Semi-weekly herald., 1917-08-06

hdS pecome mere ueDarlng society,
as some of its members grumblingly
charge, that is simply because parlia-
ment as whole, as well as the Brit
ish people, have confidence in Lloyd
Georges ability as a general war
manager of the empire.
Thus clothed with more authority
than even the president of the Unit
ed States possesses, and with geni-
Us for accomplishing things that
were so badly lacking in his predeces-
sor as prime minister. Lloyd George
has succeeded in getting Britain in
TO the war with the sort of energy
and enthusiasm and industry that she
should have displayed from the start.
borrower, by reason of his sympa-
| thetic understanding and personal
magnetism, he has composed in re-
cent months the labor disputes that
Tor time were most menacing fac
,or in the conduct of the war. Fin
| ally, thru the exercise of plain COM
mon sense, which nobody apparently
ever thought of applying to the ques-
lion before, he is solving the Irish
| ituation by the simple expedient of
| citing the lrishmen settle their own
troubles.
Militarily the one outstanding fea-
| ture of the year 1916-17 is that Brit
ain has gained the initiative. For the
| first time since the war began Ger
| many is entirely on the defensive.
| The mere matter of reclaiming some
800 square miles on the Western
| ront doesn't mean much geograph-
ically, but it speaks tremendously for
he increased support given the army
~ the folks at home, aside from the
improved qualities of generalship at
The front.
Thanks to the preponderating and
ever increasing flow of munitions,
| Haig is now able to impose his will
On Hindenburg whenever and where
! ever he likes, despite the fact that
% far as man power is concerned the
iermans still considerably outnum-
Der the allies in the west. Even the
endorsements Hindenburg has been
| able to bring from the Russian front
nave not availed. Thanks to the speed
| ng up of aeroplane manufacture
long with the adoption of new types
| If machines, Britain has definitely
2linched the mastery of the air which
he had come perilously near losing
The menace to the Suez canal and
Egypt has been removed, and Allen
| 3y's men are now almost at the
sates of Jerusalem. With the capture
Of Bagdad Gen. Maude has shattcr.
| cd the German dream of a highway
rom Hamburg to the Persian gulf.
An unusually heavy and prolonged
rainy season has hampered operations
n East Africa, but only a small por-
lion of Germany's last colony remains
n her hands.
| However, at no time since the war
5tarted have conditions been less pro-
litious for the would-be prophet, than
.oday. The plans of each side to
starve the other out seem definitely
doomed to failure. Despite the con-
| inued Tightening of the British block
de, the central powers have reached
harvest time without collapsing. The
U-boat warfare, altho serious, has
not met the expectations of its in
5tigators. Germany has been very
lungry-but she is used to it. Eng
and has scarcely begun to tighten
ler belt. The Rhine is still a long
yay off. Russia is an uncertain
quantity. America is in with both
ieet, but the full effect of her par
.icipation cannot be felt for a year
or more.
When Kitchener foretold three
ears of war, he had certain defi-
lite facts on which to base the pre-
iiction. Better than any man then
wing, he knew the state of Britain's
inpreparedness, as well the extent
Of Germany's preparedness. He also
new Britain's potential strength;
therefore,, he discounted the possibil-
ty of Germany winning the war by
= quick, decisive, overwhelming cam
oaign-which was her expectation.
Were Kitchener alive today 1t is
doubtful whether even he would risk
his reputation as a seer. The ex-
perience Of the past three years have
5trikingly illustrated the fallibility Of
human calculations, the Limitation Of
human forethought. Who, for exam.
pie, would have been SO rash as to
predict that before Kitchener's three
years had passed ID countries would
be fighting Germany and nine 9th.
ers not on speaking terms with her?