The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-20

who had been consulting engineer in
 connection with New York city's water
 supply for Is years before re-entering the
 United States army after the entrance of
 America into the war. He has been re
 sponsible for the water supply of all the
 American regiments in France. and re-
 certly received the distinguished service
 medal for especially meritorious service.
 The American soldier students in Great
 Britain comprise roughly 900 officers and HOO enlisted men. the exact total num-
 Der being 202T They are all picked men
 who were detached from the service, after
 making application to that end, in rec
 ognition of good service and exceptional
 character. All of them have spent at
 least two years at American universities.
 They were all permitted to choose the
 British universities they desired to at
 tend, i. e., those whose curriculum in
 cluded the special course they wanted,
 and have continued to receive their army
 pay and in addition $S day to cover
 board and general expenses Though or
 ficially detached from the army, all the
 soldier-students continue to wear uni
 form.
 The men arrived in England from
 France on March g. and after a short time in camp at Liverpool were reasslgneo to the various British universities Of thelr preference.
 These comprise 9 in London and the same number outside the metropolis
 There are POO American soldier-students at Cambridge. 150 at Oxford. 25o at Edin- burg university and at the London Oni- versity School of Economies, 2Se-74 of- ficers and 15s men,
 In addition to the educational facilities thus afforded them, the soldier-stuoents
 have all been granted passes by General Biddle who commands the Amercan forces in England, enabling them to travel freely to all parts of the United King dom. and as their holidays have permit ted, the men have availed themselves or the opportunity thus given them to see as much of the country as their time made possible.
 The results of the experiment have
 been gratifying in every way. said Col onel Longley yesterday, mot the least satisfactory feature being the splendid behavior of the men. In spite of the fact that they were suddenly taken away from military life, we have not had single courtmartial case, nor one lh- I stance of trouble with the civilian author ities The men, one and all. are de- l lighted with the taste that they have had l of British university life, and as most | of them have lived with private fami- | lies and had almost unlimited weekend hospitality extended to them, they have come closely in contact with British so- cial life and been immensely pleased with f their experiences as a whole. Tnis IS particularly satisfactory circumstance l as it has gone long way toward cor recting the somewhat unfortunate impress 1 sion of England which was the almost 1 inevitable result of the original hurried
 nassages of the American troops through this country on their way to France. All these men, on their return home, will, l am sure, speak in the highest terms Of their treatment here. As for the i'm pression which our men have made at the various universities which they have attended. it has been of the happiest de- scription. the heads of these institutions having assured me that they have been especially struck with the seriousness 1 as well as with the good behavior of our | soldier students.
 l Tn the direction of scholarship, too, l the men have given a first-rate account