Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-02-21
GRAND OPERAS ON
FIELD OF BATTLE
Experience of News
paper Man in the
Trenches.
German Soldiers Seem to.
Prefer the Sad
Music.

WITH ONE OF THE GERMAN
ARMIES, IN A HAMLET OR NORTH
ERN FRANCE, Jan. 2O-(By Courier
to Berlin) Observation made by
others that the German soldier at the
front shows a preference for sad songs
was found to be well borne-out during
the experience of night spent by the
| Associated Press correspondent on the
battlefield here one o fthe most un-
expected features OF the nights en-
tertainment was hearing grand opera
sung over telephone in the midst of
a battle.
In a bomb-proof dugout not far
from the brigade headquarters In the
! little Belgian town Of Il, where
| Colonel M-- was introducing the
newspaper men to the comforts of life
underground, n reglmental adjutant
suddenly stepped to one Of the tleld
telephones and announced that all was
ready for the "COncCrt' The visitors
then heard the opening notes of Sc
lection from "The Walkure.' The
dugout was only 400 yards from the
foremost trenches Bullets and shells
were flying overhead, with the can
non adding their diapason to the mu-
sic OF Wagner. Tristan and Isolde
and an old German folk song with in
tricate variations were other numbers
on the program.
"Who is it," Col. M was asked,
General Won c., the brigade
commander" he answered. And
now, If you like, my lads will give you
a concert
Improviscd Orchestra.
Led q short distance away. to the
cellar OF a ruined farmhouse, the party
found half a dozen fresh faced youths
who boasted an improvised orchestra.
One played a mouth-organ. Another
had mounted half a bicycle bell upon
the brass cellar Of a she'll giving him
two clear notes. A third played an
instrument made from an old soap
box and strung with four wires tuned
to the mouth organs key OF G. A
snare drummer, an artist in his line,
and the leader, completed the orches-
ira The leader who wore a disreput- |
able derby above his field gray uni |
form, belonged to a highly individual
school of conducting. He would rap
on the table, elevate his baton-cut !
from a board-and command: "One, |
two, three, CO." After playing a num- |
Der Of pieces, the soldiers sang.
OF the soldier who is to die at sun
rise; les geht bel gedaempfter from
mel Klang''-The song Of the soldier |
condemned to be shot; 80 Strassburg |
O StrasSburg"-the song OF the re- |
lentless captain, who would not release |
the boy to his parents because there |
must be soldiers at Strassburg" They |
sang of home and parents, OF the |
parting for the war, Of the lads who !
will never return. The colonel Joined |
with his lads" In singing some of the |
songs. Then he sat motionless in a |
corner Of the little room, looking down |
at his folded hands, his thoughts |
somewhere away in the Bavarian |
homeland. The light Of the smoky |
petroleum lamp fell upon the old sol
dier's kindly face, and betrayed un-
soldlerly tears in his eyes. This was
the man who only few hours earlier
had told the correspondents that the
war had brutalized him!
There Is no doubt about It, war
Is brutalizing," he had said. when
the first officer of my regiment fell
there was no priest here and had to
read the burial service. l couldn't
finish 1t. l broke down and wept like
a child. But now can read 1t clear
In common with all the officers at
the front Colonel M--'s precon-
ceptlons Of war had been upset by the
reality.
"I never dreamed OF such trench
warfare" he said. II always OK
pected that we should meet the enemy
on the open field, as we did in 20 and
II. None Of us. l think, had antici-
pated this weary lying in the
trenches"