Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-01
SHRAPNEL
Sidelights on the War
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

The capacity to weep is one Of the
characteristics Of the average Ger
man. The men are said to be able to
weep more than the women.
Nearly sixty British towns have
subscribed more than 100000 each
to war bonds.
Sometimes scenes are improvised Tor
the moving picture man at the 'front.'.
party of Englishmen were told TO-
make a raid on certain GERMAN
trenches. The cinematograph opera ia
ped toward the German lines-weil.
let one of the participants in the raid
finish the story:
Fritz became busy just then and
the little dabs of dust that were KICK,
ed criss-cross on the dry road to!d
that some one had a head on US: AL
these times you do not take IN
great deal of what is happening 70
other people, so j do not know "uaI
occurred till 1 tripped over a strand
of wire and fell into a shell hole on
top of a Fritz who was tucked up into
the smallest compass he could get
himself into. / do not know which OF
us got the bigger surprise. and Tor
moment l lay still.
be. and there was the little photogra-
pher swapping the pair of us as We
lay in the hole. Don't move yet
he whispered. and another plate was
exposed. p,
well, the raid was a success and
no mistake AS we shepherded the
seven prisoners back along the road
the kinema photographer coolly turn
ed the handle of his machine. me
other one didn't have to ask US 10
smile and look pleasant as he took
the last group, which i saw repro
duced few days later in the papers
with simple inscription. Some Ger
man Prisoners.
"But nothing was said about the
two plucky fellows who took them
In order to court favor German Of
ficerS frequently send wreaths to
Luxembourg families in mourning Tor
the loss of immediate relatives. 80
strong are the antipathies against the
Prussians, however. these wreaths in
variably are returned TO their donors.
Gabrielle dAnnunzio, the famous poet
| of Italy, is the only eminent litterateur-
\ who has made good on the battle
fields of Armageddon. He refused to
go to South America on propaganda
work, and said II prefer to be with
| the men that are dying than the men
| who are still thinking of death"
A soldiers idea of arrest is putting
one on the peg"
| In describing the thrilling features
| of an air battle one noted British fiier
| said:
1.-The roar of an enemy machine as
| it flashes by. perhaps as in convulstve
excitement it actually giides round in
| front of the plane il has been des-
perately struggling to down. is a.
thing which, once heard. remains for
ever indelibly stamped on the mem
| ory High up in cloudlaid, dashinG
along at the giddiest of speeds.
| actually fired on in certain instances
by friend and foe alike: opening up,
| on one machine at one moment. at an
| entirely different one the next; a
really awful recklessness is displayed
even by the ablest of aviators.
| more than seven hundred tons of
paper were used in printing the last
| consignment of English ration books.
! A modern battlefield is the greatest
rubbish heap in existence. Yet. at the
same time. il is veritable gold mine.
| UneXpIoded shells. mud-cake rifles
dropped by the dead or wounded,
grenades abandoned during flight.
damaged cannon and other bulky
| weapons. helmets, pieces of leather,
pieces of clothing, and debris of every
description go toward the swelling OF
this scrap heap.
A great deal of this debris of war
is salvaged by veteran soldiers known
as rag-pickers, who must have q
knowledge of the material value OF
various metals discovered. The scrap
is sorted and classified. That which
| is worthless is left to decay.
! Queen Elizabeth of Belgium boasts
of the degree NJ d. On frequent &C.
casions she has doctored her husband
and children when they have been ill.