The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-14
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 America, and while perhaps Americans feel that they are the only people who know how to celebrate a national holi- day, they do not know it all, as any one who has ever been in Paris on their na- tional tete day can testify
 | It does seem most fitting that at last i the two great republics can share in the celebration of the falling of the Bas- tile, from which day the great revolu- tion is generally dated, and it's a feather in the cap of Birmingham that such happy coincidence making such thing both possible and appropriate first trans pired within her gates
 It was no mere chance that the Rain bow division selected the days chosen for it's first reunion, for July IA looms large in it's history. Two years ago to- day Francois 570' came over the wires to Rainbow divisions in France, for it was 1 in the late hours of the evening that the magic words spluttered into headquar- ters.
 l They were words of tremendous signih- canoe, for the capture of German prison CTS by daring squad of Rainbow sol- diers revealed the plans of the Germans | to start their drive at o'clock the next morning. drive which had been pre- pared on a scale of magnitude never be- fore dreamed of even in the great world war. + was one of the tansest moments in the history of the awtuhaconflict which had orenched Europe in blood.
 The militarists of wilhelmnstrasse were launching their final drive, the drive which they hoped and expected would take them on to Paris and the mastery of the world It was the great . French national holiday, and the Americans had joined wholeheartedly with their brothers in France to cele- brate it in proper way. It is fitting that their first annual reunion should be held on the anniversary of the great and decisive battle that began in the Champagne on the night of July IA, 1918. |
 And so when the magic words came to the Rainbow division it was ready, and
 
 success. meant world domination to the Kaiser. Der Tag" the day of all days, had come, and Germany in her suprem- ese strength felt that at last she was go- ing to beat down the allied army and sweep on to Paris. To stop it meant to the French salvation of La Belle France from the ruthless tread of the brutal Hun. Autocracy was in it's last death grip with democracy, and the autocrats were sure of victory.
 "The bombardment will be terrible. You will stand it without weakening" |" the official order that had just come from army headquarters. To the Amer jeans it meant the end, or the begin ming of a long, long struggle with a ruthless foe which had turned his back on civilized warfare, and had chuck1ed with glee at every new act of barbarism which in his foolish mind would throw fear into the hearts of his enemy. Call to mind the brutalities of the supermen n order given below.
 The assault will be fierce in cloud of smoke, dust and gas.'' It meant cer- tain and horrible death to thousands of the brave boys in khaki, but they never flinched.. Each shall have but one , thorght-to kill, to kill a-plenty until they have had their fill,' concluded the order issued by the French general command ing that sector, and into the eyes of every American came the glnt which meant to . do or die. The Rainbow division was on 1 it's metal to show to Europe that it was ready and fit to stop the shock troops of strumental in checking the stupendous , drive.
 It's hard to realize that the quiet young fellows you see in citizens dress or army uniform on the streets and in the hotels and threatres and clubs, ever had to face death in, it's worst forms; and yet they did it without tremor, and what g more, after making a good job of helping to drive the picked troops of the German Emperor beyond the Rhine, they have come back home to take up their accustomed work as though they had never taken part in the greatest con flict known in the history of mankind U There is nothing which better denotes the spirit of America than the conduct of the returned soldiers. I rode down yes terday with happy. smiling young man who had served on the border. and was
 in every fight in which the Rainbow di- y vision took part, and yet to look al . him you would have thought that he was $ just home on his vacation from college Il and was only thinking of having good time
 But we did not have to wait for the : gallant deeds of the Rainbow division te c give us an interest in Frances great na- a tional holiday, for those of you who have visited Mt. Vernon will have no e tced large key. antique in shape, hang II ing in the main hall of Washin gton ,. a famous mansion. It's the key of thu famous, or rather infamous, Bastille
 which was presented to the Father of his lCountry by the beloved La Fayette. t It seems passing strange that after Gen
 eral La Fayette's gallant services il V behalf of the Americans during the Wa e of the Revolution that on returning |.