The Washington herald., 1914-08-16
DROP YARDSICK
|. FOR THE MUSKET
All England, Shopkeeper and
Clerk, Peer and Laborer.
Eager for Enlistment.
WAR WIDELY APPROVED
Crops Harvested. but Price of Lux
uries Begins to Ascend
Rapidly.
WAR WIDELY APPROVED
By HERBERT TEMPLE.


speSial Cabe TO ne Washington Herald.
London, Aug. B.-Shopkeepers of Lon
| don noyx are organizing their clerks into
I fighting forces. Every evening In the
streets OF the business districts may be
seen companies of shop employees,
earnestly drilling TO be soldiers. They
| are getting ready TO change the yardstick
| for a musket and the counter for the
trench. In the big department stores.
where there are many employees, whole
regiments have been organized. In
lesser establishments. companies arc be-
ing formed and where there are small
stores with only q few clerks, two or
three employers are putting their men
together to form q company.
Apparently all Of the clerks are en-
thusiastic over the possibility OF going
to war. They seem to take to the drill
ing with interest, and when they are
being put through their PAGES, the streets
ring with good-natured shouts and
laughter.
This military organization of clerks IS
not haphazard movement. 1t is being
supervised by the government and the
men thus enlisted will form a nth line
Of defense. The companies thus formed
are in addition to the thousands being
recruited for the regular army and the
military organizations in the various
cities.
Eager to Enlist.
From the appearance of the recruiting
stations. It would appear that all male
England is trying to get to the fighting
front Men of all classes and degrees
besiege the Offices. standing half the day
in long lines in the streets, silk-hatted
peers rubbing elbows with grimy labor
ers. The enlistment is preceding at the
rate of thousands a day.
It is an undoubted benefit to the Brit
ish consumer that war was delayed as
long as possible It did not come until
the first sheaves of the home crop were
in stack, while so much wheat land was
ripe for the harvester that a scarcity Of
food could be at least but matter Of
days Had war broken out in June, the
matter Of harvesting the grain would
have been a far more serious problem.
The days when British ports held a
months supply of wheat and ample re-
serve Of feeding stun for stock appear
to be past and trade profits in time Of
peace are now so small that there is now
no longer a margin for carrying charges
for paying for the warehousing.
That -four and wheat have risen even
slightly in price since the war scare be-
came apparent shows what might have
been expected had war come when the
harvest was two months of instead Of
two weeks.
LuxurIes Cut Down.
The first but least important issue Of
the war is that of the British markets
being cut of from certain articles much
in demand. but not absolutely necessary.
Austrian rolls have already disappeared
from the dinner table. and the fine Hun
garian -four, so much In demand for
pastry. has gone up 100 per cent II Is
doubtful II Austria-Hungary will con-
tinue to export -four. for the wheat crop
Of the dual monarchy, even had there
been no war, is very short this year. The
eastern part OF the empire. that nearest
TO the seat of war. will barely be self
supporting.
The hard wheat from Servia, Bulgaria,
and Roumania also will be missing from
England for a time. but, happily. there
is no reason to fear that confectionery
will disappear, for the chief London mil
lers, and those Of other British cities,
are now making excellent pastry -four by
Hungarian processes. no longer the jeal-
ously guarded secret Of the mills OF
Budapest
Servian exports Of silk cocoons, plums,
prunes. cherries and liquors already have
been stopped by the war. but such things
are regarded as luxuries and the British
consumers are doing without them with
out complaint
Meets General Approval.
Through England, the people Of every
class regard the war with one mind.
They approve OF il because they believe
there was no honorable way for Eng
land to stay out of the conflict Not
man but wants to 80 to the front. and
all the people, high and low, are accept
ing the privations OF war. slight as yet
but apt TO become heavy before long
with great good humor and grace.
Perhaps one of the most unexpected
results Of the war was the absolute end
ing of suffragette miltancy. For years
the British public had been accustomed
to the depredations of the wild women
manifested in the smashing of windows,
crusades on Parliament, burning OF
houses, multilation of pictures and ex-
pIosion of bombs. One of the first things
King George did after England declared
war, was to Internationally pardon all
the suffragette prisoners who are in the
various jaiIs for militant offenses.
The militants reciProcated Immediately
by declaring a cessation Of their violent
campaign for the ballot The suffragette
ORGANIZATIONS volunteered to take charge
Of the work Of providing for the needy
women and children, made dependent by
the war and some of them volunteered to
act as nurses at the front.