New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-18
CONAN DOYLE REPLIES
TO GEN. Won BERNHARDI
Shows That British Army by Its Training in Real
War Cannot but Be Far More Efficient
than the Kaiser's Forces

experts. Says a Lincolnshire sergeant:
They were in solid square blocks, and
we couldn't help hitting them" Says
Private TAFT I'D Essex: "Their rifle
shooting is rotten. don't believe they
could hit a haystack at 100 yards"
They are rotten shots with their
rifles" says an Oldham private. "They
advance in close column, and you
simply can't help hitting them" writes
Gordon Highlander. "You would
have thought it was a big crowd
streaming out from "A cup tie" says
Private Whitaker. of the Guards. at
was like farmers machine cutting
grass" so it seemed TO Private
Hawkins, of the Coldstreams. "No
damned good as rifemen," says Con-
nemara boy. you couldn't help hit
ting them. As to their rife fire, il
was useless" "They shoot from the
hip, and don't seem to aim at anything
in particular"
Not Books That Count.
These are the opinions of the practi-
cal men upon the field of battle.
Surely a poor result from the 200 vol
umes a year and all the weighty labors
of the General Stab! ARTILLERY nearly
as good as our own. rifle fire beneath
contemplating is the verdict. How
will the well taught parade schritt
avail them when it comes to a stricken
field?
But let it not seer. as if this were
meant for disparagement. We should
be sinking to the Kalser's level if we
answer his contemplate little army"
by pretending that his own troops are
anything but very formidable and big
army. They are formidable in num-
bers, formidable, too, in their patriotic
devotion, IN their na:ive courage and
in TIE possession OF such material, such
great cannon, aircraft, machine guns
and armored cars as none of the Allies
can match. They have every advantage
which a nation would be expected to
have when it has known that war was
a certainty, while otners have only
treated it as a possibility. There is a
mirUteness and earnes'ness of prepare
tion which are only possible for an as
sured event But the fact remains.
and il will only be brought out more
clearly by the Emperor's unchiyalrOus
phrase, that in every arm the British
have already shown themselves 10 be
the better troops. Had he the Frissart
spirit within him he would rather have
said: "You have To-Day a task which
is worthy of you. You are faced by
an army which has a high repute and
a great history. There is real glory
to be won to-day" Had he said this
then. win or lose. he would not have
needed TO be ashamed of his own words
the words OF ungencrous spirit.
1t is q very strange thing how Ger
man critics have taken for granted
that the British army had deteriorated,
while the opinion Of all those who
were in close touch With it was that
il was never 80 good. Even some Of
the French experts made the same
mistake, and General Bonnat counselled
his countrymen not 20 rely upon 1t,
since ait would take refuge amid IT'S
islands at the first reverse" One would
think that the cause which makes for
its predominance were obvious. Apart
from any question Of national spirit
there is the all-important fact that the
men are there of their own free VIII,
an advantage which | trust that we
shall never be compelled 20 surrender.
Again, the men are OF longer service IN
every arm, and they have far more
opportunities of actual fighting than
come to any other force. Finally they
are divided into regiments with CEN
turtles of military giories streaming
from their banners, which carry on a
mighty tradition. The very words the
, Guards, the Rifles. the Connaught
Rangers, the Bluffs, the Scots Greys; the
Gcrdons. sound like bugle calls. How
could an army be ANYTHING but dan
gerous which had such units in Its
line of battle ?"