Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1920-01-09
&c n. PERSH|NC
LEAVES OMAHA +.
after BUSY DAY
Never Too Busy to Greet
Children, Army Chief
Is Idol Of Young
Americans.

,n. americans.
CONTINUED From Page One.)
greatest battle of all time. Per-
shing has joined the immortals. In
all future his name will be linked
with the triumvirate. His was the
genius OF an American soldier COM
,manding his own men,"
The general spoke for IS minutes,
beginning with few personal refer
ences to his days in Lincoln nearly
80 years ago. He referred to the
fighting overseas by stating that
there was a period when there was
question where the Americans
should be placed He-referred to a
difficult sector which the Germans
had held for three or four years.
II was thick with wire entangie-
ments and was otherwise difficult
from military point of view.
Explains Training Plan.
Around the council table | said
that did not believe that any of
the allies except the Americans
had suffered enormous losses Of
their best troops during the early
years of>the war and they had lost
their offensive spirit. The offensive
spirit was the only spirit the Amer
lean troops possessed. told them
that we would take that sector,
x He stated that it required lot of
courage, persistence and hard work
: to hammer the raw American troops
into fighting trim.
: II hope that we will never again
find ourselves in such a woeful state
OF unpreparedness," he continued.
This does not mean that we should
be a militaristic nation, but that we
should prepare our youth through a
certain period of training. | am not
urging compulsory training, except
as congress may order when war
makes it necessary but ! believe
that military training is an excellent
thing and have only to point to
100000 young men we trained dur
ing the last few years.
Pays Tribute to Yanks.
Training gives our young men
finer physical bearing, broadens
their view and altogether it is most
beneficial thing to the young men
and is Of great value to the country.
1t impresses our youth with the duty
they owe to their country and |
would recommend II evenjf / knew
we were never going to have an
other war"
He said he believed that the mat
ter, Of military training is question
for the people to decide. He ex-
pressed the belief that if the young
men of this country had been trained
before 1917 the cost of the war
would have been much less and 1t
would have been probable that this
country would not have been drawn
into the war. He paid fine tribute
TO American manhood as repre-
! scented by the average Yank over
seas.
a - Versatility Put to Test.
s The generals versatility was put
TO the test yesterday when he ap-
reared in various roles. from the
.itime Me arrived at go from Des
.Moines until he departed at 1880
for ,Leavcnworth. He experienced
one of the busy days of his life and
he asserted that he, enjoyed every
minute. -.
M While inspecting Fort Omaha III
his official capacity he now-snd :hen
stepped GU, of his official self to re-
spond TO the designation of papa.
which was uttered by Warren, his
son. whom he kissed in moment
of tenderness and chided when the
! bow allowed his youthful enthusiasm
TO impel him to climb balloon guy
ropes. ~
- No Dull Moments.
:, There was not dull moment dur
ing the 10 hours the general spent
in the metropolis of his adopted
.state. He started in the morning by
motoring from the railroad station
'tc Fort Omaha The committee
which met him comprised Lieut.. Col.
Jacob w. S. Wuest of Fort Omaha.
Sol. 7. II. Morris of Fort Crook,
stiould Dietz. Fl. H. Baldrige, Mayor
Smith, ]. David Larson, NJ. I,
Peters, c. II. Pickens, w. a. Fraser.
~. F. Baxter and w. H. Wood.
u The general was accompanied by
s!fis staff and sisters, Miss Mae Per
lshinS and Mrs. M. D. Butler of Lin
Acoln. In the party of women VINO
went to Fort Omaha were Mrs: ). X.
eMcKelvie. Mrs. Jacob w. 5. Wuest.
Mrs. H. H. Baldrige and Mrs. F. A.
Brogan.
Visits School Children.
As the party was leaving Fort
Omaha to go to luncheon at the
Chamber of Commerce the man who
commanded 100000 Yanks over
seas found himself utterly helpless
when surrounded by nearly LOCO
children of Miller Park school. The
general stepped from his automobile
{ and gathered the throng OF kiddies
TO him.
At the Chamber of Commerce the
general spoke briefly on "Ameri-
canism" and was enthusiastically
received. From that function he
was rushed out to the Ak-Sar- Ben
aviation field.
Then followed another motor trip
to Council Bluffs. where the, gen,
eral addressed gathering of school
children in the Auditorium. The
t.r.,.~,l ,,-,e rv;yep ,ud.hie eyi denre