The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-10-25

~ UsVWf bip tHftuEb TIC faiaf3 vi
the Sommc showed almost every yard
with shell holes. Here and there
throughout the valley, scattered pieces
OF wood and stone indicated with the
help Of Imagination where once was a
village. One could see the salvage
corps trying TO bring some order out
Of the vast plain Of wreckage where
not single field bears harvest.
Thousands of little crosses indicate
the last resting places Of brave men in
successful attempt TO drive the Huns
from the fair plains Of France. Occa-
sionally would see little cross by
the wayside with the words: TO an
unknown British soldier
Il visited Albert and saw the lean
ing Virgin on the church spire. 1t
was a relief to see the fighting men
who had returned from the fighting
line and were resting in the village
and enjoying an entertainment. Thous-
ands Of spectators watched half doz-
en- men with painted faces and fancy
garb entertaining friends from
motor truck.
II went one day while in Flanders
TO where the battle is now raging
near Ypres, and was astonished to
find stumps of the tower of Cloth Hall.
1t seemed incredible that it should be
standing. The city, the most shelled
city in the history of warfare, looked
like a great cemetery of monuments
with its stumps of buildings. l gazed
over the whole area now in the grip of
deadly struggle. The British were
bombarding the lines with heavy guns,
and the Germans replied with gas
shells. The bombardment of the Ger
mans was feeble compared with the
British, six shells being sent to the
one gas shell Of the Germans. l also
saw battle in the air, in which a
dozen British and German planes were
in conflict. saw none fall but saw
the Germans fly off in cloud, retreat
ing until they became a speck in the
sky.
IL visited some of the base hos
pitals, including the Harvard Hospital,
which was shelled two or three days
later by German aeroplane. These
hospitals are wonderful in equipment,
equal to anything we have in our
great cities.
"The wounded men; although they
suffer indiscribably, never complain.
Thousands of men / have seen and |
have not heard one word Of complaint.
The spirit Of the men is remarkable
in that they are not only confident and
eager but have the spirit Of sacrifice.
One sees a new light in their eye, a
clear and fearless look of having faced
the worst and having made sacrifices
for what they believe to be righteous
cause. Their faces are Illuminated
with the thought that they have given
themselves to a great cause and they
have found themselves in way that
they never felt before.
"They are confident because they
see that their cause is winning Ger
many has gained nothing in year
and is losing all the time. realized
this as stood at Messines on linden
berg's impregnable first line and saw
the shattered concrete easements on
which his guns had rested. l saw
thousands of German prisoners. Their
smiling faces as they worked on the
roads and in the fields gave an impress
sion that they were having better
time now than before their capture.
"On my return to England ! spoke
at public meetings in number of
cities on the war with members of the
government and everywhere found the
of the masses of the
people to press on to a victorious
peace"
Asked what the prospects for peace
were in Europe, DR.. Adam said Il
found in Europe an impression among
many people that had Russia not
broken down, the war would have by
This time been nearly at an end, but
even now there is an impression that /
peace is not a great way off and that ,
when it comes it will come suddenly"
The Hartford Daily Courant, of ,
October IL, 1917. I