The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-02-20
IERDuN BATTLE
IWU YEARS AGO
n.,th Blow to France Was to Be
struck, but verdun Is
Still Standing
Today
HERoIsM OF FRANCE
cro.. o. Legion Of Honor Conferred
Upon City Which Held
Germans Back From
Paris.
HrRolsM OF FRANCE
fBy Henry Wood. United Press STAFF
Correspondent

fRy Henry NOOO. Unueu ITesS - tdI
Correspondent
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES Al
yERDJTN. Feb. 20 Two years age
today. Germany began its great as
SAINT on yerdun, which by striking q
death blow to France. was TO shattel
the entire allied cause, and at the
same time, by the military genius
disnlayed in the stroke, establish for
ali time to come the prestige Of the
crown prince and the durability OF
the house Of Hohenzollern.
Today, yerdun, while still maintain.
ing inyincibly the proud position
which the kaiser himself assigned to
Il as "the greatest fortress of modern
times" has become something more
10 the allies, something in which the
moral and the spiritual elements
enter more profoundly and more sig
nifcantly than does its mere military
Importance.
verdun. which saved France and
by saving France, the allied cause
yeritable shrine-a shrine to which
| they pay homa &c. collectively and in
' diyidually and with the same deep,
deyout thanks and emotions that
homage is rendered by the Individual
TO the person or the divine proyi-
dence who has saved his life.
1t was Frances heroic, nine month
resistance at Verdun that not only
shattered the flower Of the entire
German army, but that permitted the
/ other allied nations to perfect their
armies and military organization to
a point that would enable them to
enter the arena with fair chance
against the military colossus that
Germany had been perfecting for
forty years previous.
This supreme. historical, epocal
fact is now recognized and admitted
Fby all the allied nations and during
THE past year, each and every one Of
|ther, has sought public occasion for
Igiying expression to their thanks.
In precisely the same manner that
|the individual almost since the be-
ginning Of humanity has laid his
|rotlFe offering of thanks at the feet
|of the diety or at the shrine OF the
saint that has interviewed in his be-
|half, all of the allied nations have
pow deposed on the shrine of Verdun
|yotive offerings in the form of the
highest decorations and medals for
military va!or which they have the
power to confer
France herself paid the hrst tribute
20 Verdun by comforting on it in con-
Formity with her time. honored GUS
Eom and tradition, the, cross OF the
Region of honor to which was also
fdded the Croix de Guerre.
immediately thereafter the various
flied nations followed suits with the
most distinguished decorations they
PAD to offer. and in The citadel at
Eerdun, OH n velvet Cushion there
Ere now pinned, in addition to the
legion OF honor and the Croix de
['uerre, The Russian cross Of the
pfaer OF Saint George: the English
pituitary cross: the Italian gold medal
~ military valor; the Belgian cross
. the Order Of Leopold; the Serbian
Eoid medal for military bravery; the
Fiontenegrian's historic Obilitch
Eoid medal and finally the plaque,
Eolar and grand Gordon OF the Portu-
aese order OF the tower and the
f.ord. the highest decorations and
III highest rank of the order which
~ president Of Portugal had in his
GoSer TO confer. And finally. above
" le~eled and decorated cushion
W.. row hangs glistening gold
Suru conferred on verdun by the
Pikado Of Japan.
Due these votiye offerings deposed