The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-12-03
THE WAR

flicE is under way, and there is no
sign that either side, or any nation
on either side, has any disposition to
cry enough"
The battle liries and warning coun-
tries are SO hidden under clouds of
mystery ard lmisstatement that Am
orleans can form only approximate
ideas of the conflict and condition of
the ,ombatants.
Yet, with the exception of com
paratively few OF the leading soldiers
and statesmen of the fighting nations,
the average American newspaper
reader is better informed On the war
than the people of the countries en-
gagged, or even the soldiers on the fir
ing lines.
In western Europe, along the bat
tie line from the North Sea to the
Alps, the armies remain at dead
lock. The Germans hold few miles
Of Belgian coast, but they have not
taken an important harbor, have not
made any progress toward Paris nor
the English channel. Every one OF
their moves in those directions has
been checked with heavy loss. The
two vast armies, one of Belgians,
British and French, the other of Ger
mans, are practically intrenched from.
one end of the line to the other, and
it seems impossible to break thru
either line.
For the last two weeks the Ger
mans have been comparatively quiet
IN the west, the reason probably being
that they have been obliged to send
heavy achievements to their hard
pressed armies in the east. The al
lies, instead of taking advantage of
this to attack, have instead seeemd
20 be trying to rest their men. 1t is
reported, however, that they are con-
stantly being reinforced, so there is
no telling when they may take the Of
EeuEive.
IN the east, immense armies have
been fighting in Poland, Galicia and
East Prussia for the last month with
a fierceness that has put all previous
operations of the war in the shade,
and perhaps in greater numbers than
have ever been lined up in battles on
any military stage before. 1t seems
that the Germans invaded Poland and
were driven back, that the Russians
invaded East Prussia and were
checked, that the Germans have again
advanced, and the Russians are
swarming around them by the mill
ion. Both sides claim victory, and nc
doubt that on the vast scale of the
conflict large armies win or lose daily
The general result cannot be told, but
this much is certain-G Germany ha!
lost tremendously in men and has mo-
gained any ground on Russia sine,
The war began.
Further south, the Austrians ant
Russians carry on their death crap
pie In Galicia and on the Hungarian
frontier. Here again, claim an
counter claim confuse the reader, bu
certain it is that the war is bein,
soil. The battlefields on which tn
soldiers Of Franz JOSEF claim victor
are all in Galicia and Hungary, an
the Cossacks are not watering thei
horse in their own rivers.
The Austrians seem to have pre-
varied against the Servians in ii
VAST month, but while they may hay
ridden Bosnia and Herzegovina frol
the Servians, they have not advance
lar beyond the boundary or crushe
the Slavonic mountaineers.
The Turks claim to have driven Il
Russians back to the Caucasus and
dominate the Black Sea. The Ru
SLAMS claim to have advanced In
Armenia, defeated the Turks in
geaera1 engagement and to be dri
ing them back on Ezerum. They al
claim to have defeated the Turks
a naval engagement. The reader c;
believe little of what the Turks clail
and ueed not believe all the Russia
say.
it is understood that large Tur
Ish army is moving over the Syri
desert to attack the British in Egg
and block the Suez canal. The Br
lsh are doubtless doing all possible
meet the invaders, but they have r
mes enough in Egypt to garrison t
sIuy miles of canal, so raid til
may block the big ditch is not i
probable The "holy war" that W
threatened by the Moslems again
the British, French and Russians /