The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23
INTERESTING SIDELIGEITS ON WAR SEEN BY "SN" CORRESPONDEN


~ 1~ V'S -
illuminating the country for miles
around with a brillience in which every
blade Of grass can be seen. When this
occurs the p~atrouilleup fop into any
shelter taseT 0n hnd o., lying among
the dead. escape detection as best they
may.
Tho progress of q patrol u neces-
sarily slow and mud OF tho time Is
spent nat on tho ground. A. ones
position Is often enough right next to a
body curiosity may overcome his scru-
pies, and so he can bring back SOU
venirs that will the next day be tho ad-
miration OF his comrades-enAiny's
rifles and other insignia. A note fous
pilferer among us brought In five pairs
of new shoes that he had found
strapped to a German sack tho other
night.
The most interesting finds Of the kind
that l have seen were Some letters
that a man brought In a few nights
ago from a German body up on the hill.
They we're postcards. dated the last
" August and the first OF September
last. I wish / had taken them down
textually 70 that you could share some
OF the emotion that was mine. contrast
Ing with the poor shell of humanity
up there In the grass these so living
tokens Of the ties that once bound him
to earth. 1t was Austin Dobson's AT
ter Sedan" exactly. The cards, that
were wonderfully preserved. were ad-
dressed TO a certain "Muskasier Mater.
bel Strasburg. tho 186th Regiment OF
Bavarian Infantry" II I remember COR
rectly. They were headed "Mein
Lieber Bruder.'' 'Lleber Sohn"-ample
little family messaGes, rejecting a
fathers pride. n sisters love, a mothers
fears Far away in some German vii
lage they have long since found his
name in tho lists of missing. But soon
we will 20 ou In the night and bury
these bodies nearest our lines as q
sanitary measure. and tho name OF
his death or the place OF his namele9
grave they will never know.
Patrol work 10 the only way OF win
ming laurels in the absence Of actual
fighting. and the little parties that 60
out have no end OF adventures that
make the conversation Of tho camp for
days to come. Seven weeks ago two
Polish deserters came into the lines
and ave us valuable information. That
night the patrol n went out left
the prisoners menu card for that day
stuck on the barbed wire in front OF
u German post. A few days ago another
patrol passing the same spot found q
ba sket In which the Germans had placed
two bottles OF Munich beer. a box of
cigarettes. some chocolate, sandwiches
and other samples OF their diet, which.
II must be said in Justice 60 them. wss
not bad. On top were three letters
addressed TO US, Dear Comrades," and
couohed in excellent French.
The tone Of these was most poittA
They said that they had been therS
all tho winter in front OF US and feit
We were quite old friends nov. though
they had never seen any OF US except
a. the end Of hulla: nlgks They
said that they had seen in our press
reports 10 the effect tina, they were
suffering from hunger and 70 enclosed
this specimen OF their daily fare 10
stow what they were really enjoying.
Germans Seek Peace.
h resi- OF me letters expressed much
the same sentiments as those which are
frequently shot into other parts OF the
French lines with bow and arrow
namely. that II we wanted peace all We
had 20 DO was to como out and sign
that England was their real enemy
why should France 20 OF fighting ant
suffering terrible losses TO pull Eng
lands chestnuts out OF tho nre' They
hoped hat peace would 500 be signed
and tina: a friendship and alliance would
follow between France and Germany
which would leave their hands free tc
deal with England. who for her selfish
ness and greed was really the common
enemy OF all mankind. They had three
mobile posts UP there n th~ woods. they
approached (which I don't oei'evs). bur
AID no, are. only s!mailed I o each o,he,
and waited.
Firing ~ . matter of fact " 0ecom-
ing rarer and rarer along the Line now
In comparison to wtat Il wNs in The
winter. whom Mauser and I.ebel sput.
tered az each other all through the night
! a nc doubt II We were TO remain
here much longer under tho am uondi.
lions that there would be a kind OF taci'
understanding not TO fire At outpoets
neutral sones and su~rrepttious com
meroe botween the %senttnels. az / havv
heard from veterans was the case IN the
latter years Of our civil war. For the
evolution Of hostility 10 naturally toward
ch!vairy. not toward unmitisated
feroc!ty.
The hymns ef haas. the rsnoor and
vindictivenass are tho expressions OF non
combatants whose venom has time e
accrue In the quiet OF studies far from
tho noise Of b cannon To h actuA'
comoatant the sense OF the grandeur
OF his calling is too strong upon him &c
let Euch isnob!e trivfslities intrudA
without striking any the lsu stronG9y
when tho time ore ne 10 yet ready
enough &c pay tribute 20 his enemy
where tribute b deserved. and Siab
enough 10 be abfs to Ay Of him ~ ths
old Spanish romanoes said Of hs CONN
,ry's dsadiiest foe:
"Caballeros GrAnadinoa,
Aun1ue moros, hi1os d aigo."