Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-29
Freshness SPIRIT
T|RELESS, DRIVING
Rushes Here, There, Every
where, Performing His
HercuIean Tasks.
BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.

BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.
CnbleEram to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1918.
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY AT
THE FRONT, September 26-Possi-
bly, it was the strange combination
of fate and indomitable personal
energy of Gen. Pershing which has
characterized his career that caused
the first action of the LIST American
Army to be so strikingly crowned
with success. Gen. Pershing's fifty
eighth birthday anniversary was on
Friday, September ID. The enthusi-
astic French have given him a new
title in addition to decorations, rib
bons and medals, and this title comes
from grateful hearts. 1t is:
Savior of st. Mihiel."
No warrior could ask a greater
birthday anniversary gift than that.
But it is characteristic of Pershing
that he submerged his personality in
the strict rigors of military conduct,
and there were not dozen here amid
the millions watching his effort on
that day who knew that it was his
birthday.
No Time to Celebrate.
From the history of st. Mihiel he
derives a stimulus of greater efforts
in other battles and other victories.
There is no time to stop to celebrate
his past. His spirit is tireless,
driving force, which will be satisfied
only with the final victory which will
bring peace to America, the allied
nations and the world. That is his
desire In that the expeditions lead
or personifies the spirit animating
the thousands of young men offer
ing their health and lives here and
of other millions loyalty supporting
them across the sea. 1t is the Ameri-
can spirit, which believes that no
barrier is unsurmountable and that
sees only victory. 1t is the spirit
which has put new blood and spirit
into the war-weary armies of the
allies.
The American expedition has grown
in 4 few months from a single divi-
sion, training in the muddy VoageS,
supplied from a few scattered ware
houses and practically unnoticed by
the fighting millions of other nations,
into an army larger than the single
army of any other nation in this I'll
tanic struggle. Miles of steel rails
and unending trains and trucks
stretch across France, tapping album
dant supplies brought 5000 miles
across the Atlantic.
The sectors of France where the
German army is fighting swarm with
khaki-clad soldiers. who. like brown
ants, are eating away that dixie which
Germany built across Europe and let
ting through a flood which the forces
of kaiserism, imbued with militarism,
are not able to comprehend. 1t is a
serious army, quiet and unmirthful.
1t has no time for leaves of absence
or recreation. Antlike, it is going
forward persistently.
Labors Are Herculean.
Gen. Pershing is commander both
of the expedition, which is big bust
ness proposition, and of the list Army,
which is the fighting arm of the ex-
petition. Possibly when other armies
are formed. with other army COM
manders, it will be different. So far
he is directing both, and his labors
are herculean. One will not find him
today in the same place that he was
yesterday, and tomorrow he may be
in a different place. One may find
him at expedition headquarters. at the
northern France, in Paris or some
other city attending an important con-
ference, on a muddy truck, on con-
gested road back of the fighting front
or in dozen other places, all several
hundred miles apart. Only u man in
excellent physical and mental condi-
ton would be able to keep up this
continual strain.
Gen. Pershing talks but seldom, let
alone writing for publication. He has
no time for it. He believes that a SOL
dier's task is to win the war by fight
ing. But when he does talk or write
he is concise and to the point.