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Nelson Evening Mail, 29 May 1916, Page 4

It is very probable that the reason for the 'German attack on\ Verdun is, that such an offensive would, tend-to dislocate the summer campaign of the Allies. \ It is inconceivable that t'he : Germans ibiould" contemplate pushing on to Paris or "in the northern, portion of the line attempting in real earnest to secure any of the 'Channel ports. The German lines described in another article are no more formidable than the French or British defences, and if Germany has enough mien! to contemplate forcing a manoeuvre battle on French soil, most of' the nvili T tary critics will be confounded. It is easier to understand the renewed at-' tacks on Verdun at the present time than it is to find a reason other, than the one given above for the attack on Verdun at all. 'As has been stated-pre-viously, all the Germans have .achieved so far in this great ibafctle is to. penetrate the outer defences, but the French still 'hold the'dominating heights, and. the Germans know that it is only while the French artillery is preoccupied the present, attack, that theyr will be able to hold-the-ground won There is every reason to .believe tha-fc'too .-moraleffect of giving up the ground won' will be so great that Germany is forced to push on in the hope that she; may be able to secure the main elevations, such as Mort Homme and Hill 304, for instance. ~,.'■

: It was reported' soma little time ago that the Bulgarian soldiers are demanding that they shall either'fight or be' allowed to return to their homes. It was stated that they would probably xnarch a'eross the • Roumanian frontier into ' tbe Thibrudja province, "part of which, formerly .belonged- to Bulgaria. This recalls the interesting event in the closing stages of the second Balkan war, when Hbumania threw in her lot witli Serbia and Greece and declared war un Bulgaria. The Bulgars tberi had to admit themselves beaten, and they sought peace -without further fighting. JRoumania exacted' as her share of the territorial concessions forced from Bulgaria the south-western portion of Dobi-udja, the remainder of -which she already possessed. By the treaty of Bucharest (7th. August, .1913) Bulgaria ceded to her neighbour 2969 square miles of territory, with a population of 285,000 (mostly Turks). The loss of this territory! lias rankled with the -Bulgars quite as much as the .gains made at the same time by Serbia, which very largely led. to Bulgarian intervention in tno'present- war.

iMiich has been written in reconciling the world conflict with 'Christian ethics and teachings. .The Rev. Charles Allan, M.A., of Greenock, Scotland, in a series of war sermons, which '"have- been ■, published in book form, takes the stand that the war, so far' from destroying the basis of Christianity, has demonstrated anew that Christianity is the only basis for civilization, "The whole world,' he says, "has seen a working model of that -foul idol of Teutonic political philosophy; the State as 'immorality, organised'; the State plus the resources of the chemist and the engineer, but minus the conscience; the State with Christ and the ideals of Christ. . • • ruled out 'from the sphere of collective action," And in regard to the command; to "love your enemies" the author

says : "It is not hate, we are glad and proud to think, that inspires the manhood' of our land to heroic endurance and splendid' achievement. It is' duty and love. Hate is the. weapon of the arm chair critic."