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Lights and Shadows of the War
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munion in prayer with the Almighty God. I feel as if the faithful, invisible God stands right alongside of me, holding His hand upon my defenseless head and whispering: “Be of good courage. Fear not, I am with thee. Nothing shall harm thee. Only trust Me.” Oh, dear brethren, how wonderful at such times of danger is the precious con sciousness of peace with God! My good wife is in a place about three miles from here, awaiting my return. She prays while we are here in the trenches in front of the enemy. She visited me from Tilsit. I have been absent from her since the 2d of August. She brought me cake, apples, nuts, a pocket lamp, clothing, and other necessaries. Oh, this was a joyful meeting. Weeping for joy she fell upon my neck praising God to see me again. How many never return! How many never see their wives and their children again! How cruel is w ar!' Two days and nights without interrup tion we must spend in the trenches. Then we are relieved by the reserves for the same period of time, and we return to an impro vised quarter. Straw is spread out in the hall of a tavern and thereupon lie the men of our company—about 240 men. Some that did not find a place there sought shelter in the near-by farm-houses. jSince no one can approach the trenches in the daytime, we receive our dinner always in the evening. This evening we were relieved. My wife promised to cook me some cabbage when I return. Oh, how sweet the word “home” sounds. Through the providence of God I was
r | *HE newspapers are so full of dark and A appalling things connected with the present war, the most awful war of history, that we are very glad to give something that brings some light into the black picture. The letter here given was written a short time ago from Sohichon, Kr. Angerburg, .East Prussia. Naturally we do not give the writer’s name, though the letter has already been published elsewhere. He dates his letter: “In the Trenches, directly in front of the Russians,” addresses it to “Dear Ones in the Lord,” and it is given in full below: With the, collar of my military cloak turned up, I am sitting on my layer of straw, the Bible on my knees, to begin this letter. I am here in a little shelter, in a dug-out. This place offers me some protection against the severity and inclemency of the weather. The walls consist of red sand. The roof is an old door, and the floor is covered with damp straw. The height of this dug-out is about one yard, and the entire size three square yards. Its furniture consists of a blanket, a knapsack, cooking utensils with the rest of the evening meal (peas and po tatoes), and a bread pouch. This may sound discouraging, and yet, under the prevailing conditions, a person becomes accustomed to it. You have no idea what a nice prayer closet this is. While the shrapnels and bombs fly back and forth by the hundreds over me, piercing the air with hissing sounds, some exploding in the air and others on the ground with a terrific thunde,r, I can enjoy the sweetest com
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