New-York tribune., 1918-05-30


DARIs, May 15.-sigh if you must over
the perils and discomforts that face
the line officer Of the A. f. F. Pay
him, as nearly you are able, the full
measure of admiration that is justly his.
But save one little tear Of compassion for
his brother, eighty miles or more behind
the trenches-the officers, in supposedly
"bullet- proof" uniforms, who do their bit in
Paris on the staffs of numerous generals,
in the intelligence department, in the
quartermasters corps else as army
cmbers of the numerous relief organiza-
tions that have their headquarters there.
They may not be heroes but some of
them will pretty nearly qualify as martyrs.
The French, whose attitude toward their
American brethren is one of ever increas-
ing bewilderment, will tell you that they do
not understand. Frenchmen continually
view the activities of our army on their soil
with dazed expression.
Going Somewhere
Day and night the streets of their capital
are filled with officers in the olive drab,
going somewhere in a hurry. The French
colonel, on leave or on duty in Paris, walks
leisurely his errand The youthful
American lieutenant attached to some or
ganization there speeds through the ave-
nues of that paradise of speeders in a Rolls
Royce or some slightly more humble type
Of IN for nh
can see, that is his pleasant mission in life.
But the Frenchman, with all his quick
perception and imagination, does not see
all of it by half Probably, despite the
Motors, which, after all, are furnished by
the government, there is no harder worked
class of men in the world than these off
GERS They will never win war cross but
they nevertheless doing their generous
bit toward victory
Dear Food
Nor is it only the work that makes them
worthy of their country's gratitude, if not
its hero-worship. Living conditions in Paris
geS no better as time goes on. Food is con-
t;nrally scaling higher in price The paw
of ]ieutenants, and even captains, in our
army, generous it is by other military
standards, is scarcely enough to meet the
price of food and lodging, be our officers
ever so frugal.
France is the battlefield" her rulers saw
Surely those who are on the battlefield
should not be denied their proper measure
of food"
So the prices soar, and the American Of
icer in the capital looks after them wist-
fully as they rise to new attitudes. Prices.
Of themselves, are bad enough in all con-
science, but the American in France USUALLY
pays double or Pile the real value. The
Trench admit this themselves, and justify
it rlausibly enough by pointing out that the
American soldier gets so much more nav
than his brother in horizon blue that it is
only right that he should pay more for his
purchases.
This is, perhaps, only just, but is hard
nevertheless, on the officer who has family
a. home dependent on him for partial SUM-
port. Some of the economies that these men
in soft jobs" go to to save little for the
people across the Atlantic are pitiful and
rather heroic
A Case
One officer, whose family at home was
sm!tten by misfortune and needed his help
lived on one meal day for weeks on end
while trying to scrape together relief
fund.
Shell and bullet and gas may not threaten
these men who labor to win the war far be-
hind the lines, and they may ride about in
utomobiles-though the gods Of war know
that they do not do that for pleasure-but
they are emphatically doing their bit. II
you have friend or relative doing "safe
work" in France you can rest assured that
he Is doing what his country asks and moro.
There are other troubles besides cruelty
hard work. There is the nerve-wearinY trial
OF striving tremendously and getting for.
weld only gradually. 1t is not the easiest