El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-01-21
MEET
AS COMRADES
German and Allied Troops
Often Stop Fighting to
Trade Food and Sing.


New York. Jan. 21.-Interesting in
deed are some OF the stories from the
front in the European war relative to
the spirit existing betW cen the fight
ing men in the trenches on opposing
sides. As the writer, Herbert Corey,
says, in his correspondence to the New
York Globe the only evidence Of ha-
safe civilian shelter. well back of the
lines" A few examples OF the fact
that men seem to be killing one an
other in perfect good nature-almost in
fellowship" are given:
Some one told the other day Of
Scotch sergeant commanding the guard
over a detachment of German prison
GERS. One prisoner had the tOothache.
Poor mamie" said the ScOtchman,
sympathetcall5-. Il ha' a bit O. wire
here Open yer mouth and III soon
ha' it DOT for you"
Thereby displaying a bit of Chris
tian charity, of a certainty. But the
same ScOtchman had half a dozen or
more nOtches on the butt of his gun
He explained that like so many Of the
better shot, he was keeping wee tab
on the Germans he had killed. Lately
his shooting had fallen off. He
thought his rifle was out of killer.
He had missed two men lately at less
than 90 yards-fair standing shots.
The Dinner Armistiee.
On one part OF Ille 1dldlS uaELlt AAllG
the German and English trenches have
been worked by traverse to within 80
yards of each other. The head that
protrudes over either embankment is
very apt to be drilled. Therefore the
men had to get along on cold snacks.
1t was Impossible for the cooks to get
near them with their buckets Of not
stew.
Lets call ftoff for the dinner hour,
the English called over the intervening
space to the Germans.
The Germans agreed heartily. No
Englishntan can get hungrier than
German. A daily armistice was agreed
to, to begin at given hour and end
az a given hour. A signal for the be-
ginning and end of the daily truce was
arranged. SO that at u and o'clock
each day the firing stopped, and the
men crawled out of the wet, nasty
trenches and sat about in the sun ana
ate and shouted military jokes across
the way TO each other. When the
hour was over they returned to their
burrows and began popping away at
one anotherS heads.
Music Suspends Fighting.
Both sides are unsteady inclined.
The Germans have the better bands
and more of them. Reports from a
score OF, places have told Of the even
ing concert, in which the Germans fur
nish the melodies and the Englishmen
a large share of the applause. This
does not happen every evening. But
some days the British find themselves
absolutely starved for music. By vari-
Gus devices they make their mood
known to the enemy.
Let's have a sing-song. what?' is
the English way of putting it.
Usually, the Germ ans agree. That
evening, after firing has stopped-for
part Of this factory efficiency with
which war is carried on nowadays pre-
scribes that rifle firing is of little
value after dusk-the German band
parades to a point between the lines
There they play until they are tired
German airs for the most part but in
variably mixing in a few Of the farvor-
ties of their hostile hosts. An especi-
ally good band is certain Of enthusiasts
tic applause. Sometimes the Germans
have only monographs and no band
The difference is one of degree only.
The canned-music hour is amicably en-
ioyed by both sides.
Germans Sing ''Tipperary."
I'VE are singing 'Tippearary' all along
the line" they told me in Berlin.
It's a catchy little air, is Upper
airy" and the simple words are easily
learned So many of the Germans
know English that weeks ago they
had picked it up from hearing the fell
lows in the other trenches sing. They
usually sing it better. too, for music is
recognized as an, aid to the warliSe
spirit in Germany The BritOn is
singularly tOneless bird, but because he
likes music he makes en- excellent au-
dience. Almost every night, after the