Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1917-07-27


touches of an otherwise CHASTITY existence:
In the trenches evening battalion of the
Leinster regiment held 'kailee," or Irish sing
song, at which there spirited rendering of
the humorous old ballad, brian O'Lynn," sung
TO an infectiously rollicking tune. The opening
verse runs:
Brian OIynn had no breeches to wear
So he bought a sheepskn to make him pair
With the woolly side out and fhe skinny side in
falx, It's pleasant and COOL says Brian OLynn"
The swing of the tune took the fancy of the
Germans in their trenches, less than 80 yards
away. With "rumty-tum-t umty- tum- tumtytum-
tum," they loudly hummed the air of the end of
each verse all unknowing that the Leinsters sing
ing at the top of their voices, gave the words a
topical application:
with the wooly side out and the skinny side in
Sure Wen waop 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 avaied
themselves of this chance opportunity of becom-
ing united again in the brotherhood of
man. even for but a fleeing moment by the
spirit of good humor and hilarity
young English officer of different battalion
OF the same Leinster regiment tells of a more
curious incident STILL which likewise led to a brief
cessation of hostilities. Two prvates in his COM
pany had quarrel in the trenches, and nothing
would do them but to fight 1t 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 salute The European was in fact sus-
pended in that particular section of the lines
while two Irishmen settled their little diff
ferences by contest of fists.
who will say the Germans are not sports
men?' 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.
"Yena come down out of that We pair of born
FOOLS he called out to the fighters. IF We had
only glimmer of sense, ye'd see, so We would,
that It's playing the Gerrys' game We Sure,
there's nothing they'd like better than to see us
all knocking blazes out of each other
But 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 often treacherous fighters. In
deed to their dirty practices is mainly to be
scribed the bitter personal animosity that occa-
sionaly marks the relations between the
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
An interchange of Christmas Presents.
Amenities between combatants are very ancient.
The Greeks and Trojans used to exchange pres
ents and courtesies In the intervals of fighting,
and the early stages of this seemed to af-
ford a promise that they would be revived The
fraternizng 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 hostilites along the lines and
the each side seized the opportunity to
satisfy their natural curiosity to something
more of each other than through the smoke Of
battle with deadly weapons in their hands and
hatred In their eyes. Each side had taken pris
oners but prisoners tout of it," and there
fore reduced to the level of noncombatants The
foeman in being appears in 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 common feeling of inquisitiveness, met to-
gether between the lines No Mans Land. There
was some amicabe conversation where they could
make themselves understood to each other, which
happened when German found who could
speak little English. Cigarettes and tunic but
tons were freely exchanged. But, for the most
part British and Germans stood with arms folded
their breasts and stared at each other with
a kind of dread fascination.
1t happened again. How could 1t pos
sibly be repeated
The introduction into the conflict by the Ger
mans in high command of the barbaric elements
of "frghtfuIness," hitherto confined to savage
tribes at 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 many Of them; their apparent in
sensitiveness to ordinary humane instincts, in
evitaby tended to harden and embitter their ad-
versaries against them. Even So British feeling
is extraordinarily devoid of vindictiveness.
The Germans, In the mass, regarded hav-
ing been dehumanized and transformed into a
process of ruthless destruction. In any case they
are the seneny. As such, there is satisfaction
nay a positive deIight-3in sweeping them out Of
existence. That IS war;, sHa$ against the German
soldier individually 1t may be said that, on the
whole. there is no rancor.