The Washington herald., 1916-06-04
MORALE OF ALLIED TROOPS
PRAISED BY WRITER ON WAR

under the ordeal of bombs, mines and
shells are restored to health. And from
dressing station in a cellar at the
front. under constant shell fire and pro-
tected by the ruins above it of an edihCe
which will be famous after the war for
the unique battle that was fought here,
to elaborately equipped hospital trains,
hospitals at the bases whose comforts
and appliances vie with great institutions
in the worlds capitals. and the ship
which daily takes its cargo of mamcI
humanity back to England. I have in
spected Britain's provision for her sons
, who are wounded.
Maps in brigade and divisional head
quarters showing the trench lines on both
sides, charts in artillery headquarters
showing the positions of concealed bat
teries. and in corps and army headquar-
ters maps on a larger scale with little
flags showing the disposition, at the front
and in reverse, of the British troops,
did not expect to see, but l have seen
them: another proof that an Englishman
shows you nothing or everything. In Off
GERS of all ranks. from the beribbOned
general whose brilliant evacuation of
GallipOh has marked him one of Britain s
greatest soldiers to the subaltern in his
dugOut at the very front. I have found
the same attitude toward the inQuiring
neutral lneTe Is q real desire tnal ne
shall see what they regard as the truth
about the British army, coupled with
anxiety that he shall not feel that they
are trying to use" him, to stuff him
with favorable impressions while conceal
ing the darker side OF the business.
To Be More specInc.
In subsequent articles shall deal. sub
ject to the obviously necessary restric-
tiOns imposed by the staff. with specific
phases of the situation this spring on the
British front. This story. written after
five strenuous days with the armies. con-
Germs itself only with general impress
sions
The most striking of these is the in
corrigible optimism displayed everywhere.
from the high command to the Tommies
in the trenches. This is surprising in
an army which has never achieved a
smashing victory over its enemy, whose
chief glOries have ben won in dogged
defensives, and whose hopes of a big
push" which should shoulder the Ger
mans out OF France have been disappoint-
ed for more than a year. But the feel
ing is undeniably here.
Can we break through EN-" the
famous general repeated when I asked
the question. His words came out with
decisive snap which, accorded with the
angle of his jaw. and reminded me Of
my last interview with Col Roosevelt.
Course We cam Any time. Losses
Course therell be losses. What's an
army for?'
The generals rather dogmatic as
suranCe contrasted with the sweet
reasonableness of the staff officer at
taChed to the intelligence department
with whom l dined that night. 1T is
all question of men with the Boche.
he explained. He's on his last million
now. We know that. | mean that
when he loses another million he won't
have enough left to hold his lines
everywhere. Very soon now he won t
have enough to start any more big
offensives. and then he'll be pretty
sad, for he doesn't like sitting quiet
When the people back home haven't
any real fictitious Victories to muddIe
their heads. they may begin to think
Brother Boche doesn't want them to
think"
Tommy an Optimist.
The Tommy gave me start. I had
clambered some fifty feet below the
ing from a German frst-line trench
wrecked by the British artillery fire
and captured. and when reached
the bottom of what | supposed an
unOCcupied dugout his CHEEKY salute
hailed me out of the darkness. \
short conversation concluded. We can
lick EN- whenever we get to grips. and
the blighters know it. That's what
bucks me up. We know it and we
know as they know as we knows it,
And We don't mind waitin' while were
gettin' more shells and more guns and
more men and they amt"
This subterranean private, who was
quite invisible and will remain to me a
voice and nothing more. voiced the spirit
of the army as I have found it, expressed
everywhere and as confidently. and his
remarks showed one source of the pre-
vailing optimism. the obviously we'll
founded belief in the deterioration of the