Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-12-30
CHRISTMAS EALS
FAIL TO SILENCE
DIN OF STRUGGLE
Hatreds E:ngendered By Months
of Living He'll Deaden the
Spirit of Good Will and
Peace on Earth.
NO GENERAL TRUCE TODAY
Business of Killing Goes on
UnabaJed on Scores of Bat
tlefields-What Will New
Year Bring Forth?
NO GENERAL TRUCE TODAY

London. Dec. 27.-That spirit OF good
"ili, Which one year ago today prompt
ed the soldiers of the battle SCARED
flelos OF Europe to declare a truce bv
mutual consent, this year is lacking,
ana, as = result the thunder OF guns
today is carrying a message of death
70 the millions IF men huddled in the
cheerlesa 3uGouts of the belligerent
forces.
In France. in Flanders, in the noun
talns OF Albania, Serbia and Montene-
gro, along the Greek frontier, in the
frozen stretches OF Courland n the
Baltic provinces OF Russia. stretching
down into the sEowclad hills and plains
of Galicia and Bessalabia, at the Gold
en- Horn, in far away Mesopotamia and
in southern Africa, The principal bust
ness of men on this day, which has lost
its significance of Peace on Earth"
is TO kill, II the lust of battle has not
been stified.
Hate Won't Down.
Hates, engendered by the titanic
struggle, cannot be deadened by the
peal1ns chimes in the rear of the firing
lines. Months of a living hell have
LETT the fighting men with little of the
spirit OF good will and stifled generous
sentiments toward the enemy.
What will another Christmas bring
forth? That is the query on the lips
- ~ ~ d NGll Is Ol
those gathered about the home fire
sides.
Local Truces Likely.
The spirit Of Christmas, Of course, is
not entirely lacking. Millions of pack
ages, gifts from friends and loved
ones at home, have arrived at the
trenches for distribution, but the main
business of the armies-killing-has
not been forgotten. Here and there
~, Y1n ~, r. a ~ - = I ~
front, a lull marks the fighting and it
is probable that the men may reach
some sort of understanding that will
permit them to enjoy the holiday I'M
disturbed, but II months of fighting
ave not e%ngendered the soldiers with
a brotherly love for their enemies.
Germans She'll Foes.
The Athens correspondent of the
Paris Journal telegraphs under Fri
days date that the German artillery on
the banks of Lake Dorian, in Mace
donia, about 40 miles northwest of Sa-
loniki. are bombarding the Anglo
French lines. which the allied troops
are continuing to fortify.
The fighting around Hartmanns-
W~eilerkopf, which has been the CHIEF
incident in the recent news from the
western front, has not yet reached a
decision, but reports indicate that four
days losses on both sides have been so
sever hat some Kind of a lull is al
most inevitable.
Campaign in Persia.
Events recently rave developed rap
idly in Persia, with the Russians adj
vancing on Teheran. The two chief
centers of hostility in Persia already
are in Russian hands, and the rapidity
with which the Russians are moving
indicates the lack of opposition with
which they are meeting this week.
Considerable distance still lies between
the British position at Kut-el-Amara
n the nearest Russian forces, but if
the Russians hav continued successes
a junction between them and the Brit
ish may be expected before long.