The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-04-17
COLLEGE SOLDIER
IS IN FRENCH u
FORMER COLLEGE STUDENT AND
EMPloYE OF THE REGISTER
WRITES HOME
A GLIMPSE Of TRAVELLING N FRANCE
Educational Advantages Being Offered
The Soldiers OF American Army
Are OF The Very Best

Rev. |. NJ. Hargett has received the
following interesting letter concerning
the travels in France of A. J. Emily,
a former State College student and
now In the American school detach.
ment In France. His many old friends
here will be glad to hear of his pro-
motion:
American School Detachment, Mont
pellier (Herault), France. via A. p. o.
1852, March 20, 1919.-My dear Har.
gett: lave gotten so thoroughly
ashamed of myself that have decided
to write to you this a. m. Will first
give o a little history of travels for
have moved some. believe / last
wrote to you from Army Candidates
School at Langres. l finished there
the 31st of January, and am now a
IND lieutenant in the o. r. corps.
From Langres was granted a pass
tieft Feb. 10TH, for leave area in
French Alps. Passed through and
stopped off at Dion, and Lyon, and
arrived at Grenoble the 18th. Was
there and in vicinity for eight days.
A wonderful place,-good old uniyer-
sity, fine museum and M or two cha
teaus near by, that are a museum in
French history themselves. Some of
the finest kid gloves in the world are
produced here, the goat skins being
worked up here. Most of the labor
Is done by piece work in the homes.
Since ! was in France l had never
found as fine a class of people as |
did in this locality. They are people
OF ideas and ideals. They have pep
"b%eaucoup" and are Industrious, part
ly because of necessity. This section
of France furnished the most of and
the best Of Frances famous shock
troops, the Chasseurs. They wore
blue, loose fitting garments, with a
fiat SLOUGH cap. The Germans very
appropriately called them the BLUE
Devils" But when | say all this I
keep one. thing in reserve and that is
that there is no one soldier or class
OF soldiers that equal the q. ID. clad
American. He can just coolly blow
an enemy into kingdom come and the
next move give an enemy prisoner d
cigaret or food with the same con.
Germ that he would his bunkie. | saw
the stamp (~trademark) of John Wan
amaker and Wanamaker Of PhiIadeL
phia and New York Qarge stores in
Paris) on the gauntlet of case after
case of gloves while in the main fac
tory at Grenoble. (This is some Sc
quence but / thought it interesting
enough to mention).
From Grenoble / returned through
Lyon, Dion to st. Afghan, a large re-
assignment camp near Tours. l was
only there four days getting put the
26th. | was billed for the seth divi-
sion In Germany and had two men as
signed to me for the same place, ON
the same travelling orders. We re-
turned to Dion, Langres. Chaumont,
Toul, Metz, Luxembourg. Treves and
Coblenz on h Rhine. Spent Sunday
in COblenz. 1t is a pretty city and
little do ! wonder that wars have been
fought over the Rhine and adjacent
country, it Is so nice. Then we came
back to Treves and | reported to the
seth division adjutant at Kyllburg.
There. turned over the necessary pa
pers and was relieved of my men, and
ordered to report to battalion and COM
pany at Erdorf. The boys surely gave
me a warm hand, having been gone
nearly four months. | surely felt
good over my reception. at once
sent in my application to attend a
French university. Four days later
my travelling orders were handed to
me. ! returned to Treves, Luxembourg,
Toul then to Paris, where I had TWEEN
ty-twO hours. Was in the Louvre a
the old church and bell that sounded
the massacre of hundreds of people
that forms an important date in
French history. From Paris to Mar
settles, passed through Dion and
Lyon again; made the trip in sixteen
hours and cost me fifteen and a half
francs (about 5000. That was one
real ride. From Marseilles came over
to Montpelier. arriving here the 10th
of March. l I'm studying nothing but
French and expect to leave here the
last week in June. l am fortunate
enough to room with a family and 1t is
just o. k. board a few blocks away.
Here also board one American lieuten-
ant, four French university students
and a young woman who teaches
Italian and French In a school and
she also speaks Spanish. Now she
wishes to learn English. One of the
four students Is a girl and is taking
chemistry at the u. She and one of
the men speak a little English. We