The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-07-18
Sentiment In the Trenches

BY F'ra.>is Rogers, of NiEilah'es.)
/ Our Cys in France ar maturing
/ Fast. TEa conditions amid which tLey
! I've tend both 20 clarity apt TO Gct T.
| en- their thoughts. They pear no re-
sDonsihi.ry for their own physical
/ needs; food, shelter and clothing are
| ali pro- ided for them. Many, ii Lot
most of them, have assigned the
greater part of their pay 10 their
families and no efforts of theirs can
| increase their income. During the
| day and often at night they are al
most constantly under orders; II do
| ing only what they are told they are
doing their full duty Their only
real responsibility is for the conduct
of their own thoughts.
| In intercourse with our soldiers in
France one soon discovers that many
| of them are living an active, often an
exalted, inner life. The gossip that
used to satisfy their hours of leisure
no longer meets their need for men
tai refreshment and their minds
seem to crave the solid nourishment
to be found in poetry and religion. a
member of the Foreign Legion, who
was by no means an educated man in
| the usual sense of the phrase, told
us that he always carried in his poe
| ket a copy of The Golden Treas
ury," which had comforted him thru
many a weary vigil in shell-hole and
| trench. Robert w. Services 'Rhy-
mes of a Red Cross Man" is the ia
miliar friend of thousands of our
boys Kipling, too, they know well,
and a host of other poets less cele-
brated. Many a boy has his pocket
crammed full of verses that he or
his correspondents at home have
culled from the newspapers.
Not only do they read poetry; they
write it. We met one boy who had
composed reams of ''vers l;bre" and
whose letters home, his official cen
sor told us, were written in the same
medium.
That delightful mirror of army
life, THE Stars and Stripes" is
brimming with the poetic efusions of
its readers. The Partisan New
York Herald" held a competition in
verse last spring, open to men in the
\. E. F. The response was over
wheIming in quantity and the prize
winners. especially the sonnet that
won the first prize, were worthy of
really serious consideration.
Confronted with the most serious
OF all problems, that of death and
what comes after it, the boys thou
ghts turn often towards religion
not so often to the traditional creeds
in which they were brought up as to
the significance to them personally of
the sacrifice they hold themselves
prepared to make. The Y. NJ. G. A.
secretaries and the Chaplains find
them willing to lay bare and discuss
the most intimate problems Of their
lives. The trend of their religious
thought is away from the Journalism
of dogma and doctrine and towards
a simple code of service and self-sac-
rifice. The many tales of gallantry
and self-forgetfulnes that come to
us from the battle line show how
this code expresses itself in deeds.
Two incidents that have been report
ed to me show how it expresses it
self in words.
In the course of hot battle a de-
tachment of American soldiers was
cut off and surrounded by the enc
my. Some one must cut his way
through to where relief could be OBJ
tanned. A private, generally known
as a "rough-neck, volunteered and
performed this dangerous service.
Afterwards he confided to Saliva
ton Army worker that, although he
never before had prayed, this time
he had offered prayer before he
left his lines.
But what did you say?"
"Oh," l said, God, don't give a
damn what happens to me, but please
keep me safe till 1 can bring back
help for these boys here"
Another boy confessed that he al
ways prayed before he went over the
top. He did not pray to be saved
from all harm, for that would seem
as if he were taking an unfair ad-
vantage of the fellows who forgot or
did not know how to pray; he pray
ed only that no matter what hap
pened he might be given the strength
to bear himself like brave man.
Could the most pious of saints have
framed a nobler prayer than this?