Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-11

I OF his tough constitution he kept on
going.
He was car, his aathority final, I'M
disputed, over every man in American
uniform in France. His was the power
to fire and hire, to promote and denote.
Many of his generals could not grow as
| he grew and this surprised him some
times. Others broke down.
What am to do with A."
Send him home!"
Baker Stood by Him.
"Then he will only howl his wrongs
from the War Department steps. Baker
stands by me. He gives me full power.
He has troubles enough of his own.
I'll look after mine"
And Gen. A. was sent forth in a
comfortable limousine car on long
tour of inspection to write extensive
memoranda about any improvement he
thought would be valuable to the
organization as whole.
Another general who had done very
able work burst into tears in collapse
from exhaustion. He was, sent to rest
on the Riviera.
Again:
Things are going wrong there; that
division is all balled up. I'm of to
straighten it out. B (the COM
mander) has got to CO."
But B didn't go. The warm i'm
pulse prevailed. B was willing to
be a figure head for his able young
chief of staff.
Again:
what will I do with CO"
It happened that c. had been in
the same class as Pershing at West
Point, and nobody at West Point ever
thought that c. was a Napoleon,
although he had managed graduation.
1t was hard work to break an old COM
rade'S heart.
eyes. That's good. c. can do
that all right, and it will make him
feel important. He'll like that"
Kept His Head in Power.
The danger of so much power was
that it might go to Pershing's head, as
it has to that of so many other eminent
men. 1t went to the heads of some
of his subordinates, who, basked In
proximity to the military throne, after
a train of quick promotions. But just
when it looked as if j. j. P. was getting
a little touched himself he would get
his feet set again in Missourian earth
that canny j. J. p.
One afternoon chief Of section came
flaming into my room waving letter
he had written to the generalissino OF
the allied armies for our commander IN
chief to sign.
But he won't sign it," said.
Now that I'm getting over my mad
a little I see that he won't. Ill go back
and write another"
j. j. p. did not sign even that. He
was marching down the stairs, with
Boyd tripping beside him, to his car.
Hes OFF to see Foch."
And gossip at headquarters specialized
on what he said to Foch and Foch said
to him.
II used to go to the meetings with
the allied generals" Pershing said, land
listen to their plan. Now I go with
my own plan"
Had Million Men There.
This was about the time the United
States had a million men in France,
and Col. de Chambrum, French liaison
officer with American headquarters, re-
marked that If the plower kept on he
would command all the allied armies
In 1919. Once, I remember, when he
came back from one of the allied meet
ings, j. j. P. exclaimed:
II didn't swear this time. It wasn't
necessary" He was not a random con-
versational swearer, but on occasions he
showed that he knew how, and in no
gentle tone.
In the last days of the Meuse-A rgonne
battle remember him gray-faced look
ing as tired as the Army was, and as
determined. 1t took more effort then
to keep the shoulders back
They're in now-my soldiers-and
look at them!"
He had done the blowing, the harness.
ing. the sowing and reaped the harvest.
When the war was over and some
one in a group around him mentioned
the presidency, he said
MY country trained me as soldier
have led an American Army to VIC
tory. That's enough for one man."
We have had many narratives from
abroad. Now the great American