Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-20
GRANTS GRANDSON
IS IN THE WAR
Algernon Sartoris Is With
Foreign Legion Fighting
For France

New York, April 20.-"At last am
able to be proud thatI am an Ameri-
can citizen and a daughter of France
at the same time! And 1 am proud,
too, that my husband, the grandson
of General Grant. is serving as a pri-
vate in the Foreign Legion of
France"
Mrs. Algeron Sartoris, daughter of
France and adopted daughter of the
United States since she became the
wife of Captain Algeron Sartoris,
grandson of the eighteenth President
of the United States, made this decla-
ration at the Ritz Carlton hotel, where
she has been staying since her arrival
in New York with her friend, Coun-
tess Regis, to raise afund for the re-
storation of the historic buildings of
her native land.
Americas entrance into the war is
one of the brightest days in the history
or my country" continued Mrs. Sar-
torlS. Before / came to America /
had to make many explanations to
my French friends as to why America
did not espouSe the cause of tn ellies.
Afte the Lusitania they said: What
next? and 1 who lost eleven friends
on the Lusitania answered.: Tt will be
Soon.' Then the Falaba came. Then
the others; my friends would shrug
their shoulders and say, What of
your America now?' and I would an
swer, Wait you will see.' And now in
this magnificent way President Wilson
has answered all his critics and has
given France new cause and justifica-
ton for the love which it hasalways
feltfor America.
For France really loves America.
We understand America as we will
never understand the English. The
English are our allies-noble, splen-
did-and it is quite true that the
hardest lesson the English troops had
to learn was to retreat. But France
and America have the bond of people
who feel the same things in the same
way. 1t is a comradeship of emo
tion."
Husband Sc,-vcs As Private
At this point Mrs. Sartoris showed
me postal card photograph of her
husband. Captain Algernon Sartoris, in
the uniform of French private.
Captain Sartoris won that ranking
in thewa with Spain, when he sedved
on General FitZhugh Lees staff.
Captain Sartoris wanted to serve
in England" explained the French
MISUNDERSTANDING of General
Grant, but the English will not take
to Great Britain and giveup citizen
ship in his own country-that is, they
will accept Americans only for avia-
tion and for ambulance service. That
is why my husband enlisted as a pri-
vate in the Foreign Legion. There he
swore allegiance to France for the
duration of the war, but did not for
felt his American citizenship. Our
10-year-old son wants to go to Anna
polls and is already a great strategist.
He knows al the names of the French,
British and German generals, the size
of thecontending fleets, and from time
to time he has said to me. why don't
WE Americans go in and lick them,
mother?"
You have spoken of the French at
titude toward American entrance in
the war. What is the French attitude
toward peace?" 1 asked.
No Peace Till Victory
There can be no peace-until peace
is possible-that is, there can be no
peace without victory" Mrs. Sartoris
answered. France does not demand
impossible terms, but it has lost mill
lions of it's bravest and best France
was attacked without warning, and if
the Belgians had not made their mag
nificent resistance it is almost sure the
Germans would have gotten to Paris.
Never was a nation so unprepared.
Why, the day beforewar was declared
was playing tennis in Brittany with
French officer, who said to me, They
say we shall have war, but it is nom
sense The next afternoon mobiliza-
ton orders were posted in the village.
Generally, you know a discount of 20
per cent. of men who do notrespond to
the mobilization order, is anticipated.
But in France no one man failed to
answer.
"I came to America" Mrs. Sartoris
continued, Ito interest my fellow
Americans in a fund to restore the
historic buildings in France after the
war. Some of these buildings, of
course, will not be restored. 1t is
planned to leave the great ruins of
Reims Cathedral exactly as it is, eX-
cept that it will be propped up. and
to place underneath themiraculousiy
preserved statue of the Virgin a sign,
This way the Germans passed.
'I think it would be splendid
thing if France could owe to America
the restoration of it's cathedrals and
public buildings" Mrs. Sartoris was a
war nurse before she came to this
country on her mission.-By Nixon
Greeley Smith in the New York Even
ing World.