The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-09
WAR ECHOES

Scientific American: The advancing lint
 ammunition may be running low. At al events. it finds itself unable to gain ground to the front. To retreat would be fatal It must remain where it is-some , of the men find natural cover, but many must provide artificial protection iron l tke enemys rifle fire. The men are
 lying down as flat as they can. To arise
 even to kneeling position, means death or a disabling wound. The necessity fol cover under these circumstances caused men to devise the lying down trench sometimes called the sxirmishers' trench IL gives cover from rifle fire to a man lying down, but is absolutely no pre- lection from shrapnel bullets. The height of the parapet should not exceed one foot. The trench itself is about 2lz feet wide and about feet iong.--It can be constructed by one man in soft ground, using the portable intrenching tools in about 20 minutes. Under fire, as outlined Tn the fore going, the man being compelled to remain in the prone position, he can mask himself from view in from 10 to 15 minutes. Tn this position, and in view of small number of portable internch-
 ing tools carried by the company, the man would be obliged to use his knife bayonet to loosen the earth and the cover of his meat can to shovel it in front of him.
 One of the methods of working sug- gested by the textbooks is to dig a trench IS inches wide as far back as the knees; roll into it and dig 12 inches wide alongside of it and down to the feet; then roll into the second cut and extend tine first one back to the feet This trench was seldom used in the Manchu- rian war. The best that can be said for it is that men can obtain slight cover under hot fire, with minimum of casualties, because it involves less dig ging, and they are partially protected from the very beginning of the work.
 Cleveland Plain Dealer: Great Britain and Portugal have a treaty which guar anteed mutual protection It has been a fine and comfortable treaty for Portu- gal. It has assured her that no one would break in over night and steal her colonies
 But probably no Portugese statesman ever dreamed that the treaty might work the other way. The idea of tiny Portu- gal protecting mighty Britain was pre- posterous The mutuality of the treaty was merely a polite form, q recognition of the theoretical equality of all sov- ereign states.
 Now it is rumored that Portugal may actually be called upon to fulfill her part of the obligation. Even so small an army as that of Portugal would be helpful to reinforce the line of the al- lies in France. At the outbreak of the war Portugal bravely stated that she was ready to send aid whenever Great Britain might demand it. The demand may come at any time.
 If Portugal were to enter the war she would be in no danger of the frightful havoc which has been wrought in Bel gium. Her territory would not become a theatre of war. But the fighting would ncne the less be a very serious matter fer her. If Germany were to win not a shred of the Portugese colonial empir- would be left to Portugal. And the strug- giing republic would probably be made to pay a crushing indemnity.
 Portugal doubtless still hopes that her protection will not be needed But her obligation is plain. It is not good form scraps of paper"
 St. Louis Republic; When James Keeley of the Chicago Herald conceived the
 idea of sending a Christmas ship loaded with toys from the children of this na- tion to the children of warning Europe he hit upon a plan to turn even tho horrors of armed conflict to account in the cause of peace and friendship. The Republic and many other newspapers throughout the country gladly took up the plan and gave it a breadth as wide as the nation. The gifts are to go from all classes of American children to all the children whose Christmas happiness is threatened by the war in Europe. The decision of the Secretary of the Navy to turn a naval vessel into a cargo ship for the transportation of the gifts empha- sizes the national character which the enterprise has assumed and gives it d recognition which it fully deserves. Tue movement is not oply national in scope but expressive of the national feeling. which is that, some way, somehow, out of this dreadful conflict, .here would come a blessing to all the peoples ar war. It is pleasant, too, to think of one Of our vessels of war setting forth to the scenes of the conflict with its hold full of dolls and picture books bearing only a message of good will when so many ships laden with death now sail the seas.