land, from charcoal
burners to dukes, hesitates one moment to send its sons into the
army. When the news comes of their death, they never whimper. When
you come right down to hard facts, the courage and the endurance of
the British and the French excel anything ever before seen on this
planet. All the old stories of bravery from Homer down are outdone
every day by these people. I see these British at close range,
full-dress and undress; and I've got to know a lot of 'em as well
as we can ever come to know anybody after we get grown. There is
simply no end to the silly sides of their character. But, when the
real trial comes, they don't flinch; and (except the thoroughbred
American) there are no such men in the world.

A seven-foot Kansas lawyer (Kansas all over him) came to see me
yesterday. He came here a month ago on some legal business. He told
me yesterday that he had always despised Englishmen. He's seen a
few with stud-horse clothes and white spats and monocles on who had
gone through Kansas to shoot in the Rocky Mountains. He couldn't
understand 'em and he didn't like 'em. "So infernally uppish," said
he.

"Well, what do you think of 'em now?"

"The very best people in the world," said he. I think he has a
notion of enlisting!

You're still publishing books, I hear. That's a good occupation.
I'd like to be doing it myself. But I can't even get time to read
'em now.

But, as you know, nobody's writing anything but war books--from
Kipling to Hall Caine. Poor Kipling!--his boy's dead. I have no
doubt of it. I've had all the German hospitals and prison camps
searched for him in vain. These writing men and women, by the way,
are as true blue and as thoroughbred as any other class. I can
never forget Maurice Hewlett's brave behaviour when he thought that
his flying corps son had been killed by the Germans or drowned at
sea. He's no prig, but a real man. And the women are as fine as the
men....

To go back to books: Of course nobody can tell what effect the war
will have on the writing of them, nor what sort of new writers may
come up. You may be sure that everything is stirred to its
profoundest depths and will be stirred still more. Some old stagers
will be laid on the shelf; that's certain. What sort of new ones
will