The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-21


his pores open to what that private
was telling him, on the misty morn
ing that first beheld him in action.
Listening is favorite stunt" with
Pershing-if such a word as stunt"
be not too undignified to apply to
the Commander in Chief. Wherever
he is, or with whomever he is, it IS
the other man that does most of the
talking. The consensus of opinion
among army men is that Pershing is
the most loquacious man with his
cars in the world. He parts with
words like man sending a telegram.
Ell of his conversation is Geographic.
ally brief and straight to the point.
The old adage, Don't use two words
il one will do" seems to be his max
i'm in life.
Caesar said: Il came; l saw;
conquered" This would have been
four words too many for Pershing if
he had been in Caesars place. The
American would have cabled Wash.
ington, if Washington and cables had
been in existence in Caesars time
81 conquered" And if he had been
Ferry instead of Pershing, can cas-
lily imagine his sending this mes
age after the Battle of Lake Erie
MET enemy. Licked EN- Pershing."
General Pershing parts with words
so grudgingly, in fact, that it is like
work for him to make a speech in
| public, when he knows that he is ex-
pGcted to say more than ten words
riepus Cemetery in Paris on the
Fourth of July, 1917, it wasn't really
"a speech at all. It was verbal
telegram.
Il hope, and | would like to say it..
that here on the soil of France and
in the school of the French heroes,
our American soldiers may learn 10
battle and to vanquish for the liber-
ty of the world"
That's all there was-there wasn't
any more.
Standing before the tomb of the
great Lafayette in this same GENE.
!, terry, General Pershing said: Lafay
cite, we're here!'
, Gould an entire volume have said
more than that?
4 81 congratulate you; envy YOU
] he said diffidently to wounded
} doughboy in base hospital-one al
| the first Americans to suffer 70,
r world freedom on French soil. Blu
y what fulsome compliment could have
0 pleased that doughboy more than t.
;. hear the Big Boss of the A. q. F. say
!. he envied him-a doughboy?
y On another occasion, after havin.
: bestowed the Distinguished Servic,
:. Cross upon Sergeant Peterson, al
s American soldier who was MORTAL,
n wounded after unusually gallantry il
:. action, General Pershing wrote thi.
i Geographic praise:
Q Request you express my persona
8 sympathy to nearest living relative,
! OF Sergeant Peterson. After beins
MORALLY wounded, Sergeant Peterson
|. gave detailed instructions to the
h wounded and gave first gas test, ii
/. order to save the lives of the mef
/. about him. He was a gallant soldier
D and | have awarded him a Distin
l guished Service Cross.-Pershing."
r His very name is as laconic as his
n words, and there is a certain cannato
Q ton in the sound that is military eff
r ficiency itself. And when he say.
Q what he has to say, he quits-whicl
Q is something that many other peopl,
5 would do well to emulate. Ever
/. when Pershing electrified Americ;
J. by proffering all of resources ON for
Y eign soil to the French Government
1 there was nothing melodramatic Ii
a the way he did it. In the course 0
r a meeting held at the front on Marcel
! 20, 1918, which was attended by Gen
J. eral Petain, Premier Clemenceau, an,
{ M. Loucheur, General Pershing up I,
e General Each and said simply AM
9 unostentatiously:
Il have come to tell you that tn,
l. American people would consider it
}, great honor for our troops to be en-
!. gagged in the present battle; | ask yo,
!. for this in their name and my own
k Infantry, artillery, aviation. al
J. that we have, is yours; use it as 70,
e you wish. More will come, in nun
= hers equal to requirements.
6 Il have come especially to tell you
i that the American people will b
t proud to take part in the creates
n and finest battle of history"
= There is no man in the A. E. F
? who works half as hard as Pershine
:. lis capacity for continuous, persist
t ent effort seems exhaustible. Tha
is why he often appears in the capa