War is not moving pawns in a game;
it is a struggle of quivering flesh and agonised nerves, of men
fighting and dying for ideals. Heroism is much more than duty. It is
idealism. No leader is truly great who discounts this quality.
America has known more of the great human interest of this war than
England. English people get the news from great American dailies. It
is an unprecedented situation, and so far the English people have
borne it almost in silence. But as the months go on and only bare
official dispatches reach them, there is a growing tendency to
protest. They want the truth, a picture of conditions. They want to
know what their army is doing; what their sons are doing. And they
have a right to know. They are making tremendous sacrifices, and they
have a right to know to what end.
The greatest agent in the world for moulding public opinion is the
press. The Germans know this, and have used their journals skilfully.
To underestimate the power of the press, to fail to trust to its good
will and discretion, is to refuse to wield the mightiest instrument in
the world for influencing national thought and national action. At
times of great crisis the press has always shown itself sane,
conservative, safe, eminently to be trusted.
The English know the power of the great modern newspaper, not only to
reflect but to form public opinion.
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