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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1915-8-19, Page 6BRITISH METHOD OF EMPIRE -BUILDING WISDOM OF COLONIAL GOVERN- MENT PROVED. Germany Has Suffered Loss of Almost All Her Colonial Possessions, Nothing in the actual war news of recent date was so significant as the confirmed report of the surrender of made British before the first month of war was out; Australians captured New Guinea and the Bismarck Archi- pelago early in September; on Oetoe ber 7th the Japanese seized the Caro- line; Solomon and Marshall 'Islands; while on November lth a combined force of Japanese and British - Indians captured Kiaochete This latent triumph of British arms is most noteworthy because it is one more proof of the wisdom of British methods of ,colonial government, Fif- teen years ago General Botha was fighting Britain, and Germany was openly in sympathy with the Boer cause. Yet so wisely, so kindly, and so tolerantly have the British ruled in Africa since the end of the Transvaal all the German forces under arms in War that, when the crisis came last August, General Botha and most of German SoutheWest Africa to General Botha, Commander of the Forces of his race did not hesitate in their the Union of South Africa, By the choice between Britain and their an - tient friend Germany, but threw in supplementary terms of surrender, signed by the Imperial Governor of their lot with Great Britain with such signed ' South-West Africa, the en- zeal that they first put down a rebel- tire property of the Colonial Govern- lion by a minority of their fellow-col- onists,ment, as well as all military forces and then turned to the direct attack on the Teutonic forces in and all munitions of war in the colony, are ceded to the Union of South Africa. Africa, says The Outlook (New The action of Botha's men, like the York), action of the Canadians at Ypres, and e like the conduct of the Australians General Botha's campaign has been on the Gallipoli Peninsula, is a vindi- one of the most remarkable in the cation of British methods of empire - entire war. Despite a rebellion in building, his own forces, which he had first to subdue, he travelled almost 1,200 miles, most of the way through a practically waterless desert swept by blinding sand storms, won three pitched battles, captured eleven im- TIIE "CANNON FACE." Men Under Fire Assume a Hard, portant towns, and finally rounded up Foreboding Look. the Germans as a collie rounds up Medical science, according to a sheep, forcing them to surrender in a writer in the Vossische Zeitung, has bcdy, and thus obviating a prolongs- learned the are of frequently diagnos- tion of the struggle by guerilla meth- Ing disease from the appearance of a „ ods. person's countenance. In this connec- General Botha's victory releases tion Dr. Max Lowy, chief medical ad - much of his contingent for service on viser in the Sixth Austrian Land - the Continent or at the Dardanelles. sturm regiment, has made an inter Of all the overseas possessions which esting study of human physiognomy she had a year ago Germany now re- before and after a battle, and his ob- tains only Kamerun and a part of servation of what he terms the "can - German East Africa, British, French non face" is attracting considerable and native forces are now operating attention• against these territories, and it is "After being for days under fire probably only a question of time be- from the enemy's artillery," says Dr. fore they too will be lopped from the Lowy, "without being ourselves in ac- Geiman Empire. tion -simply waiting under orders— At the beginning of the war Ger- the faces of the men gradually assum- many had the following colonies and ed a hard, foreboding look. It was as protectorates:— if the sorrows of the whole world were depicted in the pale faces of the men. Area in Pope- "The bombardment of our position Africa, sq. miles. lation. began with the dawn, continued Togoland . 33,700 1,000,000 throughout the whole morning, and Kamerun . 190,000 3,500,000 even during our meagre luncheon the S. -W. Africa 322,450 ' 200,000 shells 'spat in our very soup.' All af- East Africa 364,000 7,000,000 ternoon there was no rest, and often far into the night we were harassed. Total . 910,150 11,700,000 It was then that I observed the pecu- Pacific. liar pallor of the face and the hard German New lines forming under the eyes and Guinea . 70,000 110,000 around the mouth. The appearance of Bismarck Archl- the countenance resembled very much pelage , 20,000 188,000 that of a paranoiac." Caroline Islands, Dr. Lowy, who has the chair of doc- etc. . 800 41,600 tor of medicine in the Prague Uni- Solomon Islands4,200 45,000 versity, adds that he has observed Marshall . 160 15,000 this "cannon face" even among the Samoan Islands , 985 38,000 tried veterans of the German army. He says it is so distinctive that he can Total . 96,145 432,600 tell at once by the face of a soldier Asia. whether he has been under heavy ar- Kiaochau . 117 60,000 tillery fire. Total , 1006,412 12,192,600 And many an otherwise good man is not on speaking terms with his Togoland and German Samoa were owe conscience half the time. a' ICE CREAM BRICKS Ice cream frozen in boxes—enough in each box to serve five or six—is a method of shipping that the City Dairy has developed until discriminat. iitg dealers everywhere have them on sale. A pail of chopped ice and a little salt will enable you to serve Ice Cream at that picnic. Look for the Sign. TORO TO. We want an Agent in every town. Adding Insult to Injury !—A Lying German Photographer. After the German army has for months been employing the devilish torture of asphyxiating gas upon our troops—an outrage which it alone devised and inaugurated—a German illustrated paper has had the effron- tery to publish the illustration reproduced above with the description quot- ed above: 'Protection against English gas -bombs"! Against this it is not inappropriate to quote, by way of example, from a report by Sir John French regarding recent operations near Hooge: "As a result of the fighting in this neighborhood during the week we have captured 213 pri- soners, including 2 officers, and have taken 3 machine guns and a full gas - cylinder." It is true that Lord Kitchener recently indicated that some form of retaliation against the German poison -gases would be necessary to save the allies' troops from being placed at an unjustifiable disadvantage, "if we take no steps to meet on his own ground the enemy who is re- sponsible for the introduction of this pernicious practice.". On the same occasion Lord Kitchener said: "The enemy (near Ypres) employed vast quantities of poisonous gases in defiance of the recognized rules of war and of their pledged word. Our soldiers and our French allies were ut- terly unprepared for this diabolical method of attack, which had undoubt- edly been long and carefully prepared by the enemy." UNIQUE FEATURE OF THE WAR GERMAN FLAG BANISHED FROM THE SEAS. Britannia Has Shown That She Rules the Waves, Says American Expert. - A high naval authority at Washing- ton has given the following summary of the first year's achievements of the European belligerents on the sea: "The most important accomplish- ment of the war up to date has been the banishing of the German flag from the seven seas. Germany had the greatest investment of any coun- try except England in ocean shipping at the outbreak of the war. "Germany was making serious in- roads on British commerce. This great investment has been ruined, and with it have gone many German in- dustries that were dependent upon ocean commerce for their existence. Aside from banishing the German flag from the seven seas, the accom- plishments of the war afloat have not been at all decisive. "Aside from the spectacular at- tempt of the British and French fleets to force a passage of the Dardanelles, which they had to abandon until sup- ported by land forces, not a single de- cisive battle has been waged on the sea. The Various Losses. From the best figures available, the total loss to the belligerents in naval ships of all classes to date has been 155. Germany has suffered the loss of fifty-six ships; England fifty- four; Turkey, thirteen; France, twelve; Austria, seven; Russia, six; Italy, four; and Japan, three. Eng- land has lost eight battleships; France, one; and Turkey, one. Ger- many ermany has not lost a single battleship, her heaviest losses having been ten protected cruisers. England and Ger- many are credited with having lost eight submarines each. "Naval officers feel that Great Britain has vindicated herself on the sea. She has transported an army variously estimated at from 50,000 to 2,000,000 men, across the English Channel, together with all of the sup- plies of war munitions required for offensive and defensive operations. Although the destruction of these troopships would be of the greatest possible help the German navy could render, not one of them has been at- tacked by a submarine or otherwise destroyed. Subs. Ineffective. The sea , operations which have made the greatest impression upon the public mind, of course, have been the attacks by German submarines on merchant ships. Out of the many hundreds of ships which go to and from British ports every week the German submarines have taken a toll averaging eight or ten. "While it has resulted in consider- able loss of life among non-combat- ants, including ,American citizens, this submarine warfare against mer- chant shipping has had little or no ef- fect upon the war as a whole. "The Allies have stopped all Ger- man and Austrian trade on the sea and are more and more confining them within their own boundaries. It is for this reason that we believe that the greatestsingle achievement of the war has been the banishing of the German flag from the seas and confining Germany and Austria with- in their own boundaries." d• ERRORS OF HISTORY. Where Official Reports Were Needed In Ancient Days. William Tell was a myth. Corialanus never allowed his mo- ther to intercede for Rome. Biondel, the harper, did, not discover the prison in which Richard I. was oonfined. Alfred never allowed the cakes to burn, nor ventured into the Danish camp disguised as a minstrel. Pair Rosamond was not poisoned by Queen Eleanor, but diad in the odor of sanctity in the convent et Gadstow, The Duke of Wellington never utter- ed the famous words, "Up, guards, and at them!" Cdiarles Kingsley gave up his chair of modern history et Oxford because he said he considered history "largely a lie." Chemists have proved that vinegar will not ddsmolve pearls nom cleave rocks, inspite of the fabled exploits of Cleopatra and Hannibal. Charles IX, did not are upon, the Huguenots with an arquebus from to window of the Louvre during the mas- sacre of St. Bartholomew. The siege of Troy is largely a myth, even according to Homer's own ac- count, E•Ielen must have been sixty years old when Paris fell in lave with her. The number of Xerxes' army has been grossly •exaggerated, and it was not stopped at Themopydae by 800 Spartans, but by 7,000 or even, as a'oiwe authors compute, 12,000. The Abbe Edgeworth frankly ac- knowledged to Lord Iolland that he had never made the famous invoca- tion to Louie. XVI, on the scaffold: "Som, of St, Louis, ascend to heaven." Philip VI„ flying from the field of Crecy, and challenged later before the gates of the castle of Blois, did not cry out, "It is the fortune of France," What lie really amid was, "Open, open; it is the unfortunate Ring of Prance." • If the man who gives advice freely knew it was good he would probably use it himself. -- , THE LIGHTNING ROD: Very Questionable Whether It Pro. tecta a Buildng. Even to -day really few people un- 'derstand what occurs when there is a flash of lightning, or the part played by the ightning rod, Somevery in- teresting and valuable information on these matters and on the protective range of lightning rods is given by 3. and J. S. B, Lamar in the Proceed- ings of the Royal Society, Among other things, they say: "Electric discharge in a. gas is a rupture along a line of force, and not over a surface. The initial rup- Dr; Se of the Great War with decided ad Ymour Taylor, dwell -]mown time is to be expected at a place of vantages over her position of twelve English physician, says it is by no maximum force, and spreads in both months a o writes Ed. L. Keen from means his experience that the largest directions along the line of force g r London, and apparently strongest men live through that point. In the case of a She has command of the seas. She longest. Life insurance records show lightning rod the discharge would has an'trained and in training, that those with small, bony frames start at the summit of the rod, the army, g, place of most intense strain and of nearly 3,000,000 men, Her "expo- their nd eakmore uselesrobust rvive longer than strike away from the rod. Once a ditionary force" in France i's now firm - line of disruptive discharge is es ly intrenched in a position regarded Wesley's factors conducive to longev- tabliehed the neighborhood of alight- as impregnable, even if the prospects ity were faculty for sleep, care in not Hing rod can have little onset, and a, of making a successful general Offen- losing a single night's sleep, and en sive movement are not immediate. even temper. But, above all these, simple mathematical investigation j Dr. Taylor places the influence of in- ond shows that a thin isolated rod will, eater ionmheir suen periority slclillyand heritance. draw the discharge hardly at all un-'Gi p y less in the region `around its summit, I daring over those of the enemy. She The longest livers," he says, and that the modification in the field , is building a great aerial fleet, She "other things being equal, are the off - due to a thin rod is negligable along has at last begun with all the re - great of parents who lived to a very its sides unless close to it, sources at lier command, material and g'r'eat old age, and if this tenacity of "It is the building carrying the rod i human, to manufacture a preponder- life has existed for two or, better which modifies the field and directs 1 ating quantity of arms and ammuni- still, for three, previous generations, discharge to its own upper parts, 1 tion of the right sort. She has back then a man' or woman with such an at - of her a united nation and a united which, therefore, need protection byancestry may also be expected to at- tain very old age." As some one has pithily said, "It is better, so far as longevity is concern- ed, to be the child of a robust burglar than of a consumptive bishop." Too Much Food. With some of Dr. Taylor's recom- BRITAIN GATHERS e FULL STRENGTH SPENT FIRST YEAR IN CHAOS IF PREPARATION: THE INFLUENCE OF INHERITANCE DOES LONG LIFE BELONG TO THE WEAK OR STRONG? Although She Ilse Lost Cocksureness A Physioiair Saye That Overeating Ie Has By No Means Lost Hope. Britain starts upon the second year a Potent Cause of Prema- ture Death. conductors adequate to draw off this discharge to earth, and vertical rods, joining together, if need be, lower Now most of these troubles have down, but rising from the corners d disappeared. Some of them remained the structure to a height which need len er than others,it is true. It has not exceed about half its breadth, will been a year of readjustment. Liberals (eft up the field of concentrated also- and Conservatives, Radicals and tric force from the region directly Tories now sleep in the same bed. So mendations many people may not above the building to the region above far as the Irish disaffection upon agree but one thing, he says; is clear their summits, and will so take the p to all physicians of experience, and discharge. The rods mayrise from which the Kaiser counted so fondly— potent g thanks to the lack of understanding that is that overeating,is a an earth -connected network spread on the part of his emissaries—is eon -cause of disease and premature death. over the roof, but unless the meshes seined that vanished almost over I remember," says Dr. Taylor, complete metallic covering it is quer- f are fine enough to approximate to a i night. It was a short way from Tip- "the remark of a wealthy old gentle- tionable whether it would in itself pro- tect a building from a discharge striking down upon it. "A spread of connected metallic points some height above the build- ing would appear to be more effective I y conditionyou and might even bythemselves suffice thousand Irishmen have joined thefeed order him so many to take up and guide away any likely Ring's army. Nationalists and thous lof corn a day, and no more, stroke. In fact if we neglect the dis-Unionists-75,000 of the former andg probably, he could eat twice charge from the rods into the field their effect is merely to provide the easiest and most probable path for such discharge as may be attracted by the structure. The discharge from the pointed extremities of the rods adds, of course, to the protective ef- fect by slowly but continuously re- ducing the strain in their neighbor- hood, and, therefore, the liability to disruptive discharge." HEAVENLY VEAL. French Soldiers Enjoy a Luxury in empire. Troubles Gone. perary. Sir Edward Carson, whom man who lived to 96, who said that he they were about to lock up in the always made it a rule to 'leave the Tower, is now 'Attorney General of table feeling that he could have eaten Great Britain, and John Redmond More than he had done, There was could be in the Cabinet if he wanted wisdom in his dictum. * * * 'If you to. One hundred and twent -five wish to keep your horse in health and the Trenches. The following is part of a letter received from a French officer:— We have been lying here—by no means resting—for weeks and weeks. The trenches approach very closely; one can hear the enemy's commands, but woe to the head that shows itself above ground. "Under cover!" is the constant reminder we are cave dwell- ers of the twentieth century. In some places hardly fifty metres separate us from the enemy. Although we call this space the neutral zone, neutrality is constantly violated by whistling bullets, so that safety cannot be look- ed for. And yet, would you believe it, in this forbidden area we noticed the other evening an adventurous intrud- er. With stately deliberation, inno- cent of any fear, strolled a good sized calf. Escaped from somewhere, he came along and calmly surveyed the situation midway between the trench- es. Both sides, for the time oblivious of hostilities, called the animal, hold- ing up bundles of hay as bait. Mas- ter Calf opened his eyes wider, but would not be tempted, standing im- movable—a deadlock veritably—but when it began to grow dark the Ger- mans lost patience and opened fire, and the bold fourfooter paid the price. The corpse lies between the hostile lines, sharply guarded from each side. Who would be foolhardy enough to risk his life for a veal cutlet? It is a prize most likely to remain un- claimed. Toward dawn, everybody tired with the night watch and relaxing, our "gamin," the youngest in the com- pany and a wakeful daredevil, had obtained a rope, cautiously crawled to the carcass, fastened the line and re- turned, It required no command to haul in. Across, the post thought the calf again had come to life, and aimed a shot—no particular harm done from it. That day our rations—we do get tired of the field kitchen cooking— was enriched with roast veal, With the general "tis" over the successful coup, the officers enjoyed a doubly piquant "tis de veau." Ready to Risk It. "Mr. Jones wants a windy -pane twilve inches by. fourteen," remarked young Patrick Mulrooney, entering a glazier's shop. In the shop was a smart young as - Blatant who wanted to have a joke ilea now, elute, according to the gen- with Pat, orally accepted story, it was written "Haven't any that size," he replied, by a soldier in Flanders to hie lady gravely, "Will one 14 inches by 12 love at home. Tho writer was Wil- do7" liar Douglas, and Annie Laurie was 50,,000 of the latter—instead of; as, much. Let us apply thisoto our - drenching Ireland with each other'sjselves. Too much food can only be blood are fighting side by side under tolerated with safety by regular and the Union Jack. (fairly vigorous muscular exercise. Canada heard the call to arms and This cannot, as a rule, be obtained by responded at once with 33,000 men the town dweller." to whom she had been adding regular- Though he preaches moderation in ly since. They—or ratherwhat is left, eating, Dr. Taylor does not advise a of them—are serving in the trenches starvation dietary. On the contrary, along with Ghurkas from India. he says, it is well known to him that Australians and New Zealanders to- those people best recover from a seri- gether with Welshmen and Scotsmen ous illness who have enjoyed a gen- are engaged in the Dardanelles in one erous dietary short of excess. of the most valorous campaigns in Cigarettes, Tea and Coffee. the history of warfare. The sporadic Dr. Taylor favors the pipa.ifi mod - uprising in South Africa has been 6 suppressed, and the great mass of eration, but condemns the cigarette. Boers against whom England conduct- He states on the authority of an ocu- ed her unrighteous war 15 years ago, list' of high repute that cigarette with General Botha at their head, have smoking is a fertile source of tobacco conquered German Southwest Africa' blindness. The habit of inhalation he. characterizes as "distinctly injurious." Coffee, Dr. Taylor thinks, should be taken at breakfast only, or in small quantities after the last meal of the day, so as not to interfere with sleep. for England. Labor and capital have joined their forces in the conflict.. Conscription Doubtful. There has been much talk of con- Tea, he asserts, is not harmful if pro- scription of late, both militaryperland infused, and consumed oiilin industrial. The leaders of the nation moderate amount. y still believe England can win without either, and, if the recent response of "On the contrary," he continues, "I the manhood of the country is any know nothing more sustaining as a criterion, they are right. But they drink, even for the manual laborer, are prepared for conscription, if that than a cup of good tea with some should prove to be the only solution. milk added. Tea has been accused of The national register scheme looks as causing indigestion. No such blame if it were a step in that direction. The is due in the vast majority of cases, machinery for conscription is to. be though here and again there may be created, but only to be utilized in the some individuals whose peculiarities gravest emergency. or idiosyncrasies will not allow them Although she has lost her cocksure- to drink the beverage. Besides the ness, England has by no means lost sustaining power of tea during mus - hope. She realizes now that the cular exercise, it is also a nerve stim- struggle may be long and desperate. plant, ander good one, too." But the longer the better, for her and It is the tea meal, we are assured, her Allies, in the end. Military writ- that is injurious. But the pure leaf era, many Gmhas is not at fault. now reachedof thethem, maximumsayer of herany heal s. Value of a Well -Secured Policy. ficiency, while England has only got While referring to the subject of a good start toward that goal. With mental worry, Dr, Taylor states that the boundless resources of the British he knows nothing which is more cal - Empire still to draw upon, England culated to maintain health, both of believes ultimate victory for the Allies mind and body, than a sufficient pol- can only be a question •of time—if the icy in a sound life insurance office. spirit that now'' dominates England „Many a man has his life shortened continues. by the knowledge that his dependents If it is to be a war of exhaustion, are inadequately provided for in case she says, then the odds are in favor he should die. But swell -secured of England and her Allies, policy allows one to sleep et nights, and so health and life are preserved How to Keep Cool. and prolonged." Middle-aged women It is easy enough'to keep coal if Yoh Dr ,Taylor warns against worrying will follow any of the suggestions gl.v over troubles or magnifying small en below: troubles. Special allusion is made to Buy or lease a comfortable ocean- the domestic servant problem, and ho going steam yacht and go cruising advises women who may have ser - around the shores 01 Greenland, oar vents to overlook little mistakes on Set said for Iceland by the northern the servants' part instead of worrying route and spend the summer on one about them, "Many a woman need - df its glaciers, or lessly frets herself into an illness, or Geta special car, with a reerlgerat- ing plant attached, and go to Mount a nervous breakdown, because some Ranter or one of tees Canadian peaks servant is not quite according to pat - and live in a bungalow Just above or tern." Just below the snow lime. He adds that many of the supposed - But the people who stay at lionio-- ly .trivial things of life—the little how Elms we to keep cool? mistakes that cause fretful worry— Anewer—lt can't be done. ' have a direct bearing upon longevity. It is asserted that more deatha aro Author of "Annie Laurie,' the direct result of some small domes - "Anile Laurie" has topical interest tis mishap than the big disasters of life: Anyway, It's an Explanation. Curious City Chap—'Why do your Pat looked thoughtful for a minute. one of the four daughters of Sir Rob- pigs have such little bodies, Mr. Corn. art Laurie, of Maxweltate Annie did tossel? Th"enHe'hs alantin' e replied: not marry her ardent levet'. Same say Farmer Corntossel—You see in it at once, 'and this Douglas was killed in Pleaders, but at winter the days Inc so short that if is the only shop in town, Give me all events Annie was led to tete altar wait o' them. P'rGaps if we put it in In 1700 by Alexander > erguaeou, of the pigs wore longer they couldn't sideways no one will notice," Craigdarroch. ifind time to turn around.