The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-02
~ 81 !, 49, &. -. tNf


every day now see the return Of Amer
lean soldiers, could picture the cheer
| less, gloomy departure OF these sol
diers from France, they would keep
the flags flying, hands playing and all
! reception committees going full blast
until every last Yank had stepped
from overseas transports.
The American doughboy. despite his
wonderful fighting ability, is senti.
MENTAL, and all the weary months
spent in strange land. among strange
people, who somehow don't seem able
TO understand him, increase the senti.
ment that overwhelms him when he
sees the shores OF his homeland peer
ing over the horizon.
To obtain a correct perspective OF
the average doughboys feelings. one
must go back to those stirring days Of
last spring and summer when the Ger.
man horde was sweeping over France
and when France-chillei by the
dread Of horrible invasion--waitet
numb Y for assistance.
Then tAe khaki-clad columns al
American youths, who stepped from
transports In practically every French
port, were hailed as deIiverers. Moth.
ing was too good for them. The popu.
lace greeted them with cheers. Pretty
girls tossed flowers and kisses at them
| Inland towns turned out en- masses
to hail them as they marched for
ward to that particular bit of hades
| once known as the western front
Those were the davs when the memory
of lafayette were awak aned. and
those were the DAYS when thu Yankee
douehboy struggled laboriously II
master a new language, and struggled
q good deal more iaboriousfy to hold
whatever sector the high command
happened to order him to hold.
Times Have Changed.
But--and one might SAY "efasi"--
times have changed. Once the words
| "flnis de guerre" were heard. times be
gan to change The thousands OF
marching men about faced. their worl
done--and began to retraee their step,
80 the seacoats towns, and to look fol
the long-awaited orders to embark
for America.
These past few months have seer
no flowers tossed to to our soldiers
neither have they seen the plaudit,
of the crowds. neither have they seer
the happy eomraderie that character
iyed the other DAYS when danger
threatened and We were the young
! colossus come out of the west ant
IN" doaahbcy cannot understand It
To be sure. he does not expect en-
tPFIaIHEnGHtS, UpNtTS ana EpFecn6S
4 bwt he would like some little token %
"ratitude. and wonders why none Il
forthcoming.
+ This In not written I'm condemnation
F! OF tho French. for the ignorance tina,
-. strange farwuaee ergeraer- prevents
/ reany a kind word of thanks to tn,
Yanks soldier from the ayerag,
1Frenchmaa or woman. And then. too
France Ii weary of war and wear.
! of men in uniform~-~for the latter hav.
constituted her chief spectacle fo
the past four and one-half years. Th.
authorities, however, cannot escap,
some criticism.
Rrest is out chief emharkatior
port. It Is the jumping-off place TO
the American soldier, and he comes /,
swarns TO IL every day. Ten months
ago when he came--from the Yves
and not from the East---Brest WELDON
ed him with all the warmth sh'
possessed. Today she sends him ava,
without handmade. without wore
not even a thank you" And wher
one considers that this same American
soldier has travelled TO Rrest through
hundreds of other little French town!
and villages, where conditions ar,
exactly the same. one can also ron
slider that he Is apt to leave France
under the impression that Ere nee wal
; slad to have him when he was use
full ia her, but also very glad 4
have him depart now that mis- periot
OF usefulness Is over.
Thoughts Of France Cease.
T. Every morning secs new transport
enter the harbor at Rrest. sees hun
dreds OF voung Americans, lined III
on the docks and wharves. waittnf
to he carried TO the ships anchored
IT,, hH thnnn I've
day has come: Their thoughts o
France cease. and once the transpor
pokes her nose out beyond the head
land md into the Atlantic. theil
Thoughts OF home and what tire home
folks think of them and what kfnt
of reception the homefolks win Civ.
them occupy all available time.
/ Some man who understands human
nature and especially the nature q
an 4,rnsr.can soldier, Is dnt1g graa
work In Brest. for when the light
IN yanks gets his first touch u home
A sailor band. nr an army hand, sen
ahead 10 The ship. begins piping forth
"Ovcr here" and thrill of ex
nectaney can be seen on the faces o.
the hundreds 1T men waiting TO boart
! the larger craft And when the bant
.hlares into that particular strair
| " hich lays, land we won't come bach
'tHl its over. over there" might,
cheer goes up.
II takes from seven. 10 seventeen
days for transport to cross IN,
ocean. and the doughboy IL travelling
STORAGE all that time. Now. steera<s
| IL never comfortable and II n tripls
uncomfortable when ten times al
many men are crowded into the steer
age than the space was ever attended
to held Going home. however, covers
| a multitude OF sins.
or course, on every boat there arr
gentry OF lugubrious turn OF mind
and their conversation generally run.
tvomefhing like this:
'Wr.L s'posc there won't b
1 nuthine tirins for us when VIC gets OF
the other side. People are sick ol
the war and soldiers. We did not rel
no high sign O thanks from tn frogs
fii we?"
"Americans amt like them" sew
eral viii roar out In contradiction
They appreciate what we did"
'.All right: just wait" retorts this
lugubrious one.
And no 1t goes, until the Nantucket
Ialghtship heaves into view and 1
mighty cheer ID let loose.
Big Liner Docks.
A few days ago Holland Ameri.