Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-04-10
From Private Monty R. Black.

words, first, to express my eincerest
wishes for a successful farm season
and good luck to all. Next, l am
sure you are wondering il we boys are
coming home soon. And I will tell
all know about it, is that there are
rumors that the seth Division will sail
in the early summer days.
Then am quite sure you wish to
know how we spend the time, and to
answer must say squad east and west
Of morning hours, and we that are
not on some special duty are permit
ted to devote the afternoons to
athletics and shining equipments for
inspections, etc.
The old familiar way Of addressing
friends as 81 haven't much to tell'' is
not the thing that most appeals to
me at present. For I've more to tell
than l am of the opinion that you
would care to read. So will tell only
in brief about army life as find it in
Germany. We are getting three
squares day, and all of the boys
whom l happen to bnow are enjoying
the best of health.
AS write'I can look out ocross the
valley and see green meadows which
make me think of spring, and April
fool day. In fact, thought of that
day several days ago, and made an
attempt to drop you few words
at that time, hoping that you
would read them in print by April
fool day. But, sad to say, that some
Dutch boys threw our mail box in a
ditch of water, and / later found that
your April fool letter was my April
fool letter at premature date, so
will send this to let you know I still
remember old home and friends.
I've just returned to my organiza-
tion after spending three days at
sight seeing along the Rhine River.
But the greatest attraction of my
three days. touring was the viewing
Of the city of Coblenz, and the near
by fiction, and natural scenes which
seem to bear 80 much ancient history.
/ am sure the trip was one of which
shall ever recall in memory as a
pleasure trip, indeed.
I am now in town which is only
65 miles from Coblenz Therefore, /
went by rail down the Mozelle, and
as I travelled along the way I noted
the ruins Of ancient palaces of kings
and lords Of old days. And as I gazed
upon many Of them I tried to assume
in my mind just what difference there
is between modern times and
methods, and those that from present
indications must have existed at the
time those old ruins were existing in
their bloom. Though they seemed to
have been built by highly civilized
class of people, and it seems that
people have not advanced from that
time till this, as much as some may
think. Yet, as thought Of old U. s..
A. and her modern achievements l
am quite sure an American has more to
boast of than any other class of peo-
pie that I've met thus far, in that
America has the world skinned for
modern achieveme H
Well, l arrived in Coblenz last
Sunday, just at lunch hour, and was
) directed to an American dining hall
that accommodates at least six hun
dred persons at time. But there
were more than thousand sight
seeing Yanks there, and was
detained for some time before I had
lunch. There fell in with number
of the boys who were going up the
Rhine, something near four miles, to
view the interior of the old Stolyen-
fels Castle. There were six hundred
and six Yanks who passed through
the rooms of that Castle on last Sum-
day evening. OF course, we were
cautioned to be careful not to dam
age any furniture therein, and the
keeper gave us some felt carpet slip
pers to wear as we walked through
the many rooms. So as ! looked
at the beautiful carvings, paintings,
and viewed with no little admiration
the costly furnishings of those ancient
rooms, / began to feel as though
didn't deserve the honor Of even go
ing through kings palaces But
since war has been the chief bust
ness OF the world in the recent past,
was mostly interested in viewing
the old war relics that have been kept
in the old castle since the days oi
Roman rule. The bow and arrow
such as the Greeks used, was one Of
those relics that had been KEEP
4 through these many ages. On Mon.
day took boat trip up the Rhine
possibly 25 miles. There were abou
300 men on the boat, and we were en-
tertained by Y. M. O. A. workers
who had learned many of the histori.