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MEMORIAL DAY
PARIS CELEBRATED THE AMERICAN REMEMBRANCE DAY
All Americans living in Paris celebrated Memorial Day yesterday.
In the morning, two religious ceremonies were held: a Protestant service at the Chapel of the Holy Trinity on Avenue George-V, and a solemn mass at the church on Avenue Hoche.
At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
At 12:10 p.m., the Americans and the Gold Star Mothers visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ambassador led the American Legion with his blue and white flags, followed by a delegation from the American army, French disabled soldiers, and interpreters. General Gouraud, Governor of Paris, attended the ceremony.
At the Suresnes Cemetery
At the Suresnes Cemetery, where another ceremony was taking place, General Debeney, member of the High Council of War, Chief of the General Staff of the Army, delivered a speech.
The Ambassador of the United States of America, Mr. Myrron T. Herrick, also spoke in moving terms.
Here is an excerpt from his speech:
"And if these millions of young men, whose voices have been silenced forever, could stand up and speak, would they not ask today: 'What have you done with the victory we gave you in 1918, with the victory for which we fought in the trenches and on the battlefields for four years, with the victory for which we sacrificed our lives?' You, to whom the settlement of peace has been entrusted, have you shown the same courage, the same unity of purpose, the same spirit of self-denial, sacrifice, and patriotism in your efforts to consolidate peace, that we have shown to end this fatal conflict?
A telegram from Mr. Painlevé
Mr. Painlevé, President of the Council and Minister of War, sent the following telegram to Mr. Weeks, Secretary of War, in Washington:
"The entire French Army, keeping deep in its heart the sentiment of inalienable fraternity, born on the battlefields, which unites it with the Army of the United States, joins in the tribute paid on this Memorial Day to the glorious American dead, and salutes the valiant soldiers of the United States who fell in defense of French soil and freedom.
IN THE PROVINCES
Memorial Day was celebrated yesterday in the provinces with the same ceremonial as in previous years. In most towns, houses were decorated with French and American colors.
Wreaths and flowers were laid in cemeteries where American soldiers are buried, particularly in Thiaucourt, where 4,200 of them are buried.
At the Belleau Cemetery, near Château-Thierry, the ceremony was particularly moving; a delegation of the Gold Star Mothers, as well as relatives of the 2,250 American soldiers who fell on June 6, 1918, attended.
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