Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-04-08

stag Coorre3pogdeM EUclta1 .Pubho Ledger
With the French Armies in the Field,
March TO-
Upon an April day two centuries
~ ago, while riding through the
Meuse country, Goethe stopped his horse
| upon height overlooking Verdun and
there noted the ensemble of the city
and the river flowing through It rather
as a warrior than "a poet, for he has
written
"Nerdun is agreeably situated in the
midst of a lowered plain. watered by
the Mouse and cncircled by hills both
far and near The city lies as in a vast
cup and from every angle would be
exposed to bombardmcnt"
The quotation came TO my mind today,
tho 21St of February. the anniversary
of another February 81, that but two
years old, will ever remain engraven
in the history Of France, the day Of
the original impetuous German assault
! launched at a preConCeived hour.
went to Verdun today with intent
of long walk among its ruins and its
! desolation, for I desired securing at
| first hand a acquaintance upon this
anniversary day with that which
| knew.
Two years ago today, tho weather
| clear and COOL German artillery, from
Epargnes to AVocourt. began a stupen-
dous bombardment At 4:i5 p. IN. Ger
man infantry came out OF cover and
| began a fight that lasted twenty weeks,
extending TO twenty months in less in
tenSity, but nevertheless unCeaSing,
battle mercilcss. frightful, murderous,
while all this seemingly unending time
the thunder of artillery continued.
/ Today, the 2lst Of February. the
weather is clear and COOL the Meuse
! flows lazily upon its course her song
murmuring in the afternoon arr
These German men who threw Them
selves upon this ancient fair city, this
| city Of lilacs and fair gardens, were
| actuated by the naughty proclamation
/ of their Prussan ruler:
Promise of Kaiser
Soldiers Of the Empire. take Ferdun
and in a month the war is won. Your
| Emperor will crown you with glory and
! peace will come
They believed. and they launched
| themselves upon Ncrdun, drunk with the
! thought of peace and carnage, Offering
themselves upon a merciless altar of
ambition. For in all more than 100000
OF them have died there.
Souvenirs upon this anniversary day?
They are many, the initial bombardment
of the city. a hell of SHE'LL killing women
and children, the evacuation during the
night, under the light of thousands of
bursting shells and f'arng bombs, the
river of flowing blood the sorrow and
the terror and the pain, and out there
beyond the flower of France giving its
life.
Souvenirs? on the 2lst the French lost
Hautmont; on the 22d. Caures Wood and
! t1,n
on the 24th. SamogeuN, Hill 304, Fosses
Forest, Chaunes and Ornes, with Douau-
mont then left in danger of almost GER
tain fall And meanwhile, Paris, France,
silent, eagerly waiting, hoping. Then
the abandonment under fire of Woevre
tho gray days Immediately following
the 2Gth, the Germans at Talou and
Poivro Hill, where in an excess of saw
age joy they could vision the towers OF
Notre Dame. And the next day. the
27th, the fall of Douaumont, Nerdun
seemingly destined to follow
But during the night of 25th-27th Pc
tain arrived, Immediately taking the su
preme command. Under his genius and
soldierly sangfroid, under his direction
came le vote saCree, the endless chair
Of shell toward the enemy invader, ono
every twenty-five seconds during con
tinuous term of 240 days, counties;
convoy of camions feeding the cannons
feverlsh, intelligent, grim construction
Of defensive, hand to hand comba
} among the living and the dead, tho
newly dead and the long-since dead, thu
ceding in terrific battle Of the Hill oi
Ole, Mort Homme, Cumiers and Cor
beauX.
And then anew the publication Of
names i'm German orders, the appeal ol
the Crown Prince, Take Nerdun, sol
diers of Germany; Nerdun the heart o.
France" and tho later news flashed
around the world, "The Kaiser is grave