BRITAIN'S SHARE IN THE WAR.

Wanganui Herald, Volume L, Issue 14700, 3 September 1915, Page 4

BRITAIN'S SHARE IN THE WAR.

The Chicago Daily News, which contains more special war news than any paper in America, and has stoutly.supported the cause of the Allies', although published in a town predominantly German in racial interests, contains a, . Striking tribute to the part Great Britain has played in the war, and showing how Britain “is bending her energies to'a colosBal task.” Here, says the Chicago .Daily News, are some of the things Britain is doing : T. Holding the seas for the ships of her Allies aa well as for her own. 2. Protecting the coasts of her Allies as well as her own. 3. Struggling, in co-opera-tion with the French, to smash the Turks, and win the Balkans for the Allied cause. 4, Rendering great , aid to French and Belgian troops in resisting the* terrible* onslaughts of,the Germapi on the" Allied left wing in the west. -5. Mahipg loans and supplying munitions to nearly all her partners in the war. 6. financial policy in South-Eastern ; Europe likely to promote the cause, o'f the nationalities. 7. Putting into the field more than ten times as many men aa she ever promised. 8. Guarding her own,soil and people against an invasion, which, if it came—and it is believed to be, far; from impassible—doubtless would be the most savage, the most unsparing, ever known. With how many men? Well, witlFenough. To hear some people talk one would suppose that upon Britain were laid ’the duty of defending every land but her own. ■

Britain 'a wealth and sea poster and military power are the one sure safeguard against the triumph of Germany’s unparalleled war machine. Without Britain’s help, France and Russia certainly must have been crushed. Without Britain’s whole-hearted participation in the war, who will say that Italy would have ventured to challenge the mighty and merciless Germanic coalition?. With Britain out of the struggle, would there have been any hope of the Balkan States daring to move? And Britain—-never forget it—was not compelled to go to the aid of France. Come what might, the most that ever Britain promised France were six divisions— l 2o,ooo men. She . was not in honour bound to send a single soldier more. She could have stayed out of the war. Germany had-begged her to stay out of the war. Disgraced she might have been—as Britons think, must have homi—if she had left Belgium and France and European liberty to their doom. But she could have done this. Few . nations uvo without disgrace, without historical pagea they fain would obliterate. Britain was not attacked. France might have awaited the onset ns America is awaiting the onset. Britain might have stood clear, might have husbanded her resources of men and money, might swiftly have prepared, even might have loomed over the stricken adversaries in the end and claimed the hegemony of Europe for’herself. Britain did not do so. She threw her trident into the scale. She threw her sword into the scale. She threw her gold into the scale—and she, is incalcuably rich. She threw into the bal anco her. impressive racial record, her prestige, her unrivalled diplomatic skill. She threw—is throwing—will throw into the balance the whole puissance of her Empire. And all for; what? For - the principle—the fruits of the principle—of the liberty of the individual against the despotism of the State. Britain; one can believe, mpy be the author of some acts of which she is not proud—may have done some things to cause her, looking-back upon them with full light, to wish ’they never had been done. ' But in this; war this old, and proud is unfoldin £; , a PE lying a material .strength, and ,a moral splendour that for''countless ages after this conflict is , stilled will :be shining undimihed amid the first 'gTSrieA of history. ~ , ;