Show Q Quiet Reigns on Anniversary Of Great Battle of Verdun Ol PRING will Ill come to France next S SPRING O month but spring will not cometo cometo come cometo to the field of or Verdun Already Alread the grass Is green on tho broad stretches of ot Champagne In the Vos-cs Vos the snow patches linger er only in the stubborn shelter of or rocks that bar tho the sun but there thero Is 13 no portent of at resurrection In all the stretch of or churned gravel marking the line of oC forts torts that protect the citadel of or the cuso from the northeast Only on the pathless slopes elopes that lead to the tho lay clay Is soft sott underfoot underfoot under under- foot toot and the shell holes are aro tilted filled with clear water and between them thorn course new-born new brooks sublimating In crystal pools from Crom which no man would dare drink Standing on toward sunset sunset sun sun- set of ot February 21 21 l 1919 a 1919 a blustery squally though not a particularly cold day you day you could have looked cast ant and west and nd north through the tho clear air of tho the hel heights of the and seen over and beyond Le La Mort Homme and nm to the heights of or Montfaucon on down into tho the and the tho salient of or St. St or to the north and the tho cre crests crets ts of Los Jumelles dOrnes dOrne tho the Twins of ot were inside the G German rm n lines when the arm army of oC the tho crown prince set act cl ou out Just three years ears to the day before to conquer Verdun and with Verdun France and with France tho the world nOD linac Still SUII Str Strewn About Standing there the with desolation at your feet reel and with possibilities of oC more moro desolation If you OU tread trea too fIrmly firmly firmly firm fIrm- ly on the dud that is 19 sure to lie Ito within with with- in a yard ard of or you ou whichever wa way you ma may turn with bones still strewn roundabout the tho white harvest est of ot winter winter winter win win- have heard without without without with with- ter rains you OU might bt out straining your cars the dull di resonant resonant resonant res res- boom of or an II H E. E E.- E. TeS E.-TeS yr s s. s even ven on onI I February 21 1919 last 1919 last Friday The They will tell you ou In V VerdUn that booms are a frequent occurrence occurrence occur occur- rence renco that tho ground often otton shakes with them that the paper window windowpanes windowpanes windowpanes panes often otten bell belly In and out and even even een break from tram the concussion They will tell you OU that last Saturday the noblest boom of ot them all set the elt city quivering quivering quiver quiver- ing In- Inand and Jostled down a few rew more loose bricks for an nn American demolition unit farther up the tho Meuse on that day set off art fifty tons of or useless but still potent explosives establishing thereby thereby there there- b by a record for postal destruction destruction destruction tion that will stand until some other demolition outfit zealously goes oes out and collects one fifty tons Standing on on that anniversary anniversary an nn- sunset you would have thou thought ht those booms singularly ap ap- ap Verdun has nov nover r had a quiet an anniversary Cannon boomed on three sides of oC It for two fifty months a n. single frustrate shell landed atop on November Xo 9 9 1918 Next I February perhaps you OU will hear nothing from unless a luckless Mouse farmer strikes something something some some- thing hard with the nose of ot his plow Already Place for rn lm hn is already a place of ot pilgrimage particularly for Americans Tho The members member of or Its little garrison which Is not a n. garrison at all all all-a a score of or superintended b by an nn ad adjutant all all- are are glad to act as ns Impromptu u guides guide although their proper are aro u c the maintenance of ot the fort tort and tho the upkeep of ot its Hs machine machinery For the first Impression that the visitor to Doul has Is that ho is In a vast underground powerhouse Entering J by tho the southern portal along the little nt narrow w gauge ho he hears tho the busy hum of ot giant I motors mo mo- tots tors whoso whose solo sole apparent function Is Isto Isto Isto to keep the tho rows of ot Incandescent lamps burning In all the maze mazo of ot tunnels tunnels tun tun- nels which can enn shelter and havo sheltered shel shel- terell two whole regiments res The They have Installed their own little museum those twenty or so o French sol soldiers lers and they thoy will show you ev everything ov- ov from a Bocho Docho trench helmet punctured In half a hundred places by bya a shrapnel burst directly overhead to the tips of at the Os O's which rained on onto onto onto to the tho bastion four tour years ago One of the garrison last Friday was cleaning a very rusty ver very battered but still gUll workable LU Luger er which ho he had found only that noon and ho would not sell It For Is a veritable souvenir souvenir souvenir sou sou- venir hunters hunter's paradise If a Do French store window Is tilled filled with chased shell cases and other trophies labeled Verdun tho the chances are that the they aro are wholly genuine for tor it would be easier casler to pick them up at Verdun than to turn them out on a latho lathe Hardly Celebration Rifles Rines bayonets shell holl fuses fuse shell tips Ups shell fra fragments ments cartridges cartridge cartridge cart cart- ridge e cases grenades which only the most rabid collectors will go after and be sorry for tor It If It they survive lie about In desperate profusion rather tho the worse for Cor weather but still tangible tans mementoes of ot the tho no death of or orthe the thc German idea You will find them cv even n on tho the northern slope of ot manes mants t twin ln sister fort of or forIt for tor forIt It was on that slope that the German Idea died died It it was a that the massed cohorts of oC the crown prince did not pass The occasional activity of ot American demolition units was the tho closest approximation approximation ap ap- ap- ap to a celebration which Verdun held in honor of ot the u greatest Yd m in au an all ner zier luminous history history- probably for tor the simple reason that th thoro there are not enough people there to provide a spectacle or an audience Corning Coming down into the city from Vaux and Souville SoU after sunset on that da day when the Twins of ot Ornes were blending Into tho the troubled troubled troubled trou trou- bled gray sk sky you ou would havo have seen on the tho left bank of oC tho the reuse Mouse the swift fiery ascent of or flares red and white and green or green or p perhaps blue blue blue- lingering lIns and lighting up tho the valley with nith some of or their ancient baleful baleful- ness They too like the dud were leftovers in the hands of or Yanks at pl play y and like the tho duds it was only an art ordinary coincidence that shot them off ott on February 21 21 quite quite lIkely there will be far tar more shot of off on March larch IT Ii Thus much and thus much only did Verdun observe hor nor anniversary |