Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-12-04
~ V.t.V1iFFAA19AE III" FN-1FATFF ~ $500 -"I"
GEOGRAPHY
NORTHUMBERLAND
H HIM
strategiss atf d d,s raplty Has Civ.
en- the English Many Ad-
.As AXeptag@,anY

Washington. Eec.rtS.-That geoSra'
ply after all is the basis of the great
ness of Great Mritain, and! and that
the great national abiIity.stolsa and
conserve TIE earnings of centuries
that has resulted from her geographic
position standspherb in good stead in
these days of trial is, :he, conclusion
OF Dr., Roland & usher, who has Just
prepared Tor the National Geographic
society an inclusive study 81, The. fac.
tors that haye made the light little
ISLE across the channel from cOntis-
Mental Europe u far greater p0wer.
than her area and natural resources
would bespeak. ,... r. ~.
''We mist not lose sight, Of, the
fact says, Dir. Usher, that the STRAIT
egical geography of Europe has given
the English advantages Of position
which were more important in the
past than great armies; that the Eng
lish, Channel was, in the days Of sail.
ing ships; i more effective barrier
against INVASION than any army cos1d
have BEEN The strategical5 SimpOrt.
ance of Belgium and Holland, too, lyl-
Etal. to- Eng land WAS very fortunately
also vital to. Germany and France.
The English have never, single ;hanl.
ed been able to keep either France
ors.Germany out Of those countries in
ftitnniet! Of war; bdt.tfey have, some how
or Other, always managed to- play off
France against Germany, or Germany
against France, nnd in The long rim
keep them both out Of Belgium and
Holland. England has protected her.
self by arousing the fear Of others.
and it must be admitted that Ger
many in Belgium threatens Paris a
good deal more effectively than She
does London, and. that Louis XIV in
Holland was even more distasteful to
the German states on TIE. Rhine than
he was to the English"
DR.. Usher calls! attention to thc
fact that England has never known.
since William the Norman harried
Yorkshire such raYaging. by armies
and consequent economic loss as CON
tinued in Europe for centuries. In the
long run England. nroportionately
richer than larger countries with
much more extensive natural resour-
ces which were .decimmated By war.
Neither extraordinary diligence. nor
skill needs, to lie; brought forward as
the explanation of tina beginning Of
England's capital fund; It was by \
that most unusual but simplest of all
things-saying." r,Ie y ~, y.
While England was free from the
wastes Of an invading warfare, Ger
many was being literally eaten up by
such conflicts as the. Thirty Years.
War. 81, b,
In order to rest secure from attack
BY the more powerful land empires
on the neighboring continent, 1t was
necessary for England to dominate
the channel with its, fleet, This dom
nation was established beyond qiies.
ton By tie English defeat Of the
Sstanish Armada. hut, Dr.. Usher ex. !,
plains, in obtaining control Of the u
channel. the English also found them.
selves dominating the 5oyer.sea com.
.mereeS Of the nations Of Europe. The
English channel was the needless eye
which all ships had to thread that
sailed from French. belgium, Dutch
or; German ports upon the channel
and the North. sea. Tie dangers Of
the seaway along the western coast
OF the British Isles make It impractic,
able even, for the powerful ships OF
the present day. i.
Among the essentials Of national
strength DR.. Ushsf eniimerates those
OF territorial unity, or natural state
boundaries; a racial unity, Of a con!
seriousness of the ,%citizenry that they
are one Deople: q religious 1intiyi