Problems with Book-of-the-Month

Problems with Book-of-the-Month

310.264.1-3.2017

United States--Armed Forces--Military Life

Wilsey, David B., MD

The Wilsey Collection

The Holocaust Center for Humanity

310.264.1-3.2017 Transcription

 

[This letter is written on Red Cross paper, with a thick, red cross and the words “AMERICAN RED CROSS” printed on the top of each page.]

Reims Vicinity

21 Oct 45 Sun

Dearest,

I’ve been so constipated

recently that I feel peculiar

all over all the time—I

do one thing a day = write you,

& that isn’t done very well

I fear. I should write Bishop

Lewis & I should write others—

but I just dont feel like it !

(its sort of a physiologic dont-feel-like-it).

Natcherly, today being Sun.

I didn’t have even a battlin’

chance to receive mail. I

surely wish I had the stimulus

of reading your letters to help

me right now.

You probably havent had

much time (iF ANY) to be reading

[2]

Books-of-the-Month, Coronet, Omnibook,

etc. However you may have hit

a few of these articles Im going

to talk about:—That blasê,

somewhat supercilious, & pedantic

type of Eastern seaboard “literature.”

It’s sortofa [supposedly][1] “intelectual”

type of writing that has its

themes, bases, & conclusions

resting/squatting on frivilous &

unnatural Values-In-Life.

Usually this “literature” pedistalizes

the saloon, New York, critic, &

Cafe Society type of American

life. Have you read it—

analyzed it? It seems that

about every 5^th Book-of-the-Month

“wins” its’ place as the Book-

(Representative)-of-America in this

fashion. I think its a shame——

or is America really as such?

One thing is true for sure:—

America (& no doubt the rest of the World)

is by & large a far more crude &

[3]

base personality-type than you or

I ever dreamed of/experienced.

Ill never forget [thankfully!][2] how

Bishop Lewis forewarned me of

this “enlightenment” that I

would see so undeniably as

it is expressed in mass

units—such as an army.

Really, Em, the average human

in the world is a pretty crude-&-

base person. The daily mass

example thereof, is in G.I.-Theaters.

Depending on the particular

incidents, it make[s] one feel

either sorry for them or ashamed

of them or bored c̅[3] them or furious

at them. Many movies are

just outright spoiled by the

verbal & physical expressions

welling up out of this

[4]

average American {Mass Mob.[4] This

all sounds pretty prudish

up rereading, but I dont mean

it that way at all—it’s

just tha[t] I so wish they

knew-experienced-& practiced

the finer part of Life.

Also———its really

amazing-amusing-appauling

how Sex & The Palate absoloutely

run at least 51% of the life

of at least 70⁺% in The

American Mass—I should

really say The World Mass.

Well, darlin’, I’ve filled 4

pages c̅ chatter—I’d

probably have been done better if I

had [gladly!][5] filled the 4 pages c̅—

“I love you so,”

Dave

[1] Bracketed text is part of original.

[2] Bracketed text is part of original.

[3] Medical abbreviation meaning, “with.”

[4] In original, “Mass” is written above “Mob.”

[5] Bracketed text is part of original.