The Washington times., 1914-09-11
NO VIEW OF THE END.

!
man advance had been stayed in
France, brought also the word that
the fortress of Maubeuge had fallen
before the Germans. Honors were
about even; it may be indeed that
I the Germans were entitled to credit
Of the larger advantage. Maubeuge
was no longer very important strate,
eically because the tide of battle
had rolled on past it. But its re-
duction is another big demonstra-
tion of the possibilities of these a.
inch siege guns that the Germans
have been using. Namur was their
first victim: now Maubeuge. Will it
be Verdun and Beaufort, and then
perhaps Paris itself?
Unless the Germans have huge
advantage up their sleeve, in their
siege guns and ammunition, it may
be considered that their sweep has
reached its crest. But there are
disturbing indications that in fact
they are falling back somewhat as
the allies were recently doing. The
allies were being pushed back be-
cause they preferred to fall back,
ard delay, and hold their lines,
while re-anforcements came up.
Those have come, probably in vast
numbers; now they are able to take
the offensive.
But are the Germans falling back
because they must do so, or because
they. also, are in turn waiting for
Te-enforcement5; that is, for the
great siege trains that are reported
coming up from the rear? These
big guns are said to weigh four
tons aside from carriages. They
must be placed on cement platforms.
Thus far, nothing has been found
during this war that had n chance to
stand against them. The fort1tica-
tion that is once brought under their
fire is doomed; it is worse than if
it had never been built.
If the Germans are in fact bring
ing up series of trains of these
siege pieces, and if they can hold
their positions while emplacing
them, then the allies situation may
at any time become desperate again.
Paris great forts would have no
better chance than those Of Liege,
Maubeuge, and Namur.
Very much more significant, it
would seem, than the retirement of
the Germans at this time, is the
persistent story, and the evidence of
its truthfulnesS, that the Belgians,
British, and Russians have an.assed
big new army in the northwest,
and are bringing pressure that
threatens the German comm mica
ton. This has been the obvious
strategy of the allies from the very
beginning. How the Germans could
have left their flank on the Channel
utterly unprotected is explairable
only on the theory that she enter
taincd an utter contempt for the
capacity of The British to make
themselves 4 real force in the war.
She didn't think they required SER
iOJs attention.
If that he the case. it is indeed a
sad mistake thai the Germans have
made; the second one Of its kind.
he Britishcrs now announce that
their regular force has been raised
to 100000 men, and probably most
Of this is in the field; $4,000 more
troops will have hcen raised by the
end of this week; and now another
100000 has been authorized, and will
he raised very rapidly. Thus Britain,
instead of oeirE JOKE, requiring no
flank defense to keep ncr away, ap-
pears with ] 1000 men Of her own,
and with the power in addition to
bring another million OF two from
Russia. and vast lovirs from India
and the rest Of the colonies. II
would be difficult to imagine a more
tgrcgious blunder than the German
assumption that the British couldn't
make themselves 2 factor in the
war; unless, perhaps, the other Ger
man crror that the British were
dccadent and could no lorgcr fight.
anyhow,
The very fact that Britain has
authorized and set about to enroll
! another half million of soldiers in
d;cates that the people best infor med
do not imagirH :'le wars end is in
sight. 1t is all very we'll to insiat
! that the countries cQnnut ntand tho
strain of tx war fer GNRny wepl;yi
but some Of them can keep the war
going more easily and safely than
they could stor It just now. That
the Kaiser is putting out hints in
the direction of peace is aIrant non
| FcnSc. He has not won single big
Victory yet; he has not sustained a
: I L