Norwich bulletin., 1918-08-02
METzeER's COLUMN
"No Mans Land," New Army Game
 No Recreation For MolIycoddIe-A Tip to Messrs Willard and Fulton.


 I don't know who invented it. We heard about it one day in New York and as we were always looking for something to build up fighting spirit. which the Tank scarcely needs at that, we staged it one night at a big can tonment somewhere in these United States. Fact of the matter is George Bryant doing athletic work at Camp Upton, may be the father of it. Any how, we put it on one night.
 The equipment needed is one stout table, about two feet high and about four feet square, six sets of boxing gloves and twelve Tanks, six each from two different companies. First though, you advertise this game, which goes by the moniker of No Mans Land" as better than Battle Royal" And if you stage it before several thousand soldiers, as we did, you make good on your ad.
 We put six men, wearing each a pair of boxing gloves, at one side of the ring against the ropes facing the audi ence on that side. The other six, from the other company, stood opposite looking out over their part of the audi ence In the middle of the ring and sitting on a wrestling mat, was the table. We instructed the twelve con " or box and that when the gong sound ed at the end-there was to be two minutes of mixing man was to hold his position. The object is to have more men on the table than the other side. That is, when the final l gong rings.
 Now, you fellows who have seen battle royals, and all that have missed the treat of your lives This new game, born of the army and consecra- ted to develop fighting spirit and mo- | rale has a battle royal licked to a frazzle. It starts with mad rush, it continues with more mad rushing and it winds up with most mad rushing 1 The crowd goes wild and the contest ants go wilder. The fellow, if he is a good boxer who first lands on the table, has an advantage, for every op- ponent who jumps up to get him, us ually gets it upon alighting Just which team is going to win is mat ter of doubt. It is a matter of doubt ] when the last gong rings. It takes a 1 perfectly good referee. acting quickly, to pick the winning team, too. He has to be everywhere at once
 No Mans Land is about the best fighting game that the army has as yet produced. No one gets banged any more than in a boxing match. In | fact, everyone is too busy to get in a l hard WaliOp such as is likely to wind 1 up a boxing match at any moment l This game also has more of a rough and tumble element of trench warfare than boxing and it beats a mix up like a battle royal in that there is another object ill the contest than the mere hammer and tongs of unexpected blows. It's a game and a team work Jr in playing it. Try it some night in your own army camp and everyone will enjoy it. even the fighters. They finish with a smile all over them mingled with a little blood here and there, the result of poking nose ir some other fellows business.
 Some folks may shiver when reading these lines, claiming that such sport is too rough. But as far as a mere civilian can make out of it the army is strong for rough sports. It rather dotes on them, One fellow told me recently that, he ran a sort of recrea. tion school at a camp where he taugh' officers all sorts of games to teach the men in turn, games that were caIcu- lated to afford the men recreation when things were not going just right , He put a lot of games that he though were a nttle rough. After it was al over and the games began taking effect in camp, he began lookin. around to see what was doing Me a lieutenant with a squad playing th games he had given.
 How are they working out?' h. , naturally inquired.
 Fine, sir! thank you" came tn reply, but haven't you got some rougl
 ones?"
 When vo11 r,1h elboU-s dav an, . night with the American army an,