IN FRANCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 14047, 18 July 1916, Page 4

IN FRANCE.

6jur gkeat task: do we ':itEAT_ISl<' ITS MAGNITUDE. (By' Captai"Vw. Bean. -Australian Press ; I'epreseiitat-iA-e.) ."; .s British J^ou^uai-t'brs,. France. 'One- 'impression, .^JboA^o, all has .been brought .liotne iit-the. tAvo months M;c have spent m France.. • For somo. reason the . people at .homo are colossally ignorant--, of -the task now. m ..jfjspnt. of them. We have.now seen.three theatres of the war. and it was the same eveiyArhere. iudeed, m Gallipoli Aye our-selv-es were just <i 5 ig'itbrarit of the state of affairs elsewhere. All the rieWs ye had- <f{ -Salonika eamej' f rom '.* the' English .jiewspapers. Wo thought,••"hbwever v^diflicult thiiigs may be liei-C, at any,.xate the Saloiiika, '-.my' is only waiting for a few"'fn'ore' m'en before it cuts .*.the xa'ihV"a-j'' to' Constanttubr>le."' The^i, someone came frorii Salonika, 'and we found that tlie army there Wa-s cbnifortin<£ itself with exactly the same reflections about' lis-. As foi* England, everyone avlio,reached vs 1 from, there arrived~*\vTth the conviction that needed only a few- more'nieri: to* push through. BY OUR SILEXT EFFORT. WJien the atteknpt to get through ftom -Suvla fail?d, tHe'• public turne-cf to Bulgaria"., {Ui'd'l.oiv^the -strength. v6f wliat they read.-ril'ftriy of those oil' the*.'peninsula could'"""ri6l help doing the '.' same. _SloAy.4h.at we see AvitH-our '■■'eyes'-'the •nature of Britain's" task *in*' :'*France, there is only one ofepressingf- ' thing about it, and that' is. -that .oile'doubt-s if tlie„British;i*e6ple\has?'an*|' 1 riioi-e "idea of its magnitude • than 'it.'Had of; the difficulties- of Gallipoli. : 'Of'course it could tackle it .if 'it£'-_new~bu"l^'dbes it know? .The .world:heaj»s .fforii *th'ef British 'public vague -talki^of ,j_6riie future offensive.' It goes-Withbiit''saying'^hat it hears nothing bf-;'any'-plans-litei*"^ —if there were any -it-'-Woafd be:' in'-li^ridon that- they would- first .becoriie cbmriioli knowledge.' But' if'such an offensive ever does happen, has* the British people any idea of its- 'Hiffictilties? v-. ■ In this- warfare-, ■' -when ybu" •;Jmve broiigl-J** ii]) mdr artillery' as"*w'si^'%nbelieyable eveii in' the- first ■ yeai'^-bf the" Avar., and rcdncod miles- of trendhVs.to poAvdev over the last line of the wbrks m front of* yx>u. a- ' hatuTful of ba'trpen and headquai ters'.-icftioks "may -stilT libld up the grehte.H- attack "yet deln-ered, and "you may spend-.'--the 5' next - month dashing s-tvengthiawaf a-gainst a bam-?r of pver-incveasiii«'toughness.' v •" * •';"• If an offensive e\ vsi- is made, We'-k'iibw it will not be made without gobd reason for its success. 1 'JEtut eyjerything Avhich one^has 7 seeii bbirits lo ther'ebnclusib'p that a vague 7in the; success^of- sucli an offensive". oitght-iibt 1 to be the./sole mental effort'that a 1 great part'-of^tilie nation makes towards winning, the. War. And from--What; 1 saw_ •lately during-sv'WcentV visit"'*\;to Qreai Briiain, I should srfy that such wag, tlYfe -rase. "If we .fail to-break throiigh,,"' the public 'says, ''surely'the Russia'tis—will manage '.ii, or 'the 'French A-dll succeed this tiriie." ! Wheteveri \ve l-a.'^g^iSui'-thfe Avar, there-'is':always this ] tendency to- lobk elsewhere for success. There is >not the -slightest ' ddiibt -we hav« r-**that-in our poAver. The "game is m our hands if we will' only play it. The tall^a.bwttt our resolirc'es and staying power is not all" "hot air" •' as ' -the Americans' say. "The resoufecs Were there, and it was always khbWii that m the later stages of the 1 Avar- Wheri Ocr- ." many and her allies: : Arho entered the . Avar at- final «lvengtli? had used most'of their resoiir<.-..<.- .t-licn r "thess f of'! Britain would become di'cisive. because she liad not; yet used then*, 'That s'tiage we ore / reachinu; it.:w-— Ki*i*rsiin's'- resources iiici-"* cured. a_;».-!nst. those .of Hlermanv.' •' TITK CONTRAST.'' ? One, see.-- not tho least" .sign that" tlie British, .peiiplri "* understand this. ' I do not know vhow it Ms- now*' m? AtrstivaUa; but. ly life' t.-iuis its ' -normal course----»-Gifr.iiitir' sums'' noAv away''daily, and,.,tlnK bnly. 'efforts at economy one hears** of .are*" n Daylight Savirig Act, adopted only because Gel'mahy adopted it first;- a list' of rJrofiibited impb'rts and petty e<r)i!>vmies \Vhich. wo mistook,, when first we '■-v-ad" it loi- elaborate satire; and a- pious hope m the true voluntary .and unofficial British style, that meat would be- shunned -on two-,-days m the'week,- . By way o-f contrast there are dished out for oui- 'encouragement reports, of all the pains which* tlie Gefriians are put to to econdriiise food m their conntryJ'-' Potatoes" instead, of flour, 'meat twice a week, food tacitly regulated by ticket, .children, taught to count "between each mouthful''in--order to avoid'overeating." We are suposed to draw comfort from, this contrast. If the -'British-.-nation or the Australian • nation- —because- it shirks interference w-ith''its riorriial' life, because it is. afraid of -f-ftate enterprise, because. of any personal or indiA'idual consideration"whatever, lets this struggle go i.y default, and by inconclusive peace, to the people which is organised body and soul iri support of the great ranks behind the opposite'parapet^—then it is a betrayal, of .ever*- gallant heart now-' sleeping under tlie crosses on Gallipoli, ,-*nd of eveVy boyish head that has reddened the. furrows-of-'France. There are good reasons for saying that, tlje struggle ;is hoav within '-he British "Empire. ' With your staying power ' you • can wi.i. -But m -'-heaven's name if. you haA re iri you any of the ideals'-ibu -Vh'ich those, boys Jiayei-died, cast your, old prejudices to the winds and-'orgsuiise' your staying v.power. Organise.'.iPjganise.j Organise!! ;