The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-07-28

1919, tnere appeared an arucle en-
titled american Soldiers in France, which
said:
1.-THE account between America and
France, opened at the time Of the
revolution that gave us liberty, is being
liquidated. In this war young Americana
with the spirit of Lafayette have thrown
their lives and their fortunes into the
balance and, as this mornings dispatches
indicate, a number of them have been
killed fighting in the French army.
at is by curious chance that among
the names appears that Of Edmond c. C.
Genet of New York. Genet was the name
of the Frenchman who came here over
century ago to plead that the United
States take sides in the French war
with England. BY the wisdom of Wash
ingtOn the plea was disregarded. The
young nation would have endangered its
own life without being able to render any
very substantial service to France.
But standing apart from entangling
alliances America has done better service
by setting an example, and at times, as
in the case of China, through mediation.
And now her SONS, fighting in the Foreign
Legion, are paying the actual debt, man
for man, incurred in the Revolution"
Letters of Fine Spirit.
The report that the young American
named in the article had been killed while
serving with the Foreign Legion was
erroneous. he lived until the spring Of
1917 to write The War Letters of Ed
nsond Genet, which have been edited by
Grace Ellery Charming and just pub
lished by the Seribners, with a predatory
note by John Jay Chapman giving an
account Of the youthful authors ancestry.
The volume containia" these letters is
a war book of more thar, pf'iinary interest
and value. 1t gives the reader series Of
pictures of the writer's everyday expert
,ences and observations in the camp and
, in the field, constituting contemporaries
Gus record of events as they occurred
under his own eyes, which will be most
helpful to future historians of the great
conflict endeavoring TO reproduce in i'm
agination the scenes of battle he witnessed
on the earth and in the air.
A rare freshness of spirit pervades the
letters which gives them a peculiar charm
combined with a patriotic optimism which
prevents the sadder passages from unduly
depressing the reader. If one were max
ing a select collection Of books of the
war he could not afford to leave out The
War Letters Of Edmond Genet.
Genet's Ancestry and Life.
The first member of the Genet family
of distinction was Edme Charles Genet,
who was secretary and interpreter to the
Comte de Provence who subsequently be-
came King Louis XVIII. Edme Charles
had two children who became personages
VI consequence oouSHtCi, tuc nhuCs
Campan, who was governess to the chill
dren of Marie Antoinette and during the
Napoleonic regime carried on a famous
school for girls at which Hortense
Beauharnais, the stepdaughter Of No
poleon, was educated; and son, known
best in history as Citizen Genet, "whom
the Revolutionary Government in France
sent as ambassador to the United States
in 1892 and whose indiscretions led to his
recall. He never returned to France, but
settled at Albany and subsequently mar
Iied the daughter of Governor Clinton"
Citizen Genet was the t-great- grand
father of the young aviator whose war
letters are contained in the present vol
ume.
Edmond Charles Clinton Genet was
born at Ossining, \. Y, on November
9, 1896, and was killed in France on