Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-11-15
BY THOMAS NJ. JOHNSON.
Copyright, 1917. An rights reserved.)

| Copyright, 1917. An rights reserved.)
| LYON. October 22.-They say over
here that Americans do not know yet
what the war really means, that 1t has
not been brought home to US, and that
it will not be until they suffer. until
they count their dead and see the faces
of their wounded. The French have
suffered and seen. and they know.
Some Americans saw just a little OF
It today. and they can guess.
| Probably for the first time in this
war the "grands blesses' coming back
to France after two or three years OF
indescribable misery in German prison
camps were welcomed home not only
by their own people but by their new
| allies-by an American general ana
his staff They saw before their eyes
in the tall, erect. figures in olive drab
the tangible proof of what they had
iheard-that the United States was in
the war and has an army In France.
And these men. escaping at last from
a veritable hell on earth. who might
well have forgotten everything except
that they were at last in France
again. cheered and cried ''vive fAmer-
iquev when they saw the Americans.
and stood stif1y at salute when
French band played 'The Star span
Rled Banner. wen might TApa JUN y
i say I'VE are united"
Every one of them had been wound
ed. badly wounded. which Is tho
meaning Of grand b1esse." They had
been captured. and had endured what
one must endure Is German prison
camp. The Americans talked to some
Of them about 1t, and one message
those Americans want OF send home is
that the horror has not been eXas-
gerated. Through an agreement MADE
last spring they had been transferred
to Switzerland and gradually ex-
| changed for German prisoners: giving
| their parole not to fight again. Now
they were returning to France.
trainload Of 400.
Faces Aglow With Joy.
Each window Of each car framed faces
aglow with joy or working with emo
ton, with eyes glfstening with tears;
But what faces!-hollow-eyed. scanned
and marked with pain and suffering,
the waxen white Of men long III IN BODY
and spirit. The hair of half OF them
was gray, but there were not many
old men among them. The war was
written in every line. Happy as they
were, gestures and voices were feeble;
yet feeble as they were, these men VINO
had como back from the valley OF the
shadow leaned far out from the WIN
dows and cried:
The worst that the Germans could 40
had not broken their spirit.
A space was cleared, and then pc
gan sight that for pathos ana TOT
seen at home each year the march OF
the old men on Memorial day; we nave
felt the lump rise in our throaes. ou.
for those men Of the. Grand Army.
long past. For these men Of France
IT ended only yesterday.
svive 1,Ameriquel"
The American general and his stan,
with the French general commanding
the region and his stan. took their
places at the head ct the pia't sa aad
Banner" That whole line down by the
train stood at salute, the crowd barred
their heads for the anthem OF .ne
sister republic. AS the last notes were
in his long blue overcoat and gold laced
cap. raised his hand:
.'Vive rAmerique!" he cried. and back
from that blue-clad line came the cry
''vive rAmerique" The American gen
eral saluted-he could do no more-and
the march commenced.
There passed one old poilu with gray
hair and beard, holding tightly IN MS
hand little French flag: There was
something strange about his salute-it
seemed sitter, more mechanical than
those Of the others. He turned his
head strangely as he passed the gen
erals. And he knew 1t, for he stopped;
his face flushed. then the most pitifuii
expression crossed 1t. and he dropped
the little French flag. He stood there
for an instant. evidently crushed by
humiliation; one expected him to burst
out weeping, and, indeed. tears sprang
to his eyes. Then he whiried on his
heel. Strengthened his shoulders. raced
the two generals and he gave them.
with a world of pride. another and
different salute-the French salute
A Prisoner for Three Years.
He had been a prisoner three years
and habit was too strong. 1t was the
hated German salute he had given
first-the salute his captors had forced
from him all those three years.
The American general s.oo ped ana ana
picked up the little French nag ana
handed it back to the old soldier.
Courage, mon br ave ,a he s.aa ls snq
was nu so SO glad in my life that I could
| speak little French.