Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-06-25
tBy Charles Edward Russell.)

tbS Chdfles EDWARD RUSSELL
London. June 25.-Ncxt to the won-
der of France in this war is the Won
der Of Germany-next. but with an
interval and in a different way.
France offers the spectacle of a ma :
tion spiritually exalted By an ideal
and rising to amazing herosm and
sacrifice. Germany is a spectacle of
scientific precision and astute pre-
paration.
The greatest thing in each coun-
try is the people. Germany's provision
deserves all the marveling awe 1t has
aroused. but what do you suppose
it all would, amount to if Germany's $
men in the trenches were not physical
ly I'll for. the huge lahors and ncal-
culabie strain put upon them?
That is the point. Germany has
done all these wonderful things he
cause. first, n generation of her best
planning for them; and, because, sec
ond, her nine million fighting men
have been reared In sufficfency and
the environments Of health.
We have. then. for the final and
greatest lesson Of this war, the per-
feet. unanswerable test of two sys-
TENS Of thought and government pol
icy.
The Test OF Two Systems.
England has stood for one idea in
government and Germany for another.
England has been the worlds con-
spicuous exponent Of individualism.
Germany has stood for the theory
that the interests OF the state tram
scend any individual will or prefer
ence and the state must interfere with
the individuals ways and manners
wherever the welfare or the interests
OF the state so demand.
In England the controlling idea has
been every man for himself; in Ger
many it has been every man for the
state. or something to that effect.
So now we can see exactly how the
two opposing theories, work out in
practice.
Contrast some of the absolute facts
about the two nations without regard
to the causes of the facts. whatever
these may have been.
In England ten months Of war have
passed without the forming of an ade-
quate army nor anything like it.
In Germany an army of overwhelm-
ing strength was under arms and
moving to the frontiers three hours
after the order for mobilization.
In England thousands of recruits
slept in parks or In the streets and
We're fed by private charity or not at
ALL
In Germany every man was from
the first moment properly clad. ade-
quateiy fed and comfortably housed.
In England an appalling percentage
OF those that offered themselves for
enlist ment was rejected because of
physical defects, and another appall-
ing percentage was accepted that
should have been rejected
In Germany the physical detectives
among those summoned to tho Colors
averaged less than five per cent.
Inevitable. Pitllcss Results.
In England the physically able that
porous and we'll to do ella sses. or the
rest. men came from the slums Of
manufa acturing towns. where for two
generations the working populations
had lived in dark. unsanitary and
dismal dwellings. their bellies filed
with unnutritious food and their lungs
with poisoned air. OF these condi-
tions the inevitable and pitiless re-
suits appeared In the dull eyes. stunt
ed forms and listless hearing of the
recruits.
In Germany the perfect physical
condition of the troops excited the ad-
miration Of every person that saw
anything Of the mobilization These
men. obviously. came not from slums
but from wholesome conditions of life.
After ten months Of war the armies
"
ment worth speaking Of. but many
defects. So far as the allies are con-
cerned the eleventh month finds the
brunt of the fighting still falling upon
France. The French still holds a
battle line 5i3 miles long, while the
English have hut 81.
The Germans began at once to win
victories and have continued to win
them ever since except on the French
front. The physical performances and
physical endurance OF the German
army have never heen edual1ed in the
history Of war. The men seemed to
be endowed With superhun1an
strength. Today. With an overwhelm-
ing strength of numbers against Ger
many. it's armies go on cutting to
pieces the greater armies of Russia.
tremendous Odds Against Germany.
How do you suppose Germany is
able to sustain tself against thesc
tremendous odds? Look. for example.
at the populations now arrayed
aEainst it: