Text Appearing Before Image: vres of 1902, wherethey watched the rehearsal in practice of themost perfect mihtary machine that the worldhad ever seen. * Wood, said Roberts, * whatare our countries to do when that splendidmilitary machine is directed against us?Each returned to warn his country at whatevercost to himself. In each case the warning wasimheeded and bitterly resented by the pacifistGovernment in power. Soldier as he is. General Wood has kept histemper and, no matter under what provoca-tion, he has never been led into criticism of hisCommander-in-Chief; but neither has he beencoerced by threats or intimidation from tellingthe stark truth concerning the peril that hasfaced his country. No one not himself acommander of troops is likely in any degreeto be able to measure the depths of the Gen-erals heart-breaking disappointment whenupon the eve of embarking for the front withthe crack division which he had trained, theorder was received relieving him of his com-mand and aiming to place him on the shelf at Text Appearing After Image: I Wallinger Co General and Mrs. Wood and family Introduction 37 a deserted military post. At this juncturepublic opinion became audible in so angry atone that the order had to be modified and theGeneral permitted to exercise his genius intraining a second division for field service.This second splendid unit was trained andready to leave for the front when hostili-ties were terminated by the signing of the armistice. The proponents of preparedness have alwaysmade their fight under most serious handicaps.It is peculiar to humanity to accept of twoprogrammes that one which is the more agree-able. Our wishes are almost inevitably thefather to our thoughts and beliefs. The sirenvoice of pacifism tells us that we are secure ina soft and easy existence with leisure for highthinking and for boundless material prosperity.Why should we resort to stern self-sacrificeand turn our thoughts even for a moment tosuch base objects as preparing to destroy thelives of our fellow-men made in the imageof
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