The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-12-28

especially to Graf Won Spec and his
men. He was essentially patriotic,
without losing any of his fair-niinded
ness, and he was thinking, not only of
the war itself, but of its more or less
remote causes, and of its effects, prob
able or merely possible.
Talked Like German oficer.
1t was refreshing to hear such mau
talk--quite refreshing as it was to hear
the German officer with whom | iiucd
when on the continent not long ago.
The German officer was fair.mindcd,
tuo~-as fair minded and fully as patri-
otic as the Englishman. IT may be said,
Parenthetically, that he spoke English
perfectly. His every hope was bound up
in Germany s success, but he realized
tho cost to GeOrmany, even should she
be successful. He spoke kindly of the
English people, though his words
against England s policy were bitter.
Like the English officer, he cvidehtly
was trying to take rs impartial a View
rs he could of the causes Of the war.
l like to think of these two men as
representing an increasing public senti
ment in the two countries. Whether
this sentiment, expressive OF thoughtful
ficult to say. There are MANY things
calculated to stife it, but it exists, ami
| it may develop, despite the energetic
campaign in each country to promote
Iunreasoning hate of the other.
One comes across plenty OF evidence
of this hate in Germany and in Eng
land. 1t is, naturally enough, perhaps
fomented by the press; ut the present
stage of the war loss on either side
serves to augment it.
The Issues of the War.
The issues are clearly ioined-Eng-
land is battling TO maintain and estab-
lish the more firmly, if she can. her
supremacy on the SEA and her globe
girdhng empire with all that this sea
supremacy and this empire mean to her
TRADE. With her allies on land, she is
seeking to hem in aud to crush, or at
| least to cripple, Germany, which is
| looked upon as the aggresSor in the
war. A very important object of Eng
Hand 5 is to avenge Belgium, the best
| English sentiment today il strongly in
favor of guaranteeing the neutrality
and the inviolability of the territory
of neutral states Britain is confident
lOf winning, but she recognizes, as she
did not at the beginning of the war
1.-THE magnitude of the task that lies be
! fore her.
+ Germany, on the other hand, is likely
to fight all the more desperately with
the tide of battle turning against her
1t is perfectly true, as | wrote from the
Continent last month, that she is losing
simply because she has not been ablt
to carry out her intended program, anc
because she has now, as she has had
too big contract. Barring events NOR,
'or less unexpected, such. for example
as the development of the pro-Germar
party in Russia, or the Alignment o.
Italy with GcrmanS-and this, indeed
would be surprising - Germany mus
suffer, and suffer frightfully, sooner o.
4 later, from economic pressure. But. il
close observers read Germany Alright
: she will keep on, taking every chance
until the fortunes of war apparent,
are decided irrevocably against her. l
may be quick collapse in such case
1t Is not felt III London that thu
death of the kaiser--thiS was writer
) when 1T was supposed he was danger
Z. 'ou5ly ill--would lead to any apprccia
bic change of policy. 1t is a mistake t,
think that Germany is not united. Sh'
: is. The German position, summed W
i briefly, is that she had to strike witt
!. Jail her might for her existence. No
so much Importance was attached +
! the manner of striking as TO the. strik
E ing. Belgium is witness OF this.
l And the German chancellor spol
: prophetic words when he said in cf
feet in the first part of the war tina
3 Germany regretted the invasion of Be
: GUM. Of course, from his viewpoint
!: it was the necessity Of invasion tina
:, was regrctable.
= When will the war ends How man
!. times this question is asked of thos
= who have seen anything of the war c