The Elk Mountain pilot., 1919-01-16


his sons son. nor many generations to come.
To count out In $40 bills the money spent on
the war would take more than 1OoO years.
Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years oId
might have done 1t by working nights No other
mortal could.
II must not be overlooked that Methuselnh
either In his own time ours, would soon have
run out Of currency. The world does not have
and never will have. In money OF any denomina-
ton. the appalling sum of $22f fyOOOOOO,OOO Some
thing like that Is what the world has spent ON
the that is passing into history. writes Gieh-
don Avine In the New York Tribune.
These figures that outdlstance the compre-
hension of the wisest man that ever lived The
cost Of the war transcends all the monetary CON
ceptions which u fnancier can con1ure up
Nor Is 1t much easier to conceive the toll of life
that the war has taken.
Great Britain alone has lost In the war about
1OOO.OOO men. France has lost perhaps 100000
more. ~ general way these figures mean
something to US, but Illustration may help
visualize these allied dead.
Not more than 100000 persons have marched
In the greatest parade that Fifth avenue has
known. Our preparedness parade. and pos
sibly the Third Liberty loan parade. totaled that
number of marcl,ers. All day long they marched.
and until after sundOwn. We thrilled at the sight
OF these living Americans.
Let us visualize the march of the British dead.
At dnybreak they start down Fifth avenue, 20
abreast Their fallen comrades follow few PAGES
behind. In close marching order. Until sundOwn
these men who have gone west" march down the
avenue. The next day there is similar parade.
and the next. and the next. For ten days the
British dead pass In review.
For II days more the French dead file down
the Avenue of the Allies. Three weeks of march
ing dead men.
The Russians who died fighting for their empire
that was would require the daylight hours of five
weeks more. And for the other brave allied fight
ing we must reserve fortnight Two months
and n half for the allied dead to march pnst 4
given point.
The enemy dead, although definite figures nrc
not available. number about 4SOO.OOO. For them
to pass In review would require than six
weeks
Throughout all the daylight hours of June. July
August and September. then, the CHASTITY process
sion would continue. II Is appalling picture to
contemplate.
As preliminary punishment for the fugitive
kaiser. for whom no many horrible fates hevc
been suggested. there may be torture available
here. For him to stand at attention throughout
four hot summer months. while the ghosts of
those he sent to death pass In constant review
surely. that might infilct mental agony enough 10
appease the most vindictive.
Historians will finally agree that $221 900 OOO,-
OO0-or some such hgure-was spent by the
tiOns Involved. They will eventually place the
toll of dead at 100000 thereabout. They
mny decide that shipping was destroyed to the
value Of $2.OO0.OOOOOO. But never, In computing
the cost Of the war. will they be able to estimate
accurately these Indirect losses:
Physical suffering.
Increased illness.
Increased death rate.
Lowered race vitality.
Decreased birth rate.
Curtailed education.
Moral degradation.
Property destroyed.
Crops and trees devastated
CargOes sunk.
Property damaged by idleness.
Industry crippled by diversion of men,
Production diverted from creative to destructive
purposes.
Business development checked.
Imitation of currency and increased prices.
or these Indirect losses to the invaded territory
which has been redeemed by the allied armies.
United States, says:
1.-The territories which have been under German
occupation for four years We're the wealthiest
part Of France. Their did not exceed 8 per
cent OF the whole country. They paid, however, %
per cent OF the sum total of taxes These
territories, which have been occupied again by us
at the cost of our own blood and the blood of our
allies, now In state of ruin even worse than
had anticipated. The very ground is torn,
overturned. laid waste damaged with shell splin-
ters and for months maybe for years. unfit for
production. The fruit trees have been cut, sawed
down to the level of the ground.
'Of the cities and villages nothing remains but
rNins; 100000 homes have been destroyed. To
build them up again-I referring to the build