Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-03-02

4 daily and nightly for months before opportunity
- came to glimpse the approach of either hawk or
dragon of the Skies the Taube or the Zeppelin How
ever London the rest of England never tired OF
looking UP. is probable that if neither form
flying appeared to drop its explosive
burdens there, the people of England would
have been disappointed.
The attitude of the jewellers cities has been
different the country people from the very
beginning of the war notably toward the visit
ing airshp. When, centuries ago. fear smoe the
heart of the islanders, supposed to smlte IT,
because of the vision Of dread comet in the skies
city people, while scared, also peasurably
The country people, if the old chronicles are
believed, the thing seriously but manifested
in it a most extraordinary but entirely humanlike
interest
History a certain extent has repeated itself IN
England since Zeppelin raids began The superst-
ton of the comet days of course has gone 1t was
cold understandable reality which the people were
facing There has been no hysteria even among the
women of town or country The British matron'
whether she lives Devon in London is pretty hard
to
Zeppelin bombs did damage and took their
toll of life n They took TOLL of courage
1t may not understand it, but the inevitable
conclusion is, after mnglng with the people from
High Barnet Whiechape and beyond both districts
the Engishman, the Engshwoman and the English
child of the age of intelligent appreciation may be
bit disappointed if Zeppelin shall come back to add
to the excitement of life.
The Englishman has been known always FOR his
Engshman keen sense of humor and but little
sense wit. Perhaps both Americans and Frenchmen
are wrong, admitted by many Englishmen
that they quicker to respond to the drawn-out
humor of a Pickwick than they are to the instant
thinking wtticism of their brothers the and
channel. Londoners sort of humor in the long
drawn-out stories of the
coming Zeppelins. Even the scattered tragedies OF
events when the real play did not rob the
situation of it's general character of comedy.
SO far fear is concerned the best proof Of it's
absence is that Londoners heard suspected
that of raid at hand they gathered in
great the places where it known that
anti-aircraft guns emplaced. 1t natural to
suppose authorities had stationed the to
command the approaches to buildings most likely to
be attacked the skies Consequently the assump-
ton was that the skysweeping artillery the
point of danger London men, women and children
close to the vantage places as the author
ties would permit and this they did after several
nightly bomb droppings had proved the probable
sistence of peril
Londoners however, do not up the whole or
ANYTHING like whole the English people 1t is
necessary to go into the country where the yeoman
spirit and where generation through genera
ton have been preserved characteristics of the
people who faced Arnadas peril who rallied to the
standards of Charles o of Cromwell, and who have
kept the home English traditions burn
ing down to the present hour
One Zeppelin went over the county of Kent fol-
lowing of it's trail almost before the huge nghtbrd
had taken its flight eastward the full
knowledge just how the English people Of the old
countryside looked on the visiting raiders viola
of their privacy, their comfort ana thelr lie IN
home and field.
English villages all through the county of Kent were
reused from their sleep of centuries by revehe OF
bursting bombs The natural assumption is that the
Germans aloft, with the bomb in his hand desired
n drop It on a fortified place, a munitions factory
or on some camp where the rallying men of Britain
training themselves for service on the battle line
of their country With the rares exceptions the Yep
pelin attempts the peace and welfare Of England
have been fruitless of damage to military positions
In one Of the beautiful valleys which England
holds is little village called Bearsted in Kent 1t has
been sleeping away since the Saxons set the foun
dation stones of Holy Cross church. upon which the
Normans later laid the stones of superstructure
Zeppelin which had come over the sea at dusk made
inland into Kent 1t dropped a few bombs in town
of considerable and then turned and made its way
over the tenth century hamlet of Bearsted
The nightbrd flew low. The churning of it's wheels
reused the descendants of the who had gone out
under Harold fight the Norman duke at Hastings
Perhaps it was first arousing thing which had
happened there since 1865, and it was WELCOME
reveille. The village green crowded with the
awakened villagers lived about It, They had heard
the explosion of the bombs afar or and suddenly
while they waited they the grating whir of 1e
wheels Of the approaching monster.
Not one of the villagers made back for his house
when that night shadow passed the green. They
expected bombs to drop but they did not move 1t
had them, this thing for which they had been
waiting through the years-a something which would
quicken the of their existence. Alarmed? Not
a bit There they Stood and it may be wondered per-
haps, il there not disappointment because the
flying refused to dignity village villagers
with a dropped message of recognition.
Not far from this little hamlet of Kent a
whose name world known. The Zeppelin passed
and dropped several bombs, of which destroyed
three buildings on short residence street running
back from the main highway. In little less
than block removed old woman thrown
from her bed by the force of the explosion She
of soldier stock, and if she chances
are would have taken matters just as cooy
as did
It's annoying" said this rudely disturbed ma iron
Britain. at is In hour earlier usually get