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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1914-9-3, Page 2BRITAIN'S WAR ON GERMANY ALLIANCES NECESSARY To NATION'S SAFETY Britain Hoe Direct Interest in Pre- serving Independence of Belgium. In an analysis of the interests and duty of Great Britain in the pre- sent situation, The Louden Times, prior to Britain's deelar.ation of war on Germany', says: One question is to -day on all lips What course shall England pursue should a genera] European war break out'! Prejudice, passion, or ignorance of the fundamental condi- tions of our national freedom in- spire divergent answers. It is therefore necessary to consider in the Bold light of historical fact and of reason the actual terms of the problem before making up our minds as to the course to be pur- sued. At moments of supreme peril na- tions, like individuals, are best guided by the impulse that is strongest in human beings—the in- , stint -of self-preservation. It is well that this should be so ; for none but interests instinctively re- cognized as vital can carry a people through a life -and -death struggle. Dangers of Isolation. The first principle of .0,11 British foreign policy is recognition of the fact that England, though.an island, forms part of Europe. Forgetful- ness of this simple fact has in the past had disastrous consequences. Without reverting to the war of 1870, France to her fate, allowed her f to be dismembered, and has ever, since paid the cost in the growing burden of international armaments, it is necessary only to remember the position Of by Great Britain tut the end of the South African war. The policy of the late Lord Salisbury has been one of "splen- did isolation." When disaster overtook us in South Africa, we were without a friend on the Con- tinent and were only saved from attack by a European coalition be- cause the Emperor of Russia de- clined to sanction such apolicy, and because the question of Alsace- Lorraine, formed an insuperable obstacles to military and naval co- operation against us by Germany and France. "Splendid Isolation." The policy of "splendid isola- tion" became a military and politi- cal impossibility, unless we were prepared so to strengthen our Army and our Navy as to be able to defy any attack or combination of at- tacks by land and sea. King Ed- ward recognized this fact, and with the advice of his Ministers sought to diminish the number of our po- tential enemies on the Continent. Contrary to many interested or mis- taken assertions, neither he nor Lord Lansdowne ever conceived the policy of making friends in Europe as a policy of aggression. The first step in this policy had little reference to Europe. It con- sisted in the Anglo -Japanese Alli- ance of 1902. But it was the An- glo -Japanese Alliance that led di- rectly to the Anglo-French Entente -of 1904. During 1903 England strove, as she is striving now, to prevent war, by urging Russia to come to terms with Japan. France also sought to restrain her ally, lest entanglement in the Far East should render Russia incapable of supporting France in Europe. Russian support was indispensable to France, who had constantly been exposed to diplomatic and military pressure by Germany, and had, in 18'75," only been saved from Ger- man attack through the interven- tion of the Emperor of Russia, and especially of Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria then saw that the undis- puted predominance of Germany in Europe, and the permanent disable- ment of Prance, would create for England a situation es dangerous as that which grew up when Na- poleon established his supremacy on the Continent. Balance of Forces. Auto Truakc Used in mobilizing the Russian Army.To facilitate the hurried mobilization of the 1,280,000 men in answer to the Czar's ukase, automobile trucks of the latest type are being used to transport the Czar's troops to the various points of mobiliza- tion. The photo shows u. number of these high-powered auto trucks and the officers in charge of this department of the Czar's forces. her disadvantage and she be left alone to face a predominant Ger- many . Britain's Vital Interest. A vital British interett is there - ore at stake. This interest -takes two forms—the general interest of European equilibrium, which has been explained, and the more di- rect interest of preserving the in- dependence of Holland, and par- ticularly Belgium. The Franco- German frontier along the Vosges has been so formidably fortified on both sides that a German or a French advance across it seems im- probable. The point of contact be- tween the German and French armies would probably lie in or near Belgium. But a German ad- vance through Belgium into the north of France might enable Ger- many to aec:vire possession of Ant- werp, Flushing, and even of Dun- kirk and. Calais, which might then become German naval bases against England. This is a contingency which no Englishman can look upon with indifference. The German lfenace. But if it be merely a contingency, why should England not wait until it is realized before acting or pre- paring to act? Because, in these days of swift decisions and swifter action, it would be too late for England to act with any chance of success after France had been de- feated in the north. This is why the shots fired by the Austro-Hun- garian guns at Belgrade reverber- ate across the English Channel. The safety of the narrow seas is a vital, the most vital, British na- tional and Imperial interest. It is an axiom of British self-preserva- tion. France does not threaten our security. A German victory over France would threaten it immedi- ately. Even should the German navy remain inactive, the occupee tion of Belgium and Northern France by German troops would strike a crushing blow at British security. We should then be obliged, alone and without allies, to bear the burden of keeping up a fleet superior to that of Germany and of an army proportionately strong. This burden would be ruin- ous. The instinct of self-preservation, which is the strongest factor in na- tional life, therefore compels us to be ready to strike with all our force for our own safety and for that of our friends. Anglo-French • efforts failed to prevent the Russo-Japanese war in 1904. Germany, who was anxious to remove the pressure of the Rus. - sten army from her eastern fron- tier, counteracted them. When the war broke out Trance and England were obliged quickly to decide whe- ther they would join in the war and fight.each other, or would agree to remain neutral and to counter- balance German supremacy. They ,chose the latter course in Febru- ary, 1904. A few weeks later the agreement with France, known as the Entene Cordiale, turnedthis negative agreement into a positive poet,. Russia is now defending a vital interest. Frame, who is bound to Russia by alliance, and still more . by the necessities of her European situation and political indepen- donne, is compelled to support Rus- sia. Bagland is bound by moral obligations to side with France and Russia, lest the balance of threes 9n the bontinent be upset to P - LARGEST COIN IN THE WORLD Swedish Copper Weighs Thirty-one founds, Weighing 31 pounds, a single cop- per coin bearing the imprint of the Swedish crown and the name of the monarch, Charles X. Gustavus, during whose reign it was issued, has been acquired by the American Numismatic Society. The piece represents eight "dolor," equiva- lent to $5.20 in American money, It measures 23% by 13 inches, end in form is a rectangular ingot, bearing five large stamps punched in the centre and four corners. These impressions were made in or- der to prevent a reduction in valve by clipping. The coin was struck at Avesta, Sweden, in 1669, and is a type which was minted cen•tinu- misly for 110 years, although the eight -dater plates were issued only a short time and are new quite rare, This specimen was dredged out of the harbor at Riga, Russia. Large-sized coins of this type were first brought out in 1649 during the reign of Christina, the daughter of Gustavus Adolphus. The object was to form an outlet for the pro- ducts of the country's copper mines without depreciating the value of the metal, BRITAIN'S GREAT SOLDIER FOUGHT AGAINST THE GER- MANS ONCE BEFORE. The Remarkable Career of Lord Kitchener, the Silent Man. 11 military tradition be true, the present is not the first time than Lord Kitchener, who has been ap- pointrd Secretary of State for War in the war against Germany and Austria, has fought on the side of the French against the Germans. The story goes that when he was e cadet at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich the Franco- Prussian War of 1870 broke out, and the young soldier, .anxious to get an insight into real war, rush- ed across the channel and joined the forces of General Charzy at the Loire. Some doubt the- authenti- city of this statement, and the great soldier himself has apparently not taken either the trouble to affirm or deny it. Be that as it may, Britishers the world over feel confident in having such an experienced general as Lord Kitchener at the head of the army. He stands bead and shoul- ders, not only physically, but men- tally, above all the world's great soldiers. Lord Kitchener is no talker. He is one of the strong, silent men who do the work of the world and leave the talking to others. Tbe whole of the sixty-three years of bis life has been devoted to duty. He is unmarried, and has not hall a dozen intimate friends in the world. He comes 131 an old East Anglian family, but was born in County Kerry, His father was Henry Hor- atio Kitchener, who had seen ser- vice in the Indian army, and then bought an estate in Ireland, upon which he settled, Young Kitchener chose his father's profession, and was sent to the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He was a tireless worker and showed a great taste for mathematics, which stood him in good stead in his prepara- tions for the Royal Engineers, for which corps he was destined, Longed For a Chance. When Lord Kitchener received his commission in the Royal Engi- neers there did not seem to be much prospect of employment for the energetic young subaltern. He was thoroughly saturated in his profession, and longed ardently for a chance of doing something more than mere routine work, The chance soon came. He was offered a post under the Palestine Explora- tion Fund, and spent some years in that country, and when Cyprus came into the hands of Britain under the Anglo-Turldsh Conven- tion be was employed to make a survey of the island, There he worked under Lord Wolseley, and when the troubles with Arabi broke out in 1812 he followed his corn - mending officer to the country white he was destined subsequently to see so much of, and to do so much in, He went all through the campaign of Tal-el-Kebir, On the termina- tion of the war, Britain was faced by the problem of how to protect Egypt against the wild tribes of the Sudan. The Egyptian army had been destroyed; another had to be built tip, And ready to hand was is yotung English officer, a glutton for work, and having the requisite knowledge of Arabic. Ho was cho- sen by Sir Evelyn Wood to make an army out of the fellaheen. How he succeeded ---,how .he put heart in- to Pharaoh, with the aid of "Ser- geant What's-his-name"—is shown by the history of the next ten years, which culminated in the red slaugh- ter of Omdurman, and the final dis- sipation of the dark cloud that had hung over the Sudan for centuries. South Africa, India, Egypt. But there was another and great- er work for Kitchener in another quarter of ,the same great conti- nent. In October, 1899, we were talking about the British army eat- ing its Christmas dinner in Pre- toria. Some of it did—but as pri- soners of war. The Black Week came two mouths afterwards, and Kitchener was sent out as chief of the staff with Lord Roberts. How he finished the war, how he ar- ranged the Peace of Vereeniging, and how he came home to be made a Viscount and to receive the thanks of a grateful country—are all matters of recent history. The same may be said of his appoint- ment to India, where he took up the post of Commander -in -Chief, had his celebrated quarrel with Lord Curzon, and left the Indian army infinitely stronger and better than he found it. The last three years he has spent as head of the British administration in Egypt, where his rule as a benevolent au- tocrat has been a distinct success. Such is a brief and summary ac- count of the services of this roan of iron to the Empire. It cannot be said that K. of K. is popular in the army. No man is popular who suffers fools and shirkers with no patience or gladness whatever. He is strong and masterful and conse- quently he has little forbearance with those who •cannot keep up with his tireless activity .and his infinity of resource. Yet he has revealed qualities on occasions which may prove of the greatest value in the new post which ho is to take up. He won the profound respect and regard of his adversaries in the Boers War, and when the negotia- tions for peace trembled in the bal- ance it was his straightforward and honest manliness which conquered the most determined of those who had been fighting .against him. There was a day when the men who wanted to pursue the struggle to the bitter end seemed about to get their way. Kitchener took De Wet aside, and talked to him as one sol- dier would talk to another, and the great guerilla chief we • pacified. Extraordinary Personal Force. Among those who really love their profession, Kitchener is, however, admired and respected. Indeed, it is impossible to work with him for long without coming to admire him. His enormous power and his, demi nating personality force themselves upon one. And with admiration comes regard. He is just to the point of severity, When comman- der-in-chief in South Afrioa, it will be remembered, he refused to ap- point his brother, General Walter Kitchener, 'to an important staff billet for which he had been strong- ly recommended, simply beeautie ho was leis brother, and he would in- cur no suspicion of favoritism, In his speech he is laconic to a degree. Indeed, in this direction he almost rivals another well-known living soldier, Sir Ian Hamilton. Every word tells, however, . Six words from him can reduce the most cock -sure young officer who ever strutted down Bond Street or along the Simla Mall to a state of limp. dejection, "Now, Johnny," said .the mother of the young hostess to'Uhe little boy guest. "I want you to feel perfect-. ly at home." "Him 1"' growled Johnny. "I don't want to 'feel ., a haute„ I want to have a good time, r,16,OCU: rz meec-nl Iso IMOVI' MOVIE NU Mra • ONATEO SUOA 5L serer. Noe INa No 'b0lllia�, wNTgINS ryoFl GM, READ THE LABEL fOR THE PROTECTION OF THE CON- SUMER THE INGREDIENTS ARE PLAINLY PRINTED ON THE LABEL. IT IS THE ONLY WELL-KNOWN MEDIUM- PRICED BAKING POWDER MADE IN CANADA THAT DOES NOT CONTAIN ALUM AND WHICH HAS ALL THE INGREDIENTS PLAINLY STATED ON THE LABEL, 4et MAGiC BAKING POWDER CONTAINS NO ALUM ALUM IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS SUL- PHATE OF ALUMINA OR SODIC ALUMINIC SULPHATE. 'THE PUBLIC SHOULD NOT BE MISLED BY THESE TECHNICAL NAMES. E, W. GiLLETT COMPANY LIMITED WINNIPEG TORONTO, ONT. ;MONTREAL GREAT SIMILARITY IN DATES GERMANY .REPEATS TACTICS OF LAST WAR. August Second Famous in history,. —Trivial Incident Precipitated Hostilities. Born in the blaze of battle 44 years ago, two great nations, France and Germany, are to -clay repeating with uncanny similarity even in date and site, the conflicts of the last great European war. The war of 1870 began on August 2, with a fierce fight between Ger- man and French troops at Saar- breeck—not eighty miles from Lon- gwy, where the first Franco-Ger- man battle of this present and most frightful of European conflicts has just been waged, on the same day, August 2. In 1870, just as to -day, there were three chief points whore the big German armies crossed the French border. The Germans, in fact, are now repeatingthe tactics of their last war. Buat that time German victory followed German victory with terrible rapidity, and as a re- sult came the formation of the Ger- man Empire, with King William of Prussia as Emperor. And the suc- cessive defeats of Napoleon III. of France culminated in his capture and downfall, and the establishment of the French republic. France Wants Revenge. The two nations thus formed are to -day flying at each other's throats once more, with all the vengeful hostility engendered in that former conflict. To really un- derstand the whole meaning of this European crisis of 1914, it is ne- cessary to call to mind the dramatic history of the struggle of 1870. It was caused by Prince Bis- marek's determination to place Prussia at the head of 'a united Germany, and by Freece's jealousy of her hereditary enemy's threaten- ing growth. But hostilities were ac- tually precipitated by a: very tri- vial incident, just as in the present war. The French Ambassador, Bene- detti, demanded of King William of Prussia that no prince of his line should ever accept the throne of Spain. The king refused to listen, and made public excerpts from Benedetti's demand. A ,few days later, July 19, 1870, France for- mally declared war. "Mailed Fist" Struck. Germany's "mailed fist" struck before France had half a chance to prepare herself. Germany had a fighting force of over 520,000 men in the field at once. The French had confidently expected to be able to mobilize' 500,000 men instantly, but found that only 250,000 wore avail- able for the military movements during August. After the first conflict at Saar- brueck, on August 2, in which the French were victorious, there oc- curred a. fierce attack on the Ger- man advance guard near Weiss burg, in Alsace. The French troops retired with heavy loos. The German invasion progressed rapid- ly. In battle after battle the French inflicted losses much heavier than their own upon the enemy, but were each time defeated. Finally, on September' 2, the French Emper- or, and all the army tinder his command was captured at the bat- tle of Sedan. There was one army left to France, but it was bottled up in the fortified city of Metz, un- der the command of Marshal Ba- zaine, who, after a daring attempt at a sortie, was forced to capitulate on October 27. Invested Capital. The German troops now had an open road to Paris, and they in- vested the capital at once. The Parisians had proclaimed a.republio after.. Napoleon's downfall at Se- dan, and organized a government kr national defence, of which Leon Garnbetta, the great French states- man, was one of the chiefs. Gambetta put aeron•antios, which are playing so striking a part in the. present strife, to the first success- ful use in war. He escaped from beleaguered Paris in es 'balloon, and attempted to raise more troops in the south of France. But this dramatic deed was vain, and by the last of Janu- ary, 1871, Paris was at the point of starvation, and was forced to capi- tulate. The amazing exactions of the vic- torious German's, in the huge in- demnity they required, and their annexation of Alsace-Lorraine, have never been forgotten by Franee. • BRITAIN'S MOTOR ARTILLERY. Covered 116.5 Miles in Hine and a Half hours. - Acting on the .assumption that a hostileforce had raided the East Coast at the mouth of the Humber, a Territorial battery of the Royal Horse Artillery one morning a few days before a general European war threatened, hitched its guns and ammunition wagons behind powerful touring cars and made a dash for the coast. Without a sin- gle casualty the battery accomplish- ed in nine and one-half hours what with horse draught would have re- quired from three to four days, and thereby established the world's re- cord for the movement of heavy guns. The nature of the feat may be gauged by the fact that the ammuni- tion wagons had to make a detour of over 3 miles in order to pick up ammunition. When they, reached their destination they had travelled 116.5 miles of country. The- start is thus described by an eye -witness: "It was an eery sight when short- ly before 1 o'clock the West Riding battery romped onto the polo ground in front of the historic man- sion at Wentworth Woodhouse. Their .advent was heralded by a roar like an approaching express. The position of each gun and wagon in the darkness was marked by the powerful electric headlights on the cars that were acting as tractors. These lights were 100 candle-power per pair, and were all operated by the electric starting appliances with which the cars were fitted. At 2 a.m., shortly before daybreak, the wagons left Wentworth for Selby." There are many details of the feat which the War Office will not give out, but it may interest mo- torists to know that the gun and limber behind each car weighed 28 cwt., and that 99 miles of the jour- ney- were accomplished on just eight gallons of petrol. The guns, which were of the 15 -pounder rapid-fire type, were attached to the chassis of the touring cars by special haul- ing brackets made in the Shetheltl- Simplex works. These brackets were fitted with stout rope washers to save "chattering." Three spare chassis accompanied the column; to assist, if necessary, on the hills or in ease of breakdown, and each of the guns carried spare wheels, but neither precaution was availed of. GO TO JERUSALEM TO. DIE. Aged Jews Flock There to Spend Their Last Days. That Jewish immigrants have so well adapted themselves to local oonditions in Jerusalem as to "practically monopolize a greater part of such trade as exists" is stated in a consular report on Je- rusalem, Ib is impossible to give an exact estimate of the population of Jerusalem, and although it is be- lieved that it figures at 110,000, 95,- 000 .might perhaps be a more cor- rect estimate. It is, roughly speak- ing, composed of 13,000 Christiana, 12,000 Mohammedans. and 70,000 Jews, many of whom are immi- grants from Russia. It Is remarked that in spite of the emigration of many Jews to es- cape military service, there has still been a marked increase in this see - tion of the population on account of: the continuous influx of aged Jews, who come with the intention of ending their days in Palestine. ,t, -. Some men do not think they are being treated right unless you say to them: "Whet aro you going to have?" Many a man who knows just what he would do in the other fel- low's place never succeeds in do- ing the right thing in his own place. SOME MAR -SCARRED CITIES OLD WOfid.l) TOWNS MIIN'PION- 111) IN 1)1r,14PA.Tt''llliS. The Belgian Cily of (,lege Is Res vexed by 14ludents of .All Cell nlrl es. Following are e:lme of the places "1 interest mentioned in to -days waif despatches. LIEGE—The old city is greatly revered by Belgians. The Palais de Justice and St. Paul's Cathe- dral, reported damaged by shells are among the oldest buildings in Europe. Tbe news has caused dis- may and rage among Belgians the world over. Liege lies on the, right bank of the Meuse River, in the cen- tre of the circle of twelve fo'r'ts, which comprise the fortifications of the district of Liege. 11 is flatter than New York, and its approaches inside the forts are unguarded. There are 171,000 people in the city proper, and in the poorer quarters the congestion is a serious matter. If a fire ever starts there the city is doomed. St. Paul's Calhedral was Mounded in the tenth century. The Univer- sity Library contains 200,000 vol- umes. The Serviau Capital. BELGRADE—The capital of Ser - via had a population in 1900 of 69,- 097. It was once a Turkish city, and for long after semi -Oriental in character. Now only one Mo- hammedan place of worship is left, and the old Turkish quarters have disappeared. The last Turkish gar- rison was withdrawn in 1867. The city is extensively fortified, but evi- dently not proof against modern artillery, as the Servians are not making a concentrated defence there. Moyenvie in Lorraine. 11IOYENVIC—This is a small town in Lorraine, one of the French Pro- vinces lost to Germany in the Franco-Pruesian war. COBLENZ Tire base of the Ger- man erman army invading Belgium, by way of the valley of Moselle, a city of Prussia, and capital of the Rhine Province, situated ab the junction of the Rhine and the Mo- selle. It is a strongly fortified city. The fortress of Ehrenbreitstein on the opposite bank of the Rhine on a high rock, is considered impreg- nable. The population of C'oblenz in 1900, was 45,140. COLOGNE—A city of Prussia, in the Rhine Province, now the base of the German army of the Meuse: The place dates back before the Ro- man period, Its population in 1900 was 372,229. Its fortress is modern and of the first class. MAYENCE (]Mintz)—The largest city in the Grand Duchy of Hesse. Population, 1901, 54,251. Base of the German army of the Rhine in the present war. One of the prin- cipal fortresses of Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine. Mayence 'became an im- perial fortress :after the organiza- tion of the German Empire in 1871. StrassburgPrincipal Capital. STRASSBURG--Capital of the German Province of Alsace-Lor- raine, situated on a tributary of the Rhine, 28 miles from the French border. It is one of the most 'strong- ly fortified places in the German Empire, having acircle'of fourteen forts and inner ramparts. Stress- burg also serves as a base for the German army of the Rhine, in the operations against France, AIX-LA-OHAPELLE—The capit- al city of the district of the same name on the Prussian side of the Belgo-German border. It is situ- ated near Cologne, the base of the German army of the Meuse. The population of the old city numbered 135,221 in 1900. A cathedral dating from 796 is standing in Aix-la- Chapelle. • Revel in Gulf of Finland, REVAE--,S'ilnatcd on an arm of the Gulf. of Finland, in Russia. It contains a church -St. Olai--noted for its spire, the loftiest in the world, It is a naval station of the second class. Population in 1597, 64,678. The town has been fired on by the dermas. LIBAU—A Russian seaport on the Baltic Sea. Ships' flour and lumber. Population in 1897, 64,- 500. Reported to be on fire, also. •"Did she make you feel at home 1" "No; but she madr me WWI I was:" A woman in love is more or less foolish -but a man in love is always more. An ideal husband and an ideal wife aro seldom married to each other. Mr. Skids—•i want: You to be as economical as poesbble, my dear, Times are very dull, and I want to be able to look the world in the face. Mrs. Skids --4, should say they were dell, when the onl\' way a man can look the world in the face is to let his wife no round with, out any clothes.