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THE AMERICAN SPIRIT The dash of the American is the finest thing in the combat says a French officer writing from the front for a French newspaper newspaperHis His letter includes these paragraphs paragraphsAt At the sight of these men magnificent in their youth physical force good temper and dash the Germans fled with every leg or surrendered with ¬ out awaiting the order to throw away their arms and take off their suspenders which is the first thing a prisoner is told to do in order that lie may be compelled to keep his hands employed and out of mischief mischiefThe The Germans hurried toward our lines gripping their trousers haggard and mad with terror terrorWould Would that every mother in France who has lost a son in the war could have seen that epic sight Thry would have seen themselves revenged and it would have been some consolation to them in their sorrow sorrowThe The French are impressionable people a demon ¬ strative people but the home letters of innumerable young Americans in France breathe the spirit which the French officer celebrates The boys are not braggarts They are examples of youthful enthus ¬ iasm undaunted A letter from Lieut Callalian all American aviator which has been published by the CourierJournal through the courtesy of a relative who received it described the German aviators as being dud The term he says is English slang for ineffective inept To bring down a Hun he ex ¬ plains is a simple matter after finding them The large part of the undertaking is to find them and he expects to get a few Huns confirmed this week weekGerman German propaganda has sought to instill in Americans fear of the boasted efficiency of the Germans There is more than a touch of it in the Wolf Bureau report of the death of Qnentin Roose ¬ velt described as brave but inexperienced The inference sought to be left is that young Americans of high courage are risking their lives against cool capable seasoned German aviators aviatorsThe The fact is that on land at sea in the air the Americans are finding the German dud oftoner than they find them more efficient than themselves This is due in great measure to the American spirit It is the sporting spirit of a peaceloving people who forced to war by wanton affronts go to war without the loss of their customary buoyancy with ¬ out the loss of their sense of humor with the in ¬ tention to make their undertaking as lively as pos ¬ sible with Yankee selfreliance grit and capability Such soldiers will not die or fight and survive uuhonored and unsung by those who write history Louisville Courier Journal
