Evening star., 1918-09-08
FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARINE
WAS TURNING POINT OF WAR
French Genius German Machine Which, Despite Forty
Years Preparation Made Fatal Blunders of Carrying Of
fensive Too Far just Prior Memorable Struggle
That Was at Height Four Years Ago Today.


defeated Falkenhayn, Foch over
| whelmed Ludendorn - the French
mind was invariably the master OF
| the German machine.
What the Battle Meant.
Even when the events upon the
actual battlefield are OF such trans
cendent interest. 1t 10 therefore worth
look backward four years. II the
Germans had prevailed ON this day.
| or the next. four years ago. Paris
now Russia would have gone swiftly
instead OF slowly to ruin. Britain
within her islands would have been
safe from invasion. but the continent
| would have lain at the kaiser's feet,
and all the grandiose plans Of NIT.
out. while there was left on the
mainland of Europe not a national
| will to oppose the German. We in
| America would not have awakened
until too late. Britain would have
! had alone to defend the safety Of her
\ empire at Suez and on the Persian
| gulf. while the menace Of the sub
marine grew.
| We are winning the war now. Had
Russia stood fast the aid Britain
been enough, and the French con-
tribution at the Marne and at YER
dun would have sufficed. After the
Russian detection civilization waited
upon America. Britain and France
could hold, but no more: Our irst
Foch what Joffre never had at the
first battle-a strategic reserve OF
fresh troops. The first battle was
won by exhausted troops on the verge
Of complete physical collapse. But
the first thousands OF fresh American
manhood arrived for the second. and
| from July Is to the present hour the
German retreat has continued.
Repetition Of First Battle.
| In all its major details the second
battle Of the Marne repeated the FIRST.
German strategy was again based
upon German psychological decisions.
France, Ludendorff reasoned, as q
Moltke had reasoned, was beaten,
destitute of reserves, incapable OF q
return to the offensive-therefor
| the west flank once more along the
tiny, but memorable Ourcq stream
was offered to the French. and once
more a French counter stroke ruined
the German strategy and revealed
| the utter fallacy of the German rea-
soning. The German could understand
a machine, but not a man. and in the
final hour the man mastered the ma
| chine. That this should have twice
happened at the Marne is one of the
rarest of all the condolences Of writ
| ten history.
| Last week all over the United States
| there was a double celebration-the
observation of the anniversary of
\ Lafayette and of the Marne. The trfb-
ute of all America was laid at the feet
| of our Oldest ally. benefactor IN
| the present as in the earlier century.
But as we approach the point where
| the end Of the war settlements may
again be discussed it seems to me
these details which affect France
must be viewed in the light of the
Marne and what it meant to us. to all
civilized men and women. TOT al OF
whom German victory would nave
been a peril personally and for their
children.
France saved us at the Marne. but
France herself remains in part In the
enemy's hands. The German stiil noIas
1 regions and provinces seized In 1919
and in 1871. Without both France is
| incomplete. indefensible and her moral
! claim to Flanders and to Champesne
is no stronger than her moral title TO
Alsace and Lorraine. We are to erect
| new frontiers against an old bar
! harfsm. and we must erect them in
such fashion as to make certain tnaI
| If the need ever comes again france
| can again hold the gateway-not tnis
time at the Marne. but at the hnine.
Stolen Territory Plays Part.
French provinces stolen in 1871 have
been the foundation OF GERMAN
strategy in 1914; Witnou5 on19d MetS met have
| undertaken the Belgian adventure
| without risking certain ruin. French
! iron has supplied Germany with tne
essential material for her onslaught,
and Rheims Cathedral has been de-
stroyed by the shells made Of iron
found in French soil. Without this
ore a new German attack will be I'M
possible.
And there is yet another aspect to
the case The loss of her provinces,
hers by every claim, hers by the will
of the people who inhabited them.
hers by the voluntary decision OF men
| of other generations in certain cases
was for France a moral even more
than a material blow. A beaten
France suffered over more than forty
years with deep sense Of the injury
other nations had done the French
people by consenting to this epolia-
ton. And now, when France has 80
much added to the debt all civilized
mankind owes to her. now when the
fourth anniversary of the Marne
| brings such powerful reminders of
the French contribution, now is the
time for Britain and for America to
resolve that France shall emerge
from the struggle. which will be won
thanks to French sacrifice and devo-
tion in the time before Britain and
America could prepare, restored to
her rightful limits and her proper ex-
| tent We do not know what sort OF
Germany we shall face in the future,
but we do know that in all future
time France will remain the guardian
of the gateway. and for that reason
the gateway must be made strong.
Fail to Overthrow Civilization.
OF contemporary battles and cotempoJ
rary events, and the first battle OF
the Marne is already thing remote.
with 1t rather than with the cotem-
porary struggles, because I believe
| that the outcome Of the war was de-
cided on the battlefield between Paris
and verdun between September and
September 10. 1914. Ever since that
period the German has sought by
every frantic and calculated device
| to abolish the decision then had that
he could not overthrow western civflf-f
zation or supplant western democra-
cy by the Prussian gospel Of force.
| tack. We have seen each attack TAIL.
and now as we enter the final phase
| Of the war. at last possessed OF the
numbers and the material necessery
for the task. we are but exploiting
the victory Of the Mame. carytng
out the logical and ineluctable de-
cision made September Q. in the late
afternoon. when Toch attacked west
| ward of La Fere ChAmp4noiHo and by