davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03

by sacred devotion to some one of
those lads in the trenches whose en-
durance and peril, as we shall see, are
SO strangely handled by our great ex-
pert on war.
For come now to his complaint that
there are so few mourners in the
United Kingdom-such a lamentable
scarcity of widows. Well, / have sell
dom been out of doors in London with
out seeing young war widows, bravely
facing life of bereavement. Possibly
they do not wear quite such deep
mourning, such elaborate crepe, as was
the custom when my mother was thus
left lonely. Customs change. The
early Christians considered it to be out
OF harmony with the faith to wear any
mourning at all when those whom they
loved were taken away for better things
elsewhere.
But l. heard an authoritative state
ment the other day, that of 100000
Canadian soldiers scores Of thousands
have died in this war. In Parliament,
before l sailed, I heard an unofficial
statement of the total British deaths.
which ran into many hundreds of thou
sands. In 1917 alone-just one year
the British casualties were, according
to another we'll informed statement.
900,oOO-a figure which, of course, in
cludes wounded and prisoners. These
figures may be all conjectural cxag-
gerations. But I should have thought
that the daily lists in "The Times"
would have been large enough to sat-
isfy Colonel Repington.
France has, Of course, lost fearfullv
OF her manhood. Representative McCor-
mick has told us, what, indeed, most of
US knew privately, that at the reverse
which cost Nivclle his career no fewer
than 100000 casualties were suffered
by our ally. But was that a matter of
congratulation, whether for a nation.
who must carry on after the war. or
Tor the strategists, who were in part
responsible? Surely not. One Of the
most anxious problems for the Allies
will be the restoration of France when
peace comes. Her manhood will have
been depleted and much of what re.
mains of it will be honorably crippled
America can do much for France in
supplying what is lacking in her
muscle by furnishing her with labor
saving devices-so equipping her in
dustr1es with the latest thing in ma
chinery. But-for the rest-I depre-
cate entirely these comparisons be-
tween Ally and Ally. Debates in the
French Parliament and reports by the
French General Staff offer full and
sufficient explanations of what needs
explanation in the French casualty
lists. No nation in the long annals Of
mankind has lost so many of its sons
as Great Britain has lost in the defence
of the frontiers of another nation
across the seas. And the awful sacri-
flee is going on-stll going on.
The fact is that we have in all
this a rather insidious variant of a
theory advanced in sections of your
press which have not been held con-
spicuous at all times for their devo-
tlon to the Allied cause. 1t has been
argued that Great Britain is nursing
two million men or more within her
islands, and that, therefore, no need
can arise for the dispatch of American
troops to Europe. That, take it,
would be the reason why the casualties
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
BY P. w. Wilson
OF The London Daily Nesrs

r PROPOSE to-day to reply to what
may be pardoned for calling a
- possibly an uninten-
tonal slandcr-upon the good faith
and sincerity Of my country. I make
this reply for two reasons; first. be-
cause it is in New York that the Sian
der has appeared, and, secondly, be-
Cause the subject opens up the whole
question Of man power, food supply,
British determination to win the war
and friendly cooperation between your
nation and mine.
The distinguished gentleman whose
views l shall here challenge is often
quoted in your press and holds a
prominent position as a military critic
co both sides of the Atlantic. He
knows his Job as a journalist and has
to his credit, like others Of us, a full
share of interesting miscalculations.
Colonel Repington has served for fif-
teen years on "The London Times"
For reasons, which. perhaps, need no
furtbr explanation than his latest out
burst, he has recently migrated to an
other Of our newspapers. "Thc Morn
ing Post" where. as he tells US, he
is at last "unmuzzled"
Has Britain Shirked
Military Sacrifice?
Colonel Repington makes two state
menta First, he says that, "put quite
BADLY, the truth is that as regards d.
visions placed in the field Britain has
not pulled her weight in the Allied
host" Secondly, he speaks about "the
comparatively small number Of (Brit-
ish) women whom you see in mourn
ing" This means, ~put quite badly"
that civilians, in Great Britain have
shirked military service, while her SOL
diers, even when they do go to France,
have shirkcd the firing line. Such a
charge would have been serious
thing 70 publish, even in London.
Yet tho motive there might have been
dcfensiblc, Colonel Repington might
have argued that, like Mr.. Lloyd
George, in his famous Grafton at Paris,
he made himself unpleasant ii. order to
stir up his neighbors to heavier sacri-
fees, than, happily, fall to the lot of
military critics. But the words which
have quoted were not intended for
Lodon. They were specially cabled to
your country. Obviously their publica-
ton along Broadway could not inAu-
cnco the slackers in tho comfortable
West End clubs, where great military
critics arc trusted and admired. The
only effect Of such writing in America
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Food and the
Fighting Man

1T Colonel Repington has his desired
comb out, and the comb reaches apri-
culture, we shall have brave regiments.
including your own, with empty can-
teens, which is form Of military STRAIT
egy that seems to require further cx-
animation. Napoleon was, of course,
not colonel, but only "a little corpo-
raI," yet he knew thing or two when
he said that an army fights on its belly.
Napoleon was never the man to talk
airily, as our colonel talks, about "the
bogey Of starvation"
But are all people in England, France
and Italy so fortunately placed? am
afraid not. The mails have brought me
papers and letters which show that the
serious position Of affairs, obvious to
me before set sail at Christmas, has
grown, If anything, worse. The other
day my wife paid four shillings for
rabbit which would have been worth
only few pence before the war. She
bought that rabbit in order to eke out
her shortage Of meat. For 8 pound or
two of beef she stood for a considera
Die time in a queue. Yet we do not be-
long to what is called the working
class. For year there has been no
butter in our house, and in December
margarine began to fail, because the
national factories had not got into full
operation.
sol,
before the war now occupies hours.
and the constant daily worry Of 1.-THE
steady, persistent use Of prices-the
uncertainty-are enough to wear down
the strongest nerve. I am not sur
prIsed that East End women have Wis.,
tied Downing Street in order to tell
Mr.. Lloyd George about it. Some wears
ago women in Paris visited Versailles
in order to tell Louis XVI about IL
About that time there was a creature
called Foulon who talked about "the
bog'e OF starvation" and ggested that
the people might eat grass. He came
to an amusing end.
In due course I shall have to wr;+a
more about this food question. But I
would beg Of your authorities at Wash
lngton to pay no heed to the kind of
information" the stupidity of which
am exposing. Your three European
allies need every cargo that you can
send across. And you cannot send too
quickly.
This brings me to the sagacious
counsel which Colonel Repington offers
to our Prime Minister about labor
Last week wrote at length upon the
great underlying spiritual forces which
are moving the nations as this war pro-
ceeds. There is not a country in the
world where labor is not drifting more
or less rapidly toward the left. need
not mention Russia or the Dual Mon
archy, for there the trend is obvious.
But Germany is now rent by more
militant socialism than she has ever
known since she became an organized
state. Even in your own country
seem to detect straws which show how
the stream is flowing. The Presidents
action in reference to Moneys re-
trial at San Francisco is surely very
and We have the great cf
forts made BY Mr.. Samuel Gompers to
prevent breach between Jewish
union in New York and the America
Federation Of Labor. In your labor
organizations, as in ours, you have
maj jority" and minority" parties
the latter inclined to be "internationa
and even "pacihst-"
Now az I understand the matter. The
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Heroines of
War Industries

But does wheat alone equip an army +?
Is no word due to the millions and
millions Of British girls who may not
indeed be ploughing the soil in every
case, or tilling it like the wife in Mil
let's picture, but who labor not less
honorably in our she'll factories, take
duty on our railroads, perform the
rcughest work in our hospitals, drive
our motor vehicles of every kind, staff
our public departments, sweat and toll
IN our engineering sheds? Delicately
rurtured women have for years been
sacrificing their beauty, the whiteness
Of their hands, their health, their
nerves, on tasks which their ladies'
maids would not have deigned to per-
form before the war. Believe me, it is
little hard that such efforts-the
very utmost Of which nature is cap
able-should be held up as so very
slight q thing by gentleman who, so
far as I know, is not working as these
girls work, in forge, or on the land,
or scrubbing hospital floors, or watch
ing for long spells rapid and dan
gerous machine, or standing in all
weathers on the footboard of motor
bus. Millions of these heroincs arc in
spircd not only by love of country, but
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
lhe Material Problem of Man Pouuer and Food
Supply Met With Courage and Wisdom The
Moral Appetite for Final Victory Still Unabated
Their Bearing On Americas Task in the War

spread che fiction that millions OF able
bodied Englishmen are being withheld
from the service Of our common cause.
spend good deal Of time in your
picture palaces, and have noticed that,
while full, though not too full. Justice
IS done to the doings Of French, Ital-
ian and, Of course, the American
forces, all Of which is right and proper,
the British contribution-r speak only
OK my own observation-does not al
ways appear quite 50 prominently with
the others. Our humdrum contribu-
elon IS, as it were, taken for granted,
or perhaps you have had enough Of
our war films. Anyway, I make no
complaint. We deserve no special
thanks. We have merely done our
duty. We would have been craven
hearted towards if we had done one
whit less.
But what are the facts? In normal
times there are, roughly, ten million
male wage earners in the United King
dom-boys and men, whose ages range
from fifteen to seventy years or over.
one-half Of these males, or very nearly
one-half, volunteered for service of
their own free will. Under conscrip-
tion more than half are now serving
or have done serving, being either
With the colors, or dead, or discharged d
Tor wounds or disease. 1t is quite
true that some four or five million
wage earners remain.
But who are they? First. the lads
under eighteen; second, the grand
fathers over forty-two or forty-three:
third, the medically unfit, and fourth,
lndispensables. What is the use of
building elaborate railroads behind the
lines in France if you paralyze your
railroads in the United Kingdom Are
you to close down your coal mines,
shut up your furnaces, silence your
forges, deplete your reserves of shells
and, finally, dismantle your farms Z?
Germany does not make that mistake.
Colonel Repington tells us that she is
to have 200 divisions on the Western
front Of $4,000 men apiece. Let US
suppose that be is correctly informed.
This is. on his own showing, three
million men--only three million men.
Yet Germany's population is greater
by 90 per cent than that Of the United
Kingdom. 1t exceeds the whole white
population OF the British Empire. And
that empire has raised seven and a half
million men. She must have fully five
million men now serving in her navy
and army.
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Ireland To Be
Won by Justice

Ireland has not yet obtained home
rule, nor will she ever bargain home
rule against conscription. The reason
why home rule is delayed has been the
attitude Of the very Ulster extremists
for whom Colonel Repington reserves
his commendation. Indeed, I 60 fur
ther. What would be said in America,
in the British dominions, and at the
peace conference, whenever that shall
come, if England brought her rifles to
bear on a reluctant squad Of irish
conscripts7 We need Irelsnd's help.
We need it badly. But the only way
to win it is to do justice to Ireland,
without haggling or Interior motive
to do justice because it is Justice
and until justice comes about it is
idle to talk Of conscription.
Besides, Ireland has another value
which Colonel Repington would be the
last man to recognize. She is helping
TO feed England, France and Italy. She
has recently put 100000 acres, or
thereabouts, "under arable." She has
pIoughed up those acres. Is the har-
vest to 60 unreaped? With all the
inducement Of fixed price for corn,
Britain-with eight times Ireland's
population-has not increased her
arabic land, believe, by so much as
the above additional area in the sister
isle. And why? In Britain, as dis
tinct from Ireland, there has been in
sufficient labor on the farms. 1t is
no use offering the cultivatof 60 shil-
lings instead Of so shillings or even
Is shillinss u quarter for his grain if
he cannot be sure Of horses, of me-
chanical appliances all, OF la
bor-during all the months which must
intervene before his outlay returns to
him in not unhandsome profit.
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Child raining at Home
BY Mothers Who Have Been kindergarten Teachers

This Is tho fifteenth Of Of articles prepared under the d
the
aarn Assocoton Each acritten bu ho has her
training INTO practice with her Children she
has learned If find this helpful
out reaching
oil the mothers counry
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Statistics in France

G. B.-France is not poor in large
families. At the beginning Of the war
official statistics established the fol-
lowing data: There were about 12,5OO,-
900 married people. Among these were:
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Explaining Mountains

Another time my boy asked the ques-
,,ion, "How are the mountains made ."
10 explain to HIM I took two apples.
s:ett,nY one i'll tho window and letting
~ sarivel uQ. and baking the other al
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Queries and Answers

ters of credence- gives notice Of his ar
rival to the Minister of Foreign Ar
lars Secretary Of State) of the coun.
try to which he has been accredited.
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
The Call for
More Soldiers

Sir Auckland Geddes is our Director
OF Natlona! Service. Recently he called
for a further 436,oO0 men, not, OF
course, entirely for the army. 1t is a
tremendous demand, but Colonel Rep
ington treats it as If it were mere
tride. Suppose that we did raise the
age limit from forty one years to forty
five. It would deal staggering blow
at our financial credit, for the men
above forty are keeping our revenue
going; but let that pass. Assume that
during war finance can 60 to the devil,
what would the entire five-more ac-
curately Your-years mean? Not very
much. Already the men who entered
the army at the age limit of forty-one
two years ago have reached their forty
third year, so that merely to raise the
limit to forty-five would bring in only
two years drafts, with numerous ex-
cmptions. So far from there being
this surplus Of man power in Great
Britain, say that our military num-
bers have grown to the margin Of
safety, and, according to many people,
have passed it. At this moment we are
having to take men out of the army
and set them to build ships and plough
the land.
Colonel Repington might have spared
his comments on British women. All
honor to the brave French mothers and
sisters who have taken to ploughing
French soil! How they managed is u
miracle, but France has been, to
greater extent than Britain, an agri-
cultural country, possibly because at
her revolution she disposed once for
all Of her landed aristocracy. The
French peasant has been, from the days
Of Joan Of Arc to our own, one of the
noblest figures in Christian civilization
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03

every Irish conscript will demobiiize
a British trained soldier. And who
are the men that are chiefly to blame
for public opinion in 1reland7 Canada
and South Africa and Australia are
loyal enough, because these common
wcalths have home rule.
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
in our ranks are so distressinxlv

in our ranks are so distressinrlv
meagre.
Now, the late Lord Salisbury once
advised US ordinary people to study
large maps before VIC talk about for
eign affairs. Few Americans realize
how near England is to the lines in
Franco and Flanders. In the North Of
London have heard the rcverberation
OF the big field guns across the Chan
mel for hours at time. 1t took me as
long last week to leave my club in New
York; and arrive at my hotel in Wash
1ngton IS it would take reinforcements
stationed somewhere in England to
reach a point Of danger on the lines
somewhere in France. Britain is simply
a base for France, and hundreds Of
thousands Of soldiers constantly pas,
to and fro.
Your notion that your troops and
ours too are stationed in England be-
cause England fears invasion or is
thinking of her own protection in that
regard can be dismissed as q clever
invention Of the enemy. 1t is easier
to feed soldiers in England than across
the channel. There is more accommo-
dation for them. 1t may be that
France herself prefers such an ar
rangoment.
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Britain Pulling Her Weight in the Allies Boat?

would be to disgrace Britain in your
cycs~-to give your mixed population
a handle against us---and to provide
material for pacifist and ro-German
agltators. If Great Britain Ia a pas-
sengcr in the Allied boat, why, in Gods
name. should she be fcd and clothed
and supplied with munitions? She
would not deserve it.
Those Who Make
The Aeroplanes
It so happens that for years have
lived in the very district Of Hendon,
near London, which Colonel Repington
particularly assails. He says that at
6 o'clock in the evening you may see
there any day hundreds of able bodied
young men who ought to be in France
pour homewards from certain works.
1t is the same, he says, all over the
country. But, let Us take this case of
Hendon. There is not a church or
chapel there which has not a roll of
scores-many scores--of men serving.
In my neighborhood there is hardly a
young man to be seen except in khaki
and on leave. What are those manu-.
featuring works? Why di not Colonel
Repington tell you in America that
Hendon is headquarters Of tho aero
plane industry? Does he desire,
by depicting our staff Of highly skilled
mechanics, to blind the eyes Of the
army? In that event he must settle
scores with Lord Rothermere, brother
Of Lord Northcliffe, who, like your
Cabinet, is developing a huge air SER
vice.
Every process at Hendon that a girl
can do is done by girls. But there is no
moro highly technical labor in this
civilization Of ours than tho adjust
mcnt of aeroplanes. A hairbreadth Of
error means life dashed to pieces.
Casualties among pilots are already
terribly severe, and if they are not to
be multiplied, we must reserve the best
of our skilled fingers to deal with this
essential war industry. Indeed, FREE
quent debate on this very matter have
disturbed the serenity Of the House Of
Commons. So far as Hendon is con-
cerned that is the sum and substance
of the whole position.
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
The Facts About
England's Man Power

Let US next consider man power on
broader lines. ! hold no brief for
one Of our writers, Mr.. Lovat Fraser,
but do agree with him when he en-
ters q protest in the columns Of our
"Daily Mail" against military gentle
men Of the Repington school who
New-York tribune., 1918-02-03
Invasion Story an
Enemy Invention

am we'll aware that when the cost
OF the war to US rose to nearly forty
millions Of dollars daily, our Parlia-
ment appointed committee of in
Quiry, which in its report expressed
astonishment at the vast numbers Of
men held by US in readiness for emer-
gencies. 1t will always be matter for
argument whether these reserves have
been eXcessive-a needless burden on
our financial and industrial resources
but against what eventuality were
we holding them? Mile by mile we
were taking over line from the French.
When the Italian army broke, British
troops, with the French, hurried to
the rescue. Our military advisers are
+ convinced that, despite all objection,
they have not over enlisted for the
army. Indeed, they call urgently for
the speedy addition of your gallant re-
inforcements to the Allied lines. And
with the possibility of q long war
staring US in the face, it would indeed
be serious matter if there were not
somewhere among the Allies an ample
balance Of trained manpower to mako
good the wastage which must occur
before your full strength is concen-
trated in Europe.
Colonel Repington thinks that Mr.
Lloyd-George has been dealing in a
weak fashion with Ireland and with
Labor. Let me say word on both
matters. ] declare with confidence that
no English speaking nation will ever
submit to conscripton, except by its
cwn consent. You may bring this
kind Of conpulsion to bear on indi-
viduals within nation. But no Of
ficials. can ever coerce the majority of
nation into bearing arms, where that
majority resists. Whether we like it
or not, that is he position in Ireland.
What is the use of raising 100000
unwilling Nationalist soldiers if it
means garrisoning the country with
100000 other soldiers who are now
employed tt fight the Germans, and
not their fellow subjects in Munster,
Leinstear and Connaught? On balance,
Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1918-01-15
SEVENTH ANNUAL
ROAD SCHOOL
Big Annual Affair to be Held February
4th to 9th Inclusive-Will be Large
ly Devoted to Maintenance Prob
lens.

The seventh annual road school OF
the Wisconsin Highway commission
will be held at Madison on February
4th to 9th inclusive.
The week will be devoted to the
discussion which will help Wiscon-
present interest to road builders.
The commission announces that
1918 will be Road Maintenance year
in Wisconsin, and the program is
very largely devoted to topics and
discussion which will hedlp Wiscon-
sins road builders to save the roads
already built, and to maintain the new
State Trunk Highway system. Even
on construction and administration
days large portion of the discussion
will have to do with maintenance
problems.
Subjects for discussion each day
are fixed as follows:
Monday, Feb. 4th-Retrospect and
Prospect.
Tuesday, Feb. DEMONSTRATION.
Wednesday, Feb. 6th-Administra-
tion.
Thursday, Feb Maintenance.
Friday, Feb. Sth-County Day and
County Maintenance.
Saturday, Feb. 9th-Other Features.
The attendance at the Wisconsin
road school has mounted each year
until 695 were registered at last
years school. This years school is
expected to be even larger, as the war,
the State Trunk Highway and other
new legislation have/brought up es-
pecial problems which all connected
with road work must meet
All who are interested in the adj
vance of the highway movements are
invited and welcomed.