The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-04
WAR ECHOES

| Kaiser declared war against Russla an began the movement for the invasion 0 France.
 It was believed by the German war Of flee that Russia would require at least 5 days to mobilize and make ready Tor war 1 The plan of the German general star was to crush France at once by force ol
 numbers and superior preparedness. Aus tria in the meantime would be able tt hold back Russia and with France pros | trated the Kaiser's victorious ieglons would swing swiftly eastward to dea with the slow-going Russians as they mac dealt with the French.
 | To this end only five army corps were left to defend Germans eastern provinces The main army was concentrated in the west, ready to leap across the French
 frontier A
 | It was an admirable plan on paper, but Germany has not been able to carry il out in spite of the wonderful work of the German troops. The marvellous precision of the German fighting machine has been largely neutralized by the amazing bung- ling of the German diplomatic machine When the Kaiser went lightly into war Berlin expected that hostilities would be confined to France. Russia and Servia on the one side and Germany, Austria and Italy on the other. The German foreign office seems to have been so certain of Italy that neither Berlin nor Vienna took the trouble to consult Rome or even to ton of war. Italy's response was for maj notification that the triple alliance was for defensive purposes; that this was an offensive war, and that she would re- main neutral
 This was hard blow in more ways than one, for Italy had been counted on to keep at least five French army corps
 in check along Frances southeastern frontier
 Berlin likewise assumed that Belgium would make only a formal protest against the invasion of her neutrality and that Belgian territory would furnish an unin- terrupted route into northeastern France. More astonishing still, the German for eign office, despite Sir Edward Grey 8 warning, believed that Great Britain would remain neutral if Belgium was in- vaded. Possibly the Kaiser deceived him. self into thinking that conditions in Ire- land would restrain the British govern ment and that Germany's cynical propos- als in regard to>French territory offered sufficient inducement to Great Britain to permit Belgium to be overrun. What ever Berlin thought, the German diplo- macy of this war has been a series of almost unbelievable blunders.
 Instead of dealing with France and Rus sia, Germany is now at war with Great Britain, France, Russia, Belgium, Japan, Servia and Montenegro, with strong possi- bilities that Italy will cast her lot with the British and French. France is not crushed On the contrary, no decisive battle has yet been fought, notwithstand-
 ing the plunging German advance and the terrible loss in life on both sides. Russian troops swarm over East Prussia, they have reached the Vistula, and the Kaiser has been compelled to weaken his armies in the west to defend his own cap- ital In fact the two spectacular feat ures of the war have been the rapidity of the Russian advance and splendid heroism of the Belgians in defense of their soil. Austria has been forced to abandon the war against Servia which served as the original pretext for this crime against civilization. Great Britain has again proved her command of the sea, and all the resources of the British empire, to- gether with all the resources of the French republic and the Russian empire have been thrown into the balance against Germany and Austria.
 Before Bismarck went to war with Aus tria in 1866 he was careful to isolate Aus tria automatically in order that Prussia might be sure of a free hand. In 1870 he did the same with France. But in 1914 Berlin diplomacy has succeeded in iso- lating Germany and Austria and leaving them friendless
 A month ago today the Kaiser confident ly expected short quick, decisive war Today 1t is apparent that the conflict has only begun.
 New York Herald: In addressing rev battalion, recruited from the business and professional men, of the city of London, Field Marshal Lord Roberts compared their patriotic action with that of those who can so on with cricket and football when the very existence of their country is at stake. This is not the time to play games." he exclaimed wholesome as they are in times of piping peace. We are engaged in a life and death struggle" "
 These are significant words, and th.y have run through all England like a trumpet blast, awakening even the slow est Britons to a realizing sense or their danger And yet Kipling sounded a sim- liar warning dozen years ago and it fell upon inattentive ears. Now that her arch enemy is drawing near, England will perhaps recall what he said about "the fiannelled fools at the wickefs and the muddied oafs at the goals"
 IMMENSE CONTRACTS FOR COAL TO