Briton's Unbending Pride.

Levin Daily Chronicle, 1 December 1917, Page 1

Briton's Unbending Pride.

A DETERMINED NATION.

Via Rotterdam, England receives, from a German newspaper correspondent, some impressions of the British officer, and the writer makes a number of complimentary remarks, many oi; which are quite unexpected. On the whole, he pays a warm tribute to men whom he possibly did not see till they fell into German hands after stubborn lighting, and this possibilty makes all the hotter worth reading what ho has to say, for by them our men have withstood much. Sketchy quotations of his impressions follow, thus: —

"The British officers are generally strong, determined, independent, courageous, young fellows full of firm confidence."

"The younger officers are entirely wanting in what we arc accustomed to call 'military bearing,' but tho manliness of the type which England has trained is quite suitable to replace much of this militarism. Stomachs and spectacles are not to be seen among them. The feeling that they are always superior to other nations gives them great calmness, and they are, therefore, not filled with any real hato against tho Germans.'' HOME INFLUENCE. "The war is by them quite coolly regarded as a sort of necessary clearing up between England and Germany for pre-dominance. They are convinced that Germany wished to conquer the world, and that England could not allow that. They are strengthened in their pride by the attitude of the people at home. Stacks of captured letters confirm this fact. It is just the plain simple, middle-class people who are suffering under tho war and want peace, but these very people warn their men at the front determinedly to hold out, to bear all suffering, even the worst, if only they can force victory. The English have now bitten themselves into the war idea, and are obstinately determined to carry the affair through. In any case, such words as they write help the men at tho front to hold out."

"As regards the war situation, the views of English officers differ very much. Some of them still trust to English victory this year. The majority, however, as generally also the men, are not so firmly of this opinion. They believe we and they are about equal to one another, and that neither will be able to conquer. But not one of them regards it as thinkable that England should accept a German peace. That is pride of a hitherto unconquered nation, and this pride is opposed to the pride on our side of the people's army, which has been unconquered for a hundred years.'' "English officers have a very contemptuous opinion of the U-boat war. They say thore is no question that the submarine war will bring them into the "slightest difficulty, and they have unlimited confidence as the development of all affairs at sea."

"There is one thing we should take to heart and learn from the English. I don't mean the use of English counting in tennis or tho aping of English customs, but the unbending pride which places before everything else thoir Fatherland and their own nation."