Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-11-05
SHRAPNEL.
Sideights on the War
10y
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

All allied armies are placing within
grasp of the soldiers educational ia
| cilities. Thousands of soldiers have
| bettered themselves and their pros
| poets of future success by their study
while the business Of war has been
| raging.
Though the ground rifle Is consid-
cred the soldiers best friend, the
ground sheet runs close second. When
a storm comes they can easily be
| thrown about the shoulders and so
fastened that but little rain reaches
devices have been invented by the
| soldiers.
Prayers" is the subject Of some in
| teresting bits of verse penned by an
American chaplain at the front, They
\ follow: ~,
| A SISTERS PRAYER.
Dear God, if 1 were but q boy,
1 would enlist at once and fight
e. For Liberty. Oh, what joy
To give my life for Thee and Right!
My hand, O God, I shall not give
To one who has not taken part
In this great war that Freedom Nvei
A soldier. Lord. shall have my heart!
A VETERANS PRAYER.
Alasi my God. I'm sixty-one;
Though used to armies and the fray.
''Too DID," they say. Ito shoulder gum; q
TITS hard to only watch and pray.
But have sent my son to France,
My flesh and blood to fight for me.
happy son! This is your chance
; To die for God and Liberty!
A certain American negro sergeant
wished his men to make a good show
| ing before his white commander. His
troops fell in and the sergeant adj
dressed his men in this fashion:
Now all yo' niggahs don't under
Use gwine to glib some mighty pecu-
liah commands"
Here's the way the average battle
goes:
At dawn one day there is a crash
and a rumble and everything seems
to be moving forward as II impelled
by a mighty chess-player. The crash
is barrage for an attack. 'Over the
top" go the tanks, with the infan-
and more infantrymen. all with light,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS fixed and bombs
ready for immediate use.
The tanks crash through what wire
| there is and blot out the enemy ma
chine guns and gunners, while the
enemy infantrymen crouch low in
what dug-outs they have or "skedad-
die" to the rear, to be ruthlessly shot
down by the tank gunners. Those who
are run to earth are promptly dealt
with by our infantrymen's bayonets
and bombs. and the tanks go forward.
So with the whole army. AS soon as
the enemy batteries are silenced or
retreating up come our Incompatible
gunners. followed. or even preceded,
by pioneers. who get to work at roads
and crossings over trenches even
while the battle RACES.
Sometimes, too. one sees the cav
airy coming through. They advance
through the guns, through the infan-
try and through the tanks and out
into the open among a surprised and
disorganized enemy, dealing with re-
treating transport, enemy battalions,
brigades and divisional headquarter1
in the orthodox cavalry style. Then,
when the final objective is reached;
each arm" settles itself down once
more and eagerly awaits its oppor.
tunity to repeat the SHOW"
So frightful have been allied losses
because of the Huns hideous tricks,
special squads are assigned to the
clearing up of battle fields Many arti.
cles left behind by the Germans are
attached to contact mines. A loose
board. q helmet, q belt or haversack
may bring instant death to the PER-
lesn Who touc6ae y - e. =