Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-02-22
American Army Zone, In France.

American Army Zone In France.
January 22.-"When will the war be
over?n is the most frequent question
one hears in the training camps. 1t
is but natural that the soldiers should
be specially interested in this topic.
To them 1t has more than an academic
interest.
MY usual answer has been that, hev-
ing made so many bad guesses, | would
not risk another. On the other hand,
I have beer interested in "sounding"
the men themselves on the subject.
They are curiously unanimous IN their
belief that it will be over Dol None
of them expects it to last another two
or three years. In the French armies
there was much similar speculation at
the outset. Now the French soldiers
have become so numb and they have
been SO frequently disappointed they
make no more predictions beyond a
g declaration that the American
armies are coming to finish the Boche
in short order.
Over In Spring. Yankees Guess
The American boys seem to think
il VIII pe over this spring. How did
they get any such, belief, e having
been near the front, or never having
felt the German artillery In action? I
have asked them this question. Some
of them say they were told so by the
English they saw on the way over
and others reply That the French civil
ians have told them 1t will not last
much longer.
Here the wish is father to the
thought. No doubt the French civil
ians, as we'll as the French soldiers
wish it were over, but their main rea-
son for hope Is that the Americans
have ONE They also think they
have come in much greater numbers
than Is the fact. Consequently they
believe the Americans are in a position
to give the German armies the ''coup
de grsce,n while the American boys
are led to expect from this very sup
position that the thing will be over be-
fore they will be ready to intervene.
Evidently this is a vicious circle that
needs to be Strengthened out There is
nothing SO dangerous to the morale of
troops as a report that peace is neal
There are plenty OF men brave enough
to offer themselves as the first victim
for a cause in which they believe, but
being human, no soldier likes the idea
of being the last. When peace seems
neal everyone has hope of surviving.
1t is, therefore, dangerous to give the
soldiers false hopes. More than any
one else, they should be told the full
truth, no matter how unpleasant it
may be. With a spirit like that of the
American boy 1t is the idea that he
must pitch in with all his might and
main or else all Is lost, that will make
him fight best.
"Won't go Home Till Fritz is
Beaten"
eff the war Is to be over this spring."
I have told many of the American
soldiers in their barn or shed billets,
nthen 1t means that we are to accept
defeat. II you are to be back home by
the Fourth Of July, then you will go
back licked"
To such talk they have always re-
sponded manfully, "not on your life.
We won't GO home till Fritz Is beat.
en-" They are not fafnt-hesrted, but
naturally they wish the horror were
over as soon as possible.
TO Americans who have been over
here since the war started it seems
that the American Government has
been unconsciously switched into a
false tone of optimism as regards the
war situation. I mesn that there is a
tendency in official circles to make the
situation look brighter than 1t is, and
brighter than the officials in question
know that it is. This may be excused
on the ground that it is uDwise to give
the enemy "comfort" by acknowledge
ing his position to be strong. There
may be some sense in that, but 1t is a