The St. Charles herald. [volume], November 02, 1918, Image 4

About The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993

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Commander of
GéTtçns/ c/h/tn ©T fceivhirig
America's Armies
n France Èarbi Gave
Evidence of Couraffe
and Power of Will.
IS boyhood friends In Linn
county, Mo., agree that It
was neither pull nor poli
tics that made John
Pershing commander <w
the American forces in
France. They say also
that he Is not a genius
and that luck has not aid
-ad Mm In rising from the ranks.
Advantages he had—outdoor life,
fte—. work, plain living, good parents
—s a Christian home. Even yet his
«Id home town carries the flavor of the
«pen country. Laclede is scarcely
today and no less wholesome
Had ft was forty years ago when Its
-three nurseries made it at once the
■moat Important and the most agricul
tural town in the county, writes A. A.
^Jeffrey in New York Sun.
y tto »Ms thriving town of the '50s
the general's father, John F.
_ __ from Westmoreland county.
where his family had been hon
dtlzens since 1749. the year chos
jmiit tiy John and Frederick Pershing
cm- their pilgrimage from France to
kte new home of freedom In the new
iwntM. The ambitious young Pennsyl
0 f the fourth generation from
SaTeeriy patriots came tp Missouri j
tore * 0 take a sub-contract In the
Of the old Missouri Northern j
5 from St Louis to Macon. At
'£d of four years he had little of !
value to show for his work;
ErT» Montgomery City he had won
^de-Ann Thompson, a fair-haired ;
'ii^ririri with brave, sweet Aouth, I
.Enêst blue eyes and a heart of gold.
In Shanty Near Laclede. !
» westward from Macon at the [
of the railroad building tire
Tttaoed at Laclede
JT^ept The flrst honest work that,
ÎLf «flSred. the foremanship of the
mm . ®5 T !rfede section of the Hanhi
TT * l Joseph railroad. The Per- ;
*■* * nd hnnoekwplng in a tittle ;
^^rÄ&clede. It
>tjr two k. hv John
there that their ^tbaby, Jota
u. was born September 18, I860,
was Just after the outbreak of
l war In 1861," relates Henry a
now Laclede', pioneer banker.
> cavil
to
. general store hers.
-meir family and ours lived toge^
tor several months, as my
Tfwar and there was not an
*Z*e in town for the newcom
len the
Pershing stare was open
luddhist's American Experiences
Wt
Mokuwn Held. • Buddhist
,0 °Sa ni* «P« rtenM f JL««
h, ae»ü, r«t« ta £"^
-ÎÂÏfi*
the
ed I was old enough to accept employ
ment In It, and for years I worked
as a clerk for the general's father. As
I remember the Johnny Pershing of
those days he was a quiet, well-be
haved little boy." *
The elder Pershing was strict In his
discipline. As the boys grew up he
kept them steadily employed at useful,
wholesome work. By the time John
had reached his teens the family pos
sessions included a 160-acre farm a
mile from Laclede and there the fu
ture soldier worked from spring plow
ing to corn husking.
"Every morning, if you were up
early enough, you could see John and
Jim with their teams going out to the
farm." says C. C. Bigger, boyhood
friend of Genital Pershing, now A
lawyer at Laclode.
"John was a worker. His father,
though not unduly severe, was strict
In his requirements; yet I never heard
John complain. He always had a gen
uine interest In carrying to a success
ful finish every piece of work that he
was directed to do.
Not a Genius.
"John Pershing was not a genius,"
continues his boyhood friend. "He
possessed a clear, analytical mind, but
no better mind than thousands of other
boys possess. He was clean In char
acter, absolutely so, and a regular at
- , . . .
tendant at church and Sunday school
at the Methodist Episcopal church of
which he was a member and in which
his father and mother were active
j workers. His parents were Intensely
religious. ,
j "The traits distinguishing him from
many other boys," concludes Mr. Big
! ger, "were those that characterized
him as a tireless worker, indomitable
in his purpose to perform every task
; set before him. And he never was
I tough; he never considered it neces
sary to seek questionable companions
! or places In order to have a good time.
[ In the wholesouled fashion of a healthy
country boy he enjoyed our neighbor
hood parties, our taffy pullings, our
baseball, fishing and swimming, but he
never resorted to rowdyism.
Though never quarrelsome. Pershing
; was abundantly able to take care of
; himself. His old associates proudly
tell of the tat term of school he
taught, when he was eighteen.
It was at Prairie Mound, In Charlton
county. It became his duty in the
course of the term to thrash a Mg boy,
and he addressed rflmself to this re
sponsibility in hla usual direct and vig
orous fashion. The discipline had the
desired effect on the boy, but brought
the boy's father rampant to humiliate
the young teacher.
"John was then only a boy himself,
a big, strong, broad-shouldered boy,
but only a bof," says Captain Henley,
with whom the young teacher boarded
Is remarkably higher In youth than
in aged people.
On one occasion he counseled hie
audience to come over to Buddhism
and get firm faith while they are
young, re-enforcing his sermon with
the demonstration afforded by the
death rate indicating machine.
Impressed with his speech, many
ladies and gentlemen congratulated
at Prairie Mound, "while his assailant
old man Card, was a burly giant, fullj
six feet four and wildly determined
to lick the young teacher.
"He made It plain that nothing els«
would appease him. John tried to pre
sent a reasonable view of the situa,
tion, but Card only grew more insolem
in word and gesture.
Showed Iron Determination.
"Then It was, as my children re
counted at the time, that John's usual
ly ruddy tips whitened and his big
blue eyes narrowed to steel-gray points.
He stepped toward the big man and
his words had a cold precision that
was truly ominous.
" 'You get out of this house and off
these grounds and stay off as long as
Tm teacher—or Til kill you.'
"With mumbled apologies, old man
Card hastily backed out of the school
house," concludes Captain Henley,
"a# he did not trouble the young
teaeher again."
From other sources there Is addition
al evidence of the sturdy fiber of John
Pershing's courage and power of will.
'John was no sissy, even If he was
clean and well behaved," asserts
Charles R. Spurgeon, who was Per
shing's boyhood chum and his college
roommate. "He was a manly, upstand
ing boy. In his classes he had his
lessons, and when asked to work a
problem he would step promptly to the
blackboard and do It In a way that
proved his heart was in the work.
"It was the same at college. At
Klrksville Normal, where we were
classmates, John was a hard-working
student He always was thoroughly
interested in his class work and was
always looking forward to the succeed
ing years In the course and the finish.
"When we came home at the end of
our first term I was offered a posi
tion in a store, took It and, by heck,
I'm clerking yet John had a similar
offer, but turned It down. ^
" Tm going back to Klrksville, any
way,' he said. T don't know what I'll
finally do—probably be a lawyer, but
Just now Tm going to stick to the
school.'
•The next time I saw him was .when
be came home the time the Laclede
post office was robbed. His father was
postmaster then, and of course the loss
fell upon him personally. John came
home from college and turned over the
remainder of his savings to his father
—gave up his college course to help
the folks at home.
"It was Just then that Congressman
Burrows of the old Tenth district an
nounced the first competitive examina
tion for the appointment of a cadet to
West Points John heard of it, saw his
chance, went to Trenton and won the
appointment fairly and squarely by
the sheer merit of his work."
him at the close, and some enthusias
tic ladles "mystically kissed his hand,'
to his great consternation.
Again, when he was the guest ot
honor at a dinner party given by a
Japanophile American, a ball was its
main feature. It can be Imagined,
therefore. In what an awkward plight
the austere holy man found himself
when some ladies insisted upon hav
ing the guest of honor for their partner
in a profane gyration called a tango,
-From East and West Newa.
JUST HOLDING
DOWN HIS JOB
That's What Y. M. C. A. Man
Says of His Work, but See
How He Does It.
SHU "0EL1VERSTHE GOODS"
Former Salesman, Now Canteen Work
er at Front, Totes Pack With
Chocolate, Cigarette« and Candy
Through First Line
Trenches.
By A. H. GURNEY.
Paris.—Tom Barber says he isn't
doing anything but holding down his
job. He was a salesman for twenty
years, back in Utica, N. Y., before he
went into this war game, am! he al
ways "delivered the goods." That s
what he's doing now.
He "delivers the goods" under a
Y. M. C. A. sign that is dented and
pierced . by shrapnel. Sometimes he
•delivers the goods" by carrying his
stock up and down the crooked line
of the trenches, themselves. The
shells may whistle over his head, but
Tom Barber is perfectly matter-of-fact,
as he doles ont sweet chocolate, and
Paris papers, and friendly grins to
the men who are so glad to see him.
He's Just holding down his Job.
The Y. M. C. A. hut that is his job
|is right up near the line of action.
The soldiers in it wear their gas
masks always at alert. Gas alarms
are frequent, and shells explode night
ly in the ruins of the village. Within
an hour's walk are the trenches that
stretch across France.
There are many graves, both French
and German, along the road that leads
to the hut. Some of the crosses are
already gray and weather-beaten. By
day you may not pass along the road,
for the enemy might see, and then
there would only be another grave to
tilg.
Village In Ruins.
For four years the village has been
off
as
in ruins, only one family remaining
of its former population. The church
feplre, once a landmark for miles, fell
long ago, and the rain pours In upon
the altar. Rats Infest the half-de
Btroyed houses.
Over Tom Barber's door is a notice
forbidding entrance by It in the day
time. Across the road in the shadow
pf a sentry box, an armed soldier
stands to see that the sign is obeyed.
If you want to get into the hut be
tween sunup and sunset you walk
through an orchard, go in a small
back door, and feel your way along
h tiny, black corridor. Suddenly there
Is a turn to the right, and you come
Into the sunshine of Tom Barber's
panteen.
It's as cozy as the borne kitchen,
_id as tidy as If a New England
tousewife had It In charge. Next to
YANKEES ARE WELCOMED IN ITALY
m*.
m
When the first American troops appeared In Italy the entire country went
wild with enthusiasm. Here at the railroad station an Italian official and girl
are distributing delicacies in the form of cigarettes and other dainties to the
hoys
AIR gunners excel
Allies'
Flyers Outdo Foe
Machine Guns. *
With
Skill In Use of Weapons Give* Vie
tory in Combats With
Huns.
Somewhere in France. — Accurate
machine-gun fire is the chief require
ment of the successful combat avia
tor, allied aviation experts agree. For
tunately for the allies, that is one de
partment in wMch their aviators ex
ceL
It is Interesting to note the progress
in the weapons used by aviators.
At the opening of hostilities airplanes
were used mainly for observation
work. Their pilots were armed gener
ally with carbines; and sometimes only
with a revolver. Then came the fight
ing airplanes and the single and dou
ble machine gun.
But these newer and more deadly
the door Is a counter shut In by a
frame Jast large enough for a soldier
to stick his head und shoulders
through comfortably. Next to t e
counter are rows of shelves, divided
Into compartments, and reaching o
the rafters. Here Tom Barber dis
plays his wares, which range from
canned peaches to the latest maga
zines that he has been able to get,
weeks old, most of them.
On the side of the room where the
light Is best, are empty packing boxes,
which serve as chairs, where the boys
sit, while they eat their cakes of
chocolate, and read the latest news
from home. Upstairs Is a little room,
dim of light, but austerely clean,
where the men gather for Sunday
services—when there's a preacher to
be had—and for whatever entertain
ment Tom Barber has been able to
get for them. It's a part of bis Job
to keep the soldiers entertained, he
thinks.
"Delivers the Goods."
Tom Barber has a striker, Joe, by
name, a big upstanding chap, a fine
specimen of the draft army, from New
York. Sometimes Joe Is the whole
show In the canteen. For every few
days Tom Barber takes Ms musette
(that's French for haversack) and a
stout canvas bag, fills both with choco
late, cigarettes, biscuits, soap, smok
ing tobacco, and a bundle of papers
from Paris, and sets off for the
trenches.
He walks across fields, through the
HOSPITAL MOVES
LIKE A BIG CIRCUS
Red Cross Adopts Methods of the
■> Old-Time Traveling
Show.
HUGE TENTS HOUSE WOUNDED
Carry Full Equipment of Modern Hos
pital—Strike Tenta at Hour's No
tice and Move Forward With
Precision of Circus.
Paris.—The methods of the old-time
American circus that enabled hun
dreds of thousands of young and old
to enjoy themselves have been con
scripted and put to war service on the
western front. But Instead of being
used for amusement, the circuses are
aiding In the saving of human life.
The American Red Cross bought the
huge tents belonging to Rlngling
Brothers and shipped them to France*
where they are now with the Ameri
can army. They no longer shelter a
weapons are useless unless properly
aimed, and this Is no small task, as
the pilot must aim not hls gun, bat
hls whole machine. He must use hls
airplane as a gun mount. It Is easy
to conjure some of the pilot's difficul
ties when the gun mount Is maneuver
ing and traveling twice as fast as any
express train, while Its target is In
similar action.
Nor Is that all the difference be
tween aerial and ground gunnery. On
the ground ammunition Is practically
unlimited. In an airplane every ounce
of weight counts, and ammunition Is
therefore strictly limited. The great
er, consequently, is the need for ac
curacy In shooting.
It is Important that no ammunition
shall be carried which Is not absolute
ly reliable, and all Is selected and
tested. Guns are rigorously Inspected,
for a Jam at a critical moment might
prove fatal. In training, on the other
hand, ammunition Is carefully select
ed for Its badness, the object being, by
x-Tî'TvTvîv
SAYS ONLY GOOD BOCHE
ARE THOSE UNDER SCO
Fittsbnrgh, Pa.—"The only
good Boche is a dead one, with
an extra bayonet thrust to make
sure," writes home Dr. J. W. Mc
Gregor of Wilkinsburg, who lost
both his legs in France. "I don't
believe in taking them prison
ers for some silly man or wom
an to fuss over. It is great sport
to mow the Boches down with a
machine gun. If they were good
sports and played the game one
would not feel so toward them."
woods, and arrives at the trenches.
"Hello, Dad!" call the men when
they see him coming, and they Jump
to help him with his supplies. Who is
going to appraise the worth of an
orange or of a cake of chocolate when
It comes In the middle of a long day
in the trenches? Tom Barber grins
at the men, and deals out his stored
as casually as if he were back In
Utica, N. Y. After all, this is only
his job. He turns away regretfully
when the things are all gone.
"Good-by, Dad!" call the men after
him. "When you cornin' again? Makff
it soon, Dad!"
"Sure!" answers Tom Barber com*
fortahly.
And then—because he has "deliv
ered the 'goods"—he gets out of thf
trenches, goes through the wood
across the field, crosses the road that
It Is not well to travel in the day*
time, comes safely at last to the or
chard, enters the tiny black corridor
and hurries through to his work in tht
canteen.
menagerie, acrobats and clowns, but
house hundreds of cots, wounded sol
dlers and Red Cross nurses.
All that reminds one of the .drew
days of old are the methods and or*
ganlzation of the people connected
with this tent city. For they, like thff
circus people at home, are here today
and gone tomorrow. And every vestige
of their equipment Is gone with them
On an hour's notice they strike theli
tents, and within twenty-four hour*
they are putting them up again— prob*
ably twenty miles away.
Carry Complete Equipment.
Their equipment and methods ar«(
interesting. They carry every sort of
sanitary, surgical and electrical phara»
phernalla to be found in the most modi
em of hospitals. They have X-rajJ
outfits, sterilizing outfits, radiators
with steam heat, several operating tai
bles with full equipment, electric lightj
plant and accommodations for thq
care of more than two hundred and
fifty wounded—and all with a person
nel of less than one hundred men and
women.
But where they have the advantage
over the modern circuses is that they
supply their own transportation. Three
huge motortrucks are the keystone of
the outfit. One is used as a sterilizing
machine and electric light plant An
other carries an emergency light plant
and central system for supplying steam
heat in the operating tents. The third
serves as a laundry * and surgical In
struments carriage.
The tents, cots, bedclothing and oth
er equipment are stowed in three or
four trucks which are requisitioned
from the transportation department of
the army.
Like p. regular circus, this mobile
hospital organization back of the lines
in France operates when the order
comes to move. The patients are evac
uated first by ambulance. Then the
tents are struck and packed. Each
member of the hospital staff has a spe
cified duty to perform.
The personnel, nurses, army sur
geons and orderlies are the last to
leave the ground, riding In ambulances
and trucks. When they mount to
their places the grounds are clearad of
everything, just like' the abandoned
circus grounds In America.
The commanding officer, with hls
staff, jumps into a touring cor and
moves to the head of the column which
has formed In a road near by. The or
der is given to move and the hospital
is gone—where no one knows except
the "C. O." who leads the procession.
means of ffeqaent gun Jams to ran k »
the clearing of a stoppage automatical
ly simple to the pilot.
The successful air fighter must bn
a good pilot, but even the most bril
liant trick flyer, the "stunter" wha
can throw hls machine about In tha
air and make It a supremely difficult
target for hls adversary, is neverthe
less Incompletely equipped as a fight
er unless he can combine brilliant fly.
ing with brilliant gunnery. Foch'i
rule that "offense Is the best defense"
applies even more in the air than on
land, and It Is by following that rule
that the allied fighters have won their
ascendancy over the Germans.
Pays Fine to Red Cross
Hutchinson, Kan.—Fred Bur
eral manager of the Consolidate
mills here, must pay $1,000 to 1
Cross because he violated ti
laws. The fine, which is the
assessed as yet In Kansas, *
nounced by Food Administrator
P. Innés.
Baltimore policewomen are naid n
1000 a j'ear, v u