Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 221, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1918 — Play at War Games. [ARTICLE]

Play at War Games.

Nearing the cathedral, almost completely gutted by the bombardment, the correspondent met a crowd of boys playing at their favorite game. He watched them for some time. After playing In quickly constructed trenches in one of the courtyards of

a destroyed house, where they had ingeniously placed their toy machine guns, the attacking party was Just jumping out of their shelter when the gas alarm was sounded.' All the boys quickly donned their masks and continued playing, rather stimulated by the unforeseen reality of their game. So interested were they that they never thought of finding shelter, but had to be ordered to do so by patrolling soldiers. ■ ; But these things could not go on. The youngsters had too much free time, as all the schools were closed and days were spent in holiday-mak-ing. The municipality established schools in the huge cellars of the big champagne houses of Reims. Every day the teacher had to go through the deserted streets uider heavy bombardment, and very often the school children had to be kept in after hours when the town was being shelled. These children, having grown up under these conditions, will be a splendid help to France in rebuilding a nation of valiant citizens.