New-York tribune., 1921-01-29
BY
Heywood Broun
ght. 1871. New Yoris Tribune Inc.

| the gesture with much skill. He lacked
the Napoleonic tradition.
Another American officer, a younge,
one, said, "If ever have anything tc
do with West Point I'm going to copy
these Frenchmen. They do 1t natur-
ally, but we've got to learn, Pm going
to introduce a course in practical the
atricalism. Now, if were a general
as soon as heard of some little trench
raid in which Private Smith distin-
guished himself I'd send staff officer
down on the sly to find out what Smith
looked like. Then I'd inspect that par
ticular organization and when / go.
to Smith my aide would nudge me and
I'd turn, as if instinctively, and say,
Isn't that Private Smith who distin-
guished himself on the evening of Jam
uary 18 at 8 o'clock? want 70 shake
your hand, Smith, Why, man. the
French army has been living and
breathing on stuff like that for the
last two years.
1t is an easy matter to satirize the
heroic and theatrical gesture. The
French themselves did 1t. Once in the
Chamber Of Deputies, late in the war.
Radical member, who didn't care
much for the war, anyway, and still
less for the Cabinet, arose and said ::
This morning as was walking in the
streets of Paris a little before dawn
| saw three camionc headed for the
front, and l stopped the first driver
and said, 'Ah, l am overjoyed to see
that at last the ministry is awake to
the needs OF our brave poilus and is
sending supplies to the front. What
is it that you carry-ammunition.
clothing, food?' But the driver shook
his head and said, No; Croix de
Guerre'"
But the satire does not cut too deep
ly, for Croix de Guerre played just as
important part in winning the war
as food or ammunition or clothing. I
heard French colonel once cry to q
crowd of prisoners returned from Ger
many, broken and ill.,: "Now, let us
hear you shout that which it has been
SO long forbidden to you to say, 'vive
la France!'" And as he spoke his arm
shot up into the air and his voice rang
like a trumpet call, and everybody
within sound Of. the man Strengthened
up and thrilled as if he had just heard
Of great victory. 1t WAS fine art for
all the fact that It was probably also
sincere.
No, when Napoleon had himself
crowned in Notre Dame it was not. as
Wells says, "Just ridiculous scene"
Napoleon realized that a play can be
staged in cathedral or upon bat
tlefeld just as we'll as in a theater.
and that man who may come In time
to be the superman Of whom Wells
dreams is still little bcy sitting in
the gallery, ready TO applaud and to
shout for any dressed-up person who
knows how to walk to the center of
the stage and hold it.
Generally, I am convinced by Wells
that the culture of GREECE was not as
important as other hstorisns would
have US believe. Wells points cut per-
suasively that it was merely surface
movement. Still, there are things about
Greece which I regret. There was a
messenger once who took the news Of
Marathon TO Athens and he ran all the
way. Neither the Western Union nor
the Postal has been able to ..naintain
this tradition. That Greek was the
last of the good messengers. To be
sure, he dropped dead whom he got to
Athens. PeHhaps that Isl the memory
which ever since his day has ,beld all
other messengers in check. ~