New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-04

George " Smaue,N
% understand the real urayity or tho
position. Hitherto they have hardly been
anything much more than spectators
Io-day the war comes home 20 mon.
business and bosoms. They perceive
mat 20 them, as 90 their Allies. though
IN dihercRt way and at a more dis.
tant date, 10 means life or death: NOT
to Individuals only. hut to the nation
and 'he Empire
Different Military Equipments.
An officer who knows France and
Germsny well. with the military ounE-
ueS and defects Of each, gave me ves-
terdsy an impartial account of their
equipment FOR wal. | will put it under
separate heSds:
Artillery; which in these days more
IMAM ever Is q deciding factor. The
French have the hest guns, hut the
1ermhnS more guns than the French.
Inc Germans are able to mass 500
guns on given front. Ii is at least
doubtful whether any troops whatever
can long stand shrapnel fire i'm such
weight The range is four miles. The
danger TO the French is that their fire.
though accurate and effective, may BE-
crushed and their infantry softencd.
HIhes. Neither French nor German
hut the English are the best marks
men. The English have been carefully
taught TO shoot. The French have only
heen taught 10 let off their rifles. The
Germans are no better marksmen than
the French, but they have better
rife than the English; with a fiat ira
ieetory OF $50 yards. as against the
English Of 500 10 500
Uniforms. The French wear the same
red and blue they wore in 1870. II is a
deadly handicap. There was an effort
n nut them in khaki, but it failed.
Tradition and tne love Of color were
too strong. They prefer 10 be hit in
red and blue TO being missed in khaki.
The Germans are clad in a gray-grecn
even better than khaki, more complete
" invisible or inCOnspicuouS; and tnCv
muitie their brass-spiked helmets Blu
between English and Germans there is
little to choose in these matters.
Formations. II is mistake to sup
pose that the Germans come on in the
old solid columns. Even for the Ger
man the elbOw-to- elbow days are over
The men are a yard or more apart:
but still closer than the English or
French. The difference between the
German formation and the others is
IN the massing of the reserves; the
second German line following close
upon the first, and the third upon the
second, and a fourth, if there is one,
close upon the third. All are under
fire together. But the Germans are
willing 10 waste men; not only IN
emergencies but in the ordinary course
OF battle. Said a German in high com
mand;
eve are ready to squandcr a million
of men, if need be, TO break through
the enemy's line of defence
The Kaiser as a Spendthrift of Men
Literally. they squander them. other
Stats than the German think the same
results attanable at less price l.
is the Kaiser himself who insists that
the life Of German soldier IS moth
ing. At one of the recent grand ma
npuvreS he cried ont triumphantly to
an English guest, after a charge:
What do you think Of that? What
do you think Of that?'
His Majesty's English guest asked
how many of the charging troops would
have got across that open field alive If
there had been bullets in the rifles
Just the situation / described the other
day in a Tempelhofer Parade battle.
.
chats it. 1t doesn't matter how many.
Go they must. We prod EN- up. We
prod EN- up
And on the field Of real battle with
real bullets coming from the real rifles
Of real enemy, he "prods them up
as in d mock encounter on the plains
OF Silesia.
My friend discussed it with a Ger
man General Officer near the Kaiser
Sal the German General:
But we look upon our Emperor as
the great factor for peace
"You mean his real policy has been
and is for peace? ?"
ooh, no. What ! mean is that our
people are so afraid Of what their En-
perOr might do in war and in command
of the army that they prefer peace"
Lord kitchener's elephants"
Notwithstanding all which. terrors of
this Emperor included. this eNpe-
rienced English soldier with whom !
talked, experienced and familiar with
the hazards of war. has clear opinion
about the result Of this one. lie be
lieves Germany will be beaten. And
this unquestioning faith is, | am told,
the faith also Of Lord Kitchener. With
him il is a question partly of time. lie
does not expect an early end. lie has
been so much in the East that ne some
times uses Oriental phraseology. Ask
him at the dinner table. lie will not
refuse to reply. He says, with this
Oriental imagery:
"The elephants are coming.
And il appears that the elephants are
the Russians; some of whom have al