New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-05
Tribute to the Magnificent Spirit of the American
Army, and Its Quickly Organized
Skill

with these long suffering people-corrobo
rate the impression. SO Madame raises
her prices. 1t is the traditional thrift
habit born Of uncertain, anxious years and
imperative providence, not merely mercen-
ary but the result is shock to the boy
He pays too high and resents it; for while
the American (cither in or out of the army)
likes TO indulge his generous impulses he
objects to being played for good thing"
However, it is not serious Nhc French
government is seeking to take controlling
hand in the matter Of price setting) and
they coming to better understand one
another-the American and the French
shopkeeper.
There are no such obstacles in the fra
ternizing way Of the poilu and the Amer
lean; while the restriction on argument
as to why America was late coming in,
etc. - through lack Of common fluent
tongue makes the relations comfortable be-
tween them, and the courteous manner of
the Frenchman is irresistible. Moreover
their temperaments similar; each has q
liberal amount Of mercury in his veins, and
both are mixers" and conversational
whereas, the Briton, as rule, is not a
mixer until he becomes a Canadian or an
Australian. But neither the French nor
British could ever get quite used to the
American habit of taking short cuts.
Getting on with the English (not Brit
ish) for our boys was like the passion for
olives-an acquired taste; it needed several
applications, so to say, before they knew
whether they liked it or not-and then, rs
it turned out, they liked it very much in
deed.
Frankly, they didn't cotton" at all in the
beginning, despite the unceasing efforts Of
the English officers, who spared no pains
TO make the Americans welcome and smooth
their way The taciturnity, the selfd
probation, the lack Of enthusiasm, the fed
up on thc-war talk of the Tommies was as
cold douche upon these eager, untravelled
boys of ours, coming fresh into the strug-
gle with their high hopes and ideals. They
got the idea that Tommy was an Indifferent
soldier. that the English were "all in"
They didn't know Tommy, and they didn't
know their hstory-even Of this war; And
strange enough--considering the reputa-
ton the Englishman has all over the world
of being ample feeder--these boys didn't
ike the British ration; said it was not suf-
HClCnl dllnOuSn SO lar as | cOuld see 1t
about much as they got on their
own line-plus afternoon tea-and it seems
to have been enough for Tommy to do
plenty of hard fighting on. But only the
English took this complaint seriously for
a soldier must crouch about something
it's his chief luXury-and rations are
time honored and prolific subject.
So those American units which spent but
area on the way to the French or their
own front came away with minds obsessed
by the thought of "too much tea" and no
warm feeling for or just or accurate est-
mate of the English. But those troops
which remained long enough to know and
to understand fell under the spell of the
English sincerity, dependableness and
modesty and were the better men and SOL
dicrs for the association
1t is no surprise to US Americans that
our boys averaged high; we we're confident
they would; they stood the gaff of bitter
conhct-these boys from the factories and
the desks and the shops, from the cities and
the farms-beyond expectation. They had
no "selfsh ends to serve"; they risked
their all, and were unafraid.
They had not all the artillery they should
have had, or machine guns in quality or
quantity, or trench mortars or grenades to
the number Of their enemy; and the eyes