Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-14
ow Foch's Trip Revealed Pure Amerlcanlsm

American men stood their women folks car
ryirg children-and the children waving
flags. They didn't have to pay any attention.
They had no chance Of seeing Foch. They
had waited for an hour or more for the train
to pass Those men didn't have to stand In
the rigid position of the soldier. They just
did it.
And that's going to require lot of ex-
planning from the folks who go out among US
with typewriters and adding machines to dis
cover for us that the country is bound for
Bolshevism and that men and women to-day
are sneering at old fashioned "you-may-flre-
when-you're-ready-G ridley" patriotism or
Americanism or whatever you call it.
Woman Gave Geranium
For Sons Grave in France
And there was the woman at the station
platform in a little town in Indiana She
had managed to get away up front near the
observation end of Fochs special train. The
train paused less than a minute. But she
rushed past the policemen and the secret
service men to thrust into the French SOL
dier's hands potted geranium.
MY boy died near Soissons," she told the
Marshal. Twill you plant this flower when
you get back home? He was a gardener and
raised beautiful geraniums."
That night some one moved the geranium
into the baggage car. Foch missed 1t in the
morning and made inquiries.
Fetch it back" he ordered, when in
formed that it had been taken out Of his way
Il shall attend to it myself because intend
keeping 1t alive and planting it in my own
garden for that womans boy"
He didn't say this to reporters None of
his staff came running back to the cor
respondents car to tell them how thoughtful
this Marshal was. The incident was over
heard inadvertently. The professional press
agent would have sown the story in every
State in the Union.
OF course it is more difficult to assay the
worth Of the demonstrations in the cities.
These demonstrations were organized. They
had been worked up for days. The Gov
ernors of States and the Mayors of cities
took part There were great parades and
fiery speeches. Policemen herded the
crowds back and forth To repeat it was
difficult to weigh the sincerity Of such well
comings
But the crowds in Cleveland didn't have
to stand for hours in the rain to get a
glimpse of Foch. And the shivering crowds
who couldn't even get near the curbs weren't
led in their cheering away back there where
they couldn't see his automobile. And the
men and boys who belong to no military Or
6oiAH1poh IuW, anu WHO udO not been asked
to march in the parade did not have to
resurrect the old army breeches or the bat
tered overseas cap and wear them Just for
the day.
Supposed Home of Communism
AS Joyful as Any Place
Later on the Marshal was led through tho
Homestead steel mills near Pittsburgh. How
many times have we been told that these
steel workers were disciples of Communism
and what not? Think of the stories to the
effect that these huskies were yearninp IN
see the Red flag take the place of the stars
and Stripes and longed for the opportunitv
of sneering at representatives of the old
order of things.
Well, you should have seen the big how
VINO nao peen FEEDING furnace back aWav
from his fiery door and salute the Marshal &C
he went by, and you should have seen the
puddlers swinging their long iron rods IN
time with their cheers. They DIDN'T have 10
you know. And there was no cheer leader
to instigate a demonstration. 1t was
wholly spontaneous
Youth, YOUTH" said the Marshal re-
peatedly. You have youth on your side
you Americans and youth will always nre,
vail. 1t has no enemy strong enough n
cope with 1t. Your country is young; your
olo people are young; your ideals are those
Of the clean minded youth. You have bound
less energy. Whatever you do you do with
all the vigor of the youth: 1t was that
youth and freshness and vigor and the
courage of the young man who has never
been afraid that carried your soldier.
through to victory"
This argument that America 10 SIN
America may suffer lapses from logic. IT,
may not run true to the rules of socioloev,
If there be arbitrary rules. And II NAV
cause the singers of the "Internationale" n
smoker bit.
But after all it's not an argument. II !.
merely recital of commonplace facts
things that happened while Marshal Focb
was going to Kansas City and coming bach