Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-10-20
THREE MONTHS AGO-AND TODAY

and that the tremendous cannonad
ing of both the Allies and the Huns il
the region of -Thierry, only
fifty-one miles from the French cap
ital, was plainly audible above thu
traffic in the streets.
1t seems unbelievable that only
three months ago, the fate of civil
zation itself was perilously in the
balance-it does not seem possible
when you campare the situation as it
obtained then with the situation as it
exists today and review the events OF
those stirring ninety days.
The Germans, in their second
mighty offensive Of the year, were APP
parently sweeping on to Paris-and
the fall of Paris meant more than the
mere capitulation of the city. The
fall of Paris would well-nigh have
sounded the knell of the hopes of the
Allied peoples; it would have meant
the triumph of the Prussian,
The Allies were fighting desperate
ly. The world held its breath. There
was a sublime faith, a superb conf
dence, that somehow, somewhere, the
German hOrdes would be halted. But
on they came, and the booming of the
big guns miles away smote painfully
on the ears of the Parisians. Then
there came the battle at Cantigny
where the Americans, fighting alone,
first met the German rush. This was
followed by Chateau Thierry, where
the picked battalions from the
Kaiser's Iegions were stopped dead
in their tracks. This was on the high
way to Paris. This was where the
Germans had to be stopped-or not
at all! And here was where they
were stopped, turned back, and start
cd on the retreat which has now at
tanned such magnitude as to be the
greatest in all history.
That was the situation three months
ago. when the Germans had almost
cne-third Of France in their possess
son and beneath their iron heel near
" all of Belgium was PROSTATE. To-
day the Germans hold a comparatively
small area in France, and their evac-
uation of Belgium is almost complete.
Territory which had been in their
relentless grasp for four years and
more is now reclaimed and millions
of people have been liberated from
their cruel yoke The great iron and
coal mines, so Indispensable to their
military structure have been recover
ed. They have lost half-million men
in dead injured and prisoners, and
enormous stores of ammunitions
have been captured.
But it were foolish to argue that
the Germans are all in, for that is
emphatically not true. Their retreat,
under terrific pressure, has been "a
marvelously successful military OPP
Grafton" Their losses have been
small compared to the risks of the
undertaking. Their yielding of ground
has been skillfully accomplished. And
now they are about to entrench them
| selves in positions that will be sutfi-
GENTLY strong to halt the Allies for
MANY days, in all likelihood. Their
ng>y line will probably extend from
| Client to Mons to the river Meuse to
Metz. They will thus continue the
fighting entirely on the soil of Bel
gium and France, and close behind
them they will have the mighty pro-
lection of the River Rhine. They have
not yet established themselves on this
line-they have not retreated that far
but the indications are that they are
withdrawing to it.
Germany is far from beaten. Il
is weakened 1t is beset at home by
internal troubles, Its great army is
battered and bruised. But superb