New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-05
By GILBERT SELDES

General Headquarters. British Army
in France, July 26.-"Wipers is out OF
bounds" the officer said. you'll know
why when you get back"
When we got back we knew. South
Of "Wipers," which is Ypres, the first
one-day battle Of the war had been
fought and won. Messines Ridge had
been taken by the British. Whitesheet
and Plug-street Officially Wytschaete
and Ploegsteert) had passed out Of the
communicates, perhaps forever. Other
things, absorbing several weeks, had
occurred Everybody was happy. 1t
all had been a good show.
But we Of the writing army had just
returned from a tour of the British
front, and we were not happy. We had
seen too much of what it means TO
crash through the German lines and
take a commanding height. And we
were agreed on one thing, although we
put it in various words. Here 1t is:
The Allies can win the war. Without
counting on a sudden breakdown on
Germany's part, the Allies can win the
war. But the Allies cannot carry
through the war to a smashing and sat
isfactory conclusion unless the power
and the wealth of the United States in
men and in material come into the
struggle at once-come in without re-
luctance, come in fast and furious and
determined to make an end.
Leave out Russia, and leave out the
submarine. Concentrate on the battle
field for a moment, and the conclusion
have just put down will appear a mild
and optimistic statement of the facts.
The better way is to say that the Allies
will have to make an unheard-of effort
to win the war, and that the cost of
their victories Of the last three months
is the proof. They are real victories,
but each one is a measure of the work
still to be done. 1t will be finished.
No one doubts that.
No Cooks Tours
Of Front Now
In this article / am not going to
describe Cooks tour to the front.
You know all about these things; the
railway station at Arras, with the
tickets for Paris and Lille Cleft over
from 1910, still lying about on the
floor, and what Ypres looks like, and
hoy civ StnpnnS al{VQNS
village.
Even six months ago, when ] was at
the front, these things were interesting
and important. But now the front is
a different place, and we Americans
have a different interest in il. Also,
after seeing all you can see in half a
week of motoring behind the lines, you
are in no mood for descriptive writing
! am going to put down only those
things which bear on Americas share
in the war. If you have made up your
mind that the bitterest and bloodiest
part of the war is still ahead and that
America will be called on to take
huge share of the burden on herself,
I can tell you nothing new. But II you
think that it's all over but the shout
ing. and that the United States can
do her share by waving flags, buying
bonds and cursing the Kaiser, what fol-
lows may be of interest.
The section of front from which
hose observations were made runs
Gown from Notre Dame de Lorette, OPP
rosite Vimy Ridge, TO the Somme; 1t
covers virtually all the ground Of the
British offensives since July, 1916, eX-
cent the battle Of Messines Ridge.
The battle of Messines Ridge has
Io,r hattie hpcansa
the actual fighting took one day. The
fact is that il was a one-year battle.
Some Of the tunnels in which the mill
ion pounds of explosives were laid
were ready twelve months before they
were exploded; the mere concentration
of men and artillery in the region
south of Ypres was matter Of months.
Soil Blood Soaked
Since Beginning
Yet, as battles go in this war. Mes
sines was brief. When you set foot on
the hill Of Notre Dame de Lorette you
are treadirg on soil which has not
known day of peace since the very
beginning of the war. and you may
find the wreckage of French and Brit
ish and German kits lying side by side.
j ne grass mas BIO"H OctMeei 'hS oASh
trenches now, and into No Mans Land;
here and there you can pick dark red
flower, and if you come to Lorette on
a heavenly day in spring you will un-
derstand why Frenchmen love their
country. Then you probably will catch
sight of some CHASTITY thing which will
remind you that on this ground more
men have died than fought in our Revo-
luton.
In the distance you have seen the