Evening star., 1939-07-31
Twenty-Five Years After

Officially, the World War began
twenty-five years ago today, on July
81, 1914. On that day Kaiser Wilhelm
declared Germany to be in "a state
of war" and ordered universal mobi-
lization" of the army and navy.
Hostilities had already begun. Bel
grade was occupied by the Austrian
Army after artillery bombardment.
The Russians, according to Berlin,
were massed on their German and
Austrian borders, ready to strike.
The Kaiser, addressing his people
from the balcony of the Royal Palace
at the head of Unter den Linden,
told the nation that "a fateful
hour has fallen upon Germany. En-
vious people on all sides are COM
pelling us to resort to just defense.
The sword is being forced into our
hand"
Twenty-four hours later Europe
was at war, though Great Britain's
entry was delayed until August f.
The rest is history-hiStory fuller of
poignancy for the Hitler Reich than
for any of the other participants in
the four-year conflict, for the Ger
many which entered upon it so sub
timely confident that she would win,
thanks to the infinitely superior
state of her armed preparedness, was
doomed to emerge defeated.
BY accident or design, the Asso-
ciated Press chooses the "silver ju-
bilee" of Armageddon to tabulate the
mad totals of armament expendi-
lures by the principal seven powers
at war quarter of a century ago. 1t
is disclosed that the worlds feverish
efforts to reinforce military, naval
and air strength may reach a new
peak cost of 100000 this year.
That is nearly ten times the 50 AGO.
100000 spent in 1914 by Great Brit
ain, Germany, France, Russia, Italy,
Japan and the United States. 1t is
$2,000000,000 above the combined
arms budgets of those countries in
1888. The comparison between 1889
and last year is based on the con-
clusion of the Foreign Policy Asso-
citation that the sixty leading
governments in 1888 spent some
$4,000, 100000.
In the order named, the follow
ing countries head the list of 1889
outlays on armaments: Soviet Rus
sia, Germany, Great Britain, France,
Japan, the United States and Italy.
Our budget of 81 ,O65, ZOO, 900 compares
to Japan's $1,8OO,OOO,OOO and Ger
many's s45OO,OOO,OOO. The Reich is
currently spending around $1,OOO,-
600 900 more than Britain.
Whittier this fabulous and world
wide squandering of the substance
of the nations will lead no man today
can tell. Statesmen everywhere hope
for the best, while prepared for the
worst. Pessimists among them pro-
fess to believe world war, as it was
twenty-five years ago this day, is
just around the corner. If it does
not come in August, it will come in
September, they gloomily avow.
Some think it will start in Poland.
Others expect history to repeat itself
and that the Balkans will be the
cockpit. But there is one school of
Jeremiahs who are persuaded that
not war, but second Munich, is
what betides, with the axis dictator
ships winning another "appease-
ment" victory, thanks mainly to
Britain's failure so far to induce
Soviet Russia to restore the triple
entente necessary to thwart Ger
many and Italy.
A week ago one would have brack-
eted Japan with Germany and Italy.
intermediate events, for which the
United States is responsible, have
noticeably increased Japan's unwill-
ingness, which was already pro-
nounced, to risk more of the Island
Empires strength and prestige in a
war concerned primarily with Eu-
ropean questions.