Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-27
WILSON DEEPLY
TOUCHED AS He
FACES VETERANS
Pledges American Soldiers He
Will Do His Bit to Pre-.
serve Fruits of Their
Sacrifices.
BY Associated Press.

serve the fruits of the sacrifices
they have made. Standing with
barred head in a field near Langres,
over which Caesar marched with his
legions centuries ago, the president
told 10000 American infantrymen
that now that they had done their
part to win the ideals for which
America entered the war, they could
depend upon him to see that they
were preserved.
The president came up from Paris
to spend Christmas day with the
men who have done such a great
part in winning the war. Historic
old Chaumont, headquarters OF the
American army, did itself proud i'll
its reception In its homely way it
rivalled Paris and in the depth OF its
sincerity it fully equalled it.
The oldest inhabitant was our
with his age-old silk hat, the pref
tiest little girl was out in her best
gown. The streets were lined with
American and French troops and
the sidewalks were choked with
Frenchmen cheering themselves
hoarse.
The moss-grown roofs of the
houses were loaded with folks from
the countryside who cared nothing
for the raw, chill wind that sweep;
over the land or for the occasional
ain or the touch of snow.
Chaumont Civilians Wild.
Cold, gray cloud banks shut out
the sun and the ground was wet
and sodden. But there was no damp.
ness in the welcome. Chaumont
simply went wild. The American
troops, muddy, cold and soaked, but
happy, seemed just as enthusiastic
as the country people.
The presidents train arrived at
g o'clock in the morning and the
party went at once to the city hall.
where there was formal reception.
speeches and the presentation Of
flowers.
Less than a tenth of those invited
could crowd into the small room
which already had in place tab
let concentrating the presidents
visit. There were speeches, all in
French. by the general commanding
the district, the mayor and the pre-
feet.
The president nodded apprecia-
lively and smiled from time to time.
Just as he began to make his reply.
the military band in the square out
side broke into the strains of "The
Battle Hymn of the Republic" and
the president spoke to the dramatic
accompaniment of the notes of the
famous old American fighting hymn
The preliminary ceremony was
soon over and the president and his
party took motor cars to Langres,
where selected troops from six d.
visions were waiting to be reviewed,
They were gathered in field which
might be likened, geographically, to
The battlefield of Gettysburg. 1t
lies on gentle slope between two
elevations. with range of hills on
either side and a road running along
the top of one of them.
Makes Speech to Troops.
General Pershing opened the cere-
mony with a brief speech in which
he presented "the victorious army"to
the president.
The president addressed the
troops as "My fellow countrymen"
and silence, which he characteriz-
ed as the quiet of peace, settled down
over the spot as every man of the
10000 stood at attention and strain
ed to catch the presidents words.
For moment as he spoke the sun
broke through rift of clouds and
lighted up the scene, the massed
troops in their khaki, looking like
great waves of winter killed grasses
in the fields, then like long flashes
of dulled winter sunshine. Some
persons of the party remarked that
they were, indeed, the sunshine
which had dispeled the gray mist.
The president spoke for about
FIVE minutes earnestly and as loudly
as he could. Probably half the
troops heard him. They all seemed
to recognize the historic significance
of the occasion.
There stood by tn en- an American
president, the first in history to re-
view an American army on foreign
soil. There stood president for
whom no like privilege had been
available since Lincoln stood on the
firing line with his troops north of
Washington. Certainly no other
president Of modern times has re-
viewed so large a body of fighting
men fresh from the battlehelds.
Langres is not a battlefield; it is
not devastated section of France.
AS a matter of fact it has not seen
a battle for more than a hundred
years. 1t is one of the portions of
this country saved from the ravages
Of the invading hordcs by the men
who were reviewed by the presi-
dent there today.
War Crosses Plentiful.
That this reviewing place does not
SkdllQ kiS lin ~ aiiS Nho'Si VI
the volcano did not diminish the sig
nificance of the event Tor every man
stalking part in the review had seen
action. War crosses were plentiful,
the men had been Though all and
were veterans in every sense OF the
word.
There was an unmistakable flash
of wholesome pride IN the presi-
dents eye and catch in his throat
as he looked at them and remarked
what privilege it would be to have
been one of them.
The moment the president finish
ed speaking the review was on
men, guns, horses end dogs. The
headquarters band began with a
French air, then switched to The
Stars and Stripes Forever" The
Suwanee River" Maryland and
Dixie" ...........