Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-08-13
BRITISH
Officer in the Trenches Gives it Some
thing Of a Jar.

tfS$ W N"S
thing Of a Jar.
The following remarkable letter has
come to the London Chronicle from
the front, presumably written by ar
officer in q Lancashire regiment:
"Sir: I cannot help but start with
abuse, although you r n Of those
in touch with the vast ~anti-conscrip-
ZIONIST mass of British opinion as
your leader puts it. Damn British
opinion, sir; damn the vain, self
complacent English smugness and
, English arrogance. To your vast
mass the idea Of defeat is quite in
conceivable, for are they mo- the boys
Of the bulldog breed, the descendants
Of thousands of heroes, men in a free
country who just won't be slaves the
l%iberators of Belgium and so on ad
nauseum?
$50 colossal is the British arrogance
that our brains and imagination are
swamped. We still seem TO think that
| the Germans have made val to graf
lly uoy 81 SAoS wv AAey
| what fine fellows we really are.
Probably you, too, have never en-
tertained the idea that we are losing
this war. Yet the bald truth remains
! that the Germans are winning on
| points: and we go on talking, talking
about the big push to be delivered
next spring, according to the Times
military correspondent. (Please OBJ
serve hat we have given up the idea
this year-we are still wearing down
the 'baby-killing hunt.O
IF you could see trenches hammer
ed to hell by hundreds Of guns, hours
Of smoke, dust, blood and noise. and
then, go across to take the same t
tered lines, only to be met by a hail
Of bullets, to return leaving your
friends and men lying dead outside,
1t might make you realize what an
enormous advantage lies with the de-
tense. The French have battered for
five weeks-I nave heard it day and
and night-net gain two miles.
The Bubble Of Beating Through.
1.-The bubble Of breaking through
has burst, but we are deaf to hear
the pop
you answer with the German ad-
vance in Russia, and then go into the
financial problem. OF course Ger
many cannot last, Of course she will
be starved in a few months, of course
she a no cotton, no cotton, but n
has some brains and method, and uses
both.
"And we muddle along in u we'll
worn grooves, our party politics, u
newspaper dictatorship. our racing.
our brides in their baths.
"I have been ten months in France
fighting for that-the thought almost
makes me vomit. Don't talk about
the glorious traditions Of our race
Only fools fight for traditions; the
wise man fights for realities and the
future. This long-winded preamble
leads me onto your browning folly
your fear and hatred Of CONSUMPTION.
/ will be quite frank. Had conscrip-
ton passed twelve months since l
should have left England. Now, If
they don't have it, I shall leave the
country-rats have the foresight to
leave certain ships. Circumstances
alter cases, but I fear that they will
never give the Englishman 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
lSiiSh oiCo LILO
lish freedom perishes.
'Those are wornout myths. None Of
us are free, and o know 1t. 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. Will you leave your dear old
principles for a moment and look at
things from another point Of view?
con~scription Means Organization.
I'm a national crisis 1t must be TAX
en- for granted q assume that the ma
ton is virile), that every man and Wo-
IAN is willing to serve the country.
a. other words, every man and woman
Is a volunteer.
IF you deny this hypothesis, you
damn the country and your vast mass
Of British opinions. Probably your
principles will not be shocked by this
statement. Well, then, every man n
woman is willing to serve. To take
must be organized-in a word, con-
scription-that awful bogie word,
which gives some little Liberals and
some Conservatives and some little
Socialists bad dreams.
II know that / am not writing to q
child, but CONSUMPTION does not mean
that every one is a Soldier-it means
that George, who is an engineer, en-
gineers for the state; Tom, who is q
skilled workman, works for the state;
and Harry and Bill, who are fit to fight,
fight and perhaps die for the state.
The state calls her children n
allots to them their task.
What monstrous, wicked, bloody
expressions!
And you must go on unblushingly
with your old voluntary muddle.
George, the engineer, may join the r.
A. M. c.; Tom, the skilled workman,
may fight and Harry n Bill become
politicians and newspaper editors, for
all the country Seems to care.
"Of course, one volunteer is equal to
four pressed e Our copybooks say
so, therefore it must be true.
Anyhow said an English soldier,
I hope / never meet a-German volun-
teer.'
when you think Of the Germans,
their wonderful sell -sacrifices, their
wonderful courage and fortitude and
unanimity, doesn't it make you blush
for your own country"
Weary of Music Hall Sentiments.
Throw away your principles, men,
throw away the timber Of the past and
look things in the fact. Dom blather
ABOUT IOu upHOlulIS the cause VI TIC
just and the bulldog pluck pulling us
through am tired Of pulpit and
music hall sentiments. Realize that
the Germans are a. better and a more
virile race than we are and try to teach
your vast mass Of British opinion to
surpass them at their own game.
Il am an Englishman and the
chances are that / shall never see
another year, but our national senti-
mentality, our conceit, our petty
squabbling, our politics, our lack Of
methods have made Of me one Of the
most ardent pro-Germans in Europe"
II cannot say why l have treated
you to this round of abuse-you are
no worse than others, if anything a
trifle better than that loathsome
N~orthcliffe crowd with their party po-
litical jobbery.
But, you, sir, are blinded by prin-
ciples-which is nearly as bad. Bound
hand and foot by past traditions and
the utterances of statesmen now hap
PLY dead, but unfortunately not for
gotten. Cannot the Daily Chronicle
think for itself, or must it still be
bound by the opinions of say, Glad
stone? Really. ven such a demigod
as he can get out of date.
Gould you but realize how nauseat-