The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1918-03-12
o @ @ . o @ o @ 8 g g s. &, . o (.
O. &
9 The IDLER {
8 4
. 9 @ % O @ @ @ o @ O o q o O O 6

. 9 o o O o o O o o o o q o o O 6
have been reading the March
American Magazine. and there are
several articles in that number which
| wish every one could have the op-
pcrruni!y of reading. The one On
*Nhy We Come Smiling Out of He'll, y
by Priva!e Feat, as he calls himself,
is particularly interesting at this
time. Then Surgeon General Corga5
has some very interesting facts about
the dangers and the casualties and
the death rate in this great world
war. and he says the health Of the
soldiers is good, and one thing that
struck me is the statement that there
is practically no tuberculosis il
France I had heard to the cor
trary, but then he should know. But
in this article I want to quote from
Private Peat He writes on what he
calls. "Why We Come Smiling Out
of He'll"
The opening paragraph of this ar
ticle is: "One thing that has been
said about me seems to surprise peo-
Pile: 1t is said that I have been two
years in hell' and tam back with j
SMILE" He says he is not the only
fellow that does it. There are hun
dreds of thousands of them doing *
today And they are smiling not be-
cause eve have got out of hell, but
because we have been there. It Is
the fellow who doesn't go who won't
be smiling much eff you had taken
the biggest opportunity life ever held
out to a man, wouldn't you smile #
you had gone down into hell for the
sake of people who were there al
ready. wouldn't you come back-if
you were lucky enough to get back
with a smile?" "Talk about find
ing yourself. We find more than our
selves. We find God You wouldn't
think so if you heard some of us talk
ing. The language of the trenches
isn't fit to print. Men who never
swore in their lives curse till the air
is blue Pray? never knew bit
one fellow that prayed in the trench
es. and he was damn hyprocrite.
Rack in rest billets he swore as we'll
as. or better than, the next man. We
don't Drav. but every n,other's son
Of us It at neace with God =" He savs
the slate has been wined clean hv
what thev are doinc. "All the little.
rettv weighine of right and wrong
has gone by. It's as simple as white
and black: and what we. are doing IS
white" He says they believe that
God understands. They have become
as little children and all responsible
ity is gone except such as belongs to
a child who trusts. There is new
religion and it is practical and
Straightforward and honest. He be-
lieves there are worse things than
war in the world. It is bitter hard 70
send your son away to fight, but i
is going to give him postgraduate
course in tie very things you have
tried to teach him and maybe when
You understand that it won't be so
hard. The things that you tried to
teach him are courage, and loyalty,
obedience, self-sacrifce, honesty, and
trust in God-and these are the
things he will learn in the trenches.
To show how the fellow feeling
and kindly sympathy are supreme
among the men, he relates an, Incl
dent which he says is the most ten
der and gentle thing ne ever saw
soldier do. And he might have ad-
ded any one else. "After the first
gas attack at Ypres. in April, 1915, I
was knocked out for while and
was in the clearing station at Mer-
vile One day when was lying
there on stretcher poor miserable
soldier came in. He was covered with
mud and blood. He was minus his
overcoat and his tunic was torn by
shrapnel. He was soaked to the
bone. for it was raining, and he was
shivering with cold and pain. The
nurse hurried to him and asked him
what had become of his overcoat.
"Oh," he said. his teeth chatterins,