The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-19

now and then to climb a peak and get vision.
 But there is danger on reaching the heights that we may want to follow Peters example at the transfiguration of his Lord, by saying when he was on the mount, Tt is good for us to be here," and shutting out the toiling masses and the suffering needs of those in the valley, to want to build taber- nacles in the skyland.
 I was present at the dinner, and all the time Peters saying: Its good for us to be here," kept running in my mind, but I prayed that when we have gotten the vision of the slain and the wounded we would go out not merely emotional ized, but ready to enter upon sacrificial work if need be.
 I have said in this column so often that the meeting I had just attended was the best ever, until I am almost afraid to refer to the one on Monday night as the greatest ever pulled off in Birmingham, and yet, why should not patriotic revival grow warmer as the interest grows. The truth is, at pres ent Birmingham Is experiencing an old fashioned revival in patriotism.
 
 Every one present Monday night real- ized that something out of the ordinary l,xy aId Mo hal PiIch ton, and when a trio of officers, Amer ican, French and English. filed into the room and marched up to the platform the crowd at once visualized what it had but dimly felt before, that the three lfo- erty loving nations were at last joined and fighting for democracy against au- tocracy.
 Field Marshal Rushton as usual was happy in his remarks and presentations. Dr. George Stuart was at his very best, and that is about as high praise as can give him. for George always speaks with vigor, but he outdid himself in an address that was full of humor, pathos' and patriotism. Mrs. Leonard T. Beecher thrilled and captivated the audience with a dramatic reading of Begble's famous poem, "They Shall Not Pass. The patriotic airs played by the Deia- ware regimenta1 band, under the leader ship of J. w. Robinson, gave the neces. sary military touch.
 Looking every inch soldier, Major Brabson, from Camp Mcclellan, stooo up, the incarnation of the American army. Soft spoken, modest in manner, pleasant faced, 1.-the in body, sound at heart, pure in soul, he told a straight forward story of the Red Cross what 1t had done and what it was doing, ana what it would do in the future. It made everyone anxious to have part in furthering the good work. While he himself had never been lover the top" it was his brother in France who fired the first American shot. and from his words ard look it was easy to see that he yearned for chance to get on the firing line.
 xxi
 The nex speaker was Maj. J. F.
 
 It was hard to realize that we were looking into the face of young man, who blushed as only the high type Englishman can as in simple and un pretentious way he told of the part N had as a member of the first British expeditionary force in the cold, rain soaked trenches, and in the battle oi val nf ha xyOIJfodin0 nf his brother. and of he himself having to be carried to a base hospital on account of "shell shock" the awful form of nervous prostration in which man can not sleep but when he does it's by fits and starts, and worse than waking, for he keeps fighting over and over again the awful battles in which he has taken part.
 I feel sure that Major Brabson and | Major Thompson will understand when l say the gallant Frenchman, Capt. Rene l J. De Cernowitz, whose bosom was cov- cred with sparkling medals of honor. won on the battlefields for he had been at the battle of the Marne as we'll as at the siege of Verdun, was the sen 1 sation of the evening" He told in broken | English some of the things he had wit messed and some of the thoughts which | welled up in his breast as he put his feet on American soil for the first l time. He looked mighty gay and de- 1 bonair in his brilliant uniform alongside the quieter ones worn by his brother in ] arms.
 It gave me feeling of homesickness l for Paris as ] saw him, time after time, | when Dr. Stuart made reference to | France and Lafayette, arise from his [ seat, with the grand air that is the ] birthright of every Frenchman, and with | a low bow acknowledge the compliment | to his country, and to the great general | who had so befriended America. But l form and gave evidence why the French | are noted for their manners; for when | Mrs. Beecher finished her wonderful | of the poem which set out so | the spirit of France, he | arose and gave her a bow that in any | other one present would have seemed a | bit affected, but in him was but the | courtesy of son of France, who 1 was showing thanks for his nation to a 1 queenly American woman. I wouldn't have missed being there Monday night ] for great deal