Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-06-07
SPIRIT STILL THERE
French Patriotism Defies Hun
FrightfuIness.
Refugee Gives Thrilling Account Of
Children in Devastated Town Sing
ing the "MarseiIIaise" Despite
Orders Forbidding 1t.

There are many persons, by no
means all of whom are French, who
think that the Marseillaise is the very
finest of all war songs. Certainly it is
a great song of freedom as well as of
France, and is associated historically
with the progress of liberty among the
nations. Youthful America used it be-
fore the Star Spangled Banner had been
composed; newborn free Russia still
sings it,, scarcely less often than its
own new national hymn. 1t binds to-
gether in the memory of Frenchmen
a hundred thrilling scenes of their
country's history; and to this rosary
of patriotism new jewels are added as
the great war goes forward. 1t is not
easy to read unmoved the narrative of
how, although sternly prescribed, it
was sung recently in one of the invad-
ed districts. A refugee told the story
to the American novelist, Mrs. Dorothy
Garfield Fisher:
We have tried our best to keep the
life of French children what it ought
to be. l remember last year Aunt
Louise taught q group of children in
our part of the town to sing the Mar
seillaise. The studio of my cousin
Jean is at the back of the house and
high up; and so she thought the chill
/ dren's voices could not be heard from
/ the street. The mayor heard of what
I she was doing, and sent word that he
/ should like to hear them sing. The
news spread rapidly. When he ar
rived with the city council, coming in
one by one, as if merely to make call,
they found the big studio full to over
flowing with their fellow citizens-the
old men and women who are the fell
low citizens left there. Two or three
hundred of them were there-the most
representative people of the town, all
in black, all so silent, so old and so
sad. The children were quite abashed
by such an audience and fled up on
the little platform shyly-oyr poor,
thin. shabby, white-faced children. so
or go of them.
There was a pause. The children
were half afraid TO begin; the rest of
US were thinking uneasily that We
were running a great risk. Suppose
the children'ss voices should be heard
in the street, after all. Suppose the
German police should enter and find
us assembled thus. 1t would mean hor-
rors and miseries for every family rep
resented. The mayor stood near the
children to give them the signal to be-
gin-and dared not. We were silent,
our hearts beating fast.
Then all at once the littlest ones of
all began in their high, sweet treble
those. words that mean France that
mean liberty, that mean life itself to
US:
GALLONS, enfants de la patrie,v they
sang tilting their heads back like lit
tie birds; and all the other children
followed: Against US floats the red
flag of tyranny" We were on our feet
in an instant. 1t was the first time any
of US had heard it sung since-since
, our men marched away. began to
tremble all over, so that could hardly
stand. Everyone stared up at the chill
dren; eyeryone's face was dead white
to the lips. The children sang on-sang
the chorus, sang the second stanza.
When they began the stanza, SACRED
love Of our fatherland, sustain our
avenging arms" the mayors old face
grew livid. He whirled about to the
audience his white hair like a lions
name, and with a gesture swept US al
l into the song: Liberty, our adore6
liberty. fight for thy defendersl"
: There were three hundred voice:
shouting it out, the tears streaming
i down our cheeks. If a regiment o.
German guards had marched into the
; room we would not have turned oul
heads. Nothing could have stopped u:
5 then. We were, only a crowd of OH
men and defenseless women and chill
dren, but we were all that was left O.
France in our French town. = YOUTH
Companion.