Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-07-29
(From New York Times

ITO" NEW YOTk I11ne9.)
An American officer with PERISH
a letter to his. wife this moving des-
cription Of a visit to a French GEM
etery:
Come with me, then. to this little
village on the Banks Of the -, a
sleepy little village nestled in the
broad valley through which the river
flows. In ordinary times a village of
almost empty because most Of the
people who could afford it have fed
to safer places, tasting for the. Sec
ond time since 1914 the bitterness Of
the war as it affects the peaceful
civilian!
III Ms late afternoon warm and
street together past the old church,
once a handsome structure but now
badly weather worn and almost in
ruins. Further or we pass the ruins
of an old Roman wall which marked
the limits Of the city in Caesars
time. Our footsteps turn us to the
right into a little lane which. leads
out to the country up the gentle slope
and toward the front. After passing
under the railroad bridge the lane
branches off abruptly to the right.
1t soon disappears through a stone
gateway and we find ourselves in the
new cemetery, called new because
the demands Of this terrible four
years struggle have been so urgent
that the old cemeteryei lis o~verpopulat-
ed. 1t was large enough for the
normal population Of the village, but
death has stalked often through the
streets these last four years and its
victims must have room:A
A little gravel path, laid out with
mathematic straightness. runs
are q few civilian graves huddled to-
gether at the near end as II they had
been crowded to make room for the
other tenants. Then on the right,
row after row of graves of French
soldiers marked by huge wooden
crosses, and for the most part covered
with those hideous bead-work floral
pieces THAR the French use. On see-
ing them, one understands how Jean
Vatican recouped his fortunes. You
remember the story, no. doubt. There
were graves of infantry, cavalry and
artillery, and once in q while that Of
an aviator, but wherever n goes it
is always the infantry that predomin-
ates. Here is the grave of q Chinese
dan, but all bear the well-known.
phrase which means SO much: Mort
pour Ia patrie!
"As I wandered along through row
after row. reading the names and.
wondering who their owners might
have been, I wal starteledf ITO see on
row Of graves. at the head Of each a
prim little cross. different somewhat
from those across the way and paint
ed in khaki. Then I knew who these
newcomers were. There were twenty
two of them. each bearing q little
round identification tag. I Instructive
|ly reached up to feel Il mine was still
among the first to give up their all
for the patrie 81 far across,the sea.
were arranged in perfect alignment
like "a platoon at drill. I couldn't
help saying to- myself:
"'Well, when the Master Of the
Great Unknown eomrnands-"Heroes,
Attention to Muster" you all Will
answer here
They were plain little graves. hid
eous almost IN the newness and nary
q sod to cover them. But had they
been forgotten? No, indeed: for on
each lay q little bunch Of flowers, put
there by tho kind hands OF the wo-
so kind, 10 thoughtful. They. at
least, will never forget. Even as\I
stood there thinking about all these
kthings q woman came up, very poor
she seemed to be, yet she carried q,
huge basket filled with flowers, which
she carefully distributed all along the
row. AZ she came up to me INheard
her say, almost to herself and think
Ing probably that I did not under
stand:
"sPauvres garcons. lis sout venus
do q loin!'
her and shook her by the hand and,
thanked her in the names OF those
sleeping there and In the name OF
their motharp and sisters and sweet
hearts back home. II I knew whsrs'
Ito write, ! would write to those
|twenty-tWo mothers and tell. ,them
that their boys IN being well looked.
aftef. 31ah
sBsfore i could ny anything more
Ito the woman she wa gone. She
said she must keep ono bunch Of
flowers for her mari over younderc on
1.-The, other side Of the path. There
were the Serried ranks ofVthe French.
orr sldeackSths path only ono iittle
ROW, and then OF In q fart corner
awAy from everything el6S, 81 little
group Of German 9raxAA hid among
. clump Of trsss @ IL shrinking from
a ~ - ~ - 10 -