The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-08-20
(By Frederic William Vile, the Well
Known American JournalistI

(By Frederic William Vile, the Well |
Known American Journalist>
America is ESQ times as far from
the war as England is. 1t is 21 miles
from Dover to Calais, and the dis
lance between New York and Queens
town is 1000 miles. The United
States is also about $50 times more
uhready and unprepared for the stu
pendous demands of great Euro
pean conflict than Britain was. Am
erica as am; with all an Americans
abundant confidence in the "hustling 4
capacities of bis country, I am never
theless staggered by the nultitudi-
nous problems with which we must
come to grips before we can become
an ally in effective deed instead of
merely in word.
we shall not take $50 times as long
to do our "bit',. as it took Britain to-
get into her mighty stride. Britain's.
mistakes alone will preserve us from,
that ignominy. But 1t would be court
ing grievous disappointment to-
imagine that the United States can
throw any really decisive weight in;
To the trembling scales, of the war
before the eclipse of many MONTHS
President. Wilson means what hes said :
the whole force of the nation will
- spent in the cause which has now,
beeome it's own. But in the machine
gun era OF cold efficiency in which the
lacerated universe now has its being,
something more than expressions of
lofty sentiment are required to meet
the grim, Unsuitable needs of war.
Rich, iflimitably resourceful, whole
hAartedly patriotic as America is, her
100, 0O0, 900 OF people have been
plunged into the abyss with their ca
pacities unorgapized to the point OF
chaos. We have to overwhelm an en-
envy in our midst-the dark forces of
apathy and observation-disclosures we
can throw ourselves effectively into
the work OF fighting the natural foe
= Il G i va fhaat i fahSsfisans IRE race
Of many optimistic believers in big
things and in our ability to do them.
The war will put us to the test with
vengeance. hardly know where to
begin even to catalogue our tasks.
When we went to war with Germany,
ON. April 4th, our standing Army was
smaller than Switzerland's. Our Navy
does not contain single battle cruis-
or, and we have only three light cruis-
6f4 WHICH &PQLOACAl ia SRCGtJ 1ASA- Pr =
or the numerous vessels of that indis-
pensable type in the British and Ger
man Navies. We had about SO sub
marines In commission, and 81 under
construction, as compared with the
325 which the Germans are now said
to be using. In only one respects
notable one is the United States
Navy. on a basis approaching modern
1C s<y
some 10 effective units consist to 8
large extent of powerful and swift YES
sells, comparable with-and in one OF
two directions even superior to-the
best British destroyers. 1t is United
States craft Of this type which is now
actively cooperating with the British
Grand Fleet.
Prodigious as our military and nava
effort must be, to lift US from a peace
to a war basis, the political effort
ahead Of us-the popular education o.
the American people as to the mean
ing or war-is mo less Immense. I
means with us, as it means in Britain
NOT. only the ro,ising of a vast demo
cracy from the slumbers Of prosperity
and security, but the awakening of {
democracy .honeycombed with radica
afiiiations Of every European texture
One-fifth of the American people
round1y. is of Germanic extraction.
do not want to be understood as ever
remotely suggesting that 20 per cent
ofthe country 10 "pro-German." 30
more than per cent. at the zenith o
the pre-war German propaganda wa
ever anti-Ally. s's.sst
&I mention the Germanic leavenin
nSere1y to illustrate the FORMIDABLE
astrological problem which require
tR be solved IN welding the Unite
States into nation of war-makers
Z There will be okhers than Jones
Smith and Brown in the American di
yiBfons which are sent to, France
mere will be Schultz and Meyer, an
aM the rest of them. The melting
mt might well supplant the America,
Hagle as the United States fightin
emblem. To set that pot to boilin
i'll the right direction--above all, I
keep 1t from overflowing-is q sdut
AZ urgently incumbent upon US as In
raising of .lesions for field servic
and the commissioning of battl
squadrons at sea.
America has. at any rate, buckle
herself
The question OF efficient and sui
jftcient officers for the commandin
OF the huge hosts America propost
t64raise Is serious, but no more ser
gus than it was in Britain three veal
ago. West Point, while in every re,
pect model "a institution. 10 hopeless
s < pass ass5i ss has s p
On SO magnificent an account of hin
self as an officer in the British arm
also flouKfshes in the United State
From the universities, colleges, ar
preparatory schools which abound
every state in the Union we shall !
able to draw raw material in pra
tica1ly unlimited quantities for IL
creation Of subalterns and officer
They will be, when trained, of pr
&sely the same promising and tsef
fluff as @N lstspifqsi and aatWart la,
Who haK@ShAE khh Ki -cl a1. Ehests "ov
the top in France, F1arfdefS and Ga
Mpoli. American youths are xoutdo
boys Nearly every, one of them ca
tide and shoot All of them are pr
ficient ut one sort Of athletics or al
other. They will take to fighting
naturally as fish to water For
thousand Of them were very quick
1t work in sixteen. o. T. c. camr
Although Americas decision to e.
ter Freedoms. battle for existen
finds her almost markedly unprepare
government and congress a fe
months beforehand in conseuuen