Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-01-26
MORALE WILL
WIN THE War
BY Granville Fortescue of The
VieilantNe.


BY Granville Fortescue of The
Vigilantes.
Major Fortescue left college to join
the Rough Riders at the beginning OF
the Spanish war and was wounded at
in the Philippines and witnessed the
siege of Port Arthur as a military at
tache with the Japanese-army. As a
correspondent Of The London Daily
Telegraph he was with h Belgian,
French. English, Russian IND Turk
thor Of A the Front with Three
Armies Russia. tho Balkans. and
the Dardanelles," n What of the
Dardanelles?"
Morale will win the war. So soon
as our hopeful citizens discover them
to be but of local effect, money. ma,
chine guns acroplanes, submarines,
mustard gas, men, munitions, cannon,
food, ships, sink. me by one. below
cisive factors New tactics, new tech
nique, heralded as certain to over
come the innate strength Of trench
defense, arc tried, only to be quietly
abandoned when some serious mill
tary defect is discovered. The Tanks,
material. lie wrecked in the path of
the Tank cannon. Each new material
element meets its match.
Not that the material elements do
not constitute a vital and valuable
proportion Of wal effort and effect. To
be precise, such elements. constitute
value Of any fighting organization.
Add to the quality n range Of the
soldiers rifle, the worth and wealth.
erproofness of his shoes, the quality
and regularity Of his ration. the
warmth OF his clothes. h protection
nique of his rifle grenade: add to
these the thousand and one articles
furnished from ordnance, quartermas-
ter and commissary stores; include
the results of Liberty Loans. food
and ship building-stiIl rs per cent
of our war value is lacking. This ar
bitrary estimate is not mine it is
borrowed from Napoleon.
Again and again. does the greatest
war expert of them all emphasize the
p~reponderating influence of Morale.
Reducing his many affirmations to
value thus:
Men and material resources Is per
cent.
Morale IS per cent.
What then, is this abstract, Elusive
quality?
Have we as much, or more, or less
of it than the Germans?
Do We rely too much on our I'M
limited natural resources and too lit
tie on our cultivated spiritual re-
sources? Morale is a thing of the soul.
It is the bridal child Of Thinking and
Feeling. 1t grows in doing. 1t is indi-
vidual and collective. 1t is never con-
stant. 1t varies with wind and wealth
err, with fair news and foul. Particu-
larly, is it volatile behind the lines.
weak, it cannot resist the insiduous
attacks on an enemy With a hundred
thousand spies. YES, five hundred
thousand spies whose speech and
crlminally as a surreptitiously launch
ca gas attack. Then, how are we to
strengthen our morale? OF the army
! shall not speak. Morale is the faith
OF the soldier. But you. who read this,
my citizen brother. who cheer as the
the orchestra plays the Star Spang-
ied Banner"-who insist that even
h~eaven-born Boston is part Of the U.
;. and shall do likewise, what is the
true quality of your morale?
Examine your conscience see il
you are ready to max the sacrifices
made by Relgian. English and French
mothers and fathers.
Does your pocket-book nerve
tWlnge, as though racked with sciatica
every time it is touched for a war
.oan OF a Red Cross contribution? If
SO. you need a system of exercises to
strengthen your morale. Are you re-
sentful when meatless and wheatless
days are suggested? What selfish
Schemes to balk Mr.. Hoover's plans
v passed through your mind? Let
no cltzen thlnk the food restrictions
hundred million inhabitants cuts
down the Jumps of sugar he or she
uses in the daily cup Of coffee or tea
ny II for but n day, the national
plane OF morale is raised one degree
Tor tnat day. II we simply think Of the
emergency in terms of Lent, we solve
: the worlds food problem. War IL
!-enten time, a. time of fasting, reso-
: lutions-and prayer.
, Does your morale weaken with the
) cold when the %janitor reports the fur-
t mace out for lack of coal? Would Won
! rather run your thousand dollar cleo
, trlc sign night after night than save
tne coal 80 burnt for munition pla
IT so. remember the front line trench
es are not steam-heated and that shell
shortage means death to the ,ne, IN
those trenches. Yet. these are hut the
minor tests Of morale. Small. indeed.
the spirit that cannot rise ahoyn
them. 1t is when greater So sacrifices are
demanded that the true state of the
1anna soul Will stand revealed.
Wat WIf is the spirit of your giving?
MIS- 40 you lose YOUR husband?
france: Children do you miss Your
latner: Remember the orphans Of
80 each sacrifice on the altar of our
country wounds our soul. Not only
no1aiort, a warm honc and bounteous
meals. must be forcsworn, but with
brave hearts our mothers and wives
must give all that is nea rest and dear
est TO them. And as is the strength
or their spirit In this giving. so is the
strength OF h SOU of the nation.
strength Of soul. And the war will, ba
won~by the nation with the greatest
soul. "'