Letter, January 22, 1919

[Letter on color stationery of the American Y.M.C.A. Received February 18, 1919.]

Jan 22 1919

Ettelbrück Lux.

My dear Cecil,

In answer to your letter of Dec. 22. I haven't much time, but as I have some cards I want you to have - I will write a little along with them.

I was very sorry to learn of your cousins death. I remember her well altho I never became very well acquainted with her. And as you say - it seems sad to have anything like that to happen so close to Xmas.

Cecil - I do wish you could hear some of our rehearels now. We are getting music where I am glad if I can play 3rd & 4th trumpet parts. Some of the French standard overtures, their arrangement especially, is hard, for each individual instrument has a different part - essential, to produce the required effect.

Even tho you play a 3rd or 4th chair part, you are needed in some places as bad as the solo man. For maybe where you play, he will have a few measures rest.

It is very different from American arrangements. They are full - more full than any arrangements I've seen. Some of the chords in a fff part simply raise you off your feet. We have one heavy march that is just wonderful. And 2 & 3 hours every morning spent rehearsing, playing marches and concerts every afternoon, puts a band in a place where they can play good music.

The 302 F artillery gave us some good pieces, such as Orpheus, William Tell and some others must as good - because they could not handle them & wanted some popular music. so we gave them all the popular stuff they wanted as some of it we played only once, and when we saw what it was - never put it up again.

Am sending you a picture of the band and the only one of myself taken over here. You will probly recognize no 1 as me. No 2 is Elmer Taylor - the lawyer from Watseka, who I am with all the time. No 3 is Bill Hackley of Danville. His folks live 1118 Franklin St. No 4 is our leader - chief - or band master. And a very able man he is. Many years experience leading bands and has confidence and seems to be possessor of the knack of getting all out of you that will come out. We are getting together a 4 & 5 act entertainment - rehearsing on that of nites. If all goes well, it will be as good as any I've seen over here.

I told you in my last letter of playing for the Duchess. Well she abdicated and her younger sister Charlotte who is just my age is the high lady of Luxemburg now. They live in this castle I am sending pictures of. To the right the ground raises up into a mountain, on left, it drops down into the valley.

The heavy wall surrounding the castle is not shown in the picture.

I certainly am thankful for the many priveleges I've had lately, getting to see the things of greatest interest to me over here. in truth, they would be my main object for a foreign trip. And should I make a tour, I would not have the privelege of seeing a Royal family in their own home. Anyway I am getting enough foreign sights and notes to do me the rest of my life and would be only too glad now to get home and prepare myself for some real work. We are all anxious to get home and on to something where we will consider our time well spent. I suppose some day we will get home tho.

Anticipation - you seem to have the right idea of what it means - as appeals to me at least. For if there was no such thing, life would be dull where you often find it very bright now. Anticipation and ambition mean a great deal in a persons life.

And if you have good common sense along with those too you are bound to advance.

Jan 23 - I did not get letter off yesterday and today I rec your letter of Jan 1. You have made a good start, I must say. I am not doing so well myself.

So you are better on popular music than when I was at home. It is not so hard once you get the swing of it. I notice in our band work, popular music is much different & hard at first, but once you get the idea, it goes not too bad.

Don't get discouraged & get afraid of your tests. Get confidence. you will have to study hard enough to become familiar with your work to the entent that you can have confidence in your self. But you should look forward to your tests as a means of proving your ability to pass on to more advanced work. When you can do that, you have the spirit of the work & you will sure make good.

I dont know what we are being kept over here for unless as resistance troops, we are occupation troops for Luxemburg is all.

Well dear little friend will close for this evening & answer mothers letter as I rec. one from her today - will love to all & hope to be with you before I am much older.

Paul B Hendrickson Hdq. Co. 129 Inf. A.E.F.