The Press. Thursday, November 14, 1918. The Surrender and the Outlook.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16369, 14 November 1918, Page 6

The Press. Thursday, November 14, 1918. The Surrender and the Outlook.

The correspondents on the Western front agree in emphasising the strangeness of the silence that fell on the battlefield at eleven o'clock on Monday morning after a continuous roar of guns through over four years. The war-weary soldiers * will not quickly grow accustomed to the new situation, nor will the world. And although the war may be regarded as at an end, history continues to be made even more rapidly than ever while the Allied nations and the lands delivered from bondage continue their rejoicings over the utter destruction of Prussian militarism. Attention is due to-day first to the detailed terms of the nrmistice, which, it must be remembered, is not a peace settlement, but only the arranging of the conditions in which peace shall be discussed. As was the case in connexion with the Austrian armistice, the brief advance summary did not adequately convey the, full scope or indicate the full measure of the actual terms. If the Germans comply fully with the Allies' requirements they will be entirely unable to resume hostilities. There is to be a complete surrender of the submarine fleet and of a part of the 'Surface Navy, while the rest of tho surface Navy is to be disarmed. Tho German Army is permitted to retire to a line drawn east of the Rhine from the Dutch frontier to Switzerland, but it is to give up an enormous number of guns and aeroplanes. There is a distinction made between the evacuation of AlsaceLorraine and that of tho other German territories which indicates that the stolep provinces are already reserved £ ££«>: We need not summarise nil the other terms here; it is sufficient

to say that they mean that Germany must give up all her gains unconditionally and become less than she was on August Ist, 1914, as regards not only her territory, but also her military and naval strength, and her liberty of action. At every point guarantees are insisted upon to secure that the surrender shall be complete. In the meantime the German people have completed the evicting of all the ruling houses—a natural but not quite generally foreseen sequel to the overthrow of the Hohenzollerns. Of the condition of the parties there is no clear and definite news, and we must wait for a few days before we can feel sure that Herr Ebert is able to control the forces of Bolshevism. Much will depend upon the food situation, and the Allies realise this. "We accordingly have the curious spectacle of M. Clemcnceau declaring that it is France's duty to help Germany, and of Britain making up its mind to continue on rations until the food crisis in Central Europe is at an end or well in hand. It is not actually essential to the safety of the Allies, and to the extinction of Germany as a military and naval Power, that Germany should be fed and assisted to establish an orderly government, but it is essential to the peace and prosperity of Europe and the world. Moreover, the free nations which went to war to make the world safe for democracy are bound to take such steps as they can to help the German people out of the wreckage of their fortunes. The salving of Germany is indeed the gravest of the tasks immediately before the Allies—so harshly has Destiny dealt with the arrogant despot who celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of his succession, five months ago, by renewing his promise that Prussian militarism would enable Germany to command and regenerate the world.