At day school he was a plodder. But he did win a prize, a nicely bound
volume of the _Life of Washington_. This was offered by the president
of the school board. John's mother was there. The children clapped and
called for a speech. "I'm sorry you didn't all win a prize. I'm going
to grow up like Washington," he said.
[Sidenote: =Studies at West Point=]
In the 70's, when times were bad, John had to help earn the family
living, and he did it by teaching some of the hardest schools in the
district. He took the examinations for West Point when he was twenty,
and defeated his friend. "I'm sorry you could not win too," he said.
At the end of his first year at West Point he was made class leader, a
position won only by hard study.
[Sidenote: =Made a general by Roosevelt=]
After he graduated from West Point, honors and promotions came fast.
Roosevelt had passed by eight hundred and sixty-two older officers to
make him a brigadier general. At the beginning of the war he was major
general, and later Congress promoted him to the full rank of general, a
very rare honor, and the highest in its power to give.
[Sidenote: =Arrival in France=]
When Pershing, with a few officers and engineers first landed in France
the news spread quickly. "The Americans have come." Their arrival meant
that the United States would soon take part in the fighting in earnest.
New life and fresh resolution came into the hearts of the war-tired
veterans of France.
[Sidenote: =Germany's last great effort=]
=244. The Great Danger in 1918.= Russia had fought bravely for the
Allies at the beginning of the war, but about the time the United
States entered, a revolution drove the Czar from his throne. Russia
was so upset by the revolution that after a year it gave up trying to
keep its army at the front, and made peace with Germany. Hundreds of
thousands of German soldiers were thus left free to attack the Allies
in the west. Germany thought that if she could succeed in taking Paris
before many Americans arrived in the trenches, the war would be won. It
was her last chance to win.