The Parisian. (Paris, Tenn.) 1907-1962, 1918-07-05

| British front in Belgium and North
ern France were massed of tumbled
down stone and brick and mortar
Shells had done their work every
where. Hunt the cathedral in any
Of those cities and you would find
lwreckage every time. Not only Ca
thedrals, but buildings of every kind
| were in ruin. Now and then enough
OF cellars would be left to afford a
place of refuge for soldiers CHARTERED
| there This was the condition even
before the spring drive of this year.
| Nor was it all the result of shell
fire. In some cities occupied by the
Germans after the big battle of the
Scmme and before Hindenburg's ia
nous voluntary retreat, there was
any amount of evidence of buildings
being deliberately blown to pieces.
lone could easily tell the difference
between the irregular hits by shell
fire and the systematic blowing out
OF the fronts of buildings on entire
streets
| 1t was over this territory that the
Germans proposed to make their
drive for Amiens.
A study of the map will readily dis
close their purpose. Their line was
about forty miles east of that place.
Amiens is an important railway CEN
ter, and to capture that city would
enable the Germans to cut the Brit
ISL army of the south and prevent
communication between the army of
the north and the French, Americans
and British south of the Somme.
Viewing the lines Of the defense,
the cannon, howitZers, wire entangle-
ments and trenches of the British,
one would not think it possible for
lany human mind to exist so cold.
blooded and with so little regard for
life as to attempt to push human
flesh against steel to the extent re-
quired to break through. For every
Igain there must be a price, there al
SO must be measurement of loss OF
life against ground gained. Men OF
Experience and sanity can figure in
advance to something of certainty
as to what the cost will be, and nc
general in the British, French OF
American army has been found SC
RECKLESS of human life, so stepped in
military heartlessness, as to be will
ling to pay the price that Germany
paid, or willing to order the death Of
his own men as Germany ordered il
this drive.
| History records that when Napo.
leon was nearing his finish, when il
Twas regarded that his mind was be-
looming somewhat degenerate, he
Ispent ris military resource, the lives
| of his men, with just such profliga'
lev as was shown by the Germans in
1.-THE year -918.
The Kaiser came to the western
| front make this battle his battle
Intrigue had won Russia, but intri
lgue could not fool the British, OF
Itreachery touch them; so they were
| to be made to feel the power of Ger.
Imam wrath.
Militarism must prevail for Ger.
many at all cost; the rulers must
make another showing, whatever the
Iloss in life to the men in the ranks,
who with their ancestors had had
training of more than century in
nothing but taking orders.
| And so on the twenty-first day of
March, the blow was struck, the Brit
fish resolute, determined, believing
they could hold the line, the German
geenarls striking with that madness
and recklessness that comes of des-
operation.
Hundreds of thousands of men
had been moved from Russian front
to help in the struggle. Smoke
screens were thrown up to hide the
movements from the observation bal
looms and air-planes; some of the
screens had been thrown up as ear
| ly as the week before when we were
there. The German guns coughed
harder, louder and more often. The
coughing and barking of guns and
the whizzing of shells made the day
we heard the week before seem like
child's play. The Germans were
shooting over their own liens of
trenches into the first line of British
defense. That is the method Of
starting on offensive.
The German men in their own
trenches had been dressed in new uni
forms, had been made to drink rum
and ether so that they would be
reckless and in frame of mind to
face any ordeal The captains had
not been trusted with the information
that they were being marched to
slaughter. At given time they were
to open written orders, and at anoth-
er given time the heavy guns were
to change their range from the first
FOR CONSTIPATION AND Bill.