The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1915-01-01
1914-THE YEAR OF
THE GREAT WAR
Since the French Revolution Nothing in
the World History Has Been
Comparable to 1t.

4
futile and foolish. The single fact, un
mistakable now to all who have live,
through it, is that since the French rev
olution first overlooked into Europe n,
year has contained events which so i'm
mediately affected such a wide field o
human life, industry, happiness, as thai
which has now closed Since the French
revolution nothing in world history has
been comparable to the great war.
1t is natural that the very magnitude
OF the struggle, the extent to which II
has swept away the theories, the be,
liefs, the ideals Of the contemporary
world, the completeness with which il
has demolished all the bulwarks and
protection which an optimistic period
had relied upon to save it from the mis-
cries and the misfortunes of other cen
turtles, has left the world helpless, be-
wildered, aware of the greatness OF the
thing that has happened, incapable of
foreseeing what its effect is to be upon
the mental, the spiritual world that is
to come after the struggle has ended.
To compare it with the French revo-
luton il to suggest that the whole social,
intellectual fabric of the nineteenth
century is now to be destroyed by a
fire as tremendous, as destructive as the
great contlagration which waged in the
stubble field which the eighteenth cen
fury had become, and when at last it
had died out was perceived to have de-
stroyed permanently something APP.
preaching whole world Yet as no
man in 1902 could foresee, interpret
understand the great revolution, so today
the great war remains, in its meaning,
perhaps fortunately, conceivably unfor-
tunately, mystery, insoluble, ineom-
prehensibe
Such being the fact IL is natural it
- inevitable that the bewildered con-
temporary mind should centre its effort
not upon any attempt TO interpret the
meaning of the great struggle for the
future but TO fix upon n nation, race,
an alliance, the responsibility for some
thing which as it day by day grows
in magnitude comes more and more TO
resemble one OF the few great con-
iiagrations which seem to have broken
out not as result of political intrigue,
but rather by reason of some sort Of
intellectual, moral spontaneous combus-
tion and changed the whole face of life,
the forms Of social existence.
1t is this very fact which makes pat.
emily idle the examination OF the cause
OF the great war. Precisely as our press
and public speech is now filed with the
discussion of scraps of paper" Belgian
neutrality places in the sun" and
whole host of similar details, the Eu- |
rope OF 1892 must have seen in the kill. |
ing of French royalty the occasion, the /
immediate cause OF the great Revoh-
tionary war. Yet TO history, to all flu.
ture time, the causes, the preliminary |
incidents in the wars Of French revolu. +
tion, the early campaigns themselves,
have become utterly of no value
In the same fashion, is il not possible
that the future looking back over the
first decade and half of the twentieth |
the last years OF the nineteenth /
win content itself with a hurried sum.
mary OF the steps by which Europe,
with its Asiatc, African, American and
annexes, descended the steps
which inevitably and unayoidably led
TO a world war, and this done hasten
On with small concern for the question
Df real or fancied moral responsibilities
to a discussion OF the battles, the cam.
oaigns, the great men, the brave deeds
which were the memorable incidents in
The making over of the whole planeti
From such an angle IL is possible ever
70 look back and see the steps. slowly
Decoming clear, - the great fact Of the
var establishes them. Thus II Is posi-.
BE 20 turn back 60 1898. when Mar
hand went 10 Fashoda and France and !
England stood on the brink Of war and
N the time when there began the final
settlement Of Anglo French differences.
Already far of, dimly, British states.
men perceived the rising OF great mod.
IN Germany, realized that there was
ppearing a new rival. . new challenger
or world empire. and realizing this made /,
final settlement with France.
The whole diplomacy OF Bismarck !,
mounted to keeping France, England. 2
Russia, the three great natural rivals /,
q Germany, separated. The history pol.
~ Of British statesmenship had al
gays been 20 unite al the weaker pow.
r. Of the continent against the one great
'ower which was the rival Of England
From lsgs 20 1914 what was actually
ding on was a duel between British
nd German diplomacy. More and more !,
ach year two great nations felt them. !,
elves becoming rivals More and more \
ach sought 10 prepare for the inevi-
able. Germany BY making ornaments, !
,ritain BY making alliances. each. per.
aps confident that she was serving I,
be cause Of peace Il
In this silent advance toward con
ict 1905 i the neat date after 1885. =
hen France. forever looking over al
er Lost provinces. no longer chauvin.
tic but forever unreconcllcd. having \
raWn close 20 England and Russia. !.
rance's ally. being involved IN an IN !,
lccessful war Germany struck the first !.
low. not at France but in an effort 20 u
.parate France from England " lp05 !.
- kaiser went - Iangier But France \.
I'D England did not separate drew =
oser Together 81
Again. IN 1905. Austria ANNEXED Bos 7.
IA. began the march b. the Enean
hich vas 90 obterate The southern =.
avs THIS time Z Russian protest fail y.
bat Russia. hmmiiMted. drew near 4,
England England and Russa. g. \,
naiand and France had forgot Cd zeal -
isies. accommodated Old rivairies Then y.
last. France. Russia an1 England ~
ood not vst united - treaty bat u y.
a drawn together bF q eummson fear ~
hatred. 81 Germany r.,
How near thIs arTruafh uas - en- tfa
.innne 1911 showed whnn Aradf sud Il.
rsiF rarrrfsaf the N-nffaeran srruafa4r -