A LITERARY CORNER

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9042, 13 May 1915, Page 2

A LITERARY CORNER

(R.A.L.) ‘■-the times” History of the WAR. W© have now the complete file of the second volume of ‘The Times” history of the war, which makes a very welcome addition to the reference bookshelf. This volume is very varied in character, like the first. We have more about the armies of our Allies, their numbers, their system aud_ their equipment. Wo have some history also—enough to enable us to understand the bettor the rnaccS of events before the war; and we have what the readers oi this publication have looked forward to so eagerly, the details of a great deal of the campaigning. -This volume brings the last up to the time when General Joffre, before the fall of Antwerp, determined upon that celebrated enveloping movement for turning the German riglit flank. Before it reaches that point, however. the narrative throws a great deal of much-desired light on the great retreat of the Allies from the Sambre. especially shelving how the German strategy operated against the centre of the long lino of the Allied armies. For us in this country, and we believe also for newspapers in Britain, tho happenings over that part of the line a very large part—not occupied by British troops, were very much of a sealed book. The 'amplified censored accounts that reached us were British, and to a large extent themselves to the doings of the British expeditionary army. They gave us a very fine view of the achievements of that army, and in tho main a just view. It may have leaned overmuch to the conclusion that the British saved the situation every time. That they saved it more than once is now a historic fact. But justice must be done to the work of our Allies. The accounts in this volume show us what an immense pressure the German invasion put upon the armies of tho French centre, when they were deployed on th© line of the Sambre and holding the line of the (Meuse as far as Longwy and Verdun. Joffre’s difficulty, of course, was to know where the brunt of the German attack would fall—at what point in the line of ,400 miles the defence ought to be prepared for its best resistance. Ho could only solve that difficulty in on© way. “Go and see,” was Lis summary of that way, and he went. But. what did he see? Tho German armies in perfect order echeloned from Belgium to Belfort, striking with forces at the left of his lino in Belgium far heavier than his, advancing in immense strength 1 at the centre, and arrayed on the extreme’ right in strength sufficient to push forward in the event of advantages gamed bn the other portions.

He saw, moreover, that against this prepared, series of onsets his line was not quite ready. The Belgian heroism gave him some time, hut not sufficient. The first German blow, sweeping through Belgium fell right along the line of the Sambre, hastily occupied and insufficiently, struck it before it was quite ready. Namur fell; unexpectedly, tm'ning the Sambro line, great forces crossing tho Meuse higher up at Diijsnt burst in between the armies , of the Meuse and the Sambre, and the‘strategy of their 'chiefs contrived awkward flank attacks, combined with frontal pressure. Further towards Verdun the frontal pressure drove hard. That was -what Joffre was in time to.see.

He knew, at the same time, that his reserves' were too far in his rear. I The blow had fallen, where their support was not iinmediately available. The great retreat was the consequence. When the sun went down on the British after their hard and brilliant day of Mons, they were astonished at the order to retreat. The thrust of those German armies at the centre was the reason. So overwhelming were the numbers against both British Left and French Centre, that the retreat had to be accelerated. That it remained orderly was held by soldiers to bo almost miraculous. That the British and French troops retained their morale astonished the mqst experienced. That they understood the need for falling back on. their reserves, which every man knew to be there, was a great credit to their intelligence. So fared the retreat, and one cause of its success was the vigour and skill with which the Prench armies of the Right-holding the country in front of LorrMne and Alsace from Verdun to Belfort—werc handled, to say nothing of the courage and tenacity they displayed. , . ■ Thus the Left and Centre got back to; touch with the, reserves. During the’retreat the Germans had used all their force for the turning movement and the thrust at the Centre, and only cavalry and mobile columns were left to overrun the coast countries of the English. Channel, and force the British commander to change his base. ■ When the retreat reached the reserves the German commanders felt bound to concentrate further on the Centre, to break the Allied armies in two and smash the details before they could attack Paris. The French Right preventing the necessary addition of force from that quarter, it was necessary to order the German Right under von Kluck to strike across the Allied front. Von Kluck regarded the British army in front of him as negligible, and was ignorant of the new French array extended behind Paris to envelop his right flank. He turned for the Centre, French struck at his flank, the above French army rushed forward, and von Kluck heat a retreat at once. At the same time the whole Allied line advanced from Paris to Verdun, and the result was the stalemate on the Aisne positions which passed the winter. How orderly the German retreat was, how fast it went, how splendidly it was conducted, these pages tell, as they dp of the crossing of the Aisne and of the extension of the Allied line as far as Lille. The events that followed—the fall of Antwerp, the retreat of the Belgian army to the Yser, the landing of Rawlinson’s army, the clearing of the Germans from the country west of the Yser, the attempt to drive the Germans out ,of Belgium, the failure of that attempt, the alignment of the Allied armies between the North Sea and the neighbourhood of Lille, to the eve of the great “Calais” attack, all these are told in this volume, and the two or three numbers which have followed. The volume is like its predecessor, minutely and carefully indexed, and especially valuable on that account. . We add that the last number gives an account of the Turkish entry into the- war, -describes the Turkish army, and gives a history of the campaign of

the Caucasus. There is no better reading ot the war, and no history of it nuxre 'reliable. The publication so close to the heels of great events in the time is a great feat of literary enterprise. A FELLOAA~OF THEROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY. AVe congratulate Air Lindsay Buick on his election as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Ho has three good books to his credit as a basic qualification <r old Alarh borough,” •'Old Manawatu,” and “The Treaty of AA’aitangi.” The two first show tne historic touch, with careful research and proportional arrangement of facts. They have given great satisfaction in the localities interested, of which they present excellent records. In “The Treaty of AVaitangi” the design is greater anti the extent of ground very much larger. It covers the whole colony. It does more, it supplies a want; v.thotr some such sotting in its place of the Treaty of AA r aitangi, in the history of New Zealand,' it was impossible for any student to get a proper understanding ot the history ot the country. The Treaty, its causes, its ■ effects, its place in history—these, make the substance of a volume which ought to ■be in every library, and b“ read with care by every inhabitant of New Zealand. If Mr Buick had done no other historic work than that, he would have deserved well the honour conferred upon him. AVo congratulate him heartily, and we expect much from the book, which we understand ho is now writing. THE BLUE BUCKLE. AV. H. Osborne. (Hodder and Stoughton, London). This is a novel of first-class mystery, with a fascination that carries you right through from the start. For the simple reason that the writing is good enough to keep you going, by its cleverness and versatility. The characterisation is good and every one ,s true to type. An eccentric old gentleman dies leaving a will even more eccentric than himself. Under this a huge sum, in bonds, is locked .ip in a banker’s box, together withdocuments proving the innocence of a man charged with a crime, and the whole is to fee delivered to the daughter of the same on production'of two blue buckles, each carrying half of a cypher. The book deals with the adventures of the people who have one buckle and move heaven and earth to get the other. These adventures are wohs of plot and counterplot, _ very cleverly constructed and ■highly interestizu?. THE TURBULENT DUCHESS. P. I. Brehner. (Hodder and Stoughton, London). A romance of the school of which Anthony Hope and Felix Oppenheim are the leading exponents. The period is that in which one of the ambitious electors of Brandenburg made history for his House of Hohenzollern. The Turbulent Duchess has a nice little Duchv. which stands in the way of this elector, and her struggles against this ancestor of the Kaiser are the theme of the book.' How the turbulent maid conducted her campaign, how she was feared, obeyed by all. and wooed and won by one, tbe reader will find out as he explores the really fascinating pages of this very excellent romance.

THE WAY OF THE RED CROSS. Anonymous. (For. “Tho Times,” by ■ Hodder and Stoughton, London).

Truth is often stranger that fiction. In this case it is also far more fascinating. Moreover, it is of the very essence of the useful. “In the Morning of Life,” Wrote Thackeray in satirical parody of Bulwer Lytton, “the truthful wooed tho'beautifnl and their offspring was love.” This in its turn might bo parodied into “In the morning of the war the truthful wooed the useful, and their offspring was hospitals.” There are fourteen chapters of hospitals, each more fascinating than its predecessor, and, there is an autograph letter of Queen Alexandra thanking all and sundry who have entered into the way of the Red Cross. What a way it is to he sure! No one who has not read this book can have the remotest idea of the extent, quality, and marvellous success of the organisation which has been established for the care of the wounded in the war. Each chapter is a revelation, and all contain stories of the battlefields which _ would make the fortunes of a novelist. Consider this: At 11 o’clock on a certain night the heod centre of theV.A.D. (Volunteer Aid Detachments) in a certain country .town of England was wired that 3000 Belgian wounded would arrive on his hands the next day by the afternoon train from London. There was not a hospital, or a bed, or an appliance, or a nurse or a'doctor. There was nothing—except the promises which the local head centre was reiving on. The centre spread its news with- calls for performance, starting at that midnight hour. The next dav when the 3000 wounded arrived they were met by hearers and nurses, supplied with hot soup and comforts ing drink, placed in ambulances, and carried to hospitals, comfortable, airy, sanitated, warmed, provided with operating tables, and all things complete—all done in those few hours. This is the most wonderful thing in medical history. It shows why the first chapter is entitled Aladdin’s Lamp. Everything comes when the call is made. It is .the marvel of the war!