to solve the problem which faced the organizers
of Great Britain's forces of how to get sufficient volunteers to swell
the volume of the French expeditionary force and to replace the
casualties.

To turn to the direct military operations in the various theatres of
war, no week since last Fall has witnessed more important activities or
offensive movements conducted on such a scale. On both western and
eastern fronts truly momentous actions involving great numbers of men
have been under way, and though not yet concluded, have advanced so far
as to give a reasonable basis for estimating the results.

ON THE WESTERN FRONT.

On the western front the principal scenes of action have been the front
from Nieuport to Arras, the Champagne district, and the southern side of
the German wedge from its apex at St. Mihiel to Pont-a-Mousson. On the
northern part of the Allies' line from Ypres to Nieuport the Germans
have been the aggressors. They have selected as the principal points of
attack the Belgian line back of the Yser just south of Nieuport and the
point of juncture of the British with the Belgian lines.

Both attacks have the same general object--the bending back of the line
between these two points with a vision, for the future, of Dunkirk and
Calais. The attack along the Yser has not been pushed to any extent, and
what advantage there is rests with the Belgians. In fact, the Belgians
have advanced somewhat and have been able to throw a bridge across the
Yser near St. George, just east of Nieuport, on the Nieuport-Bruges
road.

Around Ypres the fighting has been more than usually fierce and
desperate. Blow after blow has been struck, first by one side, then by
the other. Both German and British have admittedly suffered enormous
losses, but the positions of their respective lines are almost unchanged
from those occupied a week ago. The German gains of last week in the
vicinity of Steenstraate produced in the British lines around Ypres a
sharp salient, and it is against the sides of this salient that the
Germans have been hurling their forces.

The town of Ypres is now in complete ruins, and, although it would
normally be of importance because of the fact that it is the point of
crossing of a number of roads, this importance is destroyed by the fact
that it is entirely dominated by the German artillery. As long as this
state of affairs exists the town has practically no strategic value. All
that the Germans can accompl