WHEN WAR WAS DECLARED.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13491, 21 September 1914, Page 4

WHEN WAR WAS DECLARED.

GERMANY'S GAMBLE

AMAZING SCENES, IN LONDON

LONDON, August 5. To-night, a few minutes after midniglit. tlie Gorman Ambassador ia London asked for bis passports. At -about tin bailie tiuie a notice was 'set 'up'outside tlu' War Office. The long-expect-ed issues bad been joined. . ' For hours the streets' in the vicinity of Whitehall hud been thronged 'by eiwi mous Crowds. Processions of singing arid -cheering ; mon Ccime and marched along the- historic- routes 'of England's? political 1 headquartersi They stoo<.l to cheer and' shput m froht of the War Office; tlie 'Admiralty';"- and ! m Downing . Street. . Before 'Buckingham Palace "they ''gathered' i\i rhimVnse 'force, and tho successive appearance of the Kiny; and- T Qtieeh and Prince of Wales exalted the demonstration into ' indescribable fervour. ■>"■ '■ • ■■]■' ■■'

'By no means merely Maffickers, Cfiefee tramping' and shouting Voting hieii; they were •'•letting' • off. steam rather' 'rioisfily, and perhaps u'nprofitably, .'but thfere Was fire behind. Hundreds" of them havo recruited since. Every one of them was inspired, to his shouting by sonic or other 'vision of "his -^country's crisis. Moreover, apart' from them, and joining them only '-.low' ahfV 'then 'for the purpose of a. mighty roar of cheering were the teilS'of thousands 'who stood massed about the _ Nelson column iv Trafalgar square, and stretched' a .veritable sea of human beings along the Strand aiid down"' Whitehall* Tli|esc shouted little', but waited long: Thousands' of : lieSvspapers fluttered iii their cbmoineid ranks. The French and British fcolors sold 'among them as, .fast as the scores of hawkers could produce tlidrii. ; 'Wht'iv at 'niidiiight, the hour so big with •'■'■Tate',' sounded from the Towers, of. Westminster, immense crowds singing "the ' National Anthem tha£ came thundering Mohg the highway,' and the tumultuous j mb\tehieht '■■ of 'men under | the streaming v 'lights ' of the - West End, meant ■i , ar v .more'.tha,ffi its'mere' spec'taeu- 1 la'r display. ' """ : --> ••'.'•■ .-'.-"■ . ' ' : I had seerft '-m the evening other 1 ' ! nianifestktioris ; iliari y these. - v They, went 'to- show'-the' Whitehall shouting as "impressively covered '" by/ ihj& 'sTJeVn reality of thittgk. " I had gone' into „ihe ontski rts far "riemoyed if rom ,the limits, and . the cheering of the '7\Vefet End- 1 had seen m the grim ugliness of ; East Lbndoh and ' South-east London.''^;'' The Territorial headquarters .ablaze with 'ao-' livity. The Thpbilisatioh' had v'l&guriv I [Swarms of yourig men' we're" rallying t l 6j the coldrs. Uniforms were ev:eswhei*&;| kits and equipments were . already. jn'.j transit. Motor' wagons ' caine' ' rumbling out of the' darkness. They carried/ the J advance impedimenta of moving trbdpsij The slums of East ; and South-east London were filled \vith p'oople'.'' They" did not cheer; 'they did hot sfh'g, : but the movement among them of amateur soldiers, suddenly exalted into a vital element m the fight for national rignt, was obviously their predominant "concern. ' *"■■ ' • -; i-

When 'I ' went back to the crowd there had ' become s - a'i gigantic host, but I hovered within si^ht of kho War Office/ and there, 'also/ I sa>v \var preparations ! whidh colulfmed , aiid justified the fightih^'-^'eh^tt-ii-sin-. 'Constantly to the'VVar Oflicb Same "tables" Arid motor cars'; 1 hurriedrj I ' men ' eitterged from thelrV < boitd ntade a . way" thi<otigh the 'doors;' "belijthd ; %hich'' the mobilisa-' tion' : of ''Tile British -'n'vnis i\vas <-' : 'a swiftly-mfovihg aecomplishmeht. -'•"'They were officers come m l-esgonsc^-to tiliV call for themi In brdihary times -they were just -the typical young officers of the typical regiments, and'toritho niosi. part no moi*e than elegantly - set ''up, fashionable young' men of Piccadilly and the clubs;* but : the times' had changed' with a vengeance, and the young military men about town had changed with them. They ;•' came' m a steady stream, grave "or ■-{ ace, but -alert of' manner-, arid, 'obviously set hard" arid: straight upon the tremendous work m front of theiri: >- "• !

There is/'ftVyet, : nb marching' 6f • soldiers u_> tlie> t? £t'rcetsj ' ahd no •'.'." Tommy Atkins' enthusiasm; 'but 'tlie ambuW df military preparation going on niust >bft enormous.' Tt is out' of • sight, so far., except ■ for' the 'come 'and go at the NVar Office -and tlie presence everywhere ih; cur streets of >the uniformed civilians' who are making ready to join -their territorial regiments.' Every detail of it that 'is '-visible to ■ <u_, - at any. rate, shbws it filled to brimiiiing point -with energy and determination. ! Tho^soldiers are -hurrying ;■• to 'the .'coast. Wherever they • may- have to fight they will * fight ha'rd,' ; ';Th'ero "is'-'uo :doubt r of. that. v ■

As -to the sailorsr there'i'is 1 only one opinion;':. It is no boastful opinion, but 1 it v is immensely confident; Every one bf us believes * more thai) ever bef oro : that the navy will meet this great occasion at tho- full height of himmn g\\deavor. There is not one" of us" bub is satisfied that the navy's coming contest m tho North Sea will add' one more glorious chapter to its already glorious traditions. It- is curious that the fleets of Britain should have- been, so lately Spread bef ore 'ute' at ' alhiost' their fullest and most terrible strength. What we saw of tliem'thcii", and what J \Ve v iviw of the "men who serve them,' heartens f.us against the anxiety of'comiiig days. "We know,' tool' how "the 'rileit' of the hayy m ' every " rank: f torn .highest tb' ' loVe^ are "keyed up "to nieet_'' the 1 .crisis'.' They hive bdeii* expecting" it 'for 'years. They more t'liah any- other '/-Wilt Welcome: it as' a '.long; desired 'Opportunity' to prove' themselves worthy of '.the* nations faith m them. ■■-•'.'_?- . n*-.

Tn London night by night the Admiralty is lit from end to end. 'What goes on there,' 'arfd What messages arc flashing from the maze of wireless visible above the roof 'rib' man knows, but crowds stand horn' by. hour there, svtul gazo- tipbnthe' old-^rey building;, which' is, at bhec, their' house of 'mystery and ' tho sheet : anchor Of their hopes. > On the Channel' is activity of- a ; kind"th&t wo can' 'Only guess at. 'Somewhere/i n the North Sea -a great fleet is prowling.' The noise- bf gtihs is- '-dairy reported "up ahd down onrV coast." 'A '•' week ago' people crossing from France •' told' stran&e -stories bf .'■the'-' appearance and disappearance' 'bf ships 'of War.' • Ohe such peaceful /Voyager told me' How ho saw a huge super-Dreadnonght fly -past the Dover' packet* 'at north-' ward, cleared tor action: He described it as the most aWe-inspiring spectacle he had -ever, seen. "Already comes • news of the first- sea skirmishes; The eye's' of England are turned tliat way, a>rid all that Englishman- arb' hearing ' this week of ■ the first onsets ih ' this ' war; oi world -swidflf t: wonseqtieWe stiffens' tJreir resolution "and inflamed their spirits. Can wo now trust the quality 'Of the breed of this ancestral race of ours' m: > time like this? r -One \ begins' to understand the past. They are not a' quarrelsome people 'these** English, they may even seem slow to" move- within range of trouble, bmV'bmJe .they; r rtre 'at grips with it Heaven lie'fp-^heir. adversary. In view of Britain's present aspect th' 1 German defiance of Europe seoms more than ever to be a colossal • gambler's . throw. '