tor
they fought valiantly and finally drove the enemy headlong before them
through the Argonne forest, helping to make it possible for the
peacemakers to gather again in the great council hall at Versailles
where, nearly half a century before, France had seen the first German
emperor crowned and then had been forced to sign the humiliating
agreement that later became the Treaty of Frankfort.

But now the tables were turned; this meeting was in answer to the plea
of a defeated Germany who was to agree to return her stolen property
and to make good as far as possible the wrong she had done France and
the world.

The statue of Strassburg in Paris had been stripped of the mourning
which had covered it for nearly fifty years. Germany, as a victor, had
indeed been a hard master, not caring in the least for the interests of
the people in the conquered territories. How different was the spirit
of the French as victors is shown in General Petain's orders to the
French armies after the signing of the armistice.

[Illustration: Memorial Day, 1918, was celebrated abroad as well as at
home. In Masevaux, the provisional capital of the recaptured Alsatian
territory, the American troops, headed by their band, paraded through
the streets. In the contingent directly behind the band you can see a
delegation of American and French officers and prominent citizens.]

As a piece of military literature it ranks with the soundest and the
most eloquent ever delivered. In the spirit of President Lincoln's
second inaugural address, "With malice towards none, with charity for
all," it emphasizes a contrast which will be remembered for
generations, to the everlasting shame of Germany and the glory of
France. To every true American patriot it means that our armies have
been fighting with the flower and chivalry of France, not for revenge,
but for the overthrow of oppression, the freedom of the oppressed, and
for honorable and permanent peace.

To the French Armies:--

During long months you have fought. History will record the tenacity
and fierce energy displayed during these four years by our country
which had to vanquish in order not to die.

Tomorrow, in order to better dictate peace, you are going to carry your
arms as far as the Rhine. Into that land of Alsace-Lorraine that is so
dear to us, you will march as liberators. You will go further: all the
way into Germany to occupy lands which are the necessary guarantees of
just rep