Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-09-02
BRITISH OFFICER
BITTER AT NATION.
Says Germans Are Winning on
Points While England Talks.
4 PLEA FOR CONSUMPTION.

4 FLEA run GUMSGhIrllUu.
English emusnsss and Arrogance De-
nounesd by Man on the Firing Line.
Asserts Nation Must Forget Tradi.
lions, Awake and Organize 70 Win
the War.
A remarkable letter has come to the
Daily Chronicle from the front, pre-
sumably written by an officer In .
Lancashire regiment It follows:
II cannot help but start with abuse.
although you are only one Of those in
touch with the vast anti-conscript1on-
ist mass Of British opinion - your
leader writer puts It Damn British
opinion, sir! Damn the vain. self COM
placent English smugness and English
arrogance! To your vast mass the
idea Of defeat u quite uncomfortable.
for are they not the boys Of the bull
dog breed, the descendants Of count
less heroes, free men In q free c0un-
try, who Just won't be slaves, the lib
orators Of Belgium And 20 on I'd
nauseam!
$50 colossal 10 British arrogance
that our brains and Imagination are
swamped. We still seem to think that
the Germans have made war 70 graf
lily u, 20 that we may show them
what fine fellows We really are.
Probably you. too. have never en-
tertained the idea that We arc losing
this war. Yet the bald truth remains
that the Germans are winning on
points, and we 60 on talking. talking
about the big push to be delivered
next spring. according to the Times
military correspondent please OBJ
serve that we have given up the idea
this year. We are still wearing down
the baby killing Hun.J
Advantage with Defence.
IF you could see trenches hammer.
ed to hell by hundreds Of guns, hours
of smoke, dust, blood and noise and
then 60 across to take these same bat
tered lines, only to be met by hail Of
bullets, to return. leaving your friends
and men lying dead outside, It might
make you realize what an enormous
advantage lies with the defense.
1.-THE French have battered for ave
weeks-I have heard It day and night
net gain, two miles!
1.-THE bubble Of breaking through has
burst, but we are too deaf to hear the
pop
"You answer with the German ad-
vance In Russia and then go on to the
financial problem. OF course Germany
cannot last; of course she will be
starved in few months; Of course she
has no cotton, no copper. but she has
got brains and method and uses both.
"And we middle along in our well
worn grooves, our party politics. our
newspaper dictatorship, our racing. our
brides in their baths.
II have been ten months In France
fighting for that-the thought almost
makes me vomit.
"Don't talk about the glorious ira
ditions Of our race Only fools fight
for traditions; the wise man fights for
realities and the future.
''This long winded preamble leads me
on to your browning fOlly-your fear
and hatred of CONSUMPTION.
II shall be quite frank. Had con-
scription passed twelve months since
l should have left England. Now, If
they don't have It l shall leave the
country. Rats have the foresight to
leave certain ships.
Calls EngIishmen Fools.
circumstances alter cases, but l
fear that they will never give the Eng
lishman sufficient insight to see what
a fool he really can be.
"And you. in touch with your vast
mass, won't have national service in
the nations cause because all that is
enthusiastically English dies If Eng
lish freedom perishes.'
''Those worn out myths! None of us
is free. and you know it. Smith was
not free to drown his brides. We are
all slaves of the community, and, some
think, of the country in which we live.
evil you leave your dear old princi-
Piles for moment and look at things
from another point Of view?
''In a great national crisis 1t must
be taken for granted Il assume that
the nation is virile) that every man
and women is willing to serve the
country. In other words. every man
and woman Is volunteer.
If you deny this hypothesis you
damn the country and your vast mass
of British opinion
probably your principles Will not
be shocked by this statement. We'll
then. every man and woman Is willing
to serve. To take full advantage or
this willingness 1t must be organized
In a word. CONSUMPTION. that awful
boyle word which gives some little
Liberals and some little CONSERVATIVES
and some little Socialists bad dreams
II know that I am not writing to
child, but CONSUMPTION does not mean
that every one Is a soldier. 1t means
that George who is an engineer. engi-
neers for the state; Tom, who is
skilled workman, works for the state:
and Harry and Bill. who are tit to
fight fight and perhaps die for the
state. The state calls her children and
allots to them their tasks. What mon
strous, wicked, bloody oppression!
"And you must 60 on unblushingly
with your old volunteering middle.
George, the engineer, may join the r
A. NJ. c.: Tom. the skilled workman.
may fight, and the Harrys and Bill
may become politicians and newspaper
editors, for all the country seems to
care.