The Washington herald., 1919-03-31
FRENCH TIRED OF FOREIGN
TROOPS; WANT THEM TO GO
Balderston Says Morning After" Feeling Has
Followed Signing of Armistice; Nerv-
Gus Strain Brings Irritability

numbers held out TO the foo. ~,eV
turned the tide of war ana brought
knows.
But the war Is over now II 5cnoooo
aliens OF every conceivable race xrer,
scattered among the thicliy-dofted
towns and villages Of two or three
OF our Eastern States, we should ord
the situation more natural than thc
French. for we are used 70 y,s-,,
types and many tongues. and fhe
French arc not. Nevertheless or,
people would be glad when the horde
OF visitors had left. no matter how
grateful we might be TO them.
Want Cesstry Back.
So Il is with the French t,-.n.
Is their country and they Want al
back again for themselves. Orts,d,
Of profiteering shopkeepers and fbo1-
sands OF others who make nnope, o,,t
Of the guests OF the republic. Inc in
habitsnts VIII sigh with relief r1he,
the last foreign foot departs from
the soil Of France. That Is natural
and rs no reflection on the eratitpdo
of the French. But IL Is very dif-
ferent attitude from the cries OF wei
come and the flowers with which tbs
people welcomed the newcomers who
were TO reinforce the thinning ranks
Of the poilus and bring victory.
A year ago In thousands OF homes
through France hung an engrsvin.
OF a little lad standing by a cross
on which hung the casque Of a faIi-
en- soldier mort pour la patrie %
he held by the hand a stslwart
ooughhoy, and said, looking up into
the Americans face. You will
| avenge my papa Today that Iittlr
ooy might run to his mother and
: ask, Mamma, when are thcSr
strange men going away"
Very lamentsble, but human ma
ture- In time Of peace. a foreirD
army Quartered upon a country i =
burden TO many Of the inhabitants
f, And this is a country which has
sunered a nervous strain unparaI-
] leleo in history. Nearly every house
is in mourning for the dead: indus
| try lies In ruins: France is in thai
/ terrible period when the excite
ment Of combat that sustains the
sorely wounded man has worn on
and the full effect OF his injuries Is
realized for the first time.
Doughboys' Feelings Hurt.
Inc oouEhpOys teelnEs are hurt
and this. too. Is inevitable. lie knows
that America came TO France for
no selfish aim. she feels that he
and his fellows in the last year Of
the war saved France. He cannot
understand why the same people
who acclaimed his advent as that
Of a heaven-sent delivcrer are now
inclined, his Job well done. TO re-
fer to those three years when he
was tending his counter or plough
ing his farm while their men bled
and died in the trenches.
What is the remedy? There isn't
any. France has to put Up with us
until the ships can take us all homo.
we have to remember what France
has suffered and now she must Ions
to have her own home 70 herself
again The passing irritations OF
these months Of transition will
quickly be forgotten; the douEhboy
when he has been at home a little
while will remember only the en-
thusiasm OF his coming, the toiI
and trials OF combat and the Joy or
victory. the FrCnchmcn will remem-
Der only the help that came just In
( the nick Of time. both viii forget
the little misunderstan6i that
cams later when both were bored
irritable, suffering from the morn
! ing after" feeling.