The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-29
WAR ECHOES

New York Sun: That England goes into war today with the same bulldog tenacity that she displayed in the Ma
 poleonic era is plain enough if the pro ceeding in Parliament on Tuesday
 are to be taken at their face value
 Earl Kitchener in his characteristic
 dispassionate way talks of the war as likely to last three years. He has 'en-
 listed7 for that period himself, he says,
 and he goes on to tell the country in
 unvarnished words the sacrifices it
 must make.
 It is a grim Kitcheneresque announce
 ment. But nobody can believe that tho
 war will last any such time as three years. Some of the countries engaged may soon be strained to the limits of possibility. Hunger is near their cap itals. devastation is spread over their fields and death is riding along their
 borders. Presently they will have no more resources with which to fight or with which to live Credit will con tract wealth will vanish, even fighting
 men must grow scarce if the carnage proceeds as in the last three weeks.
 The prolongation of the war for any such period is unthinkable. The Ma poleonic contests might last a genera tion because a relatively small number of soldiers were engaged, Today when populations fight en masse the strug- gle must necessarily reach an average by the limitation of its duration in inverse ratio to the expenditure of ef-
 fort
 Cincinnati Enquirer: This war of less
 than 90 days of actual fighting has estab-
 lished the advantage of the steel cupola
 and turret in fortification work, and how
 with this class of defenses a compara-
 lively few men can hold off an army for
 days, as was evidenced by the holding of the Liege forts against the three corps
 of the German army.
 That the German commanders knew
 the details of the fortifications of Liege cannot be doubted by any one aware of
 their thoroughness in securing informa- ton as to obstacles and difficulties they may have to overcome in their opera
 tions.
 That they underestinated the resistance
 of the forts at Liege seems clear from their attempts to take these steel-clad ! turrets by assault And this is all the
 more surprising when it Is considered that nearly every German port and fortress
 is defended and guarded by steel turrets
 and cupolas of similar type as those of l Liege, but of greater capacity as to gar
 rison. containing heavier guns and of far greater thickness of steel walls and coverings.
 | If the Kaiser and his army were sur
 prised by the strength of the Liege forts | they must have congratulated themselves on the strength of their own forts of that type, of which they have so many
 ready to resist fleets and armies at their port cities and naval bases. At every place on the German coast,
 where defensive works have been deemed
 necessary. these steel turrets and cupolas have been erectd and their covering is of very thick specially prepared steel, which is said to successfully resist the impact of the heaviest guns of batte- ships.
 These defenses may be termed land monitors, and now that their utility for offensive and defense work in war has been so fully demonstrated it must in- crease the confidence of the Germans | in their ability to stand off the nayies i of the allies.
 | Our great armor plants have now open l to them a larger field for their outputs
 than all the naves of the world com l bined can furnish them.
 | The ports of the world will now call i for the armored turrets and cupoias for l their security and defense, and every city i in Europe, Asia, Africa and North and | South America, necessary to protect by I defenses, will desirous of the steel clad forts.
 | Leslie's Weekly; Whatever may be the
 result of this great conflict, or the yer