me now to the third party to die Entente, and it is now we begin
to perceive how it was that a cordial understanding with England
rendered a Russo-French attack upon Germany only a question of time
and opportunity. Until England appeared upon the scene neither Russia
nor France, nor both combined, could summon up courage to strike the
blow. Willing to wound they were both afraid to strike. It needed a
third courage, a keener purpose and a greater immunity.

German militarism was too formidable a factor in the life of
65,000,000 of the most capable people in Europe to be lightly assailed
even by France and Russia combined. Russia needed money to perfect the
machinery of invasion, so sorely tried by the disastrous failure to
invade Korea and Manchuria. France had the money to advance, but she
still doubted the ability of her stagnant population of 40,000,000 to
face the growing magnitude of the great people across the Rhine. It
needed another guarantee--and England brought it.

From the day that Great Britain and her mighty fleet joined the
separated allies with their mighty armies, the bond between them and
the circle round Germany grew taut. From that day the counsels of
the allies and their new found "friend" thickened and quickened. The
immovable "menace across the Rhine" in one case had become the active
"menace across the North Sea" in the other case.

The sin of German militarism was at last out. It could take to the
water as kindly as to the land. As long as the war machine guaranteed
the inviolability of German territory it was no threat to European
peace, but when it assumed the task of safe-guarding German rights
at sea it became the enemy of civilization. These trading people not
content with an army that kept French "revanche" discreetly silent
and Slav "unity" a dream of the future presumed to have a sea-born
commerce that grew by leaps and bounds, and they dared to build a navy
to defend and even to extend it. _Delenda est Carthago!_ From that day
the doom of "German militarism" was sealed; and England, democratic
England, lay down with the Czar in the same bed to which the French
housewife had already transferred her republican counterpane.

The duration of peace became only a question of time, and the war of
to-day only a question of opportunity and pretext. Each of the parties
to the understanding had the same clear purpose to serve, and while
the aim to each was different the end was the same. German