The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-08-20
AMERICANS Tn.
FRANCE PROUD D
OF The WOMEN.
LEFT BACK HOME.
Will Return To United
States Improved Men
tally And Physically.
WILL DEMAND
HIGHER STANDARD
Mothers, Wives And Sis
tiers Must Keep Pace
With Their Growth
(Ry RHETA Child poRR.l


Should you happen to be. in Paris
or in any other French city in the
early spring, you will witness an
amusing and at the same time an
inspiring sight: The carnival Of the
military class of the year before
going into training camps.
France has lived next door to q
burglar nation for nearly half a CEN
tury Ever since Alsace- Lorraine
has known this, and she has there
fore retained the system OF eompul-
sorry military service. aaN.
= Every year, on the 18th ~of April
all ablebodted young Frenchmen who
have reached the age of twenty go
UP for a two years military training.
Just before the war the term was
heightened to three years. Their
term completed, they are placed in
the reserves, ready at any time to be
modified and to fight. ~
The world we'll remembers how In
late July, 1914 the tocsin sounded all
over France, calling from field and
factory, counting room and office the
glorious citizen army that rushed
out against the barbarian invasion,
turned it at the Marine, and saved the
life of civilization.
/ believe that after this swar some
will be enacted in this country. Let
us rather call it required military
service, since in a democracy such
service is. agreed upon as a wise
policy and is not forced on the peo-
pie without their consent. The Am
erican form might well be something
like that of France.
Celebrate Going.
Proof that military service there
is not in the least oppressive is the
gayety with which the young cadets
greet their term Of training. 1t has
long been the custom for the years
class to make a, carnival Of it's go
ing. Beginning two or three weeks
before the date set for. their en-.
campment, groups of these lads, fan
tastically arrayed and decorated,
would parade through the streets,
singing their favorite choruses, MAX
ing a great deal Of noise between
songs, shouting and chatting the
passersby., 4.
No youth considered himself prop
,erly dressed without huge bou-
tonniere, sometimes of flowers but
oftener paper monstrosity as big
as a cabbage. Sometimes lad ap-
peared with a buttonhole bouquet Of
vegetables. Anything for a joke.
Thus dressed, furnished with a qui-
tor or an accordion, the bunch" as
our slang would, call them, Jared
forth to have a last good time be-
fore going under discipline For the
time being they owned the town, and
nobody complained of their noise or
their pranks.
Keep Up Custom.
I had seen this before the war, but
I was unprepared to see the custom
retained. Yet this April in Paris, in
Bordeaux, and several other cities
Il saw. the same singing groups, the
same absurd decorations, the same
fun making The class of 1913 was
younger than the class Of 1914, but
it was every bit as exuberant. Four
years of war and desolation. of sick
ening anxiety and cruel bereave-
ment were powerless to depress the
spirit of young France.
Early on the morning Of April 10
! started on journey from the Or
leans station, and there, filling the
Il place with laughter and excited con-
versation, saw about a hundred Of
the class of 1918 leave for their
cantonment
Their mothers and fathers and
sweethearts were there seeing them
off, just as we have been seeing our
boys off to training camp this year.
But these French fathers and moth
ers have suffered bitter losses. Hard
ly family in France that has not
known bereavement. Most Of the
women saw that April morning
wore deep mourning.
Keep Brave Faces. a-s
Even though they wept in their
hearts. they sent their. boys away
with laughter and brave cheer. With
bantering words on their lips. their
hearts were saying: 20 France,
loved Mother take one more OF my
sons, Like those who have died he
more"
Their train left the station ahead
of mine and until it was far down
the. line these great fathers and
mothers continued to wave and
cheer. Then they clasped hands and
silently went home.
After four years Of war. 1t made
me ashamed of every wayering mo-
ment i have allowed myself since we
entered this conflict
This isoa time when the women Of
America must. take stock of them
selves, when they must consider
whether or not they have grown up
to the. stature OF the women over
seas, whether they can keep step
with the men who have gone over to
fight beside the French English
Belgian and Italian soldiers. For
those women of the world war are
very great in mind and spirit Those
young Americans are growing fast
Thew will never be the same again.
Need Health Drive.
We sing about keeping the home
fires burning, ''Till the boys come
home But we have got to face one
big fact. When. the boys come home
they will have become men and men
Of 9 totally different type than any
70 which we have been accustomed,
They will be bigger, broader, finer,
in body and mind They will be bet
ter educated. They will expect more
Of their women.
In the first place our men, when
they come home will be such perfect
PHYSICAL specimens that they will
be astonished to see women who are
flat ehested, or fat, shallow skinned
or heavy eyed They won't have
much patience with indigestion and
l1eaaaches, That kind of thing goes
with stacking over thereS
There ought to be great big, ear
nest health movement among wom-
en- IN this country during the rest
OF the war. We see signs of it in
the farraerettes, the campers, tbs
women police.
The men IN France are learning.
new things every day They have
Travelled. They have had a. chance to-
compare their country with others,
Their compatTiots with other people.
Build For Ages.
We haze been called a nation OF
boasters. We boosted OF our
achievements because most of us
never had a chance to see anything
0f the achievements of other nations.
Tsrqa men have.
Tee know now that French cities
ere often far more beautiful than