The theocrat. [volume] (Zion City [i.e. Zion], Ill.) 1914-1949, 1915-07-31
GREAT ENVELOPING ARMY
Closes in Around Warsaw = Russians
may Burn Polish Capital

Closes in Around Warsaw = Russians
may Burn Polish Capital
The London Times declares human
history can show no parallel to the tre-
mendous extent of the German envelop-
ing army with a front of nearly thous-
and miles, stating that it involves re-
suits of the gravest moment to Russia
and the western allies.
From three sides, the Austro-Ger-
man forces are closing in upon Warsaw,
like the deadly coils of a serpent, and
the sacrifice of human life has been al
most beyond conception.
Field Marshal Won Hindenburg has
driven whole battalions to certain
slaughter in attempts to take the Rus
sian strongholds, and in this great cam
paign, begun on July 16, it is claimed
the Germans have lost more than 5OO,-
900 men.
Far to the north, in the region of
Riga, the cavalry forces of General Won
Buelow are pressing forward, and the
skies each night are lighted up with the
fires of burning cities and towns, the
reflection of which can be seen far out
into the Baltic.
To the north of Warsaw, after days
of desperate fighting, the defenses of
the Narew river have been taken, and
the Germans are now facing the stronger
Notifications along the Bug. The roar
of cannon can be continually heard in
Warsaw, thirteen miles away, while
bands of German troops have broken
through to within ten miles Of the city,
only to be slaughtered
To the southeast of Warsaw, battles
have been everywhere at their height in
the efforts of Won Mackensen to reach
the Lublin-Cholm railway.
The resistance of the Russians has
been amazing, and at this writing the
German advance has been temporarily
checked, although fighting continues
with unabated fury. Whether Grand
Duke Nicholas, if forced to evacuate,
will be able to conduct one of his mas
terly retreats and save his army intact,
cannot be predicted. Won Hindenburg
and Mackensen, however, are evidently
striving to envelope his forces. Where
ever forced to retreat, the Russians are
employing the tactics with which they
harassed Napoleon, by burning all
bridges and towns behind them. That
Warsaw will be sacrificed to the flames
seems almost a certainty.
WESTERN ALLIES INACTIVE
The campaign in France and Flanders
present a striking contrast. The armies
of England and France remain COM
paratively idle, and no changes of vital
Importance are effected. Considering
that the interests of the western allies
are vitality affected, and that every Ger
man soldier who can be spared is thrown
against the Russians, this inaction is
simply astounding. A careful military
critic has this week said: "Long-range
criticism is apt to be silly, but one can
not avoid the conclusion that there is
something radically wrong with the
campaign of the allies"
When France was imperiled by the
advance on Paris, the Russians, in good
faith to their compact, swept toward
Berlin almost to it's gates, forcing the
Germans to heavily withdraw their
forces, and the present failure of the
allies to cooperate at time when so
urgently needed is breeding a sullen
resentment in Petrograd. If Russia is
being sacrificed, she is being sacrificed,
it seems, to an ineXcusable failure on the
part of England, until recently, to treat
the war seriously, and to lack of pre-
paration.
HEAVY FIGHTING ON ITALIAN FRONT
Greater activity is shown along the
Italian front than anywhere else, ex-
cept in Poland. Fighting has been in
cessant during the past few days, and a
London report of July 27 states that the
"most terrible artillery fire ever
launched, exceeding in violence that of
the Austro-G German forces in Galicia,
followed by irresistible in ntry
charges" was reported to be opening
Italy's way for decided advance.