Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-27
No Wonder
Germany Quit
By MAJOR FRANK G. MAHIN
OF the Army Recruiting Station
BRIGGS

so much has been written. said
and sung, about the soldier that he
knows pretty we'll how he appears
to the public. To see ourselves as
others see us is the gift Bobbie
Burns prayed for. I've wondered
If the public has had that gift, and
has seen itself as the soldier sees
1t. Examples of what he has seen,
remind one of an adage, reputed to
be of German origin, and express
ing what of late they have taken as
theory, instead of an observation
on life: Ingratitude is the worlds
reward The American soldier
knows quite well that the people are
not ungrateful; but he also knows
they are quite thoughtless, and to
any but him they would appear in
CRATES. Some things have happened
through an ultra patriotic fervor,
as in the case of an American
mother with two sons in service,
who made young man in a theater
very uncomfortable. The man, with
a girl companion, was at an evening
performance, before the armistice.
He was big, strong and healthy
looking chap. The mother sat in
back of him, and during the per-
formance, made many audible re-
marks, wondering how it happened
that he was not in uniform. His
companion suffered almost to the
point of tears, for she knew that he,
an American, had gone over with
the early Canadians; had been
wounded; and invalided home be-
cause the nerves in his arm were
dead. To the casual observer he
had two good arms; yet one hung
paralyzed at his side. Then there
is the case of The kind hearted lady,
who brought sweets and doughnuts
to base hospital. One could
imagine her thoughts of the bows,
returned as patients after creating
deot which she felt personally, and
yearned TO repay. In the ward
hallway she met Bowles, a hospitaI
Sergeant, who hadn't been over
Holding an especially tempting
doughnut toward him. she asked:
you are an overseas boy?" When
the reply came. mo Ma'am." the
doughnut went back to her basket
10 be borne elsewhere. Before the
armlstlce, boy, limping, with a
cane, got into crowded trolley
car. He hung to a strap as the
car Whlrled around corners. first to
left then to right. Each turn wa ~
agony to him. Finally, although
there We're many young women
ana young middle aged men. seated
II was left to an old lady to offer
her seat, which she did. insistine
that the soldier take it. The other
day. on Fifth Avenue, at the busiest
hour, the traffic was held up while
two wounded soldiers safely crossed
the street. No one minded the de-
lay, indeed, the people in autos
seemed proud and pleased that Tins
they could show these men how
glad they were to wait while thew
hobbled across. These same auto-
mobile owners and drivers, gener-
ously stopped, at all times and
places. during the war, to offer a
soldier or sailor a ride; thev had
stickers on their wind shields saw
ing Men in service welcome to ride. ;
Did you notice, that the day after
the armistice, nearly all these stick
ers had disappeared OVERNIGHT? The
soldiers actions appeared confus-
ingly contradictory to the public:
well. the public was confusing to the
soldier. Together however, their
attitude was definite and positive.
and when Germany recognized this.
she quit"