Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-21

in grave danger of being cut off for
ever. They had not stayed long
enough to clean up behind them.
Those German tunnels were still
crowded with men who had not sur
rendered and who now came up with
their machine guns.
Between Two Fires.
The Americans found themselves
between two fires, but, without losing
their nerve, in spite of heavy casual
ties, they held on to their forward
positions until their American COM
rades in reserve, with the Australians
and the English, mopped up those
tunnels and linked up with them.
] went down those tunnels, and
sicken still at the awful sights in
those dark passageways. A German
gun had exploded in one of them,
blowing many men to bits, and dead
bodies lay in heaps. In little Ameri-
can towns and great American cities
there are men who, when they read
these lines, will have in their nostrils
again that terrible stencil of death
which came reaching out Of Bellin.
court, and will remember what things
they saw when their flashlights shone
into those deep tunnels as their steel
hats knocked against low beams over
head.
But among the members of the
American Legion in France l. don't
think there are many who even re-
member that name of Bellincourt,
which has been overshadowed by
and other more ia
nous battlefields. Yet there were
men of Tennessee and the Carolinas
and New York State, fighting side by
side with English Tommies from
Birmingham and Leicester and Aus
tralians from Melbourne and Sydney,
who smashed through one of the
strongest positions in Hindenburg $
famous line, which was Germany's
last defense.
Horror of War.
Who cares now? Who remembers?
must confess that in spite of this visit
of the American Legion to France,
see no use in lingering over those
days of abomination. unless men Of
all nations pledge themselves anew to
prevent any repetition of that sacrifice
of manhood by all possible means of
reconciliation and common sense. In
spite of a heroic courage on all sides,
that war remains a horror in the his.
tory of civilization.
Fortunately, the spirit of the Amer
lean Legion in France seems to bring
this message. All the Americans with
whom ! have spoken have this thought
in their minds. They have come to
renew pledges of friendship not to
revive the spirit Of war. They have
come with gayety and laughter and
human cOmradeship. which makes life
good and helps on peace.
French people ask me whether this
visit of the American Legion will have
any practical effect. | don't think so
But l think ii may have a spiritual
effect I think 1t is another lesson OF
the old human family getting together
touching each others hands and
hearts, helping to understand each
others humanity, across frontiers and
oceans.
Meaning OF Visit.
Last night In hundreds of cafes
American Legionnaires shouted "Vive
la Francer' Their laughter, their
songs, their spirit of the campus made
mockery of the international in
trigue, the sinister jealousies, the grin
apprehensions Of war which still lurl
in Europe.
How much better to laugh at life, tc
clink glasses, to shout Never heart
| Of it." when some one mentions hate OF
| war and tries to rally up youth fol
some new massacre in old fields Of
slaughter. That's what this visit OF
the American Legion means to me
and l hope to God it's true.
Copyright lg27zSy Nsv YORK Tunes CO..