The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1916-03-11
HONOR THEIR DEAD.
French War Graves Are Marked
With Care.
Authorities Aim TO Have Complete
Roster of the Fallen Soldiers-Liv-
ing Pay Tribute to the
Dead.

London. - Interesting details re-
garding the manner in which the
graves of soldiers who have fallen on
the field of battle are identified are
given in the following article, trans
lated literally from the Paris Matin:
Leave for a minute those trenches
and earthworks. Let your gaze wan
der a little from the firing line. Look
there in that orchard or there in that
copse, or yet again on that crest.
See, one, two, three, twenty little
mounds. On every mound a wooden
cross and on every cross a little
khaki or red cap. The orchard is full
of them; the copse is studded with
them; the brow OF the hill is fringed
with them.
Now cast your glance toward
those two soldiers sauntering along
with their pipes in their mouths or
watch that cook hurrying along with
the soup.
Suddenly they come before the
little mounds and they stop abruptly.
At once the smokers take their pipes
from their mouths, and the cook lays
the pot upon the ground. and at once,
silently, solemnly, reverently each
right hand goes up to touch each
forehead in the military salute.
Its only for a moment: the tribute
to the great dead is paid, and then
they go on their way again.
oA1opO bo who1o hafflo linz Fr1ro
the wooded mountains of the Vosges
down to the sand dunes of Belgium
every single sector has been placed
under a separate officer, whose sole
duty it is to identify and collect mat.
ter concerning every one of those lit
tie mounds.
Not single piece of information
is allowed to slip by uncatalogued;
each cross has its own humble chron-
icle all written down and indexed and
catalogued.
Each tragedy once chronic1ed is
then copied in duplicate, one always
accessible in case additional informa.
ton should crop up and the other de-
posted at the nearest general head
quarters.
Nothing is omitted which could
possibly afford a clue to the dead
hero's identity-name, surname, regi
ment and rank-and then each grave
given a number corresponding to the
document.
often the number is burned or
with red-hot bayonet for fear by any
chance the rain or mud should oblit
crate the treasured mark. In a worC
every chance of error is reduced to {
minimum.
Suppose. then, after the war, {
family, English or French, or Belgian
wishes to trace the sacred soil wher.
lie so many buried hopes. All the.
will have to do will be to address
themselves to the civil authorities c
the town where all the plans will b.
gathered together and they may oh
tain information as detailed ard a.
complete as if they had therselve
been present upon those terrible bat
tlefields and will be guided tc tn,
lonely grave, be it lost amid SOM
forest or hidden amid the quarries o
simply one of forest of similar en-
blems upon some open field.
1T is holy ground, each little hum
BILE grave-ground which was no
bought by gold or by work, but by tn
mans own blood that has mixed wit
the dear earth that gave him res
there just where he fell.
MT oil
ever. too, some poor corpse is di
covered during the course of the no.
turnal patrol along the front of tn
trenches, outside the lines, there
no rest or respite till 1t is brougf
back to safety and to love-often {
the cost of yet another new corpse
the rescue.
Gould any parent do more? Tt
soil of France is the French soldier
birthright, and they feel as If tt
dead could not sleep the great slee
IL German feet moved above the heaC
of their comrades, and so the chapl
OF miracles goes on, each corpse ma
ing another hero.
Weep not, you mothers, you wive
you daughters, though the days see
long and sad away from those spo
of sacred soil whittier your sorrow
would bid you rush and mourn
mo, weep not, but rather rejoi
in your glory, you mothers and wive
and when the day comes, as come
must, when you will clasp the
crosses to your bosoms before y.
take the sacred soil away-they W
seem light crosses indeed, for in til
day all your sufferings will have va
ished before the strength of your j
the joy of victory that will gi
lasting peace to a whole world" !,