The Washington herald., 1920-01-17
By FRANCES NEWBoLD MOVES

Nvioiy toio unoer the caption SMy
her. The WashinGton Herald In
pictures seriaIIy through the eopI
By FRANCES NE
Perhaps I was just dreaming that
1 hardly ever saw you without some
Gallo mite perched on your shoulder
or ciinging to your hand or trotting
at yorr side-dreaming that you were
everlastingly polishing those boots
of yours so that pretty Marie Adelaide
Therese could see her face in them
dreaming that you steadily persisted
in breaking every rule OF the csnteen
in order to purchase cigarettes and
chocolate for them frog guys that
hadn't any Of their CS5n'-dreaming
that you would linger time and time
again to tell me OF the adored and
adoring landlady-'Honest. she treats
me like q prince; believe me, IL / was
her own kid. she couldn't treat me
better. 1 want to get her a present:
you tell me what she'd like. Petite"
Why, the nickname that you gave me
was borrowed from France-and 1
loved it-and you-and her. 1 wasn't
dreaming: but I'm thinking that per-
haps sometimes you were, my A. E F.
/ haven't much TO say about the
Germans. largely because 1 ind that
when / try to talk about them 1 lose
my voice and my temper and my
sense of humor. OF course. when you
paid them a visit last fall you found
that you were pretty nearly COM
Portable for the first time in many
weary months, and 1t rather went TO
your head. You found yourself won
derinS whether people who offered
you the best bed in the place with
cultural noises of welcome and hos
pitality could be demons incarnate.
and somehow you counted 1t for
righteousness to them that there
wasn't any shell hole N the side of
the house. But It didn't take them
long for the first glow TO wear OF,
and before many moons had passed
you had pounced on the illuminating
discovery that when even the most
inspired demon has the choice be-
tween being affable or being shot at
dawn, he'll jolly well be affable. And
il you'll just tell your GREATNESS lis
teners some of the things that you
told me about the individuals that
you soberiy referred to as those
damned Dutch-excuse me, lady"
I'll be perfectly contented. Per-
fectly.
About the Y and the Red Cross
and the other organizations that
went over there to help you, | do
want to talk TO you-and if you
are inclined TO feel resentfuI Of any
thing that j may say, I want you TO
remember. my \. l.. F.. that it's be-
cause I love you so that I can't bear
10 have you either ungrateful or I'M
gracious that / am saying it-and
7 -. 4
have TO own that you have been
both. To save my life I can't un-
derstand your attitude toward US
who SO lOnged to help you: who
worked their finders to the bone.
morning. noon and night, to give
you little comfort and as little
happiness. | am speaking now Of
us" as organizations. not as indi-
viduals.
On the individual girl YOU lavished
such a wealth OF gratitude and praise
that you left her humbled and bowil-
dered and little intoxicated. but on
the organization OF which she was a
symbol YOU have heaped Unceasing
criticism and unStinted blame. my
self, happen to be Y girl. and I
have never ceased TO be proud and
glad OF that fact. The only thing
that was prouder OF than the trisn-
gle on my sleeve Was the L. S. on my
collar So this iEn't an apology on my
part-it's an accusation. I dare wager
that the only organization over there
Tor which you have a good word TO
say is the one that you saw the least
Iof-the one thst, in nine cases out OF
ten. you never saw at all The Saliva
ton Army. with its tiny band and
complex duties, did splendid work. but
no more splendid work than was done
by the ether organizations that were
woven into the very fabric OF your
daily lives. I say that advisedIy,
Look up. FOR example. the number
or workers killed. wounded. cited
and decorated for bravery in tryin-
desperately to help you VINO r,re so
Needless Of their help: uher, Will
you find, amongst your own ranks
noncombatant outfit with such n
record? Many "A combatant on
ni%ht glory in it, You were al
most invariably lamentabiy un--n-
eious to the mon Who. under un
pressure of the draft. TAI giv,n M
fine positions safe az home TO come
over and slave and Iru,!- ruT Yea
who found no word 81 caE1menda-
9 'i'iA lOi sHtiil il lEeN we've 1n1a :. =
EinSly cheerful. Won dismissed II az
"sunshine-stuff'' and "taffy:" IL they
( were occasionally human and 'rrit-
able. you rent the ,heaTen above and
/ the earth with your OUTRAGED cries.
and tor" 20 ~. for paper So that
YOU could wr-ie- HON" a. Gree to
Aunt Minnie aud tell her II get back
4 that 30 cents that she - :" &c ihc
misSnided organization - Septem-
Der.
| l honestly DO blush for you You
would take everything that ! gave
you-every mortal thinE-and appar-
emily by accepting our gifts You
cancelled your debt. We. you assured
| us complacently. Mere merely the
Instruments of the American people
kindly selected 10y them to see that
their contributions reached YOU sale
ly. Well We happened to be the
, American people ourselves. and be-
| sides giving YOU our money. We
gave you our time and strength and
cur hearts and our lives-and some
of us were absurd enough to Won
der why it was tina; YOU did not
90 on your knees to us-Hot to us
the individuals. among whom there