Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-07-30
. RovIDED the civilians hold out"

II
The phrase came first from the
French, and Barres has made it
the title of one of his books. "Pourvu
que les civiles tiennent.' Later an
other expression was given to the
same idea by. l think. Sir William
Robertson. who answered a question
concerning the war with these words
why do you ask me. who am con-
cerned with only 25 per cent. concern
ing a thing which depends on the 10
per cent.-the people at homer"
From the day ten million Ameri-
cans registered in preparation for
calling-up, the center of gravity shift
ed to the ninety million who did not
register. The disposition of the ten
million is in the hands of the authori-
ties. But the control of the ninety
million is. with due allowance for
children and incompetents, in the
hands of those ninety million. That
at least, has been the experience of
England, and one of the things the
ninety million in America can do is
TO scan the record of the British ci-
villains, to avoid their mistakes and to
take cheer from their successes.
Because. on the whole, it is cheer
ing records. The civilians have held
they have stood the frightful gaff of
three years of war and the signs are
that they have still plenty of staying
power in them. Their lot has been
easier than that of the French, i'm
measurably easier than that of the
Germans But their spirits never
were supple steel. so the French had
all the advantage of residence; and
they were never taught to lie down
and shut up, so the Germans had the
inestimable advantage of training.
And yet the English have held.
Their sense of humor has done it.
q know this is a shocking statement.
but it is true.) At dinner party the
other night heard an officer on leave
remark that when the war ended, ten
years hence. some people would posi-
lively miss it.
Ten years?" queried an old profess
sor, for whom that seemed the allot-
ted span of life. why, my dear fell
low, some of us will just be getting
used to it and know how to live with
it them"
And this man had told me, not an
hour before, of the tragic death of his
son in the flying corps.
The sense of humor is not the thing
which cracks jokes about the war, al
| though there is plenty of that. It is
the sense of proportion which enables
so many hundred thousands to see
that their losses are parts of an awful
and irreparable disaster. They feel
their sorrow quite as poignantly as
If railway accident had snuffed out
the life of a dear one; there is no cal
! lousness to the blight of death. But
no bitterness can enter in, because
people have learned to think of them
selves in their social relations as well
/ as in their personal relations. 1t is
not likely that a mother who loses a
son thinks deeply of 1.-The State; but
it is certain that she thinks of all the
mothers who have lost the sons OF
Britain in the war and. If she is
heartbroken. she is still capable OF
pride.
EnIIsting For n Lark
In the way of joke humor many
things come up. At a tribunal re-
Gently a man was asked why he didn't
join the army. "Whatw he replied
Join the army with this bloody wal
on" That is, of course. an attitude
which many people will appreciate
but it is uncommon. The more usua
sentiment is that of friend of mine
one-time grain merchant who wa.
kept out of the army in spite of vic,
lent efforts to get in, until three
months ago. l saw him just befor,
he went off to France. and he mixed
me a cocktail of British and Ameri.
can slang. like this:
This is the life. en- what old kid
Believe me. I'd never have heard o.
the merry old army IL it hadn't beer
for this ruddy war, and think wha
ia have missed! l tell you, civil lif,
is a washout after this. Cut the stuf
about what we're fighting for. I tel
you. I like it for itself alone"
wished him good luck in France, an
then I thought of something whicl
hadn't occurred to me before. When
ever soldiers and civilians are to
gether the soldiers always wish tn
civies good luck" And the civilians
smile and look bit sheepish.
The civilians need the wishes. be
cause they are not under orders an,
can be as cantankerous as they please
They can grouse" at the government
and at the food controller and critf
size the higher strategy of the wa
because it deprives them of mashe,
potatoes on Friday nights or cut