Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1924-07-24

watch MIN. iney begin TO doubt HI
courage | know OF such a man, h
was connected with b. c. battery
which consisted of expert signalle
and linesman, chosen out of the bat
terry for their pluck. AS the British
say, they have to be stout fellows
) Their jobs was to go forward am
sometimes over the top with the OBJ
serving officer to direct fir at al
costs and whatever risks they hav,
Ito keep up communications with TIL
battery. If the line goes down n,
matter how bad the Smelling, tn,
linesmen are expected to go out ant
mend it, This man OF whom / speal
was linesman, he had been in the
war from the very first in 1914 anc
had made record for his daring, he
had stood the racket for two years
when his nerves began 10 90 from
him. His officers couldn't believe il
lat first. soon it became patient to
leyery one. His eyes would become
vague. you could see him make an
effort not to run. He Uuivered like a
high strung horse under shell fire. of
course the just thing would have been
to send him out, but there had been
too many casualties and he couldn t
be spared In such cases the last
thing one dares TO do is show pity.
Pity is contagious. The army expects
every man to do his duty. 1t takes
no excuses and only notices him when
he fails, and so this poor chap who
ihad been hero had to watch him
self hourly, becoming a coward.
/ Worse still, he was kept wondering
ihow many knew it. He must have
been very brave for he played the
game to the very end. They were in
n position where the Hun poundea
them day and night. The B. C. partys
quarters were under ruined house
which might fall at any moment.
| Suddenly in the midst of strafe he
began to undress, when he was ask
ed what he was doing he paid no at
tention, and when he had gotten rid
of every stitch of clothing he had, he
dashed out into the area where the
shells were falling, he was stark mad.
That is why | say one must beware
of self-pitty The boye learned what
Epictetus, the Greek philosopher
meant when he said every burden had
two handles, one by which 1t can be
carried and one by which 1t cannot.
The wise man found the handle by
which he could carry his burden. How
real everything was to those who
were up at the front, all the ghosts
of distrust and division had vanished,
mems souls cleaned in their eyes.
They were stripped of their sham. re-
.finements and they were clothed in
the armour of duty They did not
know how to live wisely until God
restored to them the chance to die for
something worthy God had grown
tired of seeing us charging windmills
so he set against rts the mustard hosts.l
of hell, and we had gained the old
primative strength of the Saints to.I
strike sin where we found it. We moi
longer doubt where the sky Is over
Swallowed that heaven floats above
the clouds. My friends protested, |
saying that | was placing my hospital
too near the front line, they almost i
made me angry with protesting. We
were just as eager to share the game
as the men, our lives were of none /
the less value than theirs and there
are more of us in the world. If they /
could afford to let the men be killed,
why shouldn't we be allowed to take !,
our chance with death. | have seen
troops marching up singing-with the ,
III tuelI lltdi tlleil tiOJ
were going to die I have stood by !
the road and cheered them, they blew
kisses to me laughing gaily, and | |
was the last woman they would see +
n this world How simple and happy
everything becomes in the presence of
/ great sacrifice Just try to picture, 7.
t can, the vision Of your beloved
laughter or sister, standing there in
heir uniform of the Red Cross, the
most beautifully dressed woman in
he world. Their young faces ESTATE /,
While all in front in an abandonment
If exaltation the ceaseless tide of
Ioomed men flowed by, who have seen
hat same tide return. The crimson
iple of what was left of it, men with h
Tut hands, without eyes or legs, limp [
ng, carried on stretchers, hurried in {
he ambulance, and yet the most |
errible thing of all, was the man {
Without lips, who pressed my dress [
gainst his bandageS in gratefulnesS. |
III yes, we are changed since the war, .
hanged as metal is tried in the fur {
ace You may call war damnahle, |
vile, MISUSE of courage, there is /
othing too bad that can be said of .
/, and yet as nothing else does. it '
caches us how to die for our friends. /
have in mind now one of my friends /
tho was killed while trying to pro- a
sct her patient, (who was helpless) d
rom falling shells. 1t was a fine n
hing to do, yet, he would have died d
nyway The sheer wastfulness of t
er death makes it the more heroic. /
FAR had a knack which peace never c
armed of uncovering the splendour Il
sommon place persons. | some Il
mes feel sorry for those who have c.
OF realized the horror of the western G
ont, nor the glory of it. Sometimes n
hen / was on leave l would sit in W
cafe or theatre and the thought %
ould come to me how will all these h
en-, who are laughing and enjoying ia
emselves look in six months time. m
could see them lying out in no mans OF
nd like sacks that had been dropped A
ON wagon. could see them with gi
cir faces hideously transformed, m
airing up unseeing at the changing lhs
y. Until the last few years no one pa
lew where they were buried They tu
lied men whom they never saw and sa
IRE killed by unseen men In return yo
Ieir very letters gave no indication mi
where they were, B. f. f. or A. E. wi
,Iot1.k |