The Evening Star THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1914.

Evening Star, Issue 15600, 17 September 1914, Page 4

The Evening Star THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1914.

Gurat as the success of the Allies has he-en both on the Western A Pause in and Eastern, battlefields, the Battle." we shall be unwise if we conclude that all is over save the shouting.. Tho war into which Europe has been plunged has not yet been fought to a conclusion. Xor is in likely, where so many million? of men are engaged, and where the chief aggrefeor has so much at stake, that Germany will submit, to the inevitable until many more thousands of precious lives have boon i-acriticed. This constitutes the outstanding curse, and crime of war. It is not the men who provoke it, nor the statesmen and generals and rulers who hop* to benefit by it, who are called on to submit to outrage, rounds, and death,' but the vast unknown multitudes of plain men against whom no pergonal antagonism exists. And Germany has yet conns millions of these to come and go upon. That ©he will rise them and waste them as long as she thinks she sees a hope of victory we may ba sure. Germany has blundered terribly and to her own hurt in her calculations. She never in her list of possibilities included tho intervention of Great Britain among them. Had she (lone* so it is more than doubtful whether slvs would have urged AustroHungary to take the fatal step. This much, at least, may ha gathered from the historic interview between the German Chancellor and the British Ambassador. Apart from this, Germany must have discussed the possibility, if only for argument's sake and however improbable it may have appeared to the War Party, of some euch situation as that which now faces her in France. She has been delayed and driven back, but is she finally beaten? The answer will be found in the words of the French. Commander-in-Chief, General Joffre. who has referred to the battle of the Marne as '"' one phase of the battle." It would be as well at this juncture if we did not pot our thoughts higher tham these words permit tis. The Allies have done splendidly, but they are not yet in sight of the end of their gigantic undertaking. Therefore the Empire will go on piepa-ring steadily und persistently. The machine has to and will be broken, and the task of the Allies k how to accomplish this speedily as well as thoroughly. To this end the Mother Land and Oversea -Dominions alike are concentrating their efforts, and in this relation wo welcome the. intimation that a Maori contingent of eoine 200 picked representatives of that gallant, race has been accepted by the Imperial Government. Next to the need of strengthening the line of battle in men and puns, and promptly making good all and lose, is the importance of the 1 'mpire maintaining a united front. The issue of a batik may depend solely on tho material forces employed and the manner of their manipulation, but the final and deciding victory in thiiS present war will ie.-t in .no small measure upon the moral foi-ccs that have bten called into play. The knowledge that the British Empire was united and that it spoke with one voice has been a factor in the conflict the value of which it is hardly possible to estimate too highly. The moral value, always tells. In Napoleon's day the presence of that great strategist at the head of his men was worth an army corps. His very name struck fear into the hearts of his opponents. The news, coming after that of the departure for Europe of 70,000 native Indians, that a Maori contingent is to be sent to Egypt will have an effect on the moral side far beyond its comparatively negligible material effectiveness. Xew Zealand has learned to respect and like her aboriginal people, and we. know that the fortunate 200 who will be honored to serve their Kinj in another part of the Empire will not fail us should the hour come which tests the stuff of which men are made. Tho Allies, it is said, are interested in Italy's probable course of policy. Will she or will she not actively intervene on behalf of the- Entente ? For our own part we should regreit to aea the area of bloodshed and death and destruction enlarged unless some fresh development on behalf of the. common enemy were to emerge. To-day the Allies have the military and naval situations well in hand. Austria is beaten; Germany is fighting a retreating, not an advancing, conflict. Why, then, add to the horrors of war by the entry of another Power? We subject to the proviso we have mentioned, that the Allies generally, and England particularly, are well content with Italy's present neutrality and obvious friendliness. Mr Gladstone has left on record a comment apropos of Belgian neutrality at the time of the FrancoGerman war in 1870 that has a special application at this moment and in this relation. " There is very little difference," he said, " between absolute neutrality and actual war." We think the fcrufch of Mr Gladstone's dictnin haa re* ceived an apt illustration in the interpretation that Italy lias ao far placed upon her conception of neutrality. Italy could do little mora for th« Allies than shes has already done if ahe declared war tomorrow, but she would certainly add to the tale of human slaughter with which mankind is daily sickened.