Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1917-04-05
WHAT S HARLr5T
THING IN WAR =?
Sudden Responsibility Says
Young TeutOn Officer
He MAKES LIGHT OF FEAR

Easily Got Rid of-Sudden Call to
Command After Superiors Have Fall
en-That's the Great Test In This
War, He Says.
German newspapers are publishing
conspicuously long excerpts from a
book by Karl Larsen. the Danish
writer, who. like Sven Hedin and
Bjoern Bjoernson, two other lead
ing Scandinavian authors. spent many
weeks at the German front.
One Of the most striking passages of
Larsen's book is his account Of a con-
versation with a young German infan-
try officer.
The Dane asked the officer: What
is the hardest thing in war? Is it
fear?"
"Fear?" replied the officer. Fear
passes like seasickness-that is. for
those who ever feel either"
"Is it fatigue?"
The officer shook his head. Fatigue
and hardsAips settle in your limbs like
vermin in clothes. Dry air, a bath. a
little rest and you get rid of both"
well, then. what is the hardest
thing in WARP"
Sudden Responsibility.
1.-THE hardest thing as you put it,
is this: Somewhere you. a lieutenant,
and your detachment are in the heat
| of battle under the most terrific drum
fire and suddenly comes the message,
The captain has fallen And a little
later comes another message: The first
lieutenant has fallen And now you
have to take command Of the COM
pany and give orders and instructions
in the midst of the continued drum
fire and in the face Of a forthcoming
storming attack. That is the hardest
Of all things in war"
The officer took a letter from his
pocket and said: Its the last letter
from a comrade of mine who fell a'few
days ago. Read it,"
The Danish author read:
There is no chance for a furlough
for me for the present; our situation on
the front is too uncertain to make fur
loughs possible. If the god Of battle
lets me keep my health until Septem-
Der | may perhaps figure on three
weeks at home. Do not YOU. my
friend, believe with Ine that this is the
best and most beautiful solution in my
case-to be able to remain with the
rest of us in this titanic struggle?
This is as far as 1 could get yester-
day. | am certain, by the way, that
the heaviest possible fighting is at
hand. Many Of those who came back
from furlough brought sad stories
with them to the trenches, but many
others had some very inspiring things
to tell.
Sure of Confidence.
We here at the front are ready to
stick to the last. and the battles now
heralded by the enemy's fire will find
most Of us in the same joyous conf
dence with which we went to the front
on the first day. This / can say as
Il who is certainly familiar with the
spirit of the men, because | have
grown up with these men. and am
n Of them. and this in spite Of the
frequent change Of my post and the
equally frequent changes within the
ranks.
Zone thing all of us feel-that the
opportunities for the individual mar
are different today from what they
were two years ago. Yet the spirit of
the rank and file is unchanged. 1t is
a good spirit. one which will bring us
victory"
The officer added:
and as long as the English fail tc
obtain such a result as this in the
schooling of the spirit of the simple
lieutenant, the young officer who is a
product of the system of universal con.
scription, just Sc long must they be
resigned to the fact that as soldiers
they are behind the Germans and the
French