ington at Valley Forge;
the call of Perry to their fathers, needing soldiers at the battle of
Lake Erie; of Jackson at New Orleans. It was to their listening ears the
echo of Bull Run, of Santiago, of Manila, and later of Carrizal; Uncle
Sam needed them! That was enough; what more was to be said?

Denied the opportunity to enlist, the Negro's patriotic, patient soul
asserted itself; if he must go as a drafted soldier, it would be in the
same fine spirit that would have inspired him as a loyal enlisted man.

Life, as to all men, was sweet to them. They had mothers, fathers,
sisters and brothers, wives and sweethearts; the ties of association; of
home, from all of which they would be separated and for all of which
they cherished that love, which alone of human fires: "Burns and burns,
forever the same, for nature feeds the pyre."

Above and over all these things, tending to augment the seriousness of
the sacrifice he was to be called upon to make, was the spirit, the
optimism, the joy of life that attends vigorous youth and young manhood.

Nature in all of its enticing charm and beauty, was smiling in the home
places these men were leaving; flowers bloomed; birds sang; insects
buzzed cheerily. There were green fields and babbling brooks; the
stately beauty of trees, and the delights of lake, river and vale. The
cities from which they came, were many of them, splendid monuments of
the work of man. The sun clothed in glory the days, moon and stars gave
a loveliness to the nights. Leaving these things to face suffering and
hardship; possible death in strange lands, caused many a pang; but a
man's work had to be done, and they were there to do it.

Well they knew there would be no chance in France to follow the wild bee
to its tree; to track the fox or hunt the 'possum or the coon. The hum
they would hear would be that of machine gun bullets; their sting, death
or serious wounding. For game they would hunt the Hun; would kill or be
by him killed.

There were busy times in thousands of homes when the young Negroes of
the land; from East, West, North and South went forth to war.

Bright faces hiding the pangs of parting; happy, singing lads left their
homes to enter a new life on earth or, the tragedy of it; also the
glory; a new life in the great Beyond; beyond the stars and flaming
suns. The training camp was their first destination and was to be their
home for months.

Correspondents in France wrote of Negro soldiers