Evening journal., 1918-05-24
THE NEXT ATTACK
From The New York Tribune.l ]

Unless all the sdvices and informa-
Non which reach us from France are
eetally inaccurate. the tnird German
blow is likely 10 fall within the next
&ew days. In any event, the danger
signals (which are now being displayed
warrant a word OF caution and OF ad-
Vice as to what is likely to happen,
given the weight which the next Ger
man blow viii have and the time
which the Germans have occupied In
preparing Il
In their March and April orrensives
the Germans used just short OF iiG
divisions the best OF which had been
prepared for the attack over long
months of training Nothing that skill
or science could give was lacking. This
had progressed for some thirty-flve
miles in the south and twelve miles in
the north. The German loss was not
less than 100000 in killed and wounded.
Very few prisoners We're taken The
Allied loss In the same time was not
much under $4,000, together with
many guns. and OF the total loss per-
haps 100000 were prisoners. When
The German renews his attack he will
siill hsve from 60 TO 20 fresh divisions,
not yet used, and he Will have an equal
number OF divisions very thoroughly
mended since the blood bath Of March
and April
Soneihing Ike million and a half
Germans are ready 20 strike, and they
are baoged ny the same formidable ar
fillery which contributed so much TO
the earlier progress. In the presence
OF sich = threat it is well to recognize
Mat losses in territory and in positions
ere inevitable, must be expected and
should In advance be recognized as hav-
5ng a relative, not an absolute. value. !
II the German fails 10 destroy the
6ritish army: II he fails TO compel Foch /
30 use up Allied reserves more rapidly |
Shan German: II he spends another /
10000 casualties in local and restricted |
gains, however large these may seem /
from day TO day. he will lose the OBJ /
1ective 10 which he has now committed 4
she largest force he can ever use in
fhs war
Al the present moment the numbers
pre- approximately equal. The German
has more guns. as result Of his
ksptures in Russia and Rumana and
ntaly, but he has not larger stocks OF
ammunition. Allied superiority in the
kir remains, and the lessons OF the last
fwo offensiyes have been learned and
fwill be applied by single commander
In chief. No soldier would ask for a
sstser chance than Fooh now has, sinue
- ers and all else are equal. But on
other hand. the Allied strategy
lcn elected the defensive al the out
It Of the campaign OF 1918 accepted
inevitably local losses and temporary
eeyerses. The German accepted this at
she Somme In 1916 and in Flanders last
year. and IN both cases, despite local
losses, preserved his line intact.
For America in the new crisis which
IS at hand there is an obvious duty. We
are not merely the reservoir OF man
power Of the Allies for the future; we
must be the reservoir OF morale. No
one who has not been IN Europe un-
derstsnds the strain which has been
placed upon the peoples at war No
one who has not had day-by-day expe-
rlence In France or In England can un-
nerstand what the burden and the hor- \
ror OF this conflict have become for /
those who are bearing it now and have I
borne it through nearly four years. /
War weariness in Europe Is a factor /
which must be reckoned with. but - |
can be reckoned with II this country 1
now and during the critical days which /
arc Ito come preserves that splendid /
unity. determination and enthusiasm /
which are already Transforming con-
ditiens abroad and are bound 70 win |
the war when TO the spiritual Is added 4
the material contribution.
We owe It to our allies to stand firm |
and confident, 10 recognize Justly and |
sppraise accurately and meaning Of 10
cal enemy gains with respect 10 the |
main enemy purpose. The enemy does
not expect TO conquer the armies in
front Of him. He expects by the weight
Of his blow. driven against the bodies
ypf the soldiers az the front, to break
Hhe eorely strained spirit Of the popula-
1ions behind It. He hopes 10 foment
<iiscord. criticism and even bad feeling
between the French and the English,
The American and the English-between
sl the Allies. He hopes TO magnify