Danville High School - Medley Yearbook (Danville, IL)

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w A. IT Page Twenty-four

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 JVmrtfyer letter from lesd} Gelsdorf, Germany, March 3, 1919. Dear Folks: We have changed homes once more and are new “hoch auf dem Beig” in a town some ten kilometers away fiem Deinau. It seems as though there was not room enough at Dernau for the battalion, so we changed—“A” and “B” moving here and “C” to Eckendorf, a few kilometers away. One way it was hard to move because we had gotten to know the people real well and were beginning to feel veiy much at home. Especially where we stayed and at another family, where Dwig stayed before I came, were we well treated. We couldn’t go to see this last family without their baking waffles and let me say that Katie, who was chief cook, was some artist when it came to a point of handling the waffle iion. The morning we moved they made sandwiches for us to take with us, making us promise to come back to visit them. Of course, you realize my vocabulary is of great value to me here and although I make frequent mistakes, yet I manage to convey a meaning and that is enough. We have a pretty nice place here too, living with an old widower, his two daughters and son, aged 19, 16, 14 respectively. Christine, the younger daughter, gees to school at Bonn, not far from here but lying within English limits. We, here, are only three kilometers from the English line, but do not fraternize very much. For a conquered people these Germans take things very calmly, philosophically admitting that Germany was in the wrong, and very, very thankful that we were sent to occupy this portion in place of English or French, whom they still hate cordially. I cannot account for the cmnity between French and Germans. I really feel that it is due, in a great measure to the press and ruling parties of both nations. They (the papers and politicians) are always warning and prophesying evil, mutually accusing one another of jealousy and greed. There is one universal feeling however, and that is hatred for England, who, they feel, has robbed them of a place in the sun. I have heard several people say that they are very glad Wilson came to Versailles because otherwise things would be sure to go hard with their country. There is more or less of a food scarcity, of course, but here in the smaller towns food is plentiful and there is no actual want except in the line of soaps, coffee and tea and shoes. Sugar (beet) is plentiful and easily bought for 45 pfennig a pound. Wheat flour may be had too, but the usual bread is baked from dark flour, tasting leal good. Crops last year were excellent and the people even feed large, clean potatoes to the cattle. They raise only thorobred Holsteins here and I wish you could see them. They really speak w'ell for the farmers. I had a letter from Otto today and he is still in the S. O. S. He seems well and getting along fine. The Madelien Christine just came in and we looked at a bunch of pictures from Bonn and the Rhine. This all ended up with an argument on “Who Won The War?” I am sending you a picture of Bonn, which she gave me. Lovingly, Ed. Page Twenty-three

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