Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-06-13
EDITOR OF STARS AND STRIPES.

chamber.
EDITOR OF STARS AND STRIPES.
One of the Truly Great Editors De-
veloped by the War.
He was only q private receiving thirty
three dollars a month, but his infiu'
ence was greater than that of mos
of the generals. For he was the man
aging editor of Stars and Stripes, the
A. f. F. newspaper, one Of the mos
widely read journals in the world
His name Is Harold w. Ross, he II
twenty seven years old, and befor4 ~
landed in the army he was resu4
newspaper reporter who had workea
at his calling in many cities in his ma
tive land. He didn't have a college
education, but as editor it was moi
only a part of his duty to dash off edi'
torials, but also to consign to the
waste basket hundreds of manuscript;
painfully composed of colonels an
other persons Of high rank and bril-
lance. When the subject was broach-
ed to him he suggested that, knowing
what the boys were going through ou'
on the fighting-line, the idea Of ar
elevation in rank for himself did moi
appeal to him. AS a matter of fact
right after he reached France he was
sent to an officers training school, hut
according to Sergeant Alexander
Woollcott, who writes brief sketch
of Ross in the New York Tribune:
He escaped from there wildly, and
smelling printers ink from afar. show.
ed up at the office of the then Matching
A. E. F. newspaper, which was des'
tined within a year to reach a circula-
ton of a million.
Later, when he was asked If he
could do his work more advantageous
ly with a commission, ne replied that
personally, even a corporal's chevrons
would embarrass him painfully, and
as for prinking up ma Sam Browne
belt, he believed that, While the dough
boys were plowing ahead through muck
and wire and gas and hell generally
no decent man could feel comfortable
who drew a desk job and d commits
sion at the same time, tactless reply
which, by the way, rather discanoerted
some of those present. Ross later be-
came exceedingly thorny when he un-
earthed a plot to pin decoration or
him.
remember encountering him one
morning, sitting tired, dusty, and dis
consulate on the side of the road along
which the wounded men of the I'd di-
vision were being carried out from
Belleau Woods. I thought it was
cooties troubling him. but found that
it was conscience. My inquiries or
the subject provoked flood of expert
profanity.
-" he groaned, "at home I was
always a non-producer, and here on
battlefield I'm a non -combatant."
Ross was occasionally embarrassed
by being referred to as the father Of
The Stars and Stripes war-orphans
His innocent connection with that
bouncing young family Of more than
three thousand French kids, was, how
ever, only that of founded, director, and
propagandist of the fund, to which al
ranks of the A. E. F. contributed. with
in less than year, more than 100000
francs, a sum of which tided many q
French family over a bitter period
Companies took them for mascots, re-
giments adopted them by the dozen
General Pershing fathered two, anG
there was many dough-boy that
shelled out all his wad depositing Il
with the company clerk to forward just
before he shouldered his gun to go for
ward over the top.
1t seems certain that one man in the
A. E. F. had greater influence on its
thought and spirit, and that is why
certain biographical data are worth re.
cording for future historians.
Harold Wallace Ross, then, worked
on newspapers all the way from Ho-
boken to San Francisco. including sucf
way-stations as Atlanta, New Orleans
Paris, and Salt Lake City. 1t is not
true, as alleged, that he worked or
seventy-ei eight different American jour
nails, but it is true that, before the war
he was one of those itinerant reporters
"a type that is passing-who, if hi
stayed with one city editor more thar
three months at a time, felt that he
was getting into a rut.
He was born in Aspen, Col
Not even an o. D. issue uniform
could prevent his looking like Bolshe-
vik.
He pronounces "annihilated" as If Il
were annie -layted.
His French was by all odds the worst
in the American Expeditionary Forces
After eighteen months in France, i
is true, he had acquired a vocabulary
of seven distinct French words, but
unfortunately, only four Of these were
easily recognized by the natives wher
he spoke them.
| He never went to college and va
guely distrusts all who did.
He regards as illiterate all people
who are not familiar with every lin,
ever written by Herbert Spencer.
| The men who worked with him OIL
The Stars and Stripes considered hin
the salt of the earth.
| He wears No. IL shoes.
| Distribution of 1000 German can