The Concordia sentinel. (Vidalia, Concordia Parish, La.) 1882-current, 1921-01-01

city in offering bitterest resistance to the Ger
in 1870.
First came mutilated soldiers and veterans OF
the Great War, then troops from Alsace and LOr-
raine and then coIOnials. General BerdouIat gov
ernor of Paris, followed, preceding flags used in
the late war, behind which came General FalQue
and staff, bearing artillery flags, and General
Derescas and STAFF, above whom waved cavalry
standards. =
Faded and shattered flags of 1870 recently
trieved from Potsdam and Berlin and carried by
veterans of the Franco-Prussian war; escorted the
car bearing the heart of Gambetta, who resisted
desperately giving these very flags to Prussia in
the hour of defeat.
delegation of noncoIlmissioned officers of all
arms separated this car from the 155gnn
riage upon which lay the body of the unknown
soldier President Millerand and all members of
his cabinet walked behind it, accompanied by the
three French marshals-Joffre. the hero of the
Marne Foch, whose genius accomplished the final
defeat of Germany, and Petan, whose defense Of
Verdun will forever live in French song and story.
The procession terminated with delegations
from the st. Cyr and Polytechnic schools, repub-
Hcan guards colonial infantry, Senegalese units.
aviation officers two batteries of 75s and one Of
1855. AS the procession entered Boulevard Sainte
Michel there was heard in the distance, from the
forts surrounding Paris, the first shot of 100
gun salute.
At $50 O'Clock the procession reached the
Il
short address, 1t then continued down Boulevard
st. Michel and Boulevard st. German. crossing
the Seine by the Chamber Of Deputies bridge. 1t
crced Place de la COncOrde passing the statues
Of Lille ana Strausburg. and proceeded up the
Champs Eysees 1t reached the Are de Triomphe
at noon
Armistice day was observed all over the United
States and in many ways. No national cele-
bration was held and where the bugers blew taps
to American dead it to the Soldier Dead"
and not to the unknown Dead"
Secretary Of War Baker asked TO authorize
the removal of the body of an unidentified Amer
lean soldier from France for interment in tie
planned Victory hall, Pershing square, New York
city. He refused the authorization.
Mr.. Baker said that if the United States were
to follow the example of Great Britain and France
such burial of an American soldier should he in
the amphitheater at Arlington in some of the
government public buildings. He said that the
removal of a body to the planned Victory hall In
New York would set a precedent and that many
other cities and towns would mot be cOntented
TO be denied the opportunity to show rev.
erence and respect"
Whatever the result, an American precedent
has been areadr set. In fact. America set il for
the world In Arlington rises a monument, dedi-
Gated more thar half century ago with cere-
mony on which is this inscription:
Beneath this stone repOse the bones OF two
thousand one hundred and eleven unknown sol
diers gathered efter the from the fields OF
Bull Run and The route to the RappahannocK
Their remains could not be identified. but their
names and death are recorded in the archives OF
their country and ITS grateful citizens honor them
as of their noble army of martyrs. May they rest
in peace. Sept. A. ID. 1867
Armistice day seems destined to come to mean
TO the whole world what Independence day means
TO America.
How better express that meaning than through
honors to the unknown Dead|