all him a stand-patter.'

That night at dinner we talked solid business--Blenkiron and I and a
young French Colonel from the IIIeme Section at G.Q.G. Blenkiron, I
remember, got very hurt about being called a business man by the
Frenchman, who thought he was paying him a compliment.

'Cut it out,' he said. 'It is a word that's gone bad with me. There's
just two kind of men, those who've gotten sense and those who haven't.
A big percentage of us Americans make our living by trading, but we
don't think because a man's in business or even because he's made big
money that he's any natural good at every job. We've made a college
professor our President, and do what he tells us like little boys,
though he don't earn more than some of us pay our works' manager. You
English have gotten business on the brain, and think a fellow's a dandy
at handling your Government if he happens to have made a pile by some
flat-catching ramp on your Stock Exchange. It makes me tired. You're
about the best business nation on earth, but for God's sake don't begin
to talk about it or you'll lose your power. And don't go confusing real
business with the ordinary gift of raking in the dollars. Any man with
sense could make money if he wanted to, but he mayn't want. He may
prefer the fun of the job and let other people do the looting. I reckon
the biggest business on the globe today is the work behind your lines
and the way you feed and supply and transport your army. It beats the
Steel Corporation and the Standard Oil to a frazzle. But the man at the
head of it all don't earn more than a thousand dollars a month ... Your
nation's getting to worship Mammon, Dick. Cut it out. There's just the
one difference in humanity--sense or no sense, and most likely you
won't find any more sense in the man that makes a billion selling bonds
than in his brother Tim that lives in a shack and sells corn-cobs. I'm
not speaking out of sinful jealousy, for there was a day when I was
reckoned a railroad king, and I quit with a bigger pile than kings
usually retire on. But I haven't the sense of old Peter, who never even
had a bank account ... And it's sense that wins in this war.'

The Colonel, who spoke good English, asked a question about a speech
which some politician had made.

'There isn't all the sense I'd like to see at the top,' said Blenkiron.
'They're fine at smooth words. That wouldn't matter, but they're
thinking smooth thoughts. What d'you make of the situ