Evening star., 1923-02-02

more ghostly glow lts ilgnts ana
pressed onward.
"No more of this. Forever.
As an echo.
* *x
Twenty officers. once outstanding
physically perfect, lay upon hospital
beds at Rrest Grimly they clung to
those threads of life that remained.
Stanchly they = locked their hearts
against miserable reflections They
had fought the other grim thing
through-they had given their best
Now they would fight this new battle
to a. finish. They would return to
the world. Handicapped. perhaps. but
not hopeless. AS these mon lay there.
every conscious effort was against
weakening. Silence in their pain
appearance of the struggle waged by
each one and by all.
But into that ward one day came a
young officer who despite his physically
shattered condition smiled. He smiled
as he had when battling at Chateau
in leading his mon into pitiless
| struggle on. the Aisne, smiled as he
had seen the slowly disintegrating
! ranks of the enemy before Mont
Blanc. He smiled when asked of the
missing leg. He smiled when waving
the nurse placed dressings upon a
hideously marred body.
"For." as he later connded. why
| shouldn't one smile? We have won.
You know what that means. boys.
No more little old wars The old
The war had been won. The
| mighty effort of nation of more
| than q hundred million people who
had thrown every sinew into the
struggle had turned the tides that
| endangered Europe.
| Over the seas had been sent mill
lions Of men. Every energy of folks
at home had been bent in backing
| those lads whose souls were tried
| and bodies shattered that the prin-
| Ciples enunciated by America might
triumph. principles around which
| war-worn peoples were rallying.
| Victorious armies had moved for
ward. then farther forward. The
| capitulation of the enemy was COM
advance guards of the apostles OF
civilizations creed. there to remain
until the peace had been signed and
\ It's guarantees established. America {
! forces took their place with the rest
| to begin the watch on the Rhine
7
Paris there to Ak by theory and creed
| the precepts which were to free the
world of menace and permit all ma
| tions, all peoples, to advance In or
derliness and prosperity.
The peace was signed, but in Its
inception, in It's very heart. sprans
new jealousies. new rivalries, new
ambitions and new nationalistio pur.
poses.
/ Nationaiism of the old order ir
Europe once more 10 given full play
and the fires Of hatred are kindline
new wars.
Hate has suppianted after-the-wal
brotherhood.
| Suspicion has undermined friend
ships supposedly cemented upor
fields of battle.
Bickering Of statesmen has led t
chaos.
Peoples whose governments Tough
the war today are suffering as no
even during the maelstrom that free
the European continent for mor'
than four years.
The spirit OF peace and good will
counted count a,uP9 upon to seal the victory ha'
Americas ideals for which tens o.
thousands Of lads gave their live,
are today shunted aside
The powers Of Europe are barring
their teeth as angry wolves.
Americas Dag has been lowered
Her troops are now moving homo.
One recalls him who died in BATH,
that there should be no more war
Him Of the ghostly places who said
mo more Of this. Forever" Hin
who had traded a good body for {
mutilated one that Americas ideal
should forever be perpetuated.
| One looks to Europe today ant