The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-29
peachment Of Private Smith, but con-
firms It in some detail:

Hundreds Of young American SOL
diers are marrying In France, and the
majority of them will probably settle
there after the war. France welcomes
them because she has lost so many
young men in the conflict. 1t Ia the
custom, and has been so for genera
lions, among business men that when
their time OF retirement comes they turn
over the business to the son, and in case
where there Is no son or when he has
been killed in battle the business is
turned over to the son-in-law.
-Frenchmen who will not be able to
marry their daughters to their own
countrymen, ana who are solicitous
that tho business be kept in the family.
are glad to get Intelligent young Amer
icans as members Of their families"
1t Is our opinion that Mr.. RUSSELL
takes a view Of the situation that Is
too businesslike. We do not believe
that many OF the young American sol.
oilers abroad would 60 into marriage
with the idea Of making themselves
comfortable in a commercial way. 1t
may be, as Mr.. RUSSELL says, that
Pere Dumont has come to give his
willing consent because of the lack OF
eligible young Frenchmen, but you
may be sure that Private Smith, IL he
Is surrendering his bachelorhood In
France, Is being won utterly by the
French girls beauty, charm, intellect.
virtue or cooking. Perhaps he thinks
she Is wonderful because she speaks
French so much more easily than he
does; Sir EDWARD GREY marvelled Mt
the facility with which the children
of Prince LIcHNowsKY conversed In
German. The matter of money has
nothing to do with these Franco
American engagements. Your young
American thinks in larger sums than
any young men abroad.
France itself may have a good deal
to do with the loss o: these Yankee
hearts There are undoubtedly thou
sands Of young men in the expedition
ary force who came from parts of
America that were not attractive
mill towns, coal regions, or fat, waste
barrens lacking the verdure, the flow
ers, the charm Of age and architecture
that wins the visitor to some of the
parts Of France through which our
troops have marched. Men whose boy.
hood was spent In bleak, dreary towns
and villages may be attracted by the
picturesque side of country that is
as new to them as Canada was to
CARTIER. Given youth and the girl
and the scenery-and France is
blessed with the same moon that is
now dying in our skies-and there is
nothing to prevent the unmarried and
unpledged American soldier from pull
ing the ring out Of one Of his several
khaki pockets and slipping 1t on a
slim French finger. There is not Q
word in the Decla "a ton of Indepen.
dence, in the Constitution. in the draft
proclamation. to say him nay. The
President, who remembers almost
everything. has neglected to, provide
Commission for the Conservation OF
Eligible Young Men.
Perhaps some Of the young men
who marry in France will stay there
to help rebuild the ruined sections
when the war is over. There's moth
ing like a French wife to strnighten
out a rapid conversation between O
Yankee contractor and his French
| workmen. Probably most Of the
newlyweds will return TO America af
ter the war; and America, which has
never seen enough Frenchwomen, will
see those who have been transformed
into citizenesses Of the United States
Surely there will be a closer drawing
Of the bonds between the two coun
tries. There will be young Ferdinand
Foch Flanagans to Join the Sixty
ninth Regiment (under the direction
of the League of Nations) in 1910.
Have the young women of thl.
country that which might be called Q
kick coming? Some of them have
been murmuring. but the deadly fig
ures are against them. The censu.
of 1880 showed that the United State:
then held 2J,51S,S20 males and "a.
836983 females-SS1,85 more male!
than females. Thirty years later, a
the time Of the last census. instead
Of having caught up with the mel
in numbers, the women were laggini
more than ever. In a total popula
ton of 100000 the males exceeded
the females by $780,, 2sS. Is it no
more than possible that we have hal
a million men of marriageable age t.
spare; and II so, why shouldn't tn
French girls have them7
|
There is evidence that Genera
PDRsHINo was more than usually salts
fed with the work of his doughboy
IN the first hours Of their fiankini
movement on the Hindenburg zone
They stormed and captured Ave town
after-mark the adieCtiye-'stubbor