The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-04-29
GlamOr and Romance Of War
Except for Fighting in Air
Ended by Worlds Conflict
Soldier Of Today Is Disciplined Manual Laborer Who
Does More Hard and Distasteful Work Than He Ever
Dreamed Of Doing in Civil Life at Home-but He Is
Greater Patriot Than These Warriors of Old.

band visiting n strange city to give a
concert and finding that the instru-
ments have been left at home.
Our soldiers are, compelled to do n
lot of extra work over there because
they are not fitted to their geographic
cal environment. France Is Il vest
pocket republic. and the pocket is fun
of people. The United States Is an
overcoat pocket republic with people
scattered around In the pocket here and
there.
France may lee compared 10 4
frame OF balls arranged for the OPEN
ing OF game of Kelley pool. The
balls are compactly arranged accord
Ing to number and colors and stripes,
and, no matter how much YOU slide
the frame around on the table. the
balls will not change their positions.
The United States is more like n
table in a game of Kelley pool after
the break. with balls scattered all
over the surface and moving with
every shot. Compared with orderly.
settled France. the favored country
to which we Americans hold ale
glance. Is more or less chaotic.
The same kind of people have been
doing the same things In the same
way in France for generatlons-for
ages. Not that the French lack in
itiative in peace or war. but the in
itiatiye IL on the order of n delayed
pass In football 1t takes a genius OF
biyh n inf
ment in France. and because the
genius must necessarily be of high
order the initiative is generally sue
cessful--as witness tho taxicab. omni-
bus and pleasure motor shifting OF
the French army from Paris to the bat
tleline when the Boche was almost in
sight of the Place Concordo In 1914.
From my room ! look out on n
courtyard Of an establishment which
delivers n manufactured product over
a wide range OF territory. ! happened
to witness the process of hitching the
horses to half n dozen trucks at 8
O'Clock this morning and the beginning
of the work Of loading the trucks.
At $50 o'clock the leading OF three
OF the trucks had been completed.
Half an hour later the trucks depart
ed through the courtyard gate. In
an American establishment those
trucks would have been loaded and
on their way in IL minutes, but the
loads OF at least two of them might
have slipped off the rear in moving up
"A hill. while nothing short of "A collision
Nti h n ruitrr1I / "a ip Y1i1ll ~ ht,ItraI
the loads on the French trucks.
The difference. | imagine. must ox-
tend into military operations. We
haven't moved nearly as rapidly in our
offensive execution as the people at
home have been led to believe we
would. II there should be "A feeling OF
disappointment in the United STATES
on this subjoct-say along in the sum
merit must DO remembered that the
American army Is working with and to
n considerable extent under the guild
ance Of the French army officers, and.
however strongly our military authori-
ties may be inclined In the direction
Of speedy action. they have 20 CON
slider policies principles and instincts
arising from the age old experience Of
"A vest pocket people, all of one blood.
Never In any war has there been
assembled such a condemnation Of
elements OF the human race az IN
packed in and behind the British and
French lines. The only classes missing,
in the field Of my observation, are
Eskimos and conscientious DIRECTORS,
and there are probably some Esklmos
fighting against the Germans.
The villages behind our lines In the
Toul and Luneville sectors remind one
of the streets Of All Nations at the