The Redwood gazette., 1919-03-26
Art COrCOran
Writes from France
REDWOOD FALLS SERGEANT
WRITES MOTHER FROM
OVERSEAS CAMP.
This is THE LIFE"

January 29th, 1919
My dear Mother:-
Your first letter came this evening
| need not say how glad / was to hear
from you and to know that everyone
is well. | did not know but that some
of you had the influenza. It is pretty
bad In the Estates" isn't it?
/ have not been sick day since COM
ing over here. But I have tooth be-
ing filled now, that is after the dentist
gets through drilling and killing
nerves. There must have been terri
bic amountSof nerve in that tooth for
he has tried three times to kill it land
also mel but has not as yet succeeded.
The dentist is from Minneota and says,
he has danced a number of times to
the music of the Dream Orchestra
from Redwood Falls. / do not know
where he lives.
would like to tell you something of
France but do not know where to be-
gin. You see we get so used to things
over here, that things which would be
a surprise and delight for you back
home to see, seem commonplace to us.
For instance we do not laugh to see an
old French lady or little girl or boy
going down the street with "sla" (for
they really are slabs) of bread, al
most as large if not larger than the
bearer itself.
France is beautiful! There is no
doubt of it and the French love their
country with zeal and reverence un-
equaled. Even now in winter it is
beautiful. | cannot imagine how won
derful it is in summer. Every field
has it's hedge to enclose it. The en-
trance to every yard has it's gate
posts even though some of the gates
are gone for the posts outline the
gates by far. When speak of hedg-
es you probably have in mind a pic
ture of the unkempt hedges of Hi
nois and Indiana. But these are far
different They are kept carefully
trimmed and add to the beauty. All
the houses are made of stone Or con-
crete and remain the landmarks of
centuries ago. Here and there a
great chateau rears it's towers to the
sky. The former home of some no
BILE who lorded over the peasants and
lived life of ease. Many of these
old chateau's still bear the marks of
struggles, feudal struggles of the 10Th
century But the walls and towers
still stand a monument of what
France suffered before the common
people rose and threw off the yoke.
of aristocracy
We are in the valley of the Gar
rome river, perhaps a half score of
miles from Bordeaux. Off on the
north bank of the river built in a.
mong the bluffs and hills are many
old chateals and walls. The villages
peep out through the trees as far as
the eye can see, while here and there
appears the steeple of church
These are the most magnificent of
all buildings of France-great mas
sive structures of stone and concrete
France is practically all Catholic. Ev-
and every church has it's graveyard
1t is here that the character of the
French is revealed. The most beau
tiful of graveyards in our country is
hardly as we'll kept as the poorest in
France. One is surprised at the beau
ty and seeming costliness of the grave
marks. Yet they cannot be very cost
ly for the French peasants are not
we'll to do But it is not these stone
monuments that make the beauty. 1t
lis the wreaths and flowers placed
there daily by unforgetting ones. 1t
is ever like our grave yards on decor
alton day
You see.I cannot Stick" to one sub
ject. get enthusiastic and try to tell
/ all at once.
Well in this valley of the Garrone