New-York tribune., 1921-11-11
Weeping Mothers, Grip.
pied Comrades, Officials
and Plain Citizens i'm
Long Line at Capitol
Tears in Pershing's
Eyes as He Cazes
Flowers Sent by Royalty
Mingle Fragrance With
Offerings of Children on
Casket of the Unknown

WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (By The
Associated Press) A river of hu-
manity, American men, women and
children, Americans by heritage.
Americans by election, flowed all day
to-day and far into the night past
the bier of the unknown soldier, url-
der the great dome Of the Capitol.
1t flowed as the life blood of the ma
tion itself-a slow but overwhelming
torrent of humanity, gathered to at
test the valor Of Americas dead I'M
France.
From early day until fifteen minutes
before midnight the great stream
surged up the eastern front of the
rotunda, four abreast, UP the granite
stairway, in through the huge doorway,
to pass solemnly, reverently, by the
casket and its five guards, motioniess az
the statues of Lincoln and Grant al the
far doorway which looked down on the
moving spectacle.
Thousands Every Hour
Out through that doorway the stream
passed. through the stately corridor
and its marble stairway and down over
the wide terraces of the western front
to the homes in the city below. Eacl,
hour saw thousands make the slow
journey of honor to the dead. Each
hour saw new thousands pouring IN
the wide driveways that circle the
great building to replenish the living
stream. The Capitol police estimated
that from 10000 to $4,000 people had
flied through the rotunda since a. NJ
That was the overshadowing element
in the cycle of honors heaped upon this
nameless soldier, this son of the people
come home to claim the great reward
his valiant heart had earned. And Is
was his own people, Of every nook 6g
the nation, that silently gave this re-
ward, more precious than any jeweled
or carven token that governments Of
the world will place tomorrow above
the still breast Of the sleeper.
To one side of the throng that rolled
carelessly by the fag-draped casket
a
honors for the dead went on. There
great men, gathered in Washington to
deal with great affairs, came humbly
to place their wreaths and roses at the
bier. There came comrades, limping
from wounds that brought them down
in France. There came gray-haired
veterans of old wars, moved to do
honor to the young, stricken comrade
of the last great struggle; there. in
ordered course, came the ambassadors
and the ministers and the special en-
voys of governments around the world.
There were formal services here, a.
ways with the shuffling footsteps of
the human river beyond merging with
the prayers and the chants and the
spoken tributes to the dead. There
were some. like those wounded boys
from France, who stood awed and
abashed at the solemn maiestey that
had come to this comrade. They placed
their wreaths in wordess praise, their
wounds and the eyes of that great,
endless, living river beyond making
them awkward, their crutches and
canes tapping on the cod stones as
they shuffled back into the obscurity
they craved.
Bereaved Mothers There
Came, too, black-gowned women,
many bowed snd grav with age and
sorrow, and ali wearing in pride the
golden star that tells of a son who
died over there. They brought a ways
with their flowers the great stars that
bring to this unknown son of liberty
message from those comrades whose
names stand above all others in the
roll of the nations servants-the great
scroll of those who, like him, died for
the flag.
AS the hours moved by the vast
reaches Of the chamber seemed all too
small to house the growing mass of
flowers. AS each cluster was set in
place, roses that blossomed in France
or England, that blcomed in Canada or
South Africa, poppies that thrust up
their slender stems through blood
of every color and hue that b ossom
under American skies-the air grew
heavy with the fragrance. Soldier
guards stepped out to move each trb-
ute after it had been set. and the lonc.
rounded sweep of granite wal was
banked with wreaths and green's over
its whole length, and every, vantage
point over the stone floor held IT.
weight of beauty, its share Of honor
for the brave dead.
Night had fallen before the soldiers
and their comrade marines, who joint
ly shared the honor of guarding the
resting place of the unknown dead.
moved to check the stream Of humanity
that continued its measured flow. an
other moment in his great hour of all
eternity had ended for the Unknown.
who is known to all the nation by his
death.
Waits Dawn with Comrades
The lights in the vauted chamber
dwindled and died to dim ~iow. the
great bronze doors swung shut, and,
alone again with the tlreiess comrades
who kept the last vigil with him, Amer
ica's Unknown from France was LETT
to await dawn ard the coming of the
cortege in which the President and all
the highest figures in American ma
tional life will walk humbly to carry
him to the grave. In the quiet of Vir-
ginia hills he will sleep out time.
There was not minute of the day
unclaimed by those who would DO honor
to the dead. There was no organiza-
tion of veterans or of patriotic peopls
over the land unrepresented.
As the first line of mourners stepped
within the hail. male voices from bes