The Coquille Valley sentinel and the Coquille herald., March 29, 1918, Page PAGE SEVEN, Image 7

PAGE SEVEN
W HY W E ARE
AT W AR WITH
GERMANY
It didn’t take Ions tor the TotamlM
to answer this call. H a lf dressed,
t i e r lined up with their canteens aw
I dished eat the tea. Each Tommy
carried la U s hand a thick slice of
bread which had been Issued with the
■y
rations the night before. Then I had
EPH R A IM DOUR LASS ADAM S
the pleasure of seeing them dig into
executive Heed, History Depart­
the bacon with their dirty fingers. The
ment
allowance was one slice per man. The
L eland Stanford Junior University
late ones received very email slices.
A s each Tommy got hi* share he Im­
mediately disappeared Into the billet
Pretty soon a bodt fifteen o f them made
a rush to the cookhouse, each carrying
a huge slice of breed. These slices wrsspi
they dipped Into the bacon grease
which erne stewing ever the fire. The
lest men Invariably tost o a t I was
ilAOflfCOlHIia^RyKWfRAIICC-— ■
The next morning w as 8nnday. I
whs sitting, In the billet writing home
to my slstfir telling her o f my wonder­
ful exploits while an d «* fire—a ll re­
cruits do this The sergeant m ajor pat
bis head in the door o f the billet and
•boated: "C. o f H. outside tor church
paru Jo I”
I kept on writing. Turning to fee, In
• loud voice, be asked, "Bmpey, aren’t
fined village o f H ------ , and I got my
mt eight o f die awful destruction
meed by German Kultur.
Marching down the state street w e
ime to the heart o f the village, and
ok up quartan la sheUproof cellars
keUproof until M t by a shell). Shells
you C. of E.T"
I answered, “Yep."
In an angry tone, he comma nded,
"Don’t you ‘yep' me. Say, * e e . ser­
geant major.*"
“I did so. Bosnewhat mollified, he
ordered, “ outside fo r church parade."
I looked up and answered, " I am
not g« 1 uk to church this morning."
ne said, “ Oh, yee, you a r a r
I answered, “Oh, no, m
I went.
net I"— B ut
bayonets, 120 rounds o f smmanltton,
wearing our tin hats, and the march
to church began. A fter marching about
five kilos, we turned oC the read lato
an open field. A t ona end o f this field
the Chuplnln was standing la a limber.
Overhead there waa a Mack speck cir­
cling round and round la the sky. TM e
was a German Fokkor. The chaplain
had t book in Ms left hand—left eye
on the book— right eye on the airplane.
We Tommies were lucky, WO had a *
books, so had both eyes oo dm a ir­
plane.
After church parade w o wore
■arched beck to our billets, and played
football all afternoon.
“Into the Tranefc.”
The next morning ths draft
Elected by our general, end i
assigned to different cosnpnnl«
boys In the brigade had Me
this general Old Pepper, and
talnly earned the sobriquet I
Amerlcau named Stew art
For the next ten. day* w a “rested,"
repairing roads for the Franchise, drill­
ing. and digging bombing tranches.
One morning w s were informed that
we were going np the Una, and onr
■arch began.
It took us three days to reach re­
serve billets— each day’s march b r i a r
lng the sound of ths guns nearer and
nearer. At night way off in the dis­
tance we could see their da shea, which
lighted up the sky with a red glare.
Against the horison w e could so#
■mnerous observation balloons or “snu-
mges" ns they are called.
On the afternoon o f the third day’s
march I witnessed my first airplane
being shelled. A thrill ran through mo
end I gazed In awe. The airplane was
making wide circles In the air, wM le
little puffs of white smoko were bnrst-
Jng all around i t These puffs appeared
like tiny balls o f cotton wM le after
etch hurst could be heard a dull
“plop.” The sergeant o f my platoon
Informed ns that It waa a German sir-
plane and I wondered how he conld*t#ll
from such a distance because the plane
seemed like a little black speck in the
tor- I expressed my doubt as to
whether It was English, French or G s r
man. With a look of contempt he fur­
ther informed ns that the aRled anti­
aircraft «hells when exploding emitted
white smoke while the German sheila
gave forth black smoke, and, aa be ex-
preRsed it, “ It mast be an Atlemand be­
cause our pom-poms are shelling, end
1 know our batteries are not off their
bally nnppers and are certainly not
•trafoing our own planes, and another
Piece of advice — don’t check your
weight about until yon’ve been up the
line and learnt something." g
I immediately quit
"chucking my
weight nliout" from that time on.
Just before reaching reserve billets
we were marching along, laughing, and
■tngiug one of Tommy’s trench dtttlas:
J want to so home, I went to ao horns,
i don’t wnnt to so to the trsnehse ao
more
Rhrrc sausasas and whlsa-haasa ara sa-
After awhile, *t rtfer** M
thought I should die with fright.
M g Mack fellow*. Moat o f the Tom­
mies, slept with tbetr overcoats ovhr
their faces. I fid M t l a the middle
o f ths night I w oks up la ten-os. The
cold, clammy feet of a rat had passed
over my race. I Immediately smoth­
ered myself in my overcoat, but could
not sleep tor the rest o f that night
Next evening, w a took over our sec­
tor o f the line. In single file we wend­
ed our w ay through a . slgsag com-
muMcattoa trench, six Inches deep
with mud. This trench was celled
“W hisky street” On onr way np to
the front line an occasional ta rs of
bursting shrapnel would light np the
sky and we could bear the fragments
■lapping ths ground above ns on onr
right nnd lo ft Then a Frits would
traverse bach and forth with M s “type-
areSTrJiwiDTf
fcold, wet and sheer exhaustion.
Suddenly, the earth seemed to shake
and a thunderclap b u n t In my ear*. I
opened my eyes—I was splashed all
over with sticky mud, and men were
picking themselves up from the bottom
o f the trench. The parapet on my left
had toppled Into the-trench, completely
blocking it, with a wall o f tossed-np
earth. The mao on my left lay still. I
rubbed the mud from my face, sad an
nwfnl sight met my gase— his hand
was smashed to a pulp, and hts steel
helmet was full o f brains sad M od’.
A German "Minnie” (trench mortar)
had exploded In the next traverse. Men
Were digging into the soft mass of mod
In a frenzy of haste. Stretcher-hear­
ers came up the trench on the double.
Aftpr a few minutes o f digging, three
•«11, muddy forms oo stretchers were
earrled
down
the
communication
trench to the rear. Soon they would
be resting "somewhere to France," with
a little wooden croos over their heads
They had done their bit tor V : and
country, hod died without firing a shot,
but tbetr services w e n appreciated,
nevertheless
Later on, I found out their names
They belonged to our draft.
I was dased and motionless Sud­
denly a shovel was poshed Into my
hands and n rough but kindly vole*
sold:
"Hare, my lad, laud s hand clearing
the trench, but keep your hood down,
and look out tor snipers One of the
Frtts’s Is a daisy, and he’ll got you If
you’re not careful."
Lying oo my belly on the bottom o f
the trench. I filled sandbags with the
sticky mud. they were dragged 1» my
rMir by the other men, sad the work of
rebuilding the parapet waa on. The
herder I worked, the hotter I fe lt A l­
though the weather was cold, I was
soaked with sw eat
Occasionally a bullet would crack
p et At each crack I would duck and
shield my toco with my arm. One of
the older men noticed this action of
mine, and whispered:
"Don’t duck at the crack o f a bul­
le t Y a n k ; the danger has passed— you
never hear the one that wings you.
Always remember that tf you ara going
to get I t yon’ll got I t so never worry-”
This mads a g n a t Impression on me
at the time, and from then on, I adopt­
ed his motto, T f you're going to got it
you’ll get i t ”
It helped me wonderfully. I used It
My heart stopped bee tine ead I ducked
mg head below the parapet A soft
chuckle from my mete brought me to
my senses, and 1 feebly asked, “f o r
beeren’s sake, what w as thatT”
A fter breakfast our section curried
He answered. “Only a rat taking a their equipment Into a field adjoining
promenade along dm sandbags."
I the billet and got busy removing the
felt very sheepish.
trench mod therefrom, because at 8:46
About every twenty minutes the sen­ a. m., they bad to fall in for inspection
try Is the next traverse would fire u and parade, and woe betide the man
star shell from his flare pistol. The who waa unshaven, or had mud on his
“plop" would give me u start o f frigh t uniform. Cleanliness is next to godli­
I never got used to this noise during ness in the British army, and Old Pep­
per must have been personally ac­
I would watch the arc described by quainted with S t Peter.
the star shell, and than stare Into No
Our drill consisted o f dose-order
Man’s Land waiting for It to burst. In formation, which lasted until noon.
Its lurid light the barbed wire and During this time we had two ten-min­
stakes would be silhouetted against its ute breaks for re st and no sooner the
light like a latticed window. Then word, "Pall out fo r ten minutes,” was
given than each Tommy got out a fag
Once, out la front o f our wire, I and lighted t t
heard a noise sad saw dark forms
Fags are
every Sunday morn­
moving. My ride was lying across the ing, and you generally get between
sandbagged parapet I reached fo r I t twenty and forty.
The brand gen­
and was taking aim to fire, when my erally issued is the “Woodbine.” Some-
mate grasped my arm, and whispered.
"Don’t fire." H e challenged In s low
voice. The reply came back Instantly
from the dark form s:
“Shut your blinkin’ mouth, you
bloomin’ idiot; do you want ns to dick
tt from the B o d m e r
Later we learned that the word, "N o
challenging or firing, wiring party out ho ceases to be a recruit There is a
In front,” had been given to the sentry reason. Tommy Is s great cigarette
on oar right, but he had failed to pass smoker. H e smokes under all condi­
it down the trench. An officer had over­ tions, except when, unconscious oi
heard our challenge and the reply, and when he Is reconn ottering in N o Man’s
immediately pnt the offending sentry Land at night Then, for obvious rea­
under arrest The senfky clicked sons, he does not care to have a light­
twenty-one days on the wheel, that la, ed cigarette in his mouth.
be received twenty-one days’ field pun­
Stretcher bearers Carry fags for
ish smut No. L or “crucifixion,” as wounded Tommies. When a stretcher
Tommy terms i t
bearer arrives alongside of a Tommy
This consists o f being spread-eagled who has been Mt the following conver-
on the wheel q f a limber two hours a antlon usually takes place: 8tretcher
day for twenty-one days, regardless of bearer—“Want a fa g t W here are you
ths weather. During this period, your M T o m m y looks up and answers,
rations consist o f bully beef, biscuits “Yes. In the leg.”
and water.
A fter dismissal from parade, we re­
A tow months later I met this sentry turned to our billets and I had to get
and he confided to me that since being busy immediately wltji the dinner is­
"crucified," he bad never tolled to pass sue. Dinner consisted o f stew made
the word down the trench when so or­ from fresh beef, s couple o f spuds,
dered, In view o f ths offense, the bully b eet Maconochle radons and wa-
above punishment was very light, la ter—plenty o f water. Thera Is great
that toiling to para the word down a competition among the men to spear
After dinner I tried to wash out
the dixie with cold water and a rag,
and learned another maxim of the
trendies— T t can’t be done." I slyly
watched one of the older men from
another section, and was horrified to
see Mm throw Into-his dixie fonr a t
five doable handfuls of mud. Then he
relieved by t h e ------ brigade.
Going down the communication poured in some water, and with his
trench wo wore In a merry mood, al­ bunds scoured the dixie inside and out
though wo were cold and w o t and I thought he was taking an awful risk.
every bone In our bodies ached. It Supposing the cook should have seen
makes a lot o f difference whether yon him I After half an hoar of unsuc­
cessful efforts I returned my dixie to
are “going In” or “going o u t"
At the end of the communication the cook shack, being careful to put on
trench. Umbers were waiting on the the cover,' and returned to the billet.
road for us. I thought we were going
to ride beck to rest billets, but soon
found out that the only time an In­
fantryman rides Is when he Is
wounded and Is bound for the base or
Blighty. These limbers carried onr
reserve emmnnltlon and rations Our
march to rest billets was thoroughly
enjoyed by me. It seemed aa If I
w eie on furlough, and waa leaving be­
hind everything that was disagree­
able sad horrible. Every recruit feels
this way after being relieved from the
trenches.
W e marched eight kilos and then
halted in front of a French estamlneL
The captain gave the order to turn
out on each side of the road and wait
Ms return. Pretty soon be come back
and told B company to occupy billets
117, 118 and 118
Billet 117 was an
old stable which had previously been
occupied by cow s About four feet la
Bront of the entrance waa a huge ma­
nure pile, and the odor from it was
anything bat pleasant Using my
flashlight I stumbled through the door.
Just before entering I observed a
Rooting Back of the Lines
white sign reading: “Sitting 60, lying
20,” bu t at the time, its significance
Pretty soon the cook poked Me bead
did not strike me. Next morning I
In the door end shouted: “Hey, Yank,
asked the sergeant major what it
come oat here and clean yonr dixie 1“
meant H e nonchalantly answered:
I protested that I had wasted ■ half-
“That’s some of the work o f the R. hour on It already, and bad used up
A. M. C. (Royal Army Medical corps). my only remaining shirt In the at­
It simply means that In case o f a a at­ tempt W ith a look o f disdain he ex­
tack. this billet will accommodate claimed: “Blow me, yonr shirt I Why
fifty wounded who are able to sit up I n ------ didn’t you use m u d r
and take notice, or twenty stretcher
Without a word In feply I got busy
with the mud, and soon my dixie was
bright and sMnlng.
Moot o f the afternoon waa spent by
the maa writing letters home. I used
less
.
tiie
no
master *f
It Is our I
history f t
longer loft
T H E GE R M A NS A S A CHOSEN
. PEOPLE.
The foundation causa of this srhr is
Germany’s firm belief that she alone
has the rig h t to dlreot the prograss of
ths world and to exploit its resources.
For ths last thirty y ean ths military
autocracy of Germany has seen to it
that this belief was taught la the
schools, and today that autocracy Is
reaping the benefits of a blind obe-
German political
filence to its will,
writing of recent y ean Is fo il of the
idea that the German people ts "God’s
chosen people, destined to Impose its
'Kultur* upon all other peoples."
"T h e German aoul Is the world’s
soul, God and Germany belong to one
another." "Germany la the center of
God’s plans for the world." "W e hope
that a great mission will be allotted
to us Germans . . , and thla Oer-
man mission la: tu look after the
world.’
‘Germany is chosen, for her
own good and that of other nations
Provi­
to undertake tbetr guidance.
dence has placed the appointed people,
at the appointed moment,' ready for
the appointed teak.”
“The German people is always right,
because It is the German people, and
numbers 17,000,000 souls.” "Kultur Is
best promoted when the strongest In­
dividual Kultur, that o f a given na­
tion, enlarges Its field o f activity at
the expense of the other national Kul-
tu»s." “The attempt of Napoleon to
graft the Kultnr of Western Europe
upon the empire of the Muscovite
ended In failure. Today history has
made us Germans the inheritors of the
Napoleonic idea.1 ’T h e further w *
carry our Kultur into the East, the
more and the more profitable outlets
■hall we find for onr wares. Economic
profit In of course not the main motive
of our Kultur activity, but it is no un­
welcome by-produot." “Our belief is
that the salvation of the whole Kultur
of Europe depends upon the victory
which German ‘Militarism’ Is about to
achieve.“
These quotations are but a few of
hundreds of like expression, and ths
last one cited is from a manifesto
signed by thirty-lice hundred German
p r o fe tto n and lecturers. Rsduced to
simple terms, the German belief st the
beginning of this war was: “God di­
rects Germany. Civilisation advances
only by com batt between Kultura in
which the stronger and God-directed
one has the right to prevail and must
prevail. The Immediate and preten t
object to to make our Kultur prevail
In the East (in ‘Muscovy’ ), and In a©-*>
eompllshlag this we shall also, gain
economic advantages. This Is the first
step in our world domination.”
Where does America stand In this
theory of a “chosen people" T America
denies that theory
■be denies that
Qod has chosen any one people as
His own; she asserts rather that there
a n many civilisations, each with its
own merits and defects, end that to
each must be left the working out of
Us own problems
We Americans are unable to under­
stand. or sympathise with, a people
who conceive of themselves as s chosen
people, chosen of Ood— a people to
whom all things and actions however
Inhuman or brutal, ara regarded as
permissible, even holy, because of a
contradictory Ideals. Germany's eco­
nomic objects are many and large
(they will he pointed out), but the basic
cause of this war was the German Ideal
of a dominant nation.
That Ideal,
by Germany's own challenge. Is on trial
la arm s Against It toe must prevail,
or ws shall perish.