The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-01-03
Our Lafayettes in France.
Boston Transcript

(DoSloH transcript
The New York Tribune utters a true
word in saying that 'never in her
days of military greatness, Of CONT
mental empire, has France seemed so
great, so noble, so splendid as in the
dark hours of the past few months. .
Nothing 50 fine has ever come from
the heart and soul and body of France
as It's present adamantine resistance.
for its own ana the world s sake. to
the Prussian invasion. A nation which
has. by reason of its picturesque mag
nation, its dramatic fire and its ex-
qmslte humor, appeared to be the poet.
the picture maker, the talker. the ae-
/ tor of the world, is now revealed as
the nation of silence and the arm of
steel The 'phlegmatie Britons and
Germans are filing the world with
their claims, protests, adjurations and
bravado; the French are sticking SO
strictly to their fighting task, and say
ing so little about it, that the world
at large is sometimes inclined to forget
all about them-to forget that the
French campaign is in military value
and historical Importance at least
three-hfths of the allies side of the
war. AS for the government of thu
United States, it seems to have forgot
ten long ago that there is any such
country as France. Mr.. Wilson, in
! deed, made a pleasant little speech
4 about France some time since. A
pleasant little speech; not a hint that
we should make but a grudging re-
turn for the benefits that we have had
at Frances hands-benefits absolutely
creative in our affairs-e> en- il we
had a hundred thousand men fighting
in the trenches, by the side of her
earth stained soldiers, today.
! However, let US be glad that the
French people are too clear-sighted,
and altogether too logical of mind, to
! Judge us forever by what our govern
ment is doing, or not doing, in this
crisis. As a contrast to the apparently
studied Indifference of President vii.
son, the French have under their eyes
certain fine instances of personal de-
votion on the part OF Americans to
the cause of France. We have sent
them some Lafayettes, too-not, in
deed, youths of such commanding po-
sition and brilliant abilities as the
! young Frenchman who came to us in
l177, and who was Immediately made
major general on Washington s staff,
| but young men who are as full of lofty
idealism and as willing to work and to
die for France as Lafayette was to do
and die for America. The service and
the spirit of these young men will not
be overlooked by the French people;
nor will the relief work which has
been carried on in America for the
benefit of French wounded be forgot.
ten.
Let us not be understood as sug-
costing that the two services are equal
Besides Lafayette, the French sent us
Rochambeau with his army and De
Grasse with his feet. But for them
the war of the Revolution would have
dragged on for twenty years-perhaps
would have ended in the subiugation
of the colonies, and there would never
have been any United States of Amer
lea. Our aviators, ambulance drivers
and foreign legionnaires cannot accom-
plish for France what French soldiers
and sailors accomplished for America
IN the years from 1777 to 1881. Blu,
at least they may convince the sym
pathetic French nation that we are
not all Wilson's, organs and Hokt
Smiths We have not sent the French
any such constructive aid as they sent
us in our day of danger. But we have
sent them some indications of sympa
thy, which they will note and remem
Der. And beyond all doubt, they know
that the heart of the American nation
is with them.