The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1918-07-16

By Ellis Parker Butler of The Vigi-
lantes.
/ always think of France as going
forth; of England as standing firm
Through the centuries the men OF
England have seemed to say: "These
are our rights; we will not give them
upv' while France has said: "Man-
kind deserves new rights and liber-
ties; we will 60 forth and win them"
The Frenchman's ideal of liberty,
as of fraternity and equality, has al
ways been at least few steps in ad-
vance Of the fact, so that he has had
to fight to make it reality.
The Englishman, in nearly every
case, acquired rights by growth, as
youth grows into mans estate. Hav-
ing grown, the Englishman fought to
maintain. The Frenchman foresaw
his rights while they were still ideals
and fought to make them real. The
Englishman, never yielding the rights
he had acquired, pushed his foot for
ward inch by inch to cover new rights.
The Frenchman pictured new rights
and leaped forward to create them.
1t was this readiness of his to de
mainland die for-an ideal that
gave US the erroneous theory that
the Frenchman was too emotional to
be steadfast.
Wars, battles and human rights are
won in various ways; the Frenchman
has won his rights by long series of
brilliant charges against autocracy
and the remnants of autocracy. After
each charge, each uprising, he has
held new ground, maintained new
rights for humanity. rs-s
The Bastille fell, freedom was won,
Napoleon followed. That SEEMED the
overthrow of newborn democracy in
France. It was but the mome4tary
pause before the new advance. With
half the world arrayed against her,
France reformed the legions Of her
ideals behind the war legions of Ma
poleon.
1t is amazing to note how through
centuries France has pressed forward
stadily against regimes, autocrats,
customs and systems, protecting her
national life while winning the rights
of man. Ideals are ragged affairs,
sending out tentacles Of value and of
error alike; when France has passed
it has been to consolidate the trenches
she has gained, making permanent all
that was of value, discarding the
error. J. MH
Who can call France lacking in
steadfastness when a glance shows
her the foremost among free nations
on a continent where autocracy still
lives in blood and iron? To be stead
fast to such an ideal as France set her
self means to advance to the realiza-
ton of that ideal. This France has
done. France is a free nation of free
men.
God grant that the fight France
| is making today may be the last fight
against autocracy and retrogression
the brave nation may be called upon
to make! In such a fight, side by side
with such people, America may well
be proud to give her last drop of
blood. her last ounce of strength.
And, if need be, will give!
One Of the interesting develop.
ments Of the war, according to q
statement authorized by the War De.
partment, is the rapid expansion o
the various bureaus of the War De
parsmen; At the outbreak If the
war there were less than 5000 EN-.
ployes on duty. The number now Il
approximately $4,000, an inresye "a
800 pei, cent While this .repr escnss
. tremendous expansion, the increase
in the army itself has Been more than
1900 per cent. ia 1uo ,26o d5I0
Only 4 out Of every 100 officers in
the service were in the army al, 'rne
time the war began. - i.
The increase in personnel at the
| administrative end Of the war thus
has not kept pace with the. growth Of
the military establishment.
L. 80 LII '2IIG
Mr.. and Mrs. K. s. Foster and
family and Mrs. George Manotte mo-
tored To- franklin Sunday. =. .Eif