The sun., 1919-04-29
69TH PARADES
TODINOF REAL
IRISH WELCOME
Million on Fifth Ave. Cheer
and Laugh and Weep as
Heroes Pass.
DEAD SHARE IN TRIBUTE
Col. Donovan, Father Duffy
and Battle Flag Lead the
March Of Triumph.
DEAD SHARE IN TRIBUTE

The long upper lip. the nose which,
" II turns at all, turns up, and the
shady blueeye with a twinkle owned
Fifth Avenue yesterday. For the old
Sixty-ninth came home. 1t may be,
as statistics have 1t. that there was
many boy named Elmer from the
Middle West and many a one named
Izzy from the East Side filling UP the
ranks in the places left vacant when
Kelly and Burke and Shea passed out
with their faces TO the Germans on
the Ourcq or in the Argonne. 1t may
be that the regiment, through which
New York Irish blood has poured in
sacrifice upon the hardest fought
felds oi three wars, now has blood
that never was nourished on the little
green island.
II may be. too. that among the mil
lion who lined Fifth Avenue, from
Washington Square to 10th street
yesterday afternoon there were Ameri-
cans unblessed with Celtic ancestors
But, be it written to Erin's eternal
glory, the welcome home of the Sixty
ninth was full Of laughter and Of
the men who marched and the men,
women and children who watched
were happy. And that means that it
was an Irish welcome.
Every Man n Hero.
For as the blood of the old Sixty-ninth
hammered the replacement Elmers and
Izzies until they made the lG5th OF yes
ierday still fighting Irish regiment, so
did the tales of its glory. the splendid
brown of its 5000 faces, the lifting
swing Of its broad shoulders, the keen
giances OF it's Irish eyes and the mar
t!al'-1 melody OF Irish music reach the
babel crowd OF New York and make Il
laugh a little, cry n little-and cheer
like mad, like Irishmen.
n one could gauge the popularity OF
the old regiment by figures one might
say that there welcomed II yesterday a
crowd that was almost as large as that
which cheered the whole Twenty-seventh
Division. eight times as many men.
And, speaking Of the music. the regi-
mental band yesterday proved once more
he kinship between the Celt and the
Gaui. 1t has adopted the "clairon' Of
tie French military band. The ''ciairon.'
Or rank OF hesd buglers, strikes into the
music OF the ''Marsaillaise" or the
"Sambrs eli Meuse" with a gorgeous
blast OF pure battle song that fills every
French eye with glitter. Yesterday the
'clairon'' OF the old SiXty-ninth. each
man fiour.shing a brilliant green fanion
OH his bugle, did the same and more for
Gone to War IL the Minstrel Boy"
and every other Irish or other air that
ihs fine band played. Seldom has New
York heard martial music that could
compare with it.
The band. too, was Indefatigable
From the moment the forward" sounded
under Washington Arch at exactly 80
o'clock until the head of the column
turned of the great avenue at 116th
street the band prepared the way 70,
the wave OF cheers that. rolled with the
lead of the regiment with never pause
through all the long route.
First CAME the cheers, then the band
and then Col wild Bill Donovan and
his staff, trig and free and erect. or
foot. The cheers were evenly divided fol-
Col. Bill and for Father Duffy. the tegi.
ment's heroic chaplain. who strode be-
hind him. The whole march OF the regi
lneut was a most buslnesslike AFFAIR. The
police arrangements were admirable and
The platoon front mass formation wal
! maintained without hindrance. TIL,
regiment arrived at the reviewing stanC
At Eighty-fourth street exactly on tim,
and passed in exactly nine minutes
There we're 70 gazing intervals between
ranks.
Greeting at Cathedral.
As always when the Sixty-ninti
marches st. Patrick's Cathedral shared
Importance with the official reviewing
stand. There yesterday stood Arch
bishop Hayes and a distinguished hun
dred or more OF the Catholic hierarch,
of the diocese, surrounded by members
OF the Knights OF Columbus and Cath
o.ic laymen.
On the official stand at E!ghty-fourtl
street were Gov. Smith and Mayo
Hylan, Admiral Glennon and Gen
Shanks, and by a happy coincidence
sNiIor-Gen. Alexander, commander o
tho Seventy seventh Division. At on
side OF the stand was posted the Polic
Band. and at the other side the Fir
Department Band. There was mus
thsrs all the time-and good music.
Across the street In the stand 70
sueHs OF honor sat tho wives OF tn