New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-01
Two Months of the Great War

two months. its Development n"'
.,,.,,,s.s and exploded some misconceptions but
,Da most noteworthy thing about 1t so tar Is 'U'l'
=, ,.s conforped in the main to rational e1pecto'
t,ous It has been marked by no such Oe"''u'''Ds
successes and tragic cOnapses as gripped Inc
,--,,..,o, IN the Austro- Hungarian Prussian war
=, ,ses and the FrancoGermRn war OF lS'"
,. ana. war there have been no easy dea'n
..-oi,.s ike sadowa and theatrical "kriesspie'
demonstrations like Sedan and Metz. In tac'' r"
So ,stan the world less than two months TO Tree
-, ,-ou the bondage Of the tradition OF German
succsss. Moltke's system may still be IN use O''
che conditions which confront the German O'''
,-., star to-day have not been OF the 'i''Oi'
order sort with which Moltke was ia'o'oi
= ,sss .nS 1870. Tue German armies have SHOWN
themselves capable Of great exertions auu '"7i'
organization has been admirable But 'ue' D'
-. han able 70 ride roughshOd over all oppo''-
-. rbov have had to take their chances IN Z
struggle with opponents OF equal me'ue' i"'
lo,eDd Of their inyiuelbiity has been snaue'eu'
:. ,yss inevitable that Germany should push the
sohtipg in the first stage Of the war Her prep"
r.t,ons were more complete than those Of any u
-. md her facilities for mobilization were
better. Miabesu once said Fighting Is 'iu'
ea,s greatest industry" The Prussan m'l''"'i''
.-,5,,,or has ruled in the German Empire, aud no
IT,. rproDean nation has trained for war rs
earnestly and systematically as German! mas 80
we know now Germauys first startling Su'ceS'''
in Belgium and France were due directly 10 'e'
maj, ,ran,redpess and to French unreadiness Inc
French were slow in mobilizing aud were OUT
numbered at the front until the first week Id
sontember. when the German right wing was
almost within sight OF the Notifications OF PARIS
German strategy called for series Of rapid
blows in Belgium and France, and the German
army delivered those blows according to pro
rramue But the resistance of the Allies tough
,,od under the German attack aud the French
mobilization furnished enough troops in the nick
Of time TO stave of any serious disaster ana uuo''
- turn back the invaders in their steps On SEDAN
Dav. month ago the outlook in the western
,b.,+re % war was tinged with gloom for the
Allies. They had been pushed back from the
Belgian border to the outskirts of Paris ana seeleu
unable TO bold the enemy. Germany was appai
emily on the verge Of repeating the easy tnulnpns
Of 1870. But the battle of the Marine changed alt
that and re-estabshed natural balance. lae
second month Of the war closes with the N''ie9
more than holding their own in the two weeks
battle Of the Aisne and preparing to carry through
q turning movement which, if successful viii
practically clear French territory Of the invaders.
The western campaign in its second phase has
therefore corrected in accordance with common
sense probabilities the abnormality Of the hrSC
phase due to Germanys exceptional advantages
in mobilization
In the eastern theatre Of war the German
Austro- Hungarian role was one Of defence. The
chief element Of uncertainty Russias ability
10 get her vast forces into action, and the real sur
,,rises Of the war have been the smoothncss and
dash Of Russa's offensive campaign. Neither Der
lin nor Vienna bad any idea that Russia would b.
able to overruu Gallcia within two months from
the outbreak Of the war. A naive confession Of
surprise at Russias forehandedness is contained
in letter to the Vienna "Neue Freie Presse
under the date Of August %. from its war CORE
spopdent Herr Roda Roda. lie wrote:
A second surprise (the first the fine weather
IN Calicia) rot certainly for the General Stats
az tbe two allies but for us outsiders rs that the
Russians both IN East Prussia Cat lnsterburg), on
The right of the Vistula (at krasnik), and on our
Fast Gaiician frontiers Cat Nowosielic2) are al
resdv able 20 put into the fight on the twenty,
second day Of mobilization whole divisions and
armv corps That seems 70 me TO indicate that
he Russian mobilization long anticipated
tbrougb a filling up of the ranks on their peace
footing basis and was not proceeding as SLOWLY
~ we all thought it On the strength or
these experiences 10 is possible that those propheI
deceived themselves who believed m anOtheF cam
paign Of 1912 (from Poland to Moscow IL IS
POSSIBLE that Russia will not withdraw peIore our
columns and the German columns 70 the hne OF
the Bug and the Dnester and that the nrst de-
cisive engagements viii occur much closer TO our
borders and at . relatively nearer date
"Much closer 70 our borders" The RussiaIs
now have possession Of all Galica except the e1-
treme western end and arc pouring over the Gag
lihian Mountains into Hungary. What is left
Tie three Austro-Hungaran armies is retreadng
-. .httt an ft tto r,rfg..4u az UryaruVlI