There is little to add to this tale of warfare on the Western Front.
Failing in her shock tactics, and in spite of the treacherous use of
gas, and occupied for the moment in strenuous and successful efforts to
drive back the Russian hosts which had marched across Poland into
Galicia, and even into eastern Prussia, Germany abstained from further
efforts on the Western Front, hoping, no doubt, to carry out, even at
the eleventh hour, the plan so carefully formulated before the war
commenced, upon which her future greatness was to be established. It
has ever been the maxim of a great commander to divide his enemies, to
split them into two parts, and drive them asunder; and, having placed
them in that position, to hold the one firmly with as small a garrison
as possible, and then, taking every man he could spare, to fling
himself upon the other force and annihilate it. It is a common-sense
procedure, for then there is opportunity to gather one's force together
again, to take a second breath, and to repeat with the other half of
the enemy force the same manoeuvre. The Germans are no wiser, no
swifter, no better, indeed, than are our own or the French peoples. If
they are superior in any sort of way it is certainly only in their
craft and cunning, in their methodical and painstaking attention to
detail, and in their ruthless disregard of all laws and customs when
considering their own future. Thus, seeing that Russia and France are
so widely separated, there was nothing extraordinarily deep in the
plans of the Kaiser's Staff when it was proposed to crush France in the
first few weeks of the war, to trample out her spirit, and then, having
secured her in their toils, to race back to Russia, and, counting on
the fact that she would still be in a state of hopeless confusion, to
deal her such blows as would stun her. Yet, with all their cunning,
with all their preparation, the Germans' plans had miscarried from the
moment of their invasion of Belgium--which had seemed to promise such
rewards that it was worth even the risk it foreshadowed of bringing
Britain into the conflict. For the Belgians had thrown out the
Kaiser's plans, had delayed the onrush of the Germans, had given France
time to get her men together, and had allowed Britain to send a force
to aid them. The blow failed; France, reeling under it, struggling
beneath it, indeed, held her ground, recovered her strength, even
advanced, and now, with Britain to aid h