A LITERARY CORNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 10274, 8 May 1919, Page 7

A LITERARY CORNER

(8.A.L.) "THE ROUND TABLE.'! : From tho local agents wo have received ~ th'e March, "number of this' fine 1 quarterly, which maintains "the high level admired of all tor litur&iy quality, fairness, accuracy, and reasoning power. In the past the journal has done so much for the intelligent understanding of > the war and its many problems, and in this respect the present number shines with, the usual bright light; as the opening' article on "The Practical Organisation of Peace" very agreeably demonstrates. It reviews, in a tew pages, the existing mafchinery of international relations, condemns it with convinciug force, and argues tWsubstitute the Peace Conference'is preparing. . The next urticl-e,'on' the'American responsibility for the world, is a logical review of the situation by two American writers-,of—considerable power and describing American motives, and concluding -with the . belief thatAmerica has entered the 'great political world field to-stay. The third artiole; on the "Bolshevik Aims and Ideals," is the best acooun v in magazine . form thaV'Tias" yet "appeared of this -extraordinary departure in tyranny—a tyranny hiding under specious pretences the moat despotic, corrupt, • and barbarous abomination that has ever disgraced and' devastated humanity. It iB a. first-hand account, by a very able, competent, and unbiased -writer; recently returned i from Russia. He does not -deal with the deuails of the evil practice of Bolshevism, though he nowhere denies, the accuracy-- of the many accounts from Russia, -, which,-- as "■• a distinguished French Socialist has- -said, have destroyed the* pretext of. so many people that argument is impossible -for lack of .information*.'' - - Tie authentic information from hundreds of sources is too voluminous for any . farther continuance of an excuse which was sufficient in the : dark days of tho Bolshevik tyranny ■to'' call'for arrest of judgment. .;. As this writer says, the invertebrates and the one-sided bigots who plead this' 'excusS'' are of the - character of Pontius Pilate, . .The writer sticks mainly principles the,awful oult destroying bodies and souls on a greater scale than the Attilaa and Genserics off the past, ! This scathing verdict pugljt'to. dp'en" all eyes' except of those -wno, being vilfulJy blind, are beyond all hope. The_„l*esl<, article,.is.the. paper- which fills the Australian. section, "The Record of the Australian Foroes in the War."''Nothing lilje it has been done for any, other forces of the great British army- wentr forth from all the corners of the earth to fight for the freedom of manknd: In a flozen pages the history„of : .the.-admirable Australian soldiery is. summarised, with all the main points displayed, everyset put in perfect proportion, and nothing of any importance imissad. It is a complete picture, .alive with, the-closest sympathy, and at the same time kept upright-by the judicial character of the compelling narrative/~ltis the literary monument 1 ""wh'ioli" has soi far been offered to the soldiers of Australia in tho historical .department.-- , The writer .bcginsr : byninodeß*tyj stats' ing that-in the-space aVhis command it is impossible.tto .give'any adequate account-of the-Australian share in the great "'Victory;' the' end of' which was registered on the 11th;' of last: November. That'is true in a" sense, inasmuch as it is'impossJble -to-give of the 'Australian • sharings -in the greatest and of campaigns. But before" 1 the" end- of "the''article" the' reader; though' " not adding to his knowledge'of military' feats," finds himself knowing almost everything about, the troops and their ■great. adventure. ; ' -' . Here""aW sdme extracts:.; .

In -Jtori. .the. iCarpß,first met its Commander,. Sir .William. Bird wood, who" remained ' with the. Australians after, they parted from.,the Now-. New Zealainderß. General Bifdwood'e first' Staff' "was" alnioer. entirety British, and immediately -the-Australians: landed in Egypt- they:.-'came under British, ooffimand' arid .thor-JBritish training cadre. A tribute, of acknowlodgment needß to be paid'to these British officers and instructors who played a Ma* part in the --efficiency of the Australian units.- but the subsequent history of the foTca<.records a gradual replacement of the British Stafi-hy-^astralianfl,-until at the'end' practically;-tall the,, General Staff and the adnunistrative,-and instructional cadres were supplied from » Australian personnel. .It is no-reflection on. those who were replaced (in every case to receive promotion elsewhere) to say. that.»the..Austrij-liap J .Arniy,has benefited 'by the chance. An amy can never-attain "until it can supply all-the' talent it' requires .from its own ranks. --In-the end Australian officers held very high positions 'on tho Stafi. of, tho sth Army, to which they accompanied Sir William Birdwood. No' moTe original figure than'the' Australian soldier has appeared in': tho war.' -The "Digger," as'-he is

affectionately called, is as unique as . the "Poilu." Hard to manage in rjcmp. he improved in moral a.s he neareS the- firing line. He was fearlessly- himself: 'He behaved in'the Strand-as* ho would have done on a Saturday, nifiht in--the streets of Wapsra Wa.jrp:a. Defiance of convention was • his one pose, and he maliciouslv encouraged the idea, in. the conventional amonp: Englishmen, that - ho wn.s; totally- lacking in discipline. But -there, was .no body ..of- men who so (rhimjrhnntlv satisfied the suprerae --. test 'of 'discipline, "tlie test of hnnpr - reach- in the field just- when they.:were required, and of-inovinsr under ■•• fire te> whatever...rifvint-? thev-Mvere.— -nsked.,to occupy.. The German -JTiph Comu»<>.nd>niaTted-the Australians as Pirst-rlas» - ..„Sipr»j. ...Troops. . ? iT.ho.oflermnn. lines opposite the .Anstr«lio.ns-.' lirul ditrintr the last-few- months to he manned -bv volunteers.- ■■' Sir Tlouplas -Ha-if? in his last- dispatch- - rrives several ■ ■'■'strikin<r-example-* of(he ascendancy" of the -Australians "Ver the, German -infantrythorn. »-.t noi-the. courage .of the snvair" or- "' Hie devotee. Tt was never buoyed no bv sentiment or illusion. Its jiirsl: wonderful feature was a wi'djp-r.vofi i* habit-of* fneirier thiTTRS-n's'they reall" - weic— itf the-- worst and iVfvinjr-ifc' The Am<= Italian whs .*eltlom an optimist. Ha was nlwnvs a "i-itic. but ho was ncssnss?d of a, fierce lust to' ivccmii'filish' 'the *iob be had been "setr"" 'This "e.VKYfiesS of vn-'e" ■:ivr. itim thar "initiative, that.'lcilt uuclor'fire; which ninde up «o iv pnrt tof his value in'the field.

(ln">Hift- Jntman-.-'sidov 'few sildicrs h.p.xo ••li«*ti iivn --'SHeli -••mf-isnrc' tlio sn"'•pinrt ...sfolrtim'ly ffift -ffWhovvor tliev wore in a ficTif. Vv.ikin!» Kifipf's re.'rhlfit'ioiis,' 'or 'YvMinp tli« TTiiri l.ronolios." tlier f*«« to-prr-Mi.-T. .The BnltaKou wn=c Ihr P-v. "p.rV home, find Wiras rmror linnDV. or n -rca-llv Kok'ior, rwrtv fj-onv-it. .niu>»P~-iai^--:»'.'nt-. tnirt. rois nvidp ,(o. tli". "Bri- '>!%.-!(> ©rscvnfoition, . by . th'OPvi" l "- ;1 T n mj'inv fji«"«. tl'i ii'»a linrl (o"We "nljanjtoiipfi ' o'wiuir (o Hip intense" fcolitis;' aroused in the ;l?a-t-

ta.lions that were to lose their ideatity. Tko thins, however, that made the Dinger the perpetual delight of , '

all who lovo human nature was hia constant play of humour. In thla ho expressed his soul, his criticism of life, with its wonderful range of insight and feeling, now grotesque, ' now gay, now grim and eardonio, ' ■feeding on the terrible contrasts of the life around him. The "Bigger" is tho best thinjj that Australia hia ! yet produced. She wil} prosorve for ever the memory of this heroic and I lovablo figure.

The problem of leadership with m«S of this class wae, of course, an e& ceedinptly difficult one. It was quite easy to find leaders. Every second man was a potential leader. On tie fiold the corporal or the private found • the opportunity and seized at. This manifestation of capacity 60on became tho basis of promotion. Snxjh,' ■ promotion, however, did not elevara tho officer into membership of a permanent caste in which advancement was automatic. The offioer was the subject of scrutiDv from above and a never ceasing suffrage from below, Australian soldiers developed a quite j uncanny judgment for the 1 leader. They showed this in their-recognition of the hiffh qualifications for leadership possessed by Sir .William Birdwood, and in the respect, as sincere as unconventional, which they paid him. It was not every offioer whoisuxvivod the exactjlnff test. Soma were found impossible and were i{r» nored by their men. In nine- cases '. out of ten these verdicts held. A man with the j?ift of leadership could take his men anywhere. An offioer . whoso men .would not follow him was • removed from Franca and sent where qualities of a different kind were re* ; quired. The weeding-out of officers ! was do-astic, but in the . and .there , was not a finer lot of battle leaders in the world than the officers of the A.I.F. This credt was almost entirely due to Sir William Birdwood% masterly management of the problem, and it is pecrhaps his most conspicuous title to fame. The Australian Army was in real fact a democratio ' army—democratic in the highest! sense because it successfully solved the problem of leadershrp. " Its record should therefore be closely scrutinised _ by modern' students of military science.

If the details of the great fighting had been as good as these .details of character and spirit, there would have been three big volumes at ■ least'; But! the outline of these services 'of th£ : '.'Digger" is drawn with the same ma4-\ terly skill that we find in the delinea*. tion and dissection of the character oS, the "Digger." We repeat—the finest; summary in all the. literature of the' war, and, therefore, worthy of the' •splendid army furnished by Australia' for the Armageddon .tljat foughi) for Read' : 'tne;.endfWitiih car* 1 ; and conviction: " ..X-,.■•■ Oi, :■'. The total enlistments were 420,665, • of which 337.0G0 have embarked. The , casualties to January 17th, 1919, were —Dead: Ofdcers, 2736; others. 55,735; total, 57,871. Wounded: 150,241, Prisoners, 4264. Total casualties. • j 212,376. The distinctions earned by ' soldiers total 13,000, including 69 Viotoria Cross, 555 Distinguished Service Order. 1989 Military Cross, 09 Distinjruished Flyine-Cross. 1413 Distinguished Conduct .iledal,; and--7449 Military Medal. The achievement of these men will play an integrating >pnrt Ha the future of Australia. They will form the basis of a noble national which will, it is hoped, -play some i part in mltijjatinpr the bitter and ' destructive political feuds whioh : have developed while our best havo - been away.