war and the future-第21节

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needs　become　a　spectacle　of　majestic　horror　such　as　no　man　can
yet　conceive。　　It　has　been　wise　of　Mr。　Pennell　therefore；　who　has
recently　been　drawing　his　impressions　of　the　war　upon　stone；　to
make　his　pictures　not　upon　the　battlefield；　but　among　the　huge
industrial　apparatus　that　is　thrusting　behind　and　thrusting　up
through　the　war　of　the　gentlemen　in　spurs。　　He　gives　us　the
splendours　and　immensities　of　forge　and　gun　pit；　furnace　and　mine
shaft。　　He　shows　you　how　great　they　are　and　how　terrible。　　Among
them　go　the　little　figures　of　men；　robbed　of　all　dominance；
robbed　of　all　individual　quality。　　He　leaves　it　for　you　to　draw
the　obvious　conclusion　that　presently；　if　we　cannot　contrive　to
put　an　end　to　war；　blacknessess　like　these；　enormities　and　flares
and　towering　threats；　will　follow　in　the　track　of　the　Tanks　and
come　trampling　over　the　bickering　confusion　of　mankind。

There　is　something　very　striking　in　these　insignificant　and
incidental　men　that　Mr。　Pennell　shows　us。　　Nowhere　does　a　man
dominate　in　all　these　wonderful　pictures。　　You　may　argue　perhaps
that　that　is　untrue　to　the　essential　realities；　all　this　array　of
machine　and　workshop；　all　this　marshalled　power　and　purpose；　has
been　the　creation　of　inventor　and　business　organiser。　　But　are　we
not　a　little　too　free　with　that　word　〃/creation/〃？　　Falstaff
was　a　〃creation〃　perhaps；　or　the　Sistine　sibyls；　there　we　have
indubitably　an　end　conceived　and　sought　and　achieved；　but　did
these　inventors　and　business　organisers　do　more　than　heed　certain
unavoidable　imperatives？　　Seeking　coal　they　were　obliged　to　mine
in　a　certain　way；　seeking　steel　they　had　to　do　this　and　this　and
not　that　and　that；　seeking　profit　they　had　to　obey　the　imperative
of　the　economy。　　So　little　did　they　plan　their　ends　that　most　of
these　manufacturers　speak　with　a　kind　of　astonishment　of　the
deadly　use　to　which　their　works　are　put。　　They　find　themselves
making　the　new　war　as　a　man　might　wake　out　of　some　drugged
condition　to　find　himself　strangling　his　mother。

So　that　Mr。　Pennell's　sketchy　and　transient　human　figures　seem
altogether　right　to　me。　　He　sees　these　forges；　workshops；　cranes
and　the　like；　as　inhuman　and　as　wonderful　as　cliffs　or　great
caves　or　icebergs　or　the　stars。　　They　are　a　new　aspect　of　the
logic　of　physical　necessity　that　made　all　these　older　things；　and
he　seizes　upon　the　majesty　and　beauty　of　their　dimensions　with　an
entire　impartiality。　　And　they　are　as　impartial。　　Through　all
these　lithographs　runs　one　present　motif；　the　motif　of　the
supreme　effort　of　western　civilisation　to　save　itself　and　the
world　from　the　dominance　of　the　reactionary　German　Imperialism　of
modern　science。　　The　pictures　are　arranged　to　shape　out　the　life
of　a　shell；　from　the　mine　to　the　great　gun；　nothing　remains　of
their　history　to　show　except　the　ammunition　dump；　the　gun　in
action　and　the　shell…burst。　　Upon　this　theme　all　these　great
appearances　are　strung　to…day。　　But　to…morrow　they　may　be　strung
upon　some　other　and　nobler　purpose。　　These　gigantic　beings　of
which　the　engineer　is　the　master　and　slave；　are　neither
benevolent　nor　malignant。　　To…day　they　produce　destruction；　they
are　the　slaves　of　the　spur；　to…morrow　we　hope　they　will　bridge
and　carry　and　house　and　help　again。

For　that　peace　we　struggle　against　the　dull　inflexibility　of　the
German　Will…to…Power。


V。　TANKS


1

It　is　the　British　who　have　produced　the　〃land　ironclad〃　since　I
returned　from　France；　and　used　it　apparently　with　very　good
effect。　　I　felt　no　little　chagrin　at　not　seeing　them　there；
because　I　have　a　peculiar　interest　in　these　contrivances。　　It
would　be　more　than　human　not　to　claim　a　little　in　this　matter。　　I
described　one　in　a　story　in　/The　Strand　Magazine/　in　1903；
and　my　story　could　stand　in　parallel　columns　beside　the　first
account　of　these　monsters　in　action　given　by　Mr。　Beach　Thomas　or
Mr。　Philip　Gibbs。　　My　friend　M。　Joseph　Reinach　has　successfully
passed　off　long　extracts　from　my　story　as　descriptions　of　the
Tanks　upon　British　officers　who　had　just　seen　them。　　The
filiation　was　indeed　quite　traceable。　　They　were　my　grandchildren
I　felt　a　little　like　King　Lear　when　first　I　read　about　them。　　Yet
let　me　state　at　once　that　I　was　certainly　not　their　prime
originator。　　I　took　up　an　idea；　manipulated　it　slightly；　and
handed　it　on。　　The　idea　was　suggested　to　me　by　the　contrivances
of　a　certain　Mr。　Diplock；　whose　〃ped…rail〃　notion；　the　notion　of
a　wheel　that　was　something　more　than　a　wheel；　a　wheel　that　would
take　locomotives　up　hill…sides　and　over　ploughed　fields；　was
public　property　nearly　twenty　years　ago。　　Possibly　there　were
others　before　Diplock。　　To　the　Ped…rail　also　Commander　Murray
Sueter；　one　of　the　many　experimentalists　upon　the　early　tanks；
admits　his　indebtedness；　and　it　would　seem　that　Mr。　Diplock　was
actually　concerned　in　the　earlier　stage　of　the　tanks。

Since　my　return　I　have　been　able　to　see　the　Tank　at　home；　through
the　courtesy　of　the　Ministry　of　Munitions。　　They　have　progressed
far　beyond　any　recognisable　resemblance　to　the　initiatives　of　Mr。
Diplock；　they　have　approximated　rather　to　the　American
caterpillar。　　As　I　suspected　when　first　I　heard　of　these　devices；
the　War　Office　and　the　old　army　people　had　practically　nothing　to
do　with　their　development。　　They　took　to　it　very　reluctantlyas
they　have　taken　to　every　novelty　in　this　war。　　One　brilliant
general　scrawled　over　an　early　proposal　the　entirely
characteristic　comment　that　it　was　a　pity　the　inventor　could　not
use　his　imagination　to　better　purpose。　　（That　foolish　British
trick　of　sneering　at　〃imagination〃　has　cost　us　hundreds　of
thousands　of　useless　casualties　and　may　yet　lose　us　the　war。）
Tanks　were　first　mooted　at　the　front　about　a　year　and　a　half　ago；
Mr。　Winston　Churchill　was　then　asking　questions　about　their
practicability；　he　filled　many　simple　souls　with　terror；　they
thought　him　a　most　dangerous　lunatic。　　The　actual　making　of　the
Tanks　arose　as　an　irregular　side　development　of　the　armoured…car
branch　of　the　Royal　Naval　Air　Service　work。　　The　names　most
closely　associated　with　the　work　are　（I　quote　a　reply　of　Dr。
Macnamara's　in　the　House　of　Commons）　Mr。　d'Eyncourt；　the　Director
of　Naval　Construction；　Mr。　W。　O。　Tritton；　Lieut。　Wilson；
R。N。A。S。；　Mr。　Bussell；　Lieut。　Stern；　R。N。A。S。；　who　is　now　Colonel
Stern；　Captain　Symes；　and　Mr。　F。　Skeens。　　There　are　many　other
claims　too　numerous　to　mention　in　detail。

But　however　much　the　Tanks　may　disconcert　the　gallant　Colonel
Newcomes　who　throw　an　air　of　restraint　over　our　victorious　front；
there　can　be　no　doubt　that　they　are　an　important　as　well　as　a
novel　development　of　the　modern　offensive。　　Of　course　neither　the
Tanks　nor　their　very　obvious　next　developments　going　to　wrest　the
decisive　pre…eminence　from　the　aeroplane。　　The　aeroplane　remains
now　more　than　ever　the　instrument　of　victory　upon　the　western
front。　　Aerial　ascendancy；　properly　utilised；　is　victory。　　But
the　mobile　armoured　big　gun　and　the　Tank　as　a　machine…gun
silencer　must　enormously　facilitate　an　advance　against　the
blinded　enemy。　　Neither　of　them　can　advance　against　properly
aimed　big　gun　fire。　　That　has　to　be　disposed　of　before　they　make
their　entrance。　　It　remains　the　function　of　the　aeroplane　to
locate　the　hostile　big　guns　and　to　direct　the　/tir　de
demolition/　upon　them　before　the　advance　begins
possibly　even　to　bomb　them　out。　　But　hitherto；　after　the
destruction　of　driving　back　of　the　defender's　big　guns　has　been
effected；　the　dug…out　and　the　machine　gun　have　still　inflicted
heavy　losses　upon　the　advancing　infantry　until　the　fight　is　won。
So　soon　as　the　big　guns　are　out；　the　tanks　will　advance；
destroying　machine　guns；　completing　the　destruction　of　the　wire；
and　holding　prisoners　immobile。　　Then　the　infantry　will　follow　to
gather　in　the　sheaves。　　Multitudinously　produced　andI　write　it
with　a　defiant　eye　on　Colonel　Newcome/properly　handled/；
these　land　ironclads　are　going　to　do　very　great　things　in
shortening　the　war；　in　pursuit；　in　breaking　up　the　retreating
enemy。　　Given　the　air　ascendancy；　and　I　am　utterly　unable　to
imagine　any　way　of　conclusively　stopping　or　even　greatly　delaying
an　offensive　thus　equipped。


2

The　young　of　even　the　most　horrible　beasts　have　something　piquant
and　engaging　about　them；　and　so　I　suppose　it　is　in　the　way　of
things　that　the　land　ironclad　which　opens　a　new　and　more　dreadful
and　destructive　phase　in　the　human　folly　of　warfare；　should
appear　first　as　if　it　were　a　joke。　　Never　has　any　such　thing　so
completely　masked　its　wickedness　under　an　appearance　of　genial
silliness。　　The　Tank　is　a　creature　to　which　one　naturally　flings
a　pet　name；　the　five　or　six　I　was　shown　wandering；　rooting　and
climbing　over　obstacles；　round　a　large　field　near　X；　were　as
amusing　and　disarming　as　a　little　of　lively　young　pigs。

At　first　the　War　Office　prevented　the　publication　of　any　pictures
or　descriptions　of　these　contrivances　except　abroad；　then
abruptly　the　embargo　was　relaxed；　and　the　press　was　flooded　with
photographs。　　The　reader　will　be　familiar　now　with　their
appearance。　　They　resemble　large　slugs　with　an　underside　a　little
like　the　flattened　rockers　of　a　rocking…horse；　slugs　between　20
and　40　fee