The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-07-22
WAR HARDENS
BRITAIN METAL
Hammer Blows Crack Poor Material,
But Harden and Consolidate
the Good
Metal.
LLOYD GEORGES TALK
Hammerings Of 1915 Have Harden
ed Entente Which Is Today
Making Such
Progress.
LLOYD GEORGES TALK

Making Such
Progress.
TBy Ed L. Keen, United Press Stan
Correspondent
| Copyright, 1918, by the United Press1
/ LONDON, July 1.-You will find my
text in the gospel Of war according to
Lloyd-George, 147th speech, 18th para
i graph, Sth sentence:
"Hammer-blows crack and crumble
poor material; hammer-blows harden
and consolidate good metal"
/ Epigrams are often misleading.
Metaphors. even when coined by Brit
ish statesmen, do not always stand
close analysis. But the prime minister
OF England never uttered truer, nor
an apter. phrase.
| Lloyd-GeOrge is somewhat Of con-
noisseur IN hammer work. Not only
/ has he done a good deal of 1t himself
| in the course of his turbulent career,
but he frequently has played the less
+ agreeable role of anvil. His expert
| ence Of the subject runs all the way
| from the tackhammer blows of Ram
+! say Macdonald and Philip Snowden
! to the trip hammer blows OF Luden-
| dorf and Hindenburg. So. any OBJ
seryation he may make as to the eff
fects OF hammering when applied to
certain kinds of material, is worthy
of thoughtful consideration
Many Heavy Blows.
Heavy blows have been borne by
the allies in this fourth year of the
war; the collapse of Russia; the driv-
ing back of the Italian army to the
Venetian plains; the loss of the in
itiatiye on the western front. Cumula-
tive in their effect, these blows might
well have cracked and crumbled baser
material. But what has been the re
suit?
From the Russian debacle grew the
supreme war council. Out of the Ital-
ian reverse came very practical ap-
plication of the principle Of co-ordinat-
ed effort so aptly illustrated in the re-
cent Austrian defeat. From beneath
Ludendorh's gigantic hammer-blow OF
March 81 emerged Foch, generals
simo, And amid the din of succeeding
blows was heard the voice of Pershing,
speaking by order of President VIII
son-"America will be proud to take
part in the greatest battle OF history.
All we have is yours. Dispose of us
as you wish"
Interpreting the Lloydgeorgian
metaphor in it's wider sense-he was
referring especially to the British ma
tion-the hammerings of 1917-1S have
assuredly hardened and consolidated
the entente. As the armies of the
west have been welded and annealed
under the terrific pounding of a num-
erically superior enemy, so has the
popular will : to- victory become
strengthened and toughened.
Prussian Psychology Shocked.
Admittedly designed to enforce
decision before the weight of Ameri-
cas- military power could be applied
effectively, the German super-offen-
sive into which were poured the
hordes of troops released by the Brest-
Litovsk treaty, produced an effect lit
tie expected by its managers Prus-
sian psychology takes small account
of the quality Of seif-sacrifice Doubt !
less Potsdam was as much surprised
at the alacrity and cheerfulness with I
which Sir Douglas Haig acceded to the |,
arrangement whereby he and his |!
armies were made subordinate to the /
command OF a French general, as it |
was at Americas remuneration Of ma. |
tionaI pride in splitting up her forces /
and allowing them to be brigaded /
with the French and British armies
where they might do the most good.
This action of President Wilson's
gave the knockout blow to such lin
gering popular sentiment in Great
Britain against the generalissirio idea
as had not yet been thoroughly ham
mered out by the Germans themselves. |
The British people as whole, have
shown their confidence in the policy
OF unified inter-allied command, so
fought for by Lloyd
George in the face of persistent op-
position on the part of certain military
men who happened to have the sup
nort OF certain amateur strategists of
the press The commonsense-ness of
this policy appealed to the popular
mind. and the dire necessities of the
situation. coupled with Americas
splendid demonstration OF approval
cIiuched the matter.
TWO Kinds Of Hammerine.
There is one marked difference be- /.
tween the kind Of hammering to which
John Bull recently has been subjected :.
In the field and that which he habit !
ually permits at home. The latter is
Whenever there is
sin Fem affair, Robertson affair.
Maurice affair, or any other affair,
bte or little, the EXPEDITION Of which
might throw discredit upon him, he
invites the whole world to the ring