El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1921-01-01

months Today's instaiment. continuing
the general narrative, relates experiences
active phases OF the great battle OF Sep
L e suEgssted that readers clip these
artlcles each day and paste them In scrap
books; they viii not be reprinted and back
numbers cannot be supplied
lOCTOBER s, 1918, the Goth division
" is beginning to move out Of the
Puvenelle sector on the MoseIle
river preparatory to being transferred
TO another battle front. The 18th regu-
lar division is moving in. With the
heavy traffic on roads at light in rain
and mud, the road blockades and the
accidents, there Is every provocation
TO swear, but 7 have noticed the re-
markable absence Of profanity and
1lithy talk among men near the front,
or actually engaged in hard, nerve
raeking, discouagipg work; they work
/ silently and speak to one another
I quietly and cOurteously. Profanity and
I filth chiefly heard among officers and
/ men who have spent their time in rear
areas or in comfortable surroundings,
where indeed little else is heard.
The soldiers are actually hungry for
something to stir their spirit and feed
them mentally and perhaps sentiment
tally, whenever they have opportunity
for rest or relaxation. Mere idlensss
Of mind or body does not satisfy.
Great value Of stimulating letters from
home. Very few officers OF men have
any resources within themselves to
make for pleasure or profit IN leisure
time.
Current idea that gross profanity
and rotten talk are the natural and
legitimate outlets 70 relieve overstrain
Is without foundation; they indicate
shallowness and vapidity and accom-
panv idleness and laZiness, not over
strain; they mark the bully OF the
weakling, not the ruggedly strong ma
ture; in some they Just reveal nasti-
ness, in others they are an attempt to
conceal known weaknesses OF char
acter.
The big strong men from prirates
TO generals are usually those OF decent
and simple speech; there are excep-
tons and occasions, but this is gener-
ally true. In proportion. there are more
offenders against decency in speech
among the officers than among the
there ever be occasion.
I have sought diligently to find out
what idea prevails among the soldiers
generally as TO purpose in the war.
Pride, national and race pride. is
more active and more nearly universal
motive than any sentiment OF principle
Of less direct and personal kind
No trace Of idealism is discernible
among men OF officers. with very few
exceptions, and believe any such
suggestion would be expressly repu-
dated by most, if they cared to express
themselves at all IL is. first, a war
of self defence conducted by the United
States after intoierable provocation;
second, there is hot resentment against
German methods that violate all Amer
lean notions Of craftsmanship third.
the one idea on which there is univer-
sal agreement is that Germany must
not win"
The sense Of racial and national su-
periOritv over an others in the field on
either side is dominant, and the self
confidence Of the individual soldier,
who fights and labors on his own ac-
count, Is the greatest element IN sue
cess.
These troops have not been together
long enough or under war conditions
long enough TO have developed much
organic cohesion, but individual quail
tiles are asserting themselves daily.
have never heard among men or
officers any expressions even remotely
to the catchwords that
seem to be so popular back home; these I
are not CRUSADERS" but Americans
fighting American battles with admir- I
able Figor and VIII TO whip the enemy I
and get through.
Ny admiration goes out especially (
to those from whom least Is 70 be ex- /
peeted, whose responsibility is heavy l
cut Of all proportion to their recogni- I
ton or reward, and whose loyalty and /
devotion to exacting duty are pecu- !
liarlv personal and fundamentally fine I
The human material in the mass is far 4
better than the leadership provided on 4
the average.
There is something that strikes the 4
imagination and stimulates and might /
lily encourages, IN this driving forward |
and ever forward even in the face of I
certain death or wounding; in front /
line assault units sometimes a 60 to 4
so percent chance Of becoming a "cas- 1
ualty" The law Of chances and the 1
ADUta OF AAHaAGer NAs Sinai CHOSEN Il
assault units take the brunt; back Of /
them a line which is surely going to /
suffer heavily when the enemy count |
er attacks; further back the supports I
and reserves with less chances Of i'm I
mediate injury but under harassing
fire and bombing OF other air attack; /
in all this area great numbers Of spe-
eial and auxiliary troops engaging in
tasks Just as arduous and as danger
Gus as those OF the line troops with
exception Of the units actually used
for assault, outposts, and front line
iefence) but seldom recognized at their
full worth.
In front line service there are no
noncombatants any more, IN the old
sense, and in countless instances per
sonal heroism in other than aggressive
combat is fully as worthy Of praise and
as much a source Of constant admira-
lion IN the sense Of wonder, as the con-
duct Of assaulting troops.
A few miles from the outpost line
The risk diminishes rapidly, though
there is a broad strip within artillery
range, and back Of that q still broader
strip exposed to more or less harass-
nent from the air, where actual risk is
small figured automatically, but where
the stress is still considerable.
Back Of that zone, war becomes a
matter Of business, free from any risk