The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1919-06-24
INTERESTING LETTER
{ Continued from Page ~


dependent spirit-they object to pity
and charity and there's not one I've
talked with who is expecting a Job
just because he is a returned soldier.
They are having time now to do more
reading and more thinking than
ever in their lives before, and 1
think their hospital experience,
where they are surrounded by COM
panions and attended with excellent
care, is the best thing possible to
bridge over the gap between the hor-
rors of war and the return to civil
ian life.
1.-THE hospital population here, per-
haps $500, has plenty of amusement
and attention from the Red Cross, Y.
M. c. A., and X. of C. There are
good picture shows, lectures, vaude-
vile, athletic meets, baseball, and so
on. On Sundays there are Protestant
and Catholic services. The Educa-
tional Services gives party at KIP
every Wednesday night, where the
patients who can come (and some
| come on crutches and in wheel
chairs) are entertained with games,
plays, music, (they sing every word
of every popular song that is going)
and eats The boys who have to
stay in bed are entertained by differ
ent artists who come from New York
| The Red Cross has travelling piano
set up on wheels-it goes the rounds
of the wards. I have had the pleas
ure of playing for these boys, and
you should hear them whistle and
| sing from their beds; they like rag
| time, but best of all, the old songs.
I played also at the Y. NJ C. A. NOV
| les, and over at one of the Camp
Hostess House. The Hostess in charge
| told us about. how the boys amuse
themselves with the Ouija Board
Their three favorite questions are:
How long before l get out? Is my
job waiting for me? Is my girl
true to me?
Lots of funny things happen
every day The boys have pets-a
canary bird, white pup, named
'Ja-Da, and numerous kittens,
| which they will sneak into bed with
them People from the towns near by
have brought them loads of beautiful
| iowers-lilacs, pansies, snow-balls,
wigelia, peonies, daisies, everything,
all so gorgeous and large. They also
treat the boys with cake and iced
drinks on hot days. In one of the
English to Foreigners classes, one
boy asked the teacher how to ask a
young lady to dance with him. She
told him several forms, and he chose,
May l have the pleasure of this
dance with you?'only his version was
May 1 have the pressure of this
dance with your" Another boy had
the word physique in his spelling
lesson, and he asked if that was the
same 'physic' the nurses gave him
out of bottle.
Il must tell you about w. A, a
noted New York prize-fighter, the
pet of the hospital, who is working,
as he says, for six teachers. This
boy is typical product Of the Lower
East Side of New York City. He is
most interesting character, with a
large amount of native wit and
heart of gold. He stammers from shell
shock, and you should hear him read
'Gunga-Din' and French poetry. He
is studying short story writing and
is budding poet, as some of his po-
ms(O which l asked his PERMISSION
to copy from his typewriter collec-
ton, will show. Many of the boys
are turning poetic, and in addition
to these we have artists, and musici-
ans of all kinds. There's a great
deal of talent among them.
ION Decoration Day all of Camp
Upton (Which is two miles from the
hospitaD and the hospital force, in
Guiding nurses, student nurses and
q 70 ho
where a brief but but very impress
i've memorial service was held All
the girls carried flowers, which were
placed on the graves of the Camp Up
ton boys. In the afternoon a fine
field meet was held All this was
taken by the motion picture man.
and we will see ourselves as others
see us this week.
The most wonderful thing 1 have
seen was the Victory Parade in New
York City-there were 20 bands.
floats representing everything used
in the -quartermaster' sup
plies, construction service, air SER
vice, gas masks on men and horses.
tanks, engineers division, wire en-
tanglements, trenches, telephone ser
vice, pigeons, homes with mothers
and children, and marching in uni
form, soldier boys and every kind of
worker that has been in service; it
took four hours for this parade to
pass the corner of SIND Street and
Fifth avenue, and at the end were
two rooms built between start ana
finish of the parade. The funniest
thing was to see three barracks and
hospital ward coming sedately
down Fifth Avenue.
ION one of my trips to little old
New York. my friend, Rose Starratt.
met me and showed me many sights.
had two business engagements
which we attended to first, then
then lunch at a quaint little cafete-
ria managed by some lovely women
(eX-teachers)' then to the Battery.
that part of the city on New York
Bay, where we saw all sorts of boats.
1t was foggy day and we couldn't
see the Statute of Liberty nor the
tower of the Woolworth building. We
walked through Wall Street into
old Trinity Church, and by the
grave yard, visited the old Frances
Tavern where George WaShin eton