TRANSCRIBED FROM THE BATESVILLE DAILY GUARD APRIL 17, 1919 P. 1
Souilly, France, March 4, 1919. President Erosophie Literary Society, Arkansas College.,
Batesville, Arkansas, U.S.A.
Mr. Chairman and Fellow Members:
I may be out of order to intrude on your patience, especially, since I am not on the program as for as I know. But be that as it may I shall say a few words. It is almost baseball season and I feel like I have a little pep. And must get rid of it in some way. So I shall unload on the old Soph.
The war is over. I suspect you know that already. It is a known fact that such little secrets as the war ending get out some way. Some say it is due to the base censor being lax on some of the Bucks. Others say it is due to the Hun spy system. Be that as it may, it is in the papers in the States. I saw a paper the first of January, 1919, and it had right across the front page these words, “ The Great War Has Ended” and that happened, so it said at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year 1918. Well, I remember the day. On the night of the tenth I saw three battle planes head for our camp but they were accounted for, too. Our Artist with the big guns, tried to see how much noise they could make and it was a hard matter to sleep. The guns rocked our camp—that was well if they had only left the noise off. I would not dare say a word about this war ending but you being in a knowledge factory are expected to know it if anybody does. So I feel safe and think I can slip this by the Censor.
Now I am like the preacher who preached without a text. He had the whole Bible to discuss and after preaching thirty years found out that he was not a preacher. I may write years before I found out that I am not a writer. But be that as it may, I must say something.
No doubt you fellows who were not fortunate enough to get to come over here, wonder what you have missed. Well, here are some of the many things you have missed: First. You have missed having a nice little needle injected about three inches into your arm just under the skin or if not under the skin of your arm, it is just under your shoulder blade. If you got the first shot in the arm you were sure to want the next under the shoulder blade. And if your wants were gratified you would not want the next one at all. Second: You missed getting some rigulfied Sergt. Or Buck, putting some iodine on your arm and a wise looking Doctor scratching you just a little and squirting a little fluid out of a tube on the scratched place as you would judge to keep you from getting sore. But, after about six or ten days you would likely change your opinion about the object of the Doctor. Third: You missed getting to get up and dress in the cold in the remarkable long time of five minutes and then going out and answer to your name. And two, if you were not there you were sure to get paged. Fourth: You missed getting to carry a nice little bundle that contained all your clothing, house, kitchen and grocery store. These are done up in a nice little bundle of about seventy pounds and fits on your back nicely. The one strange thing about this little bundle is that it will in the remarkable space of one day gain about three times its ordinary weight. The gain all seems to depend on how far you carry it and the temperature. Some of you who are good in figures can now have a nice little problem to solve or for Mr. Frierson as the case may be.
But these are the things you missed in the States and it is my intention to tell you what you missed in having to stay at home and go to school.
Well, I see some of the members looking jealous already. But be patient till I tell some more.
Now for over here. You missed that trip across the sea. Think of the thrill of being blown up every minute. We had a few colored gentlemen on board with us. If I can take their ___ for facts and of course I can. we sank 100 submarines. I ment that is all I kept account of. One colored Sergeant saw a submarine. His comrades did not think he was telling the truth and just to prove it he said that he knew it was a submarine because he saw the smoke stack as it came up out of the water. Well, I say you missed this and many other things. You missed that trip to the rest camps after spending twelve days on the deep blue sea. By the way, the only thing that bothered our colored friends was the fact that the ship was in a hole all the time and they were betting on what they would see when we reached the top. It took only about two hours to get to this rest camp. Remember that you have all your belongings with you. Now all you have to do is to build your house, cook your supper, carry wood, water and rations and do guard duty for two weeks and you have done your duty at the rest camp. You missed the third stage of the journey. Some fine morning when it is raining you are awakened at 2 a.m. and given twenty minutes to get all your property together to take your first ride on the French special for soldiers .I do not know why they call France Sunny France unless it is for the same reason that they call Greenland Greenland. It rains 365 days in the year here. The Sun shine the one-fourth day.
Well, you missed this journey. Here is your train. The engine is very much like the old automobile Mr. Theodore Maxfield used to own. The cars are about a third smaller than the ones in the States. They are marked 40 Hommes or 8 Chaveaux. The last passengers happened to be 8 Chaveaux. You are one of the 40 Hommes. Now you spend three days on this special and land you know not where. But you get a map and find that you have journeyed all of 120 kilometers and are a little nearer the front.
Next, you must get quarters. Well, here you are. A big nice barn, You soon find a stall or if you are lucky you may get an upper birth. There is not much difference. If you prefer fleas and cooties as bunk mates in preference to cows and rats take the upper birth, if not take the lower. It continues to rain.
You soon long for the front. You want to go and have it out with Fritz. You feel that he is responsible for all your nice trip and that you must thank him Tout Suite.
Now for some of the real stuff. You missed the grand old trip to gay Paree. There you see all you can desire. There is Beaucoup everything Pretty Madamoisells, good shows, good eats and all.
Too, there is the glorious whipping of the Huns. The glory of victory the glory of all.
Mr. Chairman, I have spoken in a funny manner but there is real truth in it. We are glad we came. We love the good old U.S.A. We love old A.C. and the old Soph. We went up against all with a glad heart. Our boys here are great. The good old U.S.A. is justly proud of them. If it were to do over we would be here, only sooner. The only regret a man over here can have is that he did not get here sooner. But we came in time.
We are coming back to America with a new vision and new purpose. As we fought so will we live. We hope to soon be with you and mingle again with those we hold dear and those who did not get to come over here. We know it took those at home to help win as well as those over here. One Division did not win this war. One nation did not win it. It took many Divisions and many nations to win. There is glory enough in the victory for all. It is up to us to live worthily of the great victory we have won and for which our comrades died.
It is not the training that worries us, that is fun. It is not carrying packs that we mind. It is not crossing the ocean or riding on the French trains that hurts us. It is not standing in the rain or having a bed not to sleep in that we regret. It is not all the dozen of hard things that we did that are to be remembered. We had our friends and comrades who went through all with a smile. Here a sniper picked off Jim. Here gas got Bill. Here a shrapnel got Tom. This is what hurts. Here they lie in the atmosphere of victory all cold and stiff. We must leave them here and that is what is Hell. But they are remembered by all and their noble work shall ever be forgotten.
Mr.Chairman, I wrote this on the spur of the moment and it perhaps is not worth while. But as I said, I had to unload, and the Sophs. Are the victims.
An ex-member of the Sophs.-and one yet.
FARRIS C. PURVIANCE,
Co. C, 114th F. S. Bn. Amer.
NOTES: Purviance was a former student at Arkansas college. He was writing to the Sophomore Society at the college.
TRANSCRIBED BY KATHY GRIMM
Souilly, France, March 4, 1919. President Erosophie Literary Society, Arkansas College.,
Batesville, Arkansas, U.S.A.
Mr. Chairman and Fellow Members:
I may be out of order to intrude on your patience, especially, since I am not on the program as for as I know. But be that as it may I shall say a few words. It is almost baseball season and I feel like I have a little pep. And must get rid of it in some way. So I shall unload on the old Soph.
The war is over. I suspect you know that already. It is a known fact that such little secrets as the war ending get out some way. Some say it is due to the base censor being lax on some of the Bucks. Others say it is due to the Hun spy system. Be that as it may, it is in the papers in the States. I saw a paper the first of January, 1919, and it had right across the front page these words, “ The Great War Has Ended” and that happened, so it said at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year 1918. Well, I remember the day. On the night of the tenth I saw three battle planes head for our camp but they were accounted for, too. Our Artist with the big guns, tried to see how much noise they could make and it was a hard matter to sleep. The guns rocked our camp—that was well if they had only left the noise off. I would not dare say a word about this war ending but you being in a knowledge factory are expected to know it if anybody does. So I feel safe and think I can slip this by the Censor.
Now I am like the preacher who preached without a text. He had the whole Bible to discuss and after preaching thirty years found out that he was not a preacher. I may write years before I found out that I am not a writer. But be that as it may, I must say something.
No doubt you fellows who were not fortunate enough to get to come over here, wonder what you have missed. Well, here are some of the many things you have missed: First. You have missed having a nice little needle injected about three inches into your arm just under the skin or if not under the skin of your arm, it is just under your shoulder blade. If you got the first shot in the arm you were sure to want the next under the shoulder blade. And if your wants were gratified you would not want the next one at all. Second: You missed getting some rigulfied Sergt. Or Buck, putting some iodine on your arm and a wise looking Doctor scratching you just a little and squirting a little fluid out of a tube on the scratched place as you would judge to keep you from getting sore. But, after about six or ten days you would likely change your opinion about the object of the Doctor. Third: You missed getting to get up and dress in the cold in the remarkable long time of five minutes and then going out and answer to your name. And two, if you were not there you were sure to get paged. Fourth: You missed getting to carry a nice little bundle that contained all your clothing, house, kitchen and grocery store. These are done up in a nice little bundle of about seventy pounds and fits on your back nicely. The one strange thing about this little bundle is that it will in the remarkable space of one day gain about three times its ordinary weight. The gain all seems to depend on how far you carry it and the temperature. Some of you who are good in figures can now have a nice little problem to solve or for Mr. Frierson as the case may be.
But these are the things you missed in the States and it is my intention to tell you what you missed in having to stay at home and go to school.
Well, I see some of the members looking jealous already. But be patient till I tell some more.
Now for over here. You missed that trip across the sea. Think of the thrill of being blown up every minute. We had a few colored gentlemen on board with us. If I can take their ___ for facts and of course I can. we sank 100 submarines. I ment that is all I kept account of. One colored Sergeant saw a submarine. His comrades did not think he was telling the truth and just to prove it he said that he knew it was a submarine because he saw the smoke stack as it came up out of the water. Well, I say you missed this and many other things. You missed that trip to the rest camps after spending twelve days on the deep blue sea. By the way, the only thing that bothered our colored friends was the fact that the ship was in a hole all the time and they were betting on what they would see when we reached the top. It took only about two hours to get to this rest camp. Remember that you have all your belongings with you. Now all you have to do is to build your house, cook your supper, carry wood, water and rations and do guard duty for two weeks and you have done your duty at the rest camp. You missed the third stage of the journey. Some fine morning when it is raining you are awakened at 2 a.m. and given twenty minutes to get all your property together to take your first ride on the French special for soldiers .I do not know why they call France Sunny France unless it is for the same reason that they call Greenland Greenland. It rains 365 days in the year here. The Sun shine the one-fourth day.
Well, you missed this journey. Here is your train. The engine is very much like the old automobile Mr. Theodore Maxfield used to own. The cars are about a third smaller than the ones in the States. They are marked 40 Hommes or 8 Chaveaux. The last passengers happened to be 8 Chaveaux. You are one of the 40 Hommes. Now you spend three days on this special and land you know not where. But you get a map and find that you have journeyed all of 120 kilometers and are a little nearer the front.
Next, you must get quarters. Well, here you are. A big nice barn, You soon find a stall or if you are lucky you may get an upper birth. There is not much difference. If you prefer fleas and cooties as bunk mates in preference to cows and rats take the upper birth, if not take the lower. It continues to rain.
You soon long for the front. You want to go and have it out with Fritz. You feel that he is responsible for all your nice trip and that you must thank him Tout Suite.
Now for some of the real stuff. You missed the grand old trip to gay Paree. There you see all you can desire. There is Beaucoup everything Pretty Madamoisells, good shows, good eats and all.
Too, there is the glorious whipping of the Huns. The glory of victory the glory of all.
Mr. Chairman, I have spoken in a funny manner but there is real truth in it. We are glad we came. We love the good old U.S.A. We love old A.C. and the old Soph. We went up against all with a glad heart. Our boys here are great. The good old U.S.A. is justly proud of them. If it were to do over we would be here, only sooner. The only regret a man over here can have is that he did not get here sooner. But we came in time.
We are coming back to America with a new vision and new purpose. As we fought so will we live. We hope to soon be with you and mingle again with those we hold dear and those who did not get to come over here. We know it took those at home to help win as well as those over here. One Division did not win this war. One nation did not win it. It took many Divisions and many nations to win. There is glory enough in the victory for all. It is up to us to live worthily of the great victory we have won and for which our comrades died.
It is not the training that worries us, that is fun. It is not carrying packs that we mind. It is not crossing the ocean or riding on the French trains that hurts us. It is not standing in the rain or having a bed not to sleep in that we regret. It is not all the dozen of hard things that we did that are to be remembered. We had our friends and comrades who went through all with a smile. Here a sniper picked off Jim. Here gas got Bill. Here a shrapnel got Tom. This is what hurts. Here they lie in the atmosphere of victory all cold and stiff. We must leave them here and that is what is Hell. But they are remembered by all and their noble work shall ever be forgotten.
Mr.Chairman, I wrote this on the spur of the moment and it perhaps is not worth while. But as I said, I had to unload, and the Sophs. Are the victims.
An ex-member of the Sophs.-and one yet.
FARRIS C. PURVIANCE,
Co. C, 114th F. S. Bn. Amer.
NOTES: Purviance was a former student at Arkansas college. He was writing to the Sophomore Society at the college.
TRANSCRIBED BY KATHY GRIMM