New-York tribune., 1914-12-21
Essen to Realize Fate OF
Louvain by Spring,
Says Rorke,
LONDON NOT NERVOUS
is READY FOR WORST
We Know Sunshine Is Near BY
Says British Art Dealer, in
Letter TO Friend.

ITcnCneS arc DEiliE uu6 NApAA4N
DON" says Alfred Rorke, head OF the
old London firm Of John Rorke g. Sons
and a leading English authority on an
tioues, in a letter 20 a friend IN TINS
uity.
This fact is indicative Of the thor
oughness and choerfulness Of the prep
arations Of England for the worst, con-
Gdent that the test is coming.
The letter Is interesting a. showl-g
how the middlc-agcd Londoner views
che war. OF his family three boys are
at the front. Alfred, jr, well Know u
an New York as correspondent OF inc
Central News Of London, Is IN France
as correspoudent and did good news
Oapcr work i'm the turmoil IN MEXICO
MIR Rorke. the granddaughter OF one
Of Welington's officers, rs knitting lor
the boys
ave have all altered here IN Eng
land" he writes. zone hundred years
may have passed since August / lasI'
and, strange 20 say, we are not nun
dred years older, but every one seems
a hundred years younger. Inc ran
Germans thought as degencrates' ouO
YOU remember our dull, toggy' dreaty
November days we'll, you bet they il
never let as get degcncrated.
British Nerve Good.
con tho contrary, our nerves nave
been 90 moulded by our climate thsJ II
six dreadnoughts went down to,mor-
row YOU would hear such remarks a.
NASTY day to-day! They arc build
ing six more up iu Sutherland.
AT this moment we arc contemplat-
ing an invasion. Trenches are beng
dug around London, our streets are IN
almost total darkness, darkness at
night i'm case OF Zeppelin RAIDS; the
hospitals are full Of wounded soldiers
and i'm nearly every house ono enters
tho women are knitting for the men IN
Flanders and on the North Sea.
1T does not appall us. Not a DIV
We know our people are being blown 10
uieccs by Krupp, llOhenzo Tern Co.,
aud that tho Germans might land mere
and burn, shoot and plllage, but ~
would not be awful TO Us, for our ell
mate has prepared US for most things,
including. of course, glorious summer
days Yes, we arc prepared Tor sun
shine; We know it's coming.
"We may be proud and fortunate
that We live i'm the same time as AS
duith and Grey, two great EngIshmen;
LLOYD George the great Nelshmah. ana
Redmond. who at the outbreak of the
war called out i'm the British House
of Commons, Co save England and
WHY? Because deep down m ms soul
he knew Europe had arri'cd at a tragic
crisis, and he knew that. apart from
party politics and dodgcry England
loved fair play, justice and freedom
that there had been bred here the
families of George Washington, Lin
coin and President Wilson can any
sane man conceive such L. being bred
from the Junkcr class Of Prussia
"The Krupp factory at Essen thinks
IL will blow the German language INTO
the mouth OF the world. We'll, let. us
wait until next bring and see Whal
Language is spoken at Essen, and "
the archives of krupp & Co. arc any
more intact then than the archives OF
Louvain University.
oNow. d few words as TO ourselves.
Firstly, Mrs. Rorke, then myself, then
Alfred, then Alex, then Oliver. Mrs
Rorke sits opposite me while ! write
she is knitting for the boys. Mrs
Rorkc, as you know, comes from an
old English ycomau family. she Is
English from the crown OF her head
10 the solcs Of her feet, and as she
sits before me she looks IT.
"Nlysclf. a more mixed breed irish,
Welsh and French; well, what am /
doing? I am special constable; ! so
out into the dark streets at l. O'CLOCK
and remain on duty for four hours.
guarding the electric light mains from
attacks by spies, who might IN INC
event Of a Zeppelin raid blow up tne
main sheds and put out he search
lights. ...zol. uos;-
tiyelv armed carry a loaded trun-
eheon. / have whistle, have a badge
of Office. and, believe me, ! have the
mower we're YOU i'm London TO lock you
M. which OF course l should not do,
YOU being my friend. ] should warn
YOU, that rs all.
"When GO out at night | am indeed
a terrible person. 7 look up TO the sky
for aircraft. ] look up the street for
suspicious character, clutch my
truncheon, and, indeed. for four lonely
hours ] feel a world power. This,
-, is nc in the Great War.
About To BE Shot as Spy.
alfred. after the fall Of Brussels,
went from place 20 place. driven, ! might
say, with all other newspaper men from
one noint 20 another lie has been
captured as a spy, tried, and was about
30 be shot, but at the last moment, in
true melodramatIc manner, note from
the Foreign Office gave him his liberty,
and he has been forced back on Paris
where he has been for the last two
months. Alex has been in the field
since the war broke out and has now
put his papers ln for commi ission as
lieutenant. Oliver rs in the Engineers
and is on the east coast. helping to
plan the trenches in the event Of an in
Vasion.
You will wonder how business is in
these times. ] can only tell you il is
amazing what a lot Of money there is
about Old accounts, which In normal
times we would have difficulty TO col
leet arc paid with tho mere asking.
The feeling rs, everywhere. Keep the
old ship going" Honestly, the impress
sion IS, Arc VIC downhcsrted? mol
Crowd on full sail.
1T Is the biggest storm we have ever
been m. but Jellico is as good As Tir-
pitt, Jotre as good as Kluck. Asouith
and Grey arc better class than the
Kaiser and his Chancellor, and as a
special constable / carry A loaded
truneheon and take few orders dur
ing the day, 20 pay the rent and keep
the nome commisSarist going, both OF
which are az your service should YOU
come and have look at US during the
Great War
81 am indeed mixed up In the great
est crisis IN the history Of mankind and
tf you saw my loaded truncheon YOU
would understand how ropeless is the
cause Of Psn-Gc<manism."
Parcel Mail TO France Again.
According 70 announcement made
LAT night lv pOetuasfer Norg.r