Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1920-12-30

city in Offering bttereSt resistance to the Ger
mans in 1870 !.'.'@..f ~ s.'" .stNru
First came mutilated soldiers and veterans Of
the Great War, then troops from Alsace~and Ler.
.raine and then .cQonias. General Berdoulat, gov
ernor Of Paris, followed, preceding: flags used in
the Late war, behind which. came General Falaue
and staff bearing artillery flags, and General
Derescas and staff above whom waved cavalry
- standards '-'f - = a'.,.:, r." 'tf
Faded and shattered flags of 1870, recently re
treved from Potsdam and Berlheand -qarRed by
veterans of the EranCOPruSsian war, escorted the
car bearing the heart of Gambetta, who resisted
desperately giving these very flagS to, Prussia in
the hour of defeat "'
A delegation of noncomrhissioncd officers Of al,
arms separated this from the 155tgun car
rage upon which lay the body of the unknown
soldier. President. 91illerand and all members of
his cabinet walked behind it, accompanied by the
three French marshals-JQffre, the hero Of the
Marine ,Foch, whose genius accomplished the final
defeat of Germany, and Petan, whose defense of
Verdun VIII forever live in French song and story
The procession terminated with delegations
from the St 4Cyr and Polytechnic schools, repub-
lican guards, colonial infantry, Senegalese units
aviation officers, two batteries Of 75s and one Of
1855 AS the procession entered Boulevard Sante
Michel there was heard in the distance, from the
forts surrounding Paris, the first shot of a 100
gun salute. ,> i...
Al 9: 80 o'clock the procession reached the
Pantheon where President ,Merand made a
short address, 1t then continued down Boulevard
St Michel and Boulevard St German, crossing
the Seine by the Chamber of Deputies bridge. 1t
crced Place de Ia ConCorde passing the statues
of Lille and Strausburg, and proceeded up the
Champs Elysees. 1t reached the Arc de Trionlphe
at noon
Armistce day was observed all over the United
States and in many ways. No national cele-
hold md tba b,Tr +npc
to American dead 1t was to the Soldier Dead"
and not to the Unknown Dead"
Secretary of War Baker asked to authorize
the removal of the body of unidentified Amer
lean soldier from France for interment in the
planned Victory hall, Pershing square, New York
city, He refused the authorization
Mr. Baker said that if the United States were
to follow the example of Great Britain and France
such burial of an American soldier should be in
the amphitheater at Arlington in some of the
government public buildings. He said that the
removal, Of body to the planned Victory hall in
New York would set a precedent and that many
other cities and towns would mot be contented
to be denied the same opportunity to show rev.
erence and respect"
Whatever the result an American precedent
has been already set In fact, America set it for
the world. In Arlington rises a monument, dedi-
Gated more than half a century ago with cere-
mony on which is this inscription:
Beneath this stone repose the bones of two
thousand one hundred and eleven unknown SOL
diers gathered after the war from the fields of
Bull Run and the route to the Rappahannock.
Their remains could not be identified, but their
names and death are recorded in the archives Of
their country and Its grateful citizens honor them
as of their noble army of martyrs May they rest
in peace. Sept. A. d. 1866"
Armistice day destined TO CO. 70 mean
to the whole world what Independence means
to America
How better express that meaning IL through
honors to the Unknown DeadT