, that had added
to the cubic stature of the American soldier; the artlessness of his
life and the genuineness of his character, which as yet showed no alloy;
the modest, becoming acceptance of illustrious honors paid to him in
France. The people saw in this simple, earnest mountaineer the type of
American that had made America. They thought of him as coming from that
stratum of clay that could be molded into a rail-splitter and, when the
need arose, remodeled into the nation's leader. And quickly and
unexpectedly, Sergeant York was destined to show by two other deeds,
prompted by an inborn eminence, that the esteem was not misplaced.

In New York and Washington there were receptions and banquets in his
honor, and around him gathered high officials of the army and navy and
the Government, and men who were leaders in civilian life. It was with
impetuous enthusiasm that the people crowded the sidewalks to greet him
as he passed along the streets--the worn service uniform, the color of
his hair, the calm face that showed exposure to stress and hardships,
set in the luxurious leathers of an automobile, surrounded by men so
different in personal attire and appearance, marked him as the man they
sought. There is something in the man that creates the desire in others
to express outwardly their approval of him. At the New York Stock
Exchange business was suspended as the members rode him upon their
shoulders over the floor of the Exchange where visitors are not allowed.
In Washington the House of Representatives stopped debate and the
members arose and cheered him when he appeared in the gallery.

There were ovations for him at the railroad stations along his way to
Fort Oglethorpe, near Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he was mustered out
of service.

And in the midst of all of these mental-distracting demonstrations Alvin
York was put to the test. He was offered a contract that guaranteed him
$75,000 to appear in a moving picture play that would be staged in the
Argonne in France and would tell the story of his mountain life. There
was another proposition of $50,000. There were offers of vaudeville and
theatrical engagements that ranged up to $1,000 a week, and totaled many
thousands. On these his decision was reached on the instant they were
offered. The theater was condemned by the tenets of his church, and all
through his youth the ministers of the gospel, whom he had heard,
preached against it. The theater in any form was,