Evening star., 1915-11-22
|PE0HE ARE TIRED
OF WAR HORRORS
Stories of Tragedy From Front
No Longer Thrill the
British Public.
STRONG LIKING SHOWN
FOR THE COMIC PHASES
Narrative of the Incidents Gathered
Among the Men of the
Trenches.
BY HERBERT COREY.
Copyright, 1859


People are quite "fed up, on hor-
ror, as our English cousins would
say. They demand that comic relief
that is tradition of the fashioned
writers of tragedy They no longer
thrill at the stories of dying men
idraped over the entanglements of
barbed wire or the half-buried bodies
in the craters in which mines have
been exploded. These things have be-
come a commonplace of our strangely
altered life. The men who return from
the front do not bring so many tales
of CHASTITY suffering. They are more
apt to repeat the latest bon mot of the
trenches. 1t is more than apt to have
a Rabelaisian flavor.
! One of the foremost woman writers
of Great Britain was given a trip to
the British front some time ago. In the
I course of that excursion she visited a
little field hospital in which the nurses
der. 1t was the head sister who told
the story of the kindly orderly who
decorated the bedroom in which she
| was to sleep.
Il don't care for pictures on the walls
| of my ROOM" said she, when he had
shown her the room with pride mani
fest in his manner. The orderly was
hurt.
ITS quote all right. num-" said he.
Its quote all right. Them pictures is
perfectly proper. They're all pictures
of virgins"
1t seems quite natural to follow with
the more or less authentic tale of one
| of the priests who are serving with
the French army, and who are not
merely loved by that army. but are re-
spected for their soldierly qualities.
This priest was a sharpshooter who
rarely missed his German.
600 Goes There!
you kill every time, father" said an
admrer.
he frightened up. But not until I have
said a prayer for his SOUL" said he.
The Canadians have a story Of a
Yorkshire lad who came over with one
of the new English regiments not long
ago. He was good lad, this York
shireman, but undeniabiy stupid. The
first night he stood guard he hailed an
approaching officer in proper form:
| 100 goes there
| Canadian Rifles"
| There was a moment of silence. Then
the Yorkshireman repeated:
| 100 goes there?'
THE Canadian Rifles was the impa-
tient answer More silence. Then the
Yorkshireman again challenged
I 100 goes there?'
| 1
blighter," shouted the enraged Of
| fcer. There was long period of
quiet while the Canadian watched the
tYorkshireman's obviously ready rifle.
Then there was heard a moan from the
"Blowed If hain't forgotten what to
say next"
Story From Ypres.
This came over from Ypres. The tale
-fry
bar partition one night. On the other
side two young officers were talking in
that drawing. languid voice affected by
members of their caste. One of them
said, earnestly:
all my lire ! have looked forward to
| taking holy orders. In point of fact,
I was to have been ordained last
August"
The other man ordered drink. Then
| he murmured, incredulously:
What stopped you, them"
| The other man snorted:
| This - war, of course"
| A hospital story seems called for. 1t
may be added that this is a stock story
which seems to have been told Of every
hospital. The story tellers relate that
during the rush of wounded from the
| front one night some sturdy nursing
sisters of Belgium were called in to
ried in or hobbled in, in their filthy,
blood stained, verminous uniforms,
these courageous women hurried them
into the bath. Then they were equipped
with bed gowns and taken to the wards
Il to have their wounds dressed. A tall
young man wandered I'm and was rush.
ed through the routine. He seemed
astonished, but submitted. Half way
through the bath the nurse in charge
said:
But you are not wounded"
NO said he. Il am the colonePs
orderly"
Why She Couldn't Learn French.
For the truth Of this yarn I can
vouch. A young American girl Joined
the force of the American Ambulance
at Neuilly. She was genuinely de-
sirous Of helping, but she also had q
selfish purpose in mind. She wanted
to better her French. Some time later
friend met her.
How is your French coming on?" he
asked.
Not very we'll" she confessed. ''Yor
see, every man in the ward in which
work has a broken jaw.
L There's a bit of pathos in the song the
| British soldiers follow each new turr
fully appreciate it one must have seer
| one of these affairs, held in barr
which has been riddled by shell fire
perhaps, by the light of candles OF
stable lanterns. But they thoroughly
enjoy 1t. Not only is the barn full
but every crack and crevfce of the
barn wall has listening ear attached
This is the song:
Jolly good song, Jolly we'll sung.
II you can think of a better you're welcome Il
But don't forget the poor bezgar s dry.
Give the poor beggar some beer.
Serious View of War.
Somehow the British furnish tn,
, ! greater part of this humor. One rarel,
hears a funny story from the French
:. although their wit is often biting. TIL,
!. war is too serious an affair to them
One of the English stories Is OF a typi
cal London nut who was on guart
| for the first time. The colonel had jus
| given him a wfgging because OF th'
| state of his equipment. little late
the colonel passed his post. The nu
! ls1id not salute. The Indignant colone
turned and passed again. The nut ig
| nored him.
"Why in the qualified blazes don't 70,
salute?" the colonel roared.
"Ah," said the nut, SOFTLY" fawncies
you were vexed with me-"
. The letter of which Lieut.. Harolt
Gorst tells must not be forgotten. Be
duties was to act as censor for tn.
company mail. One soldier wrote:
Dear Father and Mother-It is YER,
| 1T n Axfr n ~>I