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LETTER FROM MISS RIDERParis, France, June 12, 1919. My dear papa: —I have just returned from a two week’s entertainment work among the soldiers at Verdun, Varennes, Conflans, Romaine, Sedan, Metz, Breiy, Luxemberg, Germany, and Brussells, Belgium. The following is the story,MY TRIP TO THE BATTLE FRONT.As I .tood on the bluff on “Lovers Leap,” in Verdun, I viewed a panorama of the Great War. The quaint old buildings and' barracks occupied by the French were mingled with horse-chestnut trees in full bloom. The river Meu^e sang^ts so^g as it flowed rapidly unde^ the hill and fell quietly over the torrent.In one direction, one could lode and see , beds of beautiful flowers, clinging ivy covering lie shell holes, trying to hideand cofer the. significance of The shattered and shelledwar.homes, wrecked and desolate,gave me a silentjfeeling as I%looked on with awe. and sym-main as a motto of Verdun, On ne passe pas, “They shall not pass. ’ ’You might read about the Great War in Europe, about thecamouflaged roads, ruined cities,■and observe the casualty lists, etc., but when the actual outlook is befose you, the very roads upon which the soldiers traveled, the visit in the trenches, dug-outs,,and everywhere the boys were, your viewpoint changes, and you have a weak feeling around your heart, and a thought comes to your mind, “How I Wish I Could Have Done More.’ This experience came to me as I wandered through the ruing of Verdan, and- Varennes, the latter, is a little city^ahelled to pieces,' ard stands at the foot of ArgonneFbrresti lt;: Only a few short months ago, the* .very, air smelt of powder, gas and shell-shock. . The skywas filled with aeroplanes dropping botabs for destruction. Soldier boys .were living in mud and, si tun,, fighting the foe.{ a,... new inspiration comes,the order of bombardment forces. In the distance ' were forte,myateryrof life.Spring-hasad van ced and beenaround th^m were trenches and | recognized. It has brought new dug-outs, shelled hills and every- inspiration and life, and life isthing that would even suggest Ibeydhd one highest art andwar.deepest science. The foliage onOut there beyond the white the trees is breaking out in full lime-stone road is a spot where to Mde the horrors of war; theno human being could begin to apple trees are blooming in sweetItell what the soul feels when he spring timO, as nature’s handsthey moved just the same.The 23rd engineers were right behind the other Yanks, building back the bridges an$l reconstructing the passages for the troops. They came to a well, and of course, were very thirsty, and proceeded to draw a bucket of water as their comrades had that were in the front. After satisfying their thirst, one soldier lad looked in the well and saw four dead Boch —.On, on, I roamed, viewing the torn hill where the Yanks drove ahead and captured 300,000 tons of ammunition. Yes, there was blood spilt, and lives were .lost,for pn the hills of the ArgonneI found odd graves, alone, save for the little wild flowers that had sprung up/ and blossomed with the spring. They are their only protection, for they are far away, but we know that it is all they. need. The other wild flowers I gathered I placed on these, wounds, and eb little individual posessed life, and Isog^eated brightness with cheerm ftg ipysterioija fprce.' “ ~ y, and ex*peet me home soma, time in Au-lt;gust or Septemher. Our work has nearly finished here in France.Your devoted daughter,IVA J. RIDER,Y. ML C. A., A. E. F.tvatpIha4fttl¥5C. F. WALKER, M. D.walks over the paths observing reach across the sea. The home-the graves of our dead soldier ly sparrows are chirping theirboys. Tnis spot is Glorieux common notes in the trenches Cemetery. Further on, is a hill | and gutters, and seem to concealWestville, Oklahomapounded to pieces, and not a I a mystery far more fascinating sign of anything living. This island profound. But no humanTreats Tuberculosis and all Lung Diseases. Cancers. Tumors, “ and Chronic Sores 1 or Ulcers.Had fifty-one years experience.“Dead Man’s” Hill. Why? being has ever discovered the because, there are skeletons and source of their movements andTHEbones of hundreds of soldiers their message of love and hope.buried unded-neath called dirt.thisso-Littls do they know what aretthe cannons and machine guns.Perhaps you would be inter- wires and props on which theyI *ested to know that Verdun is perch. Little do they know thatStilwell SupplyH.built over an underground city.(The Citadel) This city has vastgalleries protected with guns andthick walls of masonry. Numerous passages and spacious rooms are at once observed.Here the officers and secretarirsof general headquarters worked. The kitchens, bedrooms, baker’s rooms with electric furnaces,'store-rooms, ammunition dumps, ..wireless telephorre stations,chapel, hospital, etc.,,.gre, the ' chief-contents of this dark dun-It is a wonderful problem solved for existence 'and,'geonidefense. ' L‘I.in? fhisj Citadel,arwlq deremony took place. |The d6li^firy of, decoration^ “ apd ® • speech by* Presidentwill rerhere in the heart of the Argonne are four elevated rows of mansions, built of cement and same with private baths, electric .Ights and color scheme chambers which the Germans occupied for the last four years. The beer-gardens ahd grand stands, and then the ammunition factories down in the hill. Little do the birds understand that these • dug-out mn-* rions faced the valley where theHindenberg Line ran up to the9doors on the first' street at the foot if the hill, Yes, the Boch lived here with best intentions* of v$i4t ;happei|§d????Thiiik twice. ' The Yanksva. ■' wmo^ed by degrees, but they got, A and business picked iij).Sells, Repairs andInstalls WellPumpsHave Casing for SaleWill do Your Plumbing andElectric Wiri at Reasonableng of all kindsFiguresWe do all kinds of TinWork. Solderingtheir luxuries wibutand RepairingC. EglandPROPRIETOR- :• •»
Newspaper Details
Standard Sentinel
Stilwell, Oklahoma, US
Thu, Jul 10, 1919
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 05 Aug 2022
Other Publications Near Stilwell, Oklahoma
Stilwell Democrat Journal
Adair County Republican
Adair County Sentinel
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