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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



coming along the road, sees an old woman with a wheel- 

 barrow a heavy barrow and, gently pushing her way, 

 takes the handles and trundles it himself. At Christmas 

 each company at that camp raised 700 francs for a cele- 

 bration and gifts for the children of the neighborhood. 

 These may be little things, but there are going on in 

 France lots of other little things like them that cut deep. 

 The people appreciate it, and I heard about it wherever 

 1 went. 



1 could take you, if I had the time, to other parts of 

 France where other units of the Tenth and Twentieth 

 Engineers are located that present a similar picture a 

 different class of timber, perhaps, somewhat different 

 logging conditions; somewhat different living con- 

 ditions; but essentially the same. In the colder 

 parts of the mountains the men have established them- 

 selves in comfortable barracks; in other places where 

 it is not so cold they prefer to live in tents with board 

 floors. In all the camps are being established build- 

 ings for recreation and amusement. 



At the time I left France all of the men in the Tenth 

 and Twentieth Engineers were in splendid health. They 

 are living under healthful conditions, and this accounts 

 for it. I was told just before I came away that in one 

 group of camps containing 400 men there was not a 

 single case in the hospital. 



Without going into details, I can assure you that the 

 Army Engineers are doing a splendid work in forestry 

 work that is essential for our American forces abroad, 

 and of a kind to secure the hearty appreciation of the 

 French. The efficiency of our men and our operations 

 in the woods wins, I think I may say without undue 

 boastfulness, the admiration of the French foresters. At 

 the same time we have been able to adjust ourselves 

 satisfactorily to their conditions, the conditions arising 

 from their methods of handling the forests as a perma- 

 nent resource. The Tenth and the Twentieth are work- 

 ing right together in this important task of the Engi- 

 neers. Colonel Woodruff on the other side and Colonel 

 Mitchell on this side are seeing to it, most admirably, 

 that these indispensable forest regiments are organized 

 and handled along lines to give them high efficiency, as 

 military and industrial units. The lumber industry of the 

 country and the foresters of the country may each take 

 pride in the share which they have taken and are taking in 

 the work. Without the participation of both lumbermen 

 and foresters, the result could not have been what it is 

 and will continue to be. 



I was fortunate to arrive in France early enough to 

 see something of the first expression of welcome by 

 the French people to the American troops. I was in 

 Paris on the Fourth of July when several companies of 

 American Infantry marched through the city. I saw the 

 enthusiastic greeting accorded them. And I was struck 

 with the eager expression on their faces ; some of them 

 veterans and marching splendidly, others newer at the 

 game and a little timid least they should not keep a good 

 line, but all fresh, young, stalwart, enthusiastic. Behind 

 them marched one of the star companies of one of the 



star regiments of France a regiment with a splendid 

 record for valor. It was tremendously impressive to 

 see American soldiers marching through Paris and 

 French troops marching with them. It typified the union 

 of two great nations in a common cause. 



That evening officers of the French Army in Paris 

 gave the American officers a dinner at the Military Club. 

 The club is on the Avenue de l'Opera, a broad and beau- 

 tiful thoroughfare. When I arrived there, a few min- 

 utes late, I found an enormous crowd packing the streets, 

 through which policemen had to clear a way for us. The 

 minute the people saw the American uniform there were 

 great cheers, vivas, and almost every other mark of en- 

 thusiastic greeting. About half an hour after we sat 

 down to dinner a French officer came in and said that 

 the people would not go away and that the crowd was 

 bigger than ever. A balcony runs around the club, and 

 we all went out on that. Never before in my life have 

 I heard or seen such cheering and enthusiasm. The peo- 

 ple forgot themselves; they threw their hats in the air 

 with, no thought of ever getting them again ; they waved 

 and cheered, and cheered again. Along the balcony were 

 draped American and French flags. We tore these from 

 their fastenings and, waving them together, led the 

 crowd in singing the Marseillaise. They kept up the 

 demonstration for a full half hour. It was representative 

 of how the French people feel and of the spirit in which 

 they are receiving us; not as saviors, not as a people 

 coming over to rescue France, but a people, a nation, 

 coming from across the sea to fight side by side with 

 France. 



My work took me pretty largely back of the lines, 

 and in those early days I was usually the first American 

 officer who had come to the places where I went. The 

 papers had published pictures of General Pershing and 

 of the typical American soldier, and everywhere people 

 recognized us by our hats. As we drove through the 

 villages the children would rush out into the street shout- 

 ing "Les Americains! Les Americains!" Then the 

 older people would run out, cheering and waving their 

 handkerchiefs. It was a delightful and a tremendously 

 affecting experience. 



It happened that I was the first American officer at 

 a number of camps where German prisoners are kept. 

 One such camp was in a Government forest that we are 

 going to take over, where the prisoners were being em- 

 ployed to get out cord wood and some small timber. If 

 it had not been for the presence of the Boches, the camp 

 would have reminded you of a fairly well organized 

 lumber camp in the North Woods. The men had their 

 bunks and little mattresses to lie on. They worked in 

 the forest, with a large measure of liberty, and they 

 seemed to be in very good health. They had their own 

 German cooks to prepare their kartoffelsuppe and other 

 things that they like. The bread they got was perhaps 

 not quite so good as that furnished the French soldiers, 

 but it was plenty good enough and nourishing. While at 

 this camp I reviewed the prisoners. I rather imagine 

 that the French officer who suggested the procedure had 



