August 30, 1917 
LAND & WATER 
LAND & WATER 
OLD SERJEANTS' INN, LONDON, W.C. 
Telephone "HOLBORN 2828. 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 30. 1917 
CONTENTS 
PACE 
The Talon Ridge. By Louis Raemaekers i 
British Loyalty. (Leader) 3 
The Great Italian Battle. By Hilaire. Belloc 4 
Germany's I'oreign Minister. By J. Couduner de 
Chassaigne - 
A Journal from a Legation. By Hugh Gibson lo 
The Utopian Satirist. By J. C" Squire I3 
Gabriele d'Annunzio. By Arthur Symons i4 
An August Day, 1915. By Bertha Harrison i? 
Books to Read. By Lucian Oldershaw i'^ 
(Jn the Italian Front. (Photographs). ^9 
Domestic Economy "" 
Kit and Equipment ^3 
BRITISH LOYALTY 
ANEW Honour was created last week which once 
and for all destroys the illusion that heroism and 
devotion to duty under arduous and dangerous 
^conditions are only deserving of public recognition 
when displayed on a battlefield. For obvious reasons man 
has always regarded war as the special arena in which 
dignities and distinctions are to be won ; now we realise 
that the toil and perils of peace are equally worthy of recog- 
nition, inasmuch as they are essential if war is to be waged 
successfully. This new honour— the Medal of the Most 
Excellent Order of the British Empire — is to be awarded 
" for services of special merit rendered to the Empire by men 
and women in manual and other work done for the war." The 
italics aie ours ; thes<! four words will, we doubt not, dis- 
appear at an early date while the honour, which has been 
badly wanted in ^he past, remains. " Peace hath her heroisms 
no less renowned than war," is a truism which all have 
accepted, but only now arc we acting on it, and the fact that 
no difference is to be made between the sexes adds to its public 
value. Medals for our fighting forces were one of the out- 
comes of the Napoleonic wars ; medals for the toiling hosts 
of labour are an outcome of the Great War. This in itsf If 
is symbolical of the progress we have made in the appreciation 
of a right perspective. The present life and death struggle 
of civilised humanity has caused the scales to fall from our 
eyes, and we now see that the existence of a nation is as 
dependent on all its membei's, both in sickness and in health, 
as is the mortal existence of an individual. 
A week ago there were fears of a certain section of English 
railway-men going on strike. This happily came to nothing, 
for had it happened it would have disorganised the transport 
of munitions and would have inevitably resulted in un- 
necessary loss of life among our aimits in the field. As things 
are at the moment, it is impossible to separate any part of the 
national organisation from another part for the simple 
reason the whole nation is at war, fighting for the principles 
of freedom and humanity which are the very life-blood of its 
corporate capacity. Long hours of work and high cost of 
necessities are severe trials, but if they are unavoidable, the 
Briton, to whatever state of life he may have b^en called, 
would be false to his traditions if he were to sacrifice his 
mates and fellow-countr^'men in order to mako thin^ a little 
easier for himself. ' This loyalty between man and man 
is one of the most precious heritages of our race ; we have 
ever been generous of it, extending it to those of alien blood 
who have given proof of their fidelity ; it would be an evil 
day were any considerable section of the people to prove 
false to the tradition, but this is almost inconceivable seeing 
how strong this quality has been displayed in the terrible 
time througli which we have passed. 
But the strain of war, heavv (Imhii'Ii i( li.i^ lucii, i^ jiy no 
means over. In the coming weeks it may press still harder 
on the shoulders of the civil population, though the daily 
reports from the firing lines continue to be favourable. Gei- 
many's new Foreign Minister, Baron von Kuhlmann, has 
stated publicly that he regards it as his duty to study the 
psychology of his enemies and to profit by that study to the 
advantage of Germany. During the years tliis man was at 
the German Embassy in London, he made it his bflsiness to 
get into close touch with all types of people ; he had spies and 
secret agents in all quarters, and he did not despise any 
means or methods which would increase his knowledge of 
British sentiment. Like the majority of his fellow country- 
men, Kuhlmann for all his cunning is stupid, and he gave 
himself away badly at the very beginning of the war by 
overestimating British gullibility. Notwithstanding this, it is 
well to bear in mind that he knows intimately eveiy traitor 
there may be in England, he is familiar with the underground 
passpge ways through which it is possible to influence public 
opinion, and as the necessities of (jcrmany become worse, 
there is nothing he will stop at to promote discord and dis- 
union in this country. His predecessors have done every- 
thing in their power to promote distrust between the Allies, 
and have failed. Kuhlmann has been elevated to high office 
to weaken and undermine British loyalty. Shall he succeed ? 
Not for an instant do we believe so, but it is well to imder- 
stand the motives and the aims of this able and unscrupulous 
person, which are very plainly set out by Mr. Coudurier de 
Chassaigne in his article that appears on another page. 
As so often happens in the British Isles, after a hot early 
summer, the weather has broken, and the harvest months are 
cold and wet. These unfavourable storms are delaying 
the ingathering of the com, and they already have had a 
very bad effect on the outturn. Fortunately, as the Prime 
Minister has told us, the food position ii. more favourable 
than it was six months ago, but the strictest economy is 
still necessary if privation is to be avoided. Lack of transport, 
both by sea and land, will create difficulties in other wa^'S — 
for example, the problem of supplying London with coal during 
the winter has not yet been satisfactorily solved. This is 
the direction where in the coming months all have to show 
loyalty to their fellows, and to help, each in their own small 
sphere, in order that a full and complete victory over the 
enemy may be gained. 
To revert to the new British Empire medal, know that 
the services of very special merit which its bestowal is to 
memoralise, will include " acts of great courage, self-sacrifice 
or high example, of initiative or perseverance ; of skill, re- 
source, or invention." Cannot even the meanest citizen 
in the humblest home practise some at least of these 
qualities ? It is not only our duty to do so, but by so doing 
we put ourselves on the snme level of high conduct as the 
men who are fighting our battles at the front, though at no 
risk of life or limb. In order to purify ourselves from the 
leprosy of selfishness and cowardly living, we need not go 
down to the Abana and Pharpar of Flanders and I'>ance, we 
may dip in the little Jordan that runs at our threshold. 
Every effort is now being made to place the food resources 
of the countr\' on the most favourable terms possible for all 
classes of the conmi unity ; it is less a question of supplies 
than of distribution, and the syccess must ultimately depend 
upon the consumer adapting himself to circumstances, that 
is on the private citizen fitting himself to the peculiar 
conditions of tlie times. It should not be difficult, though 
it may be temporarily inconvenient. The first thing to be 
done is to gain^the consumer's confidence — ^work whicli will 
fall on the local Food Committees. The selection of these 
Committees is of the utmost signitkance, and it is the mani- 
fest duty of those who occupy leading positions in all local 
areas to take an active interest in the appointments. One 
of the great difficulties which the Food Controller has to 
contend against is that, inasmuch as the problems mainly 
concern retail trade, they are deemedfbeneath the consideration 
of persons of position and influence. It is not easy to change 
human nature in an instant, but we do consider that there 
is no public duty of greater importancf> at tl*> moment, 
outside direct work for the war, than the regulation and 
super\-ision of food supplies. 
