Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-24

Scpt ~
stood in a trench this afternoon along
aide General Sibert and, Immediately after
him discharged three rife grenades. They
r.,s the real article. save that the bullet
was specially made to lose velocity In
slrht since far off on the other side Of
the training field cows were peacefully
,razing and there was no intent of handing
,b.rn hot lead. The General beat me easily
IN tbe aim and arc of his fire. He pulled
hIs t,igger like an old soldier, whereas I
had never fired rife grenade before, al
though / may modcstly say / have seen
more discharged than the divisional COM
mauder Which illustrates that practice
and theory are different propositions
that no amount of front observation or
hook learning Is comparable to the act it.
self
Immediately afterward I was permitted
N throw two hand grenades. after, Of
course, General Sibert had preceded me
AZ the fashion is to duck Immediately the
grenade is free from the hand may have
thrown as well as the General for all 7
know At any rate. my two exploded
eayec lie meme cclat" as those Of this
kindly man in charge of the vanguard in
the field Of Americas great army.
General Sibert is enthusiastic in praise
ef the French entraning division. To
suote him: These soldiers are on their
4 all the Time. tney are admirable
III is the Generals intention to present the
French division, after entraining is over,
with stand of French colors as tangible
evidence of appreciation in instruction
work IN my presence today he made the
suggestion to his officers and concluded
by saying, Let's just do it," Which
means that presently the various regi-
nents OF the French division can carry into
battle new flags Of France presented b.
American soldiers The General said that
more than likely the new colors will he
presented in the presence of officers of high
rank and with appropriate ceremony at the
time this American division Is liually ready
for work in the trenches.
Here and there throughout the villages
where the troops are quartered- running
water and pumps are labeled, Dangerous"
or Fit for drinking purposes" But the
boys in brown are not permitted to take
any chances even with water pronounced
At by the French. At or near each pump
or spring enormous kha;i bag is rigged
M a tripod, the water diverted into IT,
where il passes through a germ-lSilling fill
tering process to the bottoH of the bag
whence il Is drawn at VIII from one OF
half dozen faucets when Sammee wishes
10 quepch his thirst. There Is not going
TO be any typhoid fever in this army IL
precautions can prevent it,
MOTORCYCLES FOR MESSENGERS
For getting there quickly the army mes.
senger with orders or with a single mas
senger tho motorcycle is much in evidence
il is painted the regulation khaki brown
and spins over the hilly roads like a streak
Of creased lightning Travelling through the
quaint villages Of this beautiful country
Il is looked upon in awe and wonderment
by the country people who. nevertheless
never forget to cry Vice rAmerique"' as
\ the cycle goes by.
interpreters for both armies wear
Sphinx in glded metal upon the coat collar
Save that the emblem was introduced into
the French army after Napoeons CAM
paignS in Egypt. and that il has been
adapted by the. American army in this en-
tranment camp to avoid confusion on the
training field, have been unable to d s.
cover why the symbol of silence should have
been chosen rs q. mark designating him who
Sho, through speech. fills his unit OF use.
funess in the work of two armies.
was Informed today, when asking a
definition, that there were three kinds OF
interpreters; Glass \, who think they know
but don't know English Class B, who think
they know but don't know French and
Class e, who ink they know botn Ian
guages and really don't know either. There
must be "A fourth class without classihca-
tion save q genuine knowledge of their bust
ness
In this category I would place a young
private whom I heard today acting as in
terpreter between General Sbert and a
French colonel. and who told me when |
asked him where he learned his French that
he was graduate of Central High School,
Philadelphia had studied French there and
later with professor i'm the city where the
EVENING LEDGER is published. This young
man, whose name OF course / cannot give
enlisted four months ago. To see his trim
soldlerly figure. one would think it had been
four years
NAME PRACTICE TRENCHES
The Sammees have given their practice
trenches names. ! noticed i'm wall;
through couple of miles OF them today
mat had begun in Chickamauga street
gone from there to San Antonio, beyond
mat to Liberty, and then IN the order named
through Happy Jack Row, San Juan ave-
nue., Red, White and Blue street TO Wilson
boulevard
Upon an arched railroad bridge, on tor
Of which an armed Sammee was on guard
noticed an elaborate sign painted OF
canvas and surmounted with the flags o
France and the United States ntertwlned
Under them in both languages were thu
words, "HOnneur ct gloire de rArme,
Amercaine'-Honor and glory to tn,
American army. 1t was slightly weather
worn through the rains Of the last week
out II expressed the cordial sentiment anI
edmiration Of the country people who on,
ana all for kilometers around truly lool
upon the American army as the real leve
win Whlch barbarity is to be forever dis
lodged from its arrogant self-assumed place
Upon a baseball field near one Of the Y
81 C. A. tents. the backstop had been place.
arectly in front of one OF the beautiful
shrines for countryside prayer with whic
france abounds But the Sammees ha
carefully erected a stout wooden barrie
IN front Of the slender gray upright crowne
with sixteenth century replica of the Saw
our that II be in no danger Of harm from
foul tip.
DErESTS GERMAN WARFARE
An Irish sergeant, who has seen sixtee
years service In the United States army
eNemplihed the spirit of his adopted coun
uy as ] saw it today in listening TO hi
conversation.
! asked him what he thought OF beinl
Instructed In soldering after sixteen year
oi soldering himself
wen, sir" he replied, when we firs
started In here l thought to myself tina
We had been drillin' and mixin' up q
campaigns for long time in our ow
way and II was too bad that way WASH
5000 enough any longer. But when ] see
iie sort OF stunts these chasers learn
ug US / got on right away and though
- meself that fur this kind OF hghtn the
sure needed these outlandish THROWN o
n