The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-03-01

rs the friend OF mankind.
Whenever it is desired to send
small force Of soldiers 20 occupy
piece Of territory where it is thought
nobody else viii be welcome, they,
ask for American soldiers. Ana
where other soldiers would be looked
lpon with suspicion and perhaps met
With resistance the American soldier
is welcomed with acclaim.
Il have had so many grounds Tor
pride on the other side OF the water
that I am very thankful that they
IRE not grounds for personal pride
I'd be the most stuck up man III the
world. And it has been an infinite
pleasure to me to see those gallant
soldiers Of ours, OF whom the const
tuition of the United States made me
tho proud commander. You may be
proud Of the Twenty-sixth Division.
ou1 commanded the Twenty-siXth
Division and see what they did un-
der nv direction And everybody
! praises the American soldier WITH the
feeling that in praisng him he is
suotracting from the credit OF no
one else.
II have been searching for the
| Fundamental fact that converted Eu-
rope to believe in US. Before this
var Europe did not believe in us as
shr docs now. She did not believe IN
5a,s throughout the first three wears
Of the war. She seems really TO have
believed that we were holding off be-
cause we. thought we could make
more by STAYING out than by going in.
| And al OF a Sudden. in q short IS
/! mon1hs. the whole verdict is revers-
ed. There can be but one explanation
! SorH. They saw what VIC did-that
without making Il single claim VIC
! nat al our men and ali our means ut
!! The disposal Of those who We're fight
| ing for their homes. in the first in
jstance. but for cause. the cause Of
human rights and justice and that we
| went in. not TO support their national
claims. hut to support the great
cause which they held in common.
And when they saw that .Ameri-
e.. not only held ideals. but acted
ideals. they were converted to Ameri-
ca and became firm partisans Of
itfose ideals.
Il met a group of scholars when
was in Pars-some gentlemen
| from one az the Greek universities
who had come to see me and in
/ whose presence or rather in the pres
! cnce o those traditions Of learning I
T; felt very young indeed. 7 told, them
that T had one Of the delightful re-
venges that sometimes comes to a
man. All my life 7 had heard men
sneak with a sort Of condescension Of
ideals and oc idealists. and particular
| lv those separated. incloistered per-
sons whom they choose to term aca-
d.mic. who were in the habit OF ut
| tcring ideals in the free atmosphere
when they clash with nobody IN par
(! ticular.
And said have had this sweet
revenge. Speaking with perfect
| frankness in The name Of the people
! oc the United States, 7 have uttered
/; as the objects of this great war,
IDEALS. and%nothing but ideals, and
! the war has been Won by that in
espir.ifion Men were fighting with
! tense muscle and lowered head until
Ithey came to realize, those things.
feeling they were fighting for Their
F! lives and their country, and when
! these accounts Of what il was ali
about reached them from America
! they lifted their hnaGs. they raised
/ t,,Scir eyes 10 heavc3, when they saw
! men in khaki coming across the sea
in the spirit OF crusaders, and they
/ found that these were strange men
reckless OF danger not only, but reck-
! .csS because they seemed 10 see some
,kine thu: made that danger worth
While Men have testified to me in
Europe that oar men were possesSe'
by something that they could only
call a religious 1ervor. They We're
! not like any Of the other soldiers.
/ They had n vision. they had n dream.
! ard were fighting in the dream, and
! fighting in the dream they turned the
! Vv,lolc tide ct battle and it never came
| ha cl;.
/ 'tOnc Of our American hu:norists
meeting The criticism that American
soldiers were not trained lonS enough
lid It takes only half as long to
tr:sn an American soldier any
him 10 20 ono way and we did only
so ore Wy :i;ld he ,cvcr came back
unti he comll 90 il when he pleased
And now do ynu realize that thi:
confitlence we have established
Throughout the world imposes n bur
den upon us--if you choose TO call it
i burden II is one Of those burdens
] which! any nation ought to be proud
/ clnSiZofw- ;im,:tni celiofbm b bZZ
70 carr Any man who reSists the
! present tides hat run in the world
viii find himself thrown upon Il shore
+: 50 ili:;il and barren that it viii seem
/; rs if he had been separated frcni his:
+! iiul:ian tin.i forcve:.
The Europe tliai left The other
! lay wax culi OF something that it had
! never felt ill Is heart so full before.
II y.::, fu;! OF hop. The Europe OF
iic second ycai. OF the war, the Eu
rope o: li!t >ijr,! yc;ir Of the wlr. was
stalking TO Il SDrt oi stubborn desper;l-
.t!: They ti:d not 500 :tffv %!c:i! !inS