Norwich bulletin., 1918-10-09
FACTS AND COMMENT


 the preliminary to an extension of the American front westward to the vic- inity of Rheims. No one suspected the presence of American troops in this region until a Franco American attack was launched on. a forty mile front with all the success that has uniformly attended Foeh's attacks. An average gain of seven miles re- warded the first day's efforts, and as time has gone on the tale of captured men and guns has mounted high. Meantime on the Cam brai-S Quen- tin front both French and British armies were battering down the Hin- denburg line, and the Belgians were doubling their hold on their own soil, thereby rendering the German position on the all-important Belgian coast precarious in the extreme.
 To understand the relation of these widely separated attacks, it must be remembered that the western front drops almost due south from the Bel gian coast to Laon, thence turns in an easterly direction to and across the Mouse below Verdun, where it again bears to the south and contin ues to the Swiss border. From this last stretch one sharp salient ran westward till its point rested on the
 
 struetien of this position, the Germans were pushed back toward their own border so far that all danger of an attack between Verdun and Switzer- land disappeared. Thus freed from any menace behind, the Allies could turn their attention to the next stretch, the east and west line be- tween Laon and the Mouse. From Loan to Rheims the French are mak- ing magnificent progress in regaining the Chemin des Danes, while the American progress westward from the Mouse has fully measured up to the standard set at Chateau Thierry, where Americans and Prussians first Germans have already been forced became intimately acquainted The Germans have already been forced back to their so-called Kriemhilde line, a position some miles back of the original Hindenburg line in this region, and designed to be the ulti- mate limit of retreat. When this goes, the Germans will be practically out of this part of France. So while the Bel gians under their soldier-k king Albert are pressing the Germans away from the coast, Haig and Petain are crowd ing their center east out of the region of Cambrai and St. Quentin, and Per shing's men are striking up from the south are forming the right flank of the triumphal march on Berlin. It is still long distance but the journey has really begun.
 The famous old city of Damascus | with it's garrison of 00Q Turks is General Allenby's latest prize in his l triumphant progress up the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. This f,f mir ntHT 1nc in | two weeks. for the victorious attack on the Turks in Palestine began Sept | II and Australian cavalry entered Damascus on the first day Of Octo- 1 Der We'll to the east of the valley | of the Jordan skirting the edge of the Syrian desert the modern rail- way follows the old route of the pill 1 grins from Damascus to Mecca and | Medina Of late years many pilgrims l have gone by train instead of cara van, so have the conveniences of the , West overcome by the traditions of l the East Along this railway the Arabs were in control and it was their presence east of the Sea of Galilee | that cut off the retreat of the Turks l to the east and made Allenby's vls tory so complete. When the Turks west of the Jordan had been annihi- lated or captured. the British Indian l force crossed to the other side and joined with the Arabs. The swiftness of their northward progress and the immediate surrender of the ancient Syrian capital show how completely the Turks have been eliminated from that part of the world.
 In it's moral effect on the Moham- r1edan world the taking of Damascus falls little short of the capture of Bagdad. Though later conquered by the Hebrews in the days of their glory, it afterwards regained it's inde- | pendence and it's kings Benhaded and I HazaeI became the enemies of the kingdom of Israel Then the Asyrians conquered it and carried away it's in habitants into Mesopotamia, replacing them with colonists of their own. Through the days of Alexander the Great and his successors Damascus remained an important city, and in 64 B. c. Pompey took it and annexed it to the -conquering empire of Rome
 The great apostle Paul was on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus when he saw his vision and it was in T the street called Strai lt'' that the prophet found him and he regained his sight. Centuries passed, Rome de- clined and then came the Moham medanS. At one time Damascus was !, their capital and under them the man ufacture of sword blades and textiles made Damascus and damask house. hold words. So through a varied his tory of peace and war, conquest and massacre the old city With it's 150, , 900 inhabitants again falls into the hands of Christians and for the first
 time in centuries is now enjoying ar honest administration,
 Not only in Palestine but every.
 where on all the fronts disaster fol
 lows disaster for Germany and hel , companions in iniquity. With Bull garia out of the war the Serbs are fast pushing northward in their owT country assisted by the rest of the
 Balkan allied army. The Italians are on the move in Albania and the Aus trians are in full retreat. The port o 3 Durazzo on the Albanian coast has
 been attacked by combined maya a force including American units, anC f the Austrian vessels were totally de stroyed. Good progress is being made into Russia especially from the nortf
 and Americans are reported opera ting fifty miles s6outh of .Archangel = With the progress of the Allies, prom 5 promising steps toward the formation
 of a staple government are beins taken. Not a crumb of comfort fo Q Germany appears in any quarter 1 immediately after the collapse o
 Bulgaria came the resignation 0
 Count von Hertling. the German chan
 cellor and Foreign Secretary vol Hintze. Von Hertling had very re 0 Ill., I-