"JINGOISM!"

Otago Witness, Issue 3277, 3 January 1917, Page 5

"JINGOISM!"

A SOCIALIST-SCLDIKR ON THE HEROISM OF TJUfI ARMY.

Sapper J. E. iMacManus, of the New Zealand Tunnelling Corps, well known in iJunedin as a Socialist and a prominent member of the Political Labour Party, having learned that some of the letters which ho has written from ' tJomewhere in Prance," and which have been published, have been stigmatised as "jingoist.c," repels the imputation in a letter to his wile. Ho writes:

"in describing a great war like this the term 'jingo' applied to our soiujcis' doings at the front is a misnomer. When i uesunbe conditions oi warlare tlie soidiers submit to, you will realise that no soldier is a jingo. 1 am at trio present miles irom the scene of tlic present auvanee, where, due to British pluuis and British endeavour, the victory -is daily proceeding. let one great red glow every nignt tells us the scene ol the great battle, that ever rages witii greater and greater intensity, hour ny hour. Bo continuous is the firing that the hashes irom bursting shells, and from big guns .liring them, illuni.iiate tlie air lor miles high, by one huge, continuous red glow. In all previous bombardments that 1 havo witnessed the hashes irom guns made quivering waves of dancing light succeeding eaeii other with bewildering rupidlty. Here the- enormous quantity oi deadly missiles, high explosives, etc., being fired at the same time now makes the liglit one continuous glow, stretching high up in the sky, like the reflection ol some monster lite. Though I am miles from the scene of the present attacks, the sound of battle which previously I experienced in various bomo.irdments was one succession of thuds and crashes, now is one continuous roar, without intermission. To describe this noise, think of all the carts you ever heard of in, your iife travelling at great speed over a stony road; eomb.ne that with the roar of gales and trains mingled with all the thunder you ever, heard. Listen to these concentrated sounds through an ear trumput that intensifies the sound, and you form an idea what soldxis in battle listen to. lleniember that one shell will make a hole big enough to bury a horse, and thousands are dropping every minute. Remember that tiie concussion from any one shell will kill or produce shell shock at certain distances. Q emembcr, too, that the concussion from tl -;ands of shells at once creates a vibratie the air felt 15 miles away from the scene of the operations. Remember, too, that overhead all the time shrapnel is bursting, and that each shrapnel shell scatters hundreds of deadly pieces of metal. Bear in mmd, too, that machine guns in thousands are unitedly liring, and that one machine gun can lire from 500 to 600 bullets a minute. Don't forget that rifle fire from tens of thousands of men sends bullets on their errand of death. Nor is this all, for hand grenades and bombs are hurled by specially trained men, and also machines hurl aerfai torpedoes, sausages, 'whizzbangs,' 'coal boxes,' and various other kinds of bombs or high explosives. . Rifles also send rifle grenades. Nor is this all, for poisonous fumes of deadly gas decimate men. destroy food and plant life, as the winds carry the deadly chemical forward. Nor do the troubles of our bravo troops end here. Any minute a mine may bo sprung, and thousands of tons of earth may be thrown over thousands of troops, and, as in an attack every soldier is wanted there is no time to dig out tho3o who aro alive. So you see everything capable of destroying life is thought out and acted upon. Tho accumulated knowledgft of generations past, stored up and improved on, is used. From above tho aeroplane drops deadly bombs, arrows, etc.; from below, the miner, using the most deadly explosives, buries in thousands men. From tho back of tho lines groat death-dealing weapons hurl monstrous and terribly destructive missiles. Tho winds carry the deadliest of poisons invented in the laboratories of tho world's great chemists.

"Never were such terrors used in past ages. And the heroio British race, which

in the early stages of the conflict were outnumbered, bravely kept the great army of the Kaiser, with all its destructive forces, at bay. How dare anyone refer to another as a jingo for admiring such heroism, or for describing such brave deeds? As a matter of fact, the man who wrote ' Sons of the Sea,' when he said ' they can't build boys of the bulldog breed, that made old England's name,' wrote truer than he knew. These men from the British Empire, with what was designated a contemptible little army, faced the mightiest army the world ever knew, and kept it at bay. They were killed in thousands, yet the British race, with dogged persistence, found heroic souls, though lil-tramed, ready to take their place. They taught tho world that, though they were badly trained and badly disciplined, British spirit and British pluck made them face death without hesitation to defend their homes against enemies superior in numbers and equipment. For 40 years the Germans built up the great war machine and trained, every citizen. This highlytrained and wonderfully equipped army was kept at bay for two yearSj what time the British nation trained a new army and equipped it with freshly-made war material. And how did those brave British soldiers hold trenches in cold and wet ! How did they face the greatest death-dealing weapons the world has ever known! Yes, an artillery whose destructive power was so great that forts crumbled before its onslaught and landscapes were altered out of recognition by its devastating tire. What horrors these brave men who died in their thousands laced only those who have gone through it know. To these brave men who, during the two years past, have faced such cold, hunger, misery, horror upon horror, and never flinched—let no man ever use the term 'Jingo' to one who would pay homage to such as these. Nor is this tho end, for while these soldiers of England were being trained, tho mothers and daughters of England nobly responded. They left leisure, home, refinement, ease, and some took their part as nurses among the wounded, the sick, and the dying. Like angels from heaven, they cheered and alleviated the suffering of dying men. No horror ever broke down, for their spirit was undaunted. Others worked ceaselessly at farm work, and at all occupations previously performed hy men, so the manhood of this great race should be able to go to the front, and the wheels of industry revolve in their accustomed groove during their absence Go into the munition factories and sec tho energy of these wonderful women! Go to the battlefield and see tho result of their work! For to-day the enemy is outclassed in men and munitions and aitillery. This is due to tho enterprise of a whole nation, men and women. What we owe to those brave women only the men who are at the front know. For they ever send us messages of good cheer. They find time to do it, in spite of their colossal labours.

"I, too, who arii filled with admiration at their wonderful tenacity of purpose, rejoice that our sons from New Zealand are lighting side by side with this heroic and dauntless British . race. I am proud, indeed, that the New Zealanders have shown that they also possess the same spirit of the bravo forefathers from whom they have sprung.

" If .'I were you I would treat with silent contempt those who sneer at our efforts, and who will gain freedom for their children through it. If I were yon I would teach the. children to sing patriotic, songs, and ever be present at patriotic demonstrations to pay homage to brave men, in whom no terror that ever was invented could dim their wonderful courage. Be proud of your race ,and see in the growth and magnitude of the British army a sure guarantee that no despot shall ever invade those beautiful shores of ours; and remember that the great, free institutions of New Zealand government leave it in the hands of the people to decide whether Britons ever will bo slaves. In the people's faith and judgment I have confidence. ' Jingo !' If those who so glibly use the term knew but half of the sufferings of the outraged people, where the conquering army of the Kaiser had devastated their homes, they would never talk of ' Jingoism ' if they knew the degradation from w'hieh they have been saved.

''All I hope is that oar children shall remain innocent from tho unnamablo horrors that have created such a feeling of indignation, that nothing short of tho completo overthrow of military power and despotism of tho perpetrators can stop the fury of an outraged people. All I hope is such horrors can never be repeated in this world and that the memory of them will be but a hidcoua dreain. Our -victory -will ensure this."