The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1916-04-02

London, March ls.-You have been
told by returning magazine editors
and others that England Is thoroughly
awake at last and that the nation Is
imbued with the spirit Of optimistic
determination. cannot say that
either of these statements Ia correct.
The British people are not yet aware
of the gravity of the situation, though
they are going to be made aware of
II very soon, and their spirit can hest
be described as one of cheerful res
ignation.
They know that Germany cannot
win, but they are not by any means
convinced that a complete and final
victory over the Central Empires Is
possible or that even II it is possible
the present government is capable Of
securing 1t.
On the other hand there is abso-
lutely no disposition to grumble at
any measure the government may
choose to impose upon the people.
Conscription will soon be applied
to the younger unmarried men. 1t
will be accepted without complaint.
Stringent measures are going to be
enforced to compel economy in all
classes. The proposals are received
without resentment
Huge Taxes To Be Levied.
Huge taxes are going to be levied
and the price of commodities will
reach a point that will compel econ
omy, IL what are now unusually high
wages are to support life. But there
is no indication that these measures
or results will either alarm or dis
hearten the nation. however unpala-
T table they may be.
The case was expressed in a very
clear way by Lord Northclifre. witt
whom l had an opportunity of Talk
ing recently.
The war is going TO last a long
time" he said, land II is useless to
talk about when 1t will end. II will
take every soldier that Britain can
put into the field and all her resources
to win. The nation still does not
realize what the war means. Its
commercial life is proceeding as
smoothly as ever. and il IL were not
for the periodical air raids. the peo-
pie would forget in ten days time
that there was a war"
referred to the want of confidence
| in the government that l had heard
expressed on all sides. This was
rather a delicate subject, perhaps. for
good deal of the activity into which
lilt government mas Dttn
from time to time has been compelled
by tho whips and scorpions of the
Northcliffe papers.
His lordship in answer referred to
the incidents of the civil war. Then,
as now, he pointed out, there was a
community (the North, which had
ample warning of what was coming.
but was so completely given over to
commercialism that IL would neither
see nor prepare. And in consequence
the Union underwent exactly the same
unfortunate experience that England
is going through today.
Like In Civil War Days.
Referring to the claims for exemp-
tion of attested men which at the
moment OF writing are commanding
the attention of the newspapers, he
reminded me that one may turn back
to the American newspapers of 1853
and find whole pages that might have
been written of Britain today.
Lord Northcliffe drew my attention
to one encouraging feature of the war
which has not as a matter of fact
been the subject of any great amount
of comment, namely. the enormous &C
Cession of productiveness that the
country has gained by the employ
ment of vast numbers OF women on
work undertaken hitherto only by
men. with the result that in spite of
the great amount OF labor concen-
trated on the output of munitions and
other war work. and the great number
of men taken out of industries for
war service. the industrial energy of
the country has not been impaired or
disIocated in the slightest degree. This
additional productivity will remain
after the war and will be of incalcu-