Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1922-05-18
GOOD-BX!

of the air service whose daring and brilliancy
will ornament many pages Of the Worlds war
history Already extensive plans are on foot to
make our cemeteries over there great national
memorials; and to insure the success Of the under
taking, plans for beautifyng and ornamenting have
been placed in the hands of special commission
appointed by the secretary Of war.
1t Is headed by the chief Of the cemeterial
division; other members are: Charles Moore, sec
retary of the National Fine Arts commission;
James L. Greenleaf, New York landscape artist;
and William Mitchell Kendall, the we-known ar
tist of New York. Their ideas when carried out
will make the American Fields Of Honor the
most impressive cemeteries in the world. And
every one will be an outpost Of America In France
or Belgium, for wherever lies the grave of an
American soldier, lies, too, spot that is forever
America.
Rolnagne which is our Argonne cemetery, orig
inally held in its bosom $4,000 Of our men who
fell In the Muese-Argonne offensive, Americas
greatest battle. There every State Of the Union,
as we'll as the territories of Hawaii, Porto Rico,
and the Philippine islands, had representation.
No spot In France Is more historically famous
than this, the Argonne sector, where lies our larg-
est field Of honor.
Here Frances greatest battles have been fought.
but none so great as that of 1918, when America
and France again fought side by side, as in the
days OF Washington and Lafayette, and again for
the principles of freedom and liberty. SO, Ro-
magne-Argonne our beautiful and largest ceme-
terry stands as monument to Americas share
In the worlds greatest struggle.
Belleau, whose name memory lovingly links with
the herosm and sacrifice Of our men Of the Sec
ond division, lies In q green, fertile valley dense
ly wooded, with loved and shattered Chateau
Thierry near its portals. This cemetery Is and
always will be of the greatest national pride and
glory to the United States, for 1t was at Chateau
Thierry that the American soldiers cried, "They
shall not passw and, like barrier across thelr
path, halted the Huns on their way to Paris
Suresnes cemetery, in the winding valley of the
Seine and surrounded by semi-circle of hills, Is
like white gem in an exquisite setting Of emerald.
Old Fort Valerien, whose massive gray walls
crown one Of the hilltops, stands like grim SEN
tinel guarding our dead. Lying off In the dis
tance can be seen one Of the worlds greatest
cities--Paris-whose beautiful Washington boule-
ward, curving in graceful lines, connects 1t with
our cemetery.
Flanders Fields, famiiarly known by It's old
name of Bony is the spot made historically famous
to America by the Twentyseventh and Thirteth
divisions whose united effort as the Second corps,
furnish one of historys most brilliant pages. Boys
of the North and South, sons Of the men who
wore the Blue and the Gray-who can say that,
In spirit the great commanders Of that long past
war were not near 10 suiue' their poys, as they
advanced to meet common enemy on the battle
ground of Flanders Fields.
In smashing the Hindenburg line, many of the
divisions bravest, sons were left to sleep In the
field they had so galantly defended-"In Flanders
Fields where poppies blOw"-the deep, rich GRIM
son of those peoples; how they cover every hill
side and dell Growing thicky among them are
the white lilies Of the valley and the beautiful
blue cornfowers And "Old Glory" floating high
and wide, finds its colors reflected in these flow
ers below.
So peaceful and restful! 1t seems such little
while ago that the boom of cannon and the scream
of shell had sent fleeing from their native haunts
the sky larks now returning whose little throats
all through the day pour forth floods of melody
q requiem over the dead, psalm Of thanksgiving
to the Great Creator for bringing again to their
home peace and quiet.