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About The Springfield news. (Springfield, Lane County, Or.) 1916-2006 | View Entire Issue (May 16, 1918)
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1018. PAGE 2 THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS Springfield Boy In Franc Writes If Ivan McKlnney Tll of French People and Customs and , Describes the Country Mrand uVa. V. B. McKlnney re ceived a lotter from iholr son Ivan McKInnoy Monday written from Franc6 which glvea. av'good descrip tion jot,' tho French pebplo and their customs and describes conditions In that .country. Ho ts with the Battery q, Sixty-firth artillery. V Somewhere in France. ' As you can sco by tho heading of my letter I am not In England any more. We crossed to France several days ago. Wo landed In quite a largo placo and the first thing I noticed was , how very friendly the French were to us. Everyone waved to us, Borne saluted and some of the girls threw us kisses and I want to Bay that ' thero are some very pretty girls in France. Wo had quite a llttlo hike through this town and out to a temporary or rest camp. The streets were of course cobble stones and the houses and bus iness buildings ara all of stone. For the most part they seem to be of a different style of architecture than the English build, and they have so many little things along the street that one don't Bee at home. For In stance I saw a dog hitched to a largo milk cart. Everything in this city seemed neat as could be. The people look very frenchy, but the better class dress very much as we do at home.especially the women. As we went through the streets and out of town we saw French ' soldiers everywhere. Wo passed bunch of Belgian soldiers who bad been wounded and were recuperating in a French hospital. And In this town and along the road we passed numerous bunches of German,' and Turkish, prisoners at - work always guarded by French sol dlers. They looked well fed and were of all ages. We passed through some very pretty "picturesque country. Everything as pretty and neat as a pin. The old fashioned and many colored brick houses with slate and thatched roofs and the neat hedges and stone fences are everywhere. We had plenty of time to see everything, for our train averaged about ten miles per hour. I saw some very beautiful old Cha- teaus, old French country houses. And also some old and ruined buildings. One old ruined castle. There are two very beautiful castles not so very far from our camp. They are situated near a river and look very lordly and commanding from a bluff overlooking the river. Our camp Is right in the edge of a town. We are in a very large three an J four storied stone building. I under stand it was' hullt for a monastery and has quite a history. It is comfortable and we have plenty of room in our quarters. I am on the third floor. I look down on a large inner court' which is now used as kitchen and lounge place for part of the regiment We are on American rations, but our bread is great long loaves of French war bread. These loaves are two and one half and some almost three feet long. It is a sort of bran and rye bread and is considered very healthy. I have had my first experience with hardtack as we eat it while on the march and on the train. The last two days have been spent on fatigue. Ve nave cleaned up our quarters and have even swept the cobble stone court and ground around our quarters with house brooms. We sweep tho streets with brooms also So you can see that everything is kept as clean and sanitary as possible Our Colonel is very strong for clean liness. I was on K. P. yesterday. Didn't have to work hard and I had plenty to eat. We had minced roast beef, coffee with sugar hut no cream, and bread for breakfast, corned beef haBh with potatoes and onions, coffee and bread for dinner and best of all our supper consisted of beef steak, onions bread and coffee. As I was on K. P. I cooked ny own stake and also two slices of bacon and onions. In plac'ei of dessert. I soaked a slice of bread in coffee and spread sugar on ft. My but it tasted good. Now don't laugh at me because you know I wouldn't eat that at homo. When payday coraeB I will send youj scmo of tho smaller coins and papor money. Right now I haven't even a sow, which Is tho smallest French coin. Wo will bo paid In French money. Tholr papor money docs not look llko money to me at all. It runs as small as 25 conttmtnoa or about 5 cents. Tho largor tho de nomination of tho bll tho moro doc orations it will have and tho larger the site. I saw a 100 Frank noto yosterday and it Is qutto, a ploco of art Tho French In somo places will accept American silver monoy and currency but throw up tholr hands in horror it you offer them gold. They don't know what it is so it scorns. Thcro aro lots of things tho Amor lean soldiers have that tho French want very much. For Instance to bacco. Thoy will glvo 3 franks or 52 cents for a can of Velvet Tuxtd- or Prince Albort that costs about 12 Hi cents at home. Thoy give about 62 cents to 60 cents for a packago of Came ' or Luckej )S,rlko Clgarotts that cost 124 cents per packago at home. And from 30 cents to 35 cents per sack for Bull Durham that costs from 5 cents to iy cents at home. Tho French towns aro queer 'croa tlons.' The streets run every way imaginable and tho blocks aro all sizes. Some of them are very large and some consist of only one or two small buildings. The stores have real ly nice displays in their windows. Somo things seem too cheap to bo true and some aro absolutely out of sight For example I saw a pair of very nice looking mons shoes that would cost about 6 or 7 dollars at home marked 130 Franks or about $22.75. But I had a nice dish of potatoes, roast beef and bread for about 15 cents. Things aro this way in the town we are in at present but they may be altogether different In another. We have to have passes to visit town. Ten per cent of the men are allowed a pass from 5 to 8:30 after supper each day with tho exception of Sundays when the same number receive all day passes. Last Sunday was declared a day of rest Everyone had to go to church. I had a dandy bath yesterday after noon and I am feeling much better. The French bathtubs are just the thing. They aro about 3 feet deep, so when you sit down in one the water reaches to your neck. I guess the French patronlqe the ipubllc baths very extensively. I got back Just In time for supper and after supper we had quite a treat The chaplain brought in a couple of French soldiers. One was a splendid violinist and the other a bugler had been In a German prison for 26 months He showed us the French bugle calls and some of the German calls that be had to answer such as fatigue and mess. He showed us the German prison stamp which is tattoed on his arm. It is a picture of a man tied to a whipping post. , While I was out taking a bath yes terday afternoon, I had a nice dinner served in French style. It waB a treat from a friend of mine in the Battery It was served in courses 1st course a glass of very light wine, the soldiers are allowed to drink it, and a loaf of French war bread, 2nd course some very good macaroni soup, 3rd course a sort of vegetable and meat stow serv ed In a small quantity, 4th course roast beef and fried potatoes, 5th course a wilted lettice salad and Cth course apples. At homo a dinner like It would cost at least $1.50, but It cost 2 Franks 50 centimes or about 60 cents. We turned In our campaign hats and light shoes today. Wo have to wear a sort of cap now and our trench shoes. One of the boys bought an American newspaper by English press tpday and there was a regular fight over it to see who was "next," A Springfield News would almost knock me dead now. You can send one once in a while If you want to. Proper Food for Weak 8tomach The proper food for one man may bo all wrong for another. Every one should adopt a diet suited to bis age and occupation. Those who have veak stomachs need to bo especially careful and should eat fllowly and masticate their food thoroughly. It Is also Important that they keep tholr bowels regular. When they become constipated, or whou'thoy feel dull and stupid ater eaUjitfV thoy should take rJtWberltlfn'8 Tlibleta to strengthen li tjjoninch nnd movo tho bownls. Thy n.n "y (o tke uud ploasant In eff.jr;! adv. PATRONS ARE THE PATRIOTS Customer of Soma Hotels Profit Very Little by New Plan of Conitrva. tlen ef Food Supply. Tho food Administration la plenord to pieces with tho New York liptols for saving more than n thousand barrels of ttour.n week mui some IT tons of meat n day these whoutloxs-mrnt-less occasions that are so popular now, t writer In Collier's observes. Pro fusion dealers report n fulling off In sales, and all Is lovely and statistical. TIs n fair picture to pixo upon, hut honor where "honor Is due I That w iMent hero, tho hotel patron, ought io como In for n few kind words, since v pays the full price und eats the half portion. "Save vhent use corn" broad Is 10 cents, corn broad Is lb touts. A n transient consumer, the 'other noon, wo paid IK) certts for n slice of hoof as InrRo as a 'postal card, plus one table- spoonful of creamed potutoes, plus n bit of Yorkshire pudding about the slxo of n wntch. No doubt It was nil thnt was good for us, but tho price was more. If the widely known principles of economics are still working, wo helped mnke meat and bread cheaper ami paid as much as If we were mak ing them dearer. A patriot Is a noble thing, but Isn't It bettor to be one than to trim one? The hotel keepers of Manhattan are playing both sides of the piine and the food administration furnishes n Jan band of statistical admiration for tholr efforts. These boldfaces who arc shrinking the meats and swelling the prices need somothjng nil right but not governmental encouragement Meanwhile the hotel user can feel sure that the wnr has not clinnsod hls func tion at all he's the paying goat now Just as he used to be. HOLD WOOL IN THIS COUNTRY War Trade Board Takes Steps to Meet the Requirements of Both the Army and Navy. Restriction! governing tho exporta tion, nnd Importation nt wool wore tightened recently by the wnr trade hoard with n view to contervinc Amer ican supplies nnd checking the Increase In prices, which have risen 2uO per cent. No commodities containing wool will be permitted In future to leave tho country. It wns nnnonneed. If, In the Judgment of the board, tho wool Is needed for the uses either of the. army or the navy. Imjiorters before they can obtain li censes will be required to pg-i nn agreement that they will sell no wool to persons other than manufacturers and that they will give tho govern ment an option to purehns" nil wool Imported nt a price .1 per cent less thnn the price that obtained for the same grade July 30, 1017. When Nobel Cut His Flnaer. Tho great war might bo inieed hack to Nobel's cut finger, E. E. Slnsson writes In the New York Independent. Alfred Nobel wns a Swedish rhemlst nnd n pacifist. One day while work ing In the laboratory he t his finger, ns chemists arc apt to do. pnd ngaln as chemists are apt to do, he dissolved some guncotton In ether alcotinl nnd swabbed It on the wound. At this nolnt. however, his conduct diverges from the ordinary, for Instead of stand ing Idle, Impatiently wnvlng his hand In the air to dry the film as most peo ple, Including rhemlsts, nre apt to do, he put his mind on It nnd It occurred to him thnt this sticky stuff, slowly hardening to nn elnRtlc mass, might he JuNt the thing he wns hunting as an absorbent nnd solldlfler of nltro alycerln. So Instead of throwing nwny the extrn collodion that he hud made he mixed It with nitroglycerin nnd found thut It set to n Jelly. The "blast ing gelatin" thus discovered proved to hp so Insensitive to shock Hint It could be safely transported or fired froni tiP.. .. . ' thl ennnon. Tins wns the llrst or the hlcli explosives flint hnve been the chief factor In the greut war. To Remodel Japanese Army. The return of distinguished Japan ese ofilcers who have been In Europe studying the latest military tactics on the bnttlefronts will be followed by army reorganization, reports the To kyo JIJI. Under the new system one division will consist of three regi ments Instead of four, ns now, und a force composed of two reorganized di visions will become the fighting unit of the Japanese army. Increase In the number of regiments Is not con templated, but the number of divi sions will bo necessarily augmented. Whether or not the new formation will be seen In the forthcoming an nual maneuvers Is unannounced. The military arsenal at Tokyo Is preparing to build aliplanes for army use, and an npproprlr.tlon of $8,760,000 will be asked from tho diet The exact type of airship has not been decided. Delight of Berlin Life. Ono of tho beauties of autocratic government, says the Springfield Union, Is shown In tho snow-removal order Issued by tho military author ities In Be'Iln, under tho provisions of which every property owner Is re quired to remove the snow not only from his sidewalk, but from the road way as far as the center of the street, and Is authorized to call on nil" ten ants between the ages of fourteen and sixty to assist him in this work. Fail ure to comply with the order Is punish able with a fine of not more thaa $970 or Imprisonment for not more than a year, and the police are authorized to handle all Mich cases without tho for mallty of a trluL W ima lite. WJhWMMMM WWP. Governor Asks Help of Citizens Issues proclamation Calling ' Upon People of' Oregon to Support Rod Cross, Salom, Oro May 16. Oovornor Jauos Wlthycombo of Oregon todny Issued a proclamation calling upon all cltlions of tho state to support Uio American Hod Cross In .Us bocoiuI war fund drive, set for May 20 to 27. In handing tho original proclama tton to a representative .q tho Aniorl can Red Cross, Jho Oovornor said that ho could boaffordod no grentor pleas ure than to do a scrvlco tor tho Red Cross, Tho militant message of Oregon's. "War Governor" to tho people of Ore gon follows: , PROCLAMATION. Stnto of Oregon Exccutlvo Dept, Salem, May 15, .1918. Cltizons of Oregon, Greeting. I Whereas, Woodrow Wilson, Prcsl- 'tlnnt nt thn TTnltml Rtntnit nnA Prnal. .1 .... . n . v. 4M....l-.. n.i i I ,ul'iu ui tuts jijiiurituu ttuu ruso, hkhiii has called upon tho peoplo.of tho Uni ted States to support tho groat insti tution of Red Cross; and Whereas, Ho . has proclaimed tho , week of May 20 to 27 for tho purposo of soliciting sifts; Now, thoroforo, I, James Wltliycom- ho, Governor of generous Oregon, call j upon all citizens of this Stato to sot' asldo this week to tho noly purposo) of serving In this humano cnuso; and ; urgo all prlvnftfjxUizcns, if called upon, to servo as workors, and to let no private occupation hold them' back. When citizens of Oregon aro asked for their gifts let them remember they aro helping suffering humanity. Oregon never fails. Let her load again. Given under my hand this 16th day of May, 1018. (Signed) JAMES WITHYCOMBB. Governor of Oregon. Some Inducement. Christopher Brown walked Into the local recruiting station of the United Stntes marine corps at Philadelphia, says the Troy Times, and nfter an nouncing thnt he was from Bralntree, sold he wanted to enlist "The Idea of enlisting Is n good one," snld the .re cruiting sergeant, "but what Is Rrnln tree n breakfast food or- an educa tional Institution?" "It Is n town In Mawtnchusettsr-tJie 'y town In the United Stntes that ever produced two presidents," proudly replied Brown. "John Adnms was horn there, and so wns John Qulncy Adams, John IJmi cock was born there, too, as was Col. Charles G. Long, chief of staff of the marine corps. If you take me Into the marine corps I may he running the thlug In n year or two." Camera Marks Airplane Hits. The greut aviation .school ut Toronto has devised u most Ingenious scheme for training aviators In tho use of the machine gun. Two apprentice llyers arc sent up to light under all the con ditions of actual warfare. They make every effort to aim and lire their ma chine guns nt each other, only In place of bullets the gun Is jltted with earner' .lens uud film. Every pull of the trig ger snaps u picture. If the shot Is u hit" u picture of tho "enemy" air the film Is blank. By examining the strip of film afterward It is posslbc to tell exactly how many lilts each man made mid how accurately he Is "shooting." Made in Springfield A DIRECTORY OF MERCHANTS AND BUSINESS MEN WHO WANT YOUR BUSINESS AND WILL GIVE YOU GOOD VALUES Patronize Home Industry . EAT EGGIMANN'S War, Oat Meal and LibertyBrcad Day or Night PHONE 51 YOU GET ALL THE NEWS THAT'S "MADE IN SPRINGFIFLD" ' EVERY THUR8DAY IN THE SPRINGFIELD NEWS Subscription 91.50 per year Phone 2 FOR GOVERNOR GUS C. MOSER Republican President Oregon State Senate For Rural Credits extension, Irrigation, Drainage and Dovelopmcnt of all our resources. For nBslstanco by Portland capital and business to ovory section of our great state. For the rights of both Labor and Capital under a schemo of mutual co-opcratlon. For Good Roads, but Fighting the Paving Trust We aro paying about $0000 moro per 1G foot mllo o.f I3itullthtc Pavement In Oregon than is being paid In Washington. Let us build good roads in every coun ty In the Btate GIVE EVERY COUNTY A SQUARE DEAL. Elect MOSIIER and, you will forovcr banish tho subtle influence of the Paving Trust fronr Oregon Poli tics. AGGRESSIVELY INDEPENDENT. , (Paid adv.) Time and Skill fjj THE little details otherc overlook recclvo our most considerate attention a reason why our glasses are above the average In quality. Perfect vision 1b a success. This explains why of the eyes. SAVE YOUR SHERMAN Broken Lenses EYE SIGHT SPECIALIST Factory Quickly AND OPTICIAN on- Replaced 881 Willamotto Strcot Premises TELEPHONE 362 JOB Made At the, A Patriotic American A NATIVE OF WI8CON- SIN. AGE, 47. FOR ,27 YEARS A RESI DENT OF OREGON. A VICTORIOUS CHAM PION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE. For a vigorous proHocu tlon of tho wnr to a victor ious conclusion. For strict business prin ciples In management of stato affairs. Moody' Decp-Curv Kryplok. Lat Axa Hotter great factor in all notable a person Bhould tako care EYES. W. MOODY ELECTRICITY For light, heat and power. "Made In Springfield Oregon Power Co. PRINTING in Springfield Newt Office