(38) Letter: Jack Bentley to Eliza (aunt), January 20, 1919.

Jan. 20th 1919 Auback Germany Dearest Aunt Eliza, I hope thee is feeling as fine as I am at this present date I am homesick not in a babyish way but in a way that makes a man long for the comfort peace and quiet of home I dont go shy at meal time or get down in the mouth or tell any body about it by deep down in my heart I feel that the old "geezer" who wrote "Home sweet Home" was something more than a sentimental old fool at that. Living as I have since the 10th of Dec.'18 among the Germans I have come to know them not as the man who flung babies about with bayonet or manned machine Guns that sprayed sudden death while he himself had his arms up crying for mercy or the man who killed women and children with out pity - but as the women who staid at home and lost husband and son - who mentions it tearlessly yet tragicly, who say mine now in [Himmel?]

and shows me his picture with an iron cross on his breast, as the women who brings me in meals as a surprise, good meals too and feeds the man who may have killed her husband & son. I see the Germans as a race with women who forgive and get more who have taken all the work of inside and outside on their own shoulders and altho a community baker comes and make 21 loaves of bread for their monthly stay as they are doing the mans work still all the many duties of house as well as barn are theirs its hard to feel any way but sympathetic & I do. The weather here is surprisingly warm, really not cold at all and no snow yet, I expected a very hard winter but gulf streams are such queer birds that that accounts for it. There is aparently a great difference in the two races French & German & if each would adopt some of the others good points there would be a mutual gain - France with her more picturesque nature has become a little feminine while Germany with her industrial brutality has become a

harsh gutteral voiced nation and with an underling current of brutality that I don't care for. If you should fly by Areoplane or walk as I did from France to Germany if some one hadn't told you - you wouldn't know that you had gone from one nation to another, their towns so much alike and people too. Yet of course thee knows this country very well. The loss of my two friends Donald Kirk and Mark Wash.' has been largly responsible for my attack of homesickness, these two men were loyal friends of mine for I know on many occassions that they stood up for me - and such friends are hard to replace. I feel that if these men were taken others equally as dear to me may be taken and this Thought makes me impatient to get home. It is my desire to get back and farm. I have made good at this army game & baseball now if I can be a good farmer my next step after will be a good husband - then a good father and

your mission on earth has been fulfilled I can see where the German plan had worked its way until they had wonderful systems, in each town there is a town cryer who gives his annoucements in no uncertain manner and in their parculiar gutteral tone - the people all come out to hear what he has to say - and every thing he has told them to do has been done. The is nothing to this town except 59 houses no stores or anything - the people are all farmers and altho living right together has its natural draw backs still I believe on the whole they are much happier. The church means lots to these people here and none of them wear hats - the one American worker I have seen in six months was here last sunday and the lady was a creature of immense interest to the towns folk her hat wasn't large but "gee" how they laughed at her she wasn't real handsome her name was [?ward?] & she spoke to the men. Hoping that thee is feeling much better I remain as ever thine. Q.R. John Bentley Jack N Bentley. 1st Lt. 128 [?Inf.]