Part 20

West of Verdun the Germans had come into Belgium and France along the line of the Meuse through Liége and Namur, and across Luxemburg by the main railway through Sedan. Could either of these great lines of communication be captured, the Germans would be unable to withdraw to their own territory without terrible losses, if at all; for between their armies and Germany lay the great forest region of Ardennes with but few roads. Two millions of men could not retreat through this region without leaving guns and munitions behind and their retreat becoming a rout.

From Verdun the Meuse River runs north and west to Sedan and to the railroad which extended from the German lines through Luxemburg to Germany. Marshal Foch honored General Pershing and the American troops by assigning to them the difficult task of advancing from Verdun through the valley of the Meuse to Sedan. The story of the fighting of the Americans in this advance is a story glowing with deeds of heroism and of reckless daring, a story of the overcoming of almost impossible difficulties and of final victory. At Sedan in 1870, the Germans humbled the French and decided the Franco-Prussian War. It is a strange turn of history that, with the capture of Sedan from the Germans in 1918, the World War was practically decided and ended.

The Allied army from Salonica, with the help of the Serbians, had conquered Bulgaria late in September, and she had surrendered unconditionally, thus cutting off Germany and Austria from communication with their ally, Turkey. General Allenby's conquest of Palestine and occupation of Aleppo brought Turkey to realize that she was helpless. She surrendered the last of October. Then the strengthened and refreshed Italian army attacked the Austrians on the Piave in Italy and won perhaps the most complete victory of the war on the western front, capturing over five hundred thousand prisoners and completely breaking Austria's power for further resistance. Austria surrendered on November 4.

Thus Germany was left alone, open to attack on her southern and eastern fronts, while being hopelessly beaten in the west. She asked President Wilson to secure an armistice from the Allied nations. The President had declared earlier in the war that we would never deal with the Kaiser and the autocratic rulers of Germany who had repeatedly broken their word to us and to other nations. The German people, aware of this fact, were taking things into their own hands, and the German Revolution had really begun.

The German Chancellor informed President Wilson that Germany had changed its form of government and was now being ruled by those responsible to the German people, and that the German government was willing to make peace on the basis of President Wilson's Fourteen Points, as stated on January 8, 1918, and of his later declarations, particularly that of September 27, 1918.

After some correspondence, the President referred the German government to Marshal Foch. Envoys were sent from Spa, the German headquarters, under flag of truce to the headquarters of Marshal Foch in a railroad car near Senlis. The terms of the armistice made it absolutely impossible for Germany to renew the war after the cessation of hostilities, for she was obliged to evacuate all invaded territory, to remove all her troops twenty miles back from the Rhine, and to give the control of the river and its crossings to the Allies. She was also forced to surrender vast quantities of large and small guns, two thousand air-planes, all her submarines, and the greater part of her navy. She was practically to give over the control of her railways and shipping to the Allies and to renounce the unfair treaties with Russia and Roumania. Alsace-Lorraine was to be returned to France, and Belgium and northern France restored. The armistice was signed by the Germans on November 11, 1918. It has been called the most complete surrender ever known, but Germany had no choice, for her armies were defeated and her navy had no hope in a battle against the overwhelming odds of the Allies.

_Der Tag_ or "The Day" for which haughty Germans had hoped, had come, but how different from the day they had imagined! When the white flag of truce was raised on the German battle line, the red flag of revolution was unfurled in Berlin and other German cities. The Kaiser had abdicated, the Crown Prince had renounced his right to the throne, and both had taken refuge in Holland. Other German kings were abdicating and royal princes were fleeing for safety.

Great celebrations were held in the Allied countries. It seemed as if the people in the great cities of America had gone wild with joy. President Wilson appeared in the hall of the national House of Representatives at one o'clock on the afternoon of Monday, November 11, and announced the signing of the armistice and its terms and the conclusion of the war. He asked America to show a spirit of helpfulness rather than one of revenge toward the conquered Germans, concluding his message as follows:

The present and all that it holds belongs to the nations and the peoples who preserve their self-control and the orderly processes of their governments; the future to those who prove themselves the true friends of mankind. To conquer with arms is to make only a temporary conquest. I am confident that the nations that have learned the discipline of freedom and that have settled with self-possession to its ordered practice are now about to make conquest of the world by the sheer power of example and of friendly helpfulness.

The peoples who have but just come out from under the yoke of arbitrary government and who are now coming at last into their freedom, will never find the treasures of liberty they are in search of if they look for them by the light of the torch. They will find that every pathway that is stained with blood of their own brothers leads to the wilderness, not to the seat of their hope. They are now face to face with their initial test. We must hold the light steady until they find themselves. And in the meantime, if it be possible, we must establish a peace that will justly define their place among the nations, remove all fear of their neighbors and of their former masters, and enable them to live in security and contentment when they have set their own affairs in order. I, for one, do not doubt their purpose or their capacity. There are some happy signs that they know and will choose the way of self-control and peaceful accommodation. If they do, we shall put our aid at their disposal in every way that we can. If they do not, we must await with patience and sympathy the awakening and recovery that will assuredly come at last.

To the people of the United States he sent the following message:

My Fellow Countrymen: The armistice was signed this morning. Everything for which America fought has been accomplished. It will now be our fortunate duty to assist, by example, by sober, friendly council, and by material aid, in the establishment of just democracy throughout the world.

WOODROW WILSON.

No one can foretell all that this victory, won through the most terrible suffering and sacrifice the world has ever been called upon to bear, means to mankind; but we know it means a new day and a new opportunity for millions of down-trodden men and women in all parts of the world. It means giving a new world of democracy and equality of opportunity to those who never dreamed this possible, except by leaving their native lands and coming to America. It means bringing all that America means to us to races that for centuries have lived without hope. It means the downfall and the punishment of those who would selfishly rise by the persecution and suffering of others. It means that in the end right must always conquer might.

NATIONS AND THE MORAL LAW

I believe there is no permanent greatness to a nation except it be based upon morality. I do not care for military greatness or military renown. I care for the condition of the people among whom I live. Crowns, coronets, mitres, military display, the pomp of war, wide colonies, and a huge empire are in my view all trifles, light as air and not worth considering, unless with them you can have a fair share of comfort, contentment, and happiness among the great body of the people. Palaces, baronial castles, great halls, stately mansions, do not make a nation. The nation in every country dwells in the cottage.

I ask you then to believe, as I do most devoutly believe, that the moral law was not written for men alone in their individual character, but that it was written as well for nations.

If nations reject and deride that moral law, there is a penalty which will inevitably follow. It may not come at once, it may not come in our life-time; but rely upon it, the great Italian is not a poet only, but a prophet, when he says:

The sword of heaven is not in haste to smite, Nor yet doth linger.

JOHN BRIGHT.

+-------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | The following accents are represented as shown: | | macron (straight line) over a letter or letters: [=x] [=xx] | | 1 dot over a letter: [.x] | | tilde over a letter: [~x] | | breve (u-shaped symbol): [)x] | | | | The reader should consult the html or utf8 text versions | | for proper accents. | | | +-------------------------------------------------------------+

PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY

Foreign sounds which cannot be exactly reproduced in English are represented by their nearest English equivalents.

+Aerschot+ (är´sk[)o]t) +Ailette+ (ail [)e]t´) +Aisne+ (ain) +Aix-la-Chapelle+ (aiks´-l[.a]-sh[.a] pel´) +Alsace+ ([.a]l säss´) +Amiens+ ([.a] mee [)a]ng´) +Ancre+ (äng´kr) +Andenne+ (äng d[)e]n´) +Aonzo+ (ä [=o]n´z[=o]) +Arras+ ([.a] räss´) +Ausweiss+ (ows´v[=i]z) +Auteuil+ ([=o] ter´y[~e])

+Battice+ (bat tees´) +Belfort+ (b[)e]l f[=o]r´) +Belloy-en-Santerre+ (bel wä´-äng-säng tair´) +Bernstorff+ (berns´torf) +Bethmann-Hollweg+ (bait´man-holl´vaik) +Boche+ (b[)o]sh) +Boelke+ (b[=a]l´k[~e]) +Boers+ (b[=oo]rs) +Bolsheviki+ (bol shay´vee kee´) +Bonnier+ (bon ee ay´) +Bordeaux+ (bor d[=o]´) +Bouée+ (b[=oo] ay´) +Boulogne+ (b[=oo] l[=o]n´) +Brest-Litovsk+ (br[)e]st´-ly[)e] t[)o]fsk´) +Bruges+ (breezh) +Brussels+ (br[)u]s´elz) +Buccari+ (b[)oo]k kä´ree) +Bueken+ (bee´k[)e]n) +Bülow+ (bee´l[=o])

+Calais+ (k[.a] lay´) +Cambrai+ (kam bray´) +Carnegie+ (kär n[)e]g´[)i]) +Castelnau+ (k[.a]s tel n[=o]´) +Celle+ (tsel´[~e]) +Châlons+ (shä long´) +Champagne+ (sham pain´) +Chandos+ (chan´d[)o]s) +Charleroi+ (shär l[~e] rwä´) +Château-Thierry+ (shä t[=o]´-tee [~e] ree´) +Chaudfontaine+ (sh[=o]d fong tain´) +Chillon+ (shee y[)o]ng´) +Cologne+ (k[=o] l[=o]n´) +Courtrai+ (k[=oo]r tray´)

+D'Annunzio+ (d[.a] n[)oo]n´tsi[=o]) +De Bussy+ (d[~e] bee´see) +Deutschland über Alles+ (doich´lant ee´ber äl´[~e]s) +Devon+ (d[)e]v´[)u]n) +Dinant+ (dee näng´) +Dixmude+ (diks meed´) +Dniester+ (nees´ter) +Douaumont+ (d[=oo] [.a] mong´) +Du Guesclin+ (dee gay kl[)a]ng´) +Dunajec+ (d[=oo]n´[.a] yeck) +Dürer+ (dee´rer) +Duruy+ (dee ree ee´)

+École+ (ay kol´) +Embourg+ (em b[)oo]rk´) +Épinal+ (ay pee näl´) +Evegnée+ ([)e] vain yay´)

+Foch+ (f[)o]sh) +franc-tireur+ (fräng-tee rer´)

+Gallipoli+ (gal lip´o lee) +Gemmenich+ ([=g][)e]m men´ik) +Genet+ (zh[)e] nay´) +Gheluvelt+ (hay lee´velt) +Ghent+ ([=g][)e]nt) +Grietchen+ (greet´sh[)e]n) +Guynemer+ (gwee nay may´)

+Hague+ (haig) +Havre+ (äv´r') +Hedjaz+ (hej äz´) +Herve+ (herv) +Hotel de Ville+ (o tel´d[~e] veel´) +Huerta+ (wair´tä)

+Jagow+ (yä´gow) +Jaroslav+ (yä r[=o] släv´) +Jassy+ (yäs´sy) +Jeanne d'Arc+ (zhän dark´) +Jeanniot+ (zhän nee [=o]´) +Joffre+ (zh[=o]ff) +Junkers+ (y[=oo]ng´kers)

+Kharkov+ (kär´k[)o]f) +Kiaochau+ (kee ow´chow) +Krupp+ (kr[)oo]p) +Kultur+ (k[)oo]l t[=oo]r´)

+Leman+ (lee´man) +Lens+ (läng) +Lichnowsky+ (lish nov´skee) +Liége+ (lee aizh´) +Lille+ (leel) +Loire+ (lwär) +Loncin+ (long s[)a]ng´) +Lorraine+ (l[=o] rain´) +Loti, Pierre+ (l[=o] tee´, pee air´) +Louvain+ (l[=oo] v[)a]ng´) +Lycée+ (lee say´)

+Maas+ (mäs) +Madero+ (mä day´r[=o]) +Magdeburg+ (mäg´d[)e] b[)oo]rk) +Malines+ (m[.a] leen´) +Manoury+ (m[.a] n[=oo]´ry) +Marne+ (märn) +Marseillaise+ (mär s[)e] l[=a]z´) +Meaux+ (m[=o]) +Mercier+ (mer seeay´) +Meuse+ (merz) +Mignon+ (meen yong´) +Millerand+ (meel räng´) +Mindanao+ (meen dä nä´[=o]) +Mons+ (mongs) +mooshiki+ (m[=oo] shee kee´) +Moselle+ (m[=o] z[)e]l´) +Munsterlagen+ (mun ster lä´gen)

+Namur+ (n[.a] meer´) +noblesse oblige+ (no bl[)e]s´ [=o] bleezh´) +Notre Dame+ (n[=o] tr' d[.a]m´)

+Ostend+ ([)o]s tend´) +Ourcq+ ([=oo]rk)

+Pau+ (p[=o]) +Piave+ (pee ä´vay) +poilu+ (pwä lee´) +Poincaré+ (pwäng´k[.a] ray´) +Poiret+ (pw[.a] ray´) +Provençe+ (pr[=o] vängs´)

+Raemaekers+ (rä mä´kers) +Rasputin+ (r[.a]s p[=u]´tin) +Reichstag+ (r[=i]chs´täk) +retournment+ (r[)e] t[)oo]rn mäng´) +Rheims+ (reemz) +Richthofen+ (rikt´h[=o] fen) +Rivesaltes+ (reev s[.a]lt´) +Rizzo, Luigi+ (reet´so, l[=oo] ee´jee)

+St. Mihiel+ (s[)a]ng´mee y[)e]l´) +Saint Pierre+ (s[)a]ng pee air´) +Saint Quentin+ (s[)a]ng käng t[)a]ng´) +Sarrail+ (s[.a]r r[.a]´y[~e]) +Scyros+ (s[=i]´r[)o]s) +Seine+ (sain) +Seraing+ (ser r[)a]ng´) +Soissons+ (swä s[)o]ng´) +Somme+ (s[)o]m)

+Tamines+ (t[.a] meen´) +Toul+ (t[=oo]l) +Tours+ (t[=oo]r) +Tsingchau+ (tsing´chow)

+Uhlan+ ([=oo]´län)

+Vaux+ (v[=o]) +Verdun+ (v[)e]r d[)u]ng´) +Vesle+ (vail) +Villa+ (veel´yä) +Vimy+ (vee´mee) +Vise+ (vees) +Viva l'Italia+ (vee´v[.a] lee t[.a]´lee [.a]) +Vive la France+ (veev´l[.a] fränts´) +Vladivostok+ (vlä dee väs t[)o]k´) +Von Diederichs+ (f[=o]n dee´der iks) +Von Kluck+ (f[=o]n kl[=oo]k) +vrille+ (vree´y[~e])

+Wackerzeel+ (v[.a]k´er tsail´) +Werchter+ (verk´ter)

+Ypres+ (ee´pr') +Yser+ (ee say´)

+Zeebrugge+ (tsay br[)oo]g´[~e])

THE RECKONING

What do they reck who sit aloof on thrones, Or in the chambered chancelleries apart, Playing the game of state with subtle art, If so be they may win, what wretched groans Rise from red fields, what unrecorded bones Bleach within shallow graves, what bitter smart Pierces the widowed or the orphaned heart-- The unhooded horror for which naught atones!

A word, a pen-stroke, and this might not be! But vengeance, power-lust, festering jealousy Triumph, and grim carnage stalks abroad. Hark! Hear that ominous bugle on the wind! And they who might have stayed it, shall they find No reckoning within the courts of God?

CLINTON SCOLLARD

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