The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-09-06

"ui, oul III inClutut WHICH OCCuTTeu III
the early days OF the conflict may not
be out of place to show the self-satis-
fled and confident attitude which all
the Germans assumed.
Two officers sitting ut n table in an
out-of-door cafe shortly after the war
began overheard one CT several ladies
who were passing remark: Look at
those officers sitting there drinking.
Why are they not at the front fight
ingr One of the officers got up and,
approaching the ladies', said: "Our
work was completed months ago. We
worked from early morning till late at
night on plans which our armies are
now carrying out. 1t Is our time to
rest"
The resistance that France would be
able to put up was always very lightly
estimated. and If the Intervention of
England was at all taken into consid-
GRAFTON, the comparatively small army
she could place In the field was re-
garded as but drop in the bucket COM
pared with the well-trained German
horde that was ready to sweep across
the border. How could England's $4,000
men cope with Won Kluck's 100000 or
the hastily mobilized French armies re-
sist the thoroughly prepared. equipped
and well-disciplined German wurriors7
1t Is really not to be wondered at
that the Germans firmly believed that
they would bring the allies to their
knees within comparatively few
weeks and that the conquering Ger
man armies would celebrate Sedan
day, September 2, In Paris. What ac-
tually happened Is, OF course, too we'll
known here to require recital, but
know that the Germans were kept in
absolute ignorance OF the marvellous
resistance the allies were able to put
up In those critical days of August and
September, 1914, and to this day the
majority OF Germans have not heard
of the battle OF the Marnel
Just after the English passed their
conscriptiOn law / was called to see
the kaiser ut the great army headQuar-
tcrs, which at that time We're at PleSS.
Although the war had then lasted two
or three times us long rs the Germans
had expected, the kaiser masked the
depression he m1St have felt by put
ting IN hold front.
"IIOw foolish for England to start
conscription now" he declared. "She
thinks she can accomplish IT. few
months what Il has taken Germany n
hundred years to attain. Armies and
officers carnot he developed over night.
We have rcvcr stopped preparing since
the days Of Frederick the Grcat!"
''Yes, your majesty, but the North
ern states in our Civil war put in con-
scrintinn two years after the begin
ming of the war" | suggested.
But just look how long your war
lasted" the kaiser replied quickly
This war won't last that long. The
allies will feel what the power of Ger
many is long before English conscrip
tion can avail them anything"
AND while England is slowly build.
ing ~ her insignificant army" the
kaiser went on, "Shc will see Americn'S
navy and merchant marine conStantiy
growing and the dollar replacing tn,
pound r.S the unit OF the worlds
finance. No. Davis, England will soon
=" sick VI the war and will look with
'l'''' SIO"lllE power
The French army, too, was generally
belittled and the Russians were be-
neved To be absolutely negligible. The
French army was so poorly equipped
1t was pointed out, that the officers
had To go To the field In patent-lcather
boots, and on the Russian front, only
the ffrst-line men had guns, the others
being armed with clubs
Eventually, officers and soldiers re-
turning from the western front on fur
Tough or passing through the country
en- route from one front to the other
brought the report of the defeat before
Paris. Soldiers who participated in
that disastrous retreat wrote from the
new trenches to their friends and rel
ntives telling of the terrible expert.
ences they had undergone, when they
went for days with nothing to eat but
raw potatoes and turnips which they
picked from the fields.
When these reports finally spread
through Germany the people began to
realize that their generals IN the west
were not meeting with the same success
that Won Hindcnburg had had in the
east and Won Hindenburg became the
idol Of the people Immediately, II fact
that was very distasteful to the high
command.
The kaiser's dislike Of Won linden
burg was of long standing. He had
never forgiven that general for the mis-
take he made during military maneuv-
ers In peace time when by brilliant
stroke of strategy he had succeeded in
capturing the kaiser's forces, including
the kaiser and his whole staffl