pid
march of invention in these days of progress, it is to be expected
that every war which comes suddenly upon the world will come with
certain elements of surprise, some of them startling in their power
and effectiveness, some of them giving promise of much and
accomplishing comparatively little. However surprising and however
effective the best of these may be, they will fall short of
revolutionizing warfare, but they may profoundly modify it; and the
nation which has them ready for use in the beginning will gain an
initial advantage which may go far toward determining the issue of
the war.

Lessons of more limited significance have to do with the
effectiveness of the submarine and the unexpected radius of action
of which it has shown itself capable; the amazing destructive power
of the torpedo; the value of the battle cruiser, both for the
defense of a coast from raiding expeditions, and for operations in
distant seas where speed is needed to bring an enemy to action, and
heavy guns to insure his destruction; the difficulty of reducing
shore fortifications by fire from ships; the necessity of aeroplanes
for scouting at sea, and the modifications in naval strategy and
tactics which will result from their general adoption.

After many months of sparring between the British and German naval
forces in the North Sea, an important engagement took place on May
31, 1916, between the two main fleets. Exactly what forces were
engaged will probably not be known until the end of the war, and it
is certain that we must wait long for definitely reliable reports as
to the losses on the two sides. It is already clear, however, that
the encounter has added little to our knowledge of naval warfare.
British battle cruisers engaged German battleships at close range
and were badly punished. In this there was nothing new or
instructive. Nor has anything new or instructive developed from what
is thus far known of other phases of the battle. Indeed the one and
only striking feature of the battle appears to be the fact that
everything occurred practically as it might have been expected to
occur. Neither submarines nor destroyers, neither Zeppelins nor
aeroplanes provided any startling features. The only lesson thus far
apparent is the old one that while dash and audacity have their
place in warfare, they need the directing and steadying hand of
judgment and of skill.

THE WORLD'S WAR

By FREDERICK PALMER

INITIAL STRATE