Evening star., 1924-10-04

Adolphe Huguet. L. 5. A, said in
sketchins the plans for the memorial
and steps leading up to it's erection
and dedication today.
This memorial monument" he
said, lis the fulfillment of the pact
between the living and the dead: it
represents the least of the debts that
We owe to our comrades, whose sacri-
noes were the price of our victories.
The resolve for some enduring memo
rial to them came to US upon the
battlefield itself. Day by day we saw
their bodies lying as they fell. Often
We could not bury them until the tide
of battle bore our victorious lines
forward, SO that those who performed
the last sad rites could do so without
too great losses from hostile fire.
The appeal of those mute and Sc
rene faces, courageous even in death,
to keep faith with them, was an
swered in our hearts, and We prom
ised that we would honor their mem
ory and preserve their spirit of
courage and patriotic devotion as an
inspiration to US and to our people
for all time
Tells of Activities.
Col. Huguet then went into detail
as to the various steps for raising
the funds for the monument, starting
in the army of occupation in Ger
many; the obtaining of authority
from Congress for erecting the monu-
ment here and the selection of plans.
More than 5000 members of the 1st
Division and more than $500 patriotic
friends of the division contributed, at
great sacrifices, he said, toward the
erection of the monument
The memorial association is deeply
indebted to Maj. Gen. Charles p. Sum-
n
Fuqua." said Col. Hugett, who have
labored INCREASINGLY from the begin
ming. We gratefully acknowledge the
help and the assistance of all those
who contributed. and especially Maj
Clark Williams for his consistent eff
forts, and Maj. John y. Smith, jr,
adjutant generals department, for his
assistance in connection with the COM
pietion of the list of our dead
The monument does not contain
the name of any living person. The
bronze tablets. Col. Huguet con-
tinued, contain the names of 5,559
dead of the division.
Every State Represented.
The names of soldiers from every
State in the Union. the District of Co
lumbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Pana
ma Canal Zone and Porto Rico ap
pear in the list of our dead" he said.
The monument and the figure of
Victory are beautiful and inspiring,
but the major theme of the memorial
is respect and honor to the dead of
the 1st Division. This memorial bears
witness to the supremacy of disci-
pline and education in the vocation
of arms. 1t stands for duty, honor,
responsibility, order precision. Sur
mounting the polished integrity of
ha q
right and unswerving. stands Vic
tory with the flag of our country
pointing heavenward-the path of pa
triotism and honor"
After Col. Huguet's review of the
successful efforts to erect the monu-
ment. Private tfrst class) Daniel r..
Edwards, medal of honor man and a
member of Company c, Sd Machine
Gun Battalion. pulled the cord which
exposed the monument to view, and
Immediately Battery C doomed forth
its salute, as the bands played The
Star Spangied Banner"
Gen. Summe rail- Speaks
The monument is a bequest ITO our
people, the inspiration of the spirit
that actuated them in their heroism
and sacrifice" Gen. Summerall said.
1T is a popular practice at present
to inveigh against war and to con-
denim its evils and those who par
ticipate in it alike as enemies to
humanity. While its horrors are to
be deplored beyond almost all other
alamities, those who condemn it un-
reservedly are uninitiated in the
spiritual attributes that it diScloSeS
in the men who devote their lives to
the call of duty, honor and country.
War has come to our people only
when the agencies of peace have
failed, and it's sole object has been
the restoration of peace. Thus its
mission is one of the highest obliga-
tions of civilization. 1t is the supreme
test of the physical and spiritual
qualities of man, and it demands for
it's sacrifices only the best.
Viewed from this lofty ideal the
career of the 1st Division was provi-
Dental in it's progress and growth to
meet the ever-increasing demands
that lay before it from the selection
of it's elements along the Texas bor-
der to the cessation of hostilitieS. I'm
der the skiIlful convoy of the Amer
ican Navy it made the initial cross
ing of the arineInveSted seas
and carried the visible proof of aid
to the Sorely pressed allies. Trained
within sound of the enemies guns, it
came early to realization of the
part that it was destined to bear and
stoically endured the hardships and
privations inse parable from the rig
ors of the climate and the exactions
of discipline. Thus. even before it
was called upon to bear the shock of
battle it had developed fortitude and
self sacrificing devotion to duty. In
the trenches of Lorraine and Picardy
it's courage and self-reliance were
tested and loyalty to every obliga-
tion became almost religion.
AT Cantigny it proved it's fighting
qualities to friend and foe alike and
heartened our countrymen by the
knowledge that the America Of Bunk
er Hill and Gettysburg was the Amer
ica of the battle fields of France
When thrown into the desperate fight
ing a scissors, where it could reach
the position only by almost superhu-
man effort, there were added the
sublime resolution and SelfiesSness
that alone could have changed the
tide of battle on that decisive field. In
the grim and haggard faces of the
| remnants who returned from this glo-
rious victory there shone the exalta-
| tion triumph that was to crown the
| brilliant advance at ST. Mihiel and
! the Irresistible onslaughts on the
| MeuSe-
! First to Go Over.
The first to go and the last to re-
| turn the division constituted a grea
instrumentality for doing the Nations
| will Today it's veterans in every
part of the land are maintaining the
| ideals of their old command as pa
| triotic and industrious citizens. The
fortitude and courage of our wounded
| challenge admiration and gratitude
! the members of the active division
wearing the insignia and the en-
blems of valor or worthily upholding
the traditions created by the living