The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-07-28

of this romance-little twilight pictures, gentle
touches of an otherwise CHASTITY existence:
In the trenches one evening a battalion of the
Leinster regiment held a 'kailee," or Irish sing
song, at which there was a spirited rendering of
the humorous old ballad, "Brian O'Lynn," sung
to an infectiously r~ollicking tune. The opening
verse runs:
Brian OLynn had no breeches to wear.
so he bought a ~sheepskin to make him a pair.
With the woolly side out and the skinny side in.
Falx, It's pleasant and cool, says Brian O'Lynn."
The swing of the tune took the fancy of the
Germans in their trenches, less than 80 Yards
away. With a "rumty-tum-tumty-tum-tumty-tum-
tum," they loudly hummed the air of the end NJ
each verse, all unknOwing that the Leinsters, sing
ing at the top of their voices, gave the words n
topical application:
with the woolly side out and the skinny side in.
sure well wallop the Gerrys,' said Brian OLynn.,'
Hearty bursts of laughter and cheers arose
from both trenches at the conclusion of the song.
1t seemed as if the combatants gladly awaited
themselves of this chance opportunity of becom-
.ng united again in the common brotherhood of
man, even for but a feetlng moment, by the
spirit of good humor and hilarity.
A young English officer of a different battalion
OF the same Leinster regiment tells of a more
curious incident still, which likewise led to a brief
cessation of hostilities. Two privates in his COM
pany had a quarrel in the trenches, and nothing
would do them but to fight it out on No Mans
Land. The Germans were most appreciative and
accommodating. Not only did they not modest
the pugilists, but they cheered them, and actually
fired the contents of their rifles in the air by way
of a salute. The European war was, in fact, sus-
pended in that particular section Of the lines
while two 1rishmen settled their own little diff
ferences by a contest of fists.
"Who will now say the Germans are not sports
men?' was the comment of the young English
officer.
There is, however, another, and perhaps a
shrewder view of the episode. 1t was taken by a
sergeant of the company.
"Yerra, come down out of that, We pair of born
fools" he called out to the fighters. IF We had
only a glimIner of sense, ye'd see, so We would,
that It's playing the Gerrys' game We are. Sure,
there's nothing they'd like better than to see us
all knocking blazes out of each other"
But as regards the moral pointed by the officer
there must be, of course, many "sportsmen'
among the millions of German soldiers; though
the opinion widely prevailing in the British army
is that they are often treacherous fighters. In
deed, to their dirty practices is mainly to be as
scribed the bitter personal animosity that occa-
sionally marks the relations between the COM
batants when the fighting becomes most bloody
and desperate, and-as happens at times in all
wars-no quarter is given to those who allow
none.
An Interchange of Christmas Presents.
Amenities between combatants are very ancient.
The Greeks and Trojans used to exchange pres
ents and c%ourtesies in the intervals of fighting,
and the early stages of this war seemed to af-
ford a promise that they would be revived. The
fraternizing of the British and Germans at their
first Christmas under arms, in 1914, will, perhaps,
always be accounted as the most curious episode
of the war.
The influence of the great Christian festival led
to a suspension of h~ostilities along the lines, and
the men on each side seized the opportunity to
satisfy their natural curiosity to see something
more of each other than through the smoke of
battle with deadly weapons In their hands and
Ihafrad In thnir nUnc Eoph cifa hod toLan nrio.
oners; but prisoners are "out of it," and there
fore reduced to the level Of .noncombatants. The
foeman in being appears in a very different light.
He has the power to strike. You may have to
kill him, or you may be killed by him. So the
British and the Germans, impelled in the main
by a common feeling of inquisitiveness, met to-
gether between the lines on No Mans Land. There
was some amicable conversation where they could
make themselves understood to each other, which
happened when a German was found who could
speak a little English. Cigarettes and tunic but
tons were freely exchanged. But, for the most
part, British and Germans stood with arms folded
across their breasts and stared at each other with
a kind of dread fascination.
1t never happened again. How could 1t pos
sibly be repeated
The introduction into the conflict by the Ger
mans In high command of the barbarc elements
of 'frightfulness," hitherto confined to savage
tribes at war; their use Of such devilish inventions
as poison gas and liquid fire; their belief only in
brute strength and, as regards the common Ger
man soldiers, the native lowness of morality
shown by SO many Of them; their apparent in
sensitiveness to ordinary humane instincts, in
evltably tended to harden and embitter their ad-
versaries against them. Even so, British feeling
is extraordinarily devoid of vindictlveness.
The Germans, in the mass, are regarded as hav-
ing been dehumanized and transformed into a
process of ruthless destruction. In any case, they
are the enemy. As such, there Is a satisfaction
nay, a positive dellght-in sweeping them out Of
existence. That is war. But against the German
soldier individually it may be said that, ON the
whole, there Is no rancor.