Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1911-12-08
by III. 6 WELLS


But in both cases these were standing
causes of offense. The real deciding
cause, it is now known, was the per-
fecting of the Pforzheim engine by
Germany and the consequent possi-
bility of rapid and entirely practica-
BILE airship. At that time Germany
was by far the most efficient power in
the world, better organized for swift
and secret action, better equipped with
the resources of modern science and
with her official and administrative
classes at n higher level of education
and training. These things she knew,
and she exaggerated that knowledge
to the pitch of contempt for the secret
counsels of her neighbors. With the
coming of these new weapons her col
lective intelligence thrilled with the
sense that now her moment had come.
Particularly she must strike America
swiftly, because there, If anywhere, lay
the chance Of an aerial rival. 1t was
known that America possessed n fly
ing machine of considerable practical
value, developed out of the Wright
model, but it was not supposed that
the Washington war office had made
any wholesale attempts to create an
aerial navy. 1t was necessary to
strike before they could do so. France
had Il fleet of slow navigables, several
dating from 1908, that could make no
possible headway against the new
type. They had been built solely for
accommodating purposes on the eastern
frontier, they were mostly too small to
carry more than couple of dozen men
without arms or provisions, and not
one could do forty miles an hour.
Great Britain, it seemed, in an access
of meanness, temporized and wrangled
with the imperial spirited Butteridge
and his extraordinary invention. That
also was not in play-and could not
be for some months at the earliest.
From Asia there came no sign.
Swift and systematic and secret were
their preparations and their plan most
excellent. So far as their knowledge
went, America was the only dangerous
ssibility-America, which was also
now the leading trade rival of Ger
many and one OF the chief barriers to
her imperial expansion. So at once
they would strike at America. They
would fling a great force across the
Atlantic heavens and bear America
down unwarned and unprepared.
The attack upon America was to
be the first move in n tremendous
game. But no sooner had it started
than instantly the aeronautic parks
We're to proceed to put together and
initiate the second fleet, which was to
dominate Europe and maneuver sig
niticantly over London, Paris, Rome.
st. Petersburg or wherever else its
moral effect was required. A world
surprise it was to be--no less world
conquest-and it is wonderful how
near the calmly adventurous minds
that planned it came to succeeding in
their colossal design.
Won Sternbers was the Moltke of
this war in the air, but it was the GU
rious hard romanticism of Prince Karl
Albert that won over the hesitating
emperor to the scheme. Prince Karl
Albert was indeed the central figure
of the world drama. He was the
darling of the imperialist spirit in
Germany and the ideal Of the new
aristocratic feeling-the new chivalry.
as il was called-that followed the
overthrow of socialism through its in
ternal divisions and lack of discipline
and the concentration of wealth in the
hands of few great families. He
was compared by obsequious fiatterers
to the Black Prince to .Alcibiades, to
the young Caesar. To many he SEEM
ed Nietzsche's Overman revealed. He
was big and blond and virile and
splendidly nonmoral.
OF all these world forces and gigan-
tic designs Bert Smallways knew moth
ing until he found himself in the very
focus of it all and gaped down amazed
on the spectacle of that giant herd Of
airships. Each one seemed as long as
the Strand and as big about as Ira
falgar square. Some must have been
a third of mile in length.
His birdseye view was quite tran
STORY. He ducked at the first shot,
and directly his balloon began to drop
his mind ran confusedly upon how he
might explain himself and whether he
should pretend to be Butteridge or not
80 Lord"' he groaned in an agony of
indecision. Then his eye caught his
sandals, and he felt spasm Of self
disgust They'll think I'm a bloomin'
idiot" he said, and then it was he
rose up desperately and threw over
the sand bag and provoked the second
and third shots.
1t flashed into his head as he cow
cred in the bottom of the car that
he might avoid all sorts of disagree.
able and complicated explanations by
to be mad.
That was his last idea before the
seemed to rush up about him