The Washington times., 1919-09-10
HistOry's Greatest Pageant
BY EARL GODWIN.
VI. e. IL q b - 81 q.

3
The greatest pageant Of history win be staged in
Washington September IL when the First division Of the
American army sill pass in review along historic PennSy
vania avenue It is the same highway along which the
Union army passed in review at the close Of the civil
war; and the march Of the First division viii be the mark
jby which epoch is measured Just as the march Of the
Blue army marked the close Of one era and the dawn Of
new day in 1866.
The men whose measured tread win be heard upon our
streets that day regulars They are the men who sur
prised and delighted Paris two years ago. when they landed
upon French shores These the men the English critics
called solemlooking bokes meaning that these Amer-
boys appeared to be thoroughly busnesske and NOT
bent on holiday These are the man whom France ac
claimed with surprise comba troops because they
looked ready to fight that moment
These men Of the First army division were first to
fight and last to leave They suffered more because more
asked Of them. They the who first tasted
German steel and the first to make the German run They
were the who sent to France to show that we
really had army, and sent there to act ten times
as big as they really were They were asked to fight with
only half enough guns and did it to perfection They went
up against every hardship every privam known to war;
including pressed upon them by unthng folks right
here in the United States yet they wavered They
were American regular army men and did the job to
perfection.
Remember back in those days when down in every soul
there shrinking and horror because the German
army was slowly but surely whipping the world We DID
Of those moments is quickly dspeed under the sun
shine of today In those days. when had just entered
upon war, when knew what gigantic terror would
grip the world when every mother huggsd her son to her
heart frantcally because her mind eye she saw him
lying dead In Francen those days sent TINS First vi-
sion and this Pershing to head of the Hun-AND
THEY DID THE TRICK. They sailed the ocean IN .
period Of gloom before had mastered the submarine
problem and when seemed to be in blue funk generally.
They landed singing and cheering $50 this is France
where's the troublei"
They broke the back Of the German military system
and it only after Pershng himself had refused to 1t
the American troops fight in widely separated fields rather
than In compact weE-organized American force. The
IOommandernchef Of the A. 3 F. had politics to fight as
well Germans He saw our friends the allies endeavOr-
ling to keep the American army from being great force
so that the United States could not have too great paos
AFTER the war BE watched that situation inst long
enough and measured American soldier terms that uSt
have been wonderful to hear he let the allied command
know Just "where it got of. -
After that, there a sohdiied American army and
lit won the war These men Of the First division are a
titled to much praise any that lived earth
They typy the regular army man, and it the regular
army which the burden of the fell in the early days
There have been great marches in history from the
days when the Greeks beat OF the Persian hordes and
changed the of events for all time There have been
great battles and turning tides which have set the course Of
civilization all But of all the crises that have been
met that which the American army faced in France is the
greatest No tell what the world would have been
had Germany conquered.
And this little old regular army of ours was the point
of the battering that broke down the German lnA
broke up the German defense and broke into the heart Of
German militarm and showed its interior to be mixture
Iof yellow and black
Therefore this parade will be the martial symbol Of the
turning tide The crisis is over the war is won and new
day for the whole world is dawning.
These regulars Of the First division the men who
started the tide the other way