El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-06-08
BRITISH WIN
FRENCH BRIDES
Tommy Atkins Finds the
French Girls Just the Kind
He Wishes for Wife.

British Headquarters. France. June
I S-Oue Of the results OF the presence
Of the British army in France is that
a good many British soldiers viii take
/ French wives home with them. The
/ difference in language, FAR from being
bar. is an accessory. Mr.. Atkins
/ teaches Miss France English and Miss
France teaches Mr.. Atkins French.
There is plenty OF leisure for the
ccurtship to develop. Frequently Brit
ish batatlions remain IT. the same sec
tion for months on end.
" hen the men have done their shift
IN the trenches they return in rest
as the saying goes, 10 the same village
where they were before. Usually they
have quarters in French houses In
sense they become members Of the
Help the Women Folk.
With the French men folk away, Mr..
AtklnS lends hand with any work
that REQUIRES mans strength Only
today the correspondents saw a Brit
lsh soldier driving a harrow.
\ feminine hand does some sewing
or cooking for him in return. The
romantic atmosphere is not lacking.
" hen the Briton SAYS -au reVOir to
his sweetheart and starts for the
trenches he may never come back and
he is going TO fight for France
On sunday afternoon the girls are
out in their best frocks. as they are
everywhere else in the world. and
walking with them along the roads
and lanes are men in khaki Their
conversation is mixture Of French
and English
II is not romance alone that leads
the Briton TO marry in France He
has learned TO admire the thrift and
cleverness Of the French woman and
her industry in taking the place OF
her fathers and brothers who are at
the front
~ObjectOrsr n Queer Army Unit.
Unique among all the variegated
units of the armies on the continent
is the British non combatant corps. or /
otherwise the conscientious objec-
tors, who do not want TO fight and
are not expected TO fight. Not fear
but conscience, IS their reason for be- !
ing excused
Before the war in England. where
individual rights are so strongly rec |
ognized the Quaker was not required
to bear arms because il was against |
his religious scruples.
When cOmpulsion was applied an 1
other arose They said that they had /
conscientious scruples against the TAX
ing of life II they would not fight
then they must work. the government 4
decided
Use Spades Instead Of Rifles.
Where a man who enters the army 4
under normal conditions must drill for :
many months before he is sent TO the 1
front the conscientious Obiector is /
given few days drill. put in Khaki /
and sent 20 France at once. There l
he yields the spade instead of the !
rifle
There are the Collectors doing their |
bit" said their commander. an officer |
with o strip Of colors on his breast !
who had been in several campaigns j
and so badly wounded in this war
that he was hardly fit for active ser
vice. They get the same paw as the /
man in the trenches and the same "a
which is given TO the labOrers' corps"
Ar the time they were engaged IN
railway work Practically without eE-
eeptiOn they are men unused to manual
labor. but though il was pretty hard |
at first they said that they would be I
A. Of Cambridge university.
None had any cOmpllnts 10 make. |
The ma Ority were clerks and those /
who were not were usually shopkeep-
ers- Many were members Of the Ply
mouth Brethren. sect which holds
much the same views as the Quakers. |
These said that IL was against their
creed to fight and they would not {
break their creed
They spoke quite frankly about the !
charge Of cOWardice which is made I
Rginsr them and seemed TO realize !
thar they were the auatherna and laugh
ing stock OF The millions of their fell
low countrymen who are offering I
their lives for Britain
4 do not want 10 kill anybody. 1
do not believe in war one said. As
on exponent Of passive resistance he |
no powers could make him fight. If
we are sent up TO work under shell l
fire I think that you viii find that
most Of us viii not finch he added.