Evening star., 1918-05-25
SHRAPNEL
Sidelights on the War
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

The live-wire barrier which skirts
the frontier between Holland and
Germany is not always a barrier to
contraband smuggling. Recently fifty
head of cattle were moved into Ger
many.
Regulations have grown more strin-
gent. Bees wine" now is under In
vestigation by excise authorities Be
fore matted liquors came to be used
in Britain mead" was the peoples
! only intoXicant. 1t was made by mix
ing honey with rain water. which WIS
left to germinate. Later on mead
was improved by diluting the honey
with wine and brandy.
Germany's copybook precision in
most matters frequently Is the sub
lject Of wide comment. The almanac
says: Spring commences March II.
10 am AT that date and at that
hour German infantry began the
spring drives on the western front.
Rabbits abound on the western
battle front about Arras. They have
mendous battles in this region. and 1t
is easy for the soldiers to catch them
with their hands. Rabbit potpies
have become common.
A certain cockney Tommy was dis
lcussing the merits and dement's of
his esteemed chieftain. Sir Douglas
Haig. The British commanders ears
might have gotten red had he over
heard this:
| "'Aig. e don't sye much. e don't;
e don't. to sye. sye nothink: but what
,'e don't sye don't mean nothink. not
arf; and when e do sye anythink-
my Gawd.'
The editor of the Landswoman, the
official paper of the British women
who are till;ns the soil in England.
and which ti magazine is published i;.,es
board Of agriculture, declares she re-
ceives most pathetic letters from lone
1y girls working on distant farms.
where they never encounter any one
of equal education. ;, Some OF these
girls send money orders and ask the
editor to buy them silk undergar-
ments with pink ribbons. because
when they get out of breeches and
| CATERS they want to have the feeling
that they are still feminine. Others
Others ask for books. Others pour
out their hearts to her. telling her
how lonely they are and how they
! crave for sympathy and how they
she never has received one letter in
which the writer grumbles over the
work she has to do.
| The seizure Of Belgian church or
| gan pipes and bells has awakened the
people further to the ruthlessness of
German military methods In lament
ing the Teutons act Emile Cam
! maerts, the famous Belgian poet,
| writes:
The church was the last refuge of
natriotism. Tunes utter no words.
The familiar singing of the bells and
the playing of the national anthem
on the organ were the last comfort
left to the people. their last breath Of
freedom. the only voice through which
the country's soul could still defy the
enemy.
TT must be stif1ed. and the pipes
and bells will be sent to Essen. per-
haps to be converted into one of those
long range guns which lombard
Parts.
| For centuries they rang. on every
occasion, in the hours Of danger and
| tragedy. in hours of joy. for so many
they seemed to carry in the resonant
bronze the very heart of generations.
They must be thrown today in Ger
many's melting pot, and their golden
song which floated over the peaceful
meadows of Flanders and in the cool
and shady streets of quiet towns will
become the rough bark OF the guns"
| A beautiful voice was heard singing
snatches from the opera Carmen" in
a leaky old barn behind the battle
lines in France. Some one investi-
, gated and found a poilu among the
cows and horses quartered in the di-
llapidated old building.
"Why SO happy" the French SOL
dier was asked.
! The poilu broke away from his song
long enough to remark:
THE Americans are here"
Once more he burst forth in rich
melody.
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