The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-05-09
SEEING WARS GLORY
FROM A STRETCHER
Ungrudging Kindness To The
Wounded Is Told By Coningsby
Dawson In A New Book.


Dawson In A New Book.
When the war broke out Con-
ingsby Dawson, British born,
American by adoption, was
young novelist. He enlisted as
a volunteer with the Canadian
forces, was made lieutenant of
artillery. went to France, and
from there wrote home the let
tiers which, about a year ago,
were collected and published IN
Garry On" remarkable little
book. Since then he has been
wounded and has spent weeks
in hospitals on recuperation
leave, and has written another
book, The Glory of the Trench
es" Gust published by John
Lane Company, New York;,
which in his Interpretation of
war as he has seen It, Follow
ing are excerpts from his new
book:
Lying here with nothing to worry
about in the green serenity of an Eng
fish summer, | realize that no man can
grasp the glory of this war until he has
made the trip to Blighty on a stretcher.
Until man is wounded he only sees
the war from the point of view of the
front line and consequently, as l say,
misses halt its splendor, for he is ignor-
ant of the greatness of the heart that
beats behind him all along the lines of
communication. Here, IN brief, is how
l found this out
The dressing station to which | went
was underneath ruined house, under
full observation of the Teutons and in
an area which was heavily shelled The
ambulance had to traverse a white road
over a ridge in full view of the enemy.
The TeutOns kept guns trained on this
road, and opened fire at the least sign
of traffic. When l presented myself
my armiwas swollen and painful from a
wound of three days standing. The
doctor called sergeant and sent him
out to consult with an ambulance
driver.
This officer ought to go out at once.
Are you willing to take chance?" ask
ed the sergeant. The ambulance driver
took look at the chalk road cleaning
white in the sun where it climbed the
ridge.
"Sure. Mike, he said, and ran off to
crank his engine and back his car out
of its place of concealment.
Sure Mike"-that was all. He d
have said the same if he'd been asked
whether he'd care to take chance at
hell.
You wouldn't think that men would
go to war to learn how to be kind-but
they do. There's no kinder creature in
the whole wide world than the average
Tommy. He makes a friend Of any
stray animal he can find. He shares
MS last franc with a chap who isn't his
pal.
When he's gone over the top with
bomb and bayonet for the express pur-
pose of doing IN" the German, he
makes a comrade of the Fritzie he cap
lures. You'll see MIN coming down
the trenches with some scared lad of a
German at his side He pats the Ger
man on the back, hands him chocolates
and cigarettes, exchanges souvenirs
and shares with him his last luxury.
If anyone interferes with his Fritzie
he S willing to fight. When they come
to the cage where the prisoner has to
be handed over. the farewells of these
companions whose acquaintance has
been made at the bayonet point are
often as absurd as they are affecting.
I suppose one only learns the value of
kindness when he needs it himself.
The men out there have said good by
to everything they loved, but they I'VE
got to love someone-so they give their
affections to captured Fritzies, stray
dogs, fellows who'ye collected a piece
of shell-in fact tc anyone who's little
worse off than themselves. My am
bulance driver was'like that with his
"Sure, Mike" He was like it during
the entire drive. | don't know his
name, shouldn't recognize his face, but
but shall always remember the almost
womanly tenderness of his driving.
The next step on the road to BlightY
is from the casualty station to a base
hospital in France. You go on a hos
pital train and are only allowed to go
when you are safe to travel. No one
who has not seen 1t can have any idea
of the high good spirits which prevail.
You're going off to Blighty-to Pic
cadilly. to dry boots and clean beds.
Kindness again-always kindnessl The
sisters on the train can't do enough;
they seem to be trying to exceed the
kindness of the sisters you haye left be-
hind. You twist yourself so that you
can get a glimpse of the flying country.