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Show PRUSSIAN SNEERS. As soon as thu Herman newspapers could bring themselves to admit that American troops hid arrived in France, one of these journals remarked: "Fifteen "Fif-teen hundred American troops and one ambulance have arrived in Fiance." The Prussians have become famous for delicate humor of this kind. It affords af-fords them relief from their hate spasms and their programmes of f rigfitf illness. In the gentle divertisement of sneering sneer-ing at our contribution to the war the Prussians are not always consistent. Sometimes it becomes quite manifest that the machinery of propaganda is not working in perfect accord. Two dispatches from Amsterdam purporting pur-porting to give the news from Berlin afford an example in point. One says that General Ludendorff announces that the submarines will win the war very soon; the other declares that Germany has callod to the colors 2,000,000 men to meet the American soldiers when they shall have taken their place at the front in France. The second dispatch was intended to be profoundly impressive on the day when the United States had called practically prac-tically 1,000,000 men to the colors. Instead In-stead of being impressive it is ludicrous when set beside Ludendorff 's statement. Needless to say, if the submarines win speedily we can send no troops to Franco. We could not support even the few thousands already there. And yet the Germans, despito their confidence in the Tl-boats, are raising 2,000,000 men to fight our possible 1,000,000 men. Oftentimes the Germans have accused us of bluffing, but nothing could be more patently a bluff than the claim that Germany is calling 2,000,000 additional addi-tional men to the colors. After three years of war Germany cannot have more than 2,000,000 reserves for all purposes in addition to the men at and near the fronts. But the dispatch does not refer to reserves, but to available fighting men who pre in civil life. The Tenons, since the time of Tacitus. Taci-tus. , j i ni'ted the idiosyncrasy, have b.on fond of boasting. In this war they have continually boasted and bluffed, while at the same time performing wondrous won-drous military deeds. But granting that there are 2.000.000 additional recruits available, they will not be required if the U-boats win, and if the U-boats fail 2,000,000 reeru.ts will not be sufficient to save Germany from defeat. |