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Show FRENCH GAILY WITNESS GAME DESPITE THE CANNON'S ROAR Sporting competition of every ra-t riety forms the chief recreation of French and British soldiers who arol relieved from trench duty during rest periods. Men who spend days amid! the roar of battle and finally are brought into a safety zone do not seek slumber or peaceful quiet, but immediately imme-diately insist upon entering upon some strenuous athletic activity. Theso statements arc made by Countess G. de St. Maurice In a letter In which she. described a historical football game played Just behind tho lines and during tho terrific fighting of their brother soldiers. According to Countess St. Maurice never has there been so great Interest in athletics as now. Sho wrltos that army officials are fostering every kind of competition for tho men and that the soldiers are becoming efficient even In baseball, America's national pastime.' Her letter in part follows: "I thought you would like to know about a wonderful gamo of football played at tho front between the young soldiers of Paris and tho old soldiers on the front or as wo say hero, between be-tween the 'bleuets' and the 'poilus.' "I went with the footballers of Paris. When we got near the front tho sporting sport-ing section of tho regiment met us and we drove to the camp ground amidst the greatest enthusiasm. Tho military regiments saluted our arrival with gay music, both Instrumental and song. Then wo had 'lunch at the army headquarters and after lunch the game took place. "You cannot imagine a more magnificent mag-nificent sight than tho vast field presented. pre-sented. I shall never forget It. Imagine Ima-gine an immense plain, in the center of which the football carro was Indicated Indi-cated by 5000 French soldiers. At one end an improvised little grand stand had been made, composed of fallen trees, all kinds of plants and an odd collection of chairs, all decorated decor-ated faily with army flags. Tho goal posts were, regiments' flags and tho umpire tho army chaplain," who had tucked his cassock to his knees and entered thoroughly into the sporL "The band played tho 'Marseillaise,' and I sot the ball in motion with a tiny littlo roll, while everybody cheered. It was a groat gamo, splendidly splen-didly defended, but tho younger soldiers sol-diers won tho match. "Then we had cross-country runs and bomb throwing exorcises. The regiment's records wero excellent, some men throwing fifty-six yards. "All this, mind you, whilo the Gorman Gor-man cannons wero roaring a few miles off. They wero all rather surprised that I was not in tho least nervous upon hearing that terrific noise of the grenades exploding the hand bombs, I mean. Wo had a modest banquet in tho evening, and I doubt if anyone ever snenr a morp. InlprnRMnc nr mnt. Instructive day. "When you think of those men, who are defending the liberty of tho world, who are the greatest heroes in the history his-tory of nations, who aro nearly all destined des-tined to certain death In tho defense of our native soil, entering Into the spirit of a sporting feto such as I witnessed wit-nessed you realize the grandeur" of France." |