Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1915-09-08
STRUCK WHEN READY
Italy Spent Ten Months Prepar-
ing for War.
Perfect Military Machine Io Organized
With Remarkable Secrecy and
Speed-GeneraI Cadorna an
italian Joffre.

Rome.-lt has generally been
thought that organization was not a
strong point with the Italians. But
today the Italian army shows how fine
work of organization has been &C.
| complished But the ten months
while Italy was neutral were employed
in organizing. with remarkable So
crecy and speed, perfect military
machine. 1t was known that Italy
was preparing, but how extensively
was well-kept secret.
Today she has no lack OF high ex
piosives' or OF anything else (down
TO masks against poisoned gas), which
a close study of the war in other parts
OF Europe has shown to be necessary.
The credit is generally divided be
tween Premier Salandra. General Ca
dorna, the chief of staff, and ZupelH
the minister for war These three
have shown themselves to be great
men in this work of preparation and
foresight.
General Cadorna, by the way, is not
| commander in chief, but chief of staff.
For the king is commander in chief.
Victor Emmanuel III is daily winning
for himself the love of his soldiers
with ceaseless activity he rushes
from point to point at the front ap.
pearing where he is least expected, to
share hasty meal with the officers.
and go round to say to the men a few
words of sympathy and encourage.
ment, often under fire.
General Cadorna seems to be an
Italian Joffre. He has not yet been
SO fiercely tested. Like Joffre. Ca.
dorna hates politics in war. talk, ex
citement and humbug of all sorts. Or
ganization and discipline are his in
stTuments. and he has given the coun
try quiet confidence in slowly ma
turing results, which is just what ev.
cry country must have in order to en-.
dure this long and terrible war of ex.
haustion.
Not that Cadorna is slow to strike.
far otherwise. For one recalls the
rapid seizure Of the innumeraSls
! passes of the Trentine and Garlic.
Alps in the first days of the war. be-
fore the Austrians had got their men
up from Galicia. Besides those called
out by CONSUMPTION, 500 900 volunteers
enlisted before recruiting was stopped
by the authorities Italy has a great
reserve of men. And she has less Il,
fear for her race from the losses OF
this war than any great nation except
| Russia. For her birth rate is natural
and high. Little children are not only
loved in Italy, but they are plentiful.
There Is a notable absence of tall
stories from the front in Italian talk
and In the Italian press. The stories
perfectly reasonable and unsensation.
al. Of course emphasize the courage
| and endurance OF the troops abou,
which there is no shadow OF doubt.
! and markedly so their humanity. Sto
ries OF the kind treatment of Austrian
prisoners and wounded are told ev.
erywhere. All stories, some told To
me by eye witnesses of high military
standing, emphasize the excellence of
the Italian artillery and its superiority
to the Austrian. The natural and ar
tiicial strength of the enemys pre-
pared positions on tho Isonzo alone
renders progress slow.
There is a great development OF
trained nursing by italian ladies' This
began during the earthquakes Of re-
cent years and the Tripoli war. It
is now great movement Of the day.
and a valuable step forward in Italian
life where woman purses have been
ill recently notable by their absence.