The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1919-11-07
VIEWS OF AN Ex-sERvicE MAN.

L
Last week we had the pleasure of meet
ing DR.. Paul West. of riverside, county
Inealth OFFICER and the only unsatisfactory
thing connected with that meeting was its
IpreVlty. DR.. West served in the medical
|cofps of the American Expeditlonary
Iforce in France. and being a man of ex-
lcepuonal intelligence. close observer.
ana having rare opportunities to see the
various phases of men and manners be-
hind the lines is a most interesting racon-
teur The personal experience of every
IihdlVidual who took part In the world war
ana lived to tell his story would make an
interesting book. Any history of the con-
Itilct must be confined to The larger action
Iof great bodies of men, aud even then the
war covered so much territory modern
methods have so complicated the process
Iof carrying out movements. that any mar
IratiVe must be unsatisfactory in its lack
Iof minuteness of detail. The human inter-
lest or that war. the acts of individuals so
merged into the mighty movements Of
large armies lost in the tonado of conflict
lean only be learned of by the stories of
individual participants. And there was
Imuch outside of the immediate fighting
Ithat contains features of interest to the
Ipeople at home. which crop out from time
Ito time when in conversation with those
Iwho were over there as some trend of
the conversation reminds the ex-service
observation
| Few men we have met who saw service
In France are more entertaining than Dr.
West, and although his experiences as
mentioned in conversation were confined
to visits to Paris and people met In that
gay city. they We're boths interesting and
Instructive. AS attached Ito the hospital
unit DR. West had opportunity in the line
of duty to visit Paris on several occas-
ions, seeing the Frenchnian in his home
and meeting many soldiers representing
the various nations that look part in the
war. 1t was his privilege to be in Paris
| on occasions when that city was bonn
barded by aeroplanes and also during the
| cruel bombardment by the big Bertha"
which threw shells into the city from
distance of 20 miles. Reports as to the
damage done by these borbardments We're
censored during the war, so that the world
| at large knew little of the damage done
| by that barbarous mode Of warfare. 1t was
simply a cold blooded murder of defense
less civilians that could have little or no
effect upon the result OF the war only
intensifyng the feeling against Germany
land creating n fierce determination to
win at all hazards.
| DIR. Vests account of those bombing
raids and long distance sheling shows
| that people can get used to any kind of
dangers and accept them as something
that must be endured being beyond cure.
He stated that on one occasion just after
PREACHING his hotel, the alarm of the COM
ling of bombing planes was sounded and
| the anti-air craft guns commenced BOOM
ling In every direction Iie went to the
window and found that the proprietor of
| the hotel and his wife and all the employ
ees were out in the street watching the
bombs drop from the overhead aircraft
apparently Indifferent to all danger. The
doctor himself had become somewhat case
hardened or a good deal Of "A fatalist as
he rolled into bed and Was later aroused
| by the annonncemeut5 snss the. bombing
!, was over for the night. lie states that he
has seen places in the streets of Paris
lwhere these bombs struck, and The de-
lstruction of the high explosive was al
jmost beyond description. Greet holes were
torn in the macadam streets fronts of
buildings wrecked. fiacres smashed. horses
strewn on the sidewalks, and men or
woman killed or MANNED These grewsome
lsights were cleaned up with remarkable
lrapidity by the authorities. The shells
from the Big Bertha" fell almost vertic-
Tally upon the city, owing to. the great
height they had to gain in travelling 80
Hong distance, a height of some y miles.
land the work of those shells could hardly
|be differentiated from the bombs dropped
lfrom aeroplanes. Dr. West states that the
iloss of life and destruction of property
from these sources were very great.
| The doctor was in Paris at the time of
1.-The signing of the armstice, and he says
1.-The exhibition of joy on the part of the
Ipopuace was beyond description. There
Twas no drunkenness there was no rough
istuff Just an effervesing of JOY. The en-
ltire population, men, women and children
Iseemed to be on the streets, singing dane
ling weeping and embracing. whenever an
|American doughboy was discovered he
Twas seized, embraced and drafted into the
Of Gttff for ri1p
land sacrifice the French people were justi-
flied in displaying all manner of hilarity
lwhen the bloody was was finally closed
| DR. West related one of the most signlf-
licent incidents of his experience Whlcf
Ibears upon the present unsettled condl-
Itions in this country, and may have come
Ito him as a warning as to what the future
might have in store for the world. During
lhis last stay in Paris he had the pleasure
lof becoming very well acquainted with
Three Italian officers, men of birth, educa-
| ton and intelligence. Upon several occas-
) ions these officers entertained Dr. west at
dinner, and just prior to his departure Tor
1 America the doctor rendered supper 10
his Italian friends. When the hour OF
narting arrived DIR. West said that 1T was
not at all probable that the four would
Inject again. but he expressed the nope that
circumstances might arise in the future
| that would bring two or more OF them TO-
| eether one o fthe officers remarked that
that chance was quite remote ,and further
more that he doubted if they would all be
| alive five years hence He stated that the
| poIsbevi<i threatened the peace of the
| world Russia was then in the throes OF
revolution, and much unrest existed III
France and Italy. He said that all law
abiding people would have to fight for
their lives, and that it was hardiy Wltliii
tbe range of probability or possibility that
the four men could pass through another
| war safely. DR.. West stated that he was
| going to America where BolsheVlh'siii
,yas impossible The officer, who was well
lposted upon current events, called ms at
tention to the number OF strikes that We're
| then i'm progress in America and predlcted
mat within a few years America would be
facing the same problem regarding the
| revoIutionary forces that was confronting
European nations. The doctor considers
those words prophetic in the race OF recent
developments in this country.
| The doctor is not at all taVorapiy I'M
Ipressed with this league OF hatiohs iuea,
land does not believe that America should
stand as wet nurse for foreign countries.
rhe heart of Europe is not so easily brok-
on as TO suffer any flaw should America
| stand for America Those countries, or at
Ieast France, did not sufter so desperately
for food as the general public imagined
durinp and after the war. lie mentioned
eating a seven course dinner In sHiaii
J town i'm France that cost him about the
eouiyolent of 60 cents. The same klnd OF
4 = dipnar could not have been procured
then nor could it be procured today III
Arnerica for less than $500 to $500. Like
many another soldier whom we have met
DR. West declares that he would not take
anvthing for the experience. but that II
Americans are to be sent to Europe 10
flight in the future he can be counted out
|