The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-10-24


ceals his finer feelings from his
closest friends. and when he enters
his club on Pail Mall and disappears
Behind the threshold, the door is
closed upon n tomb. The Americans
patriotism is largely academic; nat
ional safety through isolation breeds
contempt for danger. The time was
when his love of country was vocifer.
Gus on the Fourth of July. but thh
enthusiasm has died down, until he
Is now ready TO extinsuish even q
firecracker. The occasional speaker
deals I'm historical statements about
the four wars fought by our coun-
try. But the Frenchman's love Of
country has n tender. gentle, wooins
note. He speaks OF la Belle France
as Dante spoke of Beatrice. as Pc
trnrch spoke of Laura. and the name
OF France fingers upon his lips as
music trembles i'm the air after the
song Is sung. The reason. doubtless
Is found In the fact that the French
people have carved the hillsdes and
smoothed the valleys and adorned
the ridges and moutains with vine
yards. until the whole land is n
thing OF radiant beauty. 1t is love
that has made France beautiful. just
as the lark, after completing the
nest. makes 1t soft and warm by pull
Ing the down out of her own bosom.
The French people love France as
an artist loves his own canvas, rs
Bellini loved the missal he had IL
lumniated. and as that young archi-
tect loved the little Roslyn chapel
upon whose delicate capitals ne had
lavished his very soul.
Would you have an emblem OF
France I'm the month OF June. with
wide. fat valleys. her green pastures
and the hillsides up which the pines
climbed i'm serried regiments? If so.
take n great robe OF green velvet lying
loosely on the floor. the creases ana
velvet ridges answering to the rivers
and the valleys and the hills. and
then fling a handful Of rubies, pearls
and sapphires down. so that these
gems will lie within the creases as
the lovely French cities at the foot of
the hills and beside the rivers, and
you have France. the beautiful
France. the mother of the modern
arts and sciences; France. full oc
sweetness and nght-that France con-
cerning which Heinrich Heine ex-
ciaimed: "oh. France. thou daughter
OF beauty. Thy name is culture,"
The three great enemies OF farms
and towns and cities have been fire.
Hood and earthquake. Witness the
city OF ST. Pierre. An interior ex
plosion blew of the cap OF the noun
tain and a Hood OF gas poured down
upon the lovely city. asphyxiated the
citizens, and left not one house stand.
ing. Witness that mighty convulsiop
In san Francisco. that brought thou
sands Of bricks crashing down IT,
ruins Witness the fire i'm Chicago.
that turned the great city into twist
ed iron and ashes. In New Zealand
there is n lake called Avernus. the
birdless lake. Poisonous gases rise
from the black flood OF water. and
soon the lark. with its song. and the
eagle. with It's flight fall into the
poisonous food.
Bat all these images are quite In.
adequate TO explain the desolation.
the Devastation Of France upon tho
retreat OF the Germans. About 40
miles rOrth OF Paris one strikes tho
ruined region. Then hour after
hour passes. while w.th slow move
ment and breaking heart one journ-
eys 700 miles 10 the north and zig
zags i25 miles south again through
That black region. The time was when
II was Wild land. rough. with forest
hlied with wolves. Then the French
man entered the scene. He subdueG
all the wild grasses 20 which Julius
Caesar referred In his story OF his war
IN France; he drained the valleys and
widened the streams into cdnais. He
enriched the fields. and made them
wave with gold. lie surrounded the
meadows with odorous hedges. and
banked where there had been a
swlmp with perfumed shrubs. Slow
~ he threw arches OF stone across
the streams and carved the bridges
until they were rich In art. while
everything made for use was carried
up TO outbreaking beauty. The roof
Of the barn had lovely lines. the ap-
preach 20 the house was unon q