Evening star., 1918-07-21
AMERICANS COLOR
WHOLE OF FRANCE
Everywhere on the Battle
Front One Meets With U. S.
Fighting Men.
BACK OF THE LINES, TOO
BY JuNIUs B. WOOD.

BY JUNIUs b. WOOD.
Cablesrnm to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright 1Sls'
WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN
FRANCE, July 1s.-It is difficult TO
find in France today a spot without
a touch of America. have just COM
pleted a trip along that wall of steel
and humanity stretching in Jagged
line from the morasses and lowiands
of Flanders and the British channel
and through the sunny farms OF
northern France to the mountatnsides
and shaded valleys within German ter
ritory.
How that line is held against the
invader is told in daily reports. While
the cables in recent weeks have de-
soribed the stirring scenes at Can
tiKny, Chateau Thierry and the Bois
de Belleau. where young Americans
have written their names into history
airht of the fact that, though their
spectacular deeds hold the center OF
the stage, they are comparatively
only a proportion of the 100000 or
more Americans who have reached
the shores of France, ready to tight
and die, II necessary.
Hold Many Miles Of Front.
Americans are holding many miles
Of the front in addition to the stretch
es northwest of Montdidier and west
of Chateau Thierry. The other day
I rode seventy-five miles along sec.
tion of the front. Practically al! OF
that line was held by Americans. Ihe
entire trip covered several hundred
miles skirting the battle line, and
scarcely an hour passed that I did
not meet American soldiers. They
came from all states and were sons
Of all races and men of all colors.
envy to undertake an offensive OF
magnitude on any part of the line
without finding Americans taking
part in the resistance.
On the quieter section OF the front
American units hold long stretches.
The length Of front Is not an indi-
cation of the number Of men needed
to hold 1t. One unit may hold q line
forty kflometers (twenty-four mlesl
long, while another unit OF equa
strength may be required for the
moro difncult task OF holding a sector
of eight kilopeteTs as miies); Ins
numbers must match the density OF
the enemy massed on the opposite
side.
Shifts to Harder Fighting.
Continuous changes In the activities
of tne war mean q constant shifting
of our men, but the movements are
always in the same general directlon.
They progress from the Qufeter areas
where nightly patrol skirmishes, oay-
light sniping and occasional dropping
OF smells constitute the extent OF the
operations, to the active areas, where
the echoes Of the big guns are never
etilled and where death stalks gay
and night. Our ranks are pusheh pies
come a few weeks of seasoning: when
the men get their first taste OF war.
Tore and finally they plnnge into the
crash and stress Of battle. every
week more thousands are reaoy 70
take their places Tor TINS supreme
test. h.-
coming more fully aware OF the fact
that America is becoming the great.
est fighting force of the allies. NOT
ali Of the July celebrations occur
red in Paris, though the festivities
there received the preponderance OF
attention. Hundreds Of cities and m
eienificant villages in France when
for generations have flung out the
holiday celebrated our Independence
Speeding through the seventeen.
tury town of St. Die. in the valley OF
the Meuthe, I saw freshly PANIED
street sign, "Rue Amerique." At each
end Of a bridge over the historic river
was a bright shield. one lettered IN
French and one in English. and each
eurmounted by the Stars and Stripes
and the tricolor. The words were:
'aThe town of St. Die, which had the
honor in 1907 of giving name to
your country. salutes and welcomes
you" This place. city unknown IN
our busy marts and battered by the
spleen Of Gothas, searched the musty
archives of centuries and found tie
which bound it closer to America
Possibly few Of our students may
be able to recall the part st. Die
played In our history. 1t was there
that Gauthier Lud and Matthias
Ringmann. better known as Philesius
vcgesianus, printed. in 1897. geog.-
raphy, which first gave the name OF
Amerique to the then weird map Of
the new world.