of this altogether.
There is something wholesome
about the American woman-whethel
she is our mother, or our sister, OF
! somebody else's sister-that the Am
erican soldier oversee appreciates
more than ever before. And this long
| ing just to see and talk to American
women again is clean and fine. The
American girl whose soldier is over
3 sea ned not fear that mademoiselle-
however attractive-has won hin
away from her.
After so much of ugliness most Oh
Us are hungry for beauty-beauty II
everything: music, books, pictures
4 satisfying homes and green field:
4 which no shell has SCARED.
II When you welcome this American
: army home again, do not regard it.
? m embers as different from any othel
Z American men. This new army tina
Y the war called forth is made up/o.
:, men who, when they first put on Olive
: drab, were about like any other Amer
d leans. They were lawyers and day la
h borers, store clerks and boiler makers
s school-teachers and second-stor,
e workers. The day they put on civilian
: clothes again they will resume yer!
: largely their old habits and charac
f teristics. They will be more precis
o and efficient than before, for arm,
:. discipline and front-line service hav
:. compelled Quick thinking and sure
d instant action. But their militar
q hangover will not last long. Through
d out the war they have not been sol
o diers, in their deepest selves The
/ have been civilians playing at beini
e soldiers-playing it with extraordi
II nary earnestness. And all this out
e ward military texture will be take
IT off with their uniforms and they wi
t take up the old threads of their live
d and forget as quickly as possible tn
X lessons of fire and steel they hav
Y mastered.
0utwardly they will be the sam
l. men you sent away. In their soul
e they will be much changed-muc