New-York tribune., 1919-06-27
Lest We Forget

10 the Editor of The Tribune.
CIR; Will you give to those Americans
who have lost relatives in this war 4
message from one who lost an aviator
oroeher over here and who has given much
time and thought to the question of the
hnal resting place of all our hero dead?
This question of the return of the re-
mains to the United States is now out of tho
hands of the Secretary of War and AWAITING
decision from Congress at the cominc
session. Meanwhile let every man consider
carefully what is the best and wiscst nlan
to adopt.
There are, for example, in process of con-
structlon in the Argonne- -Meuse and St.
Mlhlel sectors of the battlefront three
large national cemeteres-one at Beau
mont, the Sedan Cemetery COVERING the
ground fought over during the few weeks
prior to the armistice; one at Romagne. the
Argonne Cemetery, and one at Thiacourt
lhe st. Mlhlel Cemetery. The remains of all
the oead IRON these sectors are being con-
centrated IN these three cemeteries, fullv
10000 from isolated graves strung along
the Meuse. The ground for them has all
ready been donated to the United States
and will be held in perpetuity by France.
linen there are several other cemeteries of
varying size in course of construction near
Chateau Thierry, Soissons Suresnes Mesves
etc. large area of land, which includes
the grave of Quentin Roosevelt has like
wise been donated by a special vote of the
Chamber of Deputies. 1t is to be held in
trust IN perpetuity by France, constituting
memorial park in honor of Theodore
Roosevelt, who stands in the minds of the
french as the highest type of American
ana special friend to France because
during his life he contributed powerfully
both by word and deed to the cause of
France.
Pllgrimages will be possible in the near
future to these beautiful cemeteries bv
very many relatives of the dead. and for
those who cannot make the journey on ac-
count of Lack of time and money there will
be photographs, individual and collective
taken by the Red Cross personnel ASSIGNED
to the graves registration service. These
photographs can be procured later from
Washington.
We Americans cherish and fight for
ideals. 1t is not to one particular spot in
France Or America that we should attach
our noblest and biggest sentiments but ia
that country which, like our own, stands for
liberty, equality and fraternity. Let our
sacred dead rest forever in these large
cemeteries in memory of the ideals we yalue
so highly and fought to perpetuate, FORGET
ting the selfish, personal sentiment which
would dictate removal of the dead to the
united States at enormous labor, time and
expense. Here is wonderful opportunity
Tor Americans to show their breadth of
vision and the unselhsh nobility and prac-
tcality Of their idcalism. Let this whole
question be discussed and decided on the
high plane Of Amcricanism, and there will
be regrets
We're we not fighting side by side with
French, British Canadians, Australians.
Beigians Indians, and did not they, too. die
for the same ideal? Their graves will re-
main. Let our boys lie where they fell as
well, buried in the sacred soil of France.
Their graves will surely be a reminder to
future generations in the first place. that
the ideals we had acquired and lived by
were the hope of the world and worthy of
great sacrifice; in the second place, how
ever, that war Is too costly way to settle
tho world problems of development and ex-
pansion and the international auarrels in
cident thereto. No argument could be mora
convincing Of the need of arbitration and
greater mutual sclf-sacrhcc to settle diff
fcrcnccs than the sight of these great ma
tional cemeteries.
Ihey Will remind us, moreover, that the
vast majority Of people in the world arc