The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1918-12-27
DETAILS Of XMAS
REVIEW Of YANKS
BY WILSON GIVEN
Correspondent Describes Day
Spent at ChaumOnt by Pres
ident and Review Of 10000
Fighting Men.

CHAUMONT, Dec. -. (By the
Associated Press.)- President Wilson
pledged himself to the American troops
IN the field TO attain a peace WHEN
would preserve the fruits Of the sacii-
fees they have made. Standing win
barred head in q field near Langress
over which Caesar marched with MS
legions centuries ago the president told
10000 American infantry that now
that they had done their part TO win
the ideals for which America entered
the war, they could depend upon MIN
to see that they were preserved,
The president came up from Paris:
Historic old Chaumont. headquarters OF
the American army, did itself proud IN
Its reception. The oldest tnhahitaht
was cut with his age old silk hat, the
prettiest little girl was out u hsr pSSs
American and French troops and the
sidewalks were choked with Frenohmeh
cheering themselves hosrse,
The moSS-grown roofs OF the houses
were loaded with folks from the u |
| tryside who cared nothing for the raw |
chill wind or for the occasional touch OF
snow, Cold gray cloud banks shut our
the sun and the ground was wet u
sodden. But there was no dampness
in the welcome. Chaumout simply went
wild, The American troops, muddy, cola
and soaked, but happy, seemed Just as
enthusiastic an the country, people:
The presidents train arrived al
| q tIOth III tue mo llllik ahN Anb l%NNS
went at once to tho city han, whore
there was a formal reception, SpeeChes
and the presentation Of flowers. Less
| than a tenth Of those invited coulu
crowd into the small ROOM which al
ready had in place a tablet commem.
Grating the Presidents visit, There
were speeches, all in FRENCH, by tne
general commanding the district, the
mayor aud the project.
The president nodded appreelatlVeaS
/ n.A pp,RaA fran, tipNa ia time lust as
he began to make hts reply, the mill
tary band in the square outside broke
into the strains OF 'rhe Battle ltSunn
of the Bepublic' and the preSident
spoke to the dramatic accompaniment
| Of the notes OF the famous. old Amert-
can fighting hymn.
The preliminary ceremony was soon
over and the president and his party
took cars to Langres, where SSsSI Ne
to be reviewed. They we're gathered IN
a field, which might he likened geo.
graphically to Gettysburg,
Aids Aged Woman.
Just as the caravan gained the crest
overlooking the troops, a very old
French women standing at the road
side waved frantiCally at the passing
cars to take in a bouquet OF low
ers she wanted to give 70 Mrs, Wtso on
Win mud. when the president caught
the situation and, stopping the line, ne
sent a colonel hack through the mud
10 get the old lady's flowers
temporary board walk had been
huilt over the Quagmire Of the review
ing field, Gen. Pershing opened the
ceremony with a brief speech IN when
ne presented the victorious army 10
the president.
as tiny fellow Countrymen,' and a
silence which he characterized as the
quiet of peace settled down over the
spot as every man OF the lu,0Oo stood
al attention and strasned to eaten the
presidents words.
broke through a rift Ia the clouds and
lighted UP the scene, the massed troops
In their Khaki looking like great waves
OF winter killed grasses N the Fields
then like long flashes OF dulled winter
sunshine, Some OF the party remarked
that they were indeed The sunshine
which had dispelled the gray mist.
The president spoke for about rive
minutes, earnestly and AS loudly as he
could, Probably half the troops, heard
him. They az seemed to recognize the
There stood before them an Ameri-
an president, the first In history to
review an American army on foreign
soil. There. stood a president for whom
no Ike privilege mao Deen aValaple
| since Linceln stood on the firing line
with his troops north of Washington,
| Certainly no other president Of modern
times had so reviewed so large a body
Of fighting men fresh from the battle
fields,
Langres is not a battlefield; It Is
not a devastated section Of France, AS
o matter of fact 1t has not seen a
battle for more than a hundred years,
II Id one of the portions Of this coun-
try saved from the ravages Of the IN
vading hordes by the men who were
reviewed by the president there,
That this reviewing place does not
stand on the rim of tina crater OF the
volcano did not diminish the signtfi-
canoe OF the event, for every man TAX
ing part in the review had seen ac-
ton. War crosses were plentiful, the
men had been through all and were
veterans in every sense Of the word,
There was an unmistakable flash OF
wholesome pride in the presidents eye
and a catch in his throat as he looked
at them and remarked what a privilege
It would be to have been one Of them,
The moment he president finished
speaking the review was on, men, guns,
horses and dogs. The headquarters
band began with a French air. then
switched to "The stars and Stripes
Forever" 1.-The Sewanee River