The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1919-01-04
FATHER PERlGORD VISITS FOR.
EST OF ARGONNE, WHERE
YANkS CARRIED ON FOR
FRENCH-WAR HERO, FORMER.
LY TEACHER IN ST. PAUL SEM.
MARY, ST. PAUL, ILLUMINATING
OVER BATTLE AGAINST HUN
HORDES, MEETS REVERENT
AMERICAN CoNQUERoRs.

Captain Paul Perigord, former pro-
lessor of theology at st. Paul Semi
nary, this city, is one of the great
heroes OF France. . When the war
broke out he was studying at Harvard
university for his doctors degree. He
went at once to France, and made ap-
plicatlon for "a chaplainship. There
were no vacancies, so he enlisted as
a private soldier. He fought in the
trenches for three years.
At the first battle of the Marine,
then a sergeant, all of his superior
officers were killed and he led his com
pany through three days of terrible
fighting, when the commanding gen
eral made him a lieutenant. He
fought also at Verdun, being one of
the 1900 survivors of the 5000 heroes
| who made the last stand at the outer
forts.
Captain Perigord was wounded sew.
eral times and decorated five times
| for conspicuous bravery. About a
year ago the French goernment sent
him to the United States as machine
gunnery instructor. Later he Travelled
| through this country lecturing in
about three hundred cities and towns
He has recently returned to France
He writes in the ST. Paul Dispatch
as follows: .7~
/ made a pilgrimage recently to the
celebrated forests of Argonne, which
| has been watered with some of the
| best blood of America and of France
| during this great war.
say a pilgrimage because so many
of my friends sleep there; either in
| little groups in the military cemetery
in the valley or single on one of the
messy banks of the many creeks, OF
on the hillside, formerly under the
| shade of tree; but now the tree also
has fallen a victim of the war and is
lying across the humble tomb-stil
protecting it.
Instead Of riding as the American
| staff officer had suggested, | asked
to be allowed to walk. There were
here to me too many hallowed spots
the sacredness of which no travelling
companion could have understood
Secret Night Trails.
I lived again our long and silent
| night marches through the meadows
and through the forest, following
| trails unknown to the enemy. The
| regular roads were kept almost con.
| stantly under artillery fire.
Now the sign posts indicating dan.
ger or giving directions were no long.
| er in French but in English; the sen.
tries, here and there detailed for
police work, were clad in khaki; our
| friends the Americans had come.
l thought of dozen incidents, some
grave, others comical, that had hap.
pened on our way to the trenches:
amusing scenes or jokes, the authors
of which had long since paid the full
price. I was not sad, for I felt them
so near. 1t was as though their spirit
had not left the country and they
| were still keeping watch over the very
spots where they had valiantly fallen
| felt a great spiritual peace hover
ing over them all. The moss and vine
seemed to creep over their graves more
tenderly and the breeze, l know, was
singing softer song in the branches
of the small pines. Why should not
Mother Earth, when in a maternal
embrace she has gathered us to her
bosom, show more love to those who
have died SO bravely to keep her free
from stain or blame?