University of South Carolina Libraries
MILLION BOOKS I SEHT TO FRANCE No Army in History Ever Read as . Omniverously as the |r? Yanks. I - , PREFER DETECTIVE STORIES Unexpected Demand for Serious Read* I , ing Surprise to Librarians?TechI I nical Books Great Aid to the < A Ambitious Soldier. I Washington.?More than a million books have been shipped abroad by AmAPiran T,ihr? rv asanpintinn fnr I 3be use of the American expeditionary r Soiree. The total available was 3,000.' 000, and this will be supplemented by a united war work campaign contribution of $3,500,000 out of its total of :$I70,500,000 for the six allied welfare Organizations. i ^ About one-half of the area covered in France by the American expeditionsay force has received its first sprinkof books. The distribution is pro ! -seeding rapidly and next July there "will be established in Paris a central t ' reference library of 10,000 volumes, available to any American soldier in France. Upon application of a hut secretary any book in the Paris library will be sent anywhere in France free of charge. At every bookshelf the men find a !>oster which reads: 'These books are V loaned on the honor system. If yon fail, it fails. America is far away, tonnage scarce and books precious. Play square with the other fellow; he lias played square with you." i ? Fiction Predominates. "The books sent to Europe have been ref two kinds, those contributed and those purchased by the funds of the association, which have amounted to $1,000,000. The variety of contributed L hooks is astounding and ranges from I mystery stories to theological treatises, Irom murder yarns to Milton's poems. Jlction; of course, predominates. No army in history ever read so! omniverously as has the American. army in France. The men are greedy < tor books. In the days when the sup- j ply was inadequate, the demand was fio great that a doughboy who had taken over in his barrack bag a copy; c? O. Henry's 'The Four Million" split! it into pamphlets, each containing one! i of the author's short stories. He j passed the copies, thus, abbreviated, Alone thp line, and thev literally were ! read to pieces. I The most insistent call is for detec- \ ' -tire thrillers and for tales of the; ft Rocky mountains. Next comes the def maud for poetry. Robert W. Service :is the soldier's favorite poet, with !Rcdyard Kipling a close second. Guide books which describe cha-; leans, cathedrals and points of historic interest are in great demand, as j -well as histories of Prance. A recent 'Cable message to this country called for 500 copits of "Jeanne d'Arc," show- ; Lng that the Maid of Orleans is as \ ^popular as the modern French maid<ens. i. L i Demand foi4 Serious Reading. | V !The librarians have been surprised' ft| rat the unexpected demand for serfous! p wading. Many a soldier has evident-1 ly chosen war times to get in a dig: at some books the reading; of which: lie has hitherto postponed to a more' convenient season. With a perfectly v straight face a doughboy inquired the1 wther day for Boswell's "Life of John- f jflOL" |j Of course more than one inapproprl 'ate book has found its way overseas.', tmocrino tho pmnrions of the VOUntT ? giant who stalked into a "Y" hut, set- ; tied down for a quiet evening, and found that the first book staring him 1 in the face was one of the gushiest 1 -and most effervescent of the JElsie < books. j Most of the money spent for Jie ;56&000 purchased books has gone for ^ technical volumes designated to aid P <the ambitious soldier in mastering the ! science of war. Among these are books! on the psychology of color for the camouflage corps, the chemistry of j high explosives, ballistics, sanitary en- i gineering, hydrostatics, meteorology, applied geology and other subjects on, which the modem soWier must be a : specialist f^SOLID IVORY" IN THE ARMY L Ketruit Believed That He Should j ( Carry Out His Orders Regardless. Vancouver Barracks, Wash.?Z'er- ' tainty in regard to but one part of his | | orders on the part of a recruit sentry! ' here nearly caused the woundipg ofj an officer of the day. The sentry, j / armed with a loaded rifle, challenged j the officer on his approach. "Halt!" he shouted in best form. | The officer halted and waited for the j fe rest of the challenge "Halt!" shouted the sentry again.j 'l,hA Knaon tr> oThlhif1 infpTPSt. ! JLUC Viuvci vv . especially as the sentry threw up his rifle and took careful aim. "Hey! What the blankefy-blank are you doing?" shouted the officer. "I got orders to say 'halt' three times p and then fire," said the sentry. The officer then explained that this drastic action was only to be adopted when the challenged intruder did not answer as per form, and the sentrj niuch relieved to learn that he pHkyould not have to start killing until jhe ^ 7V>t "?-ver there." i 9 LETTERS FROM FELLERS BROTHEL .S TO MR. AND MRS. L. M. FELLERS. Dec. 15, 191S. Dearest Mother and Father: I in tended to write you this past week but something came up every day that kept me from writing. It is now Sunday afternoon and I am in an old French home using her table, and everything is quiet, only she is running an old coffee mill and talking. Of course it is very little I understand but I think if I would stay in France about twelve years I would be able to speak French. I returned to my company a few days ago from Langres, France, where 11 had been attending an officers' training school. I passed all the examinations for second lieuteii&nt and after the armistice was signed orders came saying not to commision any more men in the A. E. F., about 12 hours before I was to receive my commission, So I am still a sergeant and only too glad to remain as one for I was willing to give up anything to see this war stopped, so therefore I only have a certificate showing that I am eligible of being a second lieutenant. We are having a very nice time now. 1 President Wilson landed in this country last Friday. He is now in Paris and yesterday was some celebration in that town . j As I told you in my last-letter that' I had seen Thomas. He is now w^th + Ua Hfrt C? AlfdV f A cnnn /I IUC UIVIOIUU. IJiC TV CIO UYC1 IU uu the night with me several nights ago. I wish you could see him. He is as fat as a pig. I don't think I have gained any but gee! I have been work-' ing. Thomas is now hauling supplies for the division, so he is kept very busy. He said tell you if you didn't hear from him at the correct time he was just too busy but would write first chance. The papers have sure had some write up about the 27th and 30th divisions of their fighting. ?v?/v f V* s\*y ovnrv Kit dliU UCX1CVC lUCf tUUJ UCOti v g ^TV/i j wit of it for it is all true and I believe it is the best outfit in France or it was at one time?but all the outfits that had to do any fighting are about the same. We are having plenty of rain and it looks as if the sun will never' shine, but this is the rainy season of France and I think it will last all winter. I am patiently waiting for my box for I know there is something in it I want. Give George Wicker my best regards and tell him I often think of' the good meals I have eaten with him1 and for him to stay on the job for I coming home real soon. I Just think, only nine days to Christ mas and there is no chance of me being with yoii $>ersonally, but will in mind and here is hoping you all will spend a merry Christliias- for I sure 1 think we all have plenty to be thank-; ful for as we can spend it in peace. We are now living in a small Freiicii village and drilling only about seven hours a day but none of us mind that for it is far better than to be up stopping bullets. Are you all having any cold weather and who have you j to build your fires. With lots of love to each and every one, just heaps for you two. Your devoted son, * Johnnie. ^- rr -utoi-u tvi^ onfv. rwtr a V- C iw/u. j\, iioiu ltu.t uuiu jl/k., a. u. jl . | Dec. 14, 191S. Dear Ones at Home: Was so glad to get Sarah's letter, which I received iast night. Will try and get one off in return, that is if I can stay awake long enough. I am real tired tonight but I must write home if there is any rchance at all. I am feeling fine these days. Do hope it will continue for I do love to work when I am feeling good. x I guess you have heard from Johnnie by now. Iwas sure glad to see him. I h&d a load to go close where he is a few nights ago, so I went by and spent the night with him. We talked and talked until we both fell asleep. He was writing you when I went in. I told him to tell you I was 0. K. and would write you first chance. I go to see him every chance I get. It is not very far where he stays. I can run by in a few minutes in my truck. I have seen almost everybody I know in the division. They are doing fine. All seem glad to see us as well as we were them. Mama, guess who I heard from a few days ago?Georgie Neel. It was a surprise but sure was a glad one. Will write lier when I get a chance, but we (lon't have much time for such since we are supplying our division. i niod f/-? Hn it tliniifrh T know 1 CllU S\J 51UU 1.U iv ~0 you all missed Azile when she left you for her school. She is so much company. I will say good night. Witi lots of love for all, I am Your devoted son, Corp. Thpmas Fellers. Co. B. 105th Motor Supply Train, 30 Div., A. E. F. LETTER FROM SON TO FATHER AND MOTHER. December 9, 1918. Dear Father and Mother: I will write you to let yru hear from me. These few lines leave me well ! ' and truly hope that these few lines J will find you all well. ! We have just stopped over in a lit 5 tie town after a 15 days' hike. I have : been washing myself and clothes. You ' just ought to have seen me before cleaning up. You would have thought 1 iooiieci liKC scnump. it was some dirty men, but you couldn't expect no bet:er hiking in the rain and mud. I hope I won't, have much more hik' ins to do. The talk is now that we will set sail about the middle of next month. I hope it is true. If it were left to me I surely would start before that time. Tell papa to keep both of j his mules, for if no hard luck, and the Lord is willing, I will be there to I plow one of them before plowing time. I don't know whether you got my last | letter or not, and if you did I don't ifcnow whether you could read it ox, I not, for I W&s 111 the trenches and had nothiner to write on but mv knee: but I don't think there will be any! more Germans to fight. I think they I have enough fighting, but they were] about finished before giving up. Chaps j can't fight men. I hope it is over to i stay forever. I won't know how tbj act when I land back in the States, j I will be so proud; they can't muster me out any too fast to suit me. . This is too cold a climate for me. South Carolina is the best in the world. ' Tell Lula that I ran across Collie j and Hayne Morris about a week ago.. They had just got out of the hos-j pital from having the mumps. Theyj were both fat and slick. Tell Bessie Morris I think the mumps helped Col-1 lie; looks it; or hiking one. I don't I i know whether to teli Carrie the boys! can cook or do anything worth talk-; ing about, and also *they won't need ( any bed; they learned to do without any cover. Ma the first thins: when I get home' is to get me a chair and put it right j back of the stove and keep the fire( burning while you and Lula both cook,; for I will be able to eat about as fast j as two can cook for about a week. I get enough to eat, but I haven't got Ma to cook it and flavor it up. Theydon't have milk nor chioken, cake nor pie in the army. I get a few molasses. tss. /\rt+ oc* o Aovorv atipd in q ! LU Cdl do a r va j v?w ??? , while. I have eaten beef every day j since the 27th of June. It don't smell j good any more, besides eating the stuff. Irish potatoes is my living now. j I don't think I ever would get tiredj of them. Well, Ma, I got my first letter since' I have been In France from Olin. It! was written the 26th of August andj t got it the 18th of November. Tell papa I was setting in the trenches on his birthday, cold, with an overcoat on and a big fire on each side. Tell Forest to keep the old gun balanced up so me and him can give the rabbits trouble when I come home; and tell Rufus to attend n the stock. You can tell Asa and Knot is the boys won't let a rifle stui. I close where I sleep, for whatever I do in the daytime I will make a pass at it in my sleep, until ^omebody wakes me up. Tell Carrie and Bertha not to get scared if they happen to look out and see me coming, but to call Hud and tell him to bring in the washpot for Jim is coming, and put Eva to cooking right away; for I can hide the rations; it will be so diiferent from what I am used to I won't know when to stop. You can tell Dill to go ahead and get his Ford, for I can learn him how to run it when I get home. And Anna,; I guess she is to fat, she couldn't get! under the steering wheel. Tell George he might have it on me in weight, but not on manhood, for if they don't kill you they will make a man out of you. Tell Lawrence to keep enough gasoline to take me for a ride, for I have walked so much I don't hardly know tit in an nntnmnbile. I used 11U? IV/ Uib *** MM ?v.-^ to walk with about 75 pounds on ray back and not to worry about seeing France. I have seen enough of it to do us all. There is nothing over here enticing for anybody to see. TM1 Fred's folks hello for me. I will have to quite writing and repair for inspection, after 30 days hiking with four days' rest it will be a good _ one you know. Tell J. B. Conneliy to keep the girls company until I get there to help him out. I hope by the time this letter reaches you I will be in the States or ready to start. won mo t hovon't drawn anv money Tt V/H AfXU A. Iau. f v ? v yet. I hope they won't send me any now until I land at New York, for there is nothing in France I need. They grumble about high priced stuff in the States, but they are quite cheap compared with what they are over here. Cigarettes are the cheapest thing that a soldier can get, but the government furnishes them. Tell all the rest hello for me, and give my love and best regards, for I still am in hopes of starting back before much * *1!-- iL.i it. fo. longer. Alice sam uiai uie uauj iavored me. and if it does it is good looking. I have lost nearly all of my hair. I guess it has frozen out. After a man serves awhile in France he gets where he don't care for anything. All I care for is getting home now. If nothing takes place I don't think it will be long before I will be home. I will close by saying that I hope this letter will reach you soon. Answer soon; I might be lucky in getting it. With love to one and all and with a kiss, and hoping to be home soon, Your son, Pvt. James A. Cromer, Co. G, 53rd Inf., Sixth Division, Second Battalion, A. E. F. On Active Service with the American FVvnprlitinnnrv F"nrpp Ont. 24 1918. I " J .Dear Father: Thought I would write you a few lines this afternoon and tell you of my life in France. Leaving New York we, loaded on the Arcania, a British ship, sailed t8 Halifax, from there to Livar-' pool, crossed England to Dover, then across the English Channel to Calais, France. We were on the way 22 days. We had lots of fun on the way over^ Very few got seasick. I didn't get sick at all. We had little excitement one night about 1 o'clock when a German submarine armeared H^ht near the fleet, but the chasers were on the job and everything passed off all right. The first night after we landed in France there was a big air raid in the town where we were, and it sure did scare some of the boys, because we didn't know what it was. The time tfiings began to look like war was the fourth day of July. We reached the Flanders section; that is close to Ypres, in Belgium; we stayed there under shell fire for about three months with the exception of about two weeks we were in the1 front line. About the first of August we moved further south; on the 22nd of September we went into the front lines right near St. Quentin. This was a strong point on the Hendinburg line. On the 29th of September we went over the top there, and I was wounded about nine o'clock in the morning, so I don't know anything else of the next two weeks. After the Americans broke the Hindenburg line they captured a tunnel: where the Germans were making out of the bodies of the dead men. They had pots with boiling water and the bodies were cut up just ready to put in. ! You have never seen the like of barb wire in your life as it is in some places. The Germans had wire i hundred yards deep in some p.Lees, and the way the American engineers laid elwood wire for them to walk across on. . After ail of that We have all had a good time; it seems awful hard sometimes the way we had to live. I have walked all day and whoa we would get to our biilets would l::ive t.) wait on the outside until they could rui. the hogs out. j The houses and barns are all buiU together, the house and then an ell built off for the barn and chicken houses; in other "?fjrds everything under one roof. Well, I guess this is all of the war that I can think of now, and we haven't any other news over here. All of we boys from Newberry are get-j ting along fine, or was when I left the I rnnnnv T am in CTimecv. France,' - , J now going to school- I will be here! until Christmas. Well, guess I have written all the; news; I will close for this time. Yours Son. j SCIENCE RISGRACED BY GERMANY'S ACT Wilson Tells Italian Academy of Lincei Nation Put Science to Dis-honorable Uses in War. I Rome, Jan. 4.?Denunciation of th^; "disgrace" and "shame" to which science has been put by the Germans; j and regret that "science should in a( nation which has made science itr boast, have been put to such dishonorable uses in the present war," were; voiced by President Wilson today in' accepting membership in the famous j Academy of Lincei. Italy's great or-> ganization of scientists. The president, declaring that he j could not rightfully claim to be a manI of science, explained that his life j studies have been in the field of poli-j tics and government. But ne aaciea j that "while perhaps there is no! science of government, there ought j to be." At the ceremony today. President j and Mrs. Wilson were seated between j the king and queen of Italy. Those j present included American Ambassa-j dor Page, other members of the diplo- ! matic corps, and many distinguished Italian officials and scientists. Senator D'Onidio, president of the academy, hailed President Wilson as' the worthy representative of the cul-: ture of the new world which now re- j vivifies the ancient culture of the old world. In reply President Wilson said: "Your Majesty, Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Academy: "I have listened, sir, with profoundest appreciation to the beautiful address which you have been kind; enough to deliver and I want to say j how deeply I appreciate the honor j you have conferred upon me in per-j | mitting n*e to become a member o | the great academy, because ther is ; ; sense in which the continuity of hu :man thought is in the care of bodies like this. There is a serenity, a Ions view on the part of science, whiclseems to be of no age, but to carry hu man thought along from generatior to generation, freed from the ele ments of passion. Therefore it is, 1 uaif &cty, w 1 lii an men ui science a matter of profound regret and shame that science should in a nation which had made science its boast, have been put to such dishonorable uses in the recent war. "Every just mind must condemn them who so debased the studies of men of science as to use them against humanity, and therefore it is part of your task and of ours to reclaim cnionro frnm tbic HiccrMPD- tn chnw uviv**vv via* uaw^iuvV) vv ouv n that she is devoted to the advancement and interest of humanity and not to its embarrassments and destructions. "I wish very much sir, that I could believe that I was in some sense a worthy representative of the men of science of the United States. I cannot claim to be in any proper sense a man of science. My studies have been in the field of politics all my life and, while politics may by courtesy be called a science, it is a science which is often practiced without rule and is very hard to set up standards for, so that one can be sure that one is steering the right course. At the same time, while perhaps there is no science of government, there ought to be. I dare say in government itself there is a spirit of science, that is to say, the spirit of disinterestedness, the spirit of seeking after the truth so far as the truth is ready to be applied to human circumstances. Because after all, the problem of politics is to satisfy men in the arrangement of their lives, is to realize for them, so far as possible, the objects which they have entertained generaI RI ANK H Open the New Year u U I have a stock of Le I Books, Day Books, I\ ceipt Books. ; I Mayes' Book ^ \ "More Courtec and B "Jones. I iike that t ways being ready to ta phone calls from you. "If there is anythin; in the course of a busj office boy or girl call and then ask me to ^ minutes, as the case m know ' telephone calk me. "I believe it is the 1 * 4. man wno is cuuwg u soon as his party answ "We should never ing friends or business taring anyone we call "If ,-c nnf nnlv mnir# JL L lO 11V7 b VHJ.J 4UVJ. > business practice, to h party answers, but I b( SAVES TIME." SOUTHERN BELL 1 AND TELEGRAPH f tion after generation and have seen i so often postponed. Therefore, I hare - often thought that the universities 5 and the academies of science haY? j their part in simplifying the prob1; lems of politics and therefore assist-1 ing to advance human life along the i j lines of political structure and politi-! cal action. . I "It is very delightful to draw apart for a little while into this quiet place and feel again that familiar touch of tought and of knowledge which it has been my privilege to know familiarly through so great a part of my life. If I have come out on a more adventur, ous and disordered stage, I hope that I have not lost the recollection and may in some sense be assisted by I councils such as yours." ROBERT FRANKLIN McDONALD. Died at Oakvale, Greenville county, December 25, 1918, and was buried at j Hodges, S. C. He was ill only a short time, having had influenza and pneumonia. He was born January 21,1890, at Hodges, but most of his life was spent at Kibler, with his parents, WTr.. and Mrs. R. H. McDonald. About a year ago he went to Oakdale, where he has been a section foreman for the Southern railway. He was a member of the Prosperity Order of Red Men.. He is survived by his parents, Mr. j and Mrs. R. H. McDonald, and t^o / brothers, W. Arthur McDonald of ! Hodges, S. C'., and Private Julius H. ; McDonald, U. S. army, Baltimore, Md. His many friends grieve and sympathize with his family. "A precious one from us is gone, A voice we loved is stilled; x yidue Jo vductiiL 111 uui uuiue Which never can be filled." "God in his wisdom has recalled The boon his love has given, And though the body slumbers here, i The soul is safe in Heaven." V ' ^ ^ BOOKS I i rith a new set of books'.dgers, Journals, Cash f Memorandums and Re 0 g c Variety Store us? etter Business* >ractice of yours of al1k when I answer tele? that does irritate me j day, it is to have some me to the telephone^ mit one, two or five ay be, until some un:r is ready to talk with <? : responsibility of the o be ready to talk as rare* WJLO. take a chance on losby unnecessarily irri!. ; courteous, and better old the line ,until the ilieve in the long run it ELEPHQNE iW% C0MPANY