May 
11)17 
LAND & WATER 
LAND & WATER 
OLD 
SERJEANTS' INN. LONDON, W.C 
Telephone HOLBORN 2828. 
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1917 
CONTENTS 
PAGE 
On Land and Water. By Louis Raemaekers i 
A Genius for Discipline (Leader) 3 
The Poiitical Factor. By Hilaire Belloc 4 
Under Three Flags. By Our Washington Correspondent 6 
Admiralty Reforms. By Arthur Pollen 9 
Land and Water and the Admiralty '^^ 
How much should we Eat ? By H. Onslow i3 
" To the Unknown God." By J. C. Squire i5 
The Little Princess of Riverside. By L. Cope 
Cornford i" 
The Atlantic Alliance. (Correspondence) I7 
Books to Read. By Lucian Oldershaw i8 
Domestic Economy ^o 
Kit and Equipment 23 
A GENIUS FOR DISCIPLINE 
THE most distinctive characteristic of the British 
people has been said to be its genius for discipHne. 
Immediately before the war this statement was 
regarded as almost ludicrous, in view of the acute 
differences and divisions which were apparent in all ranks 
of [life. There was revolt, passive or active, in the political, 
religious and industrial worlds ; it had extended even to the 
sexes, so that war between transient man and the eternal 
feminine had come to have a new and concrete meaning. 
But the instant a greater issue appeared and it was realised 
that the nation was engaged in a death struggle with Ger- 
many, these superficial cleavages and quarrels vanished ; 
the genius for discipline instinct in the race reasserted itself, 
and the people willingly accepted the orders of their leaders, 
and of their own accord, as it were, fell into arderly ranks, 
resolute to march to victory. As we look back over the 
events of the last three years (for we are fast approaching 
that period of war) we can to-day discern how again and 
again the Government has relied implicitly on this quality- 
¥.ven at this time when a new unrest is apparent in several 
quarters, it is ob\nous that the Government places its trust 
in " the good sense of the people," which is only another way 
of expressing the same truth, for as no army without discipUne 
can hope to win victory in the field, so can no nation without 
discipline expect to win victor^' in this war of nations. This 
is more especially true in the light of Sir William Robertson's 
recent saying tliat a nation in its civil, political, industrial 
and economic elements represents 75 per cent, of the forces 
employed in modern warfare. This, perhaps, is thC' most 
important statement publicly made in recent months by 
a distinguished officer. The people have confidence in the 
Chief of the General Staff ; they know he would not have given 
utterance to this opinion if he did not agree with it. 
Disciphne does not imply the harsh rule of the drill- 
sergeant, such as is and has been practised in Germany. 
When appUed to a British regiment, good discipline signifies 
that the men are as well conducted off parade as on it ; that 
they know how to enjoy rationally a large measure of personal 
liberty ; that if under the accidents of military service a 
platoon finds itself in a tight corner it will carry on in the same 
Spirit as though the battalion were in force. Loyalty between 
all ranks is a first essential of good disciphne ; there must be 
mutual confidence between officers, non-coms., and men as 
between the varying grades of officers, and the feeling must 
be engendered that the reputatioh of the regiment is the first 
thought in every ntan's breast from the CO. downwards, and 
t hat not one is out to play his own game or to use his fellows 
as pawns for his personal advancement. But it will inevitably 
happen that now and again insubordination will occur. It 
must be instantly repressed with stern justice if discipline 
is not to suffer. But above all there must be good leadership ; 
contradictory orders are fatal in that they denote a muddled 
mind or a feeble character. It is contrary to human nature 
to place reliance on a man whose actions and words con- 
stantly vary. All that we have written here about a regiment 
applies with equal force to the people as a whole. 
An American gentleman resident in this country, an acute 
observer, asked the other day why the Food Controller did 
not rely more on this universal respect for law, which 
struck him as being perhaps the strongest trait in the 
British character. It is a fair question. We believe that 
this quality might be utilised to much better advantage 
than has been the case hitherto. Were an order promulgated 
by the Food Controller or by higher authority decreeing a 
fixed bread ration, and instructing all households which 
obtain their bread through a bakery to deal vvith a single 
baker, there is every reason to believe that the order would 
be willingly obeyed in 95 per cent, of the homes of this land. 
This order must be expressed in clear and simple language 
and the quantity allowed per head stated in number of loaves 
of a fixed weight. It should be nrade the duty of the baker 
to know the number in each household he supplies — both of 
those who customarily take all their meals at home and of 
those who buy one or more meals daily outside. As it is, 
half the people do not know how much bread thej^ may cat, 
under the conditions of their work or calling, if there is to be 
enough until the harvest. Tiie whole question is chaos ; and 
the Food Controller, while hesitating to introduce bread 
tickets, fails to issue clear and definite orders which the 
well-discijjlined, who form the vast majority of the popula- 
tion, would obey willingly. 
The first objection to such an order is that it would be 
difficult or impossible to enforce obedience by punishment. 
Lord Devonport has conducted the business of his Depart- 
ment without any resort to disciplinary measures until 
the last few days; though now waste is being punished. 
Food profiteering is universall}- regarded as a sin against 
the community. At one time officials strenuously denied 
the existence of it. But it was only the other day that Lord 
Devonport disclosed in the House of Lords the scandal of the 
speculation that had arisen over Rangoon beans directly it 
was realised they were possible substitutes for potatoes. 
Though much was said about the offence, not a word was 
said about the offenders. No punishment was suggested nor 
were names mentioned. Are the pubHc to understand that 
speculation in foodstuffs is still a legal operation, and that 
the law allows prices to be artificially raised for private profit, 
even in these days of submarines ? No man or woman 
outside Mincing Lane can understand, for instance, why the 
wholesale price of tea should be at its present high level 
in the face of visible supplies. Is it not possible to check 
the exploitation of the shortage of certain staples or of the 
general increase of temperance without undue interference 
with the laws of supply and demand ? 
The war is not over by any means. As much has to be 
done at home as on the battlefields if complete victory is to 
be won. The present industrial unrest causes perplexity to 
our Allies ; they do not understand how at the very moment 
when the country is deriving the first full benefit of the 
strenuous toil of the last two years, the home workers should 
weary and, as it seems, lose heart. . It would appear to 
them as though this were the very moment when all other 
thoughts and considerations would be merged in the single 
resolution to finish even more brilliantly what they had begun 
so well. There are doubtless numerous comphcations in the 
strikes which only those intimate witli the full facts can 
appreciate at their right worth ; biit we do not believe that 
national discipline will suffer if the Government behaves 
in a firm and sensible manner ; but there must be good 
leadership on the part of Government and a complete clearance 
as far as it is possible of all misunderstandings and mis- 
conceptions. Never in the history of modern industriahsra 
has popular sympathy been more entirely with the workers ; 
wc know what they have accomplished, both on the fields 
of France and in the workshops of these islands, but the 
public also realise that there is one paramount issue 
at the moment — the winning of the war. Nothing must be 
allowed to interfere with that, otherwise all the terrible 
sacrifice bitherto offered will be wa,ste. 
