Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-16
No Wonder Germany Quit
NUMBER FoRTY-FIvE

"A hospital is probably the last
place you'd visit, said Major Frank
G.. Mahin, of the Army Recruiting
Station, 325 Market street, Harris
burg" to have a good time. Espe-
cially is this true of a military hos
pital. Yet in an old letter ] re-
ceived from a man in our first over
seas contingent one gets cheerful
picture of-in this case, an English
C. c. S.-Casualty Clearing Station"
According to his letter, this little
field hospital is quite a gem. Wholly
under canvas, it has boarded floors,
iron cot beds, regular bedding, eX-
Cellent doctors, and wonderful
nurses. The st. Johns Society. With
the good care given us, and tasty
food served us, the place has
cheerful, friendly, happy air about
1t. 1t seems to be the practice here
that when a particularly humorous
Tommy, who has been a patient,
nears convalescence, they string him
along, putting him at light orderly
lwork,-anythinS to keep him here
as long as possible. So it happens
that at present we have a little
sawed off Irishman, about forty-five
years old, who is a show in HIM
self. He is always raising ned"
He sneaks and gives to the patients
liiSi IoOu lilttll lllCy Still eau anu
for himself steals everything in
sight. Little he cares if caught, and
he always draws a laugh in place
of a reprimand by his doleful eX-
preston as he clicks his heels and
comes to attention, before giving a
typical 'evasive answer. Batting him
at all times is a regular orderly
a Royal Army Medical Corps man,
who is a natural clown a quick wit
with ready tongue, and face and
! figure which lend themselves most
happily to his successful caricatures
and pantomime. Next to me lies q
little mite of Il fellow,-a young
'Scotty'-a 'Jock'-only twenty-five
years old, yet an expert on motors,
and in charge of mechanics at base
depot for fighting planes. He di-
rects the testing and repair of every
kind of aeroplane motor; and per-
sonally flies a speedy machine to
any squadron's hangar, or up near
the front, where a motor is giving
trouble and requires expert atten-
ton. He is a happy little chap
doesn't weigh a pound over 10
well educated, mild hammered, clear
speaking-with that delightful Eng
lish precision of enunciation. He
speaks of things which almost freeze
| your blood. He risks his life so con-
stantly, l guess, that he is hardly
any longer aware of it. With a life's
experience of danger crowded into
a couple of years, he is q contra
! diction-for he is perfectly ingenu-
Gus. As the orderly would say LES
a ducky, a'y, a duck e's" Across
the aisle is another Jock-a High
lander, all of forty-five years old,
with service dating back to the dark
; days of 1910 Three times he has
been sent to Blighty-each time for
good, yet in spite of the severity
| of his wounds, he has recovered
enough to get into Glass A, and come
across again. Now the doctors think
him victim to all ailment, which
will kill him in less than a year.
Do you think he will submit to being
home? No, Sir! After what he
has been through one would think
he would be glad to go home and
I get out of it all. Instead, this man
begs us to help him to fool the
doctors-so he won't be sent home.
! When asked why; he says he knows
he won't live long, and he must
hurry to even his score with the
Boche who brought him to this con-
dition." This attitude" said the
Major, was typical of the men of
r
age, and determination were as evil
dent on the part of the sick and
wounded, as of the splendid healthy
huskies. In addition to this the
Anglo SaXons were by temperament
possessed OF a resiIiency-with moth
ing phlegmatic in their make up.
They could fight hard, work hard.
play hard. Here in this hospital We,
can see them, in spite of sickness
and wounds, laughing light-heart-
edly. Back of their frivolity, turn
ling darkness into light, combating
the cynicism so readily born of phy
steal suffering, in honor-poisoned
minds, was a great, strong, faith and
| conviction. 1t is typified in the last
paragraph of the letter: From
Somewhere in the Canvas Depths an
organ peals forth solid old church
| of in land offertories, THE Heav
ems Rend, d,"-"Largo"-and rich bass
voice is singing the Evening Hymn
of the Crusaders"