| Show t feOr Contemptible Little Generals General GeneralI I I i 0 i f j. j Goodwins Goodwin's s 's Weekly 1 f I 41 After er the armistice was signed th the American American occupied Coblenz r r r Thus Field Marshal Haig In his official of official ot- ot report It is the only recognition recognition tion tion he lie e a accords cords the soldiers that saved saved sav- sav sayed ed him from disaster when his back t. t was was to the wall In Flanders and he was ris' ris crying for tor hei help It is his only m mention of or othe the men who after the deb de- de b e jn the spring of ot 1918 were the first with the aid ot of the Australians 10 to break the the HIndenburg line We had lead it In mind to voice with sonic some some bitterness the growing resentment resent- resent meat ment and scorn of ot Americans for the conspiracy of silence that seems to 5 5 have ha throttled all generous words in inthe the tile throats of men who boast of their fair air play piar as If it it were something akin t to to a religion But the words that S surge within us to be uttered die on our lips Our vision ision goes back to that contemptible contemptible contemptible con little army that tha fared forth out of ot England to hold the Hunish hoards from Belgium and France back even to those gallant days dars when Asquith declared that England's honor would not permit her to stand aside and make a bargain bar bar- ot gain of self-interest self with the barba- barba rians of ot Prussia Those were inspiring Inspiring ing ing days and the blood still thrills when one thinks of the British army S 5 the first hundred thousand that crossed the channel to battle for the i foemen wh who had measured swords with them in every century from before before be be- fore the middle ages down almost to our own ties It was an alliance to tomake tomake make mak the heart throb and the eyes grow dim What names fired the brain with immortal memories One Ones s seemed emed to see the Black Prince and the long line Une of warrior kings flaming through the clouds to lead that dazzling dazzling daz daz- host And on the other shore one seemed to glimpse the ancient chivalry of ot France and at their head Bayard and Joan of ot Arc in blaz- blaz armor And then came camo Mons and ChaI Charleroi and the terrible retreat of th the tbt Celtic and Saxon hosts Their swords swords' were broken but their J spirits never Fighting for the the- best i j there was In civilization for the the Ideal that still sUll ennoble the tho hearts hearts' of or orthe the Jn men n of Merry England for liberty and for honor for the things that make honest and good men grip hands bands wherever they meet whether by th the sheltered rivers of ot England 5 5 On m tho the burning Africa sands or amid I l i ll the fatal snows of ot the Antarctic We had bad It In our hearts we say to utter words that sear and kill But let that pass Tomorrow perhaps they will need our our aid again Tomorrow perhaps the stars and stripes will start eastward eastward eastward east east- ward from the bridgehead at atC Coblenz blenz to lead the theay Wa way ay for tor our men fighting beside the men of England and of France And it if that nigh high call shall come our soldiers will think not of ot the petty generals of England but buthe tIle the t heroes of Mons and Charleroi of the thin red line that held the coast of Flanders when the tidal wave of Huns dashed forwarded in vain of the landing at the Dardanelles of the campaigns In Mesopotamia of the cool which ruled tho the oceans while the ships of England were sinking on every hand struck to their hearts by the sneaking torpedoes torpedoes torpedoes torpe torpe- does of Ypres Messines VI Vimy my Ridge and Cambrai of the sea fighters fighters fight fight- ers ers who volunteered for almost certain certain certain tain death when the order came to block the harbors of Bruges and Os- Os tend I The kaiser spoke of at the ills co contemptible temp temp- tible little army of the Britons but buthe lie he he was thinking perhaps of ot England's England's England's Eng Eng- lands land's contemptible little generals Had Great Britain In her ber gravest crisis been blessed with great generals generals generals gen gen- her army would not have stood with Its back to the wall In the spring of ot 1918 and there would have been n no no necessity for an American army to do even so slight a thing as occupy Coblenz after the armistice was signed 0 |
