The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-06

sections and was getting out two sec
lions month.
Then the federal government de-
cided to take over the service as
part of the new conscript army. I'm
til that time it had been volunteer
corps-a kind of Corps d Elite. The
men served for nothing and their
friends found" them. They evolved
from experience the rules of the SER
vice They were free to go whenever
they chose. Under the federalism ion,
the men must conform to the rules OF
the federal army service as to age
and physical requirements, tho pos
sibly the rules may not be so strictly
pressed upon candidates for this SER
vice. The men must enlist for the war
and be subject to every army regula-
ton. They also lose their leader,
Richard Norton, who refused to accept
a majors commission in the new
ambulance service, somewhat from
modesty and somewhat because he felt
he might serve more effectively else
where in the army. The men in the
army ambulance service will, of
course, get $4,000 per month, and the
American army ration, which is more
liberal theoretically than the French
ration, but which translated into food
by an American army cook will be far
less palatable than the food the boys
now have.
The Effect of Federation.
1neTS Is IluCIl 10 DS Sdld 1OI anu
against the federation of the ambu-
lance corps. Under liberalization,
the character of the corps, of course,
will change 1t will be recruited on
another basis than that which brought
into it a majority of young men from
our American colleges and univer-
stiles and it may be more thoroughly
American than it is now, but il can
be no Drawer nor finer in upholding
the best traditions of American chiv-
Naturally the men of the present
corps, as a rule, do not like the fed
eralization. A letter from a chief of
a section sets forth their position we'll.
The letter reads:
During the last attack a good road
was blocked. Regular shells and gas shells
had struck an artillery convoy and when
three of our cars arrived, the road con-
partly overcome by gas and. one other
the only standing The 16 horses
four loaded artillery carts hundreds of
gallons of mud, and their harness. 1t was
o'clock n. m. and the drivers. not having
a volunteer spirit, had left for a safer
place the gas was anything but pleasant
and shells were landing gradually am not
casting any reflection on the men of the
French army. The drivers had probably
reported the traffic jam in the regular
way. and the engineers would soon be- up
to clear it. Meanwhile, many wounded
were waiting for ambulances. Would paid
ambulances have waited for the engineers?
The volunteers did not. They put on their
oxygen masks, took out their knives, cut
harness, used the knives to spur the
horses to their feet and out of the road,
moved the artillery carts and got the road
clear and their cars thru. In this case
have meant II more dead horses on the
wait many hours. AS for the number of
lives savedeby the work of volunteers-to
say nothing of the value of opening the
road will let you judge. On this day
our corps alone carried 72S 'blesses (wOund-
ED besides water. bandages, etc. Another
American ambulance section-section "a
was using the road, too.
ITO cite another piece of volunteer work
by two men of this section: shell threw
a tree IS inches in diameter across road.
Unable to pass, the men went back to the
'poste de secours' and returned with a saw
and an axe. They cleared the road altho
it was not their job"
Undoubtedly these men of the vol
unteer corps will find that the run of
American manhood is of the same
kind of stuff as that found in the
volunteer corps. Yet it happens that
the resignation of the entire section
from which this letter was written was
handed in this week. Several other
sections will be badly broken by the
federaliZa ton. The men will go into
other branches of the service. The
men of the American ambulance corps
almost unanimously feel that they can
serve their country better in some
other branch of the service than IN the
CO1PS army Iul6S.
Probably they are wrong. But they
are honestly mistaken. They have no
desire for fame. They shrink from
no hardships or peril. When indeed
they entered the corps they made the
ancient covenant which youth is ever
making with youths world-old COM
rade, danger, yet they are as shy and
loath to speak of their affairs as they
could be if it was love affair. The
hero business is irksome to them. One
night in the woods Of Avecourt, when
German shells were popping about
across roads which the German gun
ners had marked for their target, a
great truck filled with high explosives
stalled with one wheel over an en-
bankment. Two boys on the box of
an American ambulance corps motor
car rounded the corner. The car was
filled with wounded. A gassed horse
stood dying before the big truck
Z-z--m-Bangi Came a German shell
forty feet away. The French drivers
of the truck of dynamite realizing
the danger of the situation rushed to
the American boys who had alighted
from the car. The first reaction of
the Frenchmen was a joy of fellow
ship in peril. They threw their arms
beautifully and affectionately about
the Americans and cried, I'VE are
brothers in democracy. We shall Gle
together!' Brothers in He'll"
answered the Americans, whose first
reaction was upon their sense of
humor, mot on your life will we die
together, Buck in and let's move
your damn truck"
Which they all did in the gas and
shell-fire and went on with their
wounded to the hospital. and the
Frenchmen continued their more per
ilous journey with the dynamite One
of the Americans was badly f:assed at
their job. He may never be the man
he was again. Gas is a treacherous
and deadly poison. But he was on his
car in three days again-doing his
days work. When he received his
cross of war from the French gov
eminent. he affected to consider it
lightly. being ashamed of his pride
which is our American manner. He
was but one of the 500!
A Touching Farewell.