shall
induce the Russian Government to stop the mobilization
directed against us. It is understood that in this case we
would at once cancel our defensive military counter-measures
in Galicia, which had been forced upon us by Russia's
mobilization._" (Austrian _Red Book_, No. 51.)

This suggestion was fatally objectionable in that it required Russia
to suspend its preparations to defend its interests while permitting
Austria to proceed with the subjugation of Servia. As the "bone
of contention" was this subjugation of Servia, this belated and
ostensibly conciliatory proposal of Austria amounted to an absurdity.
In that classic of nonsense, _Alice in Wonderland_, the unreasonable
and violent Queen announced in the trial of the Knave the similar
procedure of "sentence first, verdict afterwards," and Austria's final
proposal was essentially a like folly, for, stripped of diplomatic
pretense, it amounted to this, that Austria, while tying Russia's
hands, should proceed not merely to sentence but even to execute
Servia and subsequently discuss the justice of its action when it had
become irremediable.

The possible theory which we suggested (_ante_, p. 175), that Austria
at the eleventh hour may have experienced a change of heart and had
adopted a more conciliatory course, is apparently untenable.

III

THE INVASION OF FRANCE ON AUGUST 1ST

It has been Germany's contention that not only did the mobilization of
Russia cause the war, but that its eastern and western frontiers were
violated by Russian and French soldiers at a time when Germany's
intentions were sincerely pacific.

At 7 P.M. on July the 31st, Germany had given France until 1 P.M. of
the following day to declare whether it would remain neutral in the
event of a Russian-German war, and at that hour Viviani advised the
German Ambassador that France "would do that which her interests
dictated." (German _White Paper_, No. 27.) Notwithstanding France's
virtual refusal to meet the demand of Germany, the latter did not
declare war on France on that day, and this is the more significant as
it immediately declared war on Russia. The German Ambassador remained
in Paris until August the 3d, and only then demanded his passports
when his position in the French Capitol had become untenable.

In the meantime Germany was awaiting some act of aggression on the
part of France, that would enable it under the terms of the Triple
Alliance to dema