Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-09-05
SHRAPNEL
Sidelights on the War
-9Y-
OLIVER OWEN KUHN.

An English expert gives this advice
to his readers on the eating OF war
bread: Go to a good dentist and have
your teeth thoroughly overhauIed.
Purchase q saw. Take the loaf to the
shed, saw it In slices and place the
slices overnight in trousers press.
Take out the next morning, pass
through a mincer and serve"
A fog plays ducks and brakes with
sound and this IL the reason why IN
books Of instructions practically All
allied naval heads have incorporated
the statement: There is no help IN
fog save unreliable. signals and the
use of the lead" Sound at one mo
ment will travel fast in a fog, the
next instant it goes slower and some
as sound cannot be detected at ALL
They do say" said soldier at the
front. that Jerry. lived on onions
alone.''
Amy one who lives on onions ought
to live alone" responded a particular
ly crusty Sammy
'If you want excitement. try dis
patch riding on the western 'front.',
says q soldier 'It is wonderful how
soon one learns to fall on the old GRO
coming in your direction, and what
miracles of contortion are performed
in the effort to find protection in a
six-inch ditch full of water. The man
who has lodged shells and raced gas
for six months up and down the lines
Is a past master in the art of taking
cover"
Anent the latest rumors of peace
offensive by Germany and the kaiser's
apparent desire to bring the great
war to q conclusion, one British jour-
nalist burst forth:
Therefore one moment gracefully he poses
With olive branch outstretched and dove on
And all his wealth of tenderness discloses
For those who have attacked" his peacefui
And the next moment hits the drum thump
That causes the unhappy bird to jump.
Peace Prince or War Lord-does it really mat
Since it but means a difference in terms?
Whether he chooses the former or the latter,
He looks to lord it over stricken worms.
Nay Wilhelm, when our final blow shall fall
You shan be found no sort Of lord at all!
An unusual story is told of a young
Belgian of high birth and education.
He was arrested by the Germans and
the hour Of his execution fixed. But
this young man possessed extremely
likable qualities and German officers
were much taken with him. The night
before the young man was to die the
Germans rendered him a feast and he
played cards with them. Finally, the
fated hour arrived and the young Bel
gian was led before the firing squad.
The young German of1cer In charge
Of the execution was unnerved. He
did not wish to give the signal to fire.
The young Belgian cried out: Don't
criv
Placing his back to the wall he
cried: "Fire."
1t was his last word.
One allied fier. after having spent
several hours aloft, landed near his
airdrome in a spill. He was uncon-
scious for time after his tumble,
but when he regained his senses ne
asked for his lunch and ate 1t. though
one of his thumbs was hanging by
the skin. the bone being completely
shattered.
"Unclaimed money" agents of Lon
don are waxing fat since the war
started. In describing them one Brit
ish writer says:
"If YOU drop in on one of these
fortune finders now you will probably
discover him browsing on casualty
lists, because his stock-in-trade con.
sists mainly of names. One agent
has in addition TO CarllOduS u oAu I'll
rectories, army lists. printed parish
registers. ETC., a card index contain,
ing at least 100000 names. which
have been collected from innumera-
BILE sources, including tombs in coun-
try churchyards.
THE names are invaluable in en-
abline the agent to find the persons
entitled to derelict fortunes. He first
unearths-in chancery, the Golfers of
the treasury. or elsewhere-an own
erless fund, and then traces the liv-
ing representatives of the person in
whose name it stands, finally offering
to put them in possession of the money
for one-third of the amount recoV-
cred. And it is in tracing such for
tunate mortals that the names repay
the trouble devoted to them"
The defense of the realm act, other
wise known to Englishmen as Dora,
has been a boon to tea drinkers.
Formerly they bought a pound pack
age of tea and it was wrapped in
heavy tinfoil. actually reducing the
amount of tea purchased. The gov
eminent now stipulates that there
must be a full pound of tea in each
package.
M IlIlIlllIIlIlHlI