The sun., 1919-08-31
Has Government by Parlia-
ment and Now Also by
Direct Action.
NATURALIZATION GAINS
Machine Era, With Increased
Production, and Attack on
U. S. Markets at Hand.
By SHAW DESMOND.

Calls come to nations as to indivfd-
uals. The call has come TO America
from Europe, as ! tried to show in
my last preceding article. 1t is the
outstanding fact of the new century.
But If any hefty son of Uncle Sam
thinks that John Bull is taking the
count he is likely to be disagreeably
surprised.
Newspapers that have reached me
from various parts of Europe during
the last few days are lurid with the
British chaos. The lett motiv seems
to be strikes, starvation, and again
strikes.
Uncle Sam, like second Aphrodite,
rises in their columns from the vastly
deep Of black type. There he stands,
, viewing the world, that sleuthy body
a singing mass of nerves-the hawk
eye, acquisitive-the hands, slnewy to
grip Europe.
Yes, Uncle has heard the S o s.
the S o S Of the twentieth century
the call. not so much to world power
as to nsplration-salvation If you
win.
Preventives Run Riot.
world empire, take it, is not what
Uncle is after-but that subtler I'M
measured empire over mems thoughts
The call has come to Uncle.
John Bull. slow to turn over, has
begun to realize that. He takes his
friend Sam as a fact. Before the
war Sam was a fact-an awkward
fact-hut a fact that could be blinked.
After the war, he is a fact that has
to be accepted.
Has the British Empire reached the
end of its tether? Has it played its
part on the stage of the world? Is
1t about TO say good-by to the scene
OF its imperial triumphs?
Let us look at facts. One could
Take a picture of unrelievedS Erebus.
One could regard the future of Brit
ain much as the man who described
metaphysics as two black men in a
dark room looking for a black cat
which isn't there" One could say:
prices are beating wages to it; the
Damociean sword of Direct Action is
hanging over John Bulls comfortable
head; England is divided in her own
house, politically, economically, So
cially. And it would not be untrue.
One could point out that sprest
sign OF national ageing-the sign OF
the preventive. One could show that
the British papers are full of pre-
fentives": preventives against physi-
fal decadence by the institution of
bpen air movements for boys; pre-
kyentives of nerve break and loss of
memory by patent medicine, both
Psychic and physical; preventives Of
revolution by sops to Cerberus; pre-
fentives against waste by substitution
land skimping; preventives OF Ameri-
tcan trade invasion; always preven-
Gives. When the fighting man de-
kpends only upon defence and blocking
The is in the position of Jess Willard
i'm those terrible three rounds against
kDempsey the man eater-he is in the
last stage or he would be
he were not John Bull.
went to Hull a couple of days
oago. Hull lies in England's black
bnorth. on the Humber. If I wanted to
ftake a typical northern town to-day
I would take Hull. Only when said
VIs this Hull?" to an odd Job Irish
fnan jousting with fortune on the sta
zion platform, he replied: "Arrah, It's
hell you name"
Well, there's Hull. stopped at the
best hotel. I was dangerous after
sight hours in a foodless train. Then
they gave me soup as thin as Carey's
goat. Two mouthfuls If salmon. A
chicken wing that - hit was a
crack in the plate outhfuls of
pie. When l asked =. third morsel
of bread the waiter told me "'twasn't
allowed" And they asked SIPS for it.
God forgive them! I don't.
A Dane who had come in by the
Copenhagen boat asked me in his
mother tongue. "Is England starving?"
"I dunno" I replied. II am" Then I
went outside and rummaged fifteen
automatics without hitting one slab of
chocolate to keep me from cannibal-
ism. And that is not story but fact.
Engushman Deceptive.
That is one side. The intelligent
foreigner-all foreigners are of course
Misunderstanding and hearing this
would say. British Empire--good
night" But he would be wrong. The
Englishman, least complex of Euro
peans, Is one OF the most deceptive.
You never know what an Englishman
has to pull out. When he seems all
out, or ''an in" he Is often only be-
ginning. He shows 1t in the twenty
four foot ring. Ware the English
boxer who seems "groggy" Look at
Jimmy Wilde. Ask Pal Moore.
1t was "decadent" England which
stamped an army Of six millions from
the ground IN three years. 1t was the
thin brown line at Mons which turned
million OF Germans-and the fate of
the war. And 1t is. England. war sick.
bloodless, her Industries chaotic, with
India, Egypt and. OF course. Ireland
In the background, who to-day is
forming up under the intensive fire Of
Americas big trade guns. She is try
Ing to develop a central governmental
- control for the empires trade. She
u firing the stereotyped stertorous
'onieial" for the business man. She