Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-29
British Arouse From
Early Apathy and
Face Serious Prob
lens Cheerfully.
BY ED. L. KEEN

LONbON' July Are we down.
hearted? Not'-wlth heavy accent on
the mo"
This is the slogan Of British football
fans in the bleachers (or the English
equivalent thereby when the home team
appears to be getting the worst OF II,
And the more precarious the situation the
heavier the accent.
Since the failure of the Anglo-French
spring offensive in Flanders, the disas-
trous defeats of the Russians, the news
of the unsatisfactory progress Of the bar
danelles campaign, the development OF
the Fisher-Churchlll scandal, the French
Kitchener row, and the disclosures re-
garding Britain's woeful lack of the inn
plements OF warfare, eliminating In the
disruption OF the Cabinet, this attitude of
the bleacherites has become the attitude
of the British public.
And when the British public snys IL is
not downhearted IL means II. Proof of
this lies in the splendid fashion In which
the workingmen of the nation have an
swered the call for industrial reinforce
ments (bear In mind that so per cent. of
the British public consists of working
men, their women and children; also in
the marvellous response to the Prime Min
ister's appeal for an adequate supply OF
silver bullets. Never In the history OF
any nation has popular war loan met
with such success.
APATHY AT FIRST.
For the apathy displayed by the masses
in the first ten months OF the war the
British Government has only itself to
blame. The leaders of the nation made
the mistake of entrusting the entire con-
duct Of the war on land to one man-per-
haps a military genius, but with serious
| limitations on the human side, including
/ N uttar inability fn md Nhn ct,y IL
ian temperament. For seven months the
war was conducted In secret. Through
| the anonymous Eyewitness" the public
was fed with an occasional optimistic but
| colorless story from the front, the bur-
den of which was that everything was 60
ing along splendidly, that the Germans
were losing heart, that they had been
| compelled to put their old men and young
| boys In the firing line--and always convey
| ing the impression that ultimate victory
was foregone conclusion. Not until
March was q single newspaper correspond
ent permitted at the front, and even then
they were not allowed to tell the whole
| truth
No wonder enlistments we're slow. The
| fact that Lord Kitchener was able to
| enroll more than two million volunteers in
this period is sure proof of the latent
spirit of patriotism in the British pub
lic But there was no enthusiasm such
as had been aroused in Germany by the
first-hand stories from the trenches told
by correspondents who were permitted to
go practically wherever they chose and
to write pretty much what they liked.
WoRKMEN BLAMED.
The workingmen of the nation have
been severely criticised for their failure to
appreciate the gravity of the situation
for their strikes, their slackness and their
alleged overindulgence In liquor. The fact
is they did not understand because they
were not told. SO far as they knew vic
tory was assured anyhow, They went
along much the. same as in peace times,
and when they had reason to believe that
their employers were taking advantage OF
them they struck They didn't speed up,
either, because they didn't regard 1t nee
essary or because II was their employers
and not they themselves who would profit.
As to the charge of wholesale drunken
ness. the mere fact that the Government
quickly abandoned its proposed drastic
temperance measure is sufficient answer.
But now 1t is no longer "Kitchener's
war" II is the Empires.
Lloyd George has told not only the
workingmen but tho entire nation the
truth. And the most striking Illustration
| of the British worlflngman's willingness to
help the Empire in its great need Is the
| fact that, although 1t was Lloyd-George
himself who first accused him of slack
ness and drunkenness. the recruiting OF
his new Munitions Army started with an
average enlistment Of 10000 per day.
WILL OBEY
II Industrial conscription should become
desirable, there need be no fear of indus
trial revolution. Said Lord Miner In the
House of Lords the other day: There
is an idea that organized labor win re-
sent being Communicated for the service
OF the state. That is just what 1t will not
resent. If we are ordered TO work for
England, I heard some typical represen-
tatives of the working class opinion say
the other day, we will obey The only
trouble has been that so many working
men have feared that their labor would
not simply be requisitioned for the de-
fense of the country. but exploited for
the benefit of individuals" The govern
ment has guaranteed that there will be
no exploitation, and that guarantee has
been signed by labor's own representative
in the new Cabinet Arthur Henderson,
and by its various leaders In the House OF
Commons.
This spirit OF INSTRUMENTATION is
general in England today The attitude
OF complaceney on the part of the upper
classes and of apathy among the lower
classes has given way TO one OF united
determination.