The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1922-11-24

lost on the records of the war de
partment, 15-months' ramDl'
through Spain, Switzerland, the Aus
trian Tyrol, Greece, Turkey, Syria
The Holy Land, Egypt, Ceylon, India
Burma, including caravan triI
across the unexplored backyard" o.
China, assisting General Wrangeps
refugees to evacuate the Crimea anc
feeding them for a month in the
/ harbor of Constantinople, flight
i by American destroyer to Beirut, q
Christmas morning pilgrimage from
Jerusalem to Bethlehem, drift
down the Nile, an attempt to get
through the snow passes to Kashmir,
and voyage of discovery to the
headwaters of the Yanktse Kiang-
these are some of the experiences of
Bruce G. Hopper, soldier, traveller
and writer, who is making a visit in
Billings preparatory to making fur
Their travels.
Mr.. Hopper was student in journ-
alism at the State University for
three years at the end of which he
went to Harvard (1916). He tells
his own story. replete with thrills,
briefly:
while at Harvard, in 1916, | en-
listed for the French army but did
not get my credits Strengthened out
until spring, and then sailed with an
ambulance unit. over there | shift
ed to the canton service on the
Chemin des Danes, and chucked, big
shells about during the drive. In
August, 1917, l petitioned for train
ing as a pilot, and when the Ameri-
can air service was organized switch
ed over. 1 eventually got to the
front with the 96th squadron, day
bombardment, rated as a captain and
flight commander-and did my bit
dropping sweet messages of T N I'll
among the German babies who hap
pened to live near munition plants
on the Rhine, or too close to Hun
troops on the march. Strafing the
Hun was hot fun but rather hard
on the morale, with so many good
lads going west like flaming stars.
t'At the Armistice we took a last |
crack, and then I went to the hospi- |
tai for repairs, old injuries from a |
nasty smash l had had early in the |
year. I was invalided home, class c,
but chucked the embarkation orders, |
went A. w. o. L. to Paris and wran-
gled General Patrick, chief of the air
service, to let me apply for discharge
in France, as / had enlisted in Paris.
He stationed me at Orly, close
enough to the Cafe de la Paix, and
c1IffioiQnf1xr fov 70 al i,,,I
the 25 per cent flying pay on each
was evidently lost. for
the acknowledgement was combing
the files, and watching the ships,
for me. was marked desertey, or
some such horrible thing, simply be-
cause the orders were bawled up.
Tin fact, was once almost court
martialed for desertion of post in
he face of the enemy, being at the
line in the village near the airdome !,
consuming escallop de veau and pin
ard, when twilight raid was order
I'd, contrary to all precedents.) Any /.
way, I was discovered on the streets ,
If Paris, in good company, and i'm
nediately thereafter I received orders
o report to general headquarters at :,
Jhaumont to write the history and /.
! manual of instruction for future !
,ilots in day bombardment. That
cries of pertinent remarks on the :
nefficiency of the technical depart 1
nent ETC., went to the War College
t Washington. | then applied for
to the Sorbonne detach-
lent and spent spring of 1919 at
he University of Paris, learning
either Plato nor Aristotle, but the
ustom and manners of the French
eople in the Latin Quarter. / was
ischarged in July, at the Camp of
Dreadful night, which was Giecres,
nd counted all my francs to go to
xford. Over there the mighty dons
ave me kind but disinterested ear
ne rector, however, at Exeter col
sge, was gracious enough to ask
hat had been doing. I told him /
ad spent my time wiping out Ger
ian women and children. He then
lid he guessed he had better admit
e after all that CORY service to hui
anity, and accordingly became one
the cap and gown in the city of
reamy spires.
Gail went we'll with my lust for
arning and my pursuit of the ever
Getting symptoms of culture until
e spring vacation. Another Har-
lrd man and I decided to spend the
x weeks in Italy. there to confirm
If suspicious about art, and get the
allan point of view on the real
therhood of Brutus. We at length
rived in Naples, and sought out the
staurants on the cliffs hanging over
Q town. There we tasted the blush
G Palermo, which caused Horace so
any raptures. He fell to general
G ecologues. The s t u f went
raight to our feet, and gave us the
We shook hands across
e macar oni, and swore to take
p around the world, travelling al
ays with the natives in each coun-
r, studying their language, and eat
3 their food. BY that time we were
% back at Oxford. We reached
.ris. I took Cass out to several old
UNITS in the Quarter, and then show
him the facade of the Sorbonne,
tn the air of a real estate man. He
ID he liked the looks of the build
IS, and then suggested we go to the
rbonne and chuck oxford. We
egraphed the next day. and have