The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-12
WAR ECHOES


 small number of men contributed by the United Kingdom to the armies of the al- lies has led to misunderstanding of British military strength by those who 1 have not considered the factors in the 1 situation
 l In the first place, all the fighting Brit l ishers Scotchmen and Irishmen who have gone to the front are volunteers. Not one has been drafted. Recruiting is now 1 going on, which will result in raising a second army of 500.00o making 1.lso.00o in all thus far provided for. While more or less ingenious methods are employed in stimulating enlistment, the fact remains that men in the British Isles may stay at home if they please.
 The population of the United Kingdom is about 45.ooo.0oo exceeding that of France by 100000. France. by compulsory mili- tary service, has put into the field per- haps 100000 men, and by extending the age limit she could raise 1.5000Oo more. It is clear, therefore, that if Great Britain should apply the rule of conscription she could raise army of 5,0OO,oO0 men. lf she should use the methods that prevail in Germany. and with equal rigidity, she could raise nearly 6.000,0O0 men.
 The British islands have only begun to turn out their military forces. The gov ernment looks for a long war. and is preparing for enlistments on a large scale, but this far no move has been made to substitute conscription for voluntary en- listment. The war spirit Is strong, in spite of alusions to .slifeless crowds' ut,1 tserat. the British crowds is often misleading, but students of history ought to be aware by this time of the sturdiness and cour- age of the unconditional British troops The reports from France and Belgium amundantly testify to the stubbornness with which the British contest every inch of ground with the Germans; to the dash and audacity of the Scottish troops. horse and foot; to the fiery onslaught of the Irish; and to the skill of all of them with the bayonet.
 It is a grave mistake, therefore to at tribute decay to the military spirit of the United Kingdom. It is a tight little island still, with fighting resources which may yet decide the war in Europe.
 1 Providence Journal August exports of canned beef were 2,sS9067 pounds The | war which is playing havoc with the cot ton crop produces demand for canned beef equal, at least. to the call for wheat
 Beef Is in the ration of all the armies, but Tommy Atkins particularly insists on it. It is absent only from the ulti- mate emergency rations based on choco- late, which is not to be eaten except by permission of the commanding of ficer. While stragglers may have been reduced to the extremity of this ration, the expeditionary force and the French armies have undoubtedly been we'll nour- ished up to this time.
 ] In every British soldiers haversack, in case he should be far from his com pany kitchen at meal time, is substan- tial ration composed of a pound of pre- served meat with salt, sugar, tea and | cheese. The man as well as the gun must be well fed if the plans of the strategists are to be executed properly. 1 Savannah Morning News: There have been few nations in history that have | done, for an ideal There would have been no such wholesale destruction of cities. no such terrible lists of dead and wounded, no such armies of widows and orphans, no such suffering anxiety, dis tress, despair for the Belgians if they had consented to permit the armed Ger man hosts to march through their coun- 1 try to attack France. In the long run they might have lost their Independence, but it is not possible that they would have suffered as much by merely declin- ing to resist the German advance as they have by doing their best to check it.
 They have fought for an ideal | Whether the dual alliance or the allies are right in the main questions of the war there can be no doubt that Belgium l had the right to choose which she would do-whether she would fight or attempt to save her cities and her people by de- clining to fight. If the Belgian people had not chosen, as a people. to make | every sacrifice rather than to permit the violation of their neutrality they would net have followed King Albert as they have done. It might be said of him that, as he saw it, 1t was to his interest to l fight as perhaps the only means of sav- ing his throne. But 1t can be said of the Belgians themselves, the common people that they took up arms for a higher cause.