New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-03
Britain Has Never Lost a War!
o the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Having read your editorial page for
some time. always with interest and general
ly with advantage intellectually. I take the
liberty of pointing out few slight missppre-
tensions in regard to British affairs contained
in your we'll written but enormously cor
ceived editorial of to-day Your statement
that British prestige would suffer throughou.
the Orient on account of the check in Nesc.
potamia would imply that Oriental respect
for Great Britain is based upon belief
that British armies arc inyincible. RI this
were correct the humiliation Of the III -fsted
Gordon expedition at Khartoum would have
been followed by the collapse of British DO
mnion in Africa and the Orient Long before
Gordon's time the Oriental had learned tina.
although a British army might be wiped gu!
to-day the near tomorrow would wit
ness the CLEAN of the British bayonets as her
soldiers marched over the field of their re-
cent disaster to final victory. On its military
side 1T is the persistence of the British En-
pre which counts in the Orient.
But the prestige of Britain in the Orer.
and in Africa rests chiefly on the jus.ncss
and fairness with which she governs the MS
tive races, and this feeling commands the
loyalty Of her Oriental and African citizens
IN the face Of present military checks. The
surrender at kutel-Amara will cause as little
CONSERVATION in India and Egypt AS II has
caused in England or Canada, which is none
at ALL and when the final history OF the great
war Is written the logged stand Of Towns
bend will be numbered among the most glo-
rious feats of the British Empire. which has
often lost battles and occasionally lost cam
pagns, but has never lost a war
You also seem TO forget that primarily
Englands duty toward the Entente Powers
in case OF war was TO take care Of the sea,
while France and Russia attended 20 the
military side of the situation. II il well
within the mark to say that had France and
Russia done their share as efficiently as Brit
ain has hers the war would have been won
months ago.
II there has been military failure on the
Allied front 1t cannot be attributed 20 Crest
Britain, though, without complaint and with
out criticism of her Allies who have done
their best, she will repair that failure. But
you must understand that il takes time 70
build and equip an army, and as Great Brit
ain has been called upon to take hand 10
field where she might have reasonably eS'
pected that her aid would not be required Il
IS not surprising that she is sometimes slos
IN arriving with her army
am Canadian, my near relatives o.
fghting age are in the army. but wish 70
say that If any Canadians think as you sug.
gest they had better take little time ard
count noses and they will find that II Csnad,
had done as well as England, Scotland ana
Wales there would be 100000 Canadians un'
der arms today
Don't expect George to do it all in a war
that Is not directly in defence Of his oSa
interest. he will do all that circumstances
may demand and will fight it out to a fnisn'
but give him reasonable time to DO IN"
which he scarcely expected TO be called upon
to perform. H. b. HETHERINGTON
| New York, May l., 1916. ~