Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-07-12
Kitchener's Gigantic Task
.Tredsrioh Palmer in Golfers


When he took office Kitchener found that Ensish9,
by deuudine its Eartisons M home. could lut s.V'o
men on the Continent TO assist France ~ stailns w,
onslaught OF the German millions As lW S
Africa there was single regular Holdler li.aP
when De Wet took the field in rebellion The BRUSH
army was an army for doing the police Worh OF an
empire French chief Of staff once said that u haa
been demoralized ny It's successee IN httle
the regulars we're not equal the task IN any little
war thon volunteers called for. as IN Inc cass
Of south Africa SECULAR and the volunteer u te
Anslo-saxon system In Germany and France Where
practically every able-bodsed Of all classes serves
his two and three years. there Is Pentifu mater'al
In the ranks fill gaps caused by DEAN ainohs
officers is difficult to make an officer OUT OF
Tommy Atkins the British regular private he Is
private nv training and nature with occasional ex-
eeptons And all that Kitchener hsd to start with 70
making army OF millions was this nucleus 'nls
regular army
As a soldier Kitchener believed in CONSUMPTION
What he would have preferred, in his knowledge Ok
the gravity OF the situation would have been to have
every able-boded and all the resources OF Great
Britain PLACED under bis command BAIT the BRUSH
public would have shouted down any suggestion OF
CONSUMPTION last August when the puhic shibooleth
was stin business Usual Mr. Asquith's own
followers liberals and radicals and Iaoorites'
would have been loudest in the chorus With volun-
teers the empire had been Therefore this wss
the right way An Englishman thought that man
who offered hinsef 70 fight would fight better than
one who was ordered 10 fight That seemed perfectly
logical untn France and Germany gave TO the world
Their examples OF the utter exaaaon and unity OF
courage to be where every man has to DO ME
part at the call OF his country.
When he knew that he would require 2OOO.cpO,.
perhaps 10000 Kitchener started IN with call Tor
iOo0o Then he asked for second 10000 and ss
soon az he was able 10 for the recruits he set
the mark at 10000 Every recruit vas CIVILIAN
who had to be trained and armed. ARTILLERY engi-
neers signal corpsal had to be created DUB OF inc
raw. Rifle plants. must be built. pfficeTs and drfn
masters trained The South African experience had
not cleared away all the cobwebs OF red tape IN the
war ofcce. Nowhere do those coovebs gather so rap
IDLY as in small regular army which Is I'M
der sharp civilian control always asking Tor audits
and explanations The those for that kind
OF army They did not contemplate force Of millions
Kitchener had TO be architect OF new house; he
had to begin with its foundations while the house OF
Germany, was q completed edifice.
s Meanwhile Sir John French did not want to spare
any of his good officers drill the new army His
was the pressing need OF the moment, He was hang
ing on tooth and nail and amazing the Germans with
how ne did Il. His casualties among officers were
appalling New must be sent out to mi their
places The gaps in shattered regiments had to be
filled with fresh recruits. Before rifles ana guns could
be furnished TO the army, the army In France
must be supplied The westage in rifles as in every
thing else surpassed all calculations That army IN
Flanders was a great mouth eyer hungry for Of
ficers men, munitions and supplies; which had 70 be
put on n train. then steamer, and again on
train. before they reached their destination
There were other calls than from France calls
from all parts Of the empire,s from India, from
Egypt from South Africa. from British East Africa.
and the Persian Gulf expedition, for, more men and
supplies and none could be answered until Paris
. II be across the water. And one man was re-
spopsible for ALA s. OF agel sixty-five.
wherever you you felt the drive oftthe
of dynamic taskmaster at the top!