The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-26

Cologne, January 25.--(Correspondence of the Associated Press.)-"Yes. I wept. as so many others have done-wept with out being ashamed of my tears, or regret ting now that I did weep" says an off cer with the German army in Poland, in discussing the psychological side of men sn action. He points out that this as a rule is not an outbreak of 'maudlin sen timerNality,' but just a sort of physical and psychological reaction following the tremendous strain upon body and mind In a battle.
 "The heavy Russian batteries had been pieces had been silenced by our fire We had been able, moreover, to send strong forces against their entrenched positions, and as these advanced we took the Rus sian trenches under a terrific fire with our heavy batteries. There is no infan- try that will withstand this shock Here and there the Russians left their trenches, merely to be cut down by our machine guns, or to be decimated by our shrapnel
 And as this day ended and the firing began to weaken I wept. Why, I don't know. I lay in the straw and wept Not because We had gained a victory-those were not tears of joy. There was no oc- caston for tears of sorrow. It was over quickly.
 Tt is said sometimes that this is the beginning of the end. But that, thank God, was not the case. I had not slept in two nights
 After l had made all necessary ar engagements I left the battlefield and rode past smoldering houses and villages to- ward my quarters, where, without taking off my belt, greatcoat or even the helmet, 1 threw myself upon the straw. I slept from in the evening until midnight like one dead. When they finally naged to bring me to my senses, I was absolutely unable to believe that several heavy shells had dropped around the place shell tering us.
 Gave Him Champagne
 "A cup of champagne given me by a comrade helped me to bring my wits to- gether. After that I sat down beside the others at the large farm table covered with maps and an over-active telephone iustfuiileHl, ana le1l Qulle IfeSn.
 'I began to think of my weeping spell Was 1t case of nervous breakdown, or one of unsoldierly sentimentalism I be- lieved in the one as little as in the other had been a witness to tears before. Those who wept them seemed to be as far removed from unstrung nerves as they were from silly sentiments.
 'The experiences of war bring the entire nervous system and it's physiological and mental subsidiary functions into sympa- thetic relations. When one suffers the other suffers. The tension of the mind caused by continuous readiness to act and | the sense of responsibility, the hardships undergone by the body-the lack of sleep and rest, and last but not least, the pas sions of the battle, the noise and din, the l cruelty of War, and who would dare gain ] say this. the constant recurrence of the l fear of death and the worry over the | loved ones at home--all these are forces | so terrible that in the end they will shake | even the will of the man or steel to it's | very foundations. t
 "The causes of tears On the battlefield 1 are not connected with traits we possess 1 in times of peace. Nor has the personal | quality of the man much to do with them | believe that the tears shed by men on l the battle field are the typical expression | of a mute tragedy of the soul.