The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-07-27
British Bishop Returns from Visit
to Battleironts; Reports Lamen-
table Lack Of Men and
Munitions
CONSCRIPTION IS
URGED As REMEDY
Spirit Of Troops Amazing But They
Need Rest and Better Equip.
ment to Conqueror Fees
Of England
BY ED. /. KEEN.

i@ohuoh, July ll.-kby mali. THE
only way in which England can hope
to conquer Germany is by conscription
national service as he calls it--says
the Rt Rev. Michael Furse, bishop OF
Pretoria, in letter written just after
his return to London from a months
visit among the British troops in
northern France and Flanders.
He paints a gloomy picture OF tho
present situation. due to the lament.
able lack OF munitions as we'll as men
on the British front. But for the
spirit of the individual soldier he has
only words of praise.
It never doubted that the spirit Of
our troops" he says. was as fine as
had been told it was: but / never
realized what this meant until 7 had
lived in 1t and with it. 1t is amazing,
and all the more SO when you realize
that this spirit is there in spite of the
fact that the men who show 1t feel in
their bones that somehow the nation
is not backing them as the nation could
and should. The reason is not fAr To
seek.
'After fighting desperately day and
night for days and weeks. with fright
full losses, the men who are left are
dog tired and need a rest When they
are pulled out to get this rest, and
after three days are sent back into the
firing line again. the only conclusion
they. can draw is that there are not
enough troops available to take their
places
When, night after night and day
after day, men in the trenches know
that for every one hand grenade or
rifle grenade or trench mortar bomb
which they throw at the enemy they
will get back in answer anything from
five to ten. then the conclusion they
draw is also obvious that the
nation does not somehow realize ths
situation, or, If 1t does, has not made
it its business to supply what Is nee
essary.
MAN for man they know that they
have nothing to fear either from Ger
man infantry or cavalry; they have
proved it again and again. But they
know also that it is little short OF mur.
der for nation to ask men, however
full of the right spirit, to face an
enemy amply equipped with big guns
and the right kind Of ammunition un-
less they are at least equipped with
equally effective munitions of war,
There can be only one impression
left on the minds OF men In such a
case, and that is, that somehow or
other the nation does not know the
truth, does not understand, and is not
backing them, for knowing the old
country as they do. they have no doubt
that If Germany can produce these
things we can if we will And yet, in
spite of it all, they carry on. they keev
CHEEKY, they do their best. they die
gaily.
"The fact is that as nation we arc
just gambling on this spirit. We know
it to be there; we recognize it as the
finest thing in the world: we believe
1t is unconquerable. whatever happens.
$50 it is: but it Will not win the
war alone 1t is this spirit, backed BY
guns and high explosives-leg egitimata
munitions Of war-which is going to
smash this enemy Of ours, and nothing
else. Let no one think that we are
going to do it descending to the level
Of the German imperial staff and using
any sort of gas. This talk of reprisals
by gas (perhaps next we shall hear OF
reprisals by poisoning water suppliess)
lis simply another method of chlo-o
forming the nation and binding Ia
eyes to the real issue.
'srnc British soldier might well ask
why should be punished for refusing
| to 90 into the trenches because my pay
is not raised penny an hour. aad th'