The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-02

4 UGdIAuE OH even as LGAEg uACa part VI
the brave Prussian army as a
came up behind those gas clouds,
with gas masks on, bayonets drip
ping with the blood Of men lying on
the ground fighting, true. but for
breath. A great army that Prussian
army And what glorious" vic
tory! Truly should a Prussian be
proud!
AS far as / am concerned the
Huns did not lose the war at the bat
tie Of the Marine or any other place,
but right at Ypres on April %, 1915,
and they lost the name of soldiers as
well ''Gyp the Blood" died an angel
compared to the high command Of
their army. 1t Is no exaggeration
when say our eagerness to work
and learn how to kill so that we
could take our place in the line and
help fight Off those mad people grew
| in leaps and bounds after this. And
it was them themselves" that stiff
| fened our backs ana made us feel
lighting mad. They and their gas
what It did to our battalion it did to
the army and. / venture to say, the
rest Of the world, except probably the
pacifst and conscientious objector.
II their gas was as deadly as the
boches' the war would be over now,
because the WnOte WoIAu Wouiu nave
died in agony.
Arrival in France.
It was August when we went to
France, still the happy, care free
soldier on the outside, all out for a
good time. On the inside, satisfac-
ton that we were there, not on ac-
count of different colored books,
maybe, but from deep down feel
ing in white mems hearts, backed by
the knowledge of Germany's conduct,
that we were there in a righteous
cause
Our second stop in France on our
march toward "the line" was in a
little village that the boches had
been in during their onrush in the
beginning of the war. Our billet was
a little farm Just on the edge of the
village and the housewife permitted
us in her kitchen to cook things, at
the same time selling us coffee. We
stayed there two or three days and
got quite friendly with madame,
even liz she did scold us for our
muddy boots. Two pretty little kid
dies played around the house, got in
the way. were scolded and spanked
and in the next second loved to
death by madame, who would then
parade them in front of the picture
of a clean cut looking Frenchman In
the uniform of the army and say
something about "apres Ia guerre." In
q little crib to one side Of the room
was a little baby, neglected by
madame except that she fed and
bathed 1t. The neglect was so mark
ed that our suspicious were aroused.
These suspicious were verified by
estaminent gossip and madame her
self. "A Hun captain Of cavalry had
stayed there for a few days and not
only allowed his detachment full Ii
cense in the village but had himself
abused his position in the approved
manner of a degenerate rake.
AS madame told us her story-hoW
her husband had rushed of with the
first call for the reserves, leaving her
alone with two little kiddies, and
how the blond beast had concur
hair stood on end. What kultur
that! And that is not all. What |
will be the stories that come out OF |
what Is now occupied France?
Analysing the Germans.
Madame's story was new TO us /
then. but, like the rest of those |
things, as we moved along through |
the country they became common |
enough, with here and there a revolt |
ing detail more awful than those we
had heard. Some one said: The |
Germans weren't themselves. They |
were drunk with wine and success.
1t is very true about the wine and
true. But Germany /
has always held up her army as a /
model of what iron discipline can do. |
Iron discipline drove them to the at i
tack behind gas clouds and masses
of artillery which wiped troops and
trenches off the map. Their iron /
was there then, their Of
ficers behind with drawn revOivers.
When drunk with wine and sue
cess" in the first great onrush where
was their iron discipline? That which /
thew boosted so much about was Il
gone, and no attempt was made to /
keep It, but rather the abandonment
Of IL was encouraged.
Now and then Germany expresses
at the persistence OF
the British and French-but then /
they are a funny people, the Ger
mans. There are so many things 1
they do not understand. They never
could understand, for instance, why
such an American boy as myself
who enlisted solely in a spirit Of adj
venture and with no PARTICULAR
thought OF the justice of the cause,
could experience such a revulsion Of
feeling as to regard this conflict as
the most holy cause in which man
could enroll. IL is a holy cause!
Never in the history of the world
was right more, on the side Of an
army than 1t is on the side Of the
allies. We who have been through
the furnace of France know this.
Another of the things Germany
failed to understand was this great
nation of ours. Gradually we are
coming to a realization Of what this
war is and why 1t is. We realize now
10 a certain extent but the distance
Is too great, the whole thing is so
vague and indistinct-and our cas-
ialty lists have not begun to. fill
columns. But our preparations are
not vague. They are farseeing and
their effects will be far-r0aching.
Even If the general public does not
FULLY comprehend, the government
loes know why this great country
went to war. And next spring,
please God! our friends, the kultured
Huns. will realize we are at war!