PRESIDENT WILSON
ON FRENCH SOIL
MESSENGER .INTERNATIONAL
JUSTICE.
Greeted at Brest With Great Naval
Spectacle and Exhibition of Anti
Aircraft Battery—Acclaimed by
Two Millions at I’aris — Places
Wreath on Tomb of LaFayette.
The steamer George Washington,
with President Wilson and attendants
on board, sailed majestically into the
harbor of Brest shortly after noon on
Friday. The President’s ship moved
into the harbor through lines formed
by the battleship.
When about a mile off shore near 5
in the morning she dropped anchor
amid a tumultuous demonstration.
“The American battleship division
joined President Wilson’s ship at five
o’clock in the morning, providing one
of the few naval spectacles in many
months. The vessels maneuvered
with lights and the sight was an im
posing one.
“The first ray of sunlight fell across
the George Washington as she anchor
ed, while the huge reproduction of
the Statue of Liberty on shore was
brilliantly illuminated as the sun
broke through the clouds.
“Long before daylight the battleship
•Pennsylvania, leading the Presiden
tial convoy, picked up by wireless the
vessels approaching. The night was
partly cloudy. Suddenly the Pennsyl
vania got a series of rapid signals
from a destroyer hovering off the sky
line and began signalling.
“Then the toplights of the fleet
came over the curve one by one and
stood by the President’s ship, whiuh
proceeded on her wray until daylight,
when all the shins in the convoy
spread out and fell into their ap
pointed places on the right of the
line of formation.
“The battleship Pennsylvania was
at the head of the center column, hav
ing on either side a line of destroyers,
then a line of four battleships, then a
line of destroyers on the extreme out
side. The battleship Wyoming, with
Vice-Admiral Sims on board, headed
the line on the left, followed by the
Utah, the Oklahoma, the Nevada and
the Arizona. The line on the right
was headed by the New York, followed
by the Texas, the Arkansas and the
Florida.
“At 11 o’clock a French fleet be
gan to come up from the South. There
were twelve cruisers. The French
warships fired a salute as they ap
proached the George Washington.
“A big hvdroairplane then appeared
from the direction of Brest. It circled
and dipped over the fleet.
“President Wilson and the members
of his partv stood on the bridge of
the George Washington to witness the
naval spectacle.
“The French ministers and Ameri
can officials boarded the George
Washington at 1:30. They were ac
companied bv Miss Margaret Wilson.
As soon as they had gone aboard the
George Washington preparations 'be
gan for the President’s landing. About
fifty American and French warships
w’ere in the roadstead.
“President Wilson landed on French
soil at 2 o’clock.
“President Wilson’s progress from
the pier to his train was amidst a vo
ciferous welcome from the throngs in
the streets.
“A singular feature of the welcome
to the President was the suppressed
interest of the German prisoners at
Brest. It was evident their interest
in the visit was as keen as that of the
huge crowd thronging the town, but
the authorities kept the Germans in
the background.
“Among those who lined the route
to the station were delegations of pa
triotic societies and other organiza
tions and throngs of people from the
neighboring localities attired in gala
Breton costumes.
“As the boat touched the pier the
French and American guards of hon
or presented arms and the strains of
the Star Spangled Banner mingled
with the cheers of the great multitude.
“Mrs. Wfilson came up the gang
plank with General Pershing. She
carried a large bouquet and as she
passed the American army nurses
they handed her an American flag
which she bore proudly.
“The President was the last to
come ashore, amid great applause.
He held his silk hat in his hand; his
face was wreathed with smiles and he
bowed his acknowledgment to those
about and to the masses of people on
the rising walls and terraces of the
city.
“Stephen Pichon, the French For
eign Minister, and Georges Leygues,
Minister of Marine, joined the Presi
dent as he stepped ashore and con
ducted him to a beautifully decorated
pavilion. Here the first welcomes
were given President Wilson as the
guest of the French nation.
“It was a striking picture as he
stood there, surrounded by Old World
statesmen, officials and generals. The
President met each greeting with a
smile and a hearty handshake, only
speaking a few words as some well
known friend welcomed him.
“As the mayor of Brest stepped for
ward Presideht Wilson listened at
tentively to an address of welcome
and received with a bow a large pai'ch
ment roll, wound with the American
colors, containing the city council’s
greetings to him. Speaking in a clear
voice the President acknowledged the
greeting and from a manuscript read
a brief address in response.
“Following the addresses the Pres
idential party drove through the
Cours Dajot, where vast crowds were
assembled. Every foot of the way
was lined with American soldiers in
their rusty service khaki, and alcfng
the road were great stores of war ma
terial, recently being rushed to the
American front. It gave the Presi
dent his first glimpse of the American
troops and material on the fighting
ground. Military honors were ac
corded as he passed and large num
bers of soldiers off duty mingled with
the throng in its enthusiastic tribute.”
President Wilson left Brest at 4
o’clock for Paris.
President and Mrs. Wilson made
their entry into Paris Saturday morn
ing, greeted by well-nigh half the pop
ulation, not only of the city but of
the surrounding districts.
“They entered amid the boom of a
hundred guns in salute apd a greeting
at the railway station and along the
route to his temporary residence by
enthusiastic throngs estimated to to
tal nearly 2,000,000 persons, whose
cheers set the air vibrating.
“President Poincare, Premier Clem
enceau and other French officials met
the Presidential party at the railway
station, together with French and
American military officers and prom
inent civiliahs, while the Republican
Guard band, called out in his honor,
greeted him with the strains of the
‘Star Spangled Banner.’
“After the presentations and other
formalities of welcome had been con
cluded, the President and Mrs. Wil
son and other members of the party
entered open carriages of state and
drove under overcast skies along the
appointed route, escorted by the
mounted Republican Guard between
solid ranks of French troops.
‘The route was lined for miles with
captured guns and other battle tro
phies, and every available space was
crowded by vast crowds waving and
shouting their welcome—such crowds
as have rarely been seen in Paris.
“Thirty-six thousand soldiers, the
flower of the French army, lined the
avenues from Dauphine gate to the
Murat mansion, which during their
>'tay in Paris wil be the home of the
President and his wife.
“The mansion of Prince Murat was
leached at 10:45 o’clock about a half
hour after the American executive’s
arrival in the French capital.
“An official luncheon given by Pres
ident and Madame Poincare at the
Palais de l’Elysee in honor of Presi
dent and Mrs. Wilson ended the official
program of tHe day.
“Responding to the welcome of
President Poincare at the luncheon
given in his honor, President Wilson
declared that winning the war was
r.ot alone enough, but that the people
of the United States had entered it
with the object of making the peace
a permanent peace for the world.
“Responding to the greeting of the
socialist delegation, the President reit
erated that the war had been the peo
ple’s war and that the defeat of mili
tary autocracy was not sufficient to
the fulfilling of its objects. He again
declared that the co-operation of the
nations for the security of the peace
to be made wholly necessary.”
President Wilson attended church
twice his first Sunday in Paris, at
tending service at the American Pres
byterian church in the Itue de Berri
in the morning. In the afternoon he
went to a church of Mrs. Wilson’s de
nomination as is the custom in Wash
ington when he goes twice on Sunday.
The church selected was the American
Episcopal church of the Holy Trinity,
the Bishop of South Carolina offi
dating.
“The President visited the tomb of
LaFayette in the Piepus Cemetery in
the southeastern section of Paris,
while returning home after the morn
ing church service. No ceremony had
been arranged at the cemetery and
the President went accompanied only
by Brig. Gen. Harts, a secret service
operative and a French officer assign
ed to him as a personal aide. The
President, removing his hat, entered
the tomb carrying a large floral
wreath.
“As the President placed the wreath
on the tomb, he bowed his head and
stood silent before the resting place of
the famous Frenchman who helped
America in her fight for liberty. He
made no speech whatsoever. He then
returned to the Murat residence.
“During the afternoon the President
made a short call on President and
Madame Poincare at the Palace of the
Elysee.”
REPORT OF COUNTY
QUARANTINE OFFICER
Parents Are Responsible for Protect
ing Their Children from Disease.
Many people do not understand that
they, themselves, are responsible for
the control of whooping cough, mea
sles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and
other diseases among their children.
They expect the quarantine authori
ties to stop the spread of contagions,
when, without the hearty co-operation
of the parents, the authorities are as
helpless as the children whc get the
disease. Before any appreciable
amount .of good can result from the
efforts to control’ diseases among
children, parents must realize their
responsibility and follow the advice
of the quarantine officer. It is only
through the co-operation of the peo
ple with the quarantine officer that
disease may be controlled and the
lives of many children spared. This
responsibility rests on every person
to whose care God has intrusted a
child.
Any mother in North Carolina
would sacrifice her life rather than
see her child die or even suffer by the
cruel act of a murderer. Now, it
makes no material difference whether
a child suffers and dies by brutal pun
ishment or by disease. If it be true
that suffering is suffering and death
is death, then parents are not con
sistent when they would sacrifice their
lives to protect a child from a mur
derer and, at the same time, make no
attempt to protect it from diseases
which kill a thousand times more chil
dren. Parents should consider the
results of diseases more seriously and
make greater attempts to protect then
children.
Children should be taught not to use
a towel, a drinking cup, knife, fork, or
any eating utensil used by another
until it has been boiled; not to eat
from the same piece of bread with
another; to wash their hands before
meal’s; and to sneeze and cough with a
handkerchief over the mouth and
nose. Disease germs live in the
mouths of well people as well as in
the mouths of the sick, and these sim
ple precautions may prevent their
spread from one person to another.
Every parent should do his duty in
trying to protect children from dis
eases by keeping all sick children at
home, away from well children, and
notifying the ouarantine officer of
every case. The quarantine officer
will advise as to the measures neces
sary to prevent the spread cf disease.
The reports of all1 cases are required
by law.
The following are the names and
addresses of cases of various conta
gious diseases reported during the
month of November in Johnston
county:
Typhoid Fever.
Miss Ella Adams, Angier, R. 1.
Fred Sanders, Clayton, R. 1.
Mrs. Samuel Young, Benson, R. 2.
Daughter of Mrs. Samuel Young,
Benson, R. 2.
Carl Ivey, Benson, R. 3.
Johnnie Jones, Benson, R. 1.
Child of R. E. Massgngill, Four
Oaks, R. 2.
Ida Bridgers, McCullers, R. 1.
Diphtheria.
Mazie Bowen, Micro, N. C.
Baby of Wm. Stephenson, Benson,
R. 1.
Lillie Koonce Patterson, Smithfield
Whooping Cough.
Cicero Mitehiner, Smithfield.
Three children of J. D. John,
Smithfield.
Six children of George Wilkins,
Smithfield.
One child of J. B. Morris, Smithfield.
Two children of Mrs. Alice Pollard,
Smithfield.
Two children of Sam Potter, Smith
field.
Cleona Carroll, Wilson's Mills,
Route 2.
Christine Carroll, Wilson’s Mills,
Route 2.
Clintis Carroll, Wilson’s Mills, R. 2.
William Carroll, Wilson’s Mills, R. 2.
Septic Sore Throat.
Handy McLamb, Benson, R. 2.
Chicken Pox.
Mary Ragsdale, Smithfield.
Clifton Ragsdale, Smithfield.
Thel Hooks Ragsdale, Smithfield.
Marcia Bcdie Stevens, Smithfield.
Scarlet Fever.
Edna Benson, Benson, R. 1.
Hilda Keen, visiting in Kenly.
^ MRS. THEL HOOKS,
County Quarantine Officer.
Returned From Richmond.
Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Watkins return
from Richmond, Va., Thursday, where
they visited Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Mays
and Mrs. J. F. Watkins, whose hus
band is a sergeant in the Motor Me
chanics Regiment and is in France.
They report a nice trip.
Four Oaks, N. C.
The chronic kicker is apt to get
more exercise than results.—Ex.
THIS IS RED CROSS
ROLL CALL WEEK
Henry P. Davison, chairman of the
War Council of the American Red
Cross, has issued to the 8,854 Chap
ters and the 22,000,000 members of
the Red Cross the following state
ment outlining the future policy of the
American Red Cross:
To the 3,854 Chapters and 22,000,000
Members of the American Red
Cross:
The whole American people will be
invited in the week preceding Christ
mas to enroll as members of the Red
Cross. It is confidently believed that
there need be no further campaigns
for Red Cross funds, but instead, the
annual Roll Call will constitute the
foundation of the Red Cross. The
people should therefore, know as defi
nitely as possible the plans of this,
their national humanitarian society.
Since the armistice was signed, I
have had an opportunity to confer in
Paris with the heads of .all American
Red Cross Commissions in Europe,
and later in Washington with the
President of the United States, the
War Council of the Red Cross, the
managers of the fourteen Red Cross
divisions of the United States and
with the heads of our departments at
National Headquarters. I am, there
for, able to speak now with knowl
edge and assurance in saying that the
beneficent work of the American Red
Cross is to go forward on a great
scale—not alone, as heretofore, for
purposes of relief of war, but as an
agency of peace and permanent hu
man service.
Since America’s entry into the war,
the purpose of our Red Cross has
been, primarily, to aid our army and
navy in the care of our own men un
der arms, and secondly, to extend re
lief to the soldiers, sailors and civil
ians of those nations which were fight
ing our battles along with their
own. With the funds which have been
so generously contributed by the
American people this war Wi rk of the
Red Cross will continue and be com
pleted with all possible sympathy and
energy.
Wherever our soldiers and sailors
may be, the Red Cross will stay witn
them until they are demobilized. No
thing which we may do will be left
undone either for the men in the war
zone, for those returning, for those in
the camps and hospitals or for their
families at home to whom will con
tinue to be devoted the ministrations
of the Red Cross Home Service. In
this-latter effort 500,000 trained Red
Cross workers are now engaged at 2,
500 different places throughout the
land.
The problems of reconstruction, in
volving feeding and caring for the
distressed civilian populations of Eu
rope, are of such magnitude that nec
essarily they must be met very largely
by the governments of our allies,
with whom our government will co-op
erate.
The great tasks of fighting tubercu
losis, prompting child welfare and
caring for refugees, with which the
American Red Cross has concerned
itself so effectively in France. Italy
and Belgium, will at an early date be
assumed by the governments, the Red |
Cross organizations and the relief so
cieties of those countries which, now
that thev are released from the ter
rific burden of waging war, naturally
desire to take care, as far as they can,
of their own people.
The war program of the American
Red Cross will thus steadily a.nd rap
idly merge itself into a peace pro
gram. The wake of the war will, how
ever, reveal the prevalence of disease
and give rise to epidemics and emer
gencies which in all parts of the
world will call for unlimited volun
tary effort, the cutting of red tape and
the manifestation of those qualities of
human sympathy which government
action cannot display.
Here will be the opportunity for
the American Red Cross. But even
our Red Cross must not act and can
not act most effectively alonej we
must labor in co-operation with the
National Red Cross 'and relief so
cieities of other nations, to the end
that not alone the heart of America
but the heart of all mankind may be
mobilized on behalf of suffering" hu
manity.
While, therefore, the plans of the
American Red Cross in this direction
cannot be formulated specifically in
advance of the general relief pro
gram of the allied governments, the
American Red Cross is nevertheless
planning to develop its permanent or
ganization in this country upon a
scale never before contemplated in
time of peace.
'The commissions which are now
conducting the activities of the
American Red Cross in foreign coun
tries, as well as the temporary war
organization in this country, will as a
matter of course ultimately merge
their energies with those of the per
manent organization of the Red
Cross.
With the war has developed the
striking and important fact that
many men and women, some of
whom had with great success devoted
their lives entirely to business, came
into the Red Cross organization at
the outset of the war simply that
they might serve their country, but
have realized such a satisfaction to
themselves in the opportunity to
serve mankind that they now desire
to become a part of the permanent
peace organization of the American
Red Cross.
There may, therefore, be perfect
confidence that the peace activities of
the Red Cross will be conducted un
der able and inspiring leadership.
The Chapters will maintain their or
ganizations upon a scale adequate to
the new demands to be made upon
them. Local committees will indeed
appreciate more and more the value
of having in their midst strong and
efficient Red Cross Chapters. The
Divisional organizations, with honor
ary and permanent staffs, will be
maintained—always ready for service;
and National Headquarters will have
a large and efficient personnel to di
rect the activites of the organization
as a whole.
Study is being given by the na
tional organization not alone to
problems of international relief, but
to plans in this country for enlarged
home service, the promotion of public
health education, development of
nursing, the care and prevention of
accidents, and other correlated lines
which may contribute to the health
and happiness of men, women and
dhildren. Such pSans when devel-i
oped will, it is believed, provide both
for world relief and for home com
munity service, and thus constitute a
channel for the continued and useful
expression by Red Cross workers and
members of those qualities of sym
pathy and love which our whole peo
ple have poured out so unstintedly
during this war.
For the completion of its war work
and for the institution of its peace
program, the Red Cross is fortunately
in a healthy financial condition.
Abundant occasion for the use of a
large funds of money and great
quantities of garments and other sup
plies wil continue to arise, but it is
believed that there will be no further
need for intensive campaigns for
funds. The work of supplementing
governmental activities, which the
Red Cross will be called on to do in
all parts of the world, will be upon
a great scale, but it will call for hu
man service rather than for large ex
penditures.
What the American Red Cross needs
now is not so much contributions of
money as the continuer! devotion and
loyalty of its members. This is pe
culiarly true at this moment of tran
sition from war to peace. Annual
membership involves the payment of
only one dollar. The moneys thus
received not only defray all the ad
ministration expenses of the organi
zation but leave a substantial bal
ance which, together with all funds
subscribed directly for relief, is devo
ted solely to that purpose.
The Roll Call of the nation is thus
to be called at Christmas time that,
through enrollment in their Red Cross,
The American people may send a mes
sage to our soldiers still overseas and
to the peoples of the world that we are
not content merely with seeing our
arms united with our allies in victory
but that our abiding pi^-pose is that
the love and sympathy and the intel
ligence of all America shall be re-ded
icated to the permanent service of
mankind.
HENRY P. DAVISON,
Chairman Red Cross War Council.
RESOLUTION CONFERRING
CITIZENSHIP ON PRESIDENT
Paris, Dee. 13.—The resolution pro
posing1 to confer citizenship upon the
President says in part:
“We wish to express our homage
and gratitude to the Great President
who, for justice and right, placed
America by the side of the free peo
ples against Germanic oppression
and rendered possible the magnificent
triumph which we have witnessed.”
Two Stills and Liquor Found Near
McCullers.
Two illicit stills, a quantity of beer
and about 20 gallons of whiskey
were captured Friday by Deputy Mar
shal J. P. Stell, Deputy Sheriff N. E.
Raines and City Detective Tom Crab
tree.
The moonshine apparatus was loca
ted about four miles southwest of
McCullers. The officers upon arrival
Friday about two o’clock, found the
furnace hot but the stills gone. A
search of the premises began and the
two copper stills were found about 150
yards from the furnace. In a thicket
about 300 yards from the furnace the
whiskey was found.—News and Ob
server.
CLAIM BIG GUN WILL •
SHOOT THIRTY MILES
American Naval 14-Inch Weapon Said
to I5e Most Powerful in World.
Started German Retreat From the
Argonne Forest—Facts, Just Pub
lished, Show Monster Gun Weighs
i)0 Tons—How it Was Sent to
Pershing.
New York, Dec. 9—Startling revela
tions concerning the part taken by the
Amercfan Navy in the winning of the
war have been made by two of its
officers in recent addresses. Accord
ing to Lieut-Com. W. L. Cathcart and
Lieut. Dexter C. Buell, who have been
authorized by Secretary Daniels to
make public the facts, the German
retreat from the Argonne forest was
started by the most powerful guns in
the world—American naval 14-inch
guns, which hurled 1,500-pound shells
a distance of 30 miles.
The two officers addressed more
than 2,000 members of the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers in
the Engineering Building.
Lieutenant Buell said the Navy De
partment had been puzzled for some
time as to the disposition of big 14
inch guns found available, and finally,
after considerable discussion, on De
cember 26, 1917, the department con
sented to allow the ordnance to be
sent to France. Plans for the six
locomotives and six trains of heavy
cars needed to carry the six guns were
ready in a few days.
Tested at Sandy Hook.
On February 13 last the first con
tracts for these mounts were let to
the Baldwin Locomotive Company and
the Standard Car Company. The same
day the contractors started work.
Although the first engine was started
by the Baldwin works for June 15,
Samuel Vauclain, who had the job in
charge, delivered it on April 25. On
May 25 the mounts for the six guns
had all been turned over.
A test of the powerful cannon at
Sandy Hook proved satisfactory.
Army officers present were so impress
ed that the Navy Ordnance Bureau
was requested to build three more
guns, and subsequently several others.
“It is too bad that those other can
non were not able to get into action in
France,” Lieutenant Buell remarked.
The original intention had been to
turn the guns over to the British
army, but at this time the German
advance threatened the Channel
ports and England found herself
unable to ship the guns and fit
them up in France. So General Persh
ing was asked if he wanted them, and
at once he replied urging that they
be rushed over as soon as possible.
They were shipped from Philadel
phia. two guns and two cars, on the
Texol, June 20. Lieutenant Buell de
clared that the>fact that the Texol was
sunk by the German submarines in
their first raid off the Atlantic Coast
while she was returning from France,
gave strong reasons to believe that
Germany knew of this giant weapon
and endeavored to sink the ships car
rying it overseas.
Two hundred sailors from the Great
Lakes Naval Training Station who
had railroad experience went over to
Franc te to handle the naval guns. On
July 8. the first gun reached France
and was taken to the shop of the Nine
teenth Engineers, where it was fitted
up. Motion pictures were shown by
Lieutenant Buell of the mounting of
the gun, and never, he declared, did
men work as these sailors did to put
through the job. On August 11 the
first gun, with its crew, left for the
front, closely followed by others, and
on September 5, less than 250 days
after the project was started, the
German high command knew that
American engineering skill was “on
the job.”
Gun Weighs 90 Tons.
The girder carrying the gun weighs
80 tons, while the gun itself weighs 90
tons. Tracks had to be fixed to move
the gun, and a discouraging amount of
fatiguing labor was borne before the
gun reached the front line. A 484
pound charge of powder is used tor
each*shell. The gun is fired from the
rails at an elevation of 15 degrees. On
the redoil the gun goes back into its
slide 44 inches, while the train moves
back 25 feet. At an elevation of 45
degrees the gun is fired from a pit.
All the work on the gun was done
by sailors. They were an independent
organization, having their own com- *
missary, sleeping quarters and com
manders. They drove nails over the
bunks in the barracks and swung
hammocks there, Lieutenant Buell
said.
L'eut.-Commander William L. Cath
cart told of naval engineering achieve
ments in the war. He said:
“The newest development in battle
ship equipment is the electric drive.
It has made the New Mexico the fleet
est and most easily maneuvered battle
ship in the world and helps much to
ward making our navv the equal, if not
superior of, any.—Baltimore Sun.