Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-05

VI NODA1, the anniversary OF tne DaIJle
i of the Marne, is destined to be one OF
the days richest in the worlds memory
Strategists have insisted from the start
that the war was lost to Germany at the
Marne. Gilbert X. Chesterton has
called Marne Day the greatest moment
in the secular history of the world" and
both in Germany and in France the day
is held in reverence.
But 1t remained for an obscure Lon
don Journalist to give to the Marine the
touch of the supernatural without which
1t was not complete. The name of
Arthur Machen is almost unknown in
this country. but 1t is fact that from
late September, 1914. to the following
spring. he shared with Kitchener and
Lloyd George and Joffre and French a
place on the lips of all England. A few
lovers of strange stories had known Of
Mr.. Machen for the two books he wrote
in the fighting nineties, "The House OF
Souls" and "The Mill of Dreams" They
are books meant for the few. And yet,
within two months after the war broke
out Mr.. Machen's name was in the
palace of the King, and he had started a
legend which became as one wrote to
him, the worst atrocity Of the war"
Readers of war news a year ago will
recall that coincidentally with the ami
versary of the Marne there came a flood
OF stories, told by soldiers TO nurses and
orderlies, and all bearing on the same
thing-the appearance of a host Of
angels between the oncoming German
hosts and the staggering British army
which was retreating from Mons. The
stories differed in detail; they agreed in
the essential thing. Soldiers, in this
modern age. had seen angels perform
miracle.
That a miracle had saved the British
on that awful retreat can be said without
fear. But this story OF the angelic host
was little too circumstantial to be taken
all at once. It was not until Mr.. Machen
told the whole truth that the world knew
how that story came to be told.
How "The BOwmen" Was Written
An ardent patriot. Welsh mystic,
medievalist by all his inelinations, Mr..
Machen was terribly impressed by the
story of the retreat from Mons. II seemed
to see," he writes. "a furnace of torment
and death, and in the midst OF the burning
was the British army-in the midst OF
the flame, consumed by it and yet aureoled
in it. scattered like ashes and yet
triumphant, martyred and forever glo-
rlous. SO / saw our men with a shining
about them, so / took these thoughts with
me 10 church, and, l am sorry TO say.
was making up a story in my head while
the deacon was singing the Gospel" In.
directly out OF that story came the tale
he called THE BoWmen."
In a letter to the writer Mr.. Machen
has confessed that The Bowmen" is not
a good story. For S5 years he had writ,
ten masterpieces which no one knew. His
only badly conceived fantasy won him
universal acclaim. The story is simply
that on the retreat the operator of a
machine gun found himself right in the
thickest fire Of the Germans. He called
upon St. George TO help him. Then: The
roar of the battle died down in his ears
to a gentle murmur; instead OF 1t, he says.
he heard great voice and a shout louder
than a thunder peal crying, Array! arrayl
arrayF And as the soldier heard
these voices he saw before him, beyond
the trench. long line Of shapes with a
shining about them They were like men
who drew the bow. and with another
shout their cloud OF arrows few sing.
ing ana tingling toward the German
hosts The bowmen OF England had IL.
turned 70 the neld-
A. M Aachen says, any one uho knew
medieval history ana tie legends q aar.
snF oee WHO knew the story = Castor