The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-02-28

small difference in the way they
wear them. Small difference, too, in
the happiness of their faces, for the
parents of France are doing this
wonderful thing for their children,
rich and poor and middle-class alike;
they are keepig from them as much
as possible of the CHASTITY horror of
this war.
There are those who have no pa
rents. The orphans of France form a
great and constantly growing prob
saving these future generations
which must replenish France; much
more must be done. Those who have
given, must give, and give, and give
again; for these coming citizens need
more than food ad shelter; if they
are to grow up useful to humanity,
and as brae as the fathers who died
for humanity's sake, they must be
made happy as well as healthy.
No gloom for the little onesi Ev-
erybody in France makes that a con-
slant effort.
1t cannot be an easy task for a
grief-stricken woman to turn always
a smiling face when her child asks
for its dead father.
We know a most conscientious
woman who did not quite succeed one
day. She succumbed to the tremen-
+; dous bitterness which was in her;
agains not only the hell-loosed Hun
who had taken he husband and two
brothers, but against everything. to
the Infinite; fierce protest that she
/ in the midst of peace and happiness,
! she and her countless widowed sisters
of France, had been plunged into
such needless agonies of grief!
| She cried! Something stopped
! her; the voice of her two year-old
son, who was crying out of sheer
sympathy Her first, and her most
natural instinct was to clasp him in
| her arms; but at the same moment
came the thought that If future
France is to maintain its centuries
old sublimity of courage and endur-
ance, it was for her, as for every
mother. to set an example of
strength. So she dried her tears. and
smiled.
! But the future Frenchman was
started, and could not stop. The
mos powerful lever was used; he
was told that little French gentlemen
| did not cry! 1t was terrible blow,
| and he struggled with all his baby
might to achieve the high ideal
which was his because it was his
mothers; but the sobs continued.
| Amidst them, he Stoutly maintained
| that he was a little French gentle
man, even if he did cry; and that
| took almost more strength than his
mother possessed, for she was COM
| PEELED to dispute his proposition;
whereupon he turned from her knee
and toddled to the door.
! He opened it, he marched through,
snuffling and gulping, he closed that
| door; but not altogether. A tiny
crack remained, it held slightly wav-
ering for long time, very long
time. The mother, sitting perfectly
motionless, had as hard struggle
as the one which was going on in
| the hall.
All! The door opened, and a
smiling but moist face was revealed,
while a triumphant voice proclaimed
! that the owner thereof was indeed,
and in fact, little French gentle
ma, That's the sort of little boys
/ who grew up to be the sort of men
who held Verdun!
| 1t is one of our great privileges
| also to know a certain little Made
lleine, who is five and half years
old Madeleine, of course. cannot
remember when there was no war;
i but she can remember with distinct
iveness the air raids which occurred
in the beginning, when the Germans
were more convinced than now that