The Washington herald., 1919-03-16

dance at the new place There were
$50 Red Cross nurses leaving on q
ship this morning for home and
they were all allowed to come of to
the dance. 1t was strictly Ameri-
cam Both officers and men danced
and the girls were very pleasant
and agreeable. am convinced from
what i saw among the men that it
would pay the United States gov
.ernment more than all this lectur-
ing that IL gives out. to have about
fifty or seventy-five good, clean,
nice looking American girls over
here in each of these troop concen-
tration areas; girls picked for the
very purpose of dancing and pleas
antly talking to the men who ars
compelled to remain over here for
sometime. ] am sure that hundreds
Of men who are running arouno
with these French women would not
think of doing 1t IL they could as
sociate with American girls. 1t is
particularly hard on the enlisted
men. They are not allowed to as
sociate with the nurses or telephone
girls who comprise about all of the
younger American women here. The
Y. N. c. A. has a few women over
here, but most of them are old
enough and ugly enough to stop a
clock"
These girls last night have all
been over here between one and two
years, first with English troops and
then with the American troops near
the front. l am glad to hear that
Congress is pushing the question OF
the troops coming home. 1 think the
biggest hitch preventing the return of
most of them Is due to the regular
army officers now holding jobs as
generals, colonels, and majors who
are normally captains. They are ma
turally trying to hold their organiza-.
tions together as long as they can to
hold their present rank and pay. They
are also aided and abetted by lot
OF old regular army sergeants who
have commissions and want to hold
on to their Jobs as long as possible
for the money in 1t. These same old
army sergeants are the poorest otIi-
GERS and greatest buckpassers (what
ever that may bel have come across
as an average. They would have
been badly left at the switch (excuse
the gentleman's slang. please) in most
cases if they had not had some first
class young business men drafted who
are now corporals and sergeants and
do all their work for them.
1 personally have nothing to COM
plain about. but I see a hundred diff
ferent ways that the return OF the
troops could be speeded and the ex-
pense to the United States cut down"
don't agree with the gentleman; l
think the troops are being brought
home too fast now; that we need more
of them over there for peace isn't here
yet you know. Lots OF things may
happen yet.
I was interested in that letter par
ticularly because the views OF the
writer disagrees with those OF some
of the congressman who stated not
long ago that some of the reserve
officers, desiring to hold their COM
missions, were responsible for the
delay in returning the troops.
Another thing I saw In an overseas
letter recently I think will interest
you also. "A ship came in this even
sand bags of mail on board. so I am
hoping to get some letters 1 have
had none for over a month, so you
see letters come very slowly. One of
the tricks OF our army and postal
authorities Is to get all second-class
mail (papers and magazines) in
promptly in order to keep down any
press criticism and the personal let
ters Just come through the best they
can. One ship did not unload the let