Well, they’ve gone and lifted the censorship. Now we can say anything except a knock at the old government. The trouble will probably arise from an inability to decide what constitutes a slap at the said gov’t. If I say the chow is rotten, it might be construed as a knock, I suppose. However the censorship never has bothered me much.
Now for a chance to tell a lot of things the censor wouldn’t have passed last week.
Pathe Freres have a large plant here, consisting of about a half dozen buildings. It seems to be not more than about five years old. It is complete in itself, has fine machinery and, for a French institution, is pretty good. Pathe manufactured film in this place, and, before the war, took lots of movies. Latterly, however one of the buildings was largely devoted to making gas masks. A lot of girls were employed. About a third of this same building is now occupied by us. The manufacture of gas masks stopped at the end of the week in which the armistice was signed.
I really had it pretty easy here; slacking along comfortably, while I might have been out sleeping in a smelly dugout. But I think it squares things some if I don’t exact any share of the glory. And the job was in fact, still is interesting. Only now there is no incentive to work.
They did turn in some pretty bad work – also some good stuff. Whenever it was poor I’d say to myself, “You’d better stay where you are. There are enough like you reaming around now.” If it was good, I’d say, “You could never have done as well,” and I’d think of my little room and pick up my pencil. And so I kept on, saying to myself that some day later, when it was nice and warm, or when everyone out in the field had fallen down, I’d mail for the and save the day. Now I never shall.
When our photographs leave here, the go to N.Y. where the C.P.I. turns them loose on the newspaper and photographic world. Those that stray into the papers are old usually. With very few exceptions they’re from 2 to 3 months old. Our department, which means one lieutenant and myself have been fighting for a long time to cut down this delay. Some day we shall.
For five months now I have been seeing every still photograph taken. Practically everything except aviation I covered in this. They have come from Belgium, France, Russia, Italy, England – n fact, wherever we have troops. I have a fine list of photos that form a real pictorial history of the American effort. Some day when I get back I want to buy the set.
Also it must come out sooner or later, that I’m not cured of photography.
Only one thing gets me all excited now, and that is, when I get back or get loose from this army. I don’t care which it is.
Next post November 28
Letters from Sidney Friend During The Great War 