REPRISALS.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2540, 14 August 1915, Page 3

REPRISALS.

Sir,—The British nation has always been proverbially unprepared for war, and we can only bitterly . regret the fatuity which prevented us from listening to the wise counsels of Lord Charles Beresford, Lord Roberts, and : other prominent patriots, who plainly foresaw that tho I'russian war party intended, to crush Great Britain and her depend-, encies at the earliest opportunity. In. this favoured Dominion we can scarcely realise , that the Mother Country is at death grips' with a merciless foe, whose devilish' cunning enables it to use all tho resources of science to carry on a fiendish warfare at variance with all previously accepted belligerent rules observed by civilised nations. Although at the beginning of this war we xvero prepared to act,up to the best British traditions, it would bo suicidal folly on our part to observe a code of honour with devils,, as the Huns havo proved themselves to be —and not men. Therefore we have to hit hack with'all our migftt, and especially with all our intellect. If our enemies pump living flame into our trenches we must do tho same in self-defence. If they use gas, we must use gas of a more , deadly mature, and dirigible, not at tho mercy of the wind; although we would wish it to bo painless, as we do not revel in cruelty like the Huns. It looks as if tho wars of the future will bo largely carried on in the chemist's laboratory. We must call in our scientists a-nd ex'perts to assist us; our Marconis and our Edisons. When human invention (unhappily misdirected, according to tho Christian viewpoint) shall thus havo produced, something like a destroying angel, to be used at will, tho nations may then perhaps be cured of their fratricidal insanity. I venture to suggest that our air-men, wliilo continuing their successful raids on Zeppelin hangars, etc., might also drop, in the enemy's country, pamphlots in tho German language, giving tho whole truth relating to tho, history of tho .war. .JVho

knows but that the pen. might prove to. be mightier than the sword! —I am, etc., OCTOGENARIAN. ' August 12, 1915. [This letter has been condensed owing to pressure en our space. —Ed. Dominion.] •