Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-04-25
SOLDERING With The A. Eff.
Why the Boys Would Rather Be at
Home
work Done, The time HANGS HEAVY

How the Government is Giving the
Soldiers Good Times at Some of the
Worlds Most Famous Pleasure Re-
J sorts-First Impressions of Luehon,
Where There is General Enjoyment
Luchon, France, March 2S.-In one OF
her letters not long ago my mother
wrote that people who were pleased to
speak to her about some Of my pub
lished correspondence, have comment
ed on the fact that Lewis talks like he
does not think much of the French
people," and also that he is evidently
very anxious to get home.
Very likely these comments are full
ly justified by what I have written
To tell the whole truth, have not al
ways considered just what kind OF i'm
preston I might be making. L have
heard father say that while he never
writes anything he does not think, he
rarely writes all that he does think
about anything. But there is a diff
ference. In the first place I have not
had as much experience In this writ
ing business as father has had, and
then in the second place, father writes
mostly for other people, while in my
case I have been writing for myself.
l have been telling about things around
me as 1 see them without regard to
how they might sound to others.
But let me say kind reader, that If
you were far away from home in a
strange land of strange people, every
day at the same things, eating the
same kind of meals three times a day,
day after day, and sleeping each night
in the same stuffy shack on hard
bunk covered with the same dirty
blankets, and could see no certain hope
as to when you would probably get
away, venture that your letters would
also suggest that you did not like the
French people or France
If 1 remember correctly, have new
er unqualifiedly condemned the French
people. If did I did not mean to-
have realized that most Of the natives
of the kind have seen most of,were OF
the lower classes, or classes much low
er than I have ever seen in America.
L have seen evidences Of vicious de-
pravity, which to say the least, did not
have a very elevating effect upon me
in my own rather forlorn condition
But still I try to think that I am able
to make some allowance for these
people, and I will not allow myself to
despise them. That would not be fair;
but I am afraid I am not much OF
missionary. I am rather too much
concerned at my own plight to be wor-
ried about the. these other
folks, for whom 1 do not feel RESPONSE
bile, and to whom can be Of very lit
tile help.
Then you must remember that 1 am
not altogether myself these days. l
cannot be because I do not belong to
myself. I belong to something. The
orators and writer's would say in their
eloquence that I am a brave A.merl-
can soldier-one Of the immoitals that
came over here to lick Germany and
maybe am just that; but have new
er felt that way. I can still feel.
feel not so much like a hero as 1 do
like a conscript. No, do not mean to
complain. There is nothing dishon-
orable about the position. I would
not be understood as wishing to get
out of 1t or anything Of that kind.
recognize it is necessary; but then
do not want to claim credit for being
or doing that with which I had moth
to do-that which I am simply because
am between 81 and 81, and happen
to be so fortunate as to be free from
physical defects as would disqualify
me for the uses the country sees pro-
per to make Of me. But after all, L
am only part Of a machine. and while
do not desire to be anything else in
this army; I do not want to fool any
body into believing that I especially
enjoy being that. But once again,
please do not think 1 am complaining.
Give a man the right to look things
sauarely in the face and tell the truth
without charging him with chewing the
rag, or being dissatisfied. I am not
dissatisfied; but if anybody asks you
if you think 1 would like to be home.
you can tell them yes.
The place from which this letter is
dated is in the Pyranees mountains,
in southern France, only about q mile
from the Spanish border. 1t is half
way between the bay Of Biscay and the
Mediterranean sea, and it is one Of the
most famous watering places in Eu-
rope. It is a beautiful place, one Of
the most beautiful places l ever saw.
There are a number of hotels here, all
of them magnificent specimens of ar
chitecture and very many fine man
sions-summer cottages they would
call them in North Carolina mountains
and everywhere, luxury, wealth, ease
land refinement without limit 1 only
got here yesterday; but let me tell you
that l am enjoying it all. Just think
of what a treat it is to me to lie in
bed by my lonesome, between clean
white sheets and look up at frescoed
ceilings and walls decorated with oil
paintings by artist masters Of the gen.
erations, and furniture and brick a.
brack that looks like it must have cost
immense fortunes. And think how
Yesterday l stood for an hour under
a shower Of crystal sulphur water,
warmed in natures mighty cauldrons
down in the bowels Of the surround
ing moutains. After the shower took
plunge in a great bathing pool of
water similarly warmed, and let me
tell you l enjoyed it. l expect to be
here for seven days and If do not get
at least one of these baths on each of
those days, it will be because my pres
ent plans miscarry.
You have gotten the idea maybe that