New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-15
MIDDLE CLASS PATRIOTISM
An Englishman Takes Issue with
Will Irwin.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
! Sir: I have before me "The Montreal
Standard" Of April 3, which contains az
article by VIII Irwin purporting to be TAX
en- from your esteemed journal.
In this article VIII Irwin quotes a. Eng
lish journalist as stating that the middle
classes of England are not answering the
call to arms or showing such patriotism as
the aristocratic and lower classes. To this
statement take exception; my own knowl-
edge tells me that such is not the case. One
has only to look into the records of the mid
die class public schools, City Of London, mer-
chant taiors, Watsons and scores OF Others
to see how hopeessly incorrect this is Then
take the banks and insurance Offices in Eng
land, all stated with sons of middle c,as.
people as distinguished from aristocratic)
why, | know instances where banks have
been compelled to refuse permission to mem
bers Of their staff to enlist, so great has
been the rush to the colors by the middle
class young man.
I cannot claim to be Of the aristocratiC
class myself, though my forefathers may
have been, and l can, therefore, give my own
family as an example of what we IRE dol.
We are family of six-two girls and -four
boys. One of the girls is in South Africa
and took up first aid nursing. Il was all
she could do The other girl is on the staff
Of one of the numerous local hospitals, tend
ing the wounded from the front Ny three
brothers are all serving in the army-one in
Egypt, one in India (now en- route to Franco
the third is on the east coast of England
have done the best can, which is to join
the Canadian militia in order to allow others
to go to the front who are better able to do
50 than myself. We are quite an ordinary
middle class family, and, as ar as | can find
out, all my friends are doing as We are.
Second-Who pays the greater part of the
taxes that support our navy? Who paid he
taxes that built the navy? The answer is
the middle classes of England. SO you see
it is quite false and misleading 70 say that
the middle classes are unpatriotic and have
not answered the call to arms.
Thrd-The middle class man is entirely
dependent on his salary for has living, and he
has been accustomed to live in a style rather
different from the lower classes, consequent
ly when the middle class man throws up his
job and enlists he Is inhicting hardship on
all his dependents, and he and they are far
more patriotic in point Of fact than the
lower classes, who do not alter their ode OF
living, and, indeed, in many cases are far
better off than when the wage Garner is in
his regular job.
As for the aristocratic classes, il Is their
privilege TO be the first in the field. and they
can all leave their families without fearing
they will ever be in want, which is not the
case with the middle class man. Therefore,
say, while giving all credit and honor to our
arstocratc families and TO our lower classes
as a whole. the middle classes are doing
have done and will always do their duty to
their country, and are most intensely loyal
and patriotic.
| think the persons who inspired your arti-
Gle must have been confusing the middle
class of the English people with another
class that pretends TO be middle class but Is
not. A MIDDLE CLASS ENGLISHMAN.
Montreal, April 6, 1915.