The Holly chieftain., 1919-06-12

illdt tilty were SOiIlS IlOlilt W Dtu.
| wonder what would have happen
ed if | hadn't been here. The Ger
man was waiting for them up stairs,
having heard them come in. They
would have landed in the guard
house and probably got broken
heds in the bargain.
Well this isn't very cheerful let
ter I'm afraid, but | am well and it
is said that we will start home
about the first of June provided the
peace terms are signed properly.
They are ahead OF the sailing
schedule SO we ought to get home
soon. With love. From your son,
CORP. WAYNE H. PIERCE.
Apr 12-Dear Father: ] got your
letter the other day and was right
glad to get it. l am sure you don't
get all of my letters. | wrote some
thing about the Red Cross and Sal
yatiOn Army. | presume you didn't
get it.
| havn't had puch of chance
to see these outfits in action. You
really have no idea how little man
sees who has job that keeps him
always with his piece. However, I
can say this: The Red Cross is
rarely or never criticised by the
soldiers. Always they have given us
fair treatment. Several times they
sent us presents OF toilet articles,
sweets, etc, when they were not OBJ
tainable elsewhere. Their work
among the wounded is well known.
can add nothing, having had no eX-
perience. The Red Cross does not
operate on the battlefield. At pre-
sent the Red Cross is feeding thou.
sands of soldiers daily, men who are
travelling on pass or otherwise, and
who would often go hungry but for
the Red Cross. Also they have ho-
tells, baths, etc, at various places.
On trip through France recent
ly | had many meals from the Red
Cross. Some places they charge but
II man has no money he is well
come to meal without cost. To
the ladies who have worked for the
Red Cross | can only say for myself
and comrades, thank you, your work
has greatly helped us and is appre-
ciated by every soldier.
AS for the Salvation Army it has
a tremendous popularity wherever
it has operated. 1t always had
something for the soldiers Thou
sands remember the doughnuts
they served and also the girls who
served them. They were usually
the first up during the drive and
some how they always managed to
get supplies over the impossible
roads. Whoever helped the Saliva
tiOn Army truly could not have
helped a better organization or one
more deserving of soldiers graft
tude
You know, don't suppose people
really know how big a part these
organizations played or how much
a good canteen meant to the sol.
diers. think our army ration lacks
sweets, especially for cold damp
weather such as we had in the Ar
gonne. The men were ravenous, (no
other word expresses it, for candy,
jams, etc. OF course we often had
little or no food during long hikes
in pretty sharp weather and the
craving for food, especially sweets,
was intense, far more than any per-
son in ordinary life ever experiences.
AS result the men walked miles, at
times, hoping to find a canteen
which had something to sell. The
Salvation Army almost always had
something, at least they always
tried desperately to get it. That is
where the ''Y" failed. They rarely
had anything and the spectacle OF
several "Y" secretaries sitting com
fortably around in an empty "Y"
hut caused plenty of criticism from
hungry men who perhaps had
tramped considerable distances in
the hope of getting tobacco, jam,
candy or chocolate.
In further cOmmendatiOn of the
Salvation Army Corp. Pierce sends
the following newspaper clipping
from little paper entitled '1The
Watch on the Rhine:
THE GRAND LITTLE ARMY. >.
They were only small army. We
did not find them in every little
sector where we fought. They could
not extend their thin ranks in one
continuous line along the entire bat
tie front. They had to maneuver
back and forth along the lines to
make their strength felt at every
point.
But no one can forget the work of
the Salvation Army How often we
hear someone say: Il used to pass
them up in the streets of my home
town with something akin to scorn.
But after I get back | shall never
fail to drop a coin in the tambour-
inc when it passes by
1t isn't the laSsies'S gift of dough-
nuts that warns our hearts toward
the Salvation Army It's the SINGER
ity with which they cling to their
ideal, the selfdenial that they un-
dergo to carry out this ideal. and