El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-06-23

ONDON, Eng June zS--MOdern
war is a world Of its own. IN
IL guessed by the civilian until he
enters it and grasps its vastness bit
by bit
The newcomer, no matter how per-
fectly schooled at home. is not rushed
to the fire-step in the first line
trench. but graduated and passed
along from one veteran 20 another.
It is a process Of induction marvel
ously worked out. whether the new
conner be an airman or a doctor. a
bomber, a gunner. or a trench-mortar-
man.
Ever since Won Kluck and his
Iegions went under ground the war
ring hosts have sprung surprises upon
each other-flame-proj and cyl
inders Of chlorine gas; rifIe-grenades
and aerial torpedoes; arrows from
the sky. mines from the depths of the
earth: prussic acid and tear-compell-
ing shells; star flare by night, and by
day new wheel devices for cutting
those endless thickets Of wire.
Steel helmets and gnOme-like masks
were new protective measures; and
the trench-raid needed bludgeons and
knives for work in the dark
Aim Is To Spare The Man.
But conditions were so extraor-
binary, so entirely subversive of old
textbook teaching that extra schools
had TO be established both at home
and abroad-these last as finishing
academies" where officers and SOL
diers received the final hints from
veterans and then took their place
at the front. From first to last the
aim is to spare the man; to minimize
risks on the defensive side. and on
the offensive to provide him with the
most efficient weapons and the most
skillful and telling methods of using
these, so as to demoralize and rOut
the enemy
NOyieeS Taught On Salisbury Plain
Novices learn the art Of war on
Salisbury Plain. where the cavalry
man tries to mount a very FESTIVE
horse" made of wood and jerked by
springs instinct with more than
equine devilry. There are sand maps
for vivid demonstrations, and a real
skeleton for p A " c. lectures TO
orderlies and Observation-Disclosures Pro-
fessors teach the most unexpected
trades, from that of the shoeing-
smith to the notorious driver, who
imparts his knowledge to army serv-
ice corps lads who viii soon be at
the wheel themselves. feeding our
fighting millions with all things.
from meat and flour TO trench floor
ings and shrapnel helmets. The
sterner schools at home are made as
realistic as possible
On Salisbury Plain and elsewhere
great cOngeries of trenches are dug.
and here Hun" and Britain hammer
away at each other night and day
without ceasing, on lines which
closely approximate to the real thing.
And there are schools within schools
specialist training for bombing off
GERS, for snipers, raiders, dispatch
riders. telegraph repairers. observers.
intelligence men, gunners of all
grades, wire cutters-with special
arms and tools-gas mechanics, flame
thrOwers. and a dozen other more or
less lurid practitioners of the new
war At these great reinforcement
camps there are gas-masks attacks.
and pupils pass through underground
chambers filled with bromine and
chlorine fumes which are quite
deadly.
So that even mimic war is today a
stern affair, calling for all a mans
energy and mind. The bombing
schools are extremely important.
Here the grenades are explained,
whether thrown by hand. BY the
7
of ancient weapons have been re-
vived. and now mix oddly with air
planes and tanks" as well as pieces
of ordnance which the artillerist of
yesterday never dreamed of seeing in
the field The grenade is a long dis
lance bomb, exploding on impact. It
is fired from the rifle by means of n
special cartridge and a long metal
rod. With a soft whistling. the
missile leaves the barrel and drops
vertically into the trench over the
way
At close quarters trench conditions
do not favor the rifle or the bavonet
the bomb gives scope for in
dividual dexterity, cunning, and gen
eralship which is often of a high or
der. The bomb is the handiest
it has played a wonderful
part in this warfare Of moles and
birds. with big guns impaired in
secret pits by the thousands well
back from the advanced line.
The game of ball" PLAYED in the
bomb school is most curl
BUS TO witness. A class may consist
solely OF officers and n. G O's, who
after weeks practice return TO
their regiment, and in turn instruct
heir men, NOvices at first work in
trenches which are not dug. but only
marked out with whitewash like a /
tennis court Jam-tin bombs filled
with earth are hurled at circles (
marked on the grass 20 feet away. (
Having scored a frequent bullseye I
lere. the bomber passes to a real /
rench- Now standing behind a sand I
rag parapet, ankle deep in mud. he .
hrows his dummies into trenches he ]
an not see, but whose distance is /