Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-17
PARIS. March 81.

rare nobility that stlrs the soul and
re-echoes around the globe.
The emotion I experienced In treadng
! their sancti6ed soil is the profound impress
sion of my life. rich in JOY and pride, full
| homage of reverence for the valiant SOL
| diers of France. I deem It n high privilege
| to have been permitted vision ever to
remain green In my memory Of this land
never conquered and this land redeemed
still the active scene of tho most tremendous
| battle the world has ever known. For
Nerdun and Naux are palptatng with It
as they are with glory. as if the earth they
stand upon were n great, hcavlng. living
breast, drinking deep the air of illustrious
victory despite the constant snarl Of enemy
shell, sacred sector of wonderful, ad-
mlrablo France, saturated deep in sacrifice
OF blood devotion and n vast heroic martyr.
dom.
1t was gray with a soft rain falling MS
our automobile approached the best known
city IN tho world. Tho day was diving
put through 1t still ! saw afar tho heights
or cathedral and citadel. Slowly, without
Hghts, we drove through the ruin of the
city, the tortured remnants of homes and
houses seeming in the gray of nIghtfaIl
as heroic silhouettes against AN all but
equally darkenod background Of sky Com
ing as we did from the west we trayersed
IT'S iull width passing the rectangular
shaped cemetery where daily, through all
thc days that measure a year of time, the
sons of France are laid, each close to the
other IN death as they had stood each
close to the other in life, breast and face
to roe while Offering supreme sacrifice for
At the next morning. long before the
faintest herald of coming day, we left our
automobile at the spur of ground crowning
the almost ruined forts from Naucherau-
vile t. Bois- -Bourras In Indian file, a party
OF flNe, three civilians and two officers, we
climbed II slope of shell.torn ground
through which ran swift brooks Of muddy
water. Behind us rang the crack of French
batteries firing over our heads. the sharp
cry of the scvcnty-five mingled with the
sonorous sound of heavier shells whistlnC
through the air. From the invaders line
beyond shells passed over our head again
Quickly you learn TO distinguish the diff
fercnccs in shell caliber by the scale of
sound.
AS we reached the top of the acclivlty
we had been sealing. day was breaking.
and the whole panorama of war opened |
before our eyes. We stood as upon the
edge of vast cup. Far To the west, the
ArEonne hills, brown bruised mass of
SCARED timber; ahead, somewhat nearer the |
far heights bordering the AIeuse partially |
barring the view Directly below and be- |
hind. in the valley. ran the river. the |
earth bordering a reritable morass. Aris- |
ing seemingly amid it, | had my first |
daylight glimpse Of Nerdun that | had left |
in the dark two hours before Vcrdun |
erect. seemingly intact, crowned by it's |
cathedral towers that reached up into the |
gray sky of the morning as if in a holy |
defiance.
To the right as we advanced. / saw
Poivre mn that but recently became an
added bit of reconquercd France, and be.
side 1t. 'raou hill, still in German hands |
We looked but for a memorable moment
for we were in sight and range of German
snipers, and at command descended within
boyau. As we progressed through it,
snow began to fall. our way was slow and
silent, the snow in great wet flakes quickly
covering the path. We stepped from stone
to stone laid there. and at times trod In
mud and water to the top of puttees We
were now one hundred yards apart per
order, for safety.
The Soil Baptized in Blood
Presently we descended declvity and
through little valley. out of it, and past |
the remains of Chenois woods the scene
OF the most sanguinary fighting in hand
to-hand conflict in all the battles of Verdun,
its few hundred square meters of territory
definitely reconquered in October Every
handful of its earth is saturated with the
blood of France. Both are, in sooth as
one. For an instant l removed my he'll
met in reverence to this sacred soil.
Through and past we went: and up to the |
summit of an uneven plateau.
There perhaps 5000 feet away, stood the
fort of NauX. The tortured and uneven
ground before II, covered here and there |
with its mantle of white, and here and |
there showing spots of red-gray shell-cra-
tered earth, gave me an impression of |
an undulating white-capped sea- Amidst It,
long. low, black, rose the fort Behind it.
a gray, gray sky, and farther still like a |
very majesty through the snow, the fort |
OF Douaumont.
Seven times while covering the few thou.
sand feet to Vaux. a journey over a
miniature mountainous country. threw
ourselves fiat in the snow and mud as |
shells broke nearby. As we neared the |
fort ] could see the very ruin it is. But |
close up the entrance, still partially barri- |
caded even by the Germans themselves with |
sacks of sand and earth, opened black. |
Passing its portals, we We're greeted by |
Captain -, the commander, as the sew
enth, eighth and ninth civilians to enter its |
reconquered door. His smile of welcome |
was very multitude of words, and his |
hand gripped true and strong as he led us
within.
Upon the walls of the passages were |
German Inscriptions. ] had some of them |
translated to me, and they have no soiling |
business in these pages. l cannot, for |
obvious reasons, describe the interior of |
vaux. But everything is in order. Vaux,
neither fort nor village, will ever again see |
defllement by the arms of Germany.
was permitted to mount the observatory |
ladder, where amid shrapnel-scarred air and |
the scale of passing shells, / saw family |
through the falling snow that which had |
been the village of Vaux; beyond. Harde- |
mont; beyond still and to the right Douau- |
mont Before were the lines of the Boche. |
We lunched within the fort, the guests |
of the brave of France; lunched to the |
sound of constant fire, and presently after |
an au revoir ct bonne chance, repassed the |
danger zone In safety, again observing |
the precaution of throwing ourselves fiat as |
necessity required. After a little we passed |
into the complete safety of the tunnel OF |
-, whence we emerged to our waiting |
automobile for the ride OF few kilo- |
meters back to Verdun.
The snow had ceased and despite the late |