New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-30
II. G.. WELLS.

crew Win a fdAff Nl'"itf t+ti ~ --'e- 80
with refnements Of cruelty.
And the British muddlel The ma
tons lack Of realization Of what was
upon it and what IL meant for the pres
ent and the future Business as
usual" "Are We downhearted y? TO
below in loud. clear tones, Leave
things 20 Kitchener and 20 depart for
the theatre or the river or on an auto
mobile tour was felt generally at that
time to be the proper conduct Tor
pctriot." The call for volunteers, and
their encouragement by the War Or
fee when volunteer they did. IL was
more than Encouragement, 70 was re-
sentiment. What concern OF the peo-
pies was this war IL was the W ar
Oaices business. And when the voiun-
teers were gathered into camps II was
found that no officers had been trained
10 train them. They had no rifles;
these were 20 come from Japan. Mr..
Britling's son enlisted, and his letters
from camp and later from the front
throw a pitiless light upon the blunder-
ing that preceded and somehow mud
died through 20 efficiency Here IS
detail of trench warfare which, one be
licves. has not hitherto been referred
&C. in print:
The Germans are a quarter Of
mile away az this point, or nearly
quarter Of a mile. When you
snatch a peep az them u is like
parti olored stone wall-Only
the stones are sandbags. The Ger
mans have them black and white.
SO that you cannot tell which are
loOpholes and which are black bags.
Our people haven't been so clever
and the War Offices love Of uni
formity has given Us only white
bags. No doubt 1t looks heater,
but it makes our loopholes plain.
side by side with this preoccupstjon
with the affairs of the nation. Us very
continued existence, there marches MIR.
Britlings personal contact with the
consequences Of war-the moratorium,
the food scare. the stoppage of pay
rrer+ Of dividends on his Investments
abroad. increased taxes. Writing be
comes impossible for him. His earn
ing power is stopped by his doubts, his
forebodinCs by the very rapidlty OF
the development OF affairs. And there
is the case Of Lefty, whose husband ia
reported missing She goes fearless
through the weeks. with the growing
intensity and clarity Of the fd6e fire:
You see. Il he IL dead, then Cru
city s the Law. and some one must
pay me for his death. Some
one must pay me. | shall
wait for six months after the war
and then I shall go of 90 Germany
20 learn my way about there. And
will murder some German. Not
Just a common German, but a Ger
man who belonEs1o the guilty kind
4 sacrifice II ought. for instance,
- 90 Isl aF q
dren of the Crown Prince or some
OF the Bavarian princes. shall
sacrifice them TO Teddy. IL oug.s
not 20 be difficult 20 find people
who can be made directly respon-
sible the people VINO invented the
poison Cas. for instance. and kill
them. or 20 kill people who are dear
10 them or necessary 20 them.
That perhaps Is the only way in
which wars Of this kind will ever
be brought 20 an end. By women
insisting on killing the kind OF peo-
ple who make them. Roofing them
out. By a campaign Of pursuit and
assassination that viii 90 on for
years and years after the war IS
over. Murder Is sucn a
gentle punishment for the crime Of
war. y would De nardly
more than a reproach for what has
happened. railing IKE
snow. Flake by fake. This prince
That statesman. The count
who writes so fercely about war
Whenever man sits and thinks
whether he will make A war or not,
then he will think. too. Of women
women with daggers and bombs Of
a vengeance that viii never tire
nor rest: of cousecrated. patient
women ready 20 start out upon
pilgrimage that will only end with
his death. 10 would go
on year by year Balkan kings,
German princes, chancellors, they
would have schemed for so much
and come just 10 a rattle in the
throat.
Until all the world understood
that women would not stand for
war any more forever.
Mr.. Britlirg's boy is killed somewhere
in France: and Heinrich. the Prussian
.utor Of his Younger children, falls in
tho Ctrpathians. 10 is then that the
vision returns 20 him. lie glimpses re
ligion. the religion OF the ethic OF
Christianitv-he sees the determination
of the rising generation. but he comes
20 believe that IL will not have died IN
vain, that from its agon.es will rise a
saner. a better world.
There is a certain hnality in these
closing chapters which, one feels and
homes, will survive whatever further
denominations the war will bring forth.
Withal Mr. Wells has not lost ms
hurnor; and. If he censures America Tor
her abstinence from this war, his blame
for his own country Is far more severe
and searching. The book is an historical
document, and human document IN