TO A POILU Hail to you, Poilu! Before the world you stand Clad in the glory of your deathless fame; War had no terrors for the dauntless band That held the line 'gainst bombs, and shells, and flame. Through tragic months of winter cold and rain, When snow and water filled the narrow trench, Steadfast and patient you did bear the strain; Oh! little soldier of the war-tried French. From peasant hut, from wealthy, well-stocked farm, From mountain village, or town's crowded mart, When first the Toscin shrilled its fierce alarm, Gladly you rushed to play your noble part. Oh, Sons of France! How quickly you forgot The easy comfort of your tranquil life; When high and low have shared a common lot There is no room for friction or for strife. Beneath the August sun, two years ago, Life fiercely throbbed and beat in your young frame; You battled, struggled, panted in the glow Of love for France, and for her precious fame. 'Midst rye and wheat of cultivated fields, Where now the harvest waits the reapers' glaive, Only a wooden cross and rain-stained kepi shields You—unknown hero in your nameless grave. Afar, 'perhaps, some woman mourns your end, Wondering, in sorrow, where your body lies; She cannot come with loving hands to tend Your humble tomb beneath the Argonne skies. No flowers shall fade upon your lowly mound, So soon by storm and time effaced to be; But where you died, His France's holy ground, An altar and a pledge to Victory. Hail to you, Poilu! In all the years to come, You'll represent the Fighting Soul of France; Verdun, the Meuse, the Champagne and the Somme, Are clarion notes which thrill, inspire, entrance. That rolling down the misty vales of Time Proclaim your strength, your courage, fine and true, Raising you to the ranks of men sublime; The World salutes you! Hail to you, Poilu! Dinard, 1918. OUR WAR WORK Deming Jarves August 14, 1918 [Illustration: Deming Jarves August 14, 1918] Since the following article, "Our War Work," was written, Mr. Deming Jarves has been decorated by the French government with the cross of the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur. The Jarves Family were represented in the Great War by Mrs. Jarves' brother, Capt. John P. Jackson, U. S. N., commanding American transports bringing soldiers to France, and the following great-nephews of Mr. Jarves: Captain Francesco Marigliano, Duke Delmonte of the Cavalliera di Udine, Italian Army, received two of the highest awards for valor in the Battle of the Piave.