I have not the slightest confidence in any invasion of England by
Germany, but I do not understand why German Zeppelins do not move in
the darkness over the British Isles and drop a few bombs about the
country at important places. It may be that the German Emperor is
right in his calculation that such action would do very little damage,
and would strengthen tremendously the enlistments and war-expansion
plans of the English.

When West Hartlepool, Whitby, and Scarborough were bombarded by the
German warships on the morning of December 16, the English excitement
concerning it was only a small part of what an American would have
expected. Not far from this bombarded coast is a summer resort town,
where for many years a legend has existed that when in some future age
England decayed and Germany came in, this would be the first
landing-point.

An Englishman two or three years ago took it upon himself to find out
how far this legend might have its base in any near invasion. He
looked up the record and found that all the leading summer hotels and
strategic points were in the hands of Germans. Then one day he quickly
addressed his German waiter in his native tongue, demanding to know
where his post was in that town in the event of hostilities. Promptly
the German replied, "Down at the schoolhouse!" Further investigation
showed that every reservist had his allotted place before and after the
landing, and his place in the civic organization to follow. The
Germans had also compiled lists of the people of property in that
vicinity and exactly the character and amount of resources that could
be commandeered from them.

If the Germans were free to map England, why should they not be free to