HELPING FRANCE AND ENGLAND.
[To TEE EDITOR or THE " SPECTATOIL'l Sin,—As an American, I venture to point out that England's decision to live up to her implied promises to France, as put forward for so many years, nearly concerns the self-respect of one hundred million Americans and British Colonials, as well as Englishmen. For no English-speaking person could longer cite the quality of his race, or show his face in Europe, had England taken the course so vigorously urged by her puling intellectuals and certain of her• newspapers. Like my brother, who fought for England in three campaigns, I too propose to do something more in keeping with Anglo-Saxon views of activity than the extension of an academic approval; and my plan, as suggesting an effective support to England by others placed like myself, may profitably interest some of your readers. As physical defects prevent my offering military service, I propose to go to Morocco or Algeria to join the civilian defence now being arranged in the interior towns like Biskra to guard against an Arab uprising ; the last being a probability well known to Germany, as I can vouch for, from conversations with a German officer in Algiers. And we may be sure that the futile shelling of a port like Bona by the German cruisers was done with a view to apprising the Arabs of their opportunity to rise. The addition of every good rifle shot to these little garrisoned Algerian towns means a soldier free to defend France and England—a fact likely to be overlooked at this juncture. As there are some thousands of Englishmen who like myself must winter in a warm climate, yet who like myself would serve England if possible, it occurs to me that my plan might interest them; hence I hope you will publish this letter.
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