The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-03-17
WAR HORROR
death Stalks Everywhere"
Writes Bernhard KeIIermann.
Men Only Parts In Great Machine
All the Time Their Thoughts Are
Of Home, but They DO Not
Shrink Duty.

Berlin, Bernhard kellermann, well
know German novelist and CORE,
spondent OF the BerlinaT Tagehlatt,
who became seriously Ill while In the
trenches tn France in December, now
has recovered and is back on the
western front, His first contribution
since his illness 10 graphic word
picture of war conditions now exist.
ing On the western front:
Along the whole front of hundreds
of kilometers extending from the
North sea to Switzerland the faithful
are in their trenches" he writes.
They are there day and night and at
this very moment
up in Flanders the water reaches
to the knees The pumps are working,
but the water does not subside Des-
pite concrete, beams and sandbags
the trenches daily collapse and the
sandbags have TO be replaced again
and again with much labor If they
leave the trenches the soldiers have
to wade In water. In the Champagne
region the m Id is ankle deep, also in
the Argonne. Here, too, the pumps
are working to free the country OF
the water
In mud and water. behind the sand
bags, the soldier stands with his gun
in the narrow labyrinth of trenches
Thousands Of men are doing this. from
the coast where the wintry sea rolls
on the beach to Switzerland, where
the Alps rise to the sky. Day and
night they stand. few feet apart, AID
de. and night the machine guns spout
and end out their deadly fire. In
damp Enclosures are the reserves,
ready at a moments notice to spring
to their guns and charge if need be.
The water keeps trickling from the
walls of the trenches. There is deep
silence among the men; they are
thinking of home. As long as they
stand at their guns, in muddy uni
forms and boots, they do not think, |
but as soon as a few hours rest
comes then they think of home and |
family.
iAttltlaAlAo VI bhl ol allNAlDt ain wa
ter, blrbed wire and bodies that have |
lain out there for weeks. and over
there the enemys trenches. that is |
all the men see That is their entire |
world 1t Is always the same-a mo-
notOEy 10 drive men mad Thousands |
Of fine, healthy men who could be do
Ing good work are thrs engaged.
Death is doing a fine business here.
The rats, too from wrecked French
villages near by, are adding tC the
troubles of the men n the trenches
Added to this is the horrifying shrieks
and cry of the ravens The war is
mercy
And here death stalks everywhere.
The life bullets the shells and the
hand grenades-all do their deadly
work. Officers and men all feel the
land of death upon them. Even in
lie tired soldier" seek a rest, in the
j, oods, In -he air or under the earth,
is death. There is no safe
)lace here.
This girdle of death extends
hrorgh France, Belgium and Alsace.
md there are particular sTcts where
lell breaks loose Now t Is at Ypres,
hen at Souchez and Flmy, then in the
Champagne region or the Argonne
often for days there is lombard
rent when thousands Of shells come
N shing into our lines with the regu-
ar movements Of a sledgehammer
t is then he .yCnches are
mashed to dust. We are driven from
ur trenches, but the reserves are or
erred forward; they charge in the
eadly fire, and the trenches are again
urs.
This is not a war of man against
lan The telephone, the automobile,
he railway, the big guns-all have
hanged the method of warfare. 1t
3 now a war of science and chem
itry of brains against brsins. The
older of today is skilled mechanic
Tho simply ads in operating the gi-
antic machine of modern warfare.
"A trench is captured, lost and won
ain. That is all that happens here,
nd the siege continues.
THE roaring of the shells is con
.ant Even when lying on his bed
f straw the soldier hears them, and
len the picture of his home, his wife
nc family quickly fade away.
THE siege continues, and the sol
ier is at his post, keen, alert, faith
l. and true"