OPENING AT LODZ. THE END AT LODZ.

Evening Star, Issue 15668, 5 December 1914, Page 5

OPENING AT LODZ.

THE END AT LODZ.

When Hindenhnrg anil the Crown Prince wove tin? well neither Von Maoln-n----sen nor Von Francois appeared. The first threads were spun on tin’ southern front, hot ween ('/enstochowa and Cracow. On this line it was apparently hoped to lock up all of the Moscow, Kazan. KiclV, and Odessa armies, so that, they lOttld not meddle with what was intended to come later. Both sides would have every inducement to light lien;, especially the Russians, who would desire to rover the northern tlank of tho Kiel! and Odessa armies. These commands are. south of the Austrian frontier, and aim at, Cracow. Stoning Oennans is a somewhat sleazy jou now, fov thf> .supply of Moiv.’-throwei's probably much greater than the demand, and here, at all events, it can lie raid confidently that they planned their part, well enough at that. 1 hey drew Russians to the Czonstoehowa-Cracow bailie, and. beyond this, they seem to have retained a grand reserve between Kalis/ and t\ iekin. l ire position of this reserve is t how it in both sketches. It was intend'd to iec-d one battle or another as might, .in the judgment <>f the commander, prove suitable. This southern pan, of the operations in Poland developed .during lit”, sec-nd week in Novem het.

Thus the gods of military erudition, reigning on a sulphury Olympus, established the battle Czenstochowa-Cracow, where the cannon no doubt fitted apt music to the dreariness of swamp and snow. It next became a question when to let loose Von Mackensen and Von Francois in the north. We do not know when, for the cables conflict, but it may have been a week later than the date on which the southern battle opened. Von Mackensen and Von Francois marched for Warsaw. They probably expected to find nothing more than the Petrograd army barring the way. and this army they felt confident of bursting in. What followed is almost humorous. It reminds one of a child at school making two separate mistakes in a simple division sum and bringing out quotient and remainder right at the end. “Linesman.’’

up in n striking article, ‘The Place, of Avar in the Life of a Nation.’ He put the cti.-e for tho soldiers, and indicated very ■Teuvly that war is tho remedial influence which sweeps away million© of frauds of civil life. The case for the citizen who does not want war has been pot in m vcl after novel by H. G. Wells. “This focicry," .-ays V ells, “ must ©top.” On this conflict of thought there i© the immediate bearing of the cable?. There is tin- uprising of Belgian Socialist soldiers interned near Utrecht, and another message which mid : “Many new rifles have been captured from which uu shot has been tired, indicating that they have been taken from the hands of untrained recruit©.” Untrained or unwilling? 80m© will remember a poem of .Mrs Browning’s on ‘Tho Forced Recruit at Solierino’: In the rank.'? v,f the Austrians you found him. He died whit his face to you all. It represents the young Austrian enldicr. no different at Sc-lferino front what he is to-day, asking “the Frenchmen on tho other sid© to look straight into his foul and shoot him or leave him just as (hey jde.i.-ed. The poem adds:

His musket, ecc, never was loaded, He fronted your guns with a smile. It seems tliat some of the soldiers have begun tossing newspapers from their trenches to the enemy's. This has been done in every long war, especially in wars of trenches. There appear to no “close hours ” for meals and washing, arid daring these hours ballets are not permissible under the rules of this curious camaraderie. P.ule .303 is relaxed. If men did not do something like that they would go mad. And, since war is “God’s plough,’ one can only wonder at the furrow which it cuts into the soil oi sensibilities, logics, prejudices, fixed ideas, and flaming hatreds. Between tins citizens’ point of view and the soldiers' point of view there is a great gulf fixed, but perhaps the plough of w*r will eriflg ell eleragais

tfethen If war did not sap and day the best of the world’s manhood one could understand it a little, but, sines it does do that and the best men fall first, you can only leave it there. The Boers, in their intense Dopper way. need to have a saying i “All snail right come.” Perhaps we are on the edge of a time of broader human sympathies. If so, the war will not have "been fought for nothing. THE ALTAR. After perusal of tho last despatch by Sir John French it ought to bo obvious to the dullest that the aim of tho Censor, tho War Office, and the Press Bureau is to buy and sell tho public. From October 19 onwards (and perhaps before) it must have been touch-and-go with the British Army more than once. To bring about the result so far obtained Sir John French made a 50 per cent, detachment, thereby breaking every fundamental rule in the book. The English papers, as wc see from the cables, have got the length of commenting on tho dangerous step. It happened that he succeeded, but, if he had failed, what criticism there would have been! Men who possess some secondclass military book, and who have formed the habit of writing to the newspapers, are apt to be merciless. If Sir Jonn French broke all rules and had failed, so much the more swiftly would ho have marched to the altar of sacrifice which the Democracy always appears to demand. The possessor of tho out-of-date book on tactics, the reader of the magazines, is usually more revengeful than any, unless he has some trade reason for remaining silent. The position in Belgium and the attack on the Channel ports, as the juvenile war correspondents (well primed by Staff officers) led us to believe this week, were over. One very good cable reads in a contrary way, as follows: Though the situation is relieved, there i? no reason for assuming that the enemy have abandoned the intention of forcing a way to the sea. The same task lies before the British Army of maintaining its share in tho struggle until the nation in arms comes to its support. The Germans are no unworthy toes. As we have noticed this week, the Hoi land sources of news are to be cut off by the Germans, and there was one “heavily censored” message relating that the Germans were coming on again in Belgium. Any heavily censored nie.ssago should be read with respect. fur tlio more heavily censored it is th© umre M-rlv is (he deduction that it contained licili. To-day wo have a Pari? me--age that Japan should be invoked to semi troop-. It is not tho first time that we Invc received a similar message. If it i- lu-ce-s.try to invoke. Japan, tho giddy daily yard of “victories” seeni> !o-s i-nii'-iiirio :. Perhaps there will be a more moderate Ao-trahan Press attitude to Japan when the war ends. It may suit the ‘ r.niletin ' and some of the Labor nrganS.-atine- n,‘ Australia to stigmatise Japan a- “ Yellow Peril.” But, if the picture i true, why lean on tho Yellow IVC.I now ■; THE PAH \ MOUNT APPLE. The ' Tin wA . . e in the North of France -:,y- “ U have become the i v ! i : • !,-• war. . . They are t-.o I •• y ■ • -we'ir. Tie i arnes a ; A ■ u;i:'h in’ seldom uses, .sleep-; in lie ! >yli . a , 1 works all night. It is a It !iv , ; v j.J It is. i;> a:’'. '■ ’• y. the gl (latest job. The cav; ; ;i n wily look as showy as they am hit we d u, !e. Th.” race iii ‘‘show off ” —the term is apoii’d hi a kindly way —is ,i lie...| hj ); i .-.ien cavalry and ariilieiy. Tin- iafa;:(cy look humbler, hut. as everyom under.-l -.iris that infantry are tin* backbone- of the a.inty. their claim for attention doe- net nee i !o bo adorned with words. Til- . ngincer is different, .sharing, as he do. s. a g’onous medal of merit with the Army -erv'.-e Corps. Tho A.S.U.. ho we v> r. a-e always far back in the e.Jr.uei. but i!i- ciighic-er generally comes -nii’ii w here nruvocn the vanguard and ihe main guard--;>os*ilJy marching with the fight, r.s a- an unobtrusive joke under the fusillade of “ Tommy's” humor. He sleeps sagely in the daytime, and then gets to work at nurli; with pick and axe, with his telling ana.- of lire trenches, b-’i'ines. Main.-. t< nvpli-.-nes, and revetments. on whwh a’i liw f--rces will find their pivot n.-xt day. The nights are more than 15 hours t.-ag in Belgium at present, but perhaps not long enough for the engineer, digging in frozen earth. Anyhow, ii is satisfactory to sec that he has received his '.void »f recognition. He has given up t In; fougasse and the countermine! at present, for “ water is struck at a depth o: a few feet.” This probably applies to Belgium only. Water or no water, however, he lias rimmed the German line with 550 miles of trench on ail fronts. Foi the iiioment he is the paramount man. HIT,KU S U \LV, The sin-,-. I, of the ‘Time Minister (Signor Salaiidrai a; the opening of the Italian Parliament Mua.k- <; war. Of comae, as happen? in -iii poih; •iai - speeches, the usual plat iimb’ ,*--ar:! tie- eye. “Italy,” say.i toe j’.;.-: 1 M’niw-t. “ii.urt maintain In'r vital a; d just aspirations,” etc. Met j.? I, in- endeavoring to lead Italy lip to the eh;- o, -.vui. and the merchant . i,i-we- of W i'ue v.-iil desire that war. li. i’oc.e.-cr. the fe-iing of tho l)e----muivary of liaiv j.- in anywise reflected bv the !■ liny 'o; da Italian colony in Wcihnji- n the people ..f this historiccounliw waist )ai ’var. liny are poor, and all liicv v.ant k ira-'in. But. as ii seems now, tln v mnv have dan-e ultimately to the ini,',., di/i,■ haul niu.-ie. of tho war lords. Then- is another tiling which fuiliter com* pii-.'a*i'.-* dw nituetio’i'This is tho speech Ly tile pn’-iih nt of the Catholic Union at Genoa. making .strong allusion to the re* etoral in of lii-- temporal power of the 1; mu is " Cod's plough,” it pie,ujiis deeply indeed. Amid the mate-liala-an - I war', tin- utterance by the president of the t alhoiic I nil'll! of Roly strikes one strangely. THAT EAR3.V PEACE. It is alleged that there has been * confidential meeting of leaders in German politics in Berlin. They agreed that tiw (derm,aii a ratio* were much stronger than the. Allies’. In vis viva, if not in numbers, no doubt they are. Tho sop was tin own out M tho Socialists that after iHe war the cost of armaments would im decreased, but (it, was added) an increased navy was now imperative, it, was agreed that an early peace was desirable," oven on terms ‘‘ status quo ante helium.” After reading so many allied victories the. latter part looks laughable. In other respects the message wears a serious air. It seems to indicate a .-inking of political differences In Germany, and when they mention the “ status quo ante helium, ono can only deduce that they are still very hopeful. SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. What does Portugal want in the war? The question is often asked, and to-day there is another message. Portugal—tho Portuguese people—want nothing, but the politicians in this violent little show may. Tho overturning of a mon-nr-hv bv" the people is always dangerous --■ for th’ poor Jo; and Portugal has to fa-ce the backwash now. .--paniMi feeling is reflected in one of the cables. What they have to do with the war no one can even form a guess, since ir-pain and Portugal combined could not fight a small covey of sparrows. Extracts from tho Spanish papers in Madrid and elsewhere show, however, that all parties—Conservative, Carliat, and Liberal—have been thrashing th© matter out. To-day’s cable is to the effect that many of these articles were inspired by Germany, and the general feeling is now for the Allies. HISTORIC. The Rev. Mr Adler haa gone to the front as Jewish chaplain, the first time in the history of the British Army, it is said. If bo, it will help to wash out some of the cruel memories of the times of King Stephen and Richard Cosui?de-Uon. Writing in a hurry, and subject to correction, I conclude that this chaplain may bo a son of Dr Nathan Marcus Adler, late chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire. If so, the army is getting a great chaplain. Th© influence of the late Dr Adler was very widespread, covering the whole extent of the British Empire, and even reaching beyond. H© was socially the recognised representative of English Jewry, and one of the most prominent firr”r-'<* : t English philanthropic circles. If it is his son who is going to th© front, it is inj]M(l ft lUtftoU occasion.