Evening star., 1918-06-15
SHRAPNEL
Sidelights on the War
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

An eel farm has been established on
the Thames river. Eel spawn is being
used in large quantities. The eel is
popular as food in England
The average soldier likes to see his
superior officers think for themselves
He would rather be the victim of
great severity than have his leader
appeal to higher-ups in disciplinary
cases.
Pa-what would you like to be
when you grow up. Johnny?
JOHNNY think I'll be a soldier.
You might get killed"
"Who by"
by the enemy, of course"
We'll. then, I guess 1 had better be
the enemy"
Trench rats. as big as ha1f-grown
cats, get on our nerves occasionally"
writes an American soldier from the
front.
England's communal kitchens now
are known as national kitchens. The
British people disliked the word COM
munal. 1t Is a British characteristic
Aol SoSiL man 10 ueblTe TO SIdnQ on MS
own. Wastefulness. particularly in
cooking. long has been British fail
Ing. and this is one of the reasons
why the government looks upon the
national kitchen idea with such great.
favor. Thousands Of tons of food can
Historic Belgium, geographical as
well as linguistic. extends as far as
Cologne. Since I'LL Belgium con-
stant1y has had territory torn from
her. Rhinelanders are declared nei-
ther German nor French. but Bel
gians. The population Of Rhenish
Prussia speak Flemish patois and
German kultur has not been able fully
i TO eliminate sympathies for Belgium
When British Tommy takes a SOU
venir in battle he knows that he may
| have to give 1t UP. and this hurts In
officer said:
! Once they have got the stuff that
their hearts desire they will spend
hours thinking how they can smuggle
| It home They will carry their SOU
Henirs yen about with them from rest bill
iets to the trenches, on a long trek
from one part of the line to another,
sometimes even refusing to dump It
When going into action. They will
sacrihce little comforts that mean SO
much IN the line so that they can stow
oud German bomb or the fuse cap
or a shell In their pack. And after
guarding their treasures like a dia-
mona for months they do not intend
| to let a military policeman at the base
connscate them and STOP their leave
Authors of England have made
| complaint that their books are Roinr
out OF print owing to the shortage Of
paper. Some substitute for present
paper-making materials is urged. 1t
Is q peculiar fact that when more
DOCKS are being read than ever be-
| fore FEWER are to be obtained.
| English people and army men have
a complaint to register against Amer
lean fiers. They are little too dar-
ing in the clouds.
| The Earl Of Derby tells an amusing
story.
A minister discovered some boys
playing marbles on Sunday.
Dear. dear. do you know what day
"Hi. boys" yelled an urchin, Here's
a bloke been out all night an don't
know what day It Isl"
Though Enslishmen are known az
q people who take their pleasures
sadly. they smile at hardships en-
| countered on tho battlehelds. An Illus.
tration is given by an officer, who
| said:
II was taking my battalion UP into
the line near Ypres to relieve a
brother colonel. I knew he had been
having a very bad time, SO when I
blew into his headquarters I tried to
transform myself into q little ray of
sunshine. Wearing my best smile. /
rubbed my hands gleefully. Well /
said. as cheerily as 1 could. every
thing all right?'
"'Oh.' he said. copying my smile,
I've had my front line trench blown
| to pieces; I've lost all my officers and
half my men: my communication
trench Is waist deep in water; my
telephone lines are all cut, and they've
been shelling this dugout for three
days without stopping. but other.