The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-22
THE CHANCES or DEATH,

pairing to so. We know that is true in
Missoula. for the boys in the army arc
writing home and our citizens have
already begun to say farewells to the
friends and neighbors who are to go
forth to save the rights of liberty that
were won by our ancestors.
Io" many Of these boys will return?
How many will return wounded, in
sane. bereft OF limb, with their faces
shot away by the shells of the Huns?
We know that the wives and mothers
thoughts SO that the last memory Of
the loved ones will be a parting smile.
The pacifists. who were Sinking In the
shades, doing their utmost to prolong
this war. are painting the situation as
black as possible in the hope that they
may, at the last minute, deter some
of the young men from doing their
duty. 1t is with the thought to cheer
the ones at home that we devote space
turn of our boys alive and we'll and
glowing with the thought that they
have done their duty while the con-
scicntious DIRECTORS slept at home.
There is, for instance. a story that
has gone broadcast. that only G3 re-
turned of the 1000 men in that ia
nous Canadian regiment, THE PTin-
cess Pat and all of them wounded.
OF another Canadian regiment 1t Is
said, that every last man was killed or
wounded. 1t is true that The Princess
Pat" regiment in one engagement was
almost wiped out, but it is also true
that the Canadian troops have been in
the hottest zone Of danger in the war.
On the other hand, look at these fig
ures. Canada has furnished 100000
fighting men in Europe. OF these only
"l,o00 have been killed; 1921 have
been taken prisoners and 1885 were
wounded. OF all about 10000 were
permanently disabled. In three years
Of warfare. therefore, the killed were
less than five per cent or at the rate
Of one and two thirds per cent year.
The total casualties. including the
slightly wounded, have been a little
more than IL per cent. There can be no
guess work in this matter for the fig.
urcs were gathered by the experts of
the big insurance companies.
| or all nations engaged in the war,
| France has suffered most. French
losses. according to Commissioner
| Andre Tardieu. in the early battles
| average death rate for men OF army
the losses We're reduced.
Our contemporary. The Kansas City
Star, brings the subject q little closer
| with these words
The man who goes across the At
antc to the war does not risk much
more than the man who stays at home
a soldier actually in this war has one
chance in thirty Of being killed The
average death rate for men of army
| az" in peace times Is one in eighty
three; SO actual war increases il less
| than three times.
The statisticans say that tho Unitct
three years to have one man in twenty
killed. The stories of the trcmendou:
loss of life have been investigated too
and one government has found that i
comes from two sources. German
sympathizcrs keep the false reports il
circulation TO frighten young Ameri
cans away from enlistment. These ar
aided by others who really believ
that the death rate is trcmendousl
large"
We know that the boys who ar., 500
to leave are not thinking of thei
chances. their first thought is fo
r their country and of the service the
, may render. We offer these figures q
5 a. mite of comfort and cheer 70 thos
t LEFT at home. If the total percentae
i | VI ltSStS W lie loI lIAIs
c years is but Is per cent, We ma
= well prophesy that the percentage
s American losses will be very mut
, less. Under the best conditions n
y more than one-halt Of the army TIL
will be gathered in six weeks will
I transported to France before ne
: March. All forecasts as to the tern,
nation Of the war are not much bett
S than guesses, but we have noticed tn
s the critics whose Judgment Is mo
c generally accepted, agree that the "
e cannot last longer than a year. Sin
y is our privilege also to guess. we que
y it that it will not last longer than s
0 months.