The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-06-22

months 1000, 900.
At the same time France Ia =
500, 900 in the field. with 1,25O,OOo
absolutely ready to supply Wastase.
The German wastage up to date is
figured at 1000, 900 more than on
January /, or 1900, 600. 1t is esti-
mated that an army must, in order
to be safe, reckon on a total WaStage
casualties and disease of 167,-I
900 per month for each million OF
troops. At this rate an army Will eat
up it's own strength in abOut SIX
1t seems to me that there
has not yet been a proper apprecia-
ton Of the magnitude Of this waste
and of it's bearing upon h conduct
and period of the war.
1t is club gossip in London h a the
failure of a prospective ally of the
Allies to come to the scratch put
awry the plans for taking CONSTANT
nople. VenezelOs, the Grecian Prime
Minister, was in treaty with the AL
lies, it is possible that an actual
gentleman's agreement was cache
The English fleet was to move in CO.
operation with the Greek Army. Then
there was a flare-up, Greece fell un-
der the influence Of the Kaiser, down
went the Ministry, and h British
and French Navy had to go it alone.
AS I have walked around the Lon
don streets since the outbreak of
this terrible war, l nav found myself
applying to each male paSser-by a
| new scale of measurement. l loo at
him to see whether he is a proper
fighting man. Only the men who
| could stand the strain of the trench
, es have value from my revised point
| ~ uiAu, Th0co Uhn orc 1nhoo1fhU
| or overfed or beyond middle g are
just SO much junk.
There is no doubt about it that the
war came just in time to keep Eng
and from going over the edge of
commercialism and luxury. One is
tempted to believe that the Kaiser,
whose religion it was that every mar
should be as hard as nails and ready
to fight at the drop of a hat, had
formed the opinion from what he had
read and what he knew by personal
observation that a big proportion OF
Englishmen were human "~puddings.'
Bernhard pror<bly expressed the
doctrine Of his illustrious chief wher
he put so much emphasis On the big
ness of the British Empire n the
decline in militant manhood Of the
British people. 1t is not unlikely tha'
the German Emperor believed thai
L u oIlu pCoSO II 1Ao>
impaired the fighting power Of Grea
Britain. The action which he tool
on this misjudgment was the mos
colossal of those plumbers ancientl.
described as worse than a crime.
;, Speaking Of the ultimate good eff
, feet Of the war upon England, JerOm
!, K. Jerome is writing some article
for the press, extolling the virtues Q
. the private soldier. He holds that tn
war has wiped out class feeling to
very large extent. Perhaps" say
Jerome, remembering him in tn
= trenches-hOw soaked and sleeples!
facing death and wounds at ever
q minute. we may dismiss that oil
rooted idea of ours, that he 9th
: Tommy in the workshop, behind til
. plough, in the mine, and in the fax
tory is a lazy. greedy, worthle:
. creature. Perhaps we may even /
proud to still work with him upo
- other tasks in the days when peat
has come again and the green h.
covered the trenches, and Tommy h;
found that even the swell was a ma
- and a brother-that the Bond Sire
= nut when the foolish gloss had bee
= rubbed off him by the useful m,
:, and slime, was after all q Christie
- gentleman"
Upon the question OF whether II
establishment Of understanding b
tween classes in the trenches w
- Outlast the war and bring about
new and better democracy in Engla1
~ "a in times of peace, depends the mea
ure of benefit hat England will a
"a crue from tkfs way. There has be
=" an impossible gulf between cla
!; and class in this country, the high
orders are in some respects mu
" more Gracious to the lower than
America. but it is always a matter
'rt grace and never a matter Of rigl
apd therein lies the defect of the En-
~ fish democracy, as well as the cha,
70 Of life here to those who are fortu
T.. ate in eithers money or position
both. The greatness Of any natl
"a. must rest upon the self-respect a
manhood Of the masses, and any s.
&c tenn that puts the brand Of inferior
upon the many will in time make t