The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-04-23
~ JAMES o'ooNNELL sGNNgrT

~ JAMES o'ooNNELL BENNETT
MLAWA. Russia. March 1.-Two
of the young German officers with
whom I am quartered I'm this dreary
Russian town were bending I'VE a
table In the lamplight last evening
and closely examining an object which
commanded their enthusiastic com
ments.
See how light II is." said one. ~snd
80 small that Il al be slipped into
any pocket It's really wonderful A
man could carry IL anywhere"
Yes. and strong TOO" said the 9TH
er. and has both parts It's fine.
Was IL expensive."
"Not-not when you consider what
you get"
The first speaker gave the small.
smooth object a pat and slipped IL In
his pocket.
Was Il n new automatic pistol. or n
novelty In pocket lamps. or n COM
pass that tho young German officers
were examining 80 eagerly?
IL was not.
II was = thin paper edition OF
"Faust" tboth parts In n volume),
bound In limp leather and printed In
clear type.
Their enthusiasm ober II is referred
to Sir Arthur Doyle. who also loves
books.
Il have William Meister' In the
same FORM" said the owner of the
copy OF Faust" adding: These edi-
lions are a boon to soldiers. A man
can take them right into the
trenches"
This lieutenant knows a great many
things beside standard German liter
AZURE. He can tell you just how to
adjust straps so as to distribute the
weight OF the ruck-sack equally and
what kind Of leggings are the best and
how to carry your pocket lamp so
that the snap will not move when the
lamp IL in the pocket.
This Is an important warning and II
you don't heed II you are likely to be
carrying a lighted lamp a quarter OF a
day and to discover that there is no
current left when night comes.
There is a clever a too. at the
Mlawa military telephone exchange
which connects with trenches. oattaI-
ions. regiments. brigades. n dtvis-
ions all along the firing line. n with
Berlin. His hours OF duty are ten a
day-and al many more as emergen-
cies may demand.
have never listened to an operator
al once more expeditions and more
composed. and even when his voice
is husky with WEAKNESS he keeps his
temper. Come TO find out, this sol
dier-operator is in civil life a rich
merchant in Hamburg.
One OF my hosts at my Mlawa quart
ers Is young DR.. julius Meier-Graefe.
art critic In Berlin in civil life. at
present lieutenant In the ambulance
corps. he loves Paris and does not
relish making war against the French,
and often gets orders at 10 o'clock at
night which keep him out on tna
roads TIL dawn searching for parties
OF wounded who are reported TO have
lost their way. or. perhaps. TO have
been captured by the Russians.
Anyway. they have not some in al
the hour they were expected. and II
Is the doctor of philosophy and critics
business TO ind out why.
A chrome OF the car that hangs IN
a room. now converted into a store
room. OF n OF the corrluors OF TINS
big white government building mas
been d~efaced-half the fact torn away
and the strip lying on the floor. This
Is the only evidence OF a wanton &C,
have seen in all my days with the
German troops.
as 10 the rest. the discipline OF mil
itary life appears TO be strictly main
tanned. One falls asleep to the ceaseIess
tramp Of sentries In the dark street