The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-04-18
toontlnusd From Psus y

Nothing 10 report said Dawson.
Tie doesn't know snythlng more
about what's going on than We do y
When our party broke up, tired
with much talkin. and smoking, at
2 o'clock on Monday morning, We
expected 10 see German soldiers IN
the French capital within twenty.
-four hours
The next day, at ; o'clock in the aft
ernoon. the French communiqus,
which had been issued in Bordeaux and
telegraphed TO Paris for distribution
among the few correspondents who had
remained there, reached orr hands |
have copy Of that communiqu., which
am saving as one Of the relics OF the
great war II says in eiiect-this com.
munique Of the afternoon Of Monday
September Q, 1914:
sour advance troops defending
Paris have come In contact with
forces OF the right wing Of the
Germans. The small engagement has
resulted 10 our advantage"
That was all. "Ths small engage
ment'; "our advantage" And yet
every schoolboy in future years will
know that on that Sunday evening
and the following day by q mighty
conflict, Paris was being saved.
The Gallieni taxIcabs, which will
take their place in history with the
geese that saved Rome, we're gsthef-
Ing near Napoleon5 tomb 10 carry
the army OF Paris ont to the front
st Meaux. Manourys army was swing.
ing past Paris 10 the north OF ~ and
was crashing into the German Hank
Things were happening within few
miles OF us to make glad the hearts Of
Frenchmcn for a thousand years. An
adventure Of an entire twentieth cen.
fury nation was coming 20 a good and
thrilling close The crisis OF he
worlds greatest war was being decided.
And we war correspondents, m the
midst OF il, did not know what was
going on. The only news we had DIS
covered in those two great days was
Mat little forty-four word communque
with It's little engagement and Our
advantage"
Things That Were Unsaid.
ct will take moro than little en-
papement resulting to our advantage
20 save this town" We decided. But IN
due time, which means several days, We
learned that there was a world OF news
we did not know in that forty four word
message.
Such thing would be impossible in
these DAYS. American correspondents,
s we'll as the correspondents OF other
allied nations, attached to their respec-
tive armies, are no longer the parlahs
OF early war days. At the American
front the correspondents arr constantly
In touchi with their own headquarters
They have conferences at least once q
week with the high commanding Of
ficers during which they are fully in
formed not only Of present dolngs bu'
OF future prospects. Furthermore they
are permitted 70 see a great deal that
IL going on in the field. A good cor
respondent "over there" Just like
good Washington correspondent or a
good city hall or police reporter, in
any American city, knows about nine
times more than he can write at any
certain moment, though the time will
come, as events develop, when all he
knows will ultimately at the proper
time find its way into type, He's go
ing to see things, when seeing vii
help him to get his story, and wher
seeing doesn't help he'll be given
chance TO collect the facts back a
the point where the telephone wires
come together, each with its aspec
of the big story.
No Ignorance In U. S,
American newspaper and maga'
zine readers, in this respect, will b,
thousand times better off thar
were their French, English or ltaliar
brothers early in the war. lgnoranc,
of what is going ON will not be one oi
the handicaps Of the American pub
lie, as il goes ahead doing its share
In the world war. Our war will ne
be fought in secret
To see or not to see became an I'm
portant question with every corre
spondent at this early stage of III,
war, and it hasn't yet lost its i'm
portance. How much do you fel
lows really know of what is COINS
on around your How much do yo'
really see1" are questions which arr
flung at returning war correspond
ents both by their lecture audiences
and by their friends who seek t
get behind the scenes in the wa
correspondents life and work.
Only too often, admit, we did not
in those days, see big events at frs
hand; but seeing them, being present II
person, does not always assist a cor
\ respondent to get at the inwardness o
what is going on,
Only a Battle-But-
/ stood on hill at Scherpenberg
Belgium, a few miles south OF Ypres
during the second battle of Ypres
in April of 1915, and saw forty mile
of battle. The rattle of rifle fire
The pounding of machine guns ant
the thunder of thousands OF artil
lery pieces filled the air with sound
waves that beat against my very in
side. II was a battle-that was al
! knew of it. How il was going wht
was winning what strategy was be
ing used, and what tactics, ! did no
know. Neither did the officers abop
me know these things Two Ameri
can military attaches who were pres
ent seemed to be in equal doubt.
I,t1a ,,ap ,,hite .ha ired al,