TRANSCRIBED FROM THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT FEBRUARY 2, 1918 P. 11
I have thought of you and the “Y” often and would have written sooner but for the fact that there are many difficulties in the way of letter writing from this end.
I am at a place where I do not see much more of the war than I did in Arkansas, and it is impossible to mention what little I do see or hear on the subject under the military regulations existing at present, there is not much left to write about. I have found the French people very friendly, particularly to the Americans, and I have been studying the language constantly since my arrival and can now maintain an elementary conversation when the other fellow does not talk too fast. I found the first couple of months study very difficult but after gaining a good foundation progress has been much more rapid. I am now spending my evenings with a French family who have taken a considerable degree of interest in teaching me the language, and if I remain in my present station for another month believe that I will be able to “get by” very nicely.
I have found the Y.M.C.A. everywhere in evidence and contributing vastly to the comfort and morale of the men at the front, far from home and surrounded by conditions as abnormal as they are unfamiliar. I have visited several places of late of architectural and historical interest, but as mention of names and places is strictly tabooed it will be impossible for me to convey my impressions now, and they will have to keep until my return to Arkansas, “appes la guerre,”
Living conditions here are under the circumstance surprisingly good. Prices in general are, of course, very high, and many things can not be obtained at any price, but on the whole food is plentiful and there is much less economical suffering than I had anticipated. The people in general exhibit a feeling of tranquility and determination. Moral conditions which have always been notorious are now beyond all previous bounds in the artificial atmosphere of the war, and social life among the better classes is almost entirely suspended, as a consequence of the trails of the nation and the fact that almost every family is in mourning for some one who has fallen.
Water over here does not seem to enjoy as much popularity as in the States, being more or less of an abomination in the eyes of the average French man, and is used little for bathing and less yet to drink. A really satisfactory bath is difficult to get, and in the field of beverages wine seems to enjoy a practically undisputed monopoly. Among the many other good qualities of the French I fear that excessive cleanliness can not be included, but there is hope that if the Americans remain here long enough they may inaugurate a general movement in that direction.
My voyage over here was pleasant and also my first trip across the “pond.” The ocean was unusually calm and no submarines were observed, and the only seasickness that I noticed seemed to be caused caused in the main by overindulgence in the French wine with which we were plentifully supplied on the boat which, by the way, was the French lines Rochambeau.
As far as the war is concerned you probably know more about it in Little Rock than I do here. All the firing I have heard so far has been that of troops at drill, and not much of that, and all the artillery I have seen so far have been captured Boche pieces on public exhibition, although I do, of course, have opportunities from time to time to talk to men who have been through much of the fighting. The press censorship over here seems to be much more strict than in the United States, as the papers arriving from home contain almost as much news as our local issues and carry much more details as to the general international situation.
One marked contrast immediately observable after arrival in this country is the length of time necessary to secure service in a French restaurant as compared with a lunch counter at home. Here a person’s entry in an eating house is taken as a signal that he expects to sit around and rest for an hour or two in the absence of instructions to the contrary your meal will be served in the installment plan with ample opportunities for complete digestion between the courses and is very nearly a solution of the age old problem of perpetual motion, inasmuch as you get hungry between times almost as they fill you up. Prompt service would be an insult to the average Frenchman, as he would infer that the management did not want him hanging around and was trying to get rid of him.
Although it is only the day before Thanksgiving the holidays will probably be close at hand by the time this reaches you, and wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year to yourself and family and all the fellows at the “Y” and hoping to see you all again soon in Arkansas on the conclusion of the present unpleasantness. I close for the present and remain.
NOTES: Walter Irwine Whitty was writing to E. G. Corwine, secretary at the Little Rock Y.M.C.A. Whitty was born June 22, 1887Mccomb Illinois. He served with the Arkansas troops on the Mexican border. He was employed with the United States Engineer’s Office in Little Rock when war was declared. He sailed with a group of clerks and draftsman for the Corps of Engineers to France August 3rd 1917. He served with HQ Services of Supply. He was listed as a field clerk. He was medium height and build with brown eyes and light hair.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT
I have thought of you and the “Y” often and would have written sooner but for the fact that there are many difficulties in the way of letter writing from this end.
I am at a place where I do not see much more of the war than I did in Arkansas, and it is impossible to mention what little I do see or hear on the subject under the military regulations existing at present, there is not much left to write about. I have found the French people very friendly, particularly to the Americans, and I have been studying the language constantly since my arrival and can now maintain an elementary conversation when the other fellow does not talk too fast. I found the first couple of months study very difficult but after gaining a good foundation progress has been much more rapid. I am now spending my evenings with a French family who have taken a considerable degree of interest in teaching me the language, and if I remain in my present station for another month believe that I will be able to “get by” very nicely.
I have found the Y.M.C.A. everywhere in evidence and contributing vastly to the comfort and morale of the men at the front, far from home and surrounded by conditions as abnormal as they are unfamiliar. I have visited several places of late of architectural and historical interest, but as mention of names and places is strictly tabooed it will be impossible for me to convey my impressions now, and they will have to keep until my return to Arkansas, “appes la guerre,”
Living conditions here are under the circumstance surprisingly good. Prices in general are, of course, very high, and many things can not be obtained at any price, but on the whole food is plentiful and there is much less economical suffering than I had anticipated. The people in general exhibit a feeling of tranquility and determination. Moral conditions which have always been notorious are now beyond all previous bounds in the artificial atmosphere of the war, and social life among the better classes is almost entirely suspended, as a consequence of the trails of the nation and the fact that almost every family is in mourning for some one who has fallen.
Water over here does not seem to enjoy as much popularity as in the States, being more or less of an abomination in the eyes of the average French man, and is used little for bathing and less yet to drink. A really satisfactory bath is difficult to get, and in the field of beverages wine seems to enjoy a practically undisputed monopoly. Among the many other good qualities of the French I fear that excessive cleanliness can not be included, but there is hope that if the Americans remain here long enough they may inaugurate a general movement in that direction.
My voyage over here was pleasant and also my first trip across the “pond.” The ocean was unusually calm and no submarines were observed, and the only seasickness that I noticed seemed to be caused caused in the main by overindulgence in the French wine with which we were plentifully supplied on the boat which, by the way, was the French lines Rochambeau.
As far as the war is concerned you probably know more about it in Little Rock than I do here. All the firing I have heard so far has been that of troops at drill, and not much of that, and all the artillery I have seen so far have been captured Boche pieces on public exhibition, although I do, of course, have opportunities from time to time to talk to men who have been through much of the fighting. The press censorship over here seems to be much more strict than in the United States, as the papers arriving from home contain almost as much news as our local issues and carry much more details as to the general international situation.
One marked contrast immediately observable after arrival in this country is the length of time necessary to secure service in a French restaurant as compared with a lunch counter at home. Here a person’s entry in an eating house is taken as a signal that he expects to sit around and rest for an hour or two in the absence of instructions to the contrary your meal will be served in the installment plan with ample opportunities for complete digestion between the courses and is very nearly a solution of the age old problem of perpetual motion, inasmuch as you get hungry between times almost as they fill you up. Prompt service would be an insult to the average Frenchman, as he would infer that the management did not want him hanging around and was trying to get rid of him.
Although it is only the day before Thanksgiving the holidays will probably be close at hand by the time this reaches you, and wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year to yourself and family and all the fellows at the “Y” and hoping to see you all again soon in Arkansas on the conclusion of the present unpleasantness. I close for the present and remain.
NOTES: Walter Irwine Whitty was writing to E. G. Corwine, secretary at the Little Rock Y.M.C.A. Whitty was born June 22, 1887Mccomb Illinois. He served with the Arkansas troops on the Mexican border. He was employed with the United States Engineer’s Office in Little Rock when war was declared. He sailed with a group of clerks and draftsman for the Corps of Engineers to France August 3rd 1917. He served with HQ Services of Supply. He was listed as a field clerk. He was medium height and build with brown eyes and light hair.
TRANSCRIBED BY CAROLYN YANCEY KENT