The Seward gateway., 1915-10-02
The London View.

army than Germany now she is un- able to hold the Germans permanent ly. One strategic line after another has fallen, and it is not outside the bounds of possibility that the Russian armies ultimately may be based on Moscow and that the Germans may cut off Petrograd from the rest of Russia. There is also the fear that a German move in the south may menace Odessa.
 Russia has fought magnifcently, but even with the advantage of super for numbers she has to admit defeat because of inferior technique, infer for equipment, and inferior resources. In short, Russia was not fully pre- pared for war, and Germany was. Germany knew that Russia was not fully prepared, and she struck the below in this knowledge.
 But still there is no need for pessi- mism. It is not nice, of course, for the Russians to fall back, lay waste their own land, and fight rearguard actions. All the prophets are wrong who said that our brave Allies would make a stand on this front or that front. No one knows where the Rus sians will make final stand, but Russia is such an immense country and the Russians such a stubborn peo- pie that stands could be made for the next ten years or so, and the Germans would have to trail hundreds of miles beyond it in the hopeless task of sur rounding the Russians.
 The continued retreat of the Rus sians does not beat Germany, how ever, although it weakens her consid- erably. It would be better for us if the Russians were now on their way to Berlin instead of gravitating to- wards Moscow. An army in retreat does not take the shortest route to victory, though in the long run the re- treat of the Russians will have pro found effect on Germany.
 In the meantime We must examine our work on the Western front, for it is obvious that the war will not be quickly ended if one Ally retreats and the other sits tight in his trenches. The situation, gloomy as it looks to some people, only serves to bring out the greatness of Joffre. Who would have imagined a Frenchman remaining motionless whilst his ally was being hard press ed? Who can ever give full credit to Joffre for his self-control during those tragic weeks since Warsaw was threatened and Russians called out for help? How the whole French na- tion must have strained at the leash, fired with the chivalrous desire of falling on the enemy in the West so as to relieve the pressure on Russia!
 But Joffre did not move, and the French soldiers with grand devotion loyalty trusted their leader. Russia went through her agony of retreat, fighting desperately and taking heavy toll of the Germans. The retreat may go on until Brest falls, until Petro- grad is masked, until the Russian armies are split up into two or three groups ever grimly retiring. The spirit of Russia will not be crushed. Winter and the evergrowing length of communication will add to the German troubles, and even if the enemy succeeds in isolating the Rus sians and pinning them down by en- trenched positions the end will not be achieved.
 Joffre's task will be bigger, how ever. And his task is our task. If Russia be held up by rivers and en- trenchments from big forward move we can only get out of the stalemate by an offensive movement in the west Joffre is the man for it, and no mat ter what news comes from Russia we can keep our trust in Joffre and in the Allied Armies which now oppose Ger many in the West. France, Britain, and Italy, aided by developments in the Balkans, will assuredly break down the enemy. Keep your eye on Joffre. He is the big man of this war. At the right moment he will strike.-(London Daily Sketch.)