Show adf S birthday ay 9 ady july I 1 Is a date on which every person in the country who wishes to be 10 regarded as a good american should think for a moment ot of the noble nobl character who was born on that tbt day years ago in ill Lata Lala yetto in tile city y ot of W washington ashington facing the white house ascah ads a statue of this man and on the baso base ft ei it are carved the words in which ceorge arge washington has nobly recorded the harmonious friendship cibich existed between this man and bial sel this friend of washington and of 0 america merica i was jean baptiste dona fell de Vl Vi comte do de rochambeau and it Is in view ot of that classic example of friendship between iwo exalted souls as aa well as for or the help that rochambeau ambeau brought to washington and to america libat very every american owes him a thought id and the thought Is most appropriate during this year when the entire civilized civilized w world orld is honoring the memory of 0 george washington nothing have pleased washington more than this moment ot or gratitude that ft 0 6 bestow upon his great ally and comrade in arms every school child knows knos the story rt cf the help that came from france at a critical hour in the progress of 0 the revolution the patriots we are told by the United States george washington bicentennial commission had become destitute ot of everything but their magnificent ant courage and determination but a nation cannot triumph on valor alone end nd the colonies were without funds without Ait hout arm armament ament without food and clothing for their soldiers more than that five years ot of war had so dis heartened heartened the country that it had little prospect ot of raising these necessities in time to save itself and its cause how the french came to our aid ad with ith money and with armed men and ships in answer to the pleadings ot of benjamin franklin and the eloquence ot of lafayette is familiar to ell all the story ot of it makes one ot of the noble pages of history it Is the story ot of nations and ot of individuals willing and able to rise above consideration of financial or political gains and uniting to battle side by side tor for those advantages to progress and to humanity the millions of livres and the J thousands of frenchmen who came cam to america in their transports ana ships ot of war inar made possible ing tons triumph at yorktown ana the winning of american independence but even this splendid splendid and effective gesture is but halt half tho the story the rest of it con consists siss in those graceful and personal acts ot of cou col Elder aion and delicacy with which the french placed under commard com marl and nade possible that harmonious friend ship which soi ngoi himself re rc cords immortally on the statue ot of his friend alend it Is a fact act known chiefly to students at of history that lafayette dearly ly wished to be made commander of this french contingent and its worth th tile the labor ot of turn turning in over all the ilia pases pages ot of dealing with the for the pleasure ot of finding how gracefully lie he yielded tho the honor and how cheerfully he became a subordinate both to his french lich ch chiefton lelton lefton and to genera washington but rochambeau wa was equally tine fine in placing himself completely at orders anil and I 1 la in this he u was as but executing the or aders liars of lils his superiors in france it Is not commonly understood in the first place what an honor the french conferred upon Us ii in I 1 placing rochambeau at the head of 05 ill reinforcements they sent us the count ds do rochambeau was a soldier of 0 the first eminence at the time and he had been chosen to head the pick of the french army in the war hat was expected with england to detail him instead 16 to bring tho IV ench troops to america vas a compliment indeed and no man could have more becomingly personified this compliment t rochambeau was seven years the oder elder ot of washington and long before the american revolution distinguished himself in one of frances important wars A smaller man might have given himself airs on the score of this especially as america was distinctly the suppliant tor for this aid from the french instead rochambeau placed himself and his forces completely at disposal not only that care was taken to observe e evry nicety or 07 military nill tary courtesy during the campaign for instance in the siege of yorktown the americans were given the post of honor at ar the right of the line and within these larger were countless smaller observances that lifted the course pursued by rochambeau to the plane of military chivalry it goes without saying that washington completely captivated rochambeau and all the french officers and the harmonious friendship that sprang up between them was wa just what words corvey corat copat carved on st statue at they will go on nie meaning aning what they say as long as tha two nations survive cerp perpetuating equating ting a friendship of two great powers rochambeau lived on to the rilo old age of 82 during the french revolution he af tits 1 I 1 with the lie struggle for or liberty aal nd I 1 fought tor for the cause but the mur mm derous proclivities ot ol the leal re rg sickened him because of this he was put in prison and was saved from the guillotine quill otine only by the timely death of it ft was from the hands of th tha 3 you young na napoleon that he be received argain hu his rank and estates and was allowed to live out iu in peace a lito life of memories every one of which did hi honor |