Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-28
CHILDREN OF WAR ZONE
PSYCHOLOGICAL RIDDLE
They Play Where Shell Might Break
mt Any Time. Utterly ObIivious to
Soldiers ind scenes About Them.

They Play Where Shell Might Break
mt Any Time. Utterly ObIivious to
Soldiers and scenes About Them.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
FRANCE. January 27.-To those who
have lived among them. the children
Of the war zone in France will ever
remain Il psychological riddle. 1t is
startling to the newcomer at the war
to ind them here at all. 1t is posi-.
lively uncanny To sec them at play
where Il she'll might break almost any
moment, utterly oblivious OF the SOL
diers and scenes about them, and with
senses so attuned to the ordinary nerve
racking noises that only Il prolonged
lull in the ccaselcss roar Of guns
would cause them the least concern
They cling with their elders to the
remnants of their hcll-shuttered
homes in the bombarded towns and viii
lagos. where even yet the German guns
send their shells. Some have been
born within sound OF the cannon. and
others have come into their first sense
of being III the midst Of battle The
strange phenomenon Of life to them will
be the unwonted stiffness of peace.
a striking picture il is to see q little
French girl, Ave or six years old, with
II plated ''pigtail" down her back,
tripping barcheaded along road
wherever soldier men venture only un-
der the protection of their blE steel
hats. Such a little girl sat and softly
sang and knitted in front Of her home
near an old Flemish mill one bright
and warm December noon, while Il score
of aeroplanes whirled and fought over
head. and the high blue sky was filled
with the neecy cotton balls that como
from bursting shrapncl shells. She
could see the scared and SCARED lines
on the distant hills which were the
enemy trenches, and. still further back.
the occasional white-hot flashes OF ell
envy guns.
No stranger school can be found in
all the world than that at Arras.
Arras itself is a strange and ghostly
city. Some Of the houses arc just AS
their owners left them during the first
bombardmcnt in October two years
ago. Others have been pulverizcd
along with the cathedral, the City Hall
and the railway station-three favorite
targets OF the German gunners. The
enemy lines skirt the eastern edge Of
the city. and daily from these mes
sengers Of death are sent shricklng
into Arras-bursting in fury from the
sky.
In the midst OF all this mal!gnity Of
war some twoscore children or more
go to school. Their classroom Is i'm
the cellar OF a house so well demol-
tshcd that few additional shells
would scarcely change the character
of the mass Of debris that serves as a
protective roof. 1t would take ter
rife hon'bardment TO interrupt them
at their lessons. The mufied sound OF
shells crashing In the distance has be
come far too commonplace to attract
attention.
All Arras lives underground. There
are quiet periods of the day when the
women, children and old men venture
abroad for friendly call at a neigh
boring cellar or for the sake OF a
stroll and a breath of fresh air. OPP
portunity after opportunity has been
given them to leave. but they prefer
to remain with what Is, or was their
very own. Three persons were killed
Just outside the school one day but
the children I'm the cellar knew moth
ing OF the tragedy. When school is
out each afternoon tho children are
told 10 hurry home as fast as they can
go. aud there Ia q. great pattering Of
little wood n-solcd shoes down the
melancholy streets.
There arc scores "f other towns
within the fire zone, but not quite so
close to the war as Arras. where chill
dren live by hundreds. IT is no in
frequent thing to hear mothers calling
their children in from = desuitory bonn
bardment just as they would from
shower OF rain.
Several months ago enemy airpiancs
dropped bombs in Il village 81 or seven
miles behind tho firing line. II war
Sunday afternoon, and tho streets were
thronged. Outside soldiers moving
picture theatre line OF children was
waiting for the doors to open one OF
the bombs fell near where they stood.
They scattered like so many mice. but
within ii minute or two all were scram-
bling back TO their places in the queue
as il nothing at all had happened
English Tommics love children. and
when bllletcd in village can always
be seen playing with the tots. buying
them all sorts OF candies and sweet
meats, and even wheeling thcin gaily
along in perambulators. while fond
mothers look on,