Warren sheaf., 1914-10-07
THE WAR IN EUROPE.

THE WAR IN EUROPE.
Since our return we have been ask
ed numerous questions in regard to
the war that is now devastating Eu
rope. The war is certainly terri
BILE affair and is affecting this whole
world more or less. In the far west
where we live we are probably less
affected than anywhere else, and it is
possible that we may reap some ben
efts, because it is an i'll wind that
i blows no one some good. 1t ought
materially to stiffen prices on
wheat and all foot products. Yet the
losses which we, as we'll as all other
neutral countries will sustain on ac-
cunt of the war, will far outweigh
| the benefits. And the loss Of lives
and property to the warning coun-
! tries is so enormous that it cannot be
estimated in dollars and cents. Eu-
, rope will be set back hundred
years en- account Of this conflict.
| 1t is not easy to get at the real
| causes of this war. They are deeper
/ than appear on the surface, and the
jblame cannot justly be laid on En-
peror William of Germany, as is pop
| ularly DONE Like thunder storms
! and great convulsions of nature wars
do come without apparent causes,
and yet there are causes, sometimes
commercial, sometimes religious,
sometimes social, sometimes against
oppression in one form or another.
AS the result of most wars the world
| has advanced to greater freedom,
/ and let us hope that may be the out
come of the present struggle.
There was great excitement in
Sweden, when war broke out and al
most Immediately the army and ma
w was mobilized in order to safe
guard the country's neutrality. Busi-
ness was almost suspended, importa-
ton and expectation of goods ceased,
and as result numerous factories
were forced to shut down. Sweden
has developed industrially by leaps
and bounds during the past ten years
hence the closing OF so many factor
les threw thousands Of laboring men
out of employment. Tie price Of
-four and all foodstuffs increased
tremendously, until at last the gov
| ernment was forced to take hand in
regulating prices.
On the days when the reserves
were mobilized the church bells toll
ed necessarily for one, two or three
hours at a time, and this of itself
| was enough to make the people feel
| thoughtful and sad at heart. The
Swedish people hope they may not
set mixed up in the war, but are de-
| termined to protect their neutrality
| to the utmost. Norway and Den
mark have adopted the same policy,
/ and have mobilized their armies and
navies so as to be in shape to defend
their neutrality We saw many
Swedish and Danish war ships pa
trolling the waters Of the sound, and
all harbor entrances and passages for
ships are mined.
In England we came in more direct
contact with the war than anywhere
else In all cites and towns offices
are opened for recruiting soldiers and
big posters calling for volunteers are
| displayed everywhere. We saw many
soldiers leave for the front, and
many heart-rending scenes We're en-
acted before our eyes when mothers
and wives babe farewell to sons and
husbands leaving for the battle fields
in sunny France. At Oxford many
of the college buildings had beer
turned into hospitals for the care OF
returned wounded soldiers. In the
city of London almost complete dark.
ness reigned when we were there,
and the water had been drawn off the
lakes and ponds in the parks in order
that light might not be reflected ane
the city thus more easily become the
target for the feared German air.
ships The feeling against the Ger
mans in England is very bitter ane
neither money nor men will be spar
ed to continue the war to the bitte1
end. On the English Atlantic steam
ers all port holes and windows art
\ covered up at night to evade being
seen by German cruisers that may bt
prowling about. A number of Brit
ish cruisers patrol the route 0:
| steamers. We saw no warships what
ever and the voyage across the At
lantic was a very pleasant one in al
respects