TRANSCRIBED FROM THE LOG CABIN DEMOCRAT FEBRUARY 6, 1919 P. 3
Matil-sur-Vaise, France, Dec. 30th, 1918.
Editor Log Cabin Democrat:
If you have space in your paper for a few lines from an A.E.F. soldier in France, I would like to say a few words about this country. Not that I am "down on" this country, but it is quite different from the wide awake U. S. A. I've been over here now almost six months and have learned to speak quite a little French and have learned the ways and customs of the people. I've had a good opportunity to mix with then in this branch of service. I have built barracks and have done engineering work in many towns over here.
I have been off from my company on detached duty and have had to take orders from French engineer officers, as well as American and had them very nice and agreeable. But I don't want to talk about the French army--I want to talk about the civilian people.
The most striking thing is their villages. All of the houses are of stone and brick, and sometimes they are joined together for a whole block. The streets are usually narrow and crooked. Each house is used for a barn, as well as a home, just open and a door and step out of the dining room into the cow stables. The manure is piled by the front door, which is in the street. There are very few autos owned by the civilians. They usually travel in buggies, which are built like they were 500 years ago, but they all have fine horses and very, very fine roads. The most of them were built years and years back.
In the village of Donremy still stands the house where Jeanne d'Arc was born (1412). and also the church where she was christened. The church is over 500 years old. About one-half mile from the old house in which Jeanne was born is a new church, one of the finest in France. Words cannot express its beauty. This is the spot where she had a vision of leading an army, while herding her father's cows and sheep.
Still today, the French girls and women take their little bunch of cows out to graze several hours each day. All of them wear wooden shoes, except on Sunday, when they go to church. but even if the French girls do wear wooden shoes, they are pretty, the most of them, and have ways that a fellow admires.
No large boys or girls go to school except in the large towns, where they have schools for them. The girls work in the field, as well as the boys, and a good many of them plow oxen. I have seen a horse and an ox hitched to the same plow, one behind the other. Lots of times they have three horses hitched to one plow, single file. About the only kind of plow they have is the turning plow, similar to the one of ours, except they are mounted on two wheels, which run under the front of the team. They plow in small patches and their chief crop is wheat. No corn. Also they do a good deal of truck growing.
As a whole, this country is far behind the states and there is nothing over here to induce a man to stay, except in some large towns like Paris, where he might get a good job in some factory. As for me, give me America, it is 500 years ahead of France, outside of Paris.
If you find space for this in your paper, I would like for the farmers of good old Faulkner to read it. I am stating the truth as near as I can and believe they would like to know about the rural life in France.
Yours truly,
Sergeant Rufus Haydon.
Co. A, 526th Engrs., A.E.F.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Matil-sur-Vaise, France, Dec. 30th, 1918.
Editor Log Cabin Democrat:
If you have space in your paper for a few lines from an A.E.F. soldier in France, I would like to say a few words about this country. Not that I am "down on" this country, but it is quite different from the wide awake U. S. A. I've been over here now almost six months and have learned to speak quite a little French and have learned the ways and customs of the people. I've had a good opportunity to mix with then in this branch of service. I have built barracks and have done engineering work in many towns over here.
I have been off from my company on detached duty and have had to take orders from French engineer officers, as well as American and had them very nice and agreeable. But I don't want to talk about the French army--I want to talk about the civilian people.
The most striking thing is their villages. All of the houses are of stone and brick, and sometimes they are joined together for a whole block. The streets are usually narrow and crooked. Each house is used for a barn, as well as a home, just open and a door and step out of the dining room into the cow stables. The manure is piled by the front door, which is in the street. There are very few autos owned by the civilians. They usually travel in buggies, which are built like they were 500 years ago, but they all have fine horses and very, very fine roads. The most of them were built years and years back.
In the village of Donremy still stands the house where Jeanne d'Arc was born (1412). and also the church where she was christened. The church is over 500 years old. About one-half mile from the old house in which Jeanne was born is a new church, one of the finest in France. Words cannot express its beauty. This is the spot where she had a vision of leading an army, while herding her father's cows and sheep.
Still today, the French girls and women take their little bunch of cows out to graze several hours each day. All of them wear wooden shoes, except on Sunday, when they go to church. but even if the French girls do wear wooden shoes, they are pretty, the most of them, and have ways that a fellow admires.
No large boys or girls go to school except in the large towns, where they have schools for them. The girls work in the field, as well as the boys, and a good many of them plow oxen. I have seen a horse and an ox hitched to the same plow, one behind the other. Lots of times they have three horses hitched to one plow, single file. About the only kind of plow they have is the turning plow, similar to the one of ours, except they are mounted on two wheels, which run under the front of the team. They plow in small patches and their chief crop is wheat. No corn. Also they do a good deal of truck growing.
As a whole, this country is far behind the states and there is nothing over here to induce a man to stay, except in some large towns like Paris, where he might get a good job in some factory. As for me, give me America, it is 500 years ahead of France, outside of Paris.
If you find space for this in your paper, I would like for the farmers of good old Faulkner to read it. I am stating the truth as near as I can and believe they would like to know about the rural life in France.
Yours truly,
Sergeant Rufus Haydon.
Co. A, 526th Engrs., A.E.F.
NOTES:
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD