Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1918-02-28
NATIONAL ARMY ON
PARADE IN n. Y.
10000 of Last Years Clerks,
Brokers, Grocery Boys, ETC.,
Swing Along Like Veterans.

New York, Feb. EFF the spirit Of
George Washington could have been
abroad in New York this afternoon. and
there were many who felt 1t was the
soul Of Americas first great chieftain
must have thrilled with pride.
There was parade Of soldiers on Fifth
avenue-nearly 10000 of them. But fifth
avenue has seen so many parades there
was nothing novel in a military pageant.
New Workers. have cheered loyalty all
kinds and coondiS IONS of soldiers; have
cheered and enthusiastically. They didn't
cheer to-day. They fe11 ~seSre like weep
ing. What they saw was more than a par
ade. 1t seemed to them like solemn
dedication.
Five hundred thousand men and women
children. too, stood for two hours or more
in sweeping snow storm and a singing
wind to see their sons and brothers and
sweethearts marching by-men OF the Ma
tional army, not regulars or volunteers
but drafted men.
The men in line were New York's
own and they were typical of the great
polygot city. Swarthy Armenlans
strobe side by side with fair haired
Scandinavians. Irish boys rubbed ell
hows with Jews italians trudged be-
side Poles. Here and there was a
Chinaman and here and there face
that was typically Yankee. Sons OF
sons and daughters of the Revolution
marched with boys whose fathers were
immigrants generation ago. But
every one of them was a citizen OF the
United States and they were soldiers
all. They had been fused in the great
melting pot of war.
Five months ago the same boys had
rambled through the same street. q
int -
clerks and mechanics, bookkeepers and
brokers'. grocers boys and longshoremen
representing almost every trade and
profession and almost every race UNI
der the sun. They were the raw ma
terial from which armies are made.
They came back to-day men Of the
nth division, National Army. Camp
Upton, welded together into compact mill
tary units. Brigades, regiments, bat
talions. batteries and companies strobe
through the wide street in heavy march,
ing order with the swinging stride of
veterans. Their bronzed cheeks glowed
with health and their clear eyes shone
with pride as they stepped briskly
through the haze of falling snow to the
stirring music of their regimental bands.
Not a word nor an inch of gold lace
was to be seen. Brig. Gen. Edmund Wit
tenmeyer with single gold star on the
sleeve Of his service overcoat marched
at the head of the line like the humblest
doughboy Of the lot. They were grim,
determined. business-like. Young cap
tains and lieutenants who were carving
out peaceful careers few months ago
barked commands which were obeyed with
machine-lik precision.
Eyes front" was the order and under
the spell Of discipline only a flicker Of
smile responded some proud but
,, fearful mother sighted her sturdy son
and shouted his name.. But it was then
the curbs gave way to cheers and they
were only to give courage to the mother
left behind. The rest of the time they
| seemed to be thinking of the day when
these same sons of democracy would be
going over the top" against autocracy's
hosts.