The Commoner
SEPTEMBER, 1916
19
A Christmas Truce
Newport, Minn., Aug. 16, 1916.
Mr. W. J. Bryan, Lincoln, Neb. Dear
Mr. Bryan: In answer to your request
made on the train en route from
Kansas City the other day I am send
ing you a copy of the Christmas truce
sirticle which was printed by the
United Press Association, through its
clients, on March 24, 1915. I wrote
this article from information given
to me by Phil Rader, a member of
tlio foreign legion but, as I h&vo only
tho ono clipping, I am rewriting it.
It follows:
"London, March 1. There were
five Americans in that marvelous
Christmas truce in my part of the
trenches, Eugene Jacobs, Pawtucket,
Jt. I., Victor Chapman, a Harvard
man from New York, myself, and
two others who are mentioned later,
ior twenty consecutive days before
Christmas dawned we had faced that
strip of land, 95 feet wide, between
our trench and that of the Germans
- -that terrible No-Man's Land, dot
led with dead bodies, criscrossed by
tangled mazes of barbed wire. The
littlo strip was as wide and deep and
as full of death as the Atlantic ocean,
as uncrossable as the spaces between
the stars, as terrible as, human hate.
The sunshine of that French Christ
mas morning fell upon it as brightly
as if it were a lovers' lane or the
aisle of some cathedral.
"I don't know how the truce began
in the other trenches but in our hple
Nadem began it Nadem, a Turk,
who believes that Mahomet and not
Christ was the prophet of God. He
was only an enthusiastic boy, always
childishly happy, and when we no
ticed at the regular morning shoot
ing hour that the German trencher
were silent Nadem began to make a
joko of it.
"He drew a target on a board, fast
ened it to a pole and stuck it above
the trench, shouting to the Germans,
"See how well you can shoot." With
in a minute tho target had been
bull's eyed. Nadem pulled down the
.arget, put bits of ivhite paper on the
bullet spots and put it up again so
the Germans could Bee their score.
In doing this Nadem's head appeared
above the trench and we heard him
talking across No Man's land,
thoughtlessly, I raised my head, too.
Other men did the same. Wo saw
hundreds of German heads appear
ing out of the mud like flowers
syringing from tho earth. Smiles
came over the faces, as if these
strange flowers had come into sud
den bloom. Shouts filled the air.
What miracle had happened? Men
lauehed and cheered." There was
Christmas light in our eyes and I
know there were tears in mine.
There were smiles where for many
days there had been only rifle barrels.
The terror of No-Man's land fell
away. The sound of happy voices
tilled the Christmas air We were all
unhumanly happy for that one glori
mw instant.
"I think Nadem was the first to
sense what had hannened. He sud
denly jumped out of the trench and
began waving his hands and cheer
ing. While he was dong this a pon
derous German with a happy smile
climbed out of the trench across the
ay and shouted, 'Lieutenant
. ehroeder presents his compliments
to your lieutenant and desires to
Know if he will select .four men to
fome to the middle of the neutral
territory to arrange fqr.'a. truce for
busying the dead.' w.jt
"Our lieutenant agreed 1 was one
ol tho four men he selected. I shall
never forget how I felt"as we ad
vanced to meet the four' German
soldiers and their lieutenant' who
were coming to meet' us. We-felt as
if we wanted to throw our arms about
these men. They told us afterward
that tho same desire was upon them.
"The horrors of war had been with
drawn. You felt their handshakes
double handshakes, with both hands
in your heart. Tho truce was ar
ranged. There was to bo no moro
firing for one hour and tho men from
both sides were to come out and bury
tho dead bodies which had been ly
ing in No-Man's land for many weeks.
Tho soldiers flocked from their
trenches. They rushed to each other
and shook hands.
" 'I want to have your photo
graphs,' said the German lieutenant
to our party. He sent back for his
camera and wo enemies stood, with
our arms about each other's
shoulders in horseshoe formation
while the lieutenant snapped his
camera.
" 'If I don't have a chance to send
you tho pictures before the war is
over, I shall see that you get them
afterwards,' he said, and ho took
our home addresses.
"At last the bodies were buried.
The hour of truce had passed. But
the men did not go back to the
trenches. In groups about that once
terrible strip of No-Man's Land the
Germans and the men of the French
foreign legion sat talking or playing
cards, exchanging tobacco and cigar
ets, joking and laughing.
" 'Don't blame us,' was the burden
of the Germans' talk. 'It is not our
fault that we are fighting. We don't
know what it's all about. We have
wives and children and we are just
the same kind of men that you are.
We're a fools and so is every
body else who is fighting.'
"And our talk was about the same.
It was not until the sun began, to go
down that wo returned to the
trench'es.
" 'Wo' are to have a band, in our
trenches tonight ,and we want you to
hear it said the Germans as they
bade us goodbye, and we shook the
hands that night slay us on the
morrow. At night there was a sud
den blast of music that thrilled us.
A little German band had crept into
the German trenches and announced
itself with a grand chord. Then came
the unexpected strains of the Mar
seillaise.' The Frenchmen were al
most frantic with delight. Then
came our turn, when the band played,
It's a Long, Long, Way to Tipper
ary ' George Ullard, our negro cook,
who came from Galveston, got out
his mouth organ and almost bursted
his lungs playing 'Die Wacht am
Rhein ' The yell in the German
trenches was a thousand times more
eloquent than tho cheers wo gave
when Georgo concluded. There was
ohnntincr through the night,
until six in the morning when the
sound of rifle shots came romfar
down the trenches. Nadem had been
tho first to feel the holiday splri of
Christmas but, on the day alter
C S , he failed to sense the
gSness of war that had i fallen ver
the trenches during the night. Early
n hip morning he jumped out of tne
t?enchS and began waving his hands
again John Street, an American
X had been an evangelist in St
Louis, jumped out mtu - -.--
FOK RELIGIOUS PEACE
A new peaco movement has been
launched in this city, it has rather
bettor prospects of success than the
peaco movement in Europo and is
quite as important in its way. A
number of prominent Protestants
and Catholics, clergymen and lay
men, have beon getting together of
lato for tho purpose or stopping, lo
cally at least, tho sectarian warfare
which broko out in this country two
or three years ago after being dor
mant for almost a generation.
These men have issued an address
to the public, which Is an cloquont
plea for a better understanding be
tween tho sects and the cessation of
hostilities which, whatever their
other effect, certainly givo aid and
"""""' i" mo unemies or ail ro
igioii. Tho list of names attached
to this document is an impressive ar
gument in itself.
Wo think that Buffalo is the first
city in which such a movement has
been made. Tho general policy of
men of the class that signed tins
paper has, been to ignore tho sec
tarian controversy as much as pos
sible. But such crusades can not bo
checked by ignoring them. They
thrive on such treatment. It is better
to provide an open court for the dis
cussions of the disputants, as Thel
Express has been doing through its
Morning's Mall and news columns.
Then neither side can raise the cry
of "persecution," whilo both sides
can relieve their feelings, with some
cnance of securing, through publi
city, the redress of some of the things
of which they complain. For prob
ably no signer of the statement we
publish this morning would deny
that there have been and are faults
and unfairness on both Bides of the
controversy. Buffalo Express.
TWELVE THINGS TO REMEMBER
1 Tho valuo of time.
2 Tho success of perseverance.
3 Tho pleasuro of working.
4 Tho dignity of simplicity,
5 The worth of .Character.
G The power of kindness.
7 The influence of example.
8 The obligation of duty.
9 The wisdom of economy.
10 The virtuo of patience.
11 Tho improvement of talent.
12 Tho joy of originating.
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The article. is copyrighted l to tto
United Press Associauuu, - ,. .
II
I
see fit. Hoping uiul
help I
. ""i""" -; oflt miRsion I am
to you in youi b --
Yours very truly. '
W G. SHEPHERD,
New Port, Minnesota.
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