TRANSCRIBED FROM THE COURIER-INDEX DECEMBER 6, 1918 P. 2
Paris, Sept. 24
Have been here several days, but have been using every minute attending conferences and sight seeing. Paris is wonderful. I have just returned from an all-day trip. Visited the Hotel des Invalides. Sounds like it might be a hospital but it really is a wonderful museum. In the court yard are dozens of captured guns, ranging from small ones to one that is a monster; also German planes of every type, including dirigibles. The airplane used by Guynemer in bringing down seventeen German planes has the place of honor. Fresh wreaths of flowers are placed on it every day. It is an impressive sight to see the French approach it with uncovered heads and kneel before it. Saw suits of armor and weapons of war used since the beginning of France. Visited Napoleon's tomb, (which cannot be seen, as it is covered by sand bags to protect it from air raids). His favorite horse and dog have been standing there all these years and look wonderfully lifelike in their original hides.
I also visited the Eiffel Tower and saw one of the long range guns that shelled Paris from a distance of 65 or 70 miles, and went to the ruins of the church that was struck by one of the shells, killing a large number of people. I have seen so many things of interest that I hardy know where to begin to tell you of them. I wrote you of my week in London and going through the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Spurgeon's church, etc. but Paris is to me a hundred fold more interesting. Lafayette's tomb seems to be the mecca of Americans. I think the most beautiful place I have visited is the palace erected by Louis the Fourteenth at a cost of twenty million pounds sterling. The grounds and ornaments cost just four times that amount, or $400,000,000. It is no wonder the people rose to throw off the yoke of such a profligate ruler.
The French people are wonderful. I expected to find Paris a city of mourning, with business houses vacant and no one smiling. To the contrary, I never saw better kept stores, and while women in black predominate, there is an air of cheerfulness prevalent that should put us Americans to shame.
Strange to say, one finds little use for one's hard-earned though limited French vocabulary. You can hardly go into a store, hotel or any public place that you don't find French people that speak English. However, I have about doubled my vocabulary. When I came I could say "wee," and now I can say "wee, wee." That's going some.
I had quite an interesting experience with a charming French girl on the train when coming to Paris. You know the European trains have first, second and third class compartments. I was traveling first class. We left our port town about twelve o'clock and had a most beautiful daylight ride through France, arriving at Paris about ten that night. In the afternoon about two o'clock we stopped at a splendid city for lunch. While we were out this charming girl took a seat in our compartment. Of course it was reserved for the four of us, and five made the quarters rather close, but strange to say, none of us found fault. After we were seated we started talking among ourselves. The girl read her paper and after saying "bon souir" paid us no mind. I remarked to the boys that it was a shame we could not talk to the most attractive girl we had seen since we left the states, and I for one intended mastering the French language so I wouldn't lose another such opportunity. Imagine my surprise when she turned to me and said in splendid English, "I am always glad to talk to Americans. We realize that America has saved us." The laugh was on me, but we had a delightful time all the way to Paris. She explained things of interest, gave us a description of air raids on Paris, gave us lessons in French and made herself generally entertaining. She said she had attended school in England and had a sister who had married an American and lives in Kentucky.
Everywhere we saw the women working, on the farms, driving the wagons, in the factories, and in fact doing everything the me do. The women in France and England are keeping the farms and factories going.
When I reported at headquarters and had a conference with Mr. Wolfe, the assignment secretary, he sent me to Mr. Towne, who is in charge of the entertainment department. He told me American singers were in great demand and he would place me in a concert company to visit all the camps. When I saw him later he said he had placed me with a company composed of two French and two English girls and that I, being the only man, would have charge and make all traveling arrangements, etc. I told him I was willing to do anything and go anywhere, but did not relish the idea of having four women to look after, especially when traveling and getting accommodations over here now, even by one's self, is quite an undertaking, to say nothing of having four women to look after. However, I intended seeing it through but shortly after leaving the office I met a boy who came over in our party from New York. He is a pianist and is unusually clever with his "song stories." He doesn't sing at all but gives his readings with piano accompaniment. We became fast friends and spent most of our time on ship in the music room going over his songs and mine. So we got our heads together and went to Mr. Towne with a proposition. Told him we could give an evening's entertainment, could travel light, go anywhere, and would like to go right up to the front where the larger companies, including women, could not go: if necessary we told him we would even ride freight trains, trucks or walk to get to the camps. The idea appealed to him, so we went into his room to the piano and showed him what we had. I had not been wasting any time and have memorized several humorous readings and negro stories. Well, we made a hit with him. He said we had just the "stuff" the boys would like, and he would route us in the hard places, out close to the front, where the boys didn't get much entertainment.
Night before last they called for twelve volunteers to help the Red Cross workers carry 500 wounded American boys from the train to the ambulances, that they might be taken to American hospitals. My friend and I volunteered. The train came in about one o'clock in the morning. This was my first real touch of war. It was, of course, sad to see these splendid boys with arms and legs shot off and otherwise mutilated, but their wonderful spirit of courage and cheerfulness was glorious. Never a murmur of complaint, never a word of fault finding. Those who were incapacitated were sorry only because they could not get back into the fight, and others wanted to get fixed up as soon as possible to return to the front. Of the five hundred, not one could walk to the ambulance; all had to be carried on stretchers. I worked for two hours and never realized I was tired until after it was all over. It is some job to carry men weighing between 150 and 200 pounds between two of us. Their battle spirit and Spartan courage made me ashamed I had ever complained about anything and that I had not done my part in this fight for everything worth living for.
NOTES: This letter was written by Wayne Jackson to his brother H. M. Jackson who worked for the Courier-Index. Wayne was an entertainment secretary for the YMCA in France.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD
Paris, Sept. 24
Have been here several days, but have been using every minute attending conferences and sight seeing. Paris is wonderful. I have just returned from an all-day trip. Visited the Hotel des Invalides. Sounds like it might be a hospital but it really is a wonderful museum. In the court yard are dozens of captured guns, ranging from small ones to one that is a monster; also German planes of every type, including dirigibles. The airplane used by Guynemer in bringing down seventeen German planes has the place of honor. Fresh wreaths of flowers are placed on it every day. It is an impressive sight to see the French approach it with uncovered heads and kneel before it. Saw suits of armor and weapons of war used since the beginning of France. Visited Napoleon's tomb, (which cannot be seen, as it is covered by sand bags to protect it from air raids). His favorite horse and dog have been standing there all these years and look wonderfully lifelike in their original hides.
I also visited the Eiffel Tower and saw one of the long range guns that shelled Paris from a distance of 65 or 70 miles, and went to the ruins of the church that was struck by one of the shells, killing a large number of people. I have seen so many things of interest that I hardy know where to begin to tell you of them. I wrote you of my week in London and going through the House of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Spurgeon's church, etc. but Paris is to me a hundred fold more interesting. Lafayette's tomb seems to be the mecca of Americans. I think the most beautiful place I have visited is the palace erected by Louis the Fourteenth at a cost of twenty million pounds sterling. The grounds and ornaments cost just four times that amount, or $400,000,000. It is no wonder the people rose to throw off the yoke of such a profligate ruler.
The French people are wonderful. I expected to find Paris a city of mourning, with business houses vacant and no one smiling. To the contrary, I never saw better kept stores, and while women in black predominate, there is an air of cheerfulness prevalent that should put us Americans to shame.
Strange to say, one finds little use for one's hard-earned though limited French vocabulary. You can hardly go into a store, hotel or any public place that you don't find French people that speak English. However, I have about doubled my vocabulary. When I came I could say "wee," and now I can say "wee, wee." That's going some.
I had quite an interesting experience with a charming French girl on the train when coming to Paris. You know the European trains have first, second and third class compartments. I was traveling first class. We left our port town about twelve o'clock and had a most beautiful daylight ride through France, arriving at Paris about ten that night. In the afternoon about two o'clock we stopped at a splendid city for lunch. While we were out this charming girl took a seat in our compartment. Of course it was reserved for the four of us, and five made the quarters rather close, but strange to say, none of us found fault. After we were seated we started talking among ourselves. The girl read her paper and after saying "bon souir" paid us no mind. I remarked to the boys that it was a shame we could not talk to the most attractive girl we had seen since we left the states, and I for one intended mastering the French language so I wouldn't lose another such opportunity. Imagine my surprise when she turned to me and said in splendid English, "I am always glad to talk to Americans. We realize that America has saved us." The laugh was on me, but we had a delightful time all the way to Paris. She explained things of interest, gave us a description of air raids on Paris, gave us lessons in French and made herself generally entertaining. She said she had attended school in England and had a sister who had married an American and lives in Kentucky.
Everywhere we saw the women working, on the farms, driving the wagons, in the factories, and in fact doing everything the me do. The women in France and England are keeping the farms and factories going.
When I reported at headquarters and had a conference with Mr. Wolfe, the assignment secretary, he sent me to Mr. Towne, who is in charge of the entertainment department. He told me American singers were in great demand and he would place me in a concert company to visit all the camps. When I saw him later he said he had placed me with a company composed of two French and two English girls and that I, being the only man, would have charge and make all traveling arrangements, etc. I told him I was willing to do anything and go anywhere, but did not relish the idea of having four women to look after, especially when traveling and getting accommodations over here now, even by one's self, is quite an undertaking, to say nothing of having four women to look after. However, I intended seeing it through but shortly after leaving the office I met a boy who came over in our party from New York. He is a pianist and is unusually clever with his "song stories." He doesn't sing at all but gives his readings with piano accompaniment. We became fast friends and spent most of our time on ship in the music room going over his songs and mine. So we got our heads together and went to Mr. Towne with a proposition. Told him we could give an evening's entertainment, could travel light, go anywhere, and would like to go right up to the front where the larger companies, including women, could not go: if necessary we told him we would even ride freight trains, trucks or walk to get to the camps. The idea appealed to him, so we went into his room to the piano and showed him what we had. I had not been wasting any time and have memorized several humorous readings and negro stories. Well, we made a hit with him. He said we had just the "stuff" the boys would like, and he would route us in the hard places, out close to the front, where the boys didn't get much entertainment.
Night before last they called for twelve volunteers to help the Red Cross workers carry 500 wounded American boys from the train to the ambulances, that they might be taken to American hospitals. My friend and I volunteered. The train came in about one o'clock in the morning. This was my first real touch of war. It was, of course, sad to see these splendid boys with arms and legs shot off and otherwise mutilated, but their wonderful spirit of courage and cheerfulness was glorious. Never a murmur of complaint, never a word of fault finding. Those who were incapacitated were sorry only because they could not get back into the fight, and others wanted to get fixed up as soon as possible to return to the front. Of the five hundred, not one could walk to the ambulance; all had to be carried on stretchers. I worked for two hours and never realized I was tired until after it was all over. It is some job to carry men weighing between 150 and 200 pounds between two of us. Their battle spirit and Spartan courage made me ashamed I had ever complained about anything and that I had not done my part in this fight for everything worth living for.
NOTES: This letter was written by Wayne Jackson to his brother H. M. Jackson who worked for the Courier-Index. Wayne was an entertainment secretary for the YMCA in France.
TRANSCRIBED BY LAEL HARROD