Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06

nowhere. entialdes no position, threat.
ems no one 1t is like an ill-mannered
effective
The physical aspect of St Mihiel is a
broad sweep of meadow land cut in
half by the Meuse flooding her banks
and the houses of the Ferme Mont
Meuse. On each side of the salient are
the French. Across the battle-ground
or st Mihiel could see their trenches
racing those in which we stood. For.
at st. Mihiel. instead of having the linz
of the enemy only in front. the Ger
man has it facing him and on both
/, tanks.
Speaking not as a military strateRist,
out merely as partisan, il any Ger
man commander wants that kind of a
position. l would certainly make him Q
present of il.
The colonel who commanded the
trenches possessed an enthusiasm that
was beautiful to see. He was as proud
OF his chalk quarry as an admiral OF
his first dreadnaught. He was as iso-
lated as though cast upon a rock in
midocean. Behind him was the drip
ping forest: in front. the, mud valley
in the chalk floor the shells had gouged
out holes Is deep as rain barrels 9th
er shells were liable at any moment
to gouge out more holes. Three days
before. when Prince Arthur of Con-
naught had come. to tea, a shell hit
outside the coloneIs private cave and
smashed all the t,acups. 1t is ex-
treme1y annoying when English royalty
drops in socially to distribute medals
and sip a cup of tea, to have German
shells invite themselves to the party.
1t is way German shells have. They
push in everywhere. One invited itself
TO my party and got within ten feet Of
it. When ! complained. the colonel
suggested abssntly it proba bly, was
not/a German shell, but a French mine
that had gone off prematurely. He
seemed to think being hit by French
mine rather than by a German shell
made all the difference in the world. 1t
nearly did.
Care of the Men.
At the moment the colonel was great
ly interested in tie fact that one Of his
men was not carrying mask against
gases. The colonel argued that the life
of the man belonged to France. and
that through laziness or indifference
he had no right to risk losing it. Until
this war the colonel had commanded in
Africa the regiment into which Grim
inals are drafted as a punishment. To
keep them in hand requires both imag-
ination and the direct methods of
buckle mate on a wha,er. When the
colonel was promoted to his present
command he found the men did not
place much confidence in the gas
masks. so he filled a shelter with pol
soned air, equipped a squad with pro-
tectors and ordered them to enter
They went without enthusiasm, but
when they found they could move
about with impunity the confidence or
tire entire command was gained.
The colonel was very vigilant against
these gas attacks. He had equipped
.I,a hoN
solely to the preparation of defenses
against them. We learned several new
facts concerning this hideous form OF
warfare. One was that the Germans
now launch the gas most frequently at
night when the men cannot see 1t APP
proach. and, in consequence. before
they can snap the masks into place.
they are suffocated and. in great agony.
the gas. but chiefly by bitter expert
ence. Two hours after one of the at
tacks an officer seeking his field glasses
descended into his shelter. The gas
that had flooded the trenches and then
fioated away still lurked in the abri
and in a moment the officer was dead.
The warning was instantly flashed
along the trenches from the North sea
to Switzerland. and now after a gas
raid the underground shelters are at
tackled b. counter irritants and the
poison driven from ambush.
! have never seen better discipline
y
better spirit. There was not a single
outside element to aid discipline or
10 inspire morale. 1t had all to come
from within. 1t had all to spring from
he men themselves and from the exam
pie set by their officers. The enemy
fought against them. the elements
ought against them. the place itself
was cheerful crutch. The clay
climbed from their feet to their thighs.
was ground into their uniforms, chung
% their hands and hair. The rain chilled
hem. the wind, cold, damp and harsh.
through their great coats.
Their outlook was upon graves. their
'esting places dark caverns. at which
even wolf would look with suspicion.
And yet they were all smiling, eager,
llert. In the whole command we saw
lot one sullen or Yistful face.
1t is an old SAYING: so the colonel,
20 the regiment
But the splendid spirit l saw on the
heights of the Meuse is true not only
If that colonel and of that regiment
,ut of the whole 500 miles of trenches.
ind of all France.
Copyright. 1916. by Richard Harding Davis)