Evening star., 1917-09-20
French MARVEL AT
us. TROOPS V|GOR
Raw Recruits Whipped Into
Fighting Condition in
Two Months.
IL HOURS OF FAST DRILL
BY HERBERT COREY.

AMERICAN FIELD HEADo! Ar
TIERS. August o5-Through the village
the road runs white and straight as 4
secured knife. Its surface or crushed
pebbles is hard and smooth. On either
side the old houses present front OF
uncompromising stone to the eye, put
over their tiled roofs one catcheS
Rlimpses of green boughs rising from
the high-walled gardens so dear to the
French heart At the end of the VII
lage-for these little country towns
sometimes have but one dimension ana
string their houses along the sihgle
road-the way turns abruptly TO the
left to cross the clear brown water Oh
the canal on single arch.
stand here" said the major Let :
look at them come In.
All day long we had been watching
q phase of the most amazing adNeh- :
ture on which the United states hAS
ever embarked. Today our men are
pouring into France to win back iret
dom and happiness Tor tnS 3 N9' ~ w.
Their muscles are being stiffensd 70
meet the most formidable milltalH
force since the empire. The Amsflet.l
flag flashes over countless miitS ~
built where the Roman once Wailed
himself in. Ten years ago no Amerl-
can was mad enough to suggest tha'
our troops might ever hSht on tsi
pean soil. A year ago experts saIu !.
was impossible. Today we are almost
ready-the mere handful that is here
a sound confused by distance rose
from around the bend of the road. A
purring rhythm came first to the ear,
as zoo men stepped like dancing mas
fers in unison along that level way.
The American soldiers route step Is
unlike any other. He does not sios
like the German or plod heavily IKE
the ErgIishman on a long march Ihefe
is not the uneven scraping of the iron
ehod French boot. He marches with a
swing 115 steps to the minute. shoul-
ders easy chin UP, every motion sprlngF
and free. There is youth IN tnat step
and elasticity and a disciplined sell-
respect. To hear it is like listening to
q song.
French Can't Understand.
Over that ordered cadence of boots
on the gravel and equipment cInklng
q thin whistling rose. As the battahon
grew nearer we could distinguish the
tune They were sturdily piping out
Hail. Hail, the Gangs All Here and
as the eyes of the leaders caught the
colors of the headquarters flag and
knew the end of the days work had
been reached their emotions overcame
them They burst into song. The French
peasants watched in amazement from
their doorsteps They are not used to
such men.
They sing better when it rains"
said the major.
kets at half-past in the morn
IN, when it was still dark that
one felt blindiy for his boots. When
they sat down to breakfast at
o'clock they had not only made toi.
let that would pass the critical eyes OF
the sergeants, but they had put in ten
minutes at brisk limbering up exer-
cises. At half-past o'clock the
bugles sounded the March" and they
took to the road. The stars were paling.
In asf
tised the rising sun.
They were in light marching order
which means that they carried but
thirty-fve pounds on their backs
Pick UP thirty-five pounds some day
and discover what it weighs at the
end of ten minutes. The exercise
grounds Were seven miles away ana
were reached at o'clock Taking out
the rest periods, they had marched at
. three mile an hour gait From
o'clock until II they were given in
tensive training under the eyes OF
French officers. They Were on the go
almost every minute and at top speed.
The French instructors insist upon
the need of pace in modern war. and
the soldiers who served as tutors were
picked men Of that picked corps the
spends more rapidly to the whip of
competition that the Frenchman. un-
less IL is the American II was inter
esting to observe the change in the
American eyes were on them. Riding
ahead of the column on the morning
march we several times encountered
bodies of the chasseurs in march step.
They made coed time. but they were
hardly ma king more than q preteuse
OF keeping rank. They thumped dog
gedlv along under their heavy packs
The moment the officers saw US they
snsrred their men into speed.
Frenchmen Speed Up.