Letter to Mother from Somewhere in France

#782373
S.W. in F. 
9-18-17[sic] 

Dear Mother:–

I met a man last night, Who said to McDonald that it was impossible to live a christian life in the army, I have spoaken of McDonald lots of times. Now this Rose is an ordained minister a boy 29 yrs old B.A. and R.B.S. McDonald said yes it is possible to live a christian life in the army I can show you a man that has made a success of his christian life in the army, so Mc came right after me and took me over to meet him, he is nice but he has applied all the word of God to the other mans life instead of his own so he has not developed that Christ like sperit at all. the worldly things worry him untill he can’t hardly stand the circumstances at all. We are going to get better acquanted if we can and have bible study together,

Pete Campbell has the La Grippe Bob McKeith is still in bed at the base, Mitchel Burns just got back of coarse snipper he is such a good shot. I am reviewing the old L. Gun again each day, we have some good times here just enough work to keep hard as nails, You can tell if you watch how long I stay in a place, you can almost follow me up the line each stage and back again. dugouts are generaly in support. Rose is an ordained minister and has preached for years, Maby it was a good thing that Whitley don’t enlist I havent seen a minister that made a success of this army life yet, They all make the excuse that they are not used to these circumstance and say they know they could do more for humanity at home than here. so I guess that it is up to a few boys like myself It is hard to do the right thing in the sight of God always but I don’t know. men never will respect a sisy and some time you have to say some thing and it is hard to stop maby when you should.

The last thing in the world I want to do is to make a man feel bad and I don’t feel sore at any man five minuits, but some of the tough men like Duncan, tries to help me out like a brother well amagine the different way he wants me to go about things than I am going about them, he thinks of no 1 first and I am striving to put no 1 second in every case and still get my own. It hurts a lot of the boys that like me, to see me some times when they don’t know and can’t understand my motives. If any man steals any of my equipment they want me to steal the next mans so I wont get in trubble, but I won’t, then in other cases they think a lie saves them and I won’t tell a lie to save my self, You can see how it looks to them. I have been in the army 16 mos and never told a lie to save my self yet. And I never stole any equipment yet. I did take two extra straps out of the saddle room at Witley for my saddle one night when I thot we were coming to France, but I told one of the lads and my concience bothered me for doing that so I took them back and put them where I got them and told the boys I did it.

I have got along just as good as the other boys and it is worth 16 acres of land to be able to say that, to the boys when they try to tell me how to act.

Well bye bye Mother dear as ever your loving son Laurie

Harvey Anderson is over to see use to night he is looking good.