The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-07-20

writer:
Sir Gilbert Parker is typically Brit
ish, Anglo-Saxon in appearance. IL
YOU want to look deep into the heart
Of the English people, you could not
find a better way of doing so than
pass an hour with this quiet and king
I asked Sir Gilbert about his con-
nection with the British organization
for American publicity. Yes. ne
said, 81 was until few weeks ago IN
control of the organization which had
for its object the laying Of facts con-
nected with the war before the Amer
lean people. Then it was | cut on all
responsibility for the publicity organ
ization, except what was possible by
direct communication with England
that is. a report by myself as to what
the state of opinion was IN TINS coun-
try. And it was easy enough 10 state
what the opinion was, because Hau
heard President Wilson announce the
Punishment of Count Won Bernstoril'
and when that was done, 1t was quite
clear by watching the American press
and knowing the speeches that were
made that it would be very short
time before the United States would
enter the war
Knew England Would Resent 1t.
az believed from the very begin
ming she would, in her own time, and
not in ANYBODY else's, resent the me-
diaeval spirit which was making
Germany attempt to be the controller
and director of the world. From the
beginning | had been greatly opposed
to anything like proselytlng or az
tempting to influence, directly, the
American people.
az knew they could not be driven,
preached to or chided, and that when
thew entered the war it would be tne
result of their own Judgment and not
the result of the exhortation of elo-
ouent or fanatical Britishers. There
were people in England who thought
the policy was a weak one. 1t had,
however. | think, elements of strength.
Blessed is the man that can wait.
DWELL. waited until the overwork
and overstrain broke me down physl-
cally. but heaven was good to me,
because in the day that she saw the
end of my activity there came the
knowledge the United States had en-
tered the war of her own volition and
with her own purposes when no one
can say are in any sense selhsh, ma
terial or grasping.
u. S. Will Spend Billions.
"The United States will spend bill
lions of dollars and probably of thou
sands of lives, perhaps hundreds OF
thousands of lives, in maintaining the
right of peoples and nations in this
war to live their own livesSaccording
TO their own national consciences."
Sir Gilbert paused and then contin'
ued in a very low voice:
"The United States has not ye'
tasted war, this war. We in England
did not know what it was until they
6ropped their airship bombs on schools
and hospitals. When in the rura
areas of England airships murdered
innocent civilians. Germany did The
worst lob for herself that she has ev'
er done in her corrupt national ca
reer. 1t increased our recruiting pc
vond all measure of calculation. We
recruited for our army and navy
more men than were ever recruited by
anv nation in the history of the world
We recruited four million and hall
"The United States is acting witt
great wisdom. She has entered al
once upon selective CONSUMPTION, anc
it is wonderful thing that IN dem
ocratic country like this conscriptlo.r
could be imposed at once. ! DOUBT Il
we could have done it in England three
months sooner than we did.
Should Have Drafted From Start.
at would have been better II VIZ
had had CONSUMPTION from the start
because then we could have done wha
YOU are doing, reserving for war IN
dustrial services such as agriculture
and munition work, skilled workers II
these lines" >,
GLOW do you explain the ease will
which CONSUMPTION has been Launched
in the United States 2"
"You have learned from our expert
ence. The authorities at Washington
were possessed of British facts, which
made it clear to the nation there wa
not time enough to depend on Volun
teer enlistment. If you look at TN
record of your regular army befor'
CONSUMPTION was imposed you see TIL
proof of the pudding.
at is a fact that most democrati
nations are in favor of CONSUMPTION
That was so,in our own empire In tn
case of New Zealand and South Afri
ca and will be so presently in Aus
traIia and Canada. There comes
time always when your volunteer draf
stops, because there is class of mel
who are not what you call towards
but who have not the nerve to become
soldiers. And the remarkable thin
about the CONSUMPTION is that the maj
who lacks the nerve to volunteer
when he is conscripted and enters
regiment and associates with hun
dreds of men concerned for the homo
of the regiment, becomes brave, self
reliant and confident like all the rest
think that every country in the 'worl'
has proved that your conscripted mai
has. generally speaking, all the quail
ties that the volunteer has"
Those Sent Over to Count.
"Do you think the men you nav
r.. lanV