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Show Futurof World Hangs onkttitude of Fighters ome From Battlefields Although ;n Are to a Certain Extent Brutalized Throu Horrors of War, Dawn of New nd Peaceful Era Is Seen. By PHILIP GIBBS. (Copyright, 1919Jthe McClure Kews-papehdicate.) Kews-papehdicate.) EVERY moi since November 11, 1918, wh he armistice was slgrned al.he enemy's abject surrenderee bodies of men have bcenn their release from military service, nave left the zone of the armies to kabsorbed Into civil life. The wholerc of the world depends de-pends upon the rhts, words and actions ac-tions of these and the philosophy 1 with which thfard. the life ahead of them. Beca'ilthough they have taken off tlu-ir ;i and have been made free of line, and, in their vn t-Lutiiet), nave lie appearance of rewar citizens, they re men of a differ-n differ-n t mentality fro m hose who have nev-r nev-r been close to war nd whose souls ave not been torched by the fires f war. They can put their Id tunics into the ust bins, but they annot put away rom themselves the i w iiemonea or tns PhiHD Gibb'"aed the' have , en, . nor of the eufferingrs throijhioh thev passed They are chan-n; they are other-wiHe other-wiHe than as thjnt out to war, with simple boyish iof courage and adventure: ad-venture: they i lire now with the brooding eyes di who have no illusions, il-lusions, having at close range Info the hell whu-nlnity makes of life by hatred. Slrinuls who still look at war througtize of romanticism, and think only valor of our youth without rememtjthe inevitable brutalities bru-talities of modetrfare, have an idea that all our fighting men have been refined re-fined by those furnace fires and havd come back with beautiful ideals, noble sentiments and splendid satisfaction with victory, like knights after a crusade for Christian rights. Many Come Back With Sullen Spirit. The trbth is, as far as I can see It, that many of our men are coming back with a bitter and sullen spirit, a rankling sense of injustice, and hatred agalri3t the powers (whoever they may be and they do not know) who permitted this Thing, this Horror, to happen In the world. Many of them are coming back, ff I know anything about them, with violent vio-lent passions which they are prepared to use : violently, if thwarted in their desires, de-sires, or if crossed in temper. That state of mind seems to me to be inevitable. .Look at the life those men led In the trenches especially the British soldiers who had so long a time there. All their training and all their discipline was to one end the killing of men. That was the first mental and emotional shock that came to them, because these boys of ours belonged to a phase of civilization in which the killing of men seemed to have been eliminated. Military Conflicts With Civil Training. They had been taught, all through their boyhood up to the point of war, that bloodshed was to be avoided at all cotit. and tnat the qlvil law was a remedy for all quarrels, however passionate, and that the code of life was gentle, courteous ami kind. Now suddenly all that was reversed by the necessity of killing Ger- (Continued on Paga 16, Editorial Sec.) FUTURE OP WORLD os o:i fighters . k A ' Yuuth ii Js Strange I'lruntire in Cruelty. i. i . k - ,!.i , : .. m..i. i I .... I . . ... ... .i i.i . I.. .1- . I I -...ii ..r .in .-li. tr.v- - . I I . i ... . . I . .1, .. i I 'i .1 .!' i.l "li. - ... ... .1 il . , l .. I .i.g ' I, ... M ' .r ,1 .1. ... .; .1 .,.,.1 . 1 i .. . . i .. . . ' 'li'' II - Ii.'l.' .'Il' .1'. in. Il "I' I ' ' ...'. I I 1 i ...I' I I . ii. k ... I.. .1. I I i .1. I.l ,.!,.- : I 111:.-.' .1 , ' . I ' ... i ., . u .nil. I ci i. il' . . ' . . ' -i I I . .-ii- an.l l.. J . . .. i . . . . ..I .: . I i .v., .. I in c .,li.,i h himI .' ' .i ii" id i . I- . I lei... !,..-. i . . .1 I I .... I . . I i I., .i i ... t . -1 1 in llic ...'.: .1 ! , I'. 1 1 i i i 111 CI . .1 - .i. in l. i-'-.-i !-'.-.. 1 1 I '. . I I . .... 1,1 III... hen lie CHll.l I I ' , I...,.- II,- .., , 1,,,,-K In llic pi 1 1 . 1 1 - I i - i.r ! II.- I It; ..' I !i. -il .( II. 1 wain I . . i I'M.. Australians Choose Short Steel Blade. ' i v . ih.-r i.'",, hi,,, h-iii. w irh ' " l l ni, itu- Kil'in i.l.. of 1 h -u -. 'M.,u ,1.1 Mm t.Hl., , I .. k .1 .. ..'.Ii. r l i i'ii) ..r I IrjriilM-t I.i mi. 1 t ii i : i ,i ii kilt!.. "If u;; ilk-; i D -k 'Mi l no' i' I , If :.i'il. 1 1 1 1 1 1 .-.I : n t 1 . Willi ' ' 1 1 ' h-i M I 1 r i- Mi Ins M't'.vh. VUi- m i M.-i t,m " ... fur I ri.uMn' t gvt in I t llO .,IM.,'I WI'U." I'lo'i.; U.-l.- All-. I I. lit, ii lalloiM who I I " 1 i .- !' l.il l"ivr of tron.-h raiil.M'rt i i.ii.-.l .in i.M h-.n-to'i-r.. I'l.loii.-l lik.- .1 -il v t.-rnl 11 r.Mitry .s.-UlltT of fT- i 'i 1 1 ... wiiii m ,.!- Wit ' uml.'r s I i.i hi,-v ''i. a liT'Ti'Mi.t pi'iiv whirh '!''l int- ,i ninnush s''iM Mullc after h I. .ill K' MM' il our s hand tis in il ri iron "' ' - itinl .'.it u illi my youiu' w lit'Ip'!.' , ' In- '.n.i. :uul I .'..a i low n in tti' offi- M . MO of t lit nuillMK liiUtaltoil. All 'ii"- n t"i 'h.'if hoi volunt'-.i-.l iVr this ' i' l i 'k tht- n.ost itanK't'.uis (,11110 of ' ' " h iiImmsi crriam d.M t h ahead. r "r I'i -I, e-i a p.. hi;; time or mcM. Mm i. .i. tie the'r method of altarU, ''o-ir w.o of k 1!m;( n a hurrv. Most 1 .-. Urn ;.-e,.rfed a short ste.-l Made like I l -1 1 1, l. ! f.-r iI.m 1 1 nit with t tie sent lne:s and .u v no i walktni; in the t rei ie Ii e.s, ; I'l.oi.'i niliiM'-i I. lied a short, t roil -we ih t ed .'Mii I'm- la'Khter of a w hok-salo kind 1 i Miithunr like a iS'i'kes shell ' im'ii a -idulv i'u-e tlunc down a dtir- 1 ' ' i f mi u h ie Ii kr ma ns wet t- li il t ii(, llo.-.o ivi.l.'i's were simi'le. snm. huiuur- -i:s .niifi: n'-ti. "I feed 'em iaw treat." said their old I . . 1 . ' 1 1 1' 1 with a wink. "1 1 ma kes them o' ir- a 'k;e "I'liat. of eourse. was Ins Th were not p. iteed of raw ''".ii t.- -iii'lame the iiiu'l pleasure thev h i'i mi k : t I'-'ir nii'iii; . Primitive Passions Incite Fighters. ; TV- S. els. th-' i:orth eo-ntpv KiiKIish. 'i.: t'f i '.' i d' iti-. W'V.- j:oi ,iers-' to1 I'm- k:M i'-s of ! niu-hter. m the! 'm'..v( iV!ti'.. (! "saw n-d." as most " no. i .i lk f -o o, f. -ir. w l i.-h is an ele-0""H ele-0""H of aM f-rvily u; f .r'l t : nc i h e feax o1 el-' utt death if the t'ii - ts not de-sr. de-sr. "ed Hid I'.-'-tk iron- ;r:;.t'V tM- m : s w m h snt-e ;:p in the unman heart : w h i ex i al of :l'.' . in , m;;:i !;iU:-.t i t 1 f m with tiu- h.-stde t-:h The, 1 , -,'. o-r-s a-id sm;u- eout.tr l-Jritf1 ish . and! .., lM , ... ...t.n .v,,,, ..lti.w i.ke 1ver- : k i:.'he; tT. Kiri'iM't-:ia:n and so' i'". I'-1', a:. ms.'',n'" i' '' l a : n.-t Kiu- They Cannot , Be the Same. .r . ' .1 1 . .1 r - ! i : t - - -i r- -- r . ! r - ' v ,i - - ' a . j . ; . . , or t i . j ' j :: ! Soldiers Filled With Resentment. 1 - t!-.l or t -s in.'- ' ..-I t r..r-,, i ai.d. J'i.t:.'- oA ' ) " 'M..:iv e.-s -M.Jiiitiv- ki-- - . , i r- h i i :..! ..f f: . r, .-r th.- l.'d I . ii i I i' m t ' ' .t ' ! m ir-i of n it . .1 . i ' : . : :!' i I 1 f nl, ,. .-o, inorrt bli - t mi ''ii- i "'' f ii ' i o. a ;. d.d t.ot I ' r i - li.lM- (h-' w nl .fd. ii :d v ho t r a -i- 1: id. tn;r ve.lt;) a"d their I I'M, . i ! ,.s. .ii,. (ii--ir httk coin- I i ii, ; id ir--, u h:1 : th.- f:hiitirjf n.-r j in ,d ht I'h.M- a. no Ik-ii;; ; AI-mi v h.i . an,; ba.-li to Kiip'ar:d on "'ii d . Iit'. r fr.nu I'iiuh e and r"".an- j d. i hi i d I'-il up f 'l.'i'.oll lly and hhw a , fid-- of motor r.ir-H driving by with weli-: weli-: 'Io-im ),-,. pi-- lanif !mtf and rhatl!n in-Nld- ilirm, and looked thrMi'k'li th swiriK-M:i swiriK-M:i (l-.or.T of hiL,' hntels and saw t-retty w.ijn. ii in e.-niiiK ur--.is flirtliiK with men I in "h.l.t'l -4 T 1 1 r t . . ' und .saw hiipu-.1 OUt-I OUt-I --id- tin. tio'.ii-M-j Htid niu.sie halls, and . i '-nd- 'd'diland doesn't rare a damn for us. J "We may die to the last man. and they : w ill still aniu-f t hen istd ve.-,. are h-' h-' H:k fa -Tif :.-ed fnr the std f i ,-)h nss of thoso I n. li, Mi.' mm ium. f v c ijrt our Ickh blown 1 "If t hoy will dolt us out a few pounds then f..ia;et us, and hate to see our i maini.'d bodies abutlt the alrcet." Gaiety at Home Breeds Displeasure. I hav e Jn at-fi men ,-h y tlioe thmjr, and 1 1 ,e w.to not pleasa nt lo ht-ar. In the main they were utterly untrue, nerause the w ..men of Knpland v ere anonizhig f-T t li nr no in or 1 heir lovers, and the i;aielv of London and oth-r td(? citlef w a.s but a mask nf ni tirade put ou for Mm sale ..f the men on" leave, lading h- art s full of fea r and deffa ir beeause m' i lie my srtaerp (if yout h u h U-l seemed uno.a:dnk,'. At least, that n a the men-tftlity men-tftlity of tlte ifreat nuijnrlty of the nation, na-tion, apart from leious men and women who, in Kufidand as in cery country", ha diseased hearts and poisoned brains, and will rush about for .selfish pleasure though the world Is pi a Kue- .stricken. Hut the soldiers from Krance and Flanders, Flan-ders, home for a few days before golntf ha. k to their shell-harassed fields, saw only the superficial carelessness of their nation, and cursed it tn blasphemous speech and still remember. Out there lti the trenches they heard of the bi wa;zes beintf paid to "war workers" tiie dock laborers, shipbuilders, engineers, miners, munition workers and all factory hands, male and female, and read of strike after st rike for higher wastes, which were invariably in-variably granted by a frightened government. govern-ment. They compared the wages of men safe from shell fire, .snug at home, living with their women folk, going to "the pictures" in the evening, with t heir own pay as private soldiers, and their own lives In foul eondit ions, wit hout llbert y, and in constant peril of being killed or man-cb'd. man-cb'd. "That s nice justice.," they said. "We'll see about that if wo get "home." They stored t hese, things up In t heir minds and they bred a secret venom. Their Discipline Was Wonderful. ; They wore amenable to discipline in a wonderful '.say, because thev saw with natural common sense that without disci pline an army is a rabble, and because, if I hey did not obey, t he price of diso-b.dtence diso-b.dtence was dreadful. Hut military discipline dis-cipline is not natural to men. It is utterly ut-terly unnatural, and airainst the instinct of liberty, which, is in every heart. ho 1 1 a t w beri ono t hey are demobilized "demoralized."' as they call if with ironical iron-ical luimnr.-tl'.ev convey a'l the discipline to the devil, and indulge in a natural and complete reaction. Truly, for a time, at least, they find themselves "demoralized." The steel of nere control by which they k m up tne-ir cnurace and conduct in the army snaps within them, and they "flop" into a queer kind of lassitude. They arc at a "loose end." In the army everything was do lie r"nr them in return for their ervke. Thev had their food sent nn from t"'e base with the regularity of iM-'kwork. They had" their bidet assicr.ed Im t ;'f!:i. Kvery Vour of their day was ordered. Kven their amusements and t' ;e;r shorts w ere organized. Now, back to civil b.fe a sain, they feel lost, ron-i ron-i ued. rather helpless literally at a loose c:d. Find Peace Times Sadly Disappointing. For f --:r ye.-rs, or w:-a:ver t'-eir ncrth or" S(T k-o w as. ave had a to:gh I .'c '"iOViLta; r-vt witho-jt periods of fl-s"-ip a-d fun. Now- t'-.ev want to have a ircM.j ti-v-e. T :ey cxp-'ted C.i peace wo-.''5. 1m3 a ki-d c' parai'e a cor:iuuaI C '-.; tiM-.e. K;:t :rv :t curious' v flat, bor-rg. and d' ir-pc tnn-g. After the fisr war. i-'V! j. ;-t.p- a' home do not s-e-y e r. ; h s i a s 1 1 atxu.t :r.e:n ar.d t :-e of I r a ero we? a . p. r.-fy -j-'- tl-.a ..-.-v.ra.ies'-cp cf rP v.t-i" v.t-i" '7 p:-a .idojt. -vonderir. ' . at ' '-'y s.k." do r.xt, keerirc ciose to -e iic'-ts o; : e o:g '-'- 3."-r- ::atir the' i-'.v o: lo-e'.T'es. i :-.- spe-d a cood j a. e.i of "".ou.ey : n c'.r. sr to the a ers .t-:u-:s:c Vs or- "mov?." but bored .-:ieA sor-..e w-ks or mor.tMs of :'aa: kir.d o t a i a -a", r'-.ey c-ecin : j look -or A jo j e-py wa-r. a he:r o-.e :.-a-t a r-.e-e a'-a-c w;kA-n:t a margin ; a e-vvn rr; o- --y prospect. 1 :";" ',x-i"": w.ices wA.ic--. w-'a; rave a! 0'v.v. a;.ir.' s ,:ri r c "'e war or a hieAer e.. c. e-v he-Au-e w:f.: w .r service v .i r-cc-- rew ari. Th are ast,r- s -ed A;-.; 'i'.s-.ressed w'-.ep t.-ey find t'-.a: -ir.d '.k-.oA k-ey are to d tna' c.Ap::a. ".-as s.' a r i p v . . i o: war ta.x-s : .at waces s J a . i t .e -et o: our 1 M--e ? wose young- Officers Hit as Much as Men. k 1a. i';;'-7 A 'Ak5 "'" -""AAAVaIA "Ar '. ' r' :y 1 ;o they have no training for civil life, and it 1 is hard for them to hetrin at the bottom rung of the ladder in commercial life, after af-ter having- held comma nd of men with fairly high pay and all the respect of a battalion for officers with The military cross or the D. S. O. and the power of leadership. Thousands of young" flyliiR men, mere boys in a.ge, have ben heroes of the war. with plenty of money to spend on leave and the adulation of every pretty gilrl for the win?g on t heir breas'e. What are they goinjr to do now when they are out of the service, and' when they still have the desire of flinging money about without with-out the necessary refiilmg process? Alter all. apart from moments of extreme I fright and horrible darker, their life in the army was not so bad. There are tens of thousands of men who are coming round to that point of view, now that the worst side of war is fading out of their memory. Spice Taken Out of Life. "Tt -wasn't so bad!" They remember t'.-.e comradeyh'.p of the life, the laughter they hai even in the Bad Fiares. the gay pr.irit of pais even in hours of imminent death. Ther- were wonderful "binges" out o' tbe iine in little French towns where pretty c.rls were kind. It was a preat adventure where, if a man was not afraid of death, he had lots of fun. . . . Peare looked enormously ood when war was on. hut now it is rather drab, and some-thine some-thine of the snire iias pons out of life. So offirers and men are filled with perplexities per-plexities of thought and emotion, without with-out any clear or definite convii t'ons as to how they will shape their future, and with no I'lear-cut philosophy derived from their experiem-e. or their" sufferine, or their view of war. We shall have to wait, perhapes for ten years, before we s'c e;ear;v tj, vftf. ,t of tboe four years upon the rhararter of men. My opinion is lhat the influ-if influ-if of war will he to ilitensifv all the qualities previously eN's'iins; j those n-.asse.s of men. Those who were naturahy brutal will he more brutalized bv the tor.'ii of war. Those who had some spiritual spir-itual strain in them win be more spiritualized, spir-itualized, and s-ek lo leVe up humanitv to a higher plane than the wav of iit'e In that frightful shambles of the bat';ie-fiel.ls. bat';ie-fiel.ls. Passions pent up in the old timAs of peare will f ame out in sudden truest? of virulence by masses of men be'ievin" npht'y or wrontrly tiat their liberies are threatened or their riphts tl,war:.-d. If barriers of Ininyi. are built nross O-ir path tr.ey w:!i just smash ihrouirh them like a l atterim; ram s,e'.n" ' a bio.vn laP'T screen. But I am an optimist op-timist as to the ui-iinate outcome of all tms upheaval of human nature. I believe be-lieve that, ihf- majority of our soldiers who arc eomine baek from the war are biKsnr men in minds and liodies. with bi-ger bi-ger views of the destiny of mankind, a broader outlook on the. world, and greater strength of eonvietion and action. They will ohanse things, it is certain, and the world we know Is not going to be tiie world of the nexl generation. The laborer will demand a bigger share of life's profit and I think he. will get It. Men will recognize frankly and absolutely abso-lutely the e.jualitv- of women, and it won't be altogether pleasant for the men. There wil! be a keener striving for progress in the material ways of life, as well as In the arts of life. There will be greater boldness in the handling of big problems, like the relalion between capital and labor, la-bor, and the development of state, organization. organ-ization. It will be very unpleasant in some countries, like Englaml, for old-fashioned old-fashioned people with wealth and land and old traditions which they desire to keep undisturbed, but youth 'will march on to new adventures, gaily and jovfullv. after an inevitable period of trouble and transition. The Greatest Tragedy of All. The greatest tragedy wi'l be the heritage heri-tage of the war in maimed men and blinded men and nerve-shattered men. who will not ke.p pace with the onward rush of life, but wiil sit on the banks brooding over the loss of their youth in that horror lhat has passed, v,h quickly, the world will forget. Youth has no time for pilv. I. no time for morbid memori'" great war. which absorbs all our! now, will to the next genera t ii.n the convulsion In which their i were born, the electric storm, c-the c-the clashing of human follies, l . they gained their new and v pulses leading to a rebirth and r of the social order, and to a rei.. of poetry, and all the arts of U long stagnation. This war was one of the?e : brainstorms which afflict mimkiA periods of change, like the I-'reii lution, when men rise to some ni. of evolution. ' That is the best ' hope, and if that, is not true, th-. is nothing left but despair. |
