The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1919-06-05


II had not been for the war; probably
never would have been given an 0ppor-
tunity 10 visit the beautiful old man
sion ON the Potomac hillside. Scores
Of regiments OF soldiers have been
stationed near Washington from time
to time since war broke ont. They
have gone TO Mount Vernon from
Camp Meade, from Camp Lee, from
Fort Myer. and from an the other
camps within II days Journey of the
capital city.
One of the first questions which
the young soldicrs, many of them
fresh from schools OF the country.
ask when they reach Washington Is
How can we get to Mount NcrnonT'
The old place where Washington
lived and died is closed 10 HE public
on Sunday. This has aroused criticism.
and Ia many people II Seel9S 10 be Il
perfectly Just criticism. Sunday l. Il
day of comparative rest In the military
camps and naturally therefore Sun.
day is the day on which most of the
soldiers find II convenient To visit
the home and the grave of the great
George. II is hard TO understand why
the rule OF peace times has been con-
tinued in war times and visitors still
are shut out from Mount Vernon on
the Lords Day.
At Its Best in the Spring.
The pilgrlmugeS To the Potomac
mansion still are continuing In this
spring season Mount Vernon is at it's
best. The old hedges which were
planted by the hand of George. hnl-
self, still are green and tlourishing,
and several great trees which as sap
lings he planted still cast their shade
over the historic mansion.
The soldiers OutnumbCr civilian Wis
ltors to the place today certainly ten
to one, and ii is an agreeable thing
10 say that virtually every soldier of
foreign army who has been In Wash
ington with the various missions here
present has made ii Il matter of con
science, of heart, and of interest to
20 to Mount Vernon as mark of
respect To the man under whose hand
the chains of monarchy dropped from
the limbs of the Amer.,Ttn colonies.
Living in France TO BE Better.
a bulletin just issued by the de-
partment of labor carries this head
line: British Housewives Want
American Conveniences."
The department of labor might have
gone farther than this, for ii truth
fully could have said that the French
housewives and the Belgian house
wives waht American conveniences.
The American soldiers ideas of living
conditions took hold Of the men and
women of France. One thing was set
down as a truth: When the villages
of France and Belgium are rebuilt.
bathtubs therein will not be u curl
osity as In former days.
The wonder is II Americans who
have not travelled abroad have an un-
Outstanding of housing conditions ia
France outside Of the big cities, and
10 a considerable extent in the big
cities themselves.
Everybody read at the beginning OF
the war how amazed the villagers
and the farming people in France
were at the determination of every
British soldier TO have bath daily II
he could get II By hook or by crook.
The Understanding habit of the Brit
ish also was hard for the French and
the Belgians TO understand.
Getting a Drink in 8rest.
One can speak from personal ex.
perience of certain things which hap
pened after the American army got in-
To French territory. In Il hotel in
Brest il took Inc fOriytivC minutes 10
get drink of water. | asked Il young
woman acting MS what we would call
bellhop If she would be good
enough to get me drink. or tell me
where could get one. Her answer
was Il question in French:
What sort of wine does Monsieur
wishr"
When told her that | wanted q
drink Of water she looked perfectly
tlabbergas:cd. A request of that kind
probably had not been heard In that
hotel for many moons.
There was consultation OF young
women on the subject of low 10 get
me u drink of water. II must be sad
that-ihis request was made between
meals. On the French tables there Is
always "a caraffc for ornamental pur-
poses, hut brought into occasional
use by Frenchmcn who like TO mix
their water with their light wines,
although the wine is so innOcuOus
that u dozen glasses Of IL VIII not in
tOXicate.
Af:er the consultation WAS over n
glass of water was produced. hut the
young woman who gave IL to ne sad
that she didn't lhinS II WAS quite
fresh.
No Ventilation Tor Peasants.
IN France the PEASANTS buNe had the
centuries long habit OF sleeping with
IA their windows and doors light
closed. This fuct probably Is respUR-