The Alaska daily empire., 1920-01-26

| Ol AlnSTlCdllS Hdu UcSuu tO ue Tell | among the Allies The gallant con l duct on the battlefield of the van guard of volunteers, the disinterested 1 generosity of the Ambulance units | the Red Cross workers, the members of the American Fund for French , Wounded and many others, had re yealed' the fine American spirit of true brotherly love. Charity. how ever was one thing and war was quite another.
 It was known that the United States had only a small stands ng army. and no regular system of mili- tary service. England had not heon able to vote conscription until seven teen months after the war began. How was America to recruit soldiers, and what sort of soldiers would they prove, under the baptism of fire? These were the questions the Allies and even Americans asked. Within week after war hal been declared by the United States, France had dispatched to America Ission which included the Minister of Jus tice, Mir. Viviani, Marechal Joltre, Admiral Chocheprat and the Marquis; de Chambrun, followed almost imme, diately by a French High Comms sioner, Mir. Andre Tardieu, who ae- voted himself to establishing iG Washington a well organized and harmonious collaboration between the two countries.
 The victory of the Marne, ard the sufferings of France, were person flied for Americans in the presence among them of Joffre. The weicouf he received was national demon stration. it rang out with glory from hearts full of .overflowing of com passion and of gratitude.
 ately voted by Congress. The popa lar response to this act brought, n a fortnight over ten million enlist
 Conscription was almost ilnnedi ments to the recruiting bureauX Time and space, no doubt, seemed to r;se up as two gigantic obstacles. te any very successful military effort on the part of the United States, yet feeling of moral confer. began tC pervade the atmospherN, not only of the fighting forces, but of civilians. aussia had gone tc pieces. tut Am er'ra had taken her placo in line w.tb the Allies,
 So, in June, 1917. when General Pershing arrived in Paris with the first contingent of the Expeditionary Forces. there were crowds in the streets and about the station to meet him and to acclaim the American soldiers The cheers went up like cry of relief, and when the French saw the smile which answered them tie smile of youth, happy and glad to iCnd a hand, to lay down as many lives as need be, then the welcome became more personal. a note of instinctive sympathy sounded In the greeting From sympathy the feeling grew to one of respect on the day when General Pershing. standing over the grave of the French General who. in 1776, had helped the United States win her freedom. echoed the lasting gratitude of the American people and pledged the future, in these few words:
 Lafayette. we are here."
 That day the four walls of the In. ,alids resounded to the strains of an American military band. Joifre stood beside Pershing in the court yard of the historic building. Poin care was there, and the descendants cf Rochambeau and of Lafayec.e Thanked by the poilus, tried in bat tie, alert and resolute. tiia Aineri can soldiers of this first division marched out to meet their fate.
 This time it was love that greeted them on their way; women and girls broke up ranks more than once to em- brace these soldiers. From the win dows under which they passed roses were showered down upon them. When they reached the Hotel de Vile they looked like moving gar, den with flowers in their belts, in their hats, in the barrels of their rifles.
 More appealing still was the spon- taneous enthusiasm of the children. The first column of American sol diers as 1t swayed along at brisk marching pace. was accompanied by procession of little people. the lonely little people of France who had seen their fathers. their brothers who now clung to their hands of these strong youths from over the seas. with touching confidence These were the men they had watched in the "cinemas," they had