El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-28


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/ cUNDAY, % September 1918, !
- walked to Dieulouard with another
officer and attended church there
On this my second visit was again i'm
pressed by beauty of stone arches and
round pillars, graceful and true lines.
The choir loft an especially attractive
feature, with beautiful nat-curved
elliptical and parabolie arches and
I carved stone ratings. No choir OF in
/ strumental music. No civilians here.
] Service iHtoned by priest and clerk.
Many q. S. soldiers took communion.
As we were leaving town after the
/ service the Germans dropped in five
/ big shells and three Of the five struck
! mess lines forming for noon chow,
I killing l6 soldiers and wOunding 90.
I German balloon observation, umcanny
! accuracy Of charting and aiming; our
: troops IN this case perhaps a bit more
| careless than the hazards Of war de-
manded.
It.
I After a clear cold night It looks and
feels like snow but only drizzles rain.
Constant shellIng Of our back areas by
I the Germans.
Expressions Of our men now and
then toward the English are not parti-
cularly friendly. No English troops
I in this area and we have seen none
since leaving the port, but our men
seem TO have the traditional suspicion
and latent dislike.
Our division up 70 date has lost near
I ly one-third Of its rifle strength.
Bulgaria has surrendered uncondit-
ionaly. Her failure insures rupture Of
communication between Turkey and
the Central Empires, and opens south
ern gate into Austria.
. October l9lS-Cuious inability to
feel strange in France; to all it seems
the most natural thing in the world
TO be here. .. s. army lives entirely
TO itself and on itself; no contact with
French people OF with the country:
the men and officers generally are not
learning the lessons or taking any in
terest in the country or the people; no
effort to learn language; men win 20
back almost unaffected OF with wrong
impressions This idea Is supported BY
conversations overheard but especially
by the tone Of soldiers letters passing
through my hands to be censored.
October l9lS-Cool, fair. Germans
are shelling cur back areas more and
more; the only moral effect IS to anger
our men The Germans NAV harass
and annoy, but they would be sur
prised if they knew how little our men
are affected by what is called fear, in
all this business.
In the evening I heard the church
bell ring two OF three strokes, which
is against the rules since the sound
carries FAR and might easily attract
the attention OF enemy airmen. en-
tered and found the church empty but
altar was lighted By and BY one altar
boy came in and went into the vestry.
A long pause. and another altar bov
appeared then one Of the soldier
priests. After a long wait. the soldier
priest and the two altar boys began the
service with me alone in the dark
church, its stone vaults and stone floor
seeming particularly dismal and cold.
After a while two other soldier-priests
came in, one to play the little folding
organ and one to sing; only the soldier
priest officiating at the altar wore a
robe, the others their uniforms. Two
French soldiers and 7 made I'D the
entire audience.
II was perfect service, carried out
technically without q flaw and in quiet
simple sincerity; the music Of the little
organ and Of the soldiers solo voice
was deeply affecting.
Part OF the service was a sort Of me-
mortal TO a woman who had been a
benefactress Of the little church and
whose portrait hung near the altar for
the occasion; IN her honor, possibly By
some provision Of her VIII, the "Stabat
Mater was sung entire, and the sol I
dier's voice simply interpreting the
200 year old stately melody accom-
panied by impr0Tised harmouies on the
organ gave new and rich mea hing 70 I
the poem that has inspired 90 many
poets.
1t was a very impressive close. An /
the candles on the altar were ex-
tinguished and the chancel was abb l
s0lutely dark, as was the body Of the I
church except for one dim candle in 1
the entrance restibule. After the last /
singing response, there was a spoken 4
benediction out of the darkness, and |
then, spoken low, the Paternoster and ]
Ave Maria. An quickly departed, and /
the last candle was snuffed ont as I I
passed into the night with the black /
bearded priest, now no longer priest, /
but soldier.
It seemed like being transported back |
a thousand years, into some secret |
monastery rite A dramatic ending.
STACEY. without design This sort Of /
thing taking place on the STAGE Of a |
theater would be declared mastery 1
dramatic art; here, it Is worship in |
such simplicity and depth of devotion /
as Is rarely encountered in the world. /
Nothing could be more beautiful than /
the manner iH which these French sol |
dier-priests perform their ritual, all |
detached and exalted as they are for 1
tie moments Of their worship, all alb /
s0rbed in their sacred duty, and vet |
through It all a loving kindness. a soft /
ness of human feeling and sentiment, /
q manly brotherhood in their ministra- /
lions, that tie them TO the earth we /
know and understand
IL is a bare, desolate little church, /
but there is something there besides I
old gray stones and age blackened /
benches. And if ittuefthe Psalms, or /
the Magnificat, with gloriously simple |
and perfect settings, or the lovely Ave /
Alaris Stella sung TO an adapted folk /
song which forces a wrong accent to I
every Latin word and whose unequal /
measures are as elusive as the thrush's /
song, yet which abides and sings al /
ways in the mind, TO the end with its 4
Amen like the cheerful but wistful |
goodbye of "a pair Of child angels