never again-第2节

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Britishers　have　just　done　their　fighting　in　their　own　nonchalant
way　〃because　they　had　to〃　　with　scarcely　a　shadow　of　malice　or
revenge　　rather　with　that　respect　for　a　doughty　opponent　which
always　distinguishes　the　true　fighter。

Think　of　that　quaint　story　（Between　The　Lines；　by　Boyd　Cable；　pp　188　ff）
of　the　German　Burschen　in　their　trenches；　singing　with　pious　enthusiasm
the　Song　of　Hate　（probably　commanded　and　compelled；　poor　devils；　to　sing　it）
and　our　men　for　days　secretly　listening；　learning　the　words；　practicing
the　tune　on　their　muffled；　mouth…organs；　till　having　got　it　all
complete　they　one　morning；　burst　it　forth　in　full　chorus　on　the
astonished　Teutons；　nor　failed　at　the　end　to　blaze　out
〃Gott　strafe　England〃　at　the　top　of；　their　voices　as　if　they　really
meant　it　　and　then　subsided　into　a　roar　of　laughter。　　They　simply　would
not　take　the　German　〃Hate〃　seriously。

Well；　what　can　an　enemy　do　with　such　an　army？　It　would　seem　indeed
to　be　invincible。


The　other　surprising　thing　about　this　Army　is　（but　it　is　also　in
part　true　of　the　Russians　and　others）　that　the　members　of　it　not
only　bear　so　little　malice　in　their　heart　of　hearts　against　the
enemy；　but　that　all　the　time　they　（or　nine…tenths　of　them）　are　giving
their　life…blood；　for　a　Country　which　in　hardly　any　available　or
adequate　sense　can　really　be　said　to　belong　to　them。

Not　one　man　of　ours　in　ten；　probably　not　one　in　a　hundred；　has　any
direct　rights　or　interest　in　his　native　soil；　and　the　Motherland
has　too　often　（at　any　rate　in　the　past）　turned　out　a　stepmother
who　disowned　him　later　when　crippled　in　her　service。

He　is　told　that　he　is　fighting　for　his　country；　but　he　finds　that
his　real　privilege　is　to　die　at　the　foot　of　a　Trespass…board　on　some
rich　man's　estate；　singing　bravely　to　the　last　that　〃Britons　never；
never　shall　be　slaves！〃　　He　is　told　that　he　is　defending　his　hearth
and　his　home；　and　to　prove　that　that　is　so；　he　is　sent　out　on　a
far　campaign　to　further　some　dubious　scheme　　in　Mesopotamia！　I　think
we　cannot　refuse　to　say　that　the　good　temper　and　they　single…heartedness
and　the　single　mindedness　of　the　British　soldier　are　beyond　all
praise。


But；　in　another　way；　how　admirable　and　how　great　has　the　French
soldier　proved　himself　to　be！

The　passion　of　Patriotism；　the　sheer　love　of　their　own　country
（in　the　case　of　the　French；　more　truly　〃their　own〃　than　in　the
case　of　the　British）　has　swept　through　France　in　a　wave　of　devotion
which　consumed　in　its　flame；　one　may　almost　say；　the　energies　and
the　treasures　of　every　household。　To　protect　their　beautiful　land；
their　divine　mistress；　from　violation　by　the　German　hordes　was　a
thing　for　which　all　men　　artists；　literary　men　and　all　　were　glad
to　die。

When　at　Meaux　the　French　army　（reorganized　and　reinforced）　broke
through　the　German　centre　and　fell　upon　Von　Kluck's　left　flank
（his　right　being　already　threatened　by　the　French　Sixth　Army）；
they　were　surely　not　men　who　fought；　but　spirits　rather　　many　of
them　almost　ghosts；　white　with　the　fatigues　and　privations　of　a
long　retreat；　but　to　save　their　beloved　Paris　they　faced　the　enemy
with　a　fury　that　nothing　could　resist。

A　miracle　was　wrought　（talk　of　Angels　at　Mons；　it　was　Devils　at　Meaux）；
and　Germany　in　that　moment　was　defeated　　even　though　it　took　two
years　more　to　make　her　acknowledge　her　defeat。

Think　of　Lieutenant　Pericard　who　in　a　trench　full　of　corpses　at
Bois…brule　cried；　suddenly　entranced；　in　a　loud　voice；　〃Debout　les　morts！〃
and　in　a　moment；　as　it　were；　the　souls　of　their　dead　comrades　were
around　his　men；　inspiring　them　to　victory。

When　again　at　Verdun　week　after　week　and　month　after　month　the　French
army　endured　tine　almost　hourly　mass…attacks　of　the　enemy　battalions
and　the　deluge　of　their　shells　（eight　million　shells；　it　is　estimated
the　Germans　threw　in　ten　weeks）；　it　still；　though　heavily　punished；
stood　solid；　and　the　whole　of　France　stood　solid　behind　it。　　France
never　doubted　the　conclusion；　and　the　conclusion　was　never　doubtful。


We　have　spoken　of　‘glory；'　but　the　day　of　‘　la　gloire　'　has　departed。
France　herself　has　ceased　to　speak　of　it　　and　there　can　be　no　better
proof　than　that；　of　the　change　that　has　come　over　the　minds　of　men　。

France　has　emerged　from　the　War　a　changed　nation。　　The　people　who
in　1870　made　ribald　verses　and　sang　cynical　songs　over　the　plight
of　their　country　are　now　no　more；　and　France　emerges　serious；　resolute；
to　the　great　work　which　she　has　before　her　　of　building　the　great
first　Democratic　State　of　Europe　and　becoming　the　corner…stone　of
the　future　European　Confederation。


And　what　shall　we　say　of　the　German　army？　（In　the　moment　and　merely
for　the　sake　of　brevity　I　leave　the　Belgians；　Russians；　Italians
and　Serbians　aside。）

When　I　think　of　the　great　German　army　now　scattered　over　Europe；
fighting　along　that　immense　line　（including　the　Austrian　portion）
of　some　1；400　miles　in　extent；　when　I　think　of　this　on　the　whole　so
wonderfully　goodhearted；　genial；　sociable　people；　these　regiments
of　Westphalians；　Wurtemburgers；　Saxons；　Bavarians；　Hungarians；　these
men　and　boys　from　the　fields　and　farms　of　Posen　and　Pomerania；　the
forests　of　Thuringia；　the　vineyards　of　the　Rhine　or　the　vegetable
gardens　of　the　Palatinate；　these　students　from　the　Universities
and　scholars　from　the　Technical　Schools；　plunged　in　this　insane　War；
fighting　in　very　truth　for　they　know　not　what；　and　pouring　out　their
life…blood；　like　water　in　obedience　to　the　long…prepared　schemes
of　their　rulers　　I　am　seized　with　an　immense　pity。

They　have　been　told　they　are　fighting　to　save　their　Fatherland。
And　as　far　as　our　argument　is　concerned　it　does　not　matter　how
falsely　they　have　been　instructed　or　what　grain　of　actual　truth
there　may　be　in　the　contention。

The　point　is　that　the　vast　majority　of　them　believe　this　to　be
true；　and　they　too；　dear　children；　are　giving　their　lives　for　their
hearths　and　homes　　they　too　are　leading　this　hateful　existence　in
trenches　and　mines；　called　to　it　by　what　seems　to　them　a　good
conscience；　and　carried　onward　（in　company　with　those　they　have
left　at　home）　in　the　mad　millrace　of　public　opinion。


However　we　may；　blame　the　German　High　Command　　and　certainly　we　must
blame　those　in　power；　who　over　such　a　long　period　deliberately
prepared　this　war；　and　at　the　last　so　suddenly　launched　it　upon
Europe。

However　we　may　blame　the　German　High　Command；　we　cannot　refuse
to　acknowledge　the　really　great　qualities　of　their　general　Army：
its　extraordinary　courage　and　devotion；　its　versatility　and　resource。

As　to　its　goodheartedness；　that　is　proved　by　the　endless　stories
of　spontaneous　friendliness　shown　by　the　German　troops　even　to
their　enemies；　the　individual　rapprochements　on　occasions；　the
succour　to　the　wounded；　the　Christmas　songs　and　celebrations；　and
by　the　fact　of　advances　of　this　kind　so　often　coming　first　from
the　German　side。

As　to　its　good　sense；　that　element　certainly　has　not　been　wanting。
Among　the　stories'　above…mentioned　as　coming　from　the　Front　is　one
which　I　have　every　reason　to　believe　is　true。　The　Saxons　one　day；
in　their　trenches　thirty　or　forty　yards　away；　put　up　a　blackboard
on　which　was　written：　〃The　English　are　fools！〃　　The　board　was
of　course　peppered　with　bullets；　and　went　drown。　　Presently　it
reappeared　with　〃The　French　are　fools！〃　written　on　it。　Being
duly　peppered　again　it　went　down；　and　came　up　with　〃The　Russians
are　fools！〃　　Same　treatment。　But　when　it；　or　a　similar　board；
appeared　for　the　fourth　time；　lo！　the　inscription　was　〃The　Austrians
are　fools！〃；　and　when　it　appeared　for　the　fifth　time；　〃The
Germans　are　fools！〃；　and　the　sixth　time；　〃We　are　all　fools！〃

I　don't　think　there　could　be　much　better　sense　than　that。


And　to　think　that　the　insane　policy　of　a　Government　or　Governments
should　bring　about　the　wholesale　slaughter　of　such　mien　as　all
these　that　I　have　described。

To　think　that　the　longer　such　a　war　goes　on；　the　less　heroic　and
generous　it　becomes；　and　the　more　dominated　by　hatred　and　revenge　　by
the　wish　to　score　a　military　victory　or　the　desire　to　secure　mere
political　and　commercial　advantages。

To　think　that　nations　who　consider　themselves　civilized　should　be
thus　acting：　so　contrary　to　the　natural　laws　and　instincts　of
humanity　that　often　in　order　for　a　bayonet　charge　men　must　be　primed
with　liquor　to　the　verge　of　intoxication　。

We　need　not　go　further。

Of　the　three　great　nations　primarily　involved　those　indeed　of
which　we　can　speak　most　confidently；　knowing　them　best　　it　is
intolerable　to　think　they　should　thus　mutilate　and　destroy　each　other。

All　we　can　say　is：　　Never　again　must　this　thing　happen！


When　one　thinks　of　the　whole　dread　Coil　and　Entanglement；　and；
what　it　is　for；　the　mind　reels　in　despair。

When　one　thinks　of　the　marvellous　scientific　ingenuity　and　skill；
directed　in　a　kind　of　diabolic　concentration　on　the　one　purpose
of　slaughter。

Of　the　huge　guns；　the　12。5's；　weighing　40　tons　apiece；　and　boxed
and　rifled　to　the　nicety　of　the　thousandth　part　of　an　inch　（I　have
watched　them　being　made　at　Sheffield）。

Of　the　larger　15　in。　guns；　with　range　of　13　or　14　miles；　so　accurate
that　the　shells　thro