WHAT WAR IS.

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15335, 20 July 1915, Page 8

WHAT WAR IS.

A SOUTH-LANDER'S OPINION.

"HELL WITH THE LID OFF."* 77!;

Ono of tho Southlanders who Vaa "' \ wounded during the fighting in poli Peninsula, in response to a ro* -■ \ quest by. a relativo to give at thc first". | opportunity his candid opinion of war* -'| has forwarded the following to a friend, i| in Invercargill:—' t What do I think of war? Well, it » ". simply Hell with the lid off. Nothing -3; matters; lifo is nothing; death is DO-" *" 1 thing: it is kill, kill, kill! No one cVea a if yon are the next to beehot. - - Sentiment dies, the moment 0119 seta * -"' foot in tho trenches. There is no senti- .- ' ment in war. Your mate may be shoU _-''] alongside of you, and you will shnplr , ; . I remark, "Jack's dead," and that is all, '- j Then you remove tho body from the;.-, trench to make more room. Someone"' may be passed along the trench moaning in his agony; but beyond a casnal glance, and perhaps a remark such as -- "He's stopped one," you take no notice - . and go on with the business. From this,". you may be in dancer of assuming that **- the ljoys grow* callous and indifferent to >-" suffering, hut it is not that. .One's-'.v business is to kill of be kiUod. and the -.- endeavour to keep you alive is owing y .' only to tho fact; that you are needed vi for the killing of the other chap—if you }A< can. . , ! _ i There is, however, something fascin- *; atinp; in the game; it grips ono, awf * ■' ] when it gets hold of you. it causes you "j to become utterly indifferent to an;"*- ,_ thing else. A man reverts to the nrimi- ** ', tire and take** a fiendish i.eli_rH 'tt dealing out trouble to the other fellow. , ' j Your one d-*sire-is to got him in freiii of tout rifle or bayonet and end h'* -,'; worldly career, to-"- possible care that he gets no chance to'end •-. yours. That- is war! ,'•