Evening journal., 1914-12-05
Bx WILLIAM c. sHEpHERD.


/ 1t IS evening OF ohhud9. "N"' ~
church this morning II was service
of war time, on a battlefield. held on a.
hillside, amid a litter of trenches ana
rifle shelters Two batteries of howit-
zers in the valley, 300-yards distant,
doomed at intervals and our own Aus
tro Hungarian shells screeched high
over the improvised altar and went
their ways to kill while we were praying
that we ourselves might pass through
the war unscathed.
Imagine a group of hills and valleys
covering an area as large as the city OF
Chicago; you stand on the safe side OF
the I'M nearest the Russian lines and
you have the scene of the service.
You're near the top of the hill and you
have orders not to show your head above
the rim. for the slightest movement
there might give the Russian lookouts
the range. From your hillside you look
TO the other hills across them come
files of soldiers in gray, narrow lines,
moving over the slope like gray, ggan-
tic worms. This is TO be service for
the Tyrolean sharpshooters, the ssth
Austro- Hungarian regiment. These men
who are marching through the cold gray
morning are straight. from the trenches
The black earth is on their clothes,
hands. face The hill is steep and it is
necessary for them TO raise their faces
in order to fasten their eyes on the
altar.
The altar is simple affair. It is
only small lean-to, made of fresh
pineboards. There is a "Christmassy'
air about it, for it is decorated with pine
bows, amid which candle flicker with a
pale, ghostly effect in the daylight.
The priest is here, waiting. lie is a
short man with a beard kindly-eyed
and ruddy faced "a pilot of men who at
any moment may take the short, quick
Journey into Eternity. Big boots and
heavy overcoat under his white and
gold vestments. He remains bareheaded
and the raw wind moves the hair on his
face and head.
A soldier comes along near the brow
of the hill. stringing wire on the
ground behind him. He lay a small box
and q telephone receiver on the ground
near the altar. General Schonburg, the
brigade commander, is coming TO church
this morning and he must be in touch
with headquarters every moment.
More lines of men pass through the
valley and climb the hill. They range
themselves behind the first corners
From another part of the slope a huge
tall man, accompanied by neatly dressed
officers, appears and shakes hands with
the priest. The big man is General
Schonburg.
BY this time over a thousand men are
grouped mid-hill, hundred feet below
the altar They are givin Eat easel
and stand as much so as possible witt
80 pounds of pack ON each back and a
cold, raw wind going. The priest turns
to his lean-to, faces the rude altar anc
kneels The mass for soldiers, the living
and the dead is begun At various
iunctures, where the service requires
that the worshippers gneel and cros
themselves, the soldiers raise their hand
10 their caps in salute. Their leade
lIneels humbly on the earth and crosse
himself with heavily gloved hand
The the priest talks TO the soldiers
His text is Letters From Home" "A
calls the soldiers "Aly war companions.
He says; 81 know how much IL mean
TO all of you TO get a letter from home
II is the letter from home that encour
ages us most But / have for you al
this morning a letter from home-fron
Heaven, our last and best home. 1hi
letter tells us that when we get Their
a welcome will be awaiting such as w
have never known; such as even thos
we love back in the Tyrol mountain
could not give us. In these times O
death, we cannot tell who will be deai
and who viii be alive tomorrow. ! pra,
you all be ready and worthy for tn
welcome that Heaven will give us"
The battery nt the foot Of the hi
booms out five times, the shots coming
in quick succession. A bell tinkles Al
the priest turns to the altar.
The general steps forth to the altar
General Schonburg is eloquent in
rough fatherly. way. The Tyrolean
have their homes in the Alps. They ar
Austria Hungary's ideal soldiers; the,
are looked upon much as we in tn
United States look upon our rough rid
ers. No weak sentimentality will pleas
these elemental men and General Schon
burg doesn't give them any. He praise,
them for victories won and urged then
TO ayenge reverses suffered.
When the general concluded, decor
alton was placed about his neck. H
was thereby named a general of divis
ion instead of brigade. Then he step
ped to a bench where rested larg
collection of medals. An aide called on
the names OF some fifty soldiers VIII,
came forward to receive rewards 70
bravery. One young man with a splen
didly strong, gentle face, received a gol,
:. medal. He had run back into a ma
chine gun fire 70 save his wounded cup
= tain
The Iron Cross went to another younl
man, an artilleryman. All of the mel
az his battery of six howitzers had beer
killed. He found himself alone wit
the great guns. Over the telephon
the orders kept coming from the batter,
commandant several miles away for hi
battery TO fire, so this lon. artillerymai
loaded and fired three OF the cannol
single handed. for over an hour, step
| ping over the mangled bodies of hi
mates as he carried ammunition or lift
ed and pulled the blood soaked trigge
ropes. The little priest stood nearb
smiling beniehly. The men gave thre
"hochs' for the Emperor bell tinkle
again. while the priest bowed once MOI
at the altar The battery reared. ia
away, Russian guns beloved an answer
In the valley Below were huge patche
of newly turned earth where the Ru.
sian grenades, daily visitors. had LET
their marks.
At last, the ceremonies were conchC
ed The soldiers passed down the hill
trailed across the valley and their gra
lines crawled up the slopes of other hill
and sank from view over the summiti