Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-14
CHAPTER XIII.
The Frown of England.

Inc EfOWn OF England.
BY the end of July, one thing at least
had been clearly limited to the whole Of
Europe: that if those English could not
write music they could work; if they
could not make pretty things, they GER
tainly could fight If they were not 'ele-
gants." they at least possessed the knack,
and the secret, and the sword of the Con-
queror.
La morgue Britannique" ia radieur
Britannque!'-it was not then, after all,
a mere insolence of semi sayages, but a
racial value and valor.
The Continental nations were not quick
in learning this fact; lingering unbellef
persisted in them, and in learning 1t they
persisted; and in teaching 1t to them Brit
ain herself all but persisted.
The numerous campaigns had now occu-
pied not quite five months, and at the end
of this time Europe was in state of col
lapse and exhaustion far exceeding that
which existed at The close of the Thirty
Years War.
Liege, IN a pinewood, there stands a small,
old fashioned inn with overhanging ga
bles, whose frontage looks directly upon
the brown waters of the Mouse, Here the
Emperor Wilhelm, Duke Paul, representing
the Romanoffs and NJ. Hanotaux met by
appointment.
The first was chiefly a soldier, the sec
ond chiefly diplomat, the third chiefly
a
They sat in one of those vast bedrooms
of old Belgian inns, the arst floor,
grouped near a window which overlooked
the river.
The deliberation was conducted, as
usual, in French.
THE situation. said NJ. Hanotaux, has
developed. and developments generally
demand new plans The facts know:
by means of a single contretemps to our
fleet. France finds herself with two invad-
Ing armies in her territories. Germany
with three, and Russia with. three. And
in no case has any one of these eight
armies been unsuccessful.
The defensive said the emperor, has
always been intensely repugnant to the
genius of the German army. 1t is an army
Nof conquest and aggression. The small
ness of its victories in this war has been
due to the fact that it fought on German
soil"
Duke Paul and NJ. Hanotaux smiled at
each other with their eyes
But the question is one of means. "a Their
than Of causes, said NJ Hanotaux Let
us face this fact boldly that our great
enemy Is aided by the geography of the
earth. We should have beaten England
we none OF us doubted that we should
But we have not. TO me there seem 10
have been two chief reasons for this fall
ure which may now be more or less re-
moved First the diversions caused by
the hostiiities entered upon against us by
other nations; and secondly. the sea.
But both reasons remain? said Duke
Paul interrogativefy.
The sea does" broke in Wilhelm but
candidly, it is my opinion that France
should long ago have made peace with
Italy and Russia with Austria
Your Majesty is perhaps lite SAN
guine in this view" answered NJ Hano-
faux. for Italy was the aggressor, and
perhaps one might say the same of Aus
tria. On the other hand, Germany seems
TO have no real cause for bloody war
with Sweden and Denmark.
But was not Sweden then, the
aggressor monsieur. as far as Ger
many was concerned? asked VIII
helm. did she not wantonly attack my
coasts for no other valid reason than that
Germany was the ally of Russia? And
since Denmark has Joined Sweden in this
attack what would you have? This, be
sure. is not a matter for the peacemaker.
monsieur but for the unsparing and i'm
pIacable swords!
STILL" said NJ. Hanotaux, and he stroked
his struggling barbiche de bourgeois, our
conference conducted In spirit of unyteld-
ing insistence upon rights, will hardly re-
suit in good fruit. The fact is, that we
each of us have to fight one great and at
least one smaller foe. / have inaugurated
this meeting FOR the purpose of asking IN
the most definite terms this question: Since
the resources OF Europe are yisibly nearing
their end, do we prefer to conquer the great
foe or the small? Is it wisdom to persist
in both attempts2"
II agree with you in principle" said Will
helm.
1.-THE principle is obvious" said Duke
Paul.
And to me the details also seem OBJ