The Republican., 1918-07-18
1.-THE AMERICAN RABBLE."

For months we have been reading
and talking of the exploits of our boys
ut the front. They gave good account
of themselves in thelfrst trench-raidlng
adventures, in local scraps on unimport-
ant sectors. A bunch of them got
pretty we'll tried out at Seicheprey,
took an initial beating there and with
out losing heart went back and re-
covered the village they had lost. From
the Toul sector they passed to that of
Montdidier, far more important, be-
cause it came within the sphere of the
probable German offensive. Here we
have every reason to believe both sides
held their line in force. The boys took
an important village there; and they
graduated to the still more important
task of guarding, alongside the French,
one of the main narrow gateways to
Paris. After the subsistence of the
Aisne offensive the process of rectify-
ing the line began; and in this process
the operations of American troops IN
the region between Chateau Therry
and the Forest of Villers- Cotterets
netted more ground than was recovered
on any other section of the western
front.
That we should have magnifed all
these skirmishes into battles and sue
cesses into victories was natural. The
heart of this nation was with its boys
at the front. We were sending our
best, and our warynest anxiety that
they make good attended them. But
they were up against troops seasoned
by years of actual. peculiar warfare. 1t
is small wonder that we haye Dragged
and boasted about their showing, with
out even reluctant admission of the
conditions. under which, in all probab-
ility, these minor successes were Sc
cured. The principle of 1.-The elastic
front hne of defense" received scant
recognition. and still less the question of
the relation of the boys work to major
German plans. &, But down in our hearts
we knew that no crucial test had come
And Yesterday, when word arrived
that American forces were involved,
over a considerable and vital sector of
one of those great drives by which Ger
many hopes to settle the war at once.
Heaven must. have heard this nations
silent, fervent sprayer that our boys
make good. a, Tosthem, as much to sea-
soned French veterans, the guardian
ship of Western civilization on strick-
en- field was falling.
Never again, will we haye to talk for
our own comfort and encouragement,
of local trench operations as offensives,
of the Germans training special shock
troops to overcome our fellows on 200
yards of front, or barrage and drumfire
and all the sother terms of intensive
warfare every time we have patrol to
encounter. I Today we have an army
that has met the real standard of battle
endurance that has taken real part with
French or with English, that hence
forth can and will stand co-equal with
them on anyaheld-because 1T has al
ready done so.
The offensive is yet in course. What
will or may come of 1t lies on the knees
of the gods. But sufficient unto the
day is the joy thereof. And, whatever
the deeper plans and objectiyes of the
German General Staff, we know that
the German General Staff is TODAY
figuring on one hitherto potential OBJ
stacle IN its path as actual and consider
ably embarrassing. And meantime the
Allied press rings with the performance
of American troops at an hour that will
20 down into history. For a day or 30
at least, "the offensive be hanged! The
boys made good. "-Baltimore News.