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Show FRENlSClOL'S GREAT SACRIFICE Saint Cyr, France, Nov. 25. Saint Cyr, tho West Point of France, made heavy sacrifices to the country in the first year of the war. Nearly 2000 of its graduates were killed, including 887 of the 2000 cadets of the classes of 1914 and 1915. Thirty-one of these young officers were decorated with the cross of tho legion of honor near- . ly 700 of them were cited in orders of the day and more than 500 were wounded. Altogether, more Saint Cyr men perished on tho battlefields of Morhange, Charleroi, tho Marne, the Aiane and in the Vosges than were killed in tho batles of Austerlltz, Eylau, Jena, Wagram, Moskvo Mont-mirall Mont-mirall and Waterloo. Nearly as many died on tho field of honor from August Au-gust 1, 1914, to August 1, 1915, as had previously fallen from the date of the birth of the academy In 1802. On July 20, 1914, tho class of 1915 was drawn up in tho spacious court of Louis XV, and, with impressivo ceremonies, entered upon its military career under tho name of Croix du Drapeau (Cross of the Flag), each class at Saint Cyr always receiving at tho time or. its promotion a distinctive distinc-tive name. Class Poet a Hero. Jean Allard Meeus, the poet of the class, recited a patriotic poem, his only contribution to literature, but one that will make his name enduring When he had finished reading his Inspiring In-spiring lines, a voice cried out from among tho exalted thousand young patriots: "Swear, all of us, that when we go into action it will be in full uniform, with white gloves and plumes flying in our shakos." A thousand voices blended in one reply: I 'We swear it." Some war correspondents have thought to have discovered some d'Artagnans among the French soldiers sol-diers at the front. With the cadets of Saint Cyr the spirit of Cyrano de Bergerac and the cadets of Gascogne may surely be said to live again. The soldier poet, Jean Allard Meeus, kept the oath that he had taken. tak-en. He went into action in full uniform, uni-form, the most conspicuous target of all, leading his section to the assault, and was one of the first to fall. On August 22, at Charleroi, Second Lieutenant Lieu-tenant de Fayolis, of the class of the "Croix du Drapeau," received his baptism of fire. Under a furious shelling shel-ling by the German artillery, his men hesitated. Lieutenant de Fayolis turned turn-ed to encourage them, but perceived that, though he had kept his vow to go into the fight with his white gloves, he had forgotten his red and white plume Immediately drawing it out of his knapsack, he stuck it into his shako and the section, electrified by his example, rushed forward. Courted Death. "You are going to get yourself killed, kill-ed, lieutenant," cried a corporal "Forward! Forward!" was the young soldier's reply, as he bounded forward at tho head of his men. A few minutes later he lay inanimate on the Charleroi battlefield with a bullet hole in his forehead, directly uuder-neath uuder-neath the red and white plume. Lieutenant de Castelnau was a member of the "Montmlrail" class. He, with his section, held the enemy in check half a dav and, at the very moment when he had succeeded in throwing them back, received his death wound. "He had a noble end," was the comment made by his father. General Curieres de Castelnau, on being informed in-formed of his death. Second Lieutenant Lanquetot, aged 19, cited In the orders of the army for his presence of mind in takinc ' command of his company under fire after the commandant had been wounded, and for the courage, cool- , ncss and energy he showed, was a . "Croix du Drapeau" man. Held Bridge All Day. 1 Second Lieutenant Wacher, another 1 "Croix du Drapeau" -man, with his section, held a bridge head an entire 1 day in order to facilitate a difficult retreat. lie got every man away safely at nlgbt and In good order, a 1 most creditable achievement when it 1 is considered how much easier it is 1 to maintain men in attack than in retreat. A young Saint Cyrian, wounded 1 once and returned to the front, took command of a company of territorials, all old enough to be his father. "My dear old daddies," he calls them, and every one of them swears by him, and each and every one would give his life for him. The story is told of a second lleu- l tenant of the class of 1914 who was leading his section on the line of the Yscr in junction with tho Belgian I troops, without apparent consciousness conscious-ness of a great danger that he was running iuto. "Where are you going like that, ; lieutenant?" asked an officer of King ; Albert's staff. "As far as the Vistula, command-; command-; ant; the Russians are calling for us," 1 was the reply. "How I wish the world could have heard his men laugh behind him, as if they were deaf to the screeching of bullets all around," said the Belgian, Bel-gian, officer. "And how I would lore to command French troops," be added. "Why?" someone asked. "Are they braver than others?" "No, it's not that; the others are quite as brave, only the French soldiers sol-diers are joyously brave." Ninety-one Killed. The 475 young men accepted at Saint Cyr, but who were still in their year's service with the regiment before be-fore entering, were also promoted second sec-ond lieutenants, and ninety-one of them have been killed, while the proportion pro-portion of wounded and honors is about the same as in the other classes. class-es. They had no opportunity to be christened at Saint Cyr, but in view of the heroism they showed, they had tho'honor of being christened on the field of battle the "Grande revanche." This name was particularly appropriate appropri-ate for, although the average French "civilian had ceased to think of recovering recov-ering Alsace-Lorraine before the war, the Saint Cyrlans, never; from class to class since 1870 tho idea of tho recovery re-covery of the lost provinces was passed with the interesting ceremony of christening and baptism, and the moment was awaited amidst souvenirs that kept alive the Idea, One of the conspicuous ornaments of the school , is a life-size statute of General Bour-bako, Bour-bako, one of the heroes of tho war of 1870. , Saint Cyr, altogether, has furnished ; the French army 1850 generals, 31,- 323 officers. Four Saint Cyrians be- j came marshals of France PellRsier, Canrobert, MacMahon and Forez. while It has the honor of having grad- . hated one king Peter of Serbia. . oo i "Tho town of Fayette, Idaho," ac- j cording to Farm and Fireside, "has l the distinction of having a horse that ( served through the Civil War and is i now fifty-three years old. oo f |
