Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-17

year 1918 rehearses in detail the story OF
1914. with its German plunge across the
Marine and the French counter-blow from the
Ourcq, and the French center holding as des-
perately around Rheims as the French center
held in 1914 at La Fere Champenoise, and
the same man who turned the Germans back
in 1914 driving them back in 19lS-why
then, you have something more than the raw
material of drama you catch glimpse or
the finger of Nemesis. And that is what the
common man feels when he remarks that the
Marine air is not healthy for the Germans
He is giving expression, lightly enough, to
what may be the beginning of a legend
among ruture generations of common men in
France that the Marine is sacred river
which the invader can never pass but to his
own destruction; though, perhaps, 1t Is too
late for the legend to grow up, as 1t easily
would 1900 years ago, that the Marine Is
under the perpetual guard of St Denys and
St Gervaise, whose flaming swords may be
seen under favorable circumstances, etc. etc.
60 WE call it dramatic thing today that
- notable part in Foch's victory should
have fallen to the American army; that the
first important role assumed by the despised
American army should have been in spec
tacle Of victory. instead of defeat, as 1t
easily might have been without shattering
our resolution. But the ancients would have
again seen the hand of Nemesis in this VIC
torious American army brought into the con-
fct by a crime such the Furies under the
uTeCtiOH VI Buus never u dNeHSc-
by the crime of the Lusitania. For Nemesis
was never so thoroughly aroused to venge-
ance as by Vaultng pride: and an insane
pride lay behind the murder of the Lusi-
tania: Germany's confidence in her own
moral judgments and in her ability to i'm
pose them upon the world pride of power
WI ich could do what 1t WILL pride Of mind
witch could reason black into white and
murder into the laws of war: not to mention
that narrower tribal pride which had no diff
Guilty in nrOying that II hetter hundreds
Of women and children should drown rather
than one German soldier fall a victim to the
Lusitanas munitions" To the Greek mind
Chateau-Thierry would have been the gods
payment for Kinsale Head.
BECAUSE Nemesis peculiarly loves to
d abase human pride. one of It's favorte
devices Is to raise up the humble and make
them the instrument of its vengeance. It
should never be forgotten that the turn of the
| tide for the Allies began not in France but
| In Italy: that the first shattering blow to
German hopes fell not along the Marne, but
| along the PIave. And what was Italy on the
eve Of the Austrian assault? She was un-
| questionably In the mind of the German gen.
| eral staff and likely In the mind of a good
many Allied military leaders the next victim
| Of the Irresistible Teuton might. after Ser
bia Russia and Rumania. The Italian front
| was to break on the Piave 1t had broken
on the Isonzo. The spirit Of the Italian
| people was to break. as 1t came very near
| breaking last autumn. Italy was to be
| f,rced out of the war like Russia and Ru-
mania or reduced to helpessness like Serbia
| and Belgium. At the very least, Italy was
| to call to her help good many French divi-
| sions that Foch could not spare.
And 1t fell to Italy, the weakest Of the Allies.
to shatter the entire German scheme of vic
| tory.
| AIEMESIS loves to punish with the crimi-
| IN nails own weapons. Germany made her
| raid on civilization by taking advantage of
\ low visibility. Amidst the fog Of perplexity
| and panic that fell upon Europe with the
assassination at Sarajevo. Germany brought
| up her forces for attack She fashioned the
| ultimatum to Serbia under a smoke cloud OF
| pacific kilograms to Petrograd and placatory
| offers to London. But fate has seen to II
that Germany shall be herself the victim OF
low visibility. The murk and fog of hei
| own creation blinded her to the Fundamental
factor of morals and policy which will be heI
| undoing, Germany strangled Belgium be-
cause she could not see Great Britain pulled
into the conflict. She sank the Lusitania
because she could not America In thu
war. She tore Russia apart because sh'
could not see the soul OF a great people
waking out of a temporary sleep. German,
surprised the world and finds herself sur
prised by the world !; Nemesis
Copyright 1879
| Judging nv the amount Of Hun propa