The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-10-10
BASEBALL IS QUITE
POPULAR IN FRANCE
Soldiers Turn to Game Just .,
Soon as There Is a LuII.
Play Is Started While Enemy Shall,
Are shrleking overhead-War 1,
Entirely Forgotten Among
American Boys.
By r, A. BATCHELORO

held the position. Sunday afternoon
American artlllerymen were ployIsa
ball there. Thus the Yankee notIon",
game follows the flag.
It might seem strange that soldIo,,
after days and nights Of battle bor.,
OF fatigue and danger, should urr ;,
baseball the very first moment tbo,.
came lull, but this has been the mi.
rather than the exception all summs,
In France.
Sometimes the play starts while =,
occasional enemy shell Is still sbrloL
Ing overhead, though the officers A.
not encourage that sort Of reckless o.,
posure to danger.
The explanation for the soldiers lovs
Of play at the extreme front Is that nj,
nervous system has been so upset tbo,
he needs action. He cannot 20 from tbo
excitement Of battle to the calm a.
complete repose all at once. lie mus
let himself down gradually lust A,
men who have been working in com.
pressed air must go through the air
lock before 1t Is safe for them IN
breathe the atmosphere at It's nor
nal pressure.
Baseball serves the purpose admir-.
ably. II gives them something TO do
with their hadies while nature Is nd.
Justing Itself, and something to think
about that will enable them to forget
the horrors they have Just passed
through. II Is both a physical and
mental tonic.
In the particular case mentioned
above group of artlllerymcn were
firing two big "165" rifles placed beside
n road. The two pieces, served with
the regularity Of clockwork by part
OF the battery, were harassing the re.
treating Huns. The men not actually
engaged in shooting sat and lay around
with nothing TO do but think. They
were too tired and excited after the
advance to sleep.
A. Y. NJ. G. A. van came along the
road and one Of the men in II called
out to ask whether an indoor baseball
could be used there.
With one voice the artlllcrymen an.
swerd ''yes." The "Y" man threw out
n new ball and one Of the soldiers
caught 1t.
"Flrst hitter!" he yelled.
Second hitter" yelled another
pitcher" shrieked a third. And 50
on until all the desirable places wep
claimed.
A plck-handle answered for n bat
In n minute the game was In progress
The batter stood between two guns
and the flelders were spread out 10
front, so that they got the full force Of
the terrible blast when the pieces were
fired.
They paid no more attention TO the
ear-splltting crack Of the guns than 10
the buzzing Of the flies around The
mess tent. War was forgotten and
they were just American boys at play
instead of men engaged In the busE
ness Of Staying.
An officer saw the game and smiled
He knew that the morale of that bat
terry would go far over par as result
of the play. 1t was just the thing that
they needed, but he feared that some
of the men In the field might suffer
harm from having the guns fired sght
over their heads, and ordered tho
scene Of action shifted across the road
where everyone would be behind the
long rifles.
This incident Is typical of what
sport Is doing to keep up the morale Of
the American army In the combat zone
The Y. NJ. c. A. has wisely concluded
that here the work of the physical de-
partment Is more important than IN
the more remote areas, and Is putting
forth every effort to supply the ma
terlal."
Physical directors are not being
sent into actual fighting because they
would be In the way there. While en-
gagged in graphing with the Boche'
even the most enthusiastic sportsman
hasn't any time for games.
But the minute the men are able 70
think Of playing, the Red Triangle
there to look after them. As soon ~
a unit Is brought back to rest after u
few days Of hard fighting, the "Y" De
gins to put on an athletic program
officers heartily lndorse the wOA
and several unit commanders ha'0
made formal requests for physical VI
rectors In the rest billets.
The results have been most graui'
ing. Units that have come out OF wv
lines badly used up have been ap's
to get on their feet In few days a"'
the men have gone back to the ouS
ness Of killing the Boche with "
npuad "nanv