Salt Lake Tribune | 1918-08-18 | Page 25 | Yankee Soldiers Soldiers on Furlough in France

YANKEE SOLDIERS ON FURLOM FRAftCE "From the first landing of General Pershing's 'Amex' forces and their fleets of motor trucks and cars in France there i has ever been a question as to what to do with the Ajnerican soldier boy on leave, on 'permission,' on furlough," says Francis Fran-cis M.' Mansfield in an article in the August issue of MoToR, tho national magazine of motoring. No other army in the present war has had this problem on its hands, for when a French, British or German soldier received re-ceived his regular "vacation" or furlough, which amounts to about eight days every four months, he is simply transported to his home and allowed to spend the time with his family. But the American fighting fight-ing In France is several times eight days removed from his home, so the spending of furlough in the bosom of his family is out of the question. It was not deemed wise to turn the boys loose for unrestricted unre-stricted leave in Paris, so some other method of handling the situation had to be found. I "The American authorities, as is their custom," continues Mr. Mansfield, who I writes from France, "took time by the I forelock and whilst the trees were still i budding commandeered a whole historic I touring ground upper Savoie and the summer and winter twin capitals of Aix-i Aix-i les-Balns and Chambcry, each within the i ghostly shadow of Mont Blanc and amid a network of the finest mountain roads In a 11 Eiurope." And so our boys during their rest period are turned loone in a hutre recreation ground comprising the whole of the Aix-les-Bains, Chambery, Grenoble, Evfan district. They live in the splendid white marble palace hotels at prices ranging from $2.20 to 40 pe day about a quarter of what the tourists used to pay in those same hosteleries. During the day they roam this glorious district in motor vehicles of all classes, indulge in baseball games, tennis, golf or whatever appeals to them. At night the Municipal Casino and ViUa des Fleuns run full blast with concerts, theatricals and movies, with Sothern, Winthrop Ames, ois FHer, Klsie Jan is and scores of other American entertainers helping to make them believe temporarily that t hey are back on dear old Broadway or Michigan boulevard or any other street In America they care to recall. So American mothers and fathers need not worry that their boyR are getting into mischief during their brief periods of re.st from the tranches. They are having the time of their dr-ar young livs and it a all as clean and whok-sorne as is vacation time in any American resort.