The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-09-18
PERSHING GIVEN
CONGRESS- THANKS
At JOINT SESSION
Continued From First Pass5

whose people loved justice, revered lib
erty and honored manhood.
Upon hat DAY, the name and fame
! ot the American soldier and the nation
Of his allegiance had risen to the highest
! point ever attained in the cause OF
humanity. May the Ruler of the Uni
verse help us to maintain through all
The stormy years to ONE the respect
and faith which YOU and your gallant
army so maghihcently won fer America
and her beloved institutions"
Speaker Gillett followed:
When one Of the marshals OF Louis
NV he said, came to take farewell
Of his sovereign before leaving for a
campaign the friendly monarch said to
him; Go and fight my battles and /
will protect YOU against pour enemies
at home, to which the blunt soldier re-
piled, Sire, | would prefer that you
should protect me from my friends, |
can protect myself against my n
mics And l wonder II u distin-
Cpished guest, under the constant fire
Of receptions and reviews and compli-
r1ents to which he is exposed. will not
feel like praying for protection against
his friends. Certainly, he needs none
against his enemies, for In this country
he has none
Human nature loves to ~personlfy It's
ideals, II loves~a hero and hero
worship. And so we all rejoice to see
n~ersonified In the commanding general
the gHllantry, the high purpose, the un-
c%onquerable determination of our
crusading army, Those boys = .
were our bravest and best, = For
those who fell we render fearful
homage, For those who return MANNED
and crippled we owe tender care and
support. But for the great army which
has come back disciplined in body and
IN character, haying brayely offered the
have indeed gratitude and admiration,
but my strongest emotion Is envy. They
will be our heroes, '"'
Army Typified.
And in you, sir, their commanding
general, we like to see typified the spirit
OF that noble army, the courage, the
self-reliance, the endurance, the chival-
rous daring which made them invincihle.
As their fit representative, representa-
tives of the people, welcome you home.
But | would not indicate that our vel
come to you Is entirely impersonal, or
all the details OF your gsnerslshlp and
your strategy we are not now qualified
to judge, In due time that will be ad-
Indicated by history. But we do know
that you were gloriously successful.
And we know that you had abundant
Opportunity for ,glaring mistakes. You
were surrounded by pitfalls. Far from
your government in a foreign land you
had to rely upon yourself, Even In what
you said YOU must be prudent, you must
not deprecate your allies while vindi-
eating your own country. There was
every chance for errors. But, sir, II
you made them, either in policy or in
statement, we have not heard Of them
You have seemed to us not only
a successful general bending all his
great powers without favor and without
leniency to the one stern purpose Of VIC
tory, but you have also seemed a wise,
discreet, restrained, far slghted man
And, sir, / may add, that to those or
us who know you 1t Is refreshing, not
surprising, to find that after all the
supreme power, the high station, the
lordly associates and the unstinted com
pliments to which you have been aoeus-
toned you have developed neither AFRO
gance nor affection, but that you have
come back as you went away-modsst,
straightforward, %unspoiled. I"
The formal resolution Of thanks was
then presented to the general by former
Speaker Clark, of Missouri, Pershine's
home state.
Grim visaged war hath smoothed
her wrinkled 'front.' he said, and
peace, with healing IN her wing, like
a gentle spirit, now Is broodins Ger
a sore and storm rocked world, God
be thanked And, you, Gen. Pershing,
were a master workman in this Won
drous and blessed transformations
contamination so devoutly wished by all
peoples, klndreds and tongues.
Memory to Live.
What we say here will be little
needed but the memory Of what you
and your gallant men did over there
will be cherished forever as part OF
the precious treasures of the mighty ro-
public.
You and your men did not fight to
add TO the area or wealth OF our be-
loved country, but to uphold the prin-
ciples of right and truth and Justice.
Our soldiers who died In the war did
not die In vain, but to make men
free, AS long as the republic endures
their graves in France will be
sacred shrines.
General, you commanded moro men
than any other American soldier ever
commanded-more, we hope, than any
other American will ever command, for
every sane and patriotic American most
fervently hopes that our country, SO
favored by heaven in all that makes for
true manhood and womanhood, viii
never b. involved in another war.
your singular fortune has given you
America, Asia and Europe. In the
your conduct was superb and makes
one hundred and ten millions OF Amer
leans proud to claim you as our coun-
tryman. or all your action the one
for which we are most profoundly
grateful and for which we love you
best was that you strongly and tri-