Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 19??-1918, 1918-06-07
FRENCH keep AMERICANS GRAVES
GREEN AS TRIBUTE TO ARMY'S VALOR
Palm Sunday Brings Out Thonss to Cemeteries and "Bus" Is
Freely Scattered Over Resting Places Of General Peshngs
Heroes-Crowds Bare Heads In Silent Honor
10 Comrades In Arms

Everywhere the Americans have re-
marked the tenderness Of spirit OF the
French-the thoughtfulness they show
10 those Americans who are ut rest In
the French cemeteries. The graves OF
the Americans wherever I have been
are cared for as carefully and tender
ly M ARE those OF the Poilus who have
given their lives for France. writes
Don Martin In the New York Herald.
Private Albert - Of the American
army hns had opportunities 10 see the
people Of this wonderful country In
their homes. lie IL native Of New
England. but OF French ancestry. and
through his ability to speak French
gets perhaps In more intimate touch
with the French than does the average
American.
A university student when the war
came 10 his own country, he enlisted
and has been here ever since. In the
few spare moments he has had he
wrote q little article about the French
and their thoughtfulness OF the Amer
lean soldiers. II is as follows:
All the morning had seen people
going past the Office on their way 10
church carrying small branches Of
"buIs." n plant which looks very much
like our box elder. This was Palm
Sunday. and the French--old men and
women. boys and glrls-were bringing
theIi bulls to church TO be blessed.
Visit to Cemetery.
In the afternoon did not work, so
met Mr.. Duphand, n well-to.do lawyer
Of the town, ind accepted his invita-.
ton to accompany him In walk to
his garden.
II was trent TO walk with such
pleasant company on such bright
summer day after n solid week In the
Office from eight In the morning to nine
ar ten aud sometimes even until eleven
o'clock nj night.
80 nj two In the afternoon little
party wns formed In front Of Monsieur
Duphnnd's house aud We started. In
the party were Monsieur and Madame
Duphnnd, with their two daughters,
Mes,lenoIselles Theresc, and Madeleine,
Mndnme ReveIllon and Madame Tol.
lot. All the ladles carried bunch of
buls. And ny we started out Madame
Duphnnd said We would first 20 TO the
cemetery. where we would visit the
plots nITi place branch OF the blessed
buis on the graves Of their relatives.
II Is the custom Of my country. Mon
sicur told me, 10 decorate the grnves
with buis every Palm Sunday.
All Graves Decorated.
As we passed through the ancient
gate we entered a narrow aisle lined
with tall pines whose boughs inter.
locked over our heads. Half way the
aisle wldened and In Its center rose a
tall stone cruciiix, SO tall the figure
of Christ was lost among the green
branches. There was no grass except
that which lined the aisle beneath the
trees. The little plots were covered
with tiny pebbles, level and neatly
kept.
AS we came to the grave of one
well-known OF the party, 1t was re-
membered and little twig placed
upon II. We went from one plot to
another, stopping only ut those of the
Immediate relatives OF the party or
very close friends, until we had made
the round OF the cemetery.
! From here we went TO the Soldiers
cemetery. Here we entered under an
arch, bearing In big silvered letters
Mort pour Ia Patrie." l paused In
the gate to cast a glance over the
field. There were hundreds of French
graves marked by the French cocarde
three rings, red, white and blue, in
a circle of about six inches.
I Arabians Buried There.
At the right were several Arabian
graves facing to Mecca, and In the far
left hand corner some newer graves
whose markings could not distin-
gulsh from the distance. We had not
gone In very far when Mademoiselle
Therese took little branch OF buis
and placed 1t upon French grave. 1t
was that of a private In the French
army, who had been killed at the be-
ginning of the war.
II knew him well before the war;"
said Mile. Thercse as she placed the
little holy leaf In the ground over the
body.
Whit are you going to do with the
rest of the buis?" asked mademoi-
selle. "Those are for your comrades"
she informed me.
MY comrades?" asked In surprise.
"voia,' she said as we neared the
graves that had heretofore been un-
able to make out. Over the first one
was u beautiful piece Of floral work
bearing the information, "a nos CANA
rades les Americans" (To our COM
rides, the Americans).
Twcnty.Four American Dead.
Here In this little corner Of the
field were "a American graves. No,
not killed In action, nor, not buried