The Washington herald., 1915-12-06
By JOHN r. BALDERsoN.

London. Nov. 2l.-Ailiions of words
have been written, In the last six
teen months by writer's who sought to
convey to their readers the feeling of
the British public toward the war, but
the best analyst could do no more than
give his own impression OF the hopes
and fears. loves and hates Of the peo-
pie.
More satisfactory than the most bril-
liant Interpretation would be a record
compiled not by a single observer. but
by. the nation itself. l have before me
q chart showing the number OF volun-
teers who Joined the British armies in
Great Britain and Ireland during each
week Of the war excepting the past four
weeks and u few weeks In the first sum-
mer of the struggle.
This chart reflects Enthusiastically the
course of British psychology. When the
government and the newspapers dis
seminated misleading optimism, recruit
ing fell OF. When real or supposed VIC
tories were won, recruiting dwindied.
But when some attack on the women
and children of England on English soil
aroused fiery Indignation through the
country. or when domestic dissensIon and
reverses on the battlefield made victory
seem far of and doubtful, then the men
OF Britain nocked to the colors.
Events .ucn as the bombardment OF
seaside resorts and the death OF wom-
On and children by Zeppelin bombs ex-
ercised greater effect on the minds of
the people than disasters the most mo-
mentous for the allies happening on the
east front. The breaking of the Rus
sian line in Galicia last May. the fall
Of Warsaw. although of measurable
prfa M, 10 all ha allies mi fn
impress the man in the street sufficient
ly to make him break his home ties
and take the Kings shilling
Figures for 1914.
During September. 1914. the average
number OF weekly recruits was 10000,
a point never afterward touched on the
chart. The end Of the retreat from Mons.
the battles of the Marne and the Aisne.
impressed every one: but 1t is curious,
as showing the ineradicabIe dislike of the
Briton to do anything that he thinks isn't
absolutely necessary. that after the bat
tie of Marne recruiting for a short time
slumped badly. THE Kaiser Is on the
run and won't stop until he gets to Ber-
lin; the war will be over In a month or
two: why should enlist?' said at
that time thousands of youths who are
now fighting in all parts Of the world.
1t will be remembered that in October
the stupidity of the censorship and the
suppression of official reports by the
government made Americans as well as
Englishmen believe that Germans were
beaten. Won Kluck's right wing for
weeks was supposed to be in process Of
being turned by Joffre. The result OF this
campaign of lies and sneers against the
Germans in England was that recruiting
slumped badly. From an average OF
10000 men a week in September. the
number of recruits had dropped for the
week ending October q to 5000.
Now We come to the bright side of the
picture. Late in October and through the
first two weeks OF November ragged the
terrible struggles along the User and
around Ypres and Arras. in which the
British and French lines held firm and
by the narrowest of margins prevented
the Germans from breaking through to
the sea. The censors tried to suppress all
knowledge of the gravity of the situation.
but fortunately for their country they did
not succeed. England began to wake up.
and on November the weekly table pre-
pared for Lord Kitchener showed &. On
recruits. on November 9. 5000. and on
November Is. 81. 3.0Oo. But by this time the
German assault had lost its force. Bou-
logne and Calais were safe. German talk
OF an invasion OF England ebbed away.
And rising optimism in England caused
recruiting to fall off 1000 men in a week
and 35.0HD more the next week. so that
November % the return showed 5000 men
Figures for early December were very
unsatisfactory. Then came a boom. The
disaster to the Indian corps at Festu-
bert. when important positions and TO-
roo men were lost. evidently helped the
climb. but the bombardment OF Scar
borough and Whitby by German cruisers
on December is seems to have been the