The Washington herald., 1918-08-01
The Yankee and the Boehe.


of warfare against our boys, but the Americans
learning fast For instance, one squad advanced
towards platoon of Americans waving white
flag. The Americans let them come about hun
dred yards and then cut loose and annhilated them
THAT they acted rightly was shown by the fact
that the white flag had been tied to the handle of
live grenade, and while the Germans appeared at
a distance to be weaponless, each one was loaded
down with deadly grenades.
Another favorite trick is that the German ma
chine gunners, when seeing Americans approach,
wait until lads close, when they cut loose
with final spurt of bullets and then step out and
cry kamerad' Our men have adopted rule that
any German who shoots machine gun at closer
range than 400 yards cannot be allowed to surren-
der"
These are salient paragraphs from New York
Times dispatch from Edwin L. James Here
we have the cold of warfare it is forced
upon civilized nations by the Hun. Every Ameri-
can ought to know just what it is.
The American has practical mind. His ideal
ism he reserves for the proper time and occasion.
He believes in fighting the devil with FIRE" 1t is
folly to let the Hun profit by his Hunnishness.
He must be made to realize that Hunnishness does
not pay. Apparently the Americans are going to
complete his education in this respect
To every protest over barbarity the German
shrugs his shoulder and says: That is war"
accounts closed and the returns are in the
German will find every foul deed, every bit of
frightfulness, returned in overflowing measure by
the American army. It is not thing to boast
about, but the chief lesson that be taught the
German people as the result Of this war is this:
that two play at the game of turning men
into beasts; that frightfulness is losing invest
ment.
In this mighty battle Of the Marne, in which
quarter is neither expected given, some of the
brightest pages in American military history are
being written. The capture OF Sergy, for example,
is bound to become classic of American arms
When the brillance of this achievement becomes
known, it will send thrill of pride throughout the
land. At the present moment it is obscured by the
larger issues of the battle ITSELF
The general impression that the Americans are
contributing really substantial numerical force
to the allied forces in the Rheims scissors conflict
ought to be dspelled. Gen. March says that seven
divisions are engaged in it. With various Ameri-
can units brigaded with the French, the number
does not surpass 10000 at the outside. But the
real significance of the American participation in
this fight is thus expressed by Gen. Maurice:
Among the causes of the German failure, |
should place very high the effect of the dash and
energy of the American troops. All the other
armies now lighting are more or less war-weary,
and they all contain high proportion of lads
and middle-aged men. Therefore, the appearance
of a army in the field, with its eagerness and
enthusiasm unimpaired and composed of the pick
OF the manhood of great nation, must be out of
all proportion to its numerical strength 1t would
be absurd to suppose that anything like the 100000
Americans who had been ipped from the United
States have taken part in this battle or anywhere
on the front.
THE military power of America is only Just
beginning to make itself felt, and the most hope
full and encouraging feature of this battle is that
the beginning has been so effective"