The Jones County news., 1918-10-17
CHAPTER VII.


tUc NaiecfS (O0ltCctCc OF Fi-tCFy.
About twelve years ago | attended
the German military maneuvers at
Liegnitz, in Silesia, having been in
vited by some journalistic friends of
mine to accompany them in the motor
allowed the press. The military repre-
sentatives of England, France, Amer
lea and other countries were there
with the kaiser's stan to witness the
display of Germany's military power.
Apparently they were very much inn
pressed, for | heard afterwards that
one of the French officers who had
been present had written a book in
which he said: "With such an army,
Germany could annex France in six
months !"
| happened to mention this fact to
the kaiser shortly afterwards and his
significant comment was:
six months / should hope so. It
wouldn't take that long"
The confident belief that when 'Der
Tag'-"the day'-finally arrived. Ger
many would crush her enemies and ac-
complish her object within a few
months at the outside was held not
only by the kaiser but by the people
| generally and their conduct when the
war broke out clearly disclosed it.
When Germany's man power was
mobilized, no one in Germany believed
it would be very long before they
would all be back and every effort was
made to make their few weeks of ac-
tive service as little irksome as pos
sible. 'Liebesgaben," gifts of love,
consisting of clothing and food of
every description, were forwarded to
them by their relatives and friends in
the most lavish manner, although, of
course, at that time the German COM
missary was able to satisfy all the sol
dicrs' requirements.
One of my patients told me that she
had sent seventeen hundred pounds of
sausages to one regiment within a
week, and when | asked her why she
had been so generous she replied that
| her chauffeur was a member of the
regiment
The extent to which the country's s
resources were squandared In those
early months Is evidenced by the fact
that the soldiers had such an excess
of ilI-fitting wooden wearing apparel
that they used many Of the knitted ar
ticles as earpieces and covers for their
horses. No one had the slightest idea
that the time might come when the
whole nation would be clothed in pa
| per
AT this late day 1t can hardly be
necessary to establish how thoroughly
| prepared the Germans were for the
war, but an Incident which occurred In
the early days of the conflict may not
be out of place to show the self-satis-
fed and confident attitude which all
the Germans assumed.
Two officers sitting at table in an
out-of-door cafe shortly after the war
began overheard one of several ladies'
| who were passing remark: Look at
those officers sitting there drinking.
| Why are they not at the front fight
ing?' C7e of the officers got up and,
approaching the ladies, said: "Our
work was completed months ago. We
worked from early morning till late at
night on plans which our armies are
now carrying out. 1t Is our time to
rest"
The resistance that France would be
able to put up was always very lightly
England was at all taken into consid-
GRAFTON. the comparatively small army
she could place in the field was re-
garded as but drop in the bucket COM
pared with the well-trained German
horde that was ready to sweep across
the border. How could England's 10000
men cope with Won Kluck's 100000 or
the hastily mobilized French armies re
sist the thoroughly prepared, equipped
and well-disciplined German warriors
1t is really not to be wondered at
that the Germans firmly believed that
they would bring the allies to their
knees within a comparatively few
weeks and that the conquering Ger.
man armies would celebrate Sedan
day, September 2, In Paris. What ac
tually happened Is, of course, too wei
known here to require recital, but
know that the Germans were kept IL
absolute ignorance of the marvelou:
resistance the allies were able to pu
up in those critical days of August ant
September, 1914, and to this day tbs
majority of Germans have not hearC
of the battle of the Msrnel
Just after the English passed theil
conscription law | was called to ses
the kaiser at the great army headquar
ters, which at that time were at Pless
Although the war had then lasted two
or three times as long as the Germans
had expected, the kaiser masked ths
: depression he must have felt by put
ting on bold front.
How foolish for England to star
conscription now," he declared. @Sh'
thinks she can accomplish in a few
months what it has taken Germany I
hundred years to attain. Armies ans
officers cannot be developed oyer night
We have never stopped preparing sinc'
: the days of Frederick the Greati"
'Yes, your majesty, but the North
: crn states in our Civil war put In con
scription two years after the begin
\