The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-03-04
WAR HEROES BACK
ON FRENCH LINER
More Vessels Arrive From
France Bringing Nearly
5000 Troops.
SCHIFF TALKS OF 'Y' WORK
Wickersham Says Allies Look
to America to Bring
Secure Peace.
sCHIFF TALKS OF 'Y' WORK

1
Liout George 10 Memager. He Is 70
years old and fought in the previous war
with Germany. He settled in Los An
geles and when the great world war
started he returned to France and en-
listed in the infantry.
He became q ,olor sergeant ana after
q years service, he says, Gen. Joffre told
him he ought to take vacation Of three
months At the end OF his leave he again
entered the service and fought until the
armistice was signed.
Le Mesnager won his promotion for
with the 1s6th Infantry. His age pre-
vented his acceptance in the A z. r.
Mortimer L. Schlff was another pas
senger. He said the report that he had
gone to France to investigate the Y.
NJ. C. A. was not correct Mr.. Schifr
said that what impressed him most while
he was abroad was the great desire OF
the leading men of France and OF Eng
land to establish the closest relations
with the United States and to have CO.
operation and assistance in working out
the problems which confront the world.
schiR for League OF Nations.
''The Peace Conference" he said. has
made considerable progress, but 1t must
be borne In mind that It Is stupendous
task to reconcile the divergent views and
the sometimes conflicting aspirations OF
the fifty nationalities which are directly
or Indirectly represented. No League of
Nations can be effective which IL not in
n n ttu q Nd
we in common with the other great ma
lions must assume our full share Of
this burden"
Mr.. Schiff said that while he was a
member OF the executive and finance
committees Of the Y. ~. c. A. War Work
Council and keenly interested In Its
development he went to France as a
work organizations to coordinate the
work OF the agencies serving our troops.
In regard to the criticism Of the
7. NJ. c. A. Mr.. Schiff said:
I'VE must not overlook the fact that
now is the time of faulthnding. that our
men are returning home dissatisfied with
many things and that criticism Is the
natural reaction after the strain Of war.
In a certain way much Of the complaint
about the Y. NJ. A. c. Is in itself COM
pliment Our troops have become go ac-
customed to the service II renders that
they take II for granted when they re-
ceive It and complain when It Is absent.
OF course the Y. NJ. c. A. has made mis-
takes and some serious ones at that, but
under the conditions under which it has
had to work It would be surprising II
this were not the case.
Faced Many Difficulties.
, Nobody who has not been there can
understand the difficulties with which II
has had to contend. Take the problem
of transportation alone. When was
In Coblenz early in January 100 car
loads of supplies were on the road be-
tween Paris and Coblenz and none had
arrived. AS result the shelves of the
b Y. NJ G. A. were bare. can we'll under
stand how the average soldier should
have felt about this and blamed the
; Y. NJ. C. A. Even I, who knew the sit
uetion. thought II must be due to mis-
management until on my return journey
1 found that on the fastest passenger
train owing 70 the CONGESTION OF traffic
II took me fourteen hours to 20 from
Metz to Toul, a distance OF about nifty
miles.
The Y. NJ. c. A. has made it's mis-
takes its organization has been faulty
IN many respects; It has perhaps been
too ambitious, too grasping of oppor-
tunfties when II was not in position
to do them Justice; but return from a
close study of It's work convinced of the
magnitude Of It's real accomplishments
The service II has rendered 30 far out
weighs its failures that there Is no ques-
ton In my mind as to what the verdict
will be when the full record comes to be
written"
George w. wickersham, former Attor-
ney-General, also a passenger. said of
the Peace Conference that its most dis
appointing feature was the delay in set
Ting peace terms with Germany, and
that 1t was imperative that these should
be settled Immediately. In regard to a
League of Nations he said he was In
clned to think that the allied countries
believe that through Mr. Wilson'S pres
ence and influence the LEAGUE will be rat
flied. He said there is feeling that as
America did so much In winning the war
II has committed itself to securing peace
He said France is uneasy about Ger
many and England has her economic
troubles-labor and rehabilitation, for
instance. These things are giving those
in responsibility good deal OF trouble
he said.
Captured With His Company.
wilfred Meila of Philadelphia, a pri-
vate In the 10th United States Infan-
try, who was captured with his whole
company last July on the Marine, when
Though T. misunderstanding. of orders
Inc French retreated and left his com.
pany In a pocket between the American
fire and the German said he and his
comrades were set to building pontoou
bridges on the Marine Immediately after
their capture. under fire of the forces OF
the Allies. and that they were three days
without food. He contracted pneumonia
and was sent 10 a camp, finally reaching
Mannheim Some time after the armi.
stice, when the Allies were in Germany
he saw German guards on railroad duty
kill two French officers and wound An.
other, he said. The prisoners-Italians
French, Russians, Americans and Others
-mobbed the guards and the Germans
mounted guns and threatened to kill al
the prisoners in the enclosure The in.
PREVENTION OF the Spanish representative
at Mannheim. he said. saved the priso
ners
Lieut. Edward C. Parsons OF Spring
field, Mass, who went to France in 1915
and Joined the American Escadrille, re-
turned on the liner with four decora
lions, including the Croix de Guerre
with eight palms. indicating the number
of planes he has brought down, and tn,
Belgian War Cross. He has been rec
commended for the Distinguished Servic,
Cross. He says he smashed seven othe,
planes, and that In all his battles on nj
the western fronts he did not receiv,
a scratch.
Stephen Lewental. who was secretar,
to Ignace Paderewski Premier OF Pc
land, Is back from Paris where he ha
been in conference with representa- tive!
Of the Polish Government headed b!