file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #bdhhi-;h4htm or #bdhhi-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/ d_/h_/h_/bdhhi_/bdhhi-;h_/#bdhhi-;h4htm7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#b_/ d_/h_/h_/bdhhi_/bdhhi-;h4zip7 ,,the ,,greater ,,love by ,,chaplain ,,george ,t4 ,mc,c,a,r,t,h,y1 ,u4 ,s4 ,army ,illustration3 ,,chaplain ,mc,c,a,r,t,h,y 7,before the ,attack at ,rembercourt47 ,extension ,press ,chicago ,copyright #aibj by ,extension ,press ,,contents ,,chapter ,,page ,preface #i ,i ,leave ,home--,base ,hospital ,no4 #aa--;,camp ,dodge #ac ,,ii ,camp ,mills--,st4 ,stephen's1 ,new ,york--,enter ,army #ba ,,iii ,camp ,merritt--,leviathan--,at ,sea #cf ,,iv ,brest--,ancey-le-,franc #df ,v ,in ,billets--,departure for ,front #ef ,,vi ,puvinelle ,sector--,bois le ,pretre--,vieville en ,haye #hc ,,vii ,the ,greater ,love #ig ,,viii ,thiacourt--,aerial ,daring #ajd ,,ix ,rembercourt #abb ,x ,armistice ,day--,gorz #ada ,,xi ,domremy--,home #adh ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,page ,chaplain ,mc,carthy 7,before the ,attack at ,rembercourt7 ,frontispiece ,united ,states ,unit ,no4 #b--;,blessing of ,unit's ,colors at ,st4 ,stephen's #ah ,sisters of ,unit ,no4 #b--,the ,only ,sisters of the ,a4 ,e4 ,f4 #bf ,seventh ,division ,troops ,boarding ,leviathan at ,hoboken #cd ,in ,rue de ,belgrade--,lull ,before ,battle #db ,taps and ,farewell ,volleys for ,our ,heroic ,dead #ej ,the ,battle ,swept ,roadside ,was ,sanctuary and ,choir #ff ,the ,men ,behind ,our ,mess at ,bouillonville #gd ,our ,dugouts ,afforded ,shelter and ,habitation #hb ,thiacourt ,under ,shell-,fire #ij ,doctor ,lugar and ,aids ,working in a ,gas ,attack ,near ,jolney #ih ,the ,wounded ,were ,carried to the ,nearest ,shelter #aad ,st4 ,joan of ,arc #abb ,where ,st4 ,joan of ,arc ,made ,her ,first ,communion #acj ,in the ,church at ,domremy #ach ,greater ,love ,than ,this ,no ,man ,has #adf ,,preface ,to him who will but observe the genesis and development of moral qualities1 whether in the individual ,man or in the collective ,state1 there finally comes1 with compelling force1 the conviction--,god is in ,his world and has care of it6 ,out of the slime of things mundane1 out of the very clay of ,life's daily round of laughter and tears1 loving and hating1 striving and failing1 living and dying--the romance of ,peace1 the ,tragedy of ,war--,god is still creating men and nations and vivifying them with souls ,immortal4 ,providence but looks upon the water of the commonplace1 and behold6 it becomes wine of ,cana6 ,the recent world war1 hallowed by the very purity of motive and intention with which our ,american ,manhood took up its burden1 led us nationally unto those heights of moral perspective and spiritual vision known only to him who toils upon the hill of ,sacrifice4 ,no ,spartan of ,athenian fields1 no ,regulus of ,rome or ,nathan ,hale1 was nobler1 higher motived or less afraid than our own heroic ,american ,doughboy6 ,into the shaping and formation of his moral character many forces entered2 and1 not least of these1 the ,military ,chaplain4 ,this man--and every sect and denomination generously gave him--was pre-eminently ,god-fearing1 thoroughly patriotic1 unselfishly charitable1 untiringly zealous1 and whole of soul devoted to duty4 ,mine was the privileged and sacred duty1 as ,vicar ,general of the ,fourteen ,states comprising the ,great ,lakes ,vicariate1 of knowing intimately and directing the splendid work of these heroic soldiers of the ,cross4 ,the inspiration ,i drew1 both from these priests and from contact with their work and written reports1 whether in cantonments1 camps1 hospitals1 transports1 battleships1 or on the flaming front of the battlefields1 ,i shall ever treasure and recount with pride4 ,archbishop ,hayes1 appointed by the ,holy ,father ,chaplain ,bishop in charge of all priests in ,military ,service1 and who conducted the vast responsibilities of that most important work with such eminent success1 has declared our ,chaplains to be the ,flower of the ,american ,priesthood4 ,one of such is ,father ,mc,carthy1 ,author of this book ,the ,greater ,love4 ,the same zeal that prompted him to follow the boys in ,khaki and ,blue ,over ,there--making himself one with them in hardship1 danger and wounds for the sake of their immortal souls1 now impels him to the writing of this ,book4 ,the ,greater ,love is a religious message which teaches that as man needed ,god in war--with a crescendo of need reaching full tide in the front trench--even so he needs him in ,peace4 ,the message is clothed in the narrative of adventure--personal experiences of the ,author--and every page an epic of absorbing interest4 ,no one is better qualified to bring us message from ,over ,there4 ,,rt4 ,,rev4 ,,msgr4 ,,wm4 ,m4 ,,foley1 ,v4 ,g4 ,,the ,,greater ,,love ,,by ,,george ,t4 ,,mccarthy1 ,chaplain1 ,u4 ,s4 ,army ,,chapter ,i ,,leave ,,home--,,base ,,hospital ,,no4 #aa--;,,camp ,,dodge ,very well then1 ,father1 you have my permission and best wishes4 ,how the approving words and blessing of good ,archbishop ,mundelein thrilled me that memorable morning in #aiah4 ,the rain-washed freshness of ,april was abroad in ,cass street2 and the soft breeze1 swaying the curtain of the ,chancery window where he was seated1 brought incense of budding tree and garden4 ,patiently he had listened1 while ,i presented my reasons for wishing to become a war ,chaplain4 ,how1 obedient to that call to ,national ,service which is ,the pride of each patriot's devotion1 millions of our boys were exchanging the shelter of home and parish influence for the privation and danger of camp and ship and battlefield4 ,to accompany them1 to encourage them1 to administer to their spiritual and moral needs1 to fortify their last heroic hours with ,sacramenta propter homines1 here was a ,christlike work pre-eminently worthy the best traditions of the ,priesthood4 ,even as1 earnestly1 ,i pleaded my case1 ,i bore steadily in mind recollection of that lofty patriotism and brilliant leadership which had already made ,chicago's ,archbishop a foremost ,national ,champion4 ,it was but yesterday that the ,secretary of the ,united ,states ,treasury had called1 personally1 to thank and congratulate him on his inspiring patronage of ,loan and ,red ,cross ,drives4 ,in the sympathetic glow of his face ,i read approval even before hearing the formal words of permission4 ,moreover1 ,father1 ,i will appoint an administrator at once1 to care for the parish during your absence4 ,you will receive1 through ,father ,foley's office1 letters duly accrediting you to ,bishop ,hayes1 ,chaplain ,ordinary1 and the ,national authorities4 ,a fond ambition1 long cherished1 was about to be realized6 ,i had1 of course1 been doing something of a war bit1 co-operating with parishioners1 and town folks like ,mayor ,gibson and ,doctor ,noble1 in the various patriotic rallies and drives4 ,father ,shannon of the ,new ,world thought so highly of our city's efforts as to visit us and eloquently say so at a monster ,mass ,meeting of citizens4 ,do you know1 ,george1 he remarked that night as he marched beside me in the street parade1 if ,i could only get away1 ,i would gladly go as a ,chaplain4 ,then ,i told him my secret1 how ,i had filed my war application some months before1 and had been meanwhile seasoning my body to the out-of-doors and practicing long hikes4 ,but a single cloud now remained in the radiant sky of dreams--the thought of parting6 ,ten years of residence in so ,arcadian a place as ,myrtle ,avenue1 and in so ,american a town as ,harvey1 engender ties of affection not easily to be sundered4 ,then1 too1 the school children1 how one grows to love them1 especially when you have given them their first ,sacraments1 and even joined in wedlock their parents before them4 ,of course for the priest who1 more perhaps than any other man1 has not here a lasting city1 whose life is so largely lived for others1 and whose ,holy ,orders so naturally merge with marching orders1 the leave-taking should not have been so trying4 ,preferable as would have been ,no moaning of the bar ,when ,i put out to sea1 the parting that night with the people in the school hall1 and again1 the following morning at the depot1 was keenly painful--a grief1 however1 every soldier was to know1 and1 therefore1 bravely to be endured4 ,how sacred and memorable were the depot platforms of our beloved country in war time6 ,whether the long1 smoke stenciled1 trainshed of the ,metropolis1 or the unsheltered1 two-inch planking sort1 of the wayside junction2 they saw more of real life1 the ,tragedy of tears and the ,comedy of laughter1 than any stage dedicated to ,drama4 ,there1 life was most real and intense4 ,the prosaic words ,all ,aboard seemed to set in motion a final wave of feeling that surged beyond all barriers of the conventional--the last pressure of heart to heart and of hand to hand2 the last response of voice to voice2 the last sight of tear dimmed eye and vanishing form1 as the train rumbled away beyond the curve1 leaving a ribbon of black crepe draped on the horizon4 ,first impressions1 we are told1 are most lasting4 ,arrival at ,camp ,dodge1 ,iowa1 the following morning and subsequent meeting with the officers and enlisted men of ,base ,hospital ,no4 #aa1 made an impression so agreeable time itself seems merely to have hallowed it4 ,association with the soldierly and gracious ,colonel ,macfarlain1 the splendid ,major ,percy1 the energetic ,captain ,flannery1 together with ,doctors ,roth1 ,ashworth1 ,carter 7the same ,t4 ,a4 ,carter whose skill later saved the lives of poisoned ,shirley and ,edna ,luikart71 ,lewis1 ,shroeder1 and others1 became at once an inspiration and pleasure4 ,most of these gentlemen had been associated with either ,st4 ,mary of ,nazareth or ,augustana ,hospitals1 ,chicago2 and had patriotically relinquished lucrative practices to serve their country in its need4 ,words cannot too highly praise1 nor excess of appreciation be shown our gallant public-spirited doctors and corpsmen1 who1 whether here or overseas1 made every sacrifice to build up and maintain the health of the largest ,army and ,navy of our history4 ,the personnel of enlisted men1 too1 with ,base #aa1 was exceptionally superior1 coming from some of the best families of the ,middle ,west4 ,anderson1 ,mc,cranahan and the two ,tobins of the famous ,paulist choir were there1 and what wealth of vocal melody they represented6 ,talbot1 ,bunte1 and ,leo ,durkin of ,waukegan2 ,dunn1 ,farrell1 ,lewis1 ,talbot--these1 and five hundred others like them1 were the splendid fellows to whom ,i now fell heir4 ,camp ,dodge1 like many another ,cantonment1 the ,war ,department miraculously raised over night1 was a vast school1 pulsating with martial throb4 ,hundreds of the brain and brawn of the far-flung prairies were arriving daily1 and being classified1 drilled and seasoned into efficient soldiers4 ,illustration3 ,u4 ,s4 ,,unit ,,no4 #b--;,,blessing ,,of ,,unit',s ,,colors ,,at ,,st4 ,,stephen',s4 ,poets have to be born2 but soldiers1 in addition to qualities inbred1 have to be made2 and while the process of making was invariably laborious and often discouraging1 it usually repaid patient effort4 ,the raw recruit of yesterday became the pride of the line today6 ,they call me the ,raw ,recruit1 ,the joke of the awkward squad1 ,the rook of the rookies to boot1 ,and a bumpkin1 a dolt and a clod2 ,but this much ,i'll plead in defense ,i seem popular with these chaps1 ,for they keep me a'moving thither and hence ,from ,reveille to ,taps4 ,though no doubt ,i have had them for years1 ,for the first time ,i'm sure ,i have feet6 ,when the ,corporal said ,halt it appears ,that my feet thought he ordered ,retreat6 ,and my eyes o'er who's blue ladies 'd rave1 ,and called them bright stars of the night1 ,now simply refuse to behave ,and mix up ,eyes ,left with ,eyes ,right4 ,i'll admit that ,i'm no hand to brag2 ,but the fact is ,i've won a ,first ,prize6 ',twas not that ,i have any drag1 ,nor excel in the officers' eyes4 ,it was close1 but ,i won1 never fear2 ,my home training helped me1 ,i guess2 ,i beat every man about here2 ,at being the first in1 at ,mess6 ,my ,corporal admits ,i'm not bad ,through the night1 when ,i'm buried in sleep6 ,it's waking that ,i drive him mad1 ,and cause very demons to weep4 ,but ,rome was not built in a day6 ,and once ,i get used to my suit1 ,i'll just force all these pikers to say ,he once was a raw recruit6 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,camp ,,mills--,,st4 ,,stephen',s1 ,,new ,,york--,,enter ,,army ,given sufficient time and mellowing1 the butterfly eventually merges from the chrysalis2 and it was with rapturous delight early ,june saw us exchange ,camp ,dodge for ,camp ,mills1 ,long ,island6 ,we were now on the shores of the ,atlantic1 and would soon tread the deck of our ship of dreams--a transport bound for ,over ,there6 ,enter1 now1 the season of our discontent6 ,it all grew out of the nature of the ,commission ,i was holding4 ,it was not at all satisfying4 ,commission in the ,red ,cross1 ,i discovered1 did not authorize front line service2 it would hold a person somewhere in the rear area2 this would not do2 ,i determined to enter the regular ,army4 ,a kind ,providence helped bring this about6 ,instructions were abruptly received from the ,war ,department classifying all ,red ,cross ,chaplains as mere civilians1 denying them the right to sail with the ,units they had accompanied ,east6 ,fully fifteen other such ,chaplains were then at ,camp ,mills waiting sailing orders4 ,they1 too1 had left their home towns and positions fully expecting service overseas4 ,receipt of this heart-breaking news induced many to give up the work and return home1 utterly discouraged4 ,it only served to hasten my entrance into the regular ,army4 ,going at once to the ,rectory of ,st4 ,stephen's1 ,east #bith ,st41 ,new ,york1 direction and cordial welcome was there received from one of ,god's noblest of men1 ,bishop ,hayes4 ,appointed by the ,holy ,father to the special direction and care of all ,chaplains in the ,national service1 this brilliant and big-hearted ,prince of the ,church was father and friend to all4 ,father ,waring1 the ,vicar ,general1 and the vicars and assistants in the ,ordinariate and parish of ,st4 ,stephen's co-ordinated in their own charming manner with the vastly important work and cordial hospitality of their devoted chief4 ,within a week the physical and mental examinations had been successfully passed and commission received as ,first ,lieutenant in the ,national ,army4 ,while those days at ,st4 ,stephen's were of surpassing pleasure in the rare companionship afforded1 they were characterized1 too1 by a round of strenuous activity4 ,there was the necessary visit to ,fifth ,avenue1 where the good ladies of the ,chaplain's ,aid1 doing the same great good in the ,east that ,father ,foley's ,aid ,society was doing in the ,west1 generously supplied the necessary ,mass and ,sacramental equipment4 ,then1 too1 the farewell ,musical by the ,paulist vocalists of ,base #aa1 given at ,garden ,city2 and for which ,mrs4 ,charles ,taft kindly acted as hostess4 ,genuine regret marked that unavoidable parting4 ,to co-labor with such splendid officers and men was truly a privilege2 and to have served1 even briefly1 with the gallant #aa that wrought so worthily overseas1 is an honor proudly ever to be cherished4 ,it was during these days an event occurred which the ,parish ,monthly1 of ,st4 ,stephen's1 was good enough to record3 ,on ,tuesday1 ,july #bc1 ,unit ,no4 #ajb1 ,overseas ,nursing ,corps1 gathered in our church1 to ask1 in truly ,catholic fashion1 ,god's blessing on their journey across the ,atlantic4 ,ten ',cornet' ,sisters of ,charity are in charge of this ,unit1 which is almost wholly ,catholic in its membership and which has been recruited from hospitals conducted by these ,sisters in the ,south and ,west4 ,at six-thirty1 ,chaplain ,george ,t4 ,mc,carthy1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 of ,chicago1 celebrated ,holy ,mass4 ,a congregation which numbered1 besides the ,unit1 our own ,sisters of ,charity1 many overseas ,nurses attached to other units and a goodly quota of our parishioners was present4 ,all received ,holy ,communion4 ,at the conclusion of the ,mass1 the ,star-,spangled ,banner was sung1 and after he had blessed a large ,american flag--the colors of the ,unit--,father ,mc,carthy bade the nurses farewell4 ,,sermon ,in this holy hour and place1 while ,jesus1 the gentle ,master1 still lingers in your ,eucharistic hearts1 we are met for a two-fold purpose--to bless the starry banner of the free--the colors of your ,unit--and to wish you ,godspeed on your heroic way4 ,here within these historic walls of ,st4 ,stephen1 the ,proto-,martyr1 whose every stone and pillar and vaulting arch is richly storied with the memories of surpassing men and women and their splendid achievements--here1 as it were1 on the shore of the far-flung billows of the ,atlantic1 you are gathered from the length and breadth of our beloved country4 ,with all the sacred courage of an ,agnes of ,italy1 an ,ursula of ,england1 a ,joan of ,france1 you have1 during the past few days and weeks1 been called upon to bid your loved ones at home a fond and tender farewell1 as you go to follow the trail of the ,crimson ,cross to service overseas4 ,our first and most holy purpose here1 indeed1 is to bless this flag that is to lead you on your way2 but most truly may the question be asked3 ',can the flag of our beloved ,country be blessed more fully than it already is8' ,its red is consecrated by the blood of countless heroes2 its white is stainless and unsullied as the ,truth and ,justice for which it has forever stood2 its blue is of the mid-day heavens1 lofty in its purpose to point the way of freedom to all mankind1 that ',government of the people1 for the people1 and by the people' may not perish from the earth6 ,as we unfurl it to the breeze1 it speaks with an eloquence irresistible and it tells a story of heroism and patriotism unsurpassed4 ,it brings memory of ,lexington and ,concord2 it tells of suffering at ,valley ,forge1 and of ,victory at ,yorktown4 ,it was waved in triumph on the hills of ,gettysburg2 and the blue of ,grant and the gray of ,lee entwined it forever in the reunion of ,appomattox4 ,dewey carried it to victory in ,manila ,bay1 even as ,shafter and ,joe ,wheeler did at ,san ,juan and ,santiago4 ,when a military ,power overseas attacked the cause of universal freedom in the world1 ,pershing with his boys in khaki1 and ,benson with his boys in blue1 carried that flag to the forefront of the battle line2 and today1 side by side with the banners of ,england1 martyred ,belgium1 gallant ,italy1 and unconquerable ,france1 it waves defiance to the foe4 ,it kisses the poppies of ,flanders and to the lilies of ,france it whispers ',lafayette1 we are here4' ,in asking1 therefore1 the ,god of ,truth and ,justice to bless this flag1 we offer ,him no indignity4 ,as ,he loves the right1 ,he must love ,old ,glory1 and therefore we ask ,him to re-adorn it with victory4 ,illustration3 ,,sisters ,,of ,,unit ,,no4 #b--,,the ,,only ,,sisters ,,of ,,the ,a4 ,e4 ,f4 ,standing from ,left to ,right3 ,sisters ,valeria1 ,catherine1 ,de ,sales1 ,m4 ,david1 ,angela1 ,agatha1 ,florence4 ,left to ,right ,seated3 ,sisters ,lucia1 ,chrysostom1 ,mariana4 ,ours1 too1 is the performance of another duty1 it is to speak the briefest1 yet the hardest of all words to utter1 the word of final farewell4 ,had ,i the gift of eloquence1 ,i would pour into that word1 as into a casket of alabaster1 all the love1 all the affection1 all the sad sweet smiles1 all the ',god be with you until we meet again1' of your loved ones back home4 ,through the gates of memory you have left ajar1 ,i seem to see your old home town--the streets guarded by sentinels of maple1 oak1 and elm2 the cottage of white1 with lattice of climbing roses2 and in the door1 her dear face looking sweetly sad yet bravely1 towards you1 the mother who kissed you as you turned to go4 ,tenderly she hung the service flag in the window2 bravely will she wait and pray beside the vacant chair4 ,many of you have come from the dear old ,southland2 and there seems to come to me now1 floating down the valley of dreams1 the song old mammy used to sing3 ',i hear the children calling ,i see their sad tears falling1 ,my heart turns back to ,dixie ,and ,i must go4' ,yes1 my dear ,sisters and nurses1 you must go4 ,there is need of you over there4 ,our ,country's heroes are there1 bleeding and dying1 and they need you1 beloved angels of mercy1 to bind their wounds4 ,in the cities1 the academies and hospitals from which you came1 there are those who would love to be with you on this mighty errand of ,national ,service4 ,the ,providence of ,god has chosen you1 however1 for the work1 and not them4 ,as of old1 on the shores of ,galilee1 the ,god of ,mercy commissioned ,his chosen followers to carry into the broad world ,his blessing1 even so from these shores of the ,atlantic ,he is sending you forth on your mission of love4 ,from yonder tabernacle1 ,he stoops to each one of you and sweetly whispers3 ',my daughter of the crimson ,cross1 of the faithful soul1 of the clean heart1 and skillful hand1 ,i am sending you over there as ,my own representative4 ,i know you will not fail ,me1 and that even unto death you will be true to the ,cross and ,flag that go before you6' ,the ,nation is proud of you and you are the holiest and best offering of our ,country to the cause4 ,and thus be it ever when freemen shall stand ,between their loved home and wild war's desolation4 ,blest with victory and peace1 may the heav'n rescued land ,praise the ,power that has made and preserved us a nation4 ,then conquer we must1 since our cause it is just1 ,and this be our motto1 ',in ,god is our ,trust6' ,and the ,star-,spangled ,banner in triumph shall wave ,o'er the land of the free and home of the brave4 ,as ,base ,hospital #ajb is vested with the proud distinction of comprising on its roster the only ,sisters accompanying the ,american ,expeditionary ,forces1 it may be here permitted to anticipate and insert a brief account of its heroic personnel and their splendid service4 ,its ,chief ,nurse was ,sister ,chrysostom ,moynahan of ,mullanphy ,hospital1 ,saint ,louis1 ,missouri2 ,sister ,agatha ,muldoon1 ,sister ,angela ,drendel1 ,sister ,catherine ,coleman1 and ,sister ,florence ,means were from the ,sisters of ,charity ,hospital1 ,new ,orleans4 ,sister ,de ,sales ,loftus and ,sister ,david ,ingram were from the ,city ,hospital1 ,mobile1 ,ala4 ,sister ,lucia ,dolan1 ,st4 ,mary's ,hospital1 ,evansville1 ,ind4 ,sister ,mariana ,flynn1 ,st4 ,joseph ,hospital1 ,st4 ,joseph1 ,mo41 and ,sister ,valeria ,dorn1 ,st4 ,vincent ,hospital1 ,sherman1 ,mo4 ,the ninety nurses were graduates of the various nurses' schools connected with the hospitals in charge of the ,sisters of ,charity4 ,they took the oath of allegiance ,july #b1 #aiah1 and reported at ,new ,york on ,july #d4 ,there they were equipped by the ,red ,cross with uniforms for overseas duty and were given the necessary military training by an army officer4 ,the officers and enlisted men1 of whom there were thirty-six of the former and two hundred of the latter1 in charge of ,dr4 ,dana1 reported at ,fort ,mc,henry1 and when they were ready the ,sisters and nurses joined them there4 ,its chaplain was the ,rev4 ,godfrey ,p4 ,hunt1 ,o4 ,f4 ,m41 of ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,thus completed1 the unit sailed ,august #d on the ,umbria1 which ship was afterward lost with ,italian troops in the ,adriatic4 ,the second day out the work of the unit began1 when fifteen men1 who had been struggling with the waves in a row boat for twenty-four hours1 were picked up4 ,they belonged to the ,o4 ,a4 ,jennings1 oil tank1 which had been torpedoed4 ,they were given treatment by the unit1 which turned back with them for a day's journey2 then1 given supplies1 they were started toward land1 which was in sight4 ,the gratitude of the rescued men amply rewarded the unit for its work of mercy4 ,the ,umbria was without convoy1 and though in one night alone it received fourteen warnings of submarines1 it threaded its perilous way in safety1 and on ,august #ah reached ,gibraltar1 where a stop of three days was made4 ,the officers and nurses were given shore leave1 and put in their time visiting places of interest4 ,on ,august #ba the start for ,genoa was made1 which port was reached on the #bgth4 ,the ,american ,ambulance ,corps1 with a band of music1 met the unit at the boat1 and ,italian officers went aboard to greet the ,americans in the name of the ,italian ,government4 ,the ,sisters and nurses were taken to the ,victoria ,hotel1 while the commanding officer1 ,colonel ,hume of ,frankfort1 ,ky41 and ,lieutenant ,colonel ,dana1 went to ,rome to secure a place at the front for the base hospital4 ,the place selected was ,vicenza1 about fifteen miles from the firing line4 ,it was located in the ,rossi ,industrial ,school1 which in olden days had been a ,dominican convent4 ,here for seven months the ,americans carried on their work of mercy and during that time three thousand patients were cared for1 of which number only twenty-eight were lost1 and they were victims of the influenza1 which was very severe in that locality4 ,it was a remarkable record1 the lowest loss of any of the ,american units4 ,the #ccb;d regiment of ,ohio boys was in the section4 ,the ,ambulance ,corp1 composed chiefly of college men1 did excellent work4 ,the ,sisters found the ,italians very grateful1 and their admiration for the ,americans was great4 ,there were many gas cases1 and while hundreds had their eyes badly burned1 such was the success attending the treatment they received1 not one patient suffered the loss of his sight4 ,a great deal of good was also done by the ,sisters and the chaplain in bringing back neglectful soldiers to their religious duty4 ,on several occasions air raids threatened the town1 but as the ,italian aviation force was superior to that of the enemy1 no injury was done1 although earlier in the year ,vicenza had suffered severe bombardments4 ,as the work increased a second hospital was opened for ,italians for medical cases exclusively4 ,besides ,italian and ,american soldiers1 ,british soldiers were also treated at the base hospital4 ,the signing of the armistice was joyfully celebrated in ,vicenza1 and so keenly did the ,italian people recognize that the ending of the war was largely due to ,america1 it was a common occurrence for ,american soldiers to be caught up and carried in triumph through the streets by the emotional ,italians4 ,as their work grew lighter1 leaves of absence were given the hard-working ,sisters and nurses4 ,during one of these the ,sisters visited ,rome1 and had the happiness of assisting at the ,mass of the ,holy ,father and receiving ,holy ,communion from him4 ,later they were received in private audience by the ,pope4 ,the ,sisters had also the pleasure of visiting the mother-house of their ,order in ,paris4 ,it was while there they were ordered to proceed to ,genoa for embarkation4 ,they sailed from ,genoa ,march #ba for ,marseilles1 where they were joined by several ,american officers and nurses who had served in ,france1 arriving in ,new ,york ,april #d4 ,while they were the only ,sisters with the ,a4 ,e4 ,f41 still they found everywhere abroad ,sisters doing their share of work4 ,one band of ,italian ,sisters of ,charity walked sixty-five miles with a retreating force4 ,they were in the war since its beginning4 ,this is not only true of the ,italian ,sisters1 but also of the ,french and ,belgian1 and presumably of those in the enemy countries4 ,the ,american ,sisters were glad of the opportunity to give their service in this war1 in which their country was engaged1 as they have done their part in the other wars of the ,republic4 ,illustration3 ,,seventh ,,division ,,troops ,,boarding ,,leviathan ,,at ,,hoboken4 ,i had made known to good ,bishop ,hayes my decided preference for a combat force1 and have always felt he favored me1 for1 on ,july #cj1 the message from the ,war ,department came3 ,report at once to ,officer ,commanding ,seventh ,division1 ,camp ,merritt1 ,new ,jersey4 ,good ,father ,dinneen1 the ,bishop's ,secretary1 added to my joy by venturing opinion1 that the ,seventh was about to sail6 ,he also generously equipped me financially--,just a little pin money for you1 as he charmingly expressed it4 ,what magnificent men these priests of ,st4 ,stephen's and the ,ordinariate6 ,how worthy to be associated with the ,bishop who so kindly1 so wisely1 and so well cared for the ,chaplains in the ,national service4 ,reporting at once to ,camp ,merritt ,i entered upon my ,army duties4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,camp ,,merritt--,,leviathan--,,at ,,sea ,the gallant ,seventh ,division1 destined to render a service well worthy of ,old ,glory1 was then commanded by ,brigadier ,general ,baarth with ,col4 ,w4 ,w4 ,taylor1 ,jr41 ,chief of ,staff1 and ,col4 ,john ,alton ,degan1 ,adjutant4 ,it comprised the #cdth1 #eeth1 #efth and #fdth ,regiments of ,infantry2 the #fth and #gth ,regiments of ,field ,artillery2 #aith1 #bjth and #bast ,machine ,gun ,battalions1 #ajth ,field ,signal ,battalion and ,divisional ,sanitary and ,supply ,trains1 with a complete field equipment of #cb1jjj men4 ,the ,chaplain's ,corps of the ,seventh comprised ,rev4 ,fathers ,martin and ,trainor1 and ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,cohee1 ,rixey1 ,hockman and ,evans4 ,fathers ,gwyer and ,le,may joined in ,france4 ,all these ,chaplains rendered a brave and excellent service1 meriting the respect and confidence of officers and men alike4 ,departure of that mighty fighting force from ,camp ,merritt was deeply impressive4 ,at the midnight hour of the ,first ,friday in ,august1 ,mass was said for the last time1 and hundreds of the boys received ,holy ,communion4 ,within an hour all were on the march1 under full pack1 along the country road1 leading to the ,palisades of the ,hudson4 ,the night was densely dark1 and grimly each soldier trudged along1 guided only by the bobbing pack of the comrade in front of him4 ,chill gray dawn saw the head of the column emerge from the hills at a secluded point on the ,jersey shore1 where waiting ferry boats were boarded1 which conveyed us to the wharf of the ,leviathan at ,hoboken4 ,how thrilled we were to find this giant of all the seven assigned to carry us ,over ,there6 ,nine hundred feet long1 one hundred feet wide1 thirty-six feet draft and nine stories deep6 ,like some fabled monster of the sea1 which well her weird camouflaged sides suggested1 she opened her cavernous jaws and received as but a morsel thirteen thousand men4 ,here was our first contact with the gallant ,navy--here did the mighty tide of khaki gold merge with the deep sea blue of heroes4 ,columbia loves to name ,whose deeds shall live in story ,and everlasting fame4 ,leaning nonchalantly on the rail of their mighty ship1 the ,jackies1 all perfect specimens of young ,american manhood1 quietly watched us march aboard4 ,we were as novel to them as they to us1 yet what confidence they inspired6 ,curiously yet kindly they looked us over1 approvingly observed the long orderly lines of our glittering rifles stretching away through the dim sheds1 and seemed to say1 ,you are worth while fellows6--we'll take you over all right1 all right1 for our little old ,uncle ,sam6 ,to quarter1 feed1 and sleep #cb1jjj men2 to carry them across #c1jjj miles of angry pathless sea1 where lurked the deadly mine1 and prowled1 as panthers of the deep1 the submarines--this was the task assigned to the ,leviathan and our convoy ships1 the ,northern ,pacific and the ,northland4 ,how well our superb ,navy carried on not only for us but for seventy times our number1 let the most brilliant pages of seafaring annals tell6 ,with perfect co-ordination between our ,army and the ship authorities1 all troops1 equipment1 and provisions were aboard within ten hours2 and promptly at three o'clock the following afternoon the ,leviathan swung out from her pier on the ,north ,river and headed seaward4 ,in serried ranks1 silent and still as at attention1 the troops lined both sides of the upper and lower decks4 ,as at the funeral of ,sir ,john ,moore not a drum was heard1 for who can cheer at the thought of dear ones left behind1 with the kiss of fond farewell still lingering in loving memory on the lip1 with the soldier's requiem echoing through lonely hearts3 ,farewell1 mother1 you may never ,press me to your heart again2 ,when upon the field of battle ,i'll be numbered with the slain4 ,as we passed down the city front1 every building1 on both the ,new ,york and ,jersey sides1 burst into color2 handkerchiefs signaled a last farewell2 and out of the mists of our tears seemed to rise a mighty rainbow1 spanning ship and receding shores1 and spelling in letters of heavenly hue1 ,god be with you till we meet again4 ,with destroyers ahead1 astern1 and on the beam1 two hydroplanes circling and paralleling above1 and a solitary observing balloon hovering over the ,long ,island shore1 our ship and convoys stood boldly out to sea4 ,we were now in the war zone1 easily within range of hidden mines and torpedoes1 and1 like the charger who scents the battle from afar1 we thrilled and were glad with the thought of daring deeds before us4 ,the ship ,chaplain was good ,father ,mc,donald1 ,captain ,united ,states ,navy1 one of the most beloved and notable figures of the war4 ,every evening at the sunset hour he would go to the bridge4 ,the ,commander of the ,leviathan1 ,captain ,bryan1 together with his staff1 would be there assembled2 and1 as the last rays of the sun sank beneath the waves1 every soldier and sailor on board would stand rigidly at attention and offer prayer as ,father ,mc,donald would raise his hand in absolution and benediction4 ,how near ,god seemed in that vast1 horizon-wide cathedral of the sea6 ,its vaulting dome more radiant than ,st4 ,peter's sculptured prayer2 its altar1 clothed with the lace of ocean foam2 its pavement strewn with silvery sheen2 its sanctuary light the candelabra of the stars4 ,i will lead thee into solitude and there ,i will speak to thy soul4 ,god1 ,eternity1 and ,things ,divine were here made real2 and to each lonely boy wrapped in blanket on the dark cold deck1 there came the message that3 ,far on the deep there are billows ,that never shall break on the beach2 ,and ,i have had thoughts in the silence ,that never shall float into speech4 ,a town of #ac1jjj population1 ashore1 is one thing--at sea1 it is something else6 ,first of all the question of clothing1 most young men back home are fastidious--here all must wear the life preserver style trimmed a la canteen1 which means our canteen1 filled with water ration1 must be our inseparable companion--very much attached to us1 as it were4 ,on shore1 juvenile ,america spends his evenings downtown2 here1 he must remain at home--indoors1 if you please1 not even deck promenades being permitted4 ,again1 to the average young man1 the disposition of cigarette butts is of little concern--m'lady's best parlor centerpiece1 polished floor or cherished urn usually preferred2 woe betide the luckless ,buddie who denies his poor dead fag decent burial in the ubiquitous spit kit6 ,to throw butts1 gum wrappers1 matches or anything but glances overboard1 clew to the vulture eye of the lurking submarine1 was a positive court martial offense4 ,it was beginning to be evident that ,sherman was right6 ,yet all went well2 and that indomitable humor which ever characterized our boys1 which rose superior to all hardship and danger1 and smiled in the very face of ,death1 made tolerable1 if not happy1 those seven thrilling days at sea4 ,some swell place would be ,buddie's comment on the tossing waves of mid-,atlantic2 and usually having been well1 and not used to see sickness1 he was easily prone to seasickness6 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,rue ,,de ,,belgrade--,,lull ,,before ,,battle4 ,one day private ,barry1 #fdth ,infantry1 came to me4 ,chaplain1 ,i am in great trouble6 ,before leaving ,camp ,merritt my best girl and her mother called to see me off1 came from away back home to say good-bye4 ,now ,i am not satisfied with the details of that parting2 ,i am just crazy about the girl1 and what worries me is the thought that1 in the excitement of leaving1 ,i may not have made it perfectly clear to her how much ,i really love her4 ,now1 ,chaplain1 ,i want you to write her a letter1 make it good and strong1 and tell her how much ,i love her4 ,will you do that8 ,what else was ,i to do8 ,i was his ,chaplain1 his big brother1 friend and pal4 ,his comrade in arms1 climbing with him even then the road to ,calvary's hill6 ,sure thing--leave it to me1 old man--but say1 tell me1 just how did you act and what did you say to her in parting8 ,he told me4 ,well1 that looks pretty convincing2 ,i think she saw you loved her all right--however1 ,i will write the letter provided you help me4 ,we sat down on a coil of rope and together wrote the letter1 collaborating in the most unique1 most compelling1 missive ever written on board the ,leviathan6 ,how he treasured that letter6 ,how carefully he guarded it1 how prayerfully1 in due time he followed its journey from ,ponteneuson ,barracks1 ,brest1 back to ,chicago4 ,was it successful8 ,here's to you1 ,barry1 old top1 now happily married1 in your snug little home in old ,chi--and my best regards to ,mrs4 ,barry4 ,one day in mid-ocean1 with a fresh gale blowing abeam1 and the three troopships rolling and throwing spray high in the air from a heavy white-capped sea1 the cry rang out man overboard from the ,northern ,pacific6 ,a soldier had slipped on the watery deck2 and1 before his mates could reach him1 was overboard4 ,alarm was at once sounded1 lifebuoys thrown toward him1 the vessels came about and circled diligently around1 but no sign was seen of him4 ,his untimely and tragic death deeply affected us all2 and though the ocean was his grave and the spume of the sea his shroud1 his memory abides with us in the sanctuary of our prayers4 ,on the morning of the sixth day1 a flotilla of destroyers bore down on us4 ,so apparently from nowhere did they come1 we were tempted to believe they rose from the depths of the sea4 ,how thrilled we were to see those six greyhound terrors of the submarine take position around us--one ahead1 one astern1 and two on each beam4 ,it was now full speed ahead on a zigzag course4 ,we were in the most deadly submarine infested zone of the ocean4 ,only yesterday the ,susquehanna had been torpedoed in these very waters1 and1 no doubt1 the same evil periscopes were watching us now from beyond yonder kopje of a wave6 ,our temples throbbed poundingly2 our throats grew dry1 our eyes stared straight ahead--the same psychic phenomena we were to note in ourselves1 even more accentuated1 later in the trenches4 ,what a prize we would be--to sink the largest ship afloat1 with the greatest human cargo1 #ac1jjj souls1 that ever put to sea6 ,it was1 as it were1 an old-time1 nerve-racking ninth inning at the ,white ,sox grounds6 ,a clean single will tie1 a double will beat us4 ,uncle ,sam's ,navy is in the box2 ,von ,tirpitz's best sticker is at the bat4 ,two strikes have been called4 ,what will the next be8 ,a sudden hush grips the watching thousands4 ,here it comes--the batter swings with terrific force--,strike three1 you're out6 and proudly our gallant ,armada sweeps into the welcoming and sheltering harbor of ,brest6 ,,chapter ,,iv ,,brest--,,ancey-,,le-,,franc ,vive la ,france6 ,with all the emotion that must have thrilled the heart of ,lafayette1 sailing up the ,chesapeake to ,washington's assistance at ,yorktown1 we gazed on the rugged coast of ,brittany4 ,our convoy alone1 if you will1 more than compensated1 in point of number of troops at least1 for the #bj1jjj who wore the fleur-de-lis at the surrender of ,cornwallis4 ,mere number of troops1 however1 was not the question--it was all we then needed4 ,france would1 no doubt1 have sent us more in #aghc1 even as we would have sent more to her in the world war1 had there been the need4 ,brest was the only harbor along the western ,france coast with sufficient depth of water to accommodate the ,leviathan2 and1 inside her breakwater1 on ,sunday1 ,august #aj1 we dropped anchor4 ,this harbor and city1 with a history rich in recorded and traditional lore1 antedated the ,christian era4 ,the ,phonecian1 the ,carthaginian1 the ,roman1 and the ,frank1 had each1 in turn1 left upon its sheltering bay and rock hewn hills the impress of his generation4 ,apart and aloof from the beaten paths that lead from ,london to ,paris it held1 through the centuries1 the even tenor of its way4 ,here had the painter ever found color and form for his canvas2 the romanticist1 theme and character for his story4 ,in the deep-voiced caverns of these towering cliffs lived the ,pirates of ,penzance4 ,the solitude of yonder ,st4 ,malo inspired ,chateaubriand with his immortal ,monks of the ,west2 and ,morlix1 just east of ,brest1 was1 in days of peace1 the dwelling place of peerless ,marshal ,foch4 ,by nightfall all the troops had been ferried to the wharfs and formed by companies in the railroad yards along the water front4 ,promptly at five o'clock1 with headquarters troop at the head of the column1 ,colonel ,taylor and all officers on foot1 we began our march to ,ponteneuson ,barracks4 ,each of us1 on leaving the ,leviathan1 had been rationed with a sandwich4 ,we had hoped to dejeuner on the wharf before beginning the march1 but such was not our good fortune--the single sandwich was all the food--or drink for that matter--we tasted until ten o'clock the following morning4 ,the march of eight torturous1 hill-climbing1 miles1 while exhausting in the extreme1 was not without interest4 ,it brought us within seeing and speaking distance of the inhabitants4 ,a group of little boys and girls trudged along at our side singing what they no doubt believed to be our ,marseillaise1 ,cheer1 cheer1 the gang's all here4 ,the shrill voices of these petit garcons expressed our only bienvenue to ,france6 ,their elders1 in their quaint ,breton ,sunday costumes1 sitting on doorsteps or grouped along the roadsides1 viewed us interestedly1 but quietly and without demonstration4 ,although it was the highway used by thousands of ,american troops passing through ,brest1 we heard no word of cheer1 nor saw a single banner of welcome in those eight weary miles of back torture under full packs4 ,at nine o'clock we arrived at ,ponteneuson4 ,well might this place be called1 at least at that time1 the vestibule of hell6 ,if there is any boy of the ,a4 ,e4 ,f4 who has anything good to say--or the slightest happy memory to recall--of ,ponteneuson1 ,i have yet to meet him4 ,it was officially called a ,rest ,camp--where we might recuperate from our long confinement on shipboard4 ,but if lying hungry and cold on the fog-drenched rocks of ,brittany1 with a chill wind sweeping up from the neighboring ocean1 freezing the very marrow of one's aching bones1 be considered rest1 it was a kind entirely new to us4 ,lying near me on the chill ground that night was ,major ,winthrop ,whittington of ,cleveland1 ,ohio1 one of the most efficient1 kindest and wittiest of our officers1 and who later served as our ,chief of ,staff4 ,someone had just remarked that ,napoleon used frequently to come to ,ponteneuson4 ,that explains1 quietly remarked the ,major1 the three-hour sleep theory held by ,napoleon--7sufficient for any man72 three hours is all any man could sleep in such a hell of a place4 ,how we survived that night and the following six days and nights can only be ascribed to that merciful dispensation of ,god which has carried us through many a trial4 ,our habitation was now the open field1 drenched in a dust storm that blew constantly4 ,we sat on the roadside and ate our meager fare1 making joke and jest of our utter lack of comfort4 ,immediately adjacent to us was the guard house1 a prison camp1 pitched in the open field1 and surrounded by barbwire fencing4 ,the only shelter these wretched boys had--they were all ,americans--were holes they had burrowed in the ground and little shacks they had constructed from odd pieces of boards they had found4 ,through the days and nights the chorus of their angry1 cursing voices was borne to our ears on the howling wind4 ,one day we were hurried into formation and sent past the reviewing stand4 ,president ,poincare of ,france was paying us a call4 ,his motor car1 escorted by an outriding troop of ,french cavalry1 and heralded by shrill bugle calls1 came whirling into our midst on the wings of a dust cloud4 ,illustration3 ,,taps ,,and ,,farewell ,,volleys ,,for ,,our ,,heroic ,,dead4 ,alighting in front of the improvised reviewing stand1 he immediately became the center of an animated group2 the khaki of our camp officers mingling with the blue1 red and gold of the ,french4 ,no time was lost by the little man in black suit and cravat in starting the review4 ,the long lines of our doughboys1 their rifles1 with fixed bayonets1 flashing and dazzling in the rays of the setting sun1 swept by like some rushing1 splashing ,niagara torrent4 ,the review was evidence1 at least1 as to our number1 stamina and equipment4 ,the following morning1 a full hour before the dawn1 we were quietly aroused1 ordered to roll our blanket packs and get into line4 ,glorious news6 ,we were on the move1 starting for our training area and thence into the fighting lines6 ,within forty minutes we were on the march1 leaving ,ponteneuson1 as we had entered it1 under cover of the night4 ,our immediate destination was the railroad yards at ,brest1 where we would find our trains4 ,those wretched days of exposure1 lack of food and sleep greatly weakened many4 ,chaplain ,kerr1 who had entered the service with me at ,governor's ,island1 ,new ,york1 died of pneumonia1 and was buried at ,brest4 ,although frequent halts for rest were made1 many of the troops fell out and were carried to the ,first ,aid ,stations4 ,how shall ,i describe the cars that carried our boys from the sea coast towns to the fighting fronts of ,france8 ,each car1 plainly marked ,hommes #bj1 ,chevals #h1 offered equal accommodations for #bj men or #h horses--especially were they equipped for the comfort of horses4 ,it was sans air brake and sans spring2 and when the engineer made up his mind1 which he often did1 to stop that train1 he did so in a manner the most alarming to aching limbs and weary eyes4 ,let's go1 the soldiers' war cry1 rang out along the creaking1 swaying1 grinding train1 and we were off on our #djj-mile journey to the training area assigned to our ,division somewhere in ,france4 ,how we enjoyed1 at least1 our eyesight on that journey6 ,the appeal to the eye was constant--the color and form of scenes unfamiliar offering views of compelling attraction and delight4 ,each unadorned car window and door became the frame of pictures not a ,millet nor a ,rembrandt could depict4 ,the villages1 their sturdy houses of gray stone and red tile roofs2 their streets1 transformed from routes to rules1 where country roads came to town2 their shopping squares stirred to enterprise by signs of ,boulangerie1 ,boucherie1 ,cafe and ,menier ,chocolat4 ,towering over all1 the never-failing church1 its lofty1 cross-surmounted tower1 giving to the scene tone and character4 ,rolling fields1 aglow with harvest gold of wheat1 oats and rye2 orchards1 teeming with luscious fruit ready to be gathered2 rivers1 threading their silvery way through meadow and wood2 splendid roads1 binding the beauteous bouquet of landscape with ribbons of silky white4 ,the outstanding feature of that three-day journey was the apparent utter lack of enthusiasm on the part of a supposedly demonstrative people4 ,waiting at crossroads or railway stations1 they would look at us in that same quiet1 observing manner we had noticed at ,brest4 ,we passed through ,morlix1 home city of ,foch2 ,versailles1 and ,sennes2 and at no place did we hear so much as a single cheer4 ,there were no welfare workers at any point1 and if ,cafes were numerous1 we always paid well for our wine1 bread and cafe au lait4 ,coming from our own beloved ,america1 where welfare workers greeted and feted us at every station1 this apparent lack of hospitality more noticeable was difficult to understand4 ,possibly their impoverished condition forbade the refreshment part2 but cheers and vives are possible1 even to the poorest6 ,tuesday morning1 ,august #aith1 found us paralleling the picturesque river ,yonne1 which waters the vine-clad valleys of ,burgundy4 ,the sound of big gun firing had reached us in the early dawn1 and we were all a-thrill at the thought of mighty things impending4 ,vaguely the words ,toul1 ,st4 ,mihiel1 ,verdun1 and ,metz1 had filtered back from the flaming front2 and1 like hounds tugging at the leash1 we were eager for the fray4 ,at high noon we reached the quaint old town of ,ancey-le-,franc1 ,department of ,yonne4 ,here we left the train and drew up in formation along the roads and back through the lanes and fields4 ,on the platform of the gare our gallant ,division ,commander1 ,brigadier ,general ,baarth1 attended by his staff1 who had come on ahead of us by way of ,paris1 greeted us warmly and reviewed the troops4 ,we were the first ,american soldiers to enter this area1 and the village folks of ,ancey-le-,franc1 ,shacenyelles1 ,fontenoy1 and ,nuites sur ,yonne1 welcomed us to their humble homes1 barns and fields where we were to be billeted1 with simple and cordial hospitality4 ,,chapter ,v ,,in ,,billets--,,departure ,,for ,,front ,stepping from the train into the streets of ,ancey-le-,franc was verily performing a miracle--with a single stride we were out of the twentieth century and into the eighteenth6 ,we were among our contemporary ancestors1 far on the road to yester century4 ,not a building under at least one hundred years of age--not a street but trodden by the ,crusaders of ,st4 ,louis--the church of ,st4 ,sebastian dated #afgc2 and the ,chateau1 founded in #abge1 by that hardy old ,knight of ,malta1 ,duke de ,clermont ,tonnere4 ,with characteristic good humor1 ingenuity and tact1 officers and men adjusted themselves to their unusual surroundings1 merging into the various billets allotted to them1 along lines of least resistance4 ,by nightfall ,buddie owned the town6 ,meriting it by sheer force of good nature1 gentlemanly deportment1 and a willingness to follow the adage of the ancient poet3 ,si fueris ,romae ,romano vivite more4 ,mine was the rare good fortune of being assigned to ,no4 #aj ,rue de ,belgrade4 ,here1 through many generations1 had stood the house of ,barnicault4 ,michel ,barnicault1 present head of the family1 welcomed me most cordially4 ,he felt it indeed an honor to have as his guest ,monsieur le ,chaplain1 ,americaine ,soldat6 ,in the evening he would sit in front of his venerable home1 smoking his pipe and looking with pride at my ,chaplain flag of blue and white that hung above the door4 ,petit garcon ,andree1 aged six years1 had always considered his ,grandfather ,michel the greatest man in the world2 then ,i came into his life2 and whether it was ,i1 or the ,american bon bons ,i lavished on him1 or the overseas chapeau ,i let him strut about in now and then1 ,i completely won his little heart4 ,darling little ,andree in far off ,ancey-le-,franc1 now eight going on nine1 ,i salute you6 ,monseigneur le ,cure of the village church welcomed me cordially4 ,daily ,i said ,mass on the altar of ,st4 ,anne4 ,as we might go into the front trenches now any day1 the ,chaplains' ministerial work grew apace4 ,be ye always ready you know not the day nor the hour4 ,father ,martin was with the #efth ,infantry at ,molsme2 ,father ,trainor with the ,machine ,gunners at ,ceneboy-le-,bas2 and ,i1 with all other ,divisional ,units1 with ,headquarters at ,ancey-le-,franc4 ,three priests among #cb1jjj men1 #dh per cent of whom were ,catholic4 ,the other ,chaplains were distributed3 ,chaplain ,cohee1 ,christian1 with the #cdth ,infantry4 7,mr4 ,cohee won the ,distinguished ,service ,medal for gallantry under fire at ,vieville-en-,haye47 ,chaplain ,hockman1 ,lutheran1 #eeth ,infantry4 ,chaplain ,webster1 ,episcopalian1 #gth ,engineers4 ,chaplain ,rixey1 ,methodist1 #fdth ,infantry4 ,chaplain ,evans1 ,baptist1 ,sanitary ,trains4 ,at this time we gave an old-fashioned ,mission in the village church4 ,a choir was organized from the ,headquarters ,troop1 and each evening we would have ,rosary1 ,sermon and ,benediction4 ,a special memorandum1 signed by ,colonel ,degan1 setting forth the purpose and advantages of the ,mission1 was posted throughout the ,district4 ,the villagers likewise attended and the church was always filled4 ,at this time1 casting all fear aside1 ,i boldly plunged into my first public speaking in ,french6 ,i felt that grand-pere ,barnicault and petit ,andree would at least be on my side in case of a riot4 ,much to my delight the populace greeted my attempt approvingly and showered me with compliments4 ,on ,sundays ,i would say ,masses at six and eight for the troops1 preaching in ,english4 ,assisting at the ten o'clock ,missa1 ,cantata ,parochialis was always a source of devotion and unusual interest4 ,promptly at #i3cj the tower bells1 in triple chime1 would ring out1 echoing near and far1 o'er meadow and hill4 ,by path and trail and through the cobbled streets would come the people--old men and women1 white with the snows of many winters2 middle-aged women invariably clothed in the black of widowhood--,france had then been bleeding and dying three years--fair-cheeked1 dark-eyed modest maidens--type of ,evangeline of ,grand-,pre--handsome little boys and girls1 the kind with which ,raphael frames his ,madonnas4 ,kneeling for a little prayer at the grave sides in the church yard--pleasantly exchanging with neighbors the bon jour and the bonheur--they make their way into the church1 up the aisles chiseled by ,time itself1 to the pew generations of their name have worshiped in4 ,mass is beginning4 ,at the head of the procession1 emerging from the ,sacristy1 marches the ,master of ,ceremonies1 a venerable man of patriarchal mien1 clothed in quaint cassock of black velvet1 richly trimmed with silver braid1 resonantly striking the stone pavement with official staff and responding in aged1 yet pleasing voice to the ,gregorian ,chant of ,celebrant and ,congregation4 ,handsome little boys--all garcons are handsome--in acolytical splendor of purple and cardinal1 with the daintiest of calottes1 come singing their way into your heart in a way to delight our own ,father ,finn of the ,paulist choristers4 ,the village cure--,monsignor of the ,diocese of ,sens--in those rich full tones that centuries of congregational singing have given to ,france1 gives voice to the ,ceremonial ,beauty ever ancient yet ever new4 ,very little need1 there1 for books2 most young and old sing ,introit1 ,credo1 ,preface and ,agnus ,dei from memory1 artistically exact in pronunciation1 expression and tempo4 ,if there was distraction for our troops at all1 it was perhaps at the collection4 ,not that the giving of their centimes or francs was distracting1 rather was it the manner of ,collection a la ,francais4 ,it is taken up by the most handsome young ladies of the congregation--our ,american ,tag ,days were perhaps suggested by it4 ,marching before the ,mademoiselles and striking sharply on the pavement with his staff1 solemnly comes the aged ,master of ,ceremonies4 ,no prayers so absorbing nor slumber so profound1 but the anvil clang of his staff will arouse4 ,a hand embroidered silken bag is handed to you in the most charming manner4 ,what ,buddie could resist such appeal8 ,it was during our days in this area ,i was appointed ,division ,burial ,officer--undertaker for the entire ,division4 ,the order1 duly bulletined1 at first shocked me--what qualifications had ,i for a work so unusual8 ,however1 ,i promptly accepted it for reasons two-fold3 ,first1 it is not the part of a soldier to question the wisdom of orders1 and1 second1 anything and everything done for ,old ,glory is an honor4 ,jealously ,i raided the archives of the ,personnel ,department at ,headquarters1 my towney ,captain ,brown of ,grand ,haven1 ,michigan1 helping me1 and studied all ,orders and ,bulletins bearing on the subject1 how to identify1 register and bury the dead4 ,the responsibility was indeed weighty and the work vast--to organize1 equip and drill burial details2 to bury our own dead1 all enemy dead and horses2 to assemble personal effects and identification tags found on the persons of the deceased2 to bathe1 clothe and prepare bodies for burial2 to furnish coffins1 gravediggers1 firing squads and buglers4 ,daily report of all burials was to be made to the ,graves' ,registration ,service at ,chaumont4 ,it can easily be realized how important this work became as we grew nearer the fighting front4 ,on battlefields1 drenched with deadly gas1 under fire and amid conditions and scenes most revolting and appalling1 the burial parties worked1 usually in gas masks for protection against odors and fumes4 ,physical exhaustion1 occasioned by exposure at ,brest1 the fatiguing journey across ,france1 and the forced march of many kilometers1 under full pack1 from rail heads to billets1 accounted for the numerous pneumonia cases that now appeared4 ,in the unsettled1 formative condition of things1 we were not prepared to fully cope with the situation4 ,our nearest ,united ,states ,base ,hospital was at ,dijon1 sixty kilometers distant2 and to this point it became necessary to send such of the seriously ill as could be safely transported4 ,many1 however1 were too weak to undertake such a journey2 and1 as no suitable buildings were available1 the situation became truly distressing4 ,there was not a single ,army corps nurse or welfare worker of any sort within miles of us1 and the critical nature of it all can be more readily imagined than described4 ,our doctors and corpsmen of the ,sanitary ,regiment did everything possible and rendered admirable service2 but what could even the best intentioned do without equipment8 ,on ,september #eth1 ,i took mess with two of our best physicians1 ,captain ,o',malley of ,mercy ,hospital1 ,chicago1 and ,lieutenant ,poole of ,south ,carolina4 ,one week later ,i buried the ,lieutenant at ,longre1 a victim of pneumonia1 following an illness of but four days4 ,four ,french ,sisters of ,charity now came most providentially to our assistance4 ,the unjust and stupid ,association ,laws of ,france had1 shortly before the war1 forbidden them the right of teaching4 ,later they had returned and converted the old building1 their former school1 into a hospital4 ,with its four spacious classrooms and pretty garden in the rear1 it easily lent itself to the purpose4 ,under the able direction of ,doctor ,thiery1 who was at that time mayor of the village1 and whose soldier son had been killed at ,st4 ,quentin1 emergency medical and surgical cases received there a care that1 no doubt1 saved many lives4 ,our own ,army doctors were at once incorporated in this improvised hospital's staff1 with corpsmen assigned to duty in its wards4 ,how wonderfully inventive and skillful ,love becomes under the inspiration of ,religion6 ,the humble ,sisters who1 in days of peace1 had dedicated their virgin lives to ,education1 a spiritual ,work of ,mercy1 now1 under the stress of war1 directed those same self-sacrificing energies to ,nursing1 a corporal ,work of ,mercy1 sanctioned by ,him who is the world's first ,good ,samaritan4 ,though not able to utter a single ,english word1 their kindness spoke eloquently for them in those numerous little ways a gentle woman has of assuaging pain and soothing even the dull cold ear of ,death4 ,the ,mother ,superior1 by simply removing two or three pieces of furniture1 converted her office into the hospital morgue2 and here1 assisted by the corpsmen1 ,i prepared the bodies of my dear boys for burial4 ,how my heart ached to see them die6 ,in the loneliness and seclusion of those whitewashed classrooms1 far removed from any sight or association that spoke of ,home2 to see the light of their lives burn out1 and the flowers of ,spring displaced by the snows of ,winter6 ,to me their deaths1 amid the uninspiring surroundings of that wayside hospital1 took on a grandeur and sublimity all surpassing4 ,far easier1 indeed1 would it have been for them to die on field of battle1 with cheer of comrades following their flight of soul4 ,that ward was a braver field6 ,for there they died bereft of all that inspires1 and with no pomp or thrill of war to make glad their chivalrous souls4 ,the village carpenter was never so busy4 ,reinforcing his working staff1 he set speedily to work building coffins4 ,these he made of plain pine boards1 staining them to a dull brown1 and furnishing with each a cross and marking stake4 ,thirty-two of these it was my sad duty to provide and distribute during our stay in ,burgundy4 ,we soon outgrew the old churchyard at ,ancey-le-,franc2 and the good ,cure and ,monsieur le ,docteur ,thiery of the local hospital1 set aside for us ground for another cemetery just outside the village4 ,we enclosed this with a white picket fence and felt confident1 when we marched away1 that the graves of our brave boys there resting1 would always be tenderly cared for by the devoted people4 ,on ,fame's eternal camping ground ,their silent tents are spread1 ,and ,glory guards with solemn round ,the bivouac of the ,dead4 ,at the place of honor1 just inside that ,god's ,acre1 ,i buried ,sergeant ,omer ,talbot of ,kansas ,city1 ,kansas1 one of the bravest and most beloved of ,headquarters ,troop1 who received the last ,sacraments1 and died in my arms4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,battle ,,swept ,,roadside ,,was ,,sanctuary ,,and ,,choir4 ,our burials were always religiously attended by the villagers4 ,a ,french veteran would go through the streets sounding his drum and giving early notice of the burial of an ,american soldier4 ,the people would gather at the church1 the farmer from the field1 the artisan from the shop1 all dressed as for ,sunday4 ,the cure1 the mayor1 the councilmen1 the town major1 all would be present4 ,on foot1 bearing flowers1 they would follow the military cortege to the cemetery4 ,there1 following the ,benedictus1 the mayor would give an impassioned address1 expressing the profound appreciation of ,france for the service and sacrifice of the gallant ,american soldiers4 ,his closing words1 repeated and echoed through the cemetery by the multitude1 would be1 ,vive l',amerique6 ,vive ,pershing6 ,vive ,wilson6 ,among the most devoted attendants at our funerals were ,monsieur and ,madame ,moidrey and their beautiful daughter ,annette1 a girl of sixteen years4 ,in rain and shine they came1 always with flowers most beautiful to place upon coffin and grave4 ,returning one day from the cemetery1 ,monsieur respectfully addressed me--,if it would please ,monsieur le ,chaplain to ever visit our home 7they lived just inside the village in a quaint old manor house ,i had often admired71 we would consider it an honor indeed to entertain ,monsieur le ,chaplain and his friends1 then naively adding1 as if by way of further inducement1 we have the only piano in the village4 ,now ,sergeant ,eddie ,quinlan1 #eeth ,infantry1 who came from ,south ,carpenter ,street1 ,chicago1 was one of my best pals4 ,he was then attending the ,field ,signal ,battalion ,school at ,shacereyelles1 two kilometers away4 ,i sent word to him1 directing him to report at my billet the following evening accompanied by the ten handsomest doughboys1 besides himself1 in his platoon4 ,at the appointed hour and place1 the ,buddies were faithfully on hand2 and need ,i add1 all were from ,chicago8 ,how proud ,i was of them1 stalwart huskies1 well groomed1 brown as berries1 and with muscles of iron4 ,fellows1 if you have no other engagement for this evening1 would you care to accompany me to the ,moidrey residence1 honored guests of the family8 ,they have a piano2 and ,i might add1 a most charming daughter of sixteen summers4 ,here they nearly mobbed me6 ,would they go8 ,other engagements6 ,say1 ,father1 you are not kidding us1 are you8 etc41 etc6 ,by way of information permit me to here observe that these boys had been sleeping in fields then for two weeks4 ,they had not seen the inside of an honest-to-goodness home1 nor sat at a dining-table with real tablecloth1 napkins or plates1 since they landed in ,france4 ,neither had they heard a piano1 nor been the guest of any lady1 young or old--well--since they left ,camp ,merritt4 ,their over-flowing cup of joy1 at this alluring prospect1 can therefore easily be imagined4 ,as we no doubt would be invited to sing1 we first rehearsed several popular songs1 holding forth with a gusto that raised the roof1 even of the ancient and sturdy house of ,barnicault4 ,to the air of ,old ,kentucky ,home1 ,quinlan tried out our latest1 ,a ,song of ,home3 ,you may sing of ,erin's ,shannon flowing softly to the sea1 ,the ,thames where it passes ,london town2 ,you may boast the bonnie ,clyde where it mingles with the tide1 ,and the ,seine with its romance of renown4 ,you may paint in blue the ,danube or the far ,italian ,po1 ,but of all the streams enshrined in memory1 ,is the good old ,mississippi1 that wherever ,i may go1 ,is the dearest one in all the world to me4 ,,chorus3 ,then sing the song1 my comrades1 ,o we'll sing this song today1 ,that wherever we may roam1 we'll sing a song of home ,for the dear old ,mississippi far away4 ,you may boast of ,irish ,nora1 or sweet ,bessey of ,dundee1 ,the charm of ,england's ,geraldines so fair2 ,you may choose the maids of ,belgium or ,ma'm'selles of ,picardy ,all famed for grace and beauty everywhere4 ,but if you will but listen1 and leave the choice to me ,i'll point with pride to dear old ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,where there's maidens fair to see1 sweet and dear as ,liberty ,and never cloud o'ershadows beauty's day4 ,,chorus3 ,then sing this song1 my comrades1 ,o we'll sing this song today1 ,that wherever we may roam1 we'll sing a song of home ,for the maidens fair back home in ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,a trench mirror four inches by six hung on the wall of my billet4 ,there was a mad scramble for a last facial and tonsorial inspection2 for each fellow boldly made his boast1 ,just watch me1 ,bo1 make the hit of the evening with ,ma chere ,miss ,frenchy4 ,down the village street in column of twos we made our way4 ,all gentle in peace and all valiant in war1 ,there never was ,knight like the young ,lochinvar4 ,as we went singing carefree1 secretly my heart was sad4 ,as a ,staff ,officer ,i knew1 although the boys did not1 that this was to be their last evening party2 that on the morrow they were to leave for the front line trenches2 that many weary days1 weeks and months of stern1 bitter1 deadly realities lay just before them2 and ,i wanted them to at least enjoy this one last evening of home-spun1 joyful valedictory4 ,the ,moidrey residence stood back a little from the road1 protected by a tall iron fence of artistic design4 ,as we drew near1 my ,minstrel ,boys prudently soft pedaled their singing1 so as not to over-alarm our kind host4 ,responsive to our sounding the huge brass1 lion-headed knocker on the massive gate1 the house door opened4 ,monsieur1 ,madame and ,mademoiselle ,annette came down the winding garden path to admit and welcome us4 ,introductions followed1 formal1 gracious and charming4 ,quite true it was that our kindly hosts could not speak a word of ,english1 nor the ,buddies of ,french1 at least of ,french fit to grace the occasion4 ,there is a language1 however1 that is not of the tongue1 but of the heart4 ,it is expressed in the flash of a love-lit eye2 it is felt in the pressure of a kindly hand4 ,it is spoken and understood the world over and needs no interpreter4 ,this language my boys spoke very fluently2 and our charming hosts did them the honor to understand4 ,in the parlor was the wonderful piano1 brought all the way from ,paris4 ,obligingly1 charmingly1 ,mademoiselle ,annette responded to our profuse1 overwhelming invitations to play first4 ,sweet and innocent she looked sitting there2 her cheeks fair as the roses in her garden1 her eyes modestly aglow with star light1 her raven hair in a single braid of ample length1 neatly adorned with a red ribbon and bewitchingly tossed over her shoulder4 ,never was a young lady better guarded at a piano2 five stalwart doughboys on either side1 jealously turning the pages of a sheet of music that was upside down4 ,artistically she played and the loud applause that greeted her would have made envious our own ,fanny ,bloomfield ,zeisler4 ,our turn came next4 ,the polite piano from ,paris fairly groaned beneath the burden of our song4 ,it was not used to such boisterous treatment4 ,bravely it struggled on ,the ,long1 ,long ,trail ,a-winding4 ,it galloped ,over ,there4 ,it wailed bitterly ,i'm ,sorry1 ,dear1 and it did its bravest to ,keep the ,home ,fires ,burning4 ,when1 finally1 the barrage of music lifted1 we made our way to the line of attack at the spacious dining-table our hosts had meanwhile spread4 ,how good it seemed to sit at a regular table1 with tablecloth1 napkins and silverware6 ,how delicious too the sweetbreads1 the salad1 the fromage2 and crowning all1 the exquisite service of sparkling wine1 vintaged in the long ago in these famed ,burgundian valleys4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,men ,,behind ,,our ,,mess ,,at ,,bouillonville4 ,call to ,quarters sounded at #h3de and ,tattoo at #i3jj4 ,it was now time to go4 ,cordially each boy thanked our gracious hosts4 ,and should ,i live a thousand years ,i'll ne'er forget4 ,reverently1 gallantly1 devotedly1 each said bon jour to darling ,annette4 ,to each she represented womanhood--beautiful1 modest1 lovable4 ,each saw visualized in her1 as it were1 his own mother1 sister1 sweetheart1 back home4 ,would he ever see his own loved ones again8 ,god only knew4 ,and when the last good-bye was said1 and the door slowly closed and we walked away into the night1 the bugle call of ,taps plaintively sounding through the quiet streets found sad and mystic echo in our souls4 ,our last day in ,ancey-le-,franc dawned chill and rainy4 ,i breakfasted in the old ,chateau with ,senior ,chaplain of the ,a4 ,e4 ,f41 ,bishop ,brent1 ,episcopal ,bishop of ,eastern ,new ,york ,diocese1 who had journeyed over from ,chaumont to visit us4 ,a thorough gentleman and efficient officer was the good ,bishop2 and naught but the best and most cordial good will has ever characterized our relations4 ,it was but a few days subsequent to his visit that ,i received from ,general ,pershing the special orders making me ,senior ,chaplain of the ,seventh ,division and brevet of ,captaincy4 ,for this honor ,i have ever been grateful to ,bishop ,brent and our gallant ,division ,commander ,general ,baarth4 ,although our sojourn with the ,burgundians had been brief1 the conduct of officers and men had won universal respect4 ,genuinely sad the villagers were to see us fall in1 that rainy afternoon1 under marching orders4 ,we had just been equipped with gas masks2 and for the first time wore our prized chapeaus1 the steel helmets4 ,sad was the house of ,barnicault6 ,petit ,andree followed me about1 weeping constantly4 ,madame prepared her best omelet and cafe-au-lait and ,monsieur opened his most prized bottle of ,burgundy4 ,i left with them many odds and ends the zealous merchants back home in the ,states had thoughtfully recommended1 but which stern ,army regulations decried for front line use4 ,trunks were left behind2 and all we needed we carried in our ever-faithful packs4 ,with a last blessing to the dear old couple1 kneeling sobbing at my feet1 a last hug from ,andree1 whose fond little arms ,i had to forcibly release from my neck1 ,i put on my helmet1 shouldered my pack and was gone6 ,the rain fell in torrents2 and quickly ,i took position in the long1 waiting line4 ,we marched at once1 taking the road to ,neuite-sur-,yonne2 and far on our way the old church bells called sadly after us in their benison of last farewell4 ,we never returned to ,ancey-le-,franc2 but to its beloved inhabitants we still live1 for1 ,to live in hearts we leave behind is not to die4 ,we reached our ,rail ,head1 the main line to the regions of ,meurthe-et-,moselle1 at nine o'clock2 and struck camp in the yards and fields for the night4 ,as the night was chill and our camp sufficiently secure from observation1 fires were kindled by the various companies4 ,gathered in their cheering circles of warmth and glow1 the boys beguiled the hours preceding ,taps1 with jest and song4 ,they sang of love and war and ,god2 and through all their melody1 as a golden thread1 could be traced the thought of home and of a ,great ,tomorrow6 ,gradually1 as glow of sunset paling in the west1 the fires burned low2 and out of dying embers rose shadowy forms that beckoned weary eyes to the land of dreams4 ,to each sleeping soldier boy ,magi dreams bring gifts of joy2 ,sweet and pure as mother love ,brought by angels from above4 ,dreams of home across the sea ,and of scenes loved tenderly1 ,as he left them yesterday ,when he turned and marched away4 ,dreams of mother at the door ,standing as in days of yore1 ,calling him to come from play ,at the closing of the day4 ,dreams of maiden1 boyhood friend1 ,down the road beyond the bend1 ,where the trees made welcome shade ,trysting place for boy and maid4 ,where he told her of his love ,pure and true as stars above1 ,and she answered with her eyes ,beautiful as ,paradise4 99 99 99 99 99 ,dream on1 soldier boy of mine1 ,may sweet memory entwine ,love that thrills with hope that cheers1 ,wakening day with yester years6 ,may sweet morrow's dawning beam ,hallow and make real thy dream4 ,at midnight as ,i lay wrapped in my blanket beside the fire's expiring embers1 ,colonel ,degan came to me and said1 ,i am leaving you1 ,chaplain4 ,good-bye and the best of luck4 ,he was on his way to another sector2 and although ,i have never seen him since1 ,i still recall him as a splendid soldier and a devoted friend4 ,at ,units the following morning1 ,i said ,mass and gave the ,sacraments to quite a number of the boys4 ,among these ,i recall ,machine ,gunner ,brady of the #cdth ,infantry1 brother of my friend1 ,father ,brady1 of ,st4 ,agnes ,church1 ,chicago4 ,meanwhile the waiting trains had been boarded and promptly at noon we rolled away into the mysterious ,northeast4 ,how good it seemed to be once more on the move6 ,the utmost caution was now to be observed--no lights on the train at night1 not even a headlight on the engine4 ,softly the boys sang1 ,we don't know where we're going1 ,but we're on our way4 ,in monotone the steel rails seemed to plaintively reply1 ,art is long and ,time is fleeting1 ,and your hearts though stout and brave1 ,still1 like muffled drums1 are beating ,funeral marches to the grave4 ,our afternoon hours were given something of a thrill in watching the evolutions of a half dozen planes1 skirmish escort men of the air1 flying high and wide covering our movements4 ,we were now on the division of road operated by our own gallant #acth ,engineers1 of which my friend1 ,sergeant ,mc,dowell of ,blue ,island1 was ,locomotive ,inspector4 ,night fell2 and the long troop trains like monstrous serpents creeping on their prey crawled steadily1 silently forward into the abysmally black unknown4 ,slower and more uncertain they moved1 feeling their way2 and at midnight came to a final stop at the near approaches to ,no ,man's ,land4 ,quickly we detrained and took cover in a near-by forest2 the empty cars trailed off rapidly to the south2 and dawn found neither a car nor a soldier in sight4 ,all that day we remained hidden in the shadowy solitudes of ,bois l',evque on the banks of the ,moselle4 ,beautiful was this softly flowing river1 mirroring azure skies and radiant in the colorful glow of early autumn4 ,how hard to realize that death lurked in the quietude of its borders2 that ,man had chosen this bosom of shade1 tuneful with the voice of sweetly calling birds1 as a fitting shambles to slay his fellow men6 ,if day for the soldier was for rest1 night was for the march2 and a new dawn found us in the sheltering woods of ,gonderville on the ,toul-,nancy highway4 ,turquoise1 palest violet1 tender green and gold1 the country lay before us4 ,then1 even as we watched from covert1 our ears made acquaintance with a new and ominous sound4 ,from an infinite distance the morning breeze from the north carried with it a deadened thumping sound1 now regular as the muffled rolling of drums1 now softly irregular with intervals of stillness4 ,it was the dominating monotone of cannonading4 ,no need to tell the boys what it meant6 ,guess we're in time for the big show all right1 ,buddie quietly remarked2 and from that moment an expression overspread his countenance and a note crept into his voice ,i had not noticed there before4 ,it was not one of nervousness1 but of seriousness2 a clearer vision and apprehension of big manly things henceforth to be done4 ,when ,i was a boy ,i lived as a boy2 but when ,i became a man ,i put away the things of boyhood and acted the part of a man4 ,boys went into the trenches1 but men came out of them6 ,illustration3 ,,our ,,dugouts ,,afforded ,,shelter ,,and ,,habitation4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,,puvinelle ,,sector--,,bois ,,le ,,pretre--,,vieville ,,en ,,haye ,gallant ,pershing was even then maneuvering his masterly all-,american offensive in the ,san ,michel4 ,our ,seventh ,division1 with the #bhth on the left and the #ib;d on the right1 now reached the high full tide of martial responsibility2 merging from the reserve into the attack2 and taking its place with the ,immortal ,combat ,divisions of proud ,old ,glory4 ,the front line sector1 which that night we took over1 extended in a general westerly direction from north of ,pont a ,musson on the ,moselle river to ,vigneulles--a distance of ten kilometers4 ,approximate positions found the #eeth ,infantry at ,thiacourt1 the #fdth at ,vieville1 the #cgth at ,fay-en-,haye1 and the #efth at ,vilcey-sur-,trey1 with ,machine ,gun ,battalions distributed equally among them4 ,during ,september1 ,division ,headquarters was at ,villers-en-,haye2 moving forward in echelon to ,noviant and ,euvezin ,october #bdth4 ,although ,villers-en-,haye was mostly in ruins1 the ,sacristy of the village church was in good shape1 and this ,i at once occupied4 ,on the preceding ,sunday1 good ,father ,harmon of ,chicago had said ,mass in this church1 as a note1 fastened to its front door1 announced4 ,thoroughly tired1 ,i spread my blanket on the floor and fell quickly to sleep4 ,i dreamed ,i was tied to a railroad track with a train rushing towards me4 ,with a start ,i awoke1 just as a siren voiced shell came screaming across the fields1 bursting at the foot of the hill on which the church stood4 ,the gas alarm was at once sounded and every trooper sought refuge in the dugouts4 ,it was then half-past eight4 ,at four-minute intervals and with the most deadly regularity these shells came at us for four nerve-racking hours4 ,boom6 ,you could hear it leave the eight-inch howitzer six miles away1 then in a high tenor pitch1 it rushed toward you with a crescendo of sound1 moaning1 wailing1 screaming1 hissing1 bursting with frightful intensity apparently in the center of your brain4 ,falling here1 there1 and everywhere in the ruins and environs of the village1 mustard gas1 flying steel and mortar1 levied cruel toll on six boys1 whose mangled bodies ,i laid away the following afternoon at ,griscourt under the hill4 ,one of these1 ,i now recall1 was ,corporal ,donald ,bryan of the #gth ,engineers1 a most handsome and talented young man who1 before the war1 had won fame in the field of movie drama4 ,where were you last night8 inquired gallant ,colonel ,cummings of ,missouri1 our ,machine ,gun ,regimental ,commander4 ,in the sacristy1 ,i replied4 ,the worst possible place for you6 he exclaimed2 you would find it far safer in a dugout4 ,i preferred the sacristy1 however1 for its convenience to the altar1 where ,i could say daily ,mass1 and so won my point4 ,chaplain and burial work had been meanwhile growing tremendously4 ,burial details to be organized1 equipped and dispatched far and wide along the front2 conferences with ,chaplains2 forwarding to them of ,departmental ,orders2 receiving their weekly reports1 and compiling these in daily reports to the ,graves ,registration ,service2 with monthly reports to be prepared for ,bishop ,brent at ,chaumont1 ,monsignor ,connolly at ,paris1 and ,archbishop ,hayes at ,new ,york4 ,at this time welfare workers joined us and we had thirty ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 secretaries under ,rev4 ,mr4 ,todd2 eight ,american ,red ,cross secretaries under ,mr4 ,kolinski of ,chicago2 six ,salvation ,army lady secretaries under ,adjutant ,mr4 ,brown1 and ten ,knights of ,columbus secretaries under ,mr4 ,mc,carthy of ,kansas ,city1 who joined us at ,bouillonville4 ,all these workers rendered most valuable and devoted service2 especially at a time and place when we were far afield in ruined shell-swept areas1 and completely cut off from every vestige of ordinary comforts4 ,how good a bar of chocolate1 a stick of ,black ,jack1 a dash of despised inglorious goldfish tasted to ,buddie1 lying cold1 hungry1 dirty and cootified in his dugout6 ,a distinct contribution to modern civilization1 and a form of national and international altruism making for the betterment1 not only of him who receives but as well of him who gives1 was organized welfare work4 ,the need of such work always existed2 and the organization of trained and equipped auxiliary forces intelligently to perform it must have ever been apparent4 ,it remained for the ,world ,war1 conceived1 at least in the ,american mind in unselfish motive1 to create and give flesh and blood expression to so ,divine a vocation2 and assign it honored rank among ,national institutions eminently to be desired1 and1 without invidious comparison1 devotedly to be maintained4 ,one day1 timing and dodging dropping shells1 ,i came to ruined1 bombarded ,essey4 ,a single piece of bread had been my only fare for many trying hours and ,i was hungry to the point of exhaustion4 ,above the door of a dugout ,i saw the welcome sign ,salvation ,army1 and1 making my way to the door1 ,i knocked4 ,it was at once opened by two lady secretaries4 ,the savory odor of fresh1 crisp fried cakes greeted me1 and in the center of the room beyond1 ,i saw a table heaped high with the precious viands themselves6 ,truly it was ,angel ,food6 ,not the lily-white sort served and known as such at home1 but the golden ambrosial kind angels dream of--and surely were the ,salvation ,army ladies who saved me that day from starving1 angels4 ,not only did they kindly point to the table of delight and generously say1 ,help yourself1 ,chaplain1 but ,adjutant ,brown1 husband of one of them1 entering at that moment1 cheerily remarked3 ,chaplain1 won't you join us8 we are just sitting down to dinner4 ,having no other dinner engagement just then1 ,i accepted6 ,the table was placed under a stairway1 just room for the four of us4 ,outside1 the air was filled with the spume and shriek of bursting shells4 ,the windows were tightly barricaded1 and a candle1 placed in the mouth of a bottle1 gave the only light4 ,chaplain1 will you offer ,grace8 ,reverently all four bowed our heads in prayer2 and may the good ,god who brought us there together1 join us some future day in his heavenly home above6 ,the problem of transportation was most insistent and difficult4 ,the ,division being far below its quota of automobiles and motorcycles1 ,chaplains and burying details were compelled frequently to journey on foot1 with possible aid from some passing truck4 ,under these conditions ,i found ,jip truly bonne chance4 ,jip was the horse assigned me by my good friend1 ,lieutenant ,davis1 of ,headquarters ,troop1 and whom ,i named after my faithful dog ,jip of ,harvey4 ,he was a noble animal1 utterly without fear2 broken by chasseurs-a-cheval to gun fire4 ,my only comrade on many a long1 lone ride1 we grew fond of each other to a degree only he can appreciate who has spent days and weeks of solitude and danger with a devoted horse4 ,all the pet names and phrases ,jip of ,harvey knew1 ,i lavished on him1 leaning forward to whisper in his ear4 ,although it was not the familiar ,french he heard1 it seemed to please him1 and obediently he bore me on1 little heeding the danger of the trail1 so that he shared my sorrows and pleasures4 ,one beautiful day in mid-,october1 he carried me many miles through ,bois de ,puvinelle1 deep in whose solitudes1 at ,jung ,fontaine the #bjth ,machine ,gun ,battalion was camped2 passing on our way ruined ,martincourt1 then heavily shelled1 to the borders of grim ,bois-le-,pretre4 ,before starting on this mission1 which had for its object inspecting of front line conditions and burial work1 ,i had talked over the situation thoroughly with ,colonel ,p4 ,lenoncle1 ,french ,army1 who1 during two years1 had fought over every foot of ,bois-le-,pretre1 and won there his ,croix de ,guerre4 ,monsieur le ,chaplain1 he said1 this forest is a household word for danger and death throughout all ,germany4 ,i know1 in your goodness1 you will not fail to bury any of my brave poilu whose bodies you there may find4 ,glorious was our canter down the dim leafy aisles of the ,bois oak1 maple1 ash1 and pine flamed with the glorious coloring of autumn4 ,crimson ivy festooned each swaying limb1 weaving canopies against a mottled sky of blue and white2 morning-glories nodded greeting from the hedges1 while forest floors were carpeted with the red of geranium1 yellow of marigold and purple of aster4 ,illustration3 ,,thiacourt ,,under ,,shell-,,fire4 ,through the winding tunnel of foliage ,jip was keenly alert4 ,he seemed1 with his good horse sense1 to feel that he was carrying a very well-meaning but inexperienced ,chaplain1 more interested perhaps in things botanical and floral than military4 ,when ,i1 for example1 showed inclination to dismount and inspect a beautiful saddle lying by the roadside1 it was evidently a ,german officer's1 ,jip1 with ears back1 snorted and galloped furiously past4 ,a veteran sergeant afterwards quietly remarked3 ',jip' likely saved you that time1 ,chaplain1 from a 'planted' bomb1 for which that saddle was the bait4 ,evening found us at the near approaches of ,saint ,marie farm4 ,as the area from this point forward was drenched with gas1 and therefore no place for ,jip1 who stubbornly refused to wear his mask1 ,i decided to leave him and continue forward on foot4 ,making my way to a dugout1 then ,company ,headquarters of the gallant #aith ,machine ,gunners1 ,i happened upon a young gunner named ,costigan4 ,will you look after ',jip' for me1 ,buddie8 ,i will be glad to1 ,father1 he replied4 ,your sister used to be my teacher in the ,ogden school1 ,chicago6 ,how small the world was6 ,to find that ,bois-le-,pretre was just around the corner from ,chestnut and ,north ,state ,street6 ,grim and terrible1 however1 was the work just ahead4 ,entering that forest was like going into some vast fatal ,iroquois ,theatre saturated with death-dealing gas4 ,it was even then being swept by a tornado of screaming1 bursting shells1 scattering far and wide fumes of mustard and chlorine1 a single inhalation of which meant unspeakable agony and death4 ,but our brave boys were there with souls to be prepared1 and poor mangled bodies were there1 reverently to be buried6 ,it was supreme test for the gas mask6 ,that frail piece of rubber alone stood between us and death4 ,the slightest rent or leakage would be fatal1 as injury to the suit of the deep sea diver4 ,these masks had been issued in sizes #c1 #d and #e4 ,some fitted better than others2 others bound painfully about the temples4 ,we had been trained to adjust them quickly from alert to the face in seven seconds1 and woe to him who breathed before the clasp was on his nose1 the tube in his mouth1 or the chin piece properly in place4 ,under ordinary conditions1 they were supposed to filter the poisonous air for thirty-six hours4 ,it was extraordinary conditions1 however1 rising either from faulty adjustment1 rubber strain1 or mechanical injury that usually proved their undoing4 ,on that ,october day ,i had remained in the gas waves but four hours and felt ,i had escaped without injury4 ,such1 however1 proved not my good fortune4 ,my mask had evidently not functioned properly and that night of torture to body1 head and eyes was accounted for in the simple words of the kind ,doctor ,lugar3 ,chaplain1 you are gassed4 ,a few days' nursing and care at the ,field ,hospital restored strength and vigor needed for a new and even more interesting encounter4 ,on the afternoon of ,sunday1 ,october #beth1 ,i had held services at three o'clock in a dugout at ,vieville-en-,haye4 ,carefully hidden in a forest immediately south of this village were then located three of our large guns4 ,the boys had proudly named them1 ,president's ,answer1 ,theda ,bara and ,miss ,mc,carthy4 ,they were throwing high explosive shells along the ,metz highway4 ,the enemy was frantically replying with eight-inch ,howitzers from points some six kilometers north1 dropping shells at two-minute intervals into ,vieville-en-,haye and its environs4 ,as there was much gas along this front1 ,i had left ,jip at home and was using a ,harley-,davidson cycle side-car ,lieutenant ,trainor of ,headquarters had kindly loaned me--further giving me daring ,corporal ,plummer of ,aurora1 one of the most skillful of his chauffeurs4 ,following the services our next work was a trip to ,vilcey-sur-,trey1 some four kilometers away1 at the eastern approach of ,death ,valley4 ,emerging from the dugout our plans were quickly outlined4 ,taking advantage of the regular two-minute intervals between falling shells1 we planned to first let one come over1 then make a quick dash up the front street and get out into the shelter of ,death ,valley before the next one fell4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,muggins1 ,y4 ,m4 ,c4 ,a4 secretary1 a very estimable and highly respected man1 shook his head4 ,chaplain1 you can hardly make it4 ,how about it1 ,corporal8 ,i said to ,plummer4 ,sure1 we can make it1 he replied4 ,let's go1 ,i said1 and quickly slid into the side-car4 ,we let a shell come over1 saw where it burst1 then dashed up the street4 ,skillfully avoiding heaps of brick and mortar scattered along the way1 quicker than it takes to tell1 we traversed two blocks and reached a point just opposite the ruined church4 ,here we rushed full into an ugly crater1 our machine fouled and our way was blocked6 ,we knew a ,german gun across those fields was even then trained on this spot and would pay its respects in about one minute4 ,plummer tried to kick and shake life into the machine2 ,i did the praying4 ,just before lay ruins of the old church4 ,i thought of the countless times ,holy ,mass had been offered there1 and humbly ,i asked ,god to spare me and my boy1 to turn aside from us the stroke of death--but1 ,not my will but ,thine be done4 ,boom6 ,across the fields came the sickening report6 ,ordering ,plummer to throw himself to the ground1 ,i was in the act of alighting1 and was partly free of the machine1 when the shell burst1 about one hundred feet away4 ,my right arm seemed to burn2 but ,i was alive1 and flat on the ground4 ,breathlessly we waited1 like a boxer in his corner1 until the next shell came over4 ,this struck about a block away4 ,at once we sprang to our feet and rushed into the shelter of ,death ,valley4 ,plummer was unhurt2 but ,i was slightly bleeding from right arm and left leg4 ,they were but scratches2 and most humbly ,i thanked ,god for sparing us4 ,well1 ,chaplain1 they winged you this time1 said good ,captain ,cash1 ,abilene1 ,texas1 ,medical ,corps1 when ,i reported4 ,my right forearm was broken1 but nothing serious enough to make me an ambulance case4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,greater ,,love ,i never recall those really worth while times without being reminded of a certain ,lieutenant whose name ,i do not feel at present free to reveal4 ,the attending circumstances were so deeply pathetic1 and his confidence in me of a nature so sacred1 ,i will but narrate the details without divulging his identity4 ,handsome1 generous1 brave1 highly competent in military art1 he was as skillful in getting action from his giant gun as he was masterful in evoking music from his violin6 ,if there was anything his platoon boys admired more1 even than himself1 it was the music of his ever generous1 ever delighting violin4 ,deep in some dugout we would gather around him4 ,tenderly and fondly he would take the instrument from the battered box1 patting it like a young mother her baby's cheek4 ,beginning with some light popular air in which all would vocally join1 he would soon glide like a spirit of melody to the unprofaned height of the music masters4 ,bach was his favorite4 ,and when1 with the mute1 to soften the waves from unfriendly ears1 he would interpret some symphony of the soul1 we would forget our grim surroundings and dream we dwelt in marble halls4 ,he knew my passionate fondness for music and took delight in pleasing me4 ,what pictures he could paint on the canvas of my fancy6 ,under the spell of his music ,i would drop anchor in the harbor of the fairest dream4 ,now1 it would be a landscape the brush of his bow would paint--a midsummer day with sheep gently grazing on some hillside3 again1 it would be a forest1 with treetops cowering before an on-rushing storm4 ,one evening he was playing with the mute on ,humoresque4 ,his big brown eyes1 that were not the least attractive feature of his handsome face1 looked steadily into mine across the bridge of his violin4 ,what is the picture tonight1 ,chaplain8 ,illustration3 ,,doctor ,,lugar ,,and ,,aids ,,working ,,in ,a ,,gas ,,attack ,,near ,,jolney4 ,i see a coast1 ,i replied2 it is a fair summer day1 with waves of all blue and silver1 dancing in the breeze4 ,a yacht is just off shore2 the sail1 a creamy bit of color2 at the tiller a chap1 handsome as yourself1 and at his side a girl--here he stopped playing and looking intently at me exclaimed3 ,why1 that's the very thing ,i was thinking of myself6 ,laying aside the violin he drew from his kit a bundle of letters tied with ribbon4 ,delightedly1 radiantly1 he showed me her picture--yes1 her pictures1 for surely he had twenty of them4 ,then he narrated the sweetest story ever told2 how wonderful she was1 how tenderly he loved her1 how they had sacredly promised to marry on his return1 and planned to seek their young fortunes in ,south ,america4 ,the days following were filled with big thrilling events4 ,the ebb and flow of battle called into action all that was best and noblest in the boys1 and my ,lieutenant served his ,battery and wrought deeds of valor to a degree all excelling and inspiring4 ,i knew the secret of it all1 it was the thought of her1 his promised wife1 and of the bliss awaiting a gallant soldier's return4 ,it was just one week later the letter came4 ,few received mail that day2 he was one who did4 ,my attention was first called to him by the sound of a moan that seemed to come from a heart utterly broken4 ,he stood leaning against a caisson staring at the letter1 his face deathly white4 ,instinctively ,i realized it all4 ,it was from her1 and its message was as some stroke of lightning from a cloudless sky4 ,mutely he came to me1 pressed the letter in my hand1 and turned away4 ,a glance through its lines told me the worst2 that while she admired his courage and unselfishness more than any man in the world1 and always would1 still1 as she did not1 could never1 love him as she felt a wife should love her husband1 would he now release her and give up their engagement6 ,knowing him as ,i did1 noble1 unselfish1 and devotedly1 tenderly loving her with all his soul1 most deeply did ,i pity him4 ,it was the supreme hour and crisis of his life4 ,if there were ever a time when he needed her love to sustain him1 when day and night he grappled with death and fought with all his soul1 as only the patriot can fight1 it was now4 ,it was the beginning of the end4 ,sub-consciously ,i sensed impending tragedy1 and was depressed beyond expression4 ,not indeed that he became morose1 ugly or unsoldierly4 ,on the contrary1 never was he more attentive to ,battery duties or considerate toward his men4 ,bravely would he laugh and jest and try to appear happy2 but ,i knew it was all merely heroic endeavor1 and that his heart was utterly broken4 ,if he gave expression to his loss at all it was through his violin4 ,it was all in a minor strain1 and its notes were of the soul of one ,who treads alone1 ,some banquet hall deserted3 ,whose lights are fled1 and garlands dead1 ,all1 all save he departed4 ,it was the afternoon of ten days later4 ,in an orchard on a hillside his ,battery had just come into position4 ,by some alert enemy-observing plane the movement had evidently been noted1 for it was not seven minutes later that a high explosive shell came screaming over the hill1 directly hitting his gun1 instantly killing gunner ,no4 #a1 and mortally wounding himself4 ,ten minutes later ,i reached his side4 ,he was still conscious1 had received ,first ,aid1 but was sinking rapidly4 ,i am not afraid to die1 ,chaplain4 ,it's my turn ,i guess4 ,there is a letter here in my blouse pocket4 ,i wrote it to her the other night4 ,read it1 will you please1 and if it is all right1 post it for me when ,i am gone4 ,blinded with my tears ,i carefully took the letter from his pocket4 ,it was wet with his heart's blood4 ,i do not now recall its every word1 but in substance1 it released her4 ,my ,duchess was the endearing title at the top of the page4 ,it declared his deep1 abiding love for her3 a love so unselfish and complete as not wanting to ever1 either directly or indirectly1 mar her happiness4 ,in life and death her memory would continue to be the one supreme inspiration of his life4 ,as she requested1 he had burned the letters1 retaining but one1 stained with a rose she had once given him4 ,oh my boy6 ,i am proud of you1 ,i cried1 when ,i finished reading4 ,if it is all right1 ,chaplain1 please post it when ,i am gone4 ,the deathly pallor of his face warned me the end was near4 ,though not directly of my faith1 he had often remarked his preference for my ministrations2 and with all my soul ,i helped him make ,acts of ,faith1 ,hope1 ,charity1 and perfect ,contrition4 ,gently his eyes closed1 his head fell forward on my breast1 and his brave sweet spirit passed to its ,maker4 ,kneeling around1 with tears seaming their ashen battle-stained faces1 were his boys4 ,tenderly they helped me carry his poor torn body to the shelter of a neighboring ravine4 ,on the hillside we buried him1 marking his grave with the ,sign of ,him who shall remember the ,brave1 the ,pure1 the ,good4 ,i posted the letter1 as he requested1 enclosing it all1 as it was blood-stained1 in another envelope4 ,i have forgiven1 as he would have me do1 the inconsiderate action of the girl who brought such sorrow to the supreme hour of his sacrifice4 ,some day1 when the wounds of cruel war are healed1 ,i may forget4 ,and yet1 reviewing it all in the light of the supernatural and the greater reward awaiting him beyond the stars1 may we not believe that an all-wise1 ever-merciful ,father permitted this crowning sorrow of his young life that it might be but opportunity1 humbly and prayerfully endured1 of a soul-cleansing nature1 and add luster to his reward of the ,greater ,love through eternal years6 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,thiacourt--,,aerial ,,daring ,where are you saying ,mass next ,sunday ,chaplain8 ,in ,thiacourt1 ,i replied4 ,just the shadow of a doubt flitted across the handsome face of ,colonel ,cummings1 who nevertheless promptly responded1 ,all right1 ,i'll be there4 ,that ,mass could safely be said in such a veritable inferno as ,thiacourt ,november #ast offered very reasonable room for doubt4 ,located but a single kilometer from the front line trench1 its ruins were shelled by day1 and air bombed by night1 with daring ,fokers and ,taubes finding rare sport in spraying its main street with machine gun fire4 ,the gallant boys of the #eeth ,infantry1 nine hundred of whom came from ,chicago1 were then bravely holding that death-swept point2 and ,i was determined to bring them the consolation and strength of ,religion in their supreme need4 ,dawn was breaking that ,sunday morning when ,i rode through ,bouillonville4 ,leading north from this village the road leaves the shelter of a friendly hill and plunges boldly across the open plain4 ,our ,batteries were firing constantly from every available angle of the hills1 and the enemy's spirited reply made very heavy the din of gun fire4 ,in all directions1 on roadside1 field and hill1 geysers were rising1 and yawning yellow craters forming from the impact of bursting shells4 ,it was seldom ,i urged ,jip out of a canter4 ,this morning1 however1 things were different4 ,the road through the open plain lay full in view and range of eagle-eyed enemy snipers4 ,across the pommel of the saddle1 in front1 was fastened a bag of oats2 and behind1 my ,mass kit4 ,tightly ,i strapped on my steel helmet1 with gas mask tied at alert4 ,leaving the shelter of the hill ,i leaned forward and spoke to ,jip4 ,allez6 ,allez6 ,mon petit cheval6 ,right bravely he responded4 ,with ears back1 and raven mane and tail streaming to the breeze1 he fairly hurled himself forward across the death-swept plain4 ,his speed and courage stood between me and eternity4 ,it is not easy for even the best sniper to hit such a fast moving horse4 ,at a point two hundred yards to the right of us burst a huge shell4 ,to just the slightest degree ,jip trembled1 but with never a break of his even flying stride4 ,thank ,god6 was my heartfelt prayer as we reached the ruined mill at ,thiacourt4 ,quickly dismounting ,i led ,jip deep into the rear of a building whose front was shot away4 ,o how ,i hugged and patted that brave little horse2 and from the manner he pawed the ground and rubbed his nose against my side ,i felt he fairly thrilled with the pride of his race with death4 ,for your sake1 my brave little ,jip1 ,i will never be unkind to a horse as long as ,i live4 ,rewarding him with an extra ration of oats1 and leaving him secure from gas1 ,i proceeded forward on foot4 ,shrapnel was bursting all about1 and its sharp1 sizzling echo1 against walls still standing1 made maddening din4 ,dodging from building to building up the deserted front street ,i reached a point opposite the ,hotel de ,ville in time to see the front of a building one hundred yards to the left blown completely out by a bursting shell4 ,the church was but a heap of smoking ruins4 ,in the courtyard of a large building1 that a few days before was headquarters of the ,german staff1 ,i was welcomed by boys of the #eeth ,infantry4 ,it was a platoon in command of ,lieutenant ,coughlan of ,mobile1 ,alabama4 ,this gallant young man1 nephew of ,capt4 ,coughlan who sailed with ,dewey into ,manila ,bay1 was every inch a hero4 ,just the day before he had held a front sector against terrible odds when the platoon on his right had fallen back under heavy gas attack with its commander mortally wounded4 ,in this encounter ,coughlan was badly gassed himself1 and could not speak above a whisper4 ,i know the ,latin1 and can serve your ,mass all right1 ,chaplain1 if you can stand for my whispers4 ,an altar was improvised out of a richly carved sideboard standing in the courtyard4 ,after a goodly number had gone to ,confession1 a crowd of some two hundred assembled for the ,mass4 ,at this moment ,colonel ,cummings1 true to his word that he would be on hand1 strode into the yard4 ,the boys knelt around1 wearing their steel helmets1 and with masks at alert4 ,my vestments consisted simply of a stole worn over my cassock4 ,helmet and mask lay easily within reach at one side4 ,the firing1 meanwhile1 was terrific--high explosive shells shrieking overhead and bursting on every side4 ,rifle and machine-gun bullets added their shrill tenor notes to the orchestral wail of gun fire4 ,i had prepared a sermon1 but1 amid such din1 ,i1 for a moment1 questioned the possibility and even propriety of delivering it4 ,i decided in the affirmative1 and raised my voice in challenge to the wild clamor of death4 ,as ,i looked upon the battle-stained faces before me1 ,i felt how pleasing it all must have been in the sight of ,him who feared not ,death of old1 and who said on the hills of ,galilee3 ,greater love than this no man has1 that he give up his life for his friends4 ,mass over1 the boys quickly disappeared into neighboring dugouts4 ,colonel ,cummings was greatly pleased with it all1 remarking1 ,as soon as you began ,mass1 ,chaplain1 the gun fire seemed to ease a bit1 and a comparative zone of quiet prevailed where we were gathered4 ,i shall know after this1 ,colonel1 ,i laughingly replied1 what is bringing you to ,mass--to get into a zone of quiet6 ,permit me to add here1 however that the good ,colonel needed no urging to attend ,mass4 ,i never met a better ,christian overseas nor a more gallant loyal comrade than ,colonel ,cummings4 ,the remaining hours of that day were spent in ministering to the living and burying the dead4 ,along that battle swept front the ,chaplain was always gladly welcomed and his divine ,message reverently received4 ,death in its thousand ghastly forms1 ever impending1 ever threatening1 impressed with serious religious thought the consciousness of even the most careless4 ,in direct proportion to the coming and going of danger was the ebb and flow of the tide spiritual4 ,haven't you noticed1 ,chaplain1 an improvement in my language of late8 ,i sure have been trying to cut out swearing4 ,often would some officer or enlisted man--of any or no church membership--so remark1 and who had hitherto been prone to sins of the tongue4 ,on such occasions two thoughts would come to me--the reflection of ,tertullian that ,the soul of man is by nature religious2 and the admonition of ,ecclesiastes #g3dj1 ,remember thy last end and thou shalt never sin4 ,far into that ,all ,saints night ,i heard ,confessions1 and was edified with the large number who approached ,holy ,communion ,all ,souls morning4 ,in burial work1 we always made it a point1 where it was at all possible1 to bury the enemy dead as reverently as our own4 ,we would gather their poor shell-torn bodies1 often in advanced stages of decomposition1 and place them in graves on sheltered hillsides1 safe from gun fire1 carefully assembling in ,musette bags their belongings1 which we would forward to the ,prisoner of ,war ,department4 ,one day1 while so assembling the scattered remains of four dead ,germans1 evidently killed by the same shell1 one of our boys of the #cdth ,infantry1 ,sam ,volkel by name1 who before the war lived in my old parish at ,harvey1 passed by4 ,this good boy's parents had been born in ,germany4 ,when he saw the reverent care we were giving those four of the enemy dead1 he came up to me and with tears streaming down his smoke and dust-covered face exclaimed1 ,father1 ,god bless you4 ,de mortuis nil nisi bonum is a principle of conduct dating back to ,him who of old declared burial of the dead a corporal work of mercy4 ,it is the mark1 neither of the ,christian individual nor nation1 to disrespect a body nor desecrate its resting place4 ,the fact that in life it was tenanted by the soul of an enemy is no justification for dishonoring it2 for ,he who is ,infinite ,truth and ,justice declares ,love thy enemy2 do good to those who hate you1 and bless those who persecute you4 ,this1 of course1 is not the way of the world2 but is the way of ,him whose standards of living must guide our lives1 and whose will to reward or punish us shall prevail through ,eternity4 ,we had now been many weeks at the extreme front on minimum ration of all things bearing on bodily comfort or mental relaxation4 ,water was but a word1 a memory1 cherished dream of him who wrote ,the ,old ,oaken ,bucket4 ,if we could but find enough of the chlorinated drug store kind to nourish our canteen1 we were prepared to dispense with the common1 or laundry serving1 variety4 ,in the eternal fitness of things1 there came now into being an ,army institution1 officially known as the ,delousing ,station4 ,it appears to have been named in memory of a certain small wingless insect4 ,there was an appeal to it that at once caught the popular fancy of the soldiers1 always itching for novelty1 and it became the most frequented of watering places4 ,it was a thoroughly democratic affair1 officers and enlisted men freely approving and patronizing it1 under the undenying impulse1 no doubt1 of a common human need4 ,it little mattered that its location was usually the wreckage of some wind-swept barn2 or that its furniture consisted of a barrel of water jauntily poised on the rafters2 the spectacle of ,buddie1 bar of soap in hand1 sporting and splashing in the limpid stream of that miniature ,niagara1 offered wealth of theme for the inspired artist1 poet1 and writer of commercial advertising4 ,i greatly wonder that the hallowed memory of this loving institution has so far escaped the popular fancy as to be left unwept1 unhonored and unsung4 ,that it was inspirational might be shown from the case of a boy of the #fdth ,infantry changing the words of the popular song1 ,they go wild1 simply wild1 over me1 to ,they run wild1 simply wild1 over me4 ,huts designed to offer any manner of mental relaxation1 reading1 music1 and the like1 were necessarily many miles to the rear4 ,no sound but gun fire was ever to be heard4 ,no matin bugle call of ,reveille to rouse1 nor plaintive note of ,taps to mend the ravelled sleeve of care4 ,no regimental band to soothe the savage breast1 nor lead to the charge in the way it is described in books of history4 ,no lights to show from dugout or trench1 not even on motor cars or cycles dashing along treacherous roads and trails4 ,if mess and water carts could be kept in touch with advanced posts1 the mail and welfare supply trucks could be dispensed with4 ,days and weeks would pass without so much as sight of a letter1 newspaper1 book1 or word from the rear of any kind4 ,such times were like living in the bottom of a well1 glimpses of the sky overhead1 but all around you1 dark1 foul1 and deathly4 ,amid such surroundings our chief pleasure and relaxation was often the sky4 ,reclining in the soft yielding mud we could watch the canvas of the heavens1 stretched from horizon to horizon1 in panoramic splendor4 ,whether it was the hour of the powerful king of day rejoicing in the east1 the mid-day brooding calm1 or when ,night folds her starry curtains round1 the ever-changing1 ever-beautiful pictures of cloudland lulled to rest our fancies sweet as music which ,gentler on the spirit lies ,than tired eyelids upon tired eyes4 ,how thrilled we were when cloudland became of a sudden peopled with armed men6 ,when that azure blue became an ocean1 with ships of the air scudding in and out of cloudy coves1 around billowy headlands1 zuming1 spiraling1 volplaning1 maneuvering for position to hurl broadsides of death4 ,it was all1 as it were1 a tournament staged for our amusement4 ,herald of its beginning would be a splash of white against the blue above the ,german lines4 ,faintly1 then with steadily increased volume in tone1 would come to our ears the unmistakable high tenor engine trum of a ,foker plane4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,wounded ,,were ,,carried ,,to ,,the ,,nearest ,,shelter4 ,all eyes would intently watch its approach4 ,it was coming over to deal death or destruction of some sort1 possibly to attack our anchored observing balloon1 just to the rear4 ,seconds as well as minutes count in such an adventure1 and quicker than the eye can count them1 puffy balls of white appear above1 below and all around on the on-rushing ,foker2 they are the shrapnel bursts of our vigilant anti-aircraft guns that have now opened briskly from every hill and forest4 ,on it comes6--and now black puffs appear in its path1 the dynamite shells of our guns finding their range4 ,boom6 boom6 rat-ta-tat-boom-rat-ta-tat is the music that greets our ears and every hill is a tremble under the shock of thousands of rounds of fire4 ,in such an emergency our orders are clear4 ,we must remain perfectly motionless3 we will not be seen unless we move about4 ,we must not fire at him2 he must know neither our location nor what arms we have4 ,the tons of steel being hurled into the air must meanwhile fall in splinters to the earth4 ,here is where our steel helmets prove so serviceable1 protecting the head not only from falling splinters1 but from bullets of the machine gun the ,foker flyer is now vigorously firing earthward4 ,now a new and welcome sound greets our eyes4 ,coming on the wings of the wind out of the south is the strong deep bass of ,liberty ,motor music--the all-,american made--which1 though arriving in quantity late in the war1 proved at once its superiority to all others4 ,our ground guns have driven the ,foker high into the air2 which1 evidently noting that the on-coming ships are merely observing and not fighting planes1 comes steadily on6 ,how vividly ,i recall that stirring afternoon6 ,we were on a hillside1 just above ,thiacourt1 directing the work of a burial detail4 ,as the ,foker reached a point directly over us he dove full in our direction4 ,there was nothing for us to do1 no shelter to take refuge in1 just an unprotected slope of the hill4 ,whether it was the fact that we were a burial party and he wished to spare us--and this explanation ,i like to believe--or whether1 by firing on us1 he might betray his presence1 and thus defeat his main purpose1 which was to destroy the balloon anchored in the neighboring valley1 ,i will never know2 but this ,i do know--at a point directly above us1 and where he could most easily have killed us with machine gun fire1 he suddenly changed his course4 ,gliding down the valley1 he raced full upon the observing balloon and hurled incendiary shells into it1 setting it on fire2 then1 coming about1 he dashed away to the north1 escaping over his own lines amid a shower of leaden hail6 ,ill blows the wind that profits no one--the position of undertaker1 we at first hesitated in accepting1 had saved our life2 burial boys were1 after this1 more reconciled than ever to their work6 ,air craft battles1 although of frequent occurrence along our front1 were always watched with keen delight4 ,our fliers were chiefly of the #ajhth ,squadron from the fields of ,toul and ,colombey-le-,belles4 ,it was in our area1 on the banks of the ,moselle1 that the heroic and gallant ,lufberry fell1 fighting1 to his death4 ,he is buried in the little cemetery of ,evacuation ,hospital ,no4 #a1 near ,toul4 ,eddie ,rickenbacker1 ,reed ,landis1 ,tuper ,weyman1 ,elmer ,crowel1 ,bernard ,granville1 ,douglas ,campbell1 these and others were the gallant ,aces of our ,army1 flying and fighting daily over the front4 ,on ,september twenty-eighth ,douglas ,campbell fell in flames at ,pannes4 ,in the cemetery of the old church there he is buried4 ,it was with special interest we cared for his grave1 inasmuch as his home was in ,kenilworth1 near our own ,chicago4 ,infantry contact flying was necessarily hazardous4 ,it meant flying at an elevation easily in reach of rifle fire4 ,usually at mess1 the evening before1 the flyer1 chosen for this mission1 would be notified4 ,his companions1 too1 would hear of the selection2 and often indulged1 in their own grim humorous way1 of reminding him of the fact6 ,the man next to him at the table would softly and weirdly hum a strain from ,chopin's ,funeral ,march1 setting its music to the solemn words1 ,ten thousand dollars going home to the ,states6 ,it was this trait in ,buddie's character1 however1 ability to make the best of things1 to see the smooth and not the seamy side of ,death's mantle1 that made him the most intelligent1 cool1 and resourceful of all fighting men4 ,his buoyancy of disposition and resiliency of spirit gave him a self-confidence and initiative that made him rise superior to all hardship1 and1 as it were1 compelled circumstances to side with him4 ,the #ajth ,field ,signal ,battalion1 commanded by the brilliant and big-hearted ,major ,gustav ,hirch of ,columbus1 ,ohio1 was a favorite rendezvous of mine4 ,the nature of work of these ,signal men appealed to me2 and their nomadic habits co-ordinated happily with my duties1 frequently requiring me1 along the changing front1 to fold my tent with ,arabs and silently steal away4 ,they had direct charge of the ,intelligence ,maintenance of ,war work1 and constituted the axes of liaison between the various ,units of the ,division4 ,their skill in the transmission of messages was most remarkable4 ,masking their operations in the language of secret signs and ciphers1 they made use of the telephone1 telegraph1 radio1 wig-wag1 panel1 carrier pigeon1 blinker1 and last1 and perhaps most dependable of all1 the living runner4 ,the duty of the latter consisted in carrying messages to or from exposed positions when no other means would do4 ,usually a volunteer from any branch1 he was selected because of courage1 agility and ability to get through somehow1 no matter how great the opposing odds4 ,i was present in an ,observation ,post near ,jolney talking to ,colonel ,lewis1 when a runner came rushing across ,no ,man's ,land through a leaden hail1 saluted1 handed a message to ,captain ,payne1 and fell unconscious at his feet4 ,there were no greater heroes of the war4 ,operators and linesmen carried on under conditions demanding the greatest courage--remaining to the last in exposed positions like the wireless heroes of a sinking ship4 ,i have known lines to be shelled and blown to pieces a dozen times during the day1 and just as often repaired by daring linesmen4 ,frequently sharing their mess and dugouts1 ,i cultivated the friendship1 not only of their generous ,commander1 but of ,captain ,cash1 of ,abilene1 ,texas2 ,captain ,jim ,williams1 of ,troy1 ,alabama2 and ,lieutenant ,phillips of ,brooklyn1 ,new ,york--three of the most beloved of soldiers4 ,lieutenant ,andy ,o',day1 of ,detroit1 also with them1 was heavily gassed at ,jolney4 ,attached to the ,battalion1 too1 was a brilliant young man1 ,lieutenant ,d',orleans1 ,french ,army4 ,he was from ,brittany1 had won the ,croix de ,guerre1 and spoke ,english1 if not fluently1 at least interestingly4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,rembercourt ,on ,saturday night1 ,november ninth1 ,i had repaired to my dugout near ,bouillonville1 planning to say two ,masses at distant points the following morning4 ,i retired early to snatch a little rest4 ,at midnight1 ,lieutenant ,d',orleans rushed into the dugout and roused me1 hoarsely whispering1--,chaplain1 a big movement is on6 ,rolling from my blanket ,i hurried outside4 ,the night was intensely dark2 but there1 in the valley before me1 ,i could make out a long column of troops4 ,for some days there had been growing signs and vague hints of a big attack impending4 ,was this its beginning8 ,reporting at once to the head of the column1 ,i found ,colonel ,lewis and ,major ,black4 ,the troops were the #bnd ,battalion of the #fdth ,infantry4 ,the ,colonel1 a trimly built little man1 and every inch a fighter1 was eating a bar of chocolate4 ,here1 ,chaplain1 have a bar of chocolate2 ,i have an extra one4 ,by the way we are going to attack at dawn4 ,illustration3 ,,st4 ,,joan ,,of ,,arc4 ,the personification of coolness1 how proud ,i was of him6 ,he was ready2 he knew his troops were ready2 he was about to lead them to the heights of grim ,rembercourt1 one of the most prized and fought for positions along our front6 ,these brave boys of the ,second ,battalion1 going1 many of them1 to their death1 needed us4 ,good ,chaplain ,le,may of the ,battalion would need assistance2 moreover the #eeth ,infantry would be in that attack1 and they1 at that time1 had no ,catholic ,chaplain4 ,many needed ,sacramental ,confession2 all needed ,god's blessing4 ,at once1 ,i decided to cancel the two ,masses ,i had planned1 and accompany them4 ,in column of squads the troops moved down the valley4 ,as we were but eight hundred marching against a strongly held hill1 every approach to which fairly bristled with machine gun nests1 success depended primarily on the element of surprise4 ,we were prepared to pay something for that hill1 but if we could rush it1 the cost would be minimum4 ,the alert enemy had thrust forward tentacles of listening posts deep into our neighborhood1 and1 if a chance star shell revealed us1 he would lay down a deadly barrage4 ,we were favored indeed by a blanket of chill fog1 that hung over the valley1 but our going in the slimy1 sticky clay was labored and slow4 ,dawn found us in the shelter of a hill near the old mill north of ,jolney4 ,this old stone building overhung the river1 and stood at the eastern end of the bridge4 ,later that day it was occupied by ,general ,wahl1 commanding the #acth ,brigade1 and used as his ,headquarters4 ,at this point the column was halted2 and ,colonel ,lewis1 ,major ,black1 ,i1 and two privates walked forward about five hundred yards around the foot of the hill to reconnoitre4 ,the railroad leading to ,metz paralleled this valley2 and1 but a few yards ahead1 half a dozen box cars1 hit by our shells1 were burning4 ,the river at this point is about one hundred yards wide and at no place over five feet deep4 ,it is spanned by a stone bridge sharply arched1 built for heavy strain4 ,our objective lay on the opposite shore1 a hill1 some three hundred feet high1 covered with scrub oak and cedar4 ,this hill1 which commanded the village of ,rembercourt and the entire valley1 had been firmly held and desperately defended by the enemy even against ,pershing's ,september attack4 ,ours was now the coveted honor of wresting it from his grasp1 once and for all4 ,two courses lay open to our crossing1 one1 to use the bridge1 the other to wade the river4 ,the ,colonel discouraged the use of the bridge1 as the fog was even then thinning out1 and1 if the column were discovered1 in silhouette1 artillery would speedily destroy it4 ,he therefore directed ,major ,black to have his troops wade the river1 keeping on the sheltered side of the bridge4 ,holding their guns clear of the water the men waded across in silence1 keeping single file4 ,the first man to step into that icy water was the gallant little ,colonel1 his blue ,french gas mask at alert1 his forty-five and precious bars of chocolate held safely above the water4 ,i was directly behind him4 ,a long column marching in single file through a muddy stream soon cuts a deep channel2 and the last two hundred men to cross made wet work of the wading4 ,that our thoughts were at least partially human at that time1 ,i now recall the following form of reasoning expressed by a ,buddie near by4 ,i am going to get pneumonia out of this wetting2 but1 most likely1 ,i'll be killed anyway in this hill attack1 so ,i should worry6 ,just at the river edge1 a boy suddenly dropped his rifle and began to alternately wildly laugh and cry4 ,a sergeant quickly placed his hand over his mouth to silence him lest his calls might reveal our presence to the enemy4 ,gently leading him to one side he left him for the ,first ,aid detail4 ,his poor mind had given out under the terrible strain2 shell shock1 it was called4 ,no comment was made by the men marching past2 they pitied him1 knowing it was not that he was a coward or a quitter1 but simply that he had gone insane under the deadly reality of it all4 ,why more did not go mad in that ,valley of ,death only ,god can explain6 ,emerging on the far shore1 we picked our heavy way across the stretch of swamp1 that led toward the base of our objective4 ,although the enemy was not aware of our presence in force1 he was keeping up a desultory shelling of his hill base as a matter of ordinary precaution4 ,like the flare of ,june bugs along the roadside in summer1 high explosive shells would burst every few minutes1 here1 there1 and in most unexpected places4 ,colonel ,lewis ordered that the men be kept in as open formation as possible1 so that fewer would be hit at a time1 and falling shells be reduced to minimum zones of destruction4 ,here we had just assembled and were forming for the attack when the sheltering fog suddenly lifted4 ,it was now eight o'clock4 ,we had not yet been discovered4 ,the men were ordered to lie in their tracks and await orders4 ,from the spiritual point of view this delay was opportune2 as it offered opportunity of passing down the line1 to hear confessions and extend to all the boys divine aid4 ,surely that halt was a ,god-send6 ,the prayer of many a mother1 far overseas1 had moved the ,good ,master to give her soldier boy this last chance to pause for a prayer on the threshold of death6 ,this was pre-eminently the ,chaplain's hour6 ,above all others were his every ministration and word and glance prized and respected4 ,there were no infidels1 no religious scoffers1 among those soldiers seriously awaiting the zero hour4 ,in the rear areas and rest billets1 the profane and irreligious word might often have been heard2 but face to face with ,death1 ,judgment1 ,heaven or ,hell1 the skeptic was silenced4 ,boys who might have been hitherto negligent in approaching the ,sacraments were now the first to call to me1 ,father1 ,i want to go to ,confession4 ,in a time so uncertain1 momentarily awaiting orders ,over the ,top1 to hear each one individually was physically impossible4 ,for just this emergency1 the far-seeing1 merciful ,church of the ,all ,merciful ,god has provided a means4 ,it is the ,general ,absolution1 so beautifully administered by ,chaplain ,mc,donald of the ,leviathan1 and which our ,faculties provided4 ,when a person in such emergency could not actually confess1 he made an act of ,perfect ,contrition1 being sorry for his sins because by them he had offended the ,good ,god1 and with the intention of going to ,confession as soon as he could4 ,while confession was always desirable1 sorrow was ever1 indispensable4 ,in our case the priest was morally and physically present and he gave ,sacramental ,absolution to all1 using the plural1 ,ego vos absolvo a peccatis vestris4 ,whether on the battlefield or in hospital wards filled with men dying of disease or wounds1 the priest has a divine message to deliver and a sacramental duty to perform from which no manner or danger of death can deter him4 ,is any man sick amongst you1 says ,st4 ,james in the #bdth ,chapter of his ,epistle 7,douay or ,king ,james version7 let him call in the priests of the ,church1 and they shall anoint him with oil in the ,name of the ,lord4 ,it was in the fulfillment of this ,divinely imposed duty that #afjj priests of ,america voluntarily turned aside from their parochial work1 and1 reconsecrating their hearts to the ,greater ,love1 entered the ,national service as ,chaplains during the war4 ,seriously the boys studied the hill4 ,on its rugged side was about to be staged a tragedy in which every soldier knew he was to take part4 ,the training of months past was but rehearsal4 ,the leaving home1 the oath of military service1 the weary grind of march1 and weapon drill1 the rigid discipline1 all these were but evolving phases1 making for the formation of the seasoned soldier4 ,and now they had reached the high altar of ,national service on which they were prepared to sacrifice their young lives4 ,morituri salutemus6 ,look closely into the faces of those heroic boys3 approach with reverence the sanctuary of their thoughts4 ,in long1 regular lines they lie1 immediately at the base of the hill4 ,most are still and motionless1 helmeted1 and with bayoneted rifles1 like figures some ,bartholdi or ,rodin might have chiseled from bronze4 ,some1 with free hand1 are molding from the yellow1 slimy clay1 quaint little images1 suggested1 possibly1 by thought of the little tin soldiers of boyhood days4 ,some1 lying prone1 are dreamily observing the blue sky showing here and there through billowy clouds4 ,some have made of their helmet a pillow and appear to sleep4 ,some with jest and story are radiating a subdued merriment4 ,some1 with eyes staring straight ahead1 seem as in a trance4 ,in that tragic hour ,i looked with their eyes and saw with the vision of their soul4 ,the picture we all in common saw was painted on the canvas of memory4 ,illustration3 ,,where ,,st4 ,,joan ,,of ,,arc ,,made ,,her ,,first ,,communion4 ,it represented any ,american town2 preferably one bowered with maple and elm1 and cast in a setting of emerald landscape4 ,just back from the winding road1 a cottage1 trellised with moss roses and forget-me-nots4 ,framed in the doorway1 a sweet-faced mother1 silver threads amid her gold of hair1 is looking across distant fields4 ,a path leads over the hill1 and it would seem she watched and waited for someone6 ,last night she knelt beside a vacant chair1 and1 in the lonely vigil of her tears1 prayed that ,god would bless and spare her boy4 ,in the window hangs a service flag4 ,tomorrow1 ,my ,god6 there shall a message come from overseas changing its silver into gold6 ,who is it can smile with heart breaking the while ,when the soldier bids loved ones ,farewell8 ,whose heart is it grieves1 when the patriot leaves1 ,with an anguish that no tongue can tell8 ,it's only the mother6 ,for man knows no other ,whose soul feels the weight of such woe2 ,who can smile and look brave and for lonely hours save ,the torrent of tears that must flow4 ,whose heart is it knows that wherever he goes ,he'll be true to his country and flag8 ,that he'll fight the good fight and die1 serving the ,right ,with never a boast or a brag8 ,it's the mother whose breast as a babe he caressed ,and who watched o'er his childhood with joy4 ,though the years may have flown1 and to manhood he's grown1 ,yet to mother he's always--,my boy6 ,who is it can yearn for the soldier's return1 ,when the trumpet of war calls no more3 ,when victorious he sees his proud flag kiss the breeze ,of his own1 his beloved1 native shore8 ,it's the mother whose face like a halo of grace ,hovered near him to cheer him afar4 ,angels envy her joy as she welcomes her boy ,triumphant returned from the war6 ,who is it shall kneel at the graveside and feel ,the full woe of a soldier boy1 dead6 ,who shall measure such loss1 who shall carry the cross1 ,and yet live1 when his spirit is fled8 ,it's the mother who'll wait at ,death's golden gate1 ,where sorrow and parting shall cease6 ,and she evermore with her boy as of yore1 ,shall be crowned in the ,kingdom of ,peace6 ,one of the brave company commanders in this ,battalion was ,captain ,hall4 ,coming to me he said1 ,chaplain1 if ,i get 'bumped' in this attack1 ,i want you to do me a favor4 ,he then gave me a written message to a certain person in the ,division who owed him #cjj4jj4 ,get after him1 will you1 ,chaplain1 and see that the money reaches my folks4 ,i will be glad to1 ,captain1 ,i replied4 ,then1 as one good turn deserved another1 ,i wrote out and handed him a little note1 which1 if he1 and not ,i1 came through alive1 was to be forwarded to my ,chicago home4 ,the ,captain was a graduate of ,west ,point1 and had seen hard service both on the western plains and in the ,cuban war4 ,his hair was gray1 and he wore a long gray mustache of which he was proud1 and which he was in the habit1 when especially thoughtful1 of stroking4 ,my hair also was gray1 especially since our last gas attack in ,bois-le-,pretre4 ,a ,captain from ,philadelphia lying in the mud not far from us1 noticing our two gray heads close together1 mischievously and in a stage whisper remarked1 ,old men for counsel1 but young men for action6 ,what ,captain ,hall1 blazing with sudden wrath1 thereupon said to him1 ,i think it just as well not to here record6 ,at the time1 however1 it seemed that he sort of expressed my own feelings on the subject6 ,gallant ,captain ,hall came through alive2 but ,i can see him even now in the very thick of the fighting that followed a few minutes later4 ,standing out on the hillside in full view he fought with his steel blue #de a duel to the death with a ,german officer who rashly attacked him4 ,for a moment ,i held my breath1 as they deliberately exchanged shot for shot4 ,then ,i saw the ,german fall heavily2 and ,hall1 his right hand twirling his gun1 and his left fondly stroking his mustache1 coolly surveyed the line looking for another shot4 ,it was two in the afternoon before the fog began to thicken4 ,the zero hour was at hand6 ,although we had marched many weary miles1 had lain motionless in the mud for five hours1 and had meanwhile tasted neither food nor drink1 we did not mind it4 ,one ignores bodily needs under heavy mental stress4 ,i carried a little meat and bread in my pocket1 which1 that noon1 ,i shared with good ,father ,le,may4 ,at two-thirty1 when the sheltering fog was thickest1 quietly the word was passed down the line ,get ready4 ,at that moment ,i was near the western end of the column near a stone quarry1 strongly defended by the enemy with machine guns and automatic rifles4 ,promptly the boys made ready1 slipping off packs1 many even their blouses4 ,it was to be a bayonet rush up that hill1 and the idea was to feel as cold and shoulder free as possible4 ,the pain of mustard gas is not so intense if one's body is cool and dry4 ,officers as well as men were lightly clothed2 their only weapons1 automatics4 ,i substituted a sweater for my blouse4 ,all felt the tense strain1 and throats grew dry and temples throbbed4 ,at that moment was given a final ,general ,absolution and ,blessing4 ,sharply1 along the crouching line like a flash of fire1 boomed the command to advance--,guns and bayonets now1 boys1 and give them hell6 ,instantly leaping forward1 the men hurled themselves up the hill4 ,helmeted1 masked1 their bayonets flashing1 like the crested foam of some giant wave they swept forward4 ,we had not advanced fifty feet when over the hillside there burst a hail storm of lead4 ,the enemy hurled into our faces every manner of destruction2 bullets and steel fragments screamed through the air1 thudding into every foot of ground6 ,the first boy to fall was ,riorden of ,new ,jersey1 who pitched forward1 terribly torn1 shortly to my right4 ,onward and upward swept the line4 ,as ,i paused a moment beside ,riorden to absolve him1 ,walsh of ,syracuse1 ,new ,york1 running some thirty feet in advance1 waved his arm for me to hurry4 ,holy ,joe was the name given the ,chaplain4 ,i never knew its origin1 but it was the title most generally used and always with the utmost respect4 ,even then could be heard the horrible crash of steel on steel1 hand to hand bayonet contact1 screams of terror and pain1 when the blade dripping blood was withdrawn from its human scabbard4 ,the advance soon reached the hilltop and the gray-clad ,germans resisted desperately4 ,the most terrible1 horrible1 and indescribable of all sights and sounds were now before me4 ,wild-eyed1 panting1 fiercely visaged boys in ,american khaki and ,german gray1 feinting1 parrying1 and madly lunging with glittering bayonets--the crash and shrill metallic stroke of steel on steel1 and ,oh6 the grunt and scream of agony when the blade sank to its hilt in a blood-spurting human breast6 ,each boy1 in that moment of deadly shock1 was fighting for his own life--it was destroy first or be destroyed1 and the first to get in a fatal blow survived4 ,no alien soldier lives however1 who can withstand that most terrible and supreme of all fighters--the ,american ,doughboy6 ,hands were being raised and cries of ,kamerad heard from every side4 ,the grim heights of ,rembercourt were ours2 but1 my ,god6 see the price we have paid for that eight minutes of struggle4 ,boys are down all over the hillside1 dead and dying4 ,tossing1 moaning1 begging for help1 their cries of agony pierce the heart4 ,from the military point of view1 indeed1 it was called a splendid1 clean-cut piece of work4 ,rembercourt and its approaches in our hands at last1 with hundreds of prisoners and spoils of war--all at a loss to us of but nine killed and fifty-two wounded4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,the ,,church ,,at ,,domremy4 ,ah6 but who shall measure the cost of those nine dead boys to mothers and beloved ones at home6 ,see their lifeless forms lying there amid the wreckage of the hillside4 ,a few minutes ago they knew the thrill of vigorous young manhood2 they knew that death might claim them in that charge2 bravely they went over the top1 hoping for the best4 ,from one to another ,i hurried with service for all4 ,the dying claimed first care2 the dead had to wait2 and the chill shadows of night had crept to the hill crest before all the wounded were removed and the last poor body buried4 ,a terrific cannonade had meanwhile been in progress4 ,our batteries had opened along the entire front4 ,tons upon tons of steel were passing on wings of thunder not three hundred feet above our heads4 ,little heed the boys gave it1 so occupied were they with duties near at hand4 ,finally1 numbed and over-powered to the point of utter exhaustion1 ,i sought an abandoned shack at the foot of the hill4 ,without removing so much as a single garment1 still wet from wading the river1 with no taste for food or drink1 ,i threw myself on the floor and fell at once asleep4 ,it was dawn of the following morning1 ,monday1 ,november #aa1 when ,i awoke4 ,if the cannonading of the evening before was terrible1 that morning's bombardment was infinitely more so4 ,it was the first time ,i had heard a full powered ,drum ,head barrage--where so many batteries and guns are engaged that the sound of firing and subsequent explosion is continuous and unified in volume4 ,the hills and valleys shook under the rocking recoiling guns as from an earthquake4 ,going among the men1 ,i found even the most seasoned of them grimly silent4 ,their faces1 set1 as in plaster cast along cadaverous lines1 deeply furrowed and caked with dust1 perspiration1 and powder smoke1 made hideous appearance4 ,never have ,i seen such wan1 frightful expression in human eye4 ,as grim automatons they handled their guns1 and moved silently about4 ,possibly they were too wearied to talk2 for to speak1 so as to be heard1 meant calling at the top of one's voice4 ,not far away ,i met ,colonel ,cummings4 ,briefly ,i narrated the happenings of the day before at our west end of the line4 ,most warmly he congratulated us and then1 in confidence1 informed me ,foch has agreed to an ,armistice6 ,he had just come from ,headquarters1 which was sending out orders to line and battery commanders to cease firing1 that very morning at eleven o'clock4 ,silently we gripped hands2 but the hearts of both of us thrilled with ,te ,deum4 ,,chapter ,x ,,armistice ,,day--,,gorz ,meanwhile our entire front was advancing1 following the barrage waves4 ,no more desperate struggle than ours could have been found at any point4 ,writing of that day1 the official ,a4 ,e4 ,f4 newspaper1 ,stars and ,stripes1 under date of ,november #aeth1 declared3 ,attack ,before ,vigneulles ,probably the hardest fighting being done by any ,americans in the final hour was that which engaged the troops of the #bhth1 #ibnd1 #hast1 and #gth ,divisions with the ,second ,american ,army1 who launched a fire-eating attack above ,vigneulles just at dawn on the #aath4 ,it was no mild thing1 that last flare of the battle1 and the order to cease firing did not reach the men in the front line until the last moment1 when runners sped with it from fox hole to fox hole4 ,i hurried along the line deeply pondering the startling report of the good ,colonel4 ,we had been hearing various rumors that the enemy was frantically suing for peace2 all these we had set down as but propaganda4 ,if the end were in sight1 why this terrific eleventh hour barrage8 ,the only reason ,i could imagine was1 that its very frightfulness might so deeply impress the resisting troops themselves as to utterly destroy their morale4 ,once the soldiers themselves realized the weakness of the tottering dynasty behind them1 and the overwhelming force of the army in front of them1 total failure of their cause must be apparent4 ,supreme was my confidence in ,foch and ,pershing1 and ,i felt that the course they were pursuing would prove1 from the military point of view1 the best4 ,at five minutes to eleven ,i walked a little apart1 up the trail1 and began saying my ,rosary ,beads4 ,they were always companion and comfort to my trying hours4 ,fervently ,i implored her1 who is ,mightier than an army in battle array1 to intercede for us to her ,divine ,son4 ,that1 it were pleasing and good in ,his holy sight1 this hour of eleven would mark the end4 ,so occupied was my mind ,i had not noticed the falling off in firing4 ,battery after battery was silencing6 ,gun after gun growing still4 ,cease firing6 ,the command sped down the line2 and it seemed these two words leaped into the blue vaulted sky above and were echoed in ,heaven6 ,the utter silence that of a sudden came down upon that front was terrifying4 ,more awful in its gripping impressiveness than the most terrific cannonading4 ,you seemed1 in that tense moment1 to have lost your footing on some storm-swept hill1 and fallen headlong into a deep valley4 ,there was no cheering4 ,the boys simply looked at each other and waited2 waited like the boxer who1 having delivered a fatal blow1 stands intently watching his fallen opponent1 until the referee has tolled off the final count1 and raised his arm in token of victory4 ,then came the reaction4 ,lusty cheers rose from all sides1 helmets were tossed into the air1 rifles were stacked1 and impromptu cake walks and fox trots staged with grotesque abandon4 ,no one ventured into ,no ,man's ,land1 that was strictly forbidden2 but all over the rear approaches jubilation reigned supreme4 ,groups quickly formed1 excitedly discussing it all1 ,what's the big idea8 ,has ,jerry quit for good8 ,how do you get that way8 ,some burst into song3 ,i ,don't ,want to ,go ,home4 ,suddenly a glorious sound came floating up the rear ravine2 it was the ,regimental band of the #gth ,engineers1 playing ,sousa's ,stars and ,stripes ,forever6 ,oh1 how it thrilled and touched our very depth of soul6 ,its melody burst upon our unaccustomed ears with something1 at least1 of the joy the shepherds felt1 when ,angels brought them ,good tidings at ,bethlehem6 ,out of all this trance of joy1 however1 stern ,duty soon called us4 ,many a silent body1 our own and the enemy's1 lay unburied along the front4 ,on requisition at ,headquarters1 two companies from a ,pioneer ,infantry ,regiment were assigned to us1 co-ordinating with our regular ,burial ,details4 ,near and far we combed hills and plains for bodies1 penetrating trenches1 dugouts1 and ruins4 ,six days of untiring effort1 brought reward of warmly commending words from our ,division ,commander4 ,at ,mass the following ,sunday in the old ruined ,church of ,st4 ,sebastian at ,euvezin1 the subject was recalled of those days of old when the ,galilean ,sea was tempest tossed4 ,then in the boat rose the ,master who said to the storm1 ,peace6 ,be still6 ,and there came a great calm4 ,even so1 had that same ,divine ,power now spoken along our torn battle front2 and ,may the ,peace and ,calm that now has come reign on forever6 ,that afternoon an artillery ,regimental band gave a concert4 ,illustrative of the mental breadth and generous nature marking the real ,american boy1 in its repertoire was to be observed ,strouse's ,blue ,danube ,waltz6 ,it was during one of these eventful days word reached us from across ,no ,man's ,land that old men1 women and children in the town of ,gorz1 across the ,german border1 were entirely without food1 and dying of starvation4 ,our forces were marking time in the positions the close of hostilities found them occupying1 and1 as the time for moving forward with the ,army of ,occupation was indefinite1 we decided to go forward at once with food supplies for the starving inhabitants4 ,this aid work was to be entirely informal and on our own initiative1 no military provision having been made for such emergency4 ,with little difficulty five tons of army rations were secured1 and1 accompanied by good ,major ,hirch1 ,i set out4 ,our journey took us through miles of devastated country4 ,tons upon tons of war material1 abandoned by the retiring ,german troops1 littered roads and fields4 ,clothing1 helmets1 small arms of all description1 whole batteries of ,howitzers still in position1 dense black fumes from burning ammunition dumps1 acres of barbed wire fields and hillsides shell-torn1 bodies still unburied--all this was the spectacle of war havoc greeting the eye on every side4 ,in the chill of that bleak ,november evening we crossed the ,german frontier and entered ,gorz4 ,aged and feeble men and women looked sadly at us from their doors4 ,children1 whose pinched faces clearly showed the ravages of hunger1 timidly followed our supply trucks up the deserted street4 ,illustration3 ,,greater ,,love ,,than ,,this ,,no ,,man ,,has4 ,we were the first ,american soldiers they had ever seen4 ,drawing up in front of the old market place1 ,major ,hirch explained our mission1 speaking to the people in ,german4 ,when the poor starved creatures realized we were bringing them food1 their joy knew no bounds2 the children shouted with very joy and swarmed up into the trucks4 ,we found ourselves crying1 but supremely happy in the realization that we were doing the ,master's work4 ,the inhabitants fluently spoke ,french as well as ,german2 and when the children saw the ,chaplain's cross and found ,i was a priest1 their reverence and affection was most pronounced4 ,the food1 indeed1 was but the coarse ,army fare1 bully beef1 hard tack1 and condensed milk2 but1 withal1 it was relished most keenly4 ,we felt gratified in the humble part we had played in saving the lives of those unfortunate non-combatants1 and organizing our first ,divisional ,relief ,expedition into ,germany4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,domremy--,,home ,major ,whittington1 ,i have not had a furlough since we landed in ,france4 ,i guess that's so1 ,chaplain2 which city would you prefer visiting1 ,paris or ,metz8 ,domremy--4 ,domremy6 he exclaimed1 ,i never heard of the place4 ,however1 you may go4 ,then1 with forced seriousness1 added1 ,i believe you are needed in ,domremy on ,official ,business4 ,it was ,december eleventh4 ,we had long been anxious to visit the birthplace of ,joan of ,arc4 ,the story of her heroic brilliant life had ever interested and inspired us2 and now1 to actually be in the hills of her native ,lorraine1 to make a pilgrimage to her shrine1 became our supreme ambition4 ,i could indeed have visited ,domremy before1 but purposely had ,i waited for this date4 ,on ,december thirteenth1 ,president ,wilson1 coming to the ,peace ,conference1 was to land in ,france4 ,i wanted to say ,mass1 that very morning1 at the shrine of the ,maid for the welfare of the ,president4 ,a one hundred and fifty mile trip from ,thiacourt to ,domremy1 south of ,verdun on the ,meuse1 especially in an open motorcycle car and through a blinding storm of hail and rain1 is not particularly pleasant4 ,when we recalled1 however1 the arduous journey she1 a girl1 of eighteen years1 had once made on horseback from ,domremy to ,chinon1 three hundred miles1 through snow-covered roads1 we determined that nothing short of a ,firing ,squad should stop us4 ,a cold ,i had contracted at ,rembercourt had settled in my back4 ,lumbago had painfully doubled me into an inverted ,l1 a figure not happily adapted to a cycle car4 ,laboriously adjusting myself to the machine ,i plainly told the ,maid1 ,i wish you clearly to appreciate1 ,saintly ,joan1 that ,i am making this journey for you4 ,of old1 you were supremely helpful to the ruler of your country4 ,i want you to do as much for the ,president of mine4 ,i am going to say ,mass on your home altar for him1 and ,i want you to help me4 ,if ,god spares me1 and ,i return to ,america1 ,i promise to proclaim your glory and encourage all ,i can1 young and old1 in the practice of your devotion4 ,early dawn found us on our way4 ,the steel helmet pulled low offers splendid protection to one's eyes4 ,traversing the old battlefields of ,st4 ,michel1 we passed ruined ,even and ,essey and took the highroad leading south4 ,the shell-torn steeple of ,flirey church still leaned over the road2 and the grewsome ,limey ,gondrecourt front1 its deserted dugouts resembling grinning skulls1 elicited a sigh and a prayer for its dead legions4 ,through ,noviant and ,men-le-,tour we sped1 and at noon were beyond ,toul and racing through the historic valley of the ,moselle4 ,at ,bullney1 our speeding car was curiously observed by thousands of ,german prisoners peering through the barbed wire enclosure of their roadside camp4 ,columbes-les-,belles1 with its huge hangars1 grimly stood in silhouette against a crimson burst of sunset4 ,at ,neufchateau we reached the river ,meuse with whose glory the names of heroic inconquerable ,petain and ,verdun shall be forever shared4 ,we were now in the picturesque valley of colors1 whose winding trails were trodden by the soldiers of ,julius ,caesar when ,omnis ,gallia divisa est in partes tres was written4 ,with pulse beat quickened by thought of our hallowed pilgrimage nearing its end1 we rushed like a specter down the road1 through winding vistas of giant cottonwood and poplar2 rounding a hill we came in full view of ,domremy1 and1 with a final burst of speed1 rushed splashing1 and all a-thrilled with emotion1 into its single street4 ,drawing up in front of the church1 that of ,st4 ,remi1 ,apostle of the ,franks1 we were at once surrounded and curiously observed by a group of children4 ,are these children now to see a soldier1 still crippled with lumbago1 or one the intercession of ,joan has made whole8 ,this was the question ,i soliloquized1 as ,i started to excavate myself from the mud-littered car6 ,my chauffeur eyed me askance2 and the look of pleasure with which he noted my evident recovery1 told me he was as proud as ,i4 ,the ,saintly ,maid had wrought her cure completely and with generous finality4 ,at once we entered the ,church4 ,five hundred years before ,jacques and ,isabelle d',arc had crossed that very threshold1 carrying the precious babe ,joan to be baptized4 ,the glowing ray of the sanctuary light welcomed us1 and1 perhaps1 turned to jewels the tears of joy and reverence coursing our cheeks4 ,the rough hobble nails of our shoes rang alarmingly on the stone pavement as we made our way up the hallowed aisle4 ,on our knees before the altar we literally cried our prayers4 ,looking toward the lowly ,tabernacle we felt that ,jesus1 the gentle ,master there present1 was pleased with us4 ,he seemed to look approvingly upon us and to say1 ,my soldiers1 rest here your weary head upon ,my ,heart4 ,at the very railing where we knelt1 ,joan had made her ,first ,communion4 ,just at our left on the ,epistle side was the ancient font where she had been cleansed from original sin1 made a ,christian1 a child of ,god1 and heir to the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,in the twilight1 too1 we could see the faded plaster statue of ,st4 ,catherine ,martyr1 for whom she had special devotion4 ,we felt1 in that holy hour1 that ,joan1 high in heaven1 was pleased even with us2 for we1 too1 had fought and bled for the same holy cause1 the cause of ,truth and ,justice in the world1 for which she had with the ,greater ,love offered the sacrifice of her life4 ,how often1 in that hallowed long ago1 had the sun of early morning or the twilight glow of eventide found ,joan here at prayer4 ,in this sanctuaried ,garden of the ,lord grew the fairest ,flower of ,chivalry4 ,here did she receive the ,bread of ,life1 the ,wine that maketh ,virgins2 here1 by frequent confession1 was her soul kept fair and pure as the lilies of ,paradise4 ,darkness had fallen over the village when we left the ,church4 ,a call at the ,rectory informed us that ,monsieur le ,cure was absent1 and would not return till a late hour4 ,at the end of the street we found a dear old couple1 living alone1 who agreed to shelter us for the night4 ,with what skill good ,madame made ready that evening meal6 ,sitting in the square of light cast by the glowing fireplace1 and with our shadows1 to the tempo of crackling fagots1 in rhythmic gyrations on the ancient walls1 my driver and ,i watched her prepare it4 ,first there was the pommes de terre to be peeled1 washed and sliced to the exact size of centuries old ,french fry4 ,monsieur was permitted to assist her in this1 and wielded the keen bladed knife with precision4 ,then there was the salad and the seasoning of it to just that degree of the delicieux the palate revels in4 ,with the art1 as it were1 of a magician1 she drew from a huge cupboard the most inviting piece of beef and proudly flourished it before our devouring eyes4 ,here was the makings of a filet de boeuf fit for ,epicurius himself4 ,in the center of the table was next placed the great round loaf of bread1 neither wheat nor oats nor rye1 but a happy combination of all and delightfully toothsome4 ,crowning all1 the liquid amber of cafe-au-lait1 which ,madame1 timing our needs to a nicety1 poured at just the right moment4 ,during the meal1 we diligently inquired if any lineal descendants of the d',arc family were to be found in ,domremy4 ,no1 not one6 ,no person of the name lived in the village2 although most every girl and woman there bore the name of ,joan6 ,after the meal1 and when all had retired1 ,i made my way out into the moon-lit night4 ,domremy was sleeping1 nor did it give thought of the stranger within its gates4 ,back to the ,church1 and to the home of ,joan1 still standing beside it1 ,i made my way4 ,i revelled in the historical ensemble of it all2 and my desire was to become so imbued with its very atmosphere1 as to verily breathe it all my remaining life4 ,in fancy ,i reviewed the story of her life like pages of a book1 and its thrilling deeds and transcending achievements were made real before me4 ,this very street was the ,alpha of her public life2 the market place of ,rouen its ,omega6 ,riding forth in the bitter cold of that ,february morning1 #adbi1 with but meager escort and along three hundred miles of brigand-infested roads and trails1 she traversed ,france to the court of ,chinon4 ,convincing ,charles ,,vii of her divine vocation2 throwing herself into the war2 rallying the people to her standard2 wounded in battle yet never wavering2 animating veteran soldiers2 bearing the brunt of the attack and shielding with her stainless bosom the heart of ,france4 ,her recompense8 ,abandoned by her king and by her countrymen1 by the cruel path of flame she returns to ,god6 ,the several hours following ,mass1 we passed in the home where she was born1 and on the hillside where she toiled as humble shepherdess4 ,reverently1 and in very awe of its beauty1 we visited the magnificent ,basilica the people of ,france have raised to her memory4 ,the structure is but partially finished2 and ,i urged the good ,fathers there in charge to visit ,america some day and give its people opportunity to contribute to so worthy a cause4 ,returning to the front we found the ,war ,cross which had arrived during our absence4 ,colonel ,lenoncle wrote as follows3 ,a ,monsieur l',aumonier ,mc,carthy4 ,en appreciation de la belle action de ,charite qu'el est venie accomplir pour notre chere terre de ,france4 ,p4 ,lenoncle1 ,col4 ,chas4 in ,compagne4 ,the above referred to services in ,bois-le-,pretre4 ,tempora mutantur et nos ubique in illis4 ,it is only the things that ,god has made that change not4 ,the moon1 bathing in silvery sheen the village street1 had made radiant1 in that long ago1 the face of ,joan at prayer4 ,the ,meuse1 softly flowing by1 still voiced the echo of her dreams1 and bore her spirit to the tideless sea4 ,nature had not changed2 neither had the ,author of ,nature whose creatures are all men and whose ways are wise and just4 ,for ,he whose ,mills grind slowly yet grind exceedingly small is likewise ,he whose ,master hand has written in this our own day1 the illuminated ,manuscript of her solemn ,canonization4 ,the golden fingers of next morning's sun were scattering incense of light over ,joan's ,altar as ,i began ,mass4 ,the lips of ,old ,glory kissed the ,gospel side1 while the tri-color of ,france was draped on the ,epistle4 ,a nun of the village answered the responses4 ,reverently ,i besought the ,author of ,all that is ,right and ,mighty upon the earth to bless our ,president2 to be light to his path1 wisdom to his mind1 and right hand to his endeavor4 ,that rulers of earth might base their deliberations on the rock of the ,divine2 mindful1 that unless the ,lord build the house in vain does he labor who would build it4 ,on ,december fifteenth ,i wrote as follows3 ,headquarters ,seventh ,division1 ,american ,expeditionary ,forces1 ,france ,hon4 ,woodrow ,wilson1 ,president1 ,american ,embassy1 ,paris4 ,my dear ,mr4 ,president3 ,may ,i be permitted the honor of informing you that on ,saturday morning1 ,december fourteenth1 ,i said ,mass on the ,altar of ,jeanne d',arc in her old church at ,domremy1 praying and believing that ,god would bless and direct you1 as of old ,he did the ,maid1 as ,his chosen representative of ,justice and enduring ,peace4 ,most respectfully and devotedly yours1 ,,george ,t4 ,,mccarthy1 ,senior ,chaplain1 ,seventh ,division1 ,a4 ,p4 ,o4 #gic4 ,on ,december twenty-fifth ,i received the following3 ,rev4 ,george ,t4 ,mc,carthy1 ,senior ,chaplain1 ,seventh ,division1 ,a4 ,p4 ,o4 #gic4 ,my dear ,chaplain ,mc,carthy3 ,the ,president directs me to acknowledge receipt of your letter of ,december fifteenth and to thank you for it4 ,it is indeed gratifying for him to know that you are thinking of him and praying for him especially in these critical times4 ,very cordially yours1 ,,gilbert ,,close1 ,confidential ,secretary to the ,president4 ,christmas ,day was memorable4 ,a fall of snow gave festive atmosphere to our outpost homes4 ,jip carried me from ,euvezin1 where ,i said ,mass for ,headquarters troop1 to ,grey ,hound1 where ,i repeated the ,sacrifice for the ,signal ,battalion4 ,with the coming of the holiday the boys had been rehearsing an old-fashioned minstrel show1 with boxing and wrestling matches as side attractions4 ,a long rambling shack near ,bouillonville had been secured for the entertainment1 and its battered walls adorned with holly and cedar branches4 ,the hearts of all were sad and pensive that ,christmas ,day1 far overseas1 and the entertainment1 lasting through five hilarious hours1 did wonders in the way of reviving depressed spirits4 ,december twenty-ninth marked the ne plus ultra of my active service overseas6 ,in an old shack on the hills1 swept with rain and swarming with well meaning but annoying rats1 ,i came down with the flu with a temperature of #ajc degrees4 ,doctor ,lugar1 who had nursed me through the gas attack1 shook his head and ordered me sent to ,evacuation ,hospital ,no4 #a4 ,here ,i was delighted to meet my old friend ,father ,morris ,o',shea of ,buffalo1 there stationed as ,chaplain4 ,a few days later ,i was sent to ,base ,hospital #ea at ,toul4 ,the ,medical ,staff ordered me from ,toul to ,america1 and on ,february first ,i arrived at ,st4 ,nazaire on ,biscay ,bay4 ,my supreme joy here was in meeting my niece1 ,miss ,honor ,barry1 who had served as an ,army ,corps nurse in ,base ,hospital #aja1 located at this seaport1 during nine arduous months4 ,on ,february ninth ,i sailed on the ,manchuria1 arriving in ,new ,york on ,february twenty-second4 ,reporting at ,general ,hospital #bh1 ,fort ,sheridan1 ,ill41 was thence ordered to the ,army ,hospital at ,asheville1 ,north ,carolina4 ,six weeks in the ozoned hills of the ,southland restored perfect health2 and on ,may first reported for active duty at ,fort ,sheridan4 ,with the memory of sweet ,domremy still before us1 we shall bring the humble record of service ,over ,there to its close4 ,in this period of valedictory may we be permitted a concluding reflection1 projected in clear outline on the background of those thrilling days now forever over4 ,that reflection1 in silhouette1 is this--the great crises of life--whether decisive of weal or of woe1 are1 to the soul of normal man1 ,god impelling6 ,in direct ratio as danger and death impended in the gloomy wastes of ,no ,man's ,land1 all soldiers grew religious and turned instinctively to ,god4 ,in the zero hour the profane grew silent and the curse died unuttered on his lip4 ,all1 all1 realized ,god6 ,the trench became ,his sanctuary1 the flaming front ,his ,presence ,light1 the glow on the faces of dying comrades visualized the ,gospel of ,his ,greater ,love4 ,we needed ,god ,over ,there1 we need ,him equally as much ,over ,here6 ,peace has its trials1 its dangers1 its lurking foes1 its pitfalls1 its hills of ,pride to be conquered1 its valleys of ,despond to be overcome4 ,the ,rembercourt of ,life lies before us4 ,we survived that attack--who shall survive ,death's final hill crest6