A Quiet London--The Call to Arms--No Mourning--The Zeppelin
Scare--German Spies--The German Landing--Kultur War Indemnities.


It is worth a winter trip across the Atlantic to stand with a London
audience and hear it respond to the call, "Are we downhearted?" with a
thunderous "NO!"

It is then you first realize that the British Empire is at war; and
what that war means; and that that Empire has piped to its defense a
free people inhabiting one fifth of the territory of the globe.

The British Empire has war upon its hands a major part of the time. It
may be in the Soudan; it may be in South Africa. From some quarter of
the globe war is almost always before the Empire. But a war summoning
the whole British Empire to arms on land and sea,--that has not been
dreamed of for a hundred years.

You expect to find in London an armed camp, the flags flying, the drums
beating, the troops marching; an excited people discussing causes and
effects of the military and naval programmes; military encampments with
white tents over the plains. But you find nothing of the sort. If you
attempt to motor in the country and figure on reaching a certain place
in two hours, you may find it takes you four, as you are very likely to
run into troops, companies, regiments, and armies in training, but
mostly without arms and only partially uniformed. They are trudging
the highways and the lanes of England from 5.30 A.M. until dusk,--rain
or shine. Here is Kitchener's army being put into condition, with no
fuss, feathers, or trumpet beats. The army is "rolling up" and
"hardening up." But not on the tented campus. It is quartered in the