The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-10-16
WORST OF HORRORS
Visit to War Hospitals Described
by Writer.
Procession of the Blind Soldiers
Leaves an impression of the Aw-
full H~ideousness of War That
Can Never Be Effaced.
BY GRACE ELLISON.

Northern France.-A little town
nesting in a wealth of trees-in peace
time it is almost unheard of. now it
is an important military station-this
is my next hating place. Every house
is occupied by soldiers, every building
of Importance is turned into a hos
pital.
So near the front there are cases
which need all the science of the
trained nurse to pull them through.
Men ~unnerved almost to madness, men
who mistake all the male staff for the
enemy-one has only to listen to the
rawlings of these poor men to know
something of the strain Of wal on
them.
l was taken to the eye ward to see
the operations there. OF all the hor-
rors of war, is not this the worst? l
have seen jaws smashed beyond rec
ognition-human beings who had for
gotten their very names-men who
can live to a ripe old age and never
have anything in common with the
great life going on around them; but
the procession of blind men. or men
who might be blind, has left an i'm
preston of the ~hideousness of war
that can never be effaced.
Here is a brilliant young lieutenant.
His father was only a concierge, but
he worked and saved to give his son
his chance. The son has gone through
with flying colors-now he is blind.
He was lying in the officers ward
when l saw him-the ward was dark
ened, for there were others suffering,
too. He had in his hand a portrait of
the little girl he had never seen.
"Only take off the bandage an instant,
that l may look at my little girl" he
pleaded. 81 dare not" answered the
doctor. Who will have the ourage
to tell him the truth?
A poor man has come that day from
the trenches-the blood is still on his
face-his eyes are bandaged. An old
man leads him in, and the nurse pre-
pares him for the examination. One
sees the answer on the doctors face
blind. ~blind-one after another. One
dare not think-the horror of it all
seems to numb ones very soul.
We have started early, for we have
so far to go and we are stopped; it
is another examination of our papers.
But who is speaking? Voices seem
to be beside me in the car! What
is this mystery? | listen carefully.
when suddenly two officers pop up
from underground and disappear. The
horrid, uncanny idea trench war is!
1t does not somehow seem fair and
square.
We have to pass along the road
which the French soldiers have chris
tened the Jaws of Death" A young
man on the way tells us the Germans
pepper everyone who goes up that
road-perhaps we shall be the excep-
tion. Up the narrow, stony passage
we pillow u way-if by any chance
the car stops We are finished-yet if
we go. too quickly we shall make a
cloud of dust. AS it is we are part
and parcel of the dusty landscape.
keep my eyes on the enemy's lines.
And on we go till we have turned the
corner and are safe again for a while.
On and on we go-more and more
distinctly is the firing heard. Where
are we? We are on a height, and sud
denly we discover an artillery duel Is
taking place in the trenches near by
the trenches are ablaze, shells are
bursting on all sides. They are going
IN homhard tha hill Tho tocc;n hoo
already sounded. and all the inhabi.
tants are in the cellars. A group OF
three women rush out from a neigh.
boring house, One is biting her shawl,
another is sobbing bitterly. and yet
another cries in anguish, Year in.
year out, how long must this suffer
ing last?"
We are ordered into the cellars. A