Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-27

/ Huns. For other reasons, also, it
is not yet possible to give an &C
count of the fight waged against
! apathy, inertia. and other OBJ
stacles. which. though merely q rep
etitlon of the history of the strug-
gle for life of every other inven-
ton that has forced its way into
existence for the benefit of con-
sentative and unim9 ginative race,
/ possesses its own Special interest
OF the genesis of the machine. the
need for it, the reasons that sug-
gested the possibility of its con-
struction. and the general role it
was designed TO play, something can
! be written. But no such light can
be thrown on the points of how far
in practice it came up to expecta-
tons, TO what extent and in what
directions it failed to do so, and
what lessons for the future its per-
Torrance has afforded. These are
particulars upon which indiscreet
disclosures might give information
OF the utmost value to an enemy.
who. alert and enteprising enough,
has not had the practical expert
ence which We have bought and
paid for in cash. brains and lives
Novel to the present generation
rs is the tank. the basic principle
underlying tit. e., the provision
of collective protection to troops
attacking, and therefore on the
novels not new. 1t has exerted
its Ainf1uence ever since the time
when engines capable of throwing
large numbers of missiles took their
place in warfare. The present ma
chine is the result of evolution,
through intermediate stages. as
mechanical science has grown. of
old prototypes, such as the Roman
testudo. or tortoise, and the
medieval belfry. used in siege OPP
erations, in which the missile
throwing power of the defense
gradually forced on the attack the
adoption of-some 1orm of mobile
protection. The reason for its pro-
duction is the same making allow
ance for development) as that
which was responsible for the tor
toise of old-the great fire-power
of the defense. of recent years
greatly intensified by the introduce
ton of the machine-gun. The pos
siDility of producing it is due TO the
perfection of the internal-combus-
ton engine, to which also the ordi-
nary automobile, the aeroplane, the
submarine, and the airship owe
their existence.
Ever since the appearance of the
magazine rife the advantage that
would be conferred on the attack
by employing moving armored
shield, fort. or cuDola has indeed
been so obvious that a vague con-
seriousness of it has probably at
some time or other formed the sub
ject of the day-dreams even of
those not directly concerned with
war, but happening to possess some
knowledge of military history and
mechanics and to be blessed with
imagination. Since the introduc-
ton of themachine-gun. and the
more recent appearance of the
armored motor car of the ordinary
wheeled type, the concrete idea of
constructing some such engine has
occurred to the minds of many
more. especially to engineers
IN. Albert Robida. both in his
writings and pictures in La Carl
cature, predicted the use of tanks
in 1SS3.-Strand Magazine, June,
1870
But, as the Bible has it. Better
is the sight of the eyes than the
wandering of the desire" or in
other words, it is one thing to
dream and another TO convert a
dream into actually. And it would,
no doubt, be of human interest to
make some reference to the per-
sOnal element and the share of re-
sponsibility attributable TO individ-
uals for the realization of what has
long been a subject of aspirations
This, however, is neither the time
nor the place to do it. The subject
has already ben rendered contro-
versial by thecontradictory state
ments and the various claims for
the credit of the invention which
which have appeared in the press.
1t will be touched upon here only
on broad lines, the truth being that
several people have been concerned
TO a greater or lesser degree at diff
ferent stages, though the merit of
inventing some of the crucial me-
chanical details can definitely be
ascribed to individuals
Nevertheless, one assertion has
been publicly made by a writer OF
eminence and weight, which must
be refuted. H. G. Wells, vino pro
phesied 10 the world the arrival of
such monster as the tank so long
as l3 years before it appeared, and
who, in his War and the Future"
published in 1917, gives an excel
lent description of the existing ma
chimes, and a most Illuminating
imaginative forecast of its future
evolution, both implies and states
specifically in that book that the
tanks have not come from military
sources but have been thrust upon
the soldiers from without.
This is a sweeping Indictment of
whole class, reiterated Compls
Gently and with apparent satisfac-
ton. but incorrect and presumably
based on ignorance of the facts.
II is true that certain people who
are not soldiers have played a very
large and valuable part in creat-
ing the tank. 1t is also true that
others who are soldiers have not
done so. But the first to appreciate
the necessity for il, 10 urge its pro-
vision, and to insist on the feasibil-
ity of its construction, were. in
fact. soldiers. This point is en-
phasiZeds not because IL is either
remarkabl or praiseworthy on the
part of any men that they should
be the first to realize the need for
an obvious development connected
with their own profession, but but