The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-11-18
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BY RAwsoN BENNETT

Fought mainly In Europe, the Hun
made world war falls into periods
with its seasons. With the under
standing that for the full years Of
1915.l917 the trench warfare in France
never really ceased. the calendar per-
iods through which the conflict ragged,
may be briefly characterized thus:
1914--The year of the Hun rush
across Belgium and into northern
France, with its staying at the Marine.
and of hopes based on the Russian
steam roller" In East Prussia and
Poland.
1915-The year of the second Rus
sian advance, and it's repulse; of the
Gallipoli adventure; of Italys entrance
against the Hun and bulga,a's: with
The Hun of Serbia's disaster
1916-The year of Verdun and the
Somme; of Roumanias entry and be-
trayal.
1917-The year of Americas entry;
of the Russian revolution and col
lapse; of Italy's disaster and retreat
to the Piave: of the British victories
in Mesopotamia and Palestine.
1918-The year of the last Hun
drives to the turning Of the tide at
Chateau Thierry; the year of Bull
and submission; the year of Ger
tory and peace.
Causes and Excuses.
The excuses for the war need first
to be recalled On June %, 1914, an
Austrian archduke,- heir apparent to
the Hapsburg throne. was murdered
with his "low born" wife at Sarajevo,
in Bosnia, an Austrian province, by
Austrian subjects of Serbian blood.
Many circumstances indicated a crime
produced by Vienna court circle" in
trigue, employing Serbian fanaticism
aroused by Austrian aggression upon
Serbia and oppression of the south
Slavs
If this were not the true inward
ness" Of 1.-THE crime of Sarajevo" the
Austrian police showed a laxity in
guarding the hapless Franz Ferdinand
most astonishing to all familiar with
them. For the successful attempt
was the second on the same day and
the first had been followed by none of
the natural Tightening of police pre-
cautions.
Upon this excuse Vienna seized to
send a most humiliating ultimatum to
Serbia with Berlin's consent and even
urging. Serbia submitted down to the
point beyond which she could not go
and retain rag of national selfre-
spect, and on that one point humbly
solicited arbitration. But Prussian
militarism was sure the long prepared
for DAY" had come.
The Rush Of the Hun.
So on August l, 1914 the Hun armies
invaded Belgium. The brides had been
rejected and the threats scorned by
that heroic little nation, and to the
intense surprise of the German chan
cellor, England had declared that she
would fight for Belgium and her nat
ional honor. But the time for refiec-
ton had passed. The British fleet
might prove quite embarrassing, but
there were the U-boats and Zeppelins
to starve England out and COW her
people with air raids. So the rush Of
the Hun went on.
All remember those anxious weeks
in August, 1914. when it was hoped
that the forts of Liege and Namur
and Maubeuge and so on might stay
the Hun invasion then that the
French and British armies might, and
how they were swept back and back
until the Marine was reached and the
gray-coated legions were stayed for
the time.
Just how it was done is hard to
understand. We know of Papa" Jof-
fre's order. There was to be no
more retreat" We know how Foch
replied: MY right is broken: my
left is beaten; l shall attack with my
center. We know how Gallieni
hurled the army of Paris in motor
buses against Kluck's flank. and how
Buelow staggered and stopped under
Foch's assault. The stopping Of the
Huns on September Z, 1914, borders
on miracle.
The Conquest Of Belgium.
Stayed at the Marine. the Hun re-
turned to the Aisne and dug in" and
employed the rest of the year in COM
plotting the occupation of Belgium, and
In two drives for Calais. Antwerp
was taken on October and the rem
nant of the Belgian army forced back
to the User. There it held by cutting
the dykes and letting in the sea, but
all save this corner of Belgium was
overrun by the Huns.
A few weeks later the kaiser tried
again against the British north of
Ypres, but the contemplate little
army" of less than 100000 was not