Evening star., 1937-11-07

several battleships for Turkey, Greece,
and even Brazil and Chile. Indeed,
Greece had sent to America to pur-
chase two of Uncle Sans ships-and
these were taken from the Newport
News shipyards and sailed overseas
under command of an American
sailor of fortune. former MILDLY at
Annapolis, afterward a newspaper
man in Washington, Admiral Brown
1T was the Germany Army. though.
that had the powers wary. On a
peace-time footing, the Kaisers min
ions, men in the military ranks. num-
oered only per cent of the popula-
ton. In 1912 the men in uniform
numbered some 75,000-out of a pop
ulation of 66,000,000. A special army
law had been passed because of the
Morocco crisis-and France, because
OF Morocco, was not wasting any
time, either, adopting the rule of
three-year service. When the Balkan
troubles were at their height again,
in 1913, the German Army, by virtue
of new law, jumped to strength
of 870,000-and when the boys started
across Belgium, at the opening of the
World War, there were more than
100000 men carrying arnls-40
army corps divided into seven armies,
the grandest military mass formation
the world had ever seen.
Looking back on it, of course, it is
easily seen that the boy who fired the
shot heard round the world might
just as we'll have blown bugle. 1t
was the same thing-the call to arms.
Even little Belgium. that emerged
the hero of nations in the war, sensed
what was coming and. in 1918 adopt
ed a system of universal military
service. 1t was probably a good
thing she did; otherwise 250,o00 men
would never have held against the
terrible onslaught that came their
way.
Russia was not to be left at the
post. Male citizenry went into the
army, at the proper age. for a period
of three and half years. This meant
money, as well as men. Some statis-
tfcians place the cost of militarism in
Europe at an increase of s5OO,OOO,OO0
for the year just before the war.
WHILE the stage was being set for
World War, there was quite lot
of noise among the scene-shifters.
Russia, for instance, had industrial
strife; strikes and the like. The gov
ernment was at loggerheads with the
trades unions. Public utilities were
crippled. The people were in bad
mood.
France was going through the
throes of ministerial disturbance;
which, of course, was nothing new to
France. Yet, it was an internal dis
turbance. There were charges and
counter charges, some having to do
with the army; that there was short
age Of ammunition; that there were
not enough big guns to go round, and
all this sort of stuff.
England had Ireland on her hands;
or, more properly, on her neck. The
home rule bill for Ireland was ter
rible bone of contention. There were
threats Of resistance on the part of
Ulster, and what virtually amounted to
civil war on the Ould Sod. Indeed, it
looked as if the entire British Isles
might have a scrap, all of which
drummed UP latent feelings of hatred;
if ever they had lain dormant. 1t was,
In the language Of diplomacy, a fine
state Of affairs.
Then, out of all the internal COM
bustion, came the boil. 1t came to q
head when Gavnio Prinzip, the Bos-
nian youth, fired the pistol shot into
the Archduke of Austria. Since then,
some 25,000,000 men have gone to
their deaths either directly or indi-
rectly as a result Of. this boys action
and Its consequences"