The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-12-27
BRIDES LOVE IS LIKE
THAT OF BULL DOGS
ISEVENTY-FIVE HAVE STORMY
TRIP TO UNITED STATES
ON THE ATLANTIC.
FIGHT ALL THE WAY ACROSS
Battle of Song Finally Ends in Real
Hair Pulling Contest. German
Wives Blame French and the French
Blame the Germans.

NEW YORK, N. Y.-Gen. Sher-
man never travelled on an army trans
port from Belgium to the United
States, especially an army transport
with % Gretchens and II Suzannes
aboard or he would have amended his
famous remark and included life on
! the ocean wave in the same category
as war.
For they had it on their way over.
the husbands of these enemy wives, as
well as the officers Of the ship. Plac-
ing % German wives of American
soldiers and round dozen OF, French
wives of American soldiers on the
same vessel was happy thought for
those who did the booking land re-
manned behind. Oh, yes, they were
good mixers, They mixed it from the
very first day out. They loved each
other like lot of strange bull dogs.
At the start of the memorable voy-
age of the Cantigny, from Amsterdam
to Brooklyn, with COZ soldiers return
ing from the Rhine on board, the
battles between women were largely
vocal, They sang at each other with
venom in every note The French
wives say the Germans started it, and
the Germans say it was the volatile
French who lit the fires of discord
which blazed all the way across the
bleak Atlantic
Naturally the IL Suzannes were
somewhat handicapped, vocally and
physically when it came to close quar-
tiers with the Gretchens. They were
still further handicapped by the fact
that there were SO war babies among
the German contingents and not
single, solitary doughboy junior among
the whole dozen of French matrons.
First Battle Opens.
The French wives had not met the
German wives until they got aboard
the transport Then the trouble began
Daggers flew from eye to eye and lips
cured in feminine scorn. AS with all
great battles, the second battle of Can
Itigny-for it was Cantigny that the
American soldiers made their first at
tack in France-began with outpost
skirmishes. Then came the inevitable
mass formation. The French wives, a
dozen strong, gathered on the deck
and began singing the "Marsellaise."
This was challenge direct to the
German wives and they were not long
| in accepting battle German reinforce
ments poured from the staterooms be-
low until O. German voices, all train
ed TO the moment, were ready for ac-
ton. They met the enemy with a
grand and ever-sweling chorus Of Die
4 Wacht Am Rhein.'
The battle of songs waged, furious
ly for a time, but finally the peace
makers arrived. They arrived in the
form of rs khaki-clad husbands. The
Ipeacemaker's lot is always hard one,
and this occasion was no exception to
the rule.
Listen, all you battlers" cried a
sergeant, there's just one song that
goes on board this old tugger, and
that's The Star Spangled Banner. Get
yourselves set to sing that, or they
amt going to be no singing. Y un-
derstand"
Mix 1t With Fists.
But the problem was not solved by
Ianv means and the American melting
pot had not begun to melt. The French
wives said they hated the Germans
and the Germans said they could for
give ANYBODY in the world anything
except being French. The song bat
ties were renewed daily and the Can
tigny was only about two days out
OF New York, and then the strain be-
came too great and French wives and
| German wives mixed it sure enough,
mixed it with hair pulling and face
scratching, and all the gentler arts OF
modern feminine warfare. This time
the peacenakers had their troubles
for fair. This time the commanding
Ioficer took hand in it and he had
to threaten the whole lot into the brig
before anything like order was restor-
ed The surface was calm when the
Cantigny locked.
There is serious side to the ar
rival OF these war brides III America,
however, and it is one whieh is likely
to mar the happiness of some of the
unions These soldier wives have been
living at Coblenz amid all the luxuries
that come with the possession OF great
wealth. 1t is true their husbands have
been earning only about S33 month
and one would scarcely call that great
laffluence. but American dollars trans
/ lated into German marks during the
last few months tell different story
Brides Will Get a Shock.
Furthermore, the story is intriguing
to those who love high finance.
]
ican soldier on the Rhine is being paid
at rate which would normally be the
equivalent OF anything from $1,700 to
IS2. 200 a month. sThis means anywhere
iron $500 to over 5000 marks. for
the dollar has been as high as 800
marks in the last few weeks and when
the war brides sailed was still lowering
above that figure, although it has since
/ dropped to below 230
! OF course the German mark, once
worth "a cents, does not buy in these
DAYS what it would before the war.
The cost of living in Germany has in
creased many fold, but to the family
being paid in American dollars It is
still ridiculous1y cheap. For instance,
the German war brides could buy fine
kid gloves for so cents and very good
ones for quarter. They will find liv
ling on 80 odd dollars month IN the
United States very different from that
life of luxury along the Rhine.
Someone has figured out that an
| American major general on the Rhine
lis paid at the rate of no less than
l$550000 Tin marks year. No wonder
the boys are reluctant to come home