The sun., 1919-08-17
TIRED BRITAIN
ASKS AMERICA
TOSEND YOUTH
Marriage Mission Desired to
Give New Vigor and Life
to Old World.
INSPIRED BY PERSHING
War Wearied Europeans Pre-
sent Sad Picture in Big
Peace Procession.
INSPIRED BY PERsHINa
nv SHAW DESMOND.
We are tired over here.

We are Urea over nero.
didn't realize Il until that days Of
the peace procession on the vaux-
hall Bridge plinth where 1 had
climbed with some other ragamuffins.
And even then only realized it when
the Americans swung. into view at the
head of the nations Of the world.
1 think it was Pershing who did it.
Or the Pershing smile.
Pinnacled a couple Of hundred feet
over the muddy Thames, 1 had stood
there from the early morning. Near
me, two "demobbed" soldiers. About
us the fiotsam and jetsam Of the Lon.
don streets that had blown up there.
But 1t was really Pershing's fault.
] wouldn't have noticed 1t IL he had
not come along upon that splendid
horse, with that splendid smile and
that splendid vitality. Behind him,
forty yards to the rear, those hickory
limbed boys from Kentucky and New
York and the middle West. Their
faces aglow in the morning sunshine.
Aglow with hope and glory. Aglow
with the America that is to be. Aglow
with vision.
As they swung up to us. the London
crowd, galvanized, broke into cheers that
shook the bridge. 1t was as though VII
tally were pouring from the manhood
Of America into London's tired myrisds
You could feel II stream from the hu-
man electrodes as they marched under
Old Glory.
l swung my eyes from those boys down
there back to the plinth. BY my side
stood the two demobillzed soldiers of the
British middle class. One of them, his
hair like unbleached cotton. his face the
face of an old man. had confided to me
that he was only 80. I'm afraid" he
had whispered. Afraid of what?'
had asked. ''Of everything" came the
reply-"afraid to look down on the
other side Of this plinth into the tides.
Tn afraid OF my shadow since / came
back. Tn tired-tired out"
He's fanciful." said his friend; but
some fancies are damned hard facts.
We learned -that..out in France. I've
that-we're all tired
The Youns-oId All About.
looked from him to the scourings Of
the gutter about me. Children with
young-old faces. Little old men. l
looked down again. And now Young
America had hailed
The sun beat on the bronze Of Amer
ica's fighting men. A tall. lathy officer
was walking backward holding a green
apple to the nose of the charger, which
followed him like a dog across the pol
ished sets. He took of his uniform cap
and placed 1t daintily between the ears
Of the bay beauty. which whinnied. A
private was purloining the water-or
was It something else?-from the flask
OF the man in the rank before him. A
brown faced sergeant with rowing eye
who had headed the column was. re.
greet to say. sticking out some inches OF
red blooded American tongue at some
factory girls in the biscuit factory be-
hind me, who were astonished into ST.
lence unusual. A one armed captain
was trying to light five minute ciga-
rette with matchbox vised between
two sinewy knees He was chatting his
non-coms.. who smiled back to him like
free men. The energy superfiuous.
Gods at play.
But those others, a little lower than
the angels, were also at play behind us
on the ten foot ring Of the plinth. A
couple OF the little old men were SCRAP
ping" oblivious Of that 200 foot drop to
sinking death. And fight they did for
life in the old dog yet
Life In the old dog" Why look at
the files Of Fusiliers-war scanned vet
Grams OF 25-tired, but holding their
heads high, their Inedalled chests up.
But tired. Foch behind. with
his splendid air Of Old France. looked
tired. His smile tired. Haig looked
tired. His smile tired. There wassvi-
tality about the smile of the Japanese
49, tkoIE
The amphibian vitality OF the East
But behind him. again, streamed tired
Europe. Even the almighty Celt, the
Killed Scotsman. had lost some OF his
old swing.
But youth and hope was at the helm
as at the prov, of the great defile. Al
the last came the '"Wrens' and the
'Wacs," or, II you prefer, the Women's
Auxiliary Corps. Girls in cobwebby
robes Of a shadow-gray that chung to
the lissome bodies. Good girls Beauti-
ful girls. Brave girls Tired7
yes, tired girls, II you will, but with
the invincible heart beat of youth
through the WEAKNESS. Girls to give
new life to an old world. Only waiting
10 mate with youth. II the procession
in its gyration about the bridges could
only have brought head and tail to-
sether Young, strong America. The
hneness OF fibre of old Britain. If
II But the girls ioere tired.
Oh, boys. that's the troublef We are
tired over here. Only one thing car
save us. Only one thing can buck q
continent that is recovering from vic.
tory Tho infusion OF American blood
and American youth.
The New Visions ana New Dreams
And It will not be all giving. There
will be a getting. You will give vi
the splendor OF youth--we will give
you the splendor Of age. You will
teach us to see the new visions and tc
dream the new dreams. We will teach
you the magic of the old visions and
the old dreams.
Aud some day, In the vision we shall
see together we may see world "
arms-we may see the Nursery OF the
Gods as tho outpost OF civilization--and
together the Old World and the New
hShiing for a common heritage under
common nag. Only noto W.
are tired
From my plinth I dropped into tho
Ritz to have tea with an American mar
OF millions, his wife and daughters
About me In the lounge tired people