The Hartford herald., 1917-08-22
The Fourth Year
Of the World War

the next two or three years, courting
the deaths of the generation in that
period, in order that their liberty and
the liberty of their country and the
liberty OF their children may be pre-
served.
! There has been some pessimism in
the United States during the last
four weeks. But the older people re-
member what the forlom hopes of
the north were during the last week
of June in '63. week previous to
Gettysburg and to Vicksburg.
And they also remember how in
the summer of '64 the north was
tired, very tired, and again pessimis-
tic.
And the thoughtful Confederate
also remembers that in spite of the
enthusiasm and cheering, after July
of '63 there was little hope.
And even in ga, as they fought
most desperately, all knew in the
south the tragedy would soon be
ended.
Germany has hurt the allies during
the present summer. Trained Ger
man soldiers of three years have been
hurling themselves against the west
front. During the last year they
have suffered greater losses on this
front than the allies in killed and in
wounded.
The Germans swore to take Ver-
dun. The French swore that the Ger
mans should not pass. The German
losses were two to one in that sus-
tanned assault.
The Germans again had sworn to
take hill in the Champagne, and
the French had sworn that they
should not pass.
And the Germans have been beaten.
For every Frenchman killed prob
ably two Germans have been killed,
because the Germans We're attackers.
The allies are tired, but the Ger
mans are more tired.
Russia-that mystic country of the
East is, on the surface, acting bad
ly. The Russians grew excited under
the fumes of the new wine Of liberty.
On a front of about 60 miles they
have been beaten back, but on front
of more than 300 miles they seem to
be holding firm, and are now and
then attacking.
And as the spirit of democracy
grows in Russia, and as the genius
of democracy is being better under
stood, the hatred of kaiserism and
autocracy will grow apace.
The thinking men of Russia realize
that Russian democracy would be in
great danger adjacent to a well-dis-
ciplined kingly-ruled country.
And this thought will permeate the
minds of the humblest of the Rus
sian people.
While the Russian army in Cali
cia is being driven back, geographi-
cally, it is about as great a capture
of territory for the Germans as if
the Mexicans were to overrun one
county in Texas, holding this to be
big advance against the United
States.
Z he army at Saloniki no longer has
in its rear a possible enemy. The
Roumanians are pulling with us to-
day; but little can be hoped from
Roumania unless Russia stands fir
mer.
The Italians are holding on and are
hurting Austria.
On the sea the German submarines
are destroying ships. but the subma-
rines are not destroying as many
ships as even a losing nation with an
inferior surface water power has de-
stroyed in the past.
1t is fact that not single mer-
chant ship not a single warship Of
Germany can go 20 miles from the
shore of the empire. The German
flag is on no sea.
The German submarine fleet, after
all, is not doing more havoc than the
surface fleet of equal strength might
do.
The submarine is. of course. a
tremendous factor, but submarines
alone cannot win for Germany.
Within six months half n million
American soldiers will be on the west
front, and another million will be
ready to follow them.
Then the American air fleet will
make its presence felt, and this air
fleet will be re-enforced by greater
fleet. Within year the American
air fleet, along with the English and
French air ships, will tremendously