The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-02-06


 What for?' asked a few impossible people.
 Never mind; get on with the war;" We said.
 And really we were justified by the facts, becauc2 the rulers of Germany showed no signs of troubling them selves about our aims, or caring whether We had any or not. They did not think our aims mattered, because they did not intend to let us achieve them. And it suited them very well that we should keep declaring that we were out to crush them. That was Trecisely what they had been telling the German people to convince them that they must fight us to the bitter end in simple self-p preservation; and they were only too glad to have our own word to support them.
 Germany's Pacific Role.
 At this point it occurred to some intelligent Teuton that the moral po- sition of Germany could be consider ably improved if Germany left to us the task of declaring that we were out for blood and iron and conquest, and took the Pacifst position herself. The Russian revolution had in fact, cre- ated a situation in which it was ex- tremely important to all the belliger- ents that they should appear in the character of grievously Tnolested Quakers, reluctantly forced to defend their country against imperialist ag- gression. We did not notice this as soon as the Germans did; we were too | 1o D
 Consequently, though the tug-of-war on the Western front went on as fiercely as ever, in the moral tug-of- war that enes on between the govern ments in their appeals to the con- science of civilization the Germans suddenly let go the rope; and we sat down with a crash.
 Why, this shocking slaughter?' they asked. we desire peace. We have always desired peace. Let dogs delight to bark and bite; but let us behave as the trustees of civilization. We propose the status quo ante, peace on earth and good will towards men. We have taken Belgium; we will make Belgium a present fherself. We have annexed the top of France; we will return it to her as a Christmas gift. Western Europe and Africa shall be as they were; the rest can be af- ranged. If another shot is fired it shall not be our fault
 Germany's Professions.
 We were morally dished. Nobody saw it apparently except Lord Lans- downe; and his desperate attempt tc capture the ground we should have been the first to occupy was spoiled by our stupidity. For all the stupid ways of receiving it that were poss1blf the very stupidest was to raise a shrfek that we must not dream od peace now because we were beaten Yet for several days after Lord Lans' downe's letter appeared, it was ranf treason, dastardly pacifsn, unblush' ing Boloism treacherous pro-German 7 ism. to suggest that the British Army 5 had ever suffered anything but dis 3 astrous. disgraceful defeat, or tha = the irresistible Huns magnificent f sweep to a faultlessIy organized vic l tory had been marred by single re = verse. Jellicoe, .ci devant Nelsonit 2 victor of the Rutland Trafargar, wa s suddenly banished to the obscur1ty O = the House of Lords for losing tha battle. We'll might Haig, in his cha tezu somewhere n l lance, ask him
 self desperately whether any com
 mander cpuld struggle against sucl
 patriotism, and pray for a govern ment of 'pacidsts, of pro-Germans, O
 Quakers, even of certified lunatics, a
 less dangerous than uncertified ones [ German military stock went up wit X bound; there was an unmistakabl . heartening of the German public, or
 chestrated by a crescendo in the Ger man militarist music.
 we do not ask you to take the de feat of the Allies on our biased au
 thority," said the Pan-Germans
 'they tell you so themselves. Read tn n London papers, And the Germa n people did read them in "Sidelight S on England" and believed them. The
 naturally wanted to believe them, an
 they could hardly be expected t p know that a London patriot is a hys e terical creature, who is not only un n able to keep his head, but cannc
 be restrained from kicking it roun
 the streets under the impression tha r it is the Kaiser's head.
 Il Two Grim Generals.
 The news from the front was nc
 one-sided enough to restore orde II Haig had made one of his lion spring Il and torn Passchendale out of Hinder V burgs claws before Hindenburg kne'
 where he was. Hindenburg, grow
 ing that two could play at that gam n had dashed at La Vacquerie, and GOV q cred six miles in less than two hour e driving before him naked men, maE
 ing Parthia slings of their bath tow
 els. The two g>nerals held on griml n to their prey, glaring at one anothe n and panting, but were obliged to COT ,r fess that honors were easy. In Ital lthe government had played the fo,