The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-25
AMERICAN BOYS
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Spangled Banner" with less classical
and more modern rag-time music,
wondered what the small American
boys who have SO often tested me on
country, would nave thought of this
factor in the war that is not sufficient
ly known in the United States.
I propose telling you what the
American soldiers IN the British and
French armies are doing, where they
| come from; how they live and why the
Germans are particularly bitter to
wards them and say that these splen-
| did Americans are hired by the allies.
From the German point of view the
against Prussianism is doubtless
princely. 1t amounts exactly to
dollar and a quarter day. l leave
people in the United states to judge
whether that would be the sort 81
remuneration calculated to draw
American university graduates, some
with considerable private fortunes
business men. real estate men, clerks
lumber men, engineers-across the
| Atlantic.
The falsehood is one of the bits of
| German boomerang propaganda with
which neutrals are becoming &C
quainted.
How Americans Enlisted.
/ The Americans in the British and
French armies enlisted in divers ways.
In the first few months of the war
MANY came to England direct and en-
| tered the British army. Those who
were residents in Europe at the out
break of the war formed union with
British residents in France and joined
the French. Others came over later
and entered the flying service, where
they have done splendid work.
| Early in the war during the battle
| of the Marine, 1 was billeted with a
number of our dispatch riders and
was much surprised to find the par
ticular company with which I was
spending the night were almost en-
tireIy from the United States.
1t is almost impossible to estimate
the number of Americans in these two
armies, but including those engaged
| in the noble work of the American
ambulance corps in Paris and its
numerous automobiles and conveys, it
has been estimated at quite a suffi-
| Gent number to have made the Amer
| lean language, American music and
Boston baked beans familiar.
A great feature of the war on the
western front at the moment is the
| day and night raids. This dash and
desperate form of individual fighting
| is encouraged by the British leader,
! Sir Douglas Haig and it is in this that
| the Canadians and the British who
| have considerable forces of American ms
with them are adopts.
Each one of these raids is a ninia-
| ture battle and it was in studying this
| form of warfare that l had the pleas
ure of seeing Americans who are
serving with a Canadian regiment re-
viewed by a general on their return
from the firing line for rest and a fes-
tai dinner
Reviews American Boys.
| BY a curious coincident, the setting
of the scene was that of a thousand
such in American and Canadian lum-
Der camps-even down to the log
| house We were just out of shell
range of the German guns, tho the
British artillery were talking all the
time. AS the men came down the
hillside thru tall pine trees, it did not
take long for one who has visited
most of the states of the union to de-
tect, despite the mud and fatigue,
from which of the worlds continents
they came They were in high spir-
| it's. Released from the cramped ten
sion of always shelled and water
| logged trenches, they came tum bling
over each other like school boys. All
are in pleasant and happy relation
with their Canadian and British Off
cers"which makes for good fighting
and does not derogate from strict
| discipline
They were paraded for a moment
] OF TWO lot inspection ana as company
after company formed into line,
could not but admire the qufckn ess-
encountered as they were with all
sorts of equipment and an extra suit
| of caked mud-with which they came
to attention and "eyes right
Northcliffe Addresses Troops.
If 1 had any doubt as to the home
of these stalwart fighters for freedom,
| it would have been settled by the
steady movement of their jaws, betok-
| ening a habit which is rapidly spread
| ing among the English and French,
and which is said by the doctors to be
quite a useful relaxation when under
the fire of trench mortars and mine
werfers.
Before each company was dismissed
1 1 was allowed to make them a short
speech and to mix and mingle with
| them as freely as 1 chose. had
brought with me newspaper clippings
| from a German source, in which it
| was said that the Americans COM
planned of their treatment. I had only
to read it to the first group to have it
holly denied.
| We are having a perfectly cork
ing time, despite the mud" voiced a
! Californian with a tall figure and a
voice as resonant as Roosevelt's
You'll not find a crouch in the whole
outfit, except that we had not ex-
pected to have to learn rnud-swim-
ming and that We don't see enough
home newspapers
las for that" replied another. 'I
/