The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-07-20

tufe OF WaF Woulu Ue CLduSea, Iiat
armies would be quickly destroyed
so quickly that even the famous six
weeks war of Prussia in 1866 would
be looked back upon as a prolonged
contest In other words, belligerent
nations, having exchanged prelimina-
ries, would meet and fight duel ac-
cording to the code in a few hours
But the Boer-British contest teaches
other lessons. America smashed Spain's
resistance in two hemispheres in five
months. Turkey rode rough shod over
Greece in a few weeks, and our war
with Spain. as we'll as that between
Turk and Greek. was tame affair as
compared with that in South Africa.
where mere handful has kept an
army of mammoth proportions at
arms length over half year. Japan
also defeated China with a lightning
| campaign. In the cases of Japan
against China and the United States
against Spain modern arms and meth
DDS settled the issue. and settled 1t
speedily, but the conditions were in
every way favorable for success even
without the advantage on the part OF
the victors in way of up to date de-
vices. The war In South Africa is a
test of war; it is trial between two
nations equal in brain and material
resources, and if the Beers had had
soldiers to adequately line their bor-
ders England could not have pushed
them to the wall with million men in
ten years.
1t is not wholly because the Boer is
what he is that England has found the
task of recovering her own from pitt
full army a matter for months, with
anything like equal terms at the outset
Is a matter for natural conditions to
control. and accident plays large part
In failure mr. success. The Beers have
shown a surprising lack of ingenuity
and audacity in not hamperng the
British advance by raiding and cutting
communications. and yet the British
campaign has suffered at every stage
by slowness of getting troops and sup
plies to the seat of war and delivering
them on the scene of action at the right
time. Modern invention has not done
away with animal thirst. The British
have been hampered by the scarcity OF
water because South Africa is moi
abundantly supplied. Imagine 10000
to 10000 men and thousands Of draft
animals thrown suddenly into a region
barely supplying water enough for s
sparse country population. And thel
imagine war where, although there
might be water in plenty, an active en-
envy took measures to keep it's oppo
nents from reaching it. Questions Of
bread and water supply caused more
than one great battle in the civil war.
There are not many roads in Soutl
j. Africa, very few railways and no navi
gable streams. But, if there were,
foe which could be classed with Grea
Britain would have blocked or wrecked
or patrolled those avenues of communi
cation. and there could as we'll hav
been nothing of the kind as far as ad
vantage to England is concerned
France most assuredly would not pei
NIT Germany to run her troops AM
!, powder and bread over the eXistin
railways of her eastern territory.
1t is idle to talk about destroyin
opposition to an army's progress b.
the improved long range guns. Th
enemy invaded would have the sam
powerful armament and the new gun
shoot one way as we'll as another. S
a modern army must toll along by tn
same painful processes as of old, an
the long range gun will tell against til
aggressor if anything. Men who mare