New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-24

Enough has been said Of the effort OF
Italy-it is now the moment to consider
the results Of this effort and to realize
that it has ended in a victory of great
Importance For any one who has had the
privilege of passing some days on the
IsonzO, this victory appears clearly as one
Of the greatest Of the war and is plainly
visible 10 the naked eye along the con-
quered crests surrounding Gorilla and upon
the Csrso.
The difficulties Of the ground have often
been described and are known, but it is
impossible to repeat too often, for those
who judge from a distance, the Incredible
endurance and tenacity that were necessary
for the Italian troops to display in order
to advance, step by step, over the most i'm
possible ground imaginable which consu-
tutes the hill and mountain sides situated
TO the northwest of Trieste. In making
the ascension the other day during the
hot wave il seemed incomprehensible how,
under a heavy bombardment, men, loaded
down with arms and paraphernalia, could
VIGOROUSLY mask the ascent and hold the
ground thus gained. The foot slips AZ
every step, and one stumbles against
Jagged rocks which seem to have been IN
tentionally placed there as sort OF
cheUaur de fr-ise to protect the SUBMITS. IL
is here, however, that roads and paths nave
been constructed-cav for batteries drilled
cut of the hintlike rock-munitions trans
ported-here that the trenches have been
A. IL
dislodge the enemy further up, always
favored by the iniquitous frontier imposed
by Austria, and which places them IN pos
session of every dominating and advantage
Gus point. IL must never be lost slgnt
of that of the party wall which separates
Italy and Austria the kustrians occupy the
summit, which it would seem they might
defy all attempts to scale-but events have
proved that, under certain conditions, it
is possible to fire from these points OF
vantage upon a nation strong in its right
without dscoursging and without prevent
ing it from advancing, foot by foot, in the
legitimate conquest of its own. For the
Italians have passed successfully from the
left to the right bank Of the Isonzo, first
to the south, then to the north Of Gorizla,
and, finally, along all the crests which ex-
tend in a virtually straight line from
Mont Faiti" to the shore at Dunno, skirt
ing the foot Of the seemingly impregnable
Hermada, the key of Trieste! Another step,
and the road to Trieste is open! The Aus
TRANS realize this, and manifest their anXl-
ETY. by the most furious of counter attacks,
unsuccessful however, and only increasing
the total of their losses 1t would there
fore seem, owing to the recent italian ad-
vance, that this point Of the Austrian front,
which from its confgurstion was one OF
their strongest points, was about to be-
come one of weakness. Should this be the
case they are gravely menaced upon their
vital and essential line of defence, for the
road of Trieste is that of Lubiana (Lubach).
A Vulnerable Point
From these facts, which are easily read
upon a map, but which even more evil
dent when observed from the points recently
conquered by the Italians, it is evident
that on what is known as the unique 'front.'
of the Allies there exists a section Of some
fifty kilometres, or about thirty miles, where
the common enemy is distinctly vulnerable
use Intentionally the collective sense in
speaking of the Allies, because decisive
success on this or any other spot belongs,
properly speaking, to every member of the
Entente; and of all the fronts of the Cen
trial Empires this Is the portion which IS
the least solid, and it would seem that
wisdom in the game Of war should consist
in first dsembarrassing ones self OF ones
weakest adversary.