The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-09-06
THE UNBOASTING ENGLISH

and against the most intensively train
ed troops ever sent into action, blind
us to the other "big things" that have
been and are being done in this ire
mendous tournament of the nations.
Even in our appraiscment Of the great
deeds of our allies, we have, naturally,
dwelt chiefly upon the unexpected and
the gloriously bizarre-the Staying OF
the Goliaths by the daring Davids. We
have not stopped to comment on the
solidity of Mont Blanc.
But it is after all on the solidity of
the Mont Blancs that we build. We
all knew the stuff of which Old Eng
land was made, What she has done in
this war-quietly, INCREASINGLY, as in
her wont-has surprised no one who
knew English character, English STAN
ina and English history, Imagina-
tive writers have mentioned various
moments at which the laundering
bully of Berlin lost the war and his
chance to conquer and enslave the
world; but those who take long views
of things and recognize the primal
forces which have shaped the destiny
of nations since the disintegration of
the Roman Empire will agree that the
doom of Germany's despotic ambition
was sealed on the day that Britan's
councillors wheeled tina nation into
line with the forces of freedom.
If the kaiser possessed presence or
had read his history, he must have sh-
ivered-as tradition says we do if
some one steps on our grave-when he
knew for certain that his spies had
lied and that the stubborn, stick-to it,
bulldog British had decided to live or
die with the French. The British
have bad record for an ambitious
despot to face. They brought Philip
of Spain to his knees-they curbed the
power of Louis the Great of France
they graped with the mighty Nap
oleon and never let go.
So they entered upon the task of
| bringing down-to paraphrase Kip
ing-the beast that walked like man.
They were under obligation to send
some eighty thousand soldiers to help
the French. The kaiser, measuring
their honor by his own, thought they
would perfunctorily and literally re-
deem this pledge, and let it go at that.
Hence his remark about their Soon
tempitable little army" The fact is
that Great Britain alone has sent on
land and sea a total of six and guar
| ter millions. He empire has added
two and quarter millions more to
thos. Over eight million men in
stead of eighty thousand--one hundred
in place of one. That is the British
way. Wien we send fifteen millions
we will have done as well but not
until then.
| England was no more military
nation than America when war began.
She learned to- fight by fighting-and
dying. We are profting today by her
tragic experiences. Thousands of
American lads will come home to us
live and whole because thousands of
our blood-brothers from the British
Isles have been killed and MANNED
and have taught US how to escape.
Britain made her armies while France
her own navy held the gap, and then
she poured them into France and Flan-
ders by the millions to fight back the
eruption of cave men who threatened
to submerge civilization.
What the English have done in this
war is too recent to need recapitulat-
ion. They gradually took over great
er and greater sections of front. They
first fought defensive actions with all
the logged courage for which the
British are famous-then they Great
ed that early turn in the tide which
finally sent the Germans back to the
Hindenburg line-and beyond. They
rose to the ranks of a full military
partner of France-and there is no
higher rank.
For all this they paid. There is
hardly home in Great Britain that
does not have it's unvisited grave in
France or Belgium-not a street on
which the permanently manned do not
limp to unaccustomed tasks. And the
figures show the percentage of casu-
alties from the mother country ex-
ceeds the percentage from the over
seas dorinions, thus disposing of one
of the vilest, meanest, most dastardly
lies of the whole Satanic German pro-
poganda, which charged that the Br-
itish were putting the colonials in the
forefront of the battle. Lord North
cliffe estimates their killed at 900, 900!
Britain financed the allied nations
: till we came into share the titanic
task. Her industries have clothed
munitioned and supplied them in vari-
Gus vital ways. The Germans say she
: has prolonged the war" By that
;; they mean she has kept up the fight
ing spirit of the allies and supported
their morale. The Briton is dour
fighter and knows no end to struggle
,, save victory or death. He never
fights a limited liability war-he
: goes into it with his whole soul. The
day that British khaki appeared upon
: the battlefelds of France it was de-
: creed that there could be but one of
: two ends to this conflict-the collapse
of the British Empire or the final fail
ure of Germany's dream of world con-
quest.
: But no one, save the German INTEL
, igence Department, has known OF
ever will know half of what Britain
J done. When it comes to self-laudat-
/ ion tho British are poor advertisers
{ the world has ever seen.-Philadel-
: phia Public Ledger.
| story 10 unipU around of an ax.