The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-12-26

FNVR n0{6Ar You conquered what YOU
sSSane 8f1t for and you have done what
4 m va &Qpointed you 10 do. l know
Svvhst X0d expected of me. sometime
3 no q 2htlcman from ono of The conn-
I tries Win which we are associated was
1lecnSS ms With me the moral aspect
& o4 this war and liz said that II we did
, ao4 insist upon the high purpose which
We have accepted the end would not
" Justified J..
"EKk&eodys AZ home i proud ..
sou aA0skas followed every movement
% this great army with confidence and
affectiQn.~ New The Whole l+@ple II
Tie tinted States are waiting TO wei
come tek9 horle with an acclaim which
proba asss has never greeted any other
army Because our country is Hks
this Af&ntry. we have been. SO proud
81 the stAra taken fer which this war
Vas sa3fsea by the United states
DUTY Well Done.
'FroE Anew what We expected or
you akSSon did IL / know what you
and people a; home expected Of
yne. ard am happy to say. my EEL
low eNllrvmen. that I dc rot and
in thu. Asarts Of great leaders with
which It Il nay privilege now TO CO.
operate any difference of principle or
of fundasnentsi purpose, II happened
tina, II was the privilege 81 America
10 pE-Ss'Uk NsRf AsA4s ats k'NS'NS 49,
now the process OF settlement has
been ,-e~ndered com paratively simple
by the fact that all the nations con
cerned have accepted that chart ana
by tha4 bplication OF these principles
the wd will new know that the ma
tons tA& fought this war as well as
the sd1aters who represented them
are RED n 10 make good, not only n
the as l&tion Of their own interests
eat ifHa1 yy4n
Of peaew upon the permanent foundA-
ton of right and of justice. Because
this is not war in which the ~gidiers
OF the free nations have obeyed mas
ters You have commanded. but you
have no masters. Your very COM
manders represent YOU IN represent
ing the nation of which you const-
tute SO distinguished part. And
the kind of people and everybody
concerned in tho settlement knows
that il must be d peoples peace and
that nothing must be done IN the set
Element of the issues OF the war
which is not as handsome as the
great achievements of the armies OF
the United States and the allies.
Followed livery step.
1T is difficult, very difficult. men.
in any normal speech like this to
show yoa my real heart. You men
&, DT0pA OILY 40 not TtdltZt Will NiiTaS
anxious attention ana care We have
followed every step YOU have advanced
and proud we are that every
step in advance and rot in re-
treat: Hal oIery time you set your
face i Apy direction you kept your
faces khas direction. \ thrill has
gone (sffbugh my heart as 1t has
gone 0cpugh the heart Of every
Ameril Ms with almost every gun that
was tiferf and every stroke that was
KtrucInz1n-> the gallant fighting that
you have done and there has been
only one regret IN America and that
was the regret that every man there
felt that he was not III France too.
1T has been Il hard thing 10 per
form tasks in the United states. 1t
has been hard thing to take part in
directing what you did without COM
ing over here and helping YOU do 1t.
IL ,has taken u lot of moral courage
to stay at home but we are proud to
back you up everywhere that II was
possible to back you up and now I
am happy to find what splendid
names you have made for yourselves
among the civilian population OF
France as well as among your COM
rAdes In arms of the French and 1t is
fine test to you men that these
PE4plt ithf1 wy lpNt Sc0 a'in
trust you and the finest part of IL all
is that you deserve their trust
Il feel the comradeshp with you
today which Is delightful as I look
down upon these undisturbei fields
and think of the terrible scenes
Through which you have gone and re-
xlized how the quiet of peace the tran
guilty of settled hopes has descended
upon us and while ii Is hard far away
from home confidently To hid you a
merry Christmas. ! can, think. con-
z ndently promise you a happy New
&. SYea~x,=-xs k.~a-an frsrm tssa4 sFgzSssns "a
my heart say God Bless You
HOME TOUCH TO
HISTORIC SCENE
American Headquarters in the
Field, Chaumont, France, Dec. 25.-
II can say from the bottom of my
heart, God bless you
1t was President Wilson talking in
voiee in which emotion played the
strongest part and before him were
tan thousand Americans troops
drawn up in formation in muddy
valley near the little walled city oil
Langres.
A raw wind whipped across Inc
open plain and the surrounding hills
were in a haze which presaged snow
but there was no evidences II Christ
mas Yet here, in this natural am
phitheatre was an American presi-
dent on foreign soil. talking to Amer
lean troops.
There We're Americans on every
side as far as the eye could reach
II seemed, for the French people hau
instictively OWNED the president S
desire TO be alone with his fellow
countrymen. and few others were
there. Although the rough wooden
reviewing stand which The presden
tial party occupied. and even the
ranks OF the doughboys. all in battle
attire were devoid of all Yuletide
cheer there was a home touch 10 the
scene. Il was given by the president
himself
There WAS the spectacle Of IA tre-
mendously earnest man telling the
fighting men OF America how proud
both he and their country are of
them. II was his Christmas message
TO them, message of deep gratitude
for work we'll done
President Wilson has made many
speeches, and many OF them have