The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23
ny ALAN


TnE srs's Special Correspondent WIN me
American Legion N Fru~ce.
on THE AfsNE, April 81 have de-
layed writing IN tho hope that some
thing would happen here aHciting
enough to make really interesting read
ing. Tho 1,orion Times brings vivid
accounts OF the nghting az Neuve Cha
pelle and the copies OF the Noti~ and
Journal have personal narratives OF the
men who saw action In the woevre and
In Champagne. Besides these. full OF
the real flavor OF battle. what Is there
for one to say who belongs 10 those
units that have only been waiting In
active. preparing for the great events
that advancing spring ought 20 be bring
ing nearer and nearer
Yet on the other hand these units
form really the great majority OF the
forces now on the front. AZ the scanti-
ness OF the official communicates readily
shows. and a description OF our life
during his interlude may W. the
interest al least OF being typical OF
that OF most OF our several million
other French and English comrades.
My Servian friend was telling me last
lll6lla INV ~ CIV INV ~ ms 'AiAkt =
history there WAS n class OF soldiers
who remained continually. mob,l,zed OF
the frontier. always on a war foot
ing ready to defend their land. These
were the G~ranlchari, around whom p
lar Imagination has woven a whole cycle
OF poetry and romance. BY means OF
signal fires they gave warning OF the
Turks approach. AZ we stood on guard
back In the reserve trenches. alert for
the fuslllade that would mean tho cali
ing TO arms OF our company. Il seemed
10 me that much the same thing vac
.he case In France to-day. Only. where
as In Old Servia these defenders were a
picked corps OF men. hero Il Is practi-
cally the entire able bodied male popu-
latlon VINO mako a living wall across
the country that they are there TO pro.
t-ct or perish for.
Lf- on Fixed schedule.
IN this line our situation Is about as
agreeable as Is consistent with a sta'e
o. war, which indeed. we are often able
almost to forget. Our earlier discom-
forts were largely due TO ignorance ard
an inevitable inability TO adapt our
selves to the conditions OF "A kind OF
warfare tina. even TO the old soldiers
among US was y HoNcitSs StA ~
have laugh. US all many things; our
life 10 now arranged with methodical
regularity and proceeds along a nxed
schedule.
BY a system Of reiiefs by alternating
battalions the disposition Of time Is
as follows: Six days In tho frst line
trenches. six days repose IN our village
Headquarters ten kilometers back then
six days reserve in the woods six days
again IN tho village. and so the routine
recommends. Thus we rave three dis
t,nct kinds OF existence. will give you
a description OF each one of these,
OF the three periods. every one Of US
would agree. hat at tho outposts Is
BY far tho p~lsasantest. For n thing
we are fairly free from bombardment.
being at . difficult angle under the
enemys crest. And even moro impor-
tant. we are entirely free from work.
The soldier docs not object to danger.
which Il Is his business TO face, but he
does decidedly object to tho lard labor
incident TO trench warfare. which he
feels IL really not his AFFAIR at all. but
that OF tho engineer corps. whose num-
Der. however. 10 quito inadequate 20 tho
immensely Of the task. The p~leasantest OF
our life hero 10 duo also TO tho fact that
our company's sector 10 not open coun-
try, but the ruined village that i de-
scribed TO you In my last letter. where
we are able TO provide ourselves with
comforts which our comrades In the
trenches must do without.
At c - nowadays we are housed
In a little building that was once the
stable or garage OF tho petit chateau"
During the night every one mounts guard
In the trenches up tho hillside In day.
time the sentinel furnished by a single