The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-11-15
FOR OUR BOYS OVER THERE

Tho war is won. Whether it stop
q tomorrow or six months hence, it j
won. 1t is no eXaggeration or concei
to say that America turned the seal
and saved the situation. Secretar,
Baker told me that he was so informe,
by high officials of the Allied Govern
ments in Europe; and the same ex
preston came to me from all source!
in England and France.
Our losses were heavy at Chatea,
Thierry and the Marine. l have talked
with scores of our wounded boys, ant
have stood at the graves of many Of
our dead. The Marines in particular
lost as high as two-thirds of theil
{ members killed and wounded; and moi
far behind them came the whole OF
their division, the first, as well as the
second, the Twenty Sixth, or New
, England division, and the Forty-Sec-
ond, or Rainbow. The sacrifice, how
ever, heavy out of all proportion, as it
was, was worth while. 1t stopped the
hun invasion, put new spirit into the
Allies, and saved the world. -
| Although the war is won, we ought
not to think that our war work is ov-
er. Indeed, we must redouble our eff
forts in war-camp activities. It will
be two years at least before all our
troops can be returned home, perhaps
much longer. They will need to pa
troll borders and police German strong
holds. They will relax their tension
at once, and become more difficult to
hold in discipline. Hitherto they have
been, taken as whole, exemplary in
their conduct. The French people are
loud in the praise of our lads. Thev
are good boys. AS soon, however, as
the war is over, they will not onlv
want to celebrate, but will grow rest
less and homesick, as time passes and
they are not returned to their homes.
Officers and welfare workers alike are
dreading the relaxation period when
the peace comes. They agree that we
shall need to do more than we have
ever done to give the boys the com
forts and ministrations of home and
friendship in order to hold them in
! line.
They are worth. too, all that we can
bestow upon them, and more. CHEEKY,
bright, happy lads, they are ire
presslble.. In the Alsace district |
saw them in their front trenches in
the mountains. The French had for
hidden them to start attacks and
heavy fire. Neither the French nor
the Germans wished to see Alsace-
Lorraine shot up, and its people an
gered by the ravages of war. But
our boys could not stand inactive and
watch the Geramn trenches opposite;
SO they began throwing rocks at Fritz,
and rolling stones down on his head.
The Boche sent up loud international
protests against such undignified pro-
cedure; but the Ynaks only laughed
and kept on throwing rocks.
Two Alabama boys in the Rainbow
Division were doing sentry duty in an
exposed position. They got tired and
leaned their rifles up against trees.
while one of them took out a baseball
and they began throwing it back and
forth. By and by Lieutenant came
along and began rebuking them in the
severe fashion OF an Alabama officer.
He said:
Say, George, what d'you all mean
by playing baseball up here this a.
way?"
Look out, Lieutenant, shouted the
lad, Here she comes!" The Lieuten-
ant had to catch the ball in self de-
tense, and pretty soon they were hav-
three cornered game. Suddenly |
--zip-there came scattering through |
the leaves the rifle bullets of a Boche
sniper. They all three dropped to
the ground. The two sentries wrig-
gled upto the trees and got their ri
flies, then wiggled away in different
directions, scouting, and then came
back bringing the Boche's buttons.
These boys are live wires and worth
all we can spend. for thir welfare
There are two million of them now in
France. They are all over the map.
You hump into them in every town
and every country road. The French
are as good to them as they can be
TO SO many guests; but the difference
in language is a great handicap to
taking the Americans into their homes,
nevertheless our kindly hosts do all
IN their power for the lads. The
French "Mamans" mother them;
there is French god-mother, or "ma-
ralne, for every American grave, and
she keeps it green and decorated with
flowers; but do all they can, our sons
and our neighbors' sons are away from
nome, strangers in a strange land.
/ have seen them heart-sick and
onging for home. | have seen them
wet, cold, hungry, dog-tired, throw
themselves down on soaking ground
% sleep. / have seen them lowering
ike swarms of bees in the uncertain
warmth about stove in the Y. M. C.
A. Hut, or that of the Knights of
Columbus, or the Salvation Army.
They will continue to be homeless,
tired, wet and cold, long after this ,
var is over. Shall we lock up our
purses now and say: "Well, peace is
about here. Let the boys shift for
themselves the best they can"
If we do, many of those boys will, ,
n desperation and inconsistencies, run :
lmuck in France. play hob with dis
;iipline and hospitality and conven-
ionality; and who will be to blame? :
Not they, but We. If we fail to take ,
are of them right up to their return :