Evening star., 1915-07-15
Canadians Better Than British.

them this praise.
Canadians Better Than British.
Better than the British they said.
\ The English soldier is a mild chap,
| brave as any man can be. but deficient
in initiative and short of devil The
Canadian has both. Along with his
| qualities as a savage fighter he has
| caution-or rather an instructive rec
ognition of the thing to do and the
time to do it. regiment of Canadi-
ans will hold a trench as well as any
| British regiment The Canadians will
make more gains and at slighter loss
| than the English organizations do
Wed say they have the "savvy.'
They didn't start off well, these Cana
dians. When they landed in England
| they were disliked by the English off,
call democracy and what English off,
GERS called insubordination. They de-
manded more leave than English SOL
diers did. If it was not given they
spend and they spent it. They lacked
! the ma -and-man attitude of the
lower class Englishman. 1 saw one of
them get an English officer by the ell
bow on the station platform at Sails
bury.
Say, Bill" said he. say. Bill
To be sure, he had a few lanterns
out, but no regular army Atkins could
possibly become inebriated enough to
get an officer by the elbow and say
bill" There is a standard story Of
the sentries at the early camps in
France. A soldier would be discovered
tramping past the post.
Who goes there?' the sentry would
demand.
"Aw," the soldier would answer. with
out slackening his pace. go to thun-
der, you fatheadH' TO which the SEN
try would reply. formally:
Do
But when the Canadian got a chance
to fight he fought circles around
every other man in the field. This
isn't just toot of the American horn.
Americans are regarded by all Euro
peans as low. Dragging, disagreeable
fellows-the Europeans naturally pre-
ferring to do all the Dragging them
selves 1t is a fact that Is admitted
by those who have come in contact
with the men from up north.
Forced to Recognize Canadians.
He insists upon being considered as
on a different plane from our soldier
said an English officer. He came over
here to fight when he didn't have to
when he was in no danger-and he
wants that fact recognized. At first
disliked him. Now I'd rather have a
body of Canadians at my back than any
other men on earth
The French soldier is fighting won
derfully. He is democratic, as are the
Canadians, and as the English and Ger
mans are not. The private soldier who
can win straps is adored by his COM
| rades. 1t is almost impossible for a
private to become an officer in the Ger
man army. 1t is impracticable in the
English army. His caste-bound COM
rades would not respect him. The dis
cipline in the French army is much like
1t is in the Canadian regiments-strict
enough in essentials, but not ironbound.
The Frenchman has plenty Of initiative.
too, and he is at his best with the bay
onet. Like the Canadian. ne is a kill
ing" fighter. 1t wasn't that way at the
beginning of the war.
There is no longer any disguise to the
fact that in the early days some of the
, French regiments broke badly. Joffre
stopped that. One regiment ran away
one day without the loss of man. The
next day they led the charge. Behind
them was an army corps with ba ayonets
fixed.
Joffre Braces the Timid.
Choose where you'll die" Joffre said
to them, sternly. He pointed first at
the army corps behind and then at the
Germans in front. Die here" said he
''or there
That regiment simply swarmed over
che Germans. The Goth of the Line.