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—.————————-———— f Whilst the situation in France ind Flanders warrants confidence and hopefuil expectation one must confess some anxiety in regard to the strenuous struggle that the Russians are maintaining on three fronts. Warsaw continues to be the crust. Its ultimate retention by our Allies or cap- ture by the Germans is an event big with fate." For once in the possession of the latter they would be astride four important railways; the Russian. Army threatening Cracow and Silesia would have to be with- drawn and the failure of the plan of cam- paign of the Grand Diike Nicholas and his tta<f should be definite and complete. Weeks would elapse betore another attempt could be made to realise it. Warsaw, for the time. ijg the key to the whole position in the East. The Kaiser has iB&ued an order in which he decla.res that unless Warsaw is won peace will have to be made upon terme shameful to Germany. This statement, primarily meant to stimulate the troops to desperate eSorts, may not carry ail the meaning that the words imply, but in any caae indicates the supreme strategy! im- portance attached to the Polish capital. Von Hindenburg, the most resourceful and able. general yet revealed on the German side, is reported to have telephoned to the Kaiser that he has won a great victory in Poland. He has a weakness for boasting, and earlier claims put forward by him—for example, the capture of Lodz with heavy losses to the Russians, later proved men- dacious because the city was evacuated by the latter without interference by the enemy, who did not occupy it until fifteen hours later—have not Leen substantiated. But the intimation has t-umced to secure a fresh benagging of Berlin, which, on the slightest provocation, takes to Maincking." German thoroughness in utilising every conceivable agency to further succe&s in this war, long contemplated and prepared for, has in no direction been -fore conspicuously manifested than in the varied means em- ployed to produce "moral effects at home, in neutral countries, or in Russia, Frajice, and Great Britain. The killing and malm- ing of hundreds of non-combatants, men, women and children, by the shelling of un- fortified East Coast .owns—plain murder according to the laws of nations—aimed at precisely the same results as the atrocities committed in Belgium.. nd in Germany omcial reports are mere instruments for tuning the popular spirits. Whenever these become duly depressed a victory is an- nounced and the dags are ordered out. The Russians, &fter decisively rolling tip the German ieit ,:jn Poland and pur- aie Ad- mittedly yielding ground in the centre, and there is allusion to a fajling back for a con- siderable distance to reconstitute the army and* arrange for a fresh strategical disposi- tion. This may signify fa-ilure to Msist the pressure of the Germanic forces, to wfhich every available tpan and gun have been ral- lied, or a voluntary retirement to lessen the difBculties of receiving reserves and sup- plies due to indifferent transport facilities. At the best it implies that the German offensive has developed in too formidable a. fashion to be overpowered, as on the occasion cf the former attempt upon Warsaw. Ger- maji failure would carry such tragic conse- quences that the recall of six Army Corps Jhom the West, the depletion of the garri- sons to augment the attacking forces, and the hurrying of Landwehr and Landsturm from Germany to obtain weight in numbers, are intelligible enough. Russia is heavily handicapped by incapacity because of the absence of strategical railways to bring her reserve forces swiftly where they are needed from najik to centre, or from centre to either Sank. The knowledge that such frail- ways were about to be constructed, enabling Russia to gst full value out of her vast re- sourcea in a Bight with Germany, was one of the causes which induced the Kaiser to pre- jcipitate the present war. WarsawM the nerve-centre oi the struggle its fate determines also that of the strenuous campaign of the Russian main army in the region of Cracow. There the Russians have drawn in their forces, withdrawing tfhe cav- tjry, which for political rather than military reasons were sent scouring the plains of Hungary and yielding the Carpathian passes to the Austrians, so as to concentrate for the great battle that is impending. The arrival of three Austrian Army Corps from the army which was originally meant to put an e^d once for all to the independent existence -'t)f Servia enabled this substantial improve- ment to be effected in the area where the three Empires meet. But a terrible price has been exa<?ted for it. In Vienna, the war authorities believed the Servians reduced to & state of utter exhaustion and at the end cf their supplies in food ajid ammunition. So the task cf inflicting the oft-threatened Punishment was left to the remaining four Army Corps, who cheerfully marched, un- molested and unopposed, through the low- Jands, with the same ease negotiated the foothills, but moved more tardily as the mountain gorges were reached, and the transport diniculties increased day by day. At the chosen moment the Servians, who had obtained meanwhile some of the best of modern guns, ample supplies of am- munition and f<ood, turned upon their pur- euers, practioaJIy annihilated two of the four Army Corps, captured 60,000 prisoners, nearly 200 guns, whole trains of ammuni i tion wagon? &nd food supplies, and in the course of a few days the King was in a posi- to re-enter Belgrade and announce that the only Austrian soldiers left in Servia were t 'e prisoners. '????s Joseph, when the news w? .?OKen to him, became franco; the General c. ???ar d of the Austriam Army in Flervia, P?P? idol—largely on the faith of his ??'?? that in six days he wou l d reach N' i/lII}oe t 1at 1Il SIX ays e would ,„ ? Ish, th? imJ;'mvised S.ervian capital in the rlount, i ? be broken" bv the ?"? .?° s couple of wee ks ago conferred m? oa couple of weeks ago honours i;f hIm :Jl?-e of tb mot 'prized of honou,rs In olcl>gnition ? ? brilliant cam- pa?gn; aidnllbs ? ?" demonstrating their 'ii8'co'lt--Dt ii  P  Budapest d?-* ? Vienna, Prague and pre?ion. F'? ?? measures of M- pression. ttIB second failure to humble t4ie Serl? ??to ? ?tro-Hung?-??? '?,' fered at theh?' "? ? ?? despi? sed "pig- fered %tthe "Wlds Df the, despisedpag- mto Bo?ia—is uow poUTIng onke more iInt?6 Botnia-i is rore than ?? P"?? can be The eiieScf ? 1???? and will not bear without in?e?? ?e relations of the Au?i? and Rt iugaxi?u?. ivitli the Germ?. who ? ?ac?c?i ? of ? ? bo? rdina.t?.ng ?? ?verytliiag el?t. d Qf bordinati:J,g ¡ vasion of Sile? prevention of an 111- It is known that Count Tissa. the H-un- ga-rian Premier, paiid a special visit to Berlin some weeks a.go to plead with the Kaiser for a more considerate treatment of A astro-Hungarian interests, and even to de- mand material aid in protecting Hungary, whoae natural defenders had been drawn a.wa.y to avert a Russian penetration into Silesia,. He received such scant comfort, according to his report to a meeting of Hungarian Deputies, intended to be secret, but the proceedings of which were disclosed, that towards the close he dissolved in team's. AH the pin.9 obtadned by the Servians for thelves and their Allies have not yet been garnered. At this stage in the second phase of the gTcat war attention should be focussed upon Warsaw. It is what the military men cajl the '"noda! point." If the Russians omn keep off the Germans—recrement even within cannon shot of the city will import little so long as the Latter is held, for the reserves and supplies will the easier be brought into cont,w,t with the Russian Armies the nearer these are to Warsaw—the main will have been served and the Kajsar's purpose frustrated with caja-mitous conaoquences bhat must react over the whole a-pea, af- fected by the war. It is possible, even probaMe, that the strain on the Russians in the EaTt will be eased by a vigorous dlenslve on the part cf the Allies m the West. There are indica- tions of this. In the kind of warfare pro- secuted in France and Flanders, it would be prudent not to despise small happenings— or what appear to be such—as the gaining of a few trenches, a farm house occupying a position of strategical value, an advance measurable in yards or the fractions of a mile. These may represent successes of sub- stantial value. Mr. Hillaire Belloc, in one of his iMum'nating articles appearing weekly in "Land and Water," gives an explanation which it would be dimcult to better. "There comes a moment when the curve of success from being so cat as to be hardly perceptible suddenly steepens; when the heavy artillery of the one side havigig nrst resisted with dimculty, then established a slight superiority, suddenly begins to do almost what it wills with the works and em- placements of the other. Above all there corner a moment when that side which has exhau&ted itself by futile and ill-judged at- tacks no longer has the strength to hold its line. And that moment ig a sudden one. It is a conflict of that type in which the descent of one party and the ascent of the other is not gradual throughout, but in in the first phase almost imperceptible and quite suddenly, in the last pha.se, abrupt. You have the same phenomenon in the breaking of certain brittle substances. Up to a certain point they do not yield at all, or hardly at all, you add the least fraction of pressure and they break right across." We may he nearer than most peoptle think to the cracking-up point on the one side, hastened by the other bringing up massed and husbanded resources to drive home ruthlesly the superiority gradually established by means of minor successes. For, if there as to be a German collapse, it wHtl fcore aspect anvbe(:alme of oi.í800011d &a<L thM'd line troops substituted for the war- tried battaltons whisky off to Poland. The change wbetit effected will come as a thand'eToLap from a clear sky. And It will denote tOO unmistakable and final failure of the march to Paris, and later to Calais, incidientaTly oontKbuting to render futile the third endeavour to reach Warsaw. This is what will happen Jf the God or i Battles favours the Allies. The war has brought enlightenment upon many much vexed questions, and the answers provided have not been in every case to our comfort. Take, for example, the problem of invasion. Before the war the idea would have been ridiculed that with our fleet fully mobili&ed and intact, in great superiority to the Germans, invasion would have been prac- ticable. It was part of the scaremongers fantastic ideas, and was rejected; moreover, by many people who implicitly believed in the German menace, who doubted even .in their case that it would be possible if the fleet had been surprised and caught divided, with a temporary loss of. supremacy. After the unpunished bombardment of Hartlepool and Scarborough by a squadron whose speed was (in view of the presence of armoured cruisers with the battle cruisers) probably about that of the fast transatlantic liners, what case can now be made out for the theory of im- possibility? It is true that the number of troops landed would he limited that they would be met by overwhelming forces; that they could hope for no more than minor and transient success; that Germany cannot spare them; that she would expose her own fleet to destruction by smpencr force; that the transports themselves would run a cer- tain amount of danger from destroyer and submarine (a fr-ctot- of less importance, in view of our actual experience of the limita- tion of thedr vessels). I Upon the other hand. there is the concrete falet of the naval raid. With what we know of the Germans capa<oity, it would have been very far from surprising if their warships had been accompanied by a, certain number of fast transports, crowded with troops; who could ha've accompamåed them and could have been beached—rendering them invulnerable to torpedo attack—'before our des'broyer and submarine squadrons could get up. If lias been argued that it would take many hours to land them all; and that the, operation would be harasf-,ed by fire from shore. As to the first point, the G-ermiatns done many much more remarkable feats than olM.ring out a few transports in a short time; ajid as to the second, if haJf of what we have heard of the nre of our warshtpH against the German troops on the Belgian coast is true, no such opposition from shore at the a.otTio.l landing pla<oe would be practic-able. We can regard the possibility of invasion with perfect tranquility, because the country is crowded with troops, most of them in a "useful" condition of training- and a.ble to overwhelm the invaders, who could net be numero-us, or particularly good in qrw.ily. Our pro- tection is, however—and that is the essential point—military ra.ther tha.n naval. It is no doubt galli! to the national pride to consider an event like the bombardment jno tHrM. suA&o4 ,,g.eoo ,),ql jo traditions of inviolate shores." But we must put aside dramatic Ideas of this kind and settle down to a sober and cool-minded consideration of war. We must rigidly curb the natural emotionR of wrath at the ?aight of the slaughtered women and chil. dren. lest they ,b:oom.e uncontrollable, and ham7x'r the Admiralty and Wa-r,0nice by causing a breach between the puMic and the men to whom it Jooks for an energetic and judicious conduct rf the war. There may be repetitions of these bombardments. and they are not mere purposelets acts of Hunnishneps, but deliberately designed to makf us weaken our trust in the men at the helm and on the l'rjd. That is one danger we must guard against. Should invasion com oilr view of the event must not be obscured by any of the false pride that would treat such a fact as the I bare occurrence, irrespective of the certain i and swift crushing of thet&nded force, as at disaster and a humiliation. We should II model our attitude upon the French, who have seen a great tract of territory invaded, and still in the grip of the invader, though months have passed. AJ1 our experience of war haa not been of a nature to qualify us fur a gane and suitable frame of mind there are a good many people, for example, who are much less interested in the re- sults of the war-the ,}lÎng that matters— than in the conduct of our troops. The i latter, having risen to unprecedcnt.ed heights of devotion and steadfastness, these people I arc satisned and regard it a.s immaterial w hether the operation in que&tion is a re- treat or an ad vance. The war has endured long enough for us to have occasion to revise opinaons formed even since its outbreak. There is, in the month of December, nothing of the aval- anche or "steam roNer'' character in the Russian operations that was anticipated in September. The year is drawing to its close with the Russians actually reti,ring ¡! from the German frontier within the heart' of Poland, and the character of the enemy's generalship in this quarter does not en- courage any of the ingenious—and in- genuous—optimisms by which we discount the progress of events that falls far short of our expectation?. The enemy has proved his capa-city to make war in a country that had been regarded as an "impossible" terrain at this time of the year; to spring surprises, thrusting back the Russians from the actual borders of Eastern Germany within hail of Warsn.w again; and to extricate himself from the most desperate situations conceivable. The capture of Warsaw m&y have to be take into account; mcr-eddMe as the event may appear, the fall of Antwerp in a week was more dimcult to believe as possible before fits occurrence. It is, however, in the highest dejgree im- probabLe that the events wiU take a dis- astrous turn for the Atllied cause but we have to reckon with developments greatly increasing the length of war and the AUied sacrinces, and the Polish campaign, in the strategy and the nghting qualities ex- hibited, is of a cha-racteT to fill the German people with satisfaction, taking into a-ccount their military situation. To nourish illu- sions upon that point is only to expose our- selves to future disappointments. ————— —————.

The raid was made, it would appear, by hat.lbleK:a'uisers and armouredi cruiaers. Of the former, there aro known to be four available, the Von der Tann, with eight 11-inch guns; the Seydilitz and Moltke, with ten 11-inch guns; the Derfflinger, With I eight 12-inch guns. And possibly a nfth—a i vessel named the SaJamis, ordered from Stettin by the Greek Government, to mount eight 14-inch guns—has been acquired and is being completed. Of the armoured cruisers, the only one now left of much value is the Ro-on, a fister Tessed of the Yorok, lost by striking a mino off Wilhelma- haven at t.he' conclusion of the Yarmouth t.Tatd. There are y, the Prmoo Adalbei-.I, Fi-iedre jK&fI. Prha: Hauutch, and Fnrst Bismarck, but th<epe ara dd, dow or weakly armoured, and it is doubtful *irf all are available in view of the persistent reports that <ime. at least has I been disabled in he Baltic. There are nu- merous light cruisers, feebly arm-ed how- ever. The British batHe-cruisers number ten, of which the Tiger, Lion, Queen Mary and Princess Royal carry eight 13.5-inch guns; the Indefatigable, Indomitable, In- vincible, Inflexible, Australia and New Zealand, carry eight 12-inch guns apiece. The Australia, at the outbreak of the war, was stationed In the Pacinc, where there is no reason she should remain, and one or more of the shipa cf similar armament may be detached in the Mediterranean to watch the Goeben—for England, Germany and Japan are the, only Powers possessing shiya of this formidable type, uniting the aru') power of the battleship to the speed of the cruiser. All these battle cruisers can steam for prolonged periods at 25 knots an hour. and at a spurt can do much more. To pursue a. Carman raiding squadron composed of battle cruisers, it is cbvious that, In vicw of their speed a,nd gun power, only British bat-tlp- cruisers could be sent with adequacy and security. A pursuit on their part, howevoer; 1 migh't .bring them into a prepared mineneld, or int-o the vicinity of the massed neet of l German submarines. A close blockade of the Gorman coast is neithar safe, practic- able, nor desirable, and is not being at- tempted. All purposes of a blockade are, however, served by our control of the wa-tera between Scotland and Norway, and the English Channel, whilst mosquito craft patrol the mine-infested North Sea, where the appearance 'of the German neat convoy- ing transports would be at once the signal far attack by nearly a hundred British sub- marines, besides destroyers, and bring upon the scene Jellicoe's Armada. Bearing those facts in mind, it will be seen that it is not difficult; for tJh& Germans to make occasional raids; bujt. that in doing so they expose tnemselves to serious peril, and any effort at invasion would promptly bring the British Fleet down in force. The Admiralty are probably well aware of the merchant shipping in German harbours availa.ble as transports, and the speeds o; the various vessels. Possibly if the Germans attempted invasion they wotild not use a large neet of merchant vessels to convey their troops; they might crowd them into a tew big litMis, which could hold a gleat many men for a short passage. One point to re- collect, however, is that the Germans stand in bitter need of every ooldier that they can )ay hands upon to maintain their lines in France and Belgium, and to pursue their offensive against tihe Russians in Poland and Galicia. So there are four lines of defence against invasion-—the Grand Meet. the con- trol flotiliai. the huge masses of troops at home. and the pressure upon the German armies in the East and in the West of the Continental theatres of war. Occurrences in Poland are tolerably pia.in in ome or two respects. Th<H'e have been i Ruiss.i'an reports indicating that the C&en- \Va-OraeO\V line-which covers Silesia' firom the eaat—was too formidably fortined to be assayed with pront, .Mid &h&t the Ger- mans w-ere utilising this fact to weaken its garrison for the pmrpoae of a flanking move- ment from the Carpathians against tthe R.u,¡m foroeiS moving south ;fnd east of Cracow. A glance a-t a, map will show that pa<ra)]al w!th the Carpathian momitains there i"un& one of the princa,paJ Russtiaji lines of in Poland, aauth of the Vistula, Rdasian d'esp?tch<'a admit a German success at ? point nn-na.med —-probiSbbly of aome impot-t<a<nc<e—and the German oommunique makes the bold clajm thxtt "tihe offf'niSIÍve ,a.n:nou,nced by the RtL, aiants iji the direction of Silesia 'and ttaa entirely f«i!<'d. The en'mias of the enemy wel:e forced to retreat attar bea-vy and contintiou,- &ghtMM;. The brave regi- meats of West Prusaia.us and Hussars ga-ined the Yi&bory in North Pola<nd, th-e result's of wfhdch cannot yet be aaoertarined." Whilst, we aj'e certain of the oomple:te acid. staggoi.,ill, Sar'biaai victory 01 the conster- niaftion and iooiigam.t.io.n thut, it has aroused throujgho'ut Hungary in-,paAieud;a:r, a.nd the dafBtgter tha-t it has brought atbout of a clean brea-oh between Hung,%ry sj!d the Austro- Germams, we have a sittua.Hou in 8o'U!th PolajMi whiich is .perpJpMig. Li the rejgioiA amiicaiibed by the Qemi:VA rep<M')t the Rus- sians 'htSjve been, tAte ba-ttle of Lodz, q'tiiiesoeint, ajid njpoa thf d,efenaive from Lodz to the Vistu.la., rea.rrangm.g th.em' forces, stren!g1the.niJl'g weak poií1t6, contaJin.ï,ng the Germatn advanoe upon WaM'.saAv, m. id puah- ir.tg ba.c'k tihe Gennan d,V'a.nce u:pon the r'ig'.ht b.ajiik of the of the Austro-C eimian advance upon the Rus- aia-n left wing near Oall"paJt'håIMlR m:),y indutCe a. furt.hm- regrouping amd &l.t.era.tio<i of pl1418, indifca.ting t4h&t to a certa<m extent too eusmy wou!d have tga,ITI won contirol of the umtiative—a. point of importance when the hiaaidLutg of such <'normous masses as thtpse of the Ritss.ia.a Apmy s,re conoe.rn<'d. The Rua&i&n au)pea'iority of numJbe'rs; the hti!?t<M'ia&l sbeadiness of .ttheiT inffantfry Tipan tihio defeinsive a.nd the pro:ved ptkiU of t.hear at.ra'teg'y a<nd dispositfiona dispel ajixiety, bu.t the d)ay when our AHIcs beaf down U)pon Crermaji territory in ea,TJl$ may be po&t- pon'ed yet awhile. Thi!! is an achievement on tho part of the ene.my; but it is negative m chan'a<'ter. They fe9.ruire not only to check but to shatter theM' opponenfAs; an)d that is aJLso otur fa.&k, "góth the important t hait is ajso our tas&, qualifi.oa.tion that in our <Mse time is en-ta-rely wMh T!S. -—.—— ———— )

The event of the past week was the I German raid on the SMt Co!ast. It may $eady the ner\'es of that section of the public ajn&zed at the possibility of Blich a thing, asid disposed to make the moat pessimistic deductions thorefrorn, t,) ktow what experts think ol tJie enterprisf And its objects. The Times nav.aj oorr(:)n?ent ernphasises i the fact that thx-re iss nthmg -rl,,rising in t the dash across sea of a power- ful a.nd fotst squad?n, ?-hich p&urs abot and t shell for a limited time on unprotected towns and soutt])es off to avoH ba.ttle with its like. I "Even though the British Fleet holds the pra4c6cal command of the North Sea., this does not mea,!i thai t-he Germ&ns cannot leave their ports. On the cont-rary, our British seamen wish tr'.vy would do j&o. Our outer gu&rd is not ploo off the G-erman ooaat to resist attem<pt:s on the part of their Sect to come into tJIor- open sea,, but for I the purpose of repor,{,l:1iS tfuch movements. The ruah of a small squadron of fast vessels to our coa-st does not pro?e tha.t any la.rger I force, particuJariy if p.i-ocmpajiied by trans- ports. could have a r'.imuar ohan" of sac- cess, nor, even if t-ho Ja?tar were to reach its. desbin?tioH, thst .,h e' troops oouM be landed. Nor is it poa&iMetha.t we ca.n have a. superior force at ajiy and every place which the enemy may select for a hasty rani of this cbMThcter, for our astern coaatime, it must be ronaembeTpd. !f; 600 miles in length, &nd our fleet Las ot.hcduties to perform." A Morning Post" '.Titar maJMHS <!be sa,me point in other words T*he British Na-v)' do,-s not pY'ct-J'*d Nmth j Sea. Its attitude ia t?t. Br?i?i shipa wHI u&e all seas ajidTtCMmB; except th« North Se&, aa though the German Na,vy did not {'dgt,. un iess tfd untd the German Navy challenges that attitude by figh-tlJng. As to the purpose of ;he ra.id—apart from the m'o'ra'I effect re :Jting froTn the mur- der cf non-ccmbaftajits ih open, undefended towne—the sajn's wri.4 cbser\'es:—"The German Admiralty wants to hypnotise the British Admir.a,Jty-thaf:L<t, to convey to its mind some suggestion, to induce it to some action which will be favourable to some German design. The German design is un- doubtedly to get tJie chance of fighting a naval b&ttle in which a Gormaj'i force could meet a smaHc.r Bntish fo<roe, so that tihe la-rger force ü\)uld dt.,gtroy the smaU one. Tha.t is. the most elamenta-ry principle of Btr.a,t!e,gy, expressed bv Nelson when lie wrote of the Opp0rlunity for which he hoped of fighting a part of the ejtemy's fleet with the wihiole cf his own. The aheiling of Scar- borough and the otheItowns was 110 dcmbt meant to create an opportunity for German action in some part o* the theatre of war. It may have ])-on to oftVer or distract atten- tion from & mine-laying schcT'e ? It Rm-y have been designed to draw attention to one part of the East COMt in order tha.t acmo other purt might b. nllcctod. It may ha.ve been that the sMps sent to Scar- borough, Whitby, and West HartJepool were to draw a British squadron into the raug& of action of a larger G<H'man squadron kept in reserve." And in the "Time; we ha.ve co!:jectur3s helpful in clarifying popular viev.-s regard;" g the functions of the N a.vy which a"e not always sto sensible ø.8 might be expect.cd. from a Maritime people con- versant with at lewt file aubline!; of the his- tory of naval v/arfarf 'in so far 11.:3 it has ,a.í¥<'cd this country. Such raids, in the opinion of the expert, "may be Intended to persuade the German t)eop!e that the money spent on their neet h[,8 not been altogether wasted, and may perhaps be u&ed as a justi- fication for the ridiculous claim that the British Navy is in hiding. But their prin.ci- p.al purpose ia ajeo tL, terrorise our people and so to stop or retard the dispatch of i-p- infofrcements to the Continent. Moreover, it would be to the German ILkuig if by rajds of this description they could succeed in drawing o.ur ships on to prepared minefields, or into arsa$ favourable for submarine at- tack by day or destroyer attack by dark. They might even hope to lessen the fstring- en-cy of the North Sea blockade by drawing off sthips from it, thereby permit-ting the passage of some would-be raiders to the trade routes or homeward bound ships with contraband of war. of the war ,,r w of the war makes the situation in Germany calculated to create that attitude of mind which lei,.is tc the performuMce c.f acts of debperation, and the bombardment's of unfortined towns, futile aha useless as they are fj-,oxrl, a mm't.ml point of view, may !¡.ttir.i'y thR desire for something of a dashing character whicil has the appearance of rep)tSaJg for reverses met with elaewitere

The onicial communiques respecting opera- tions In France and Flanders suggest that Joffre ? rM) longer content wit-h nibbling at the enemy's Ji&e but is now proceeding tc munch big pieces of it.. Germaji superiority in the number and i-sige of guns—due to years of atealthy pMparu.ti6n—ha-s been worn down, and the Allies in this regard a.re conTing 'into the owt'. Urstain has been gradually prodding i& ajmy with new he&vy guns of matcllless pow.er, and in light ndd artillety the Ft'e'nch 75 m.m. quiok- ¡ n]'er is the wonder of the war. The letter constitntes one of the surprises for which j the Potsdam war-lord" were not pretpared. And the supemor l'f'solll'('I'Æ of Great Britain und France are beginning to tell in earnest, a.s they were bound to do once the pre-war reserves of the IlermaiLf, had been overtaken and neutralised. Mfid and other guns, ha.ve a tthort Jifa, a.nd ne&rly five months' uj&e has appreciably reduced the e'niciemcy of those furtively accumuJi¡.wl in Germany dur- ing pmee for tlxe war. This is the eX- pla-nation of the fact, .recorded almost da.ily, that the artiUery cf the Allies is eata.bliah- ing a mastery ever that of the enemy. And this will become steadily more decisive as the watT continues. Whether the Allies are to be content with steady encroachments upon the German linep tjhM .side of the New Yea.r, or a gene- ral adv<uMe on the grand scale is to ?? in- iti&ted, is a secret known only to Generals JoSre and French <.nd their respective staKa. The latter are in touch by tele- graph with the Grand Dnke Nicholas, and we may be sure th&t the requirements of the latter will dictate the policy pursu&d in the West. It may be deemed expedient to merely contain the Germans along the extended'line in France and Flajiders, in- stead of forcing them Lack. The initiative plainly lies with the Allies. Every indica- tion points to their mastery of the situa- tion, notwithstanding the advantages pos- eessed by the Germanic powers ciperating on inferior lines of swittiy tra-nsf erring forces Ltetwcen Ei-t and West. If can hold her end up there may be good reasons for eJicoura.gmg the Gerip..iais to fritter a,wa.y th.'eir strength in futHe efforts' to break through the defences in France &nd Danders. This process, cajTied on to the point of exha-ustion, will facilitale the uttima.te advanoe by the Allied armies, re- freshed and replenished by the rcinforce- ment,s which Iiave been steadily accmnula.t- ing at the rear. The prospects ought to yield & cheerfni, even if a merry Xmaa is denied to us, by the knowledge of the havoc wrought by the wa.r and the sorrow that broods over so many homes from which loved ones htn'e been 'ost.

Any uneasiness felt in regard to the situation in Poland has been due to the reti'oence and brevity of the Husaian omcial wnu-nwiicat,ions i:i,thpr than the claims adva-nced by the C-,el-maus, which led to tthe decora.tion of Berlin and public rejoicings. Like other German and Dutch writørs: the milita-ry critic of the Vfj'fwa<arl<s'' aoks for details of til-0 triumph; li&ts of prisoners, guns fallen, ajid othar trophies of t<te ch'tse of the Russians that had been .'nnounoed as in progress. A Russian semi-ofncial st.at6ment warjns the public agadnst tite acceptance o'f Ger- man clÚms, but it would have been more to the point if, inste<id of vague generalities upon a threadbare theme, it had been given a little precise information as to HM situa.tion. If the Gorman authorities have beMi fooling their people with a bogus vic- tory, to which, they lay c-lajm in the most jnde&nite of phrases, th-ey a.ra playing' a. stupid game; the Ger- m&ns, wheTt. days pa.<s with n<o turner. de- to.i's, will gradiially come to dieCTCdit their own Goverrnrient's aunouncemonttS, and oon- fido'.lOe ou,ce lost wiU be veiy Hi-Bcult to regaall. It is in the long 'run essential for SAY authority to have its st.a.teme:tbts credited. An ooc.asi'on.'J Ho, or suppi,4ioii ot' glossing- ovo: of bad news. mQY be ex- cused; hue persistent of fa<;t M a faAa.1 policy. S<'T<aia of piiacs waa* ,irt virtue of the meats. TJtere is no ]no«m.f<xt- doubt IK3W that her rouit of the iji- 'vadih'g .foix:ea ,V.¡,$(HW o-f t!h)e most txjmplete record. Tien or eleven ye.a.r>sa¡g'V, wlu?n everits at E<e4;;ra.d, led to the BFiiajsh diplomatic boycott of the pt'eaent Ssr'h)ia,n liiiig, it would h.a.ve beeJi impossible to pr'edttct that the Serbs were dosimed to be so soon ajmongst our AUieiS, a<ad that thedr s'kiiJI a-nd prowess were to cla-im ouT woiider and admirait'ion. M. Ohedo Miyatovich. formerly Serbian min- ister m Eng'la-nd, wthose w['itir;g'.9 have done much to nial, the Bri'tis'h fajniHa.r with a people wiM ha.ve beftMie them a great future, a.nd a.re dest-med to beea'me onfe of the for-e- most seoonda<ry Sbaftets in Europe, explains in an illuminating .trbiole in the Morning' Po,st the characteftiatics Hiatt bart'e iTmde the Serbtitaos a nation of warriors. Aa far back th<e twelfth cenitury tlie 'Sarbian.s IiStd ean:ed 'a widespread renown fcr their 'w,acliike a.t-tt'ib.!ites; they were the Ilu,t BaJkan nation to be ovrn;powerOO. by the Tu;r'ks, a.gainst wliom individuals lQng wap:.&d a gu'erUla wurfa.Te, and the nrst. to rise agtM'nst thfeir yoke, winming ailitonomiy in 18l7. The remnant of the Serbts who e.scatped to Mo.nt.mM'gro preeefrved their faith aaid freedom intact until the present times. Thedr i,,afdonol soig.,s and folklore, -for Serbia is a land where the bard his rude instruinc'ujt is as much of an institutio'n a.s in. early mediaB\'al Wchlos, hove,fc,tered a mo&t highly vi.talijs.ed patriotism. Every F-e4&-unt !8 imbued with the 'hlstcrica.1 tradi- t.Mn6 of his race, and to him the gfreat r.a.tiona.l heroes cf the piÕt a.r'e jstill fource.s of irspiTR.tiou. In tbs nrat Ba.I.ka.:i wair, t'he Serbs, repulsed by the Tnslkfe at Pri,lipr were nMd to a 'victorious onset a4,ain wthe7i they ware told tha.t it had h'een ')n kmg times p&et the Ð'ron.ghold of Prin-oe Marko. The I?t.()t..y rsji through the ranks that the hero himself had risen from the -grave in whfdh he wtLs I:iid in 1339 to rally ajid lead his peap'p to t'he cha.rge a.ain. A people essentially primitive in their socia.1 a.nd national organisations, amongst whom theiT a.-e .stil) visible ':ill the twentieth century customs and institutiong that perished elsewhgi'e a ten of cRnturi,<; ago, they Hre essentially democratic, almost every peasaiit h4a own landed pjopi'Mtor with his patch of ground, from five to thirty a<3'es, makmig Serbia a land where there are hardly ary poor If the rich aii&o are few. If a division exists at a.lil It is between the peasantry and the educated professional and goverfdng classes, which have Iteen created a.nd developed by contact with Western Europe civiM'sation and the. requirements of an independent State. They have the de- fects as woll as the virtues of their career, and from Vienna southwards to the lEgeaÙ and Black Sea it nmy be said with much truth that Europe Is still media'vaJ at hearL- Oeoas.iou.aJJy t!Ms ha.§t been brought home in ghastly ways, as in the atrocities commit- ted during the second Balkan war by the then Christian nations engaged. That is a fact that has to be allowed for. But with the disappearance oj the Turk from the scene, the readjustment, of the Ba,lkan pa.rti- tioji, which is now far from being permajitnt or likeity to assure future peace, there can be Itittle doubt that Serbia and iter neighbours wiill pturge themjs&lves of the faults in- herent in the conditions under which they hn.ve had to sustain a precarious existence for generations. The concruaicn of the war ma,y wei'l see a greater Serbia compre- hending Bosnia, Herzegovina and .Croatia; a,nd it would not be s.urprasing if history were r"ot to avenge iSerbia amply, and ma.ke Aujstria/ jn 'her turn the supplicant for "a little window" through which Aus- trita.n trade may reach the sea.

John Jem's, of Carmarthen, ha-, changed his name. He now signs himself J. Jonre Jonjes," and he complains in the Ca-rmar- then Reporter" of the increase in the price of nrHr 4. ,¡ Busy time for "sweeps"! Who wiU bf tht! stranger nominated i.'y t.he Ijiberal clique for Cower? ?-?-?-0<!>?* This is the p hortpst day of the year. And don't the fathers of families know It I Who was t-he stranger inquirin<g for "Sid I Hall's Buildings" m SwajT,&ea on Sa-turday? I A Welshman is honoured in all countries but his own.—(Embittered Mcrriston Liberal). If you can't get money, get near it. This accounts for the popula-rity of local bank RhaD.a,eM. More is likely to be heard of the Lloyd GsorgH "<xmnd.en.tial letter" incident at PoTt TaJbot. ?xtx?-?-<<? A little sleet fell in Swansea on Saturday, 'but Christinas weather prospects are of the muggy order. A Swajises. mau fonnd a buttorny in his bedroom on Saturday. It had bean there sill<)e Anjgust last. s* Tv.-o Kid welly babies have been christened Namur Louvain and Edith Louvaul re- spectively. Namur is a. boy. ?-<sx?x ? -<e.' Recruits home on Ch.ri.KtBMa furlough are unanimously or the opmion tha,t married men by f&r exceed tSic single in Kitchener's -0-q 0- Anny. ?<!<-ex?<?- Things tha,t might have 1 expresstd j,diffei-,exitly. A local "Terrier" aa.ys the boys have bean very boay "burying" the wounded. The "gate" at the Vetch Field, .Swansea, last Saturday was double th&t of rny other Engltsh Cup contest on that day elsewhere in the coujnbry. It is estimated that on the baais of pre- I sent ou.ats tinplaAes sho'-dd be at 15s. 6d. per box. whereas the m&r'ke't price is round ? per box, W.,homas tl-xe market price is rotii j The wea-thei' s.'n'nples on Saturday mom ing :tt Swa?pea \?eie atartlin.g. Iia.il, lain; t-htinder, 14,rhtiiing, and stmshine Whece Iiad the snow got to? ?-f!x?-<?x?-?' We have nothing to do with the past; we &? Hviug in the .41allre iMtid a. m!tnber of -R Carroortlwnshire pliblic bod. iu a. speech ç' "< "¡oo¡.,¡: ')0 quftê' '& "ma.tter.« ta<Ae< but. some of the Belgiau refuges <hiM{.CH at t;ie Chri&tmas tree seemed most delighted with i some toy stilettos. Perhaps they had the brut&l Huns in miud- ? Abou.t a, montli ago the oldest resident  St. <?-?x!-<!Xx? at ille a ge c- f in St. Thom&s pastfed away at the age c-f 92/ aiid last week Mr. Mansfield (aged 82) died. Both were me-mbei-s of F?brum's bay Congrega.tional Church. Can this b? the Swansea small boy, this deferential little chap with the chaj'ming smila and his "get out o' th' way and let the gentleman pajss"? It is, dear reader —and, it its also Xmas week. j Some of the a.nti)-theatM misantli-opes in f Swan&ea, will be doing some hard thinking j this W.eM. The ,chief attraction at the j Empire is a playliet by a ciergyman—and ) a very popular and able one, too. Certain members of the Swansea Muni- cspal S.e, c,o _.1 d rv School Debating Society are good orators. The "Conservative candi- date" at jlast Friday's "Mock ELection" iBsued an address worthy of an M.P. I The new clodk \-er' the en'tfrajice to tha S%Nmnoe,a Chambar of Commerce building ia jio,Nv in position. Efforts ¡M'e being made to have the clock synchronised "by nMans of I an electric connection with the Post Omoe. Whethe" th<sy be "eligibles" or not, the crowd at tho Vetch Fi.eld lis as enttmaiastic over th-s Swans as ever. The roar when Liovd acctred the only goal of the match last Sttu:rday was pla-inly heard In the rear of the "Da :ly Post" premises. c, Mr. R. L. Sails, one of the members of the Swuimea Chamber of Commerce, at their meeting, said he wished Mr. T. P. Cook, the new president, overy success, and hoped E. P. Jonea) would one da.y occuipy the chair and rule him out of order. Mr. E. P. Jones promised to do his best. Mr. Stanley Joues' bull pups, seated on a Union Jack at the Carlton Restaurant, had no terroi-s for the little Belgian refugee chil- dren who were given a Christmas tree on Saturday. The little ones &eeined to know that the btitish bulldog stands for protec- tion against wrongs the world over. ?-?-?-?-?-<? The vicar ot St. Nicholas' Church and Mrs I P. M. Weston were taking coffee at the Carl- ton on Saturday morning when the Belgian refugef children arrived for their Chri&tmas tree. Of course, the popular clergyman was haled upstairs, and it was he who had to propose the vote of thanks at the ciose of the innction. The Swanaea Salisbury Civic Guard Kine Tca,m have mad<' iil;i,rked progress during the last. few weekf, and on Saturday evening the Swansea Rugby Club only secured a narrow victory. A lew v/ceks earlier the Salisbury- ites cut a very sorry figure in opposition to the Rugby men, and their improvement is ),Zry rapid. The Swans had a capital "gate" and a capitaJ victory L.A1 Saturday. They fully deserved the win and the only goal was scored by Lloyd, who won the game against Port Valo for the SwMM!. Hoyd is one of the moat popular men ui the team and his tildess play has won for h'im a host !of admirera. He is a i'are "grafter" and rarely lets a chance go astray. ) < ? < ? ? t 5x S > The new Welsh Army ouicers, though I titey may not wear WcHingtons or Bluchers, wilt all wear their "Sam Browne." The "Sajn Browne" is the belt which goes round the waist and attached to a atr?p over th)C shoulders, bv which the omoer cafrries his sword, revoh'er. ammunjtion- pouch, and what not. This da-tes back just baJf a century, and takes its names from Sir James Hills Johnes' v?t?ran Indian Mutiny colleague. Sir Samuel James Brown, who desi,gned +., It will be a bad day for Turkey'' ibis day we-k. The da,y<? are still getting shOJtr and shorwi,. So are. iiaos. Bread a.ud nct'.&pa.pft-s. by motor- cycle ajrd side-car, is the/"Jatpst" In Swan- sea. <?????? Rmnour mako? a prft.ty ?orrac.t gue.ss aa to who called t!? Sw?n? ms-gistr&t? <,???;?- me.eL.w; ?watn&ea tuM niers of it<s own. Re- ??t cruiLt? from t?M towsn hav?e joiood the a?ro- ??t plane wing. ? ?-t-o???f ? A lettm- a-ddressed to bhe Chief Offiœ:n>" I of tSie "Daily Post" safely got to iito destina-tion. "What is this trouble witJt Hie pIa6- terers ?" a nerson askfd; "are they trying to stick it on r" A Swanaea t):).veller lighting at Bridgend wa.i much oertllrûoo when he was hotly as- sailed. "Are you for the Asylum, sir?" U. was visiting day. < ? e Some irresponsible individual was en- quiring for the "ra-ts" omce in 8onterset- place. He wne looking for the trough t Treasurer's department, t Now that the Swansea Magistrates have decided iinaHy aa regards Iicenf!(,ti houra y the county will take no further step in the direction of restricti()n.. .11'" Mem.—It V\'ÖUkln't he a bad idea for the 0 G.W.R. fellows on tbc North Dock sidings -e tnjc k s occas i on- to greaae the wh&ols of ti' tnicks occasion- ally. W.e uke n?ustic, but there are sorts. ?? <????<&? ''S ? When Mr. T. J. WiUia?f S?t aoug-ht ParKa,menta<ry honons h1 the Gower Dtviaion t he waA oBe of thh* \\¡Hiams' in the Held, t.he others being Mr. John Wiih&m& (now, M.P.) and Mr. J. Jny ?<ti-o?-<?? 'o!) A well-to-do docksmat is teputed to hay. )- given hJs clerk a peniiy to st&mp an un- püil"t.ant Two mm:uie8 a<ft€!rwaj'da lie he could send thp sajrxB for an half -penny, and he iti aa&d M < h&ve rum a.£k1l.' the boy. A pathetic sight wa.a Nvitiessed near tht AJex&ndra-road Arcade the other night. A profesaiona.1 gentlemajt had Jus ba.t blown o2 into UM mud and thcu run over by a nic,tk-,r-car. It is report txl that lit, went hotCe with & gramophone horn OH his head. A §outh WaJes øo1icit()l'haa set an exam- pie to young men who are hesitating to join 8 the colcm's. He aJ.:ked his ctcrks, a.ll of re- ? cruitAble age, if th,p,7 intendoti to join sorne blanch oi tile forces, but they a.ll h&d some excuse to offer. Yesterday ha enlisted hna- ir self—as a private. ? j The 'Germans haven't alte-ad tnuch. A UbW 1* HiaA at ;$h.J!lJ.¡,ï17< too sions churcacs were a1\1,¡y. nta?k?i'.& <?- ? ? ? struction b y-t.hee pagan bft.uGittï. OJ). Qn< oooa<sioLH tdMy «escejMted Oil S! David's, burnt the (2-thadra, ajid,,actwally ate the blabop. M<)<iern "culture" is m complete; it ha.s.etill to add oajmibaJiam. to ita reper. toire. Lover of Hocse&" writes suggesting th&t ?" the N.&P.C.C. might do many worse things than .promote, directly or indirectly, the eata.bliaihmemt. of coa.1 depots at the Uplands and Momtt TIeaea?t, in which stocks might ? be stored. The coal could then bo.ha.uled t up Mie hills by mo'tor lorries am distributed from the depots m the usual way by coai A ,L-,p,r.ts. This, he thinks, would obviate much s of t<he great atrain put upon these poor dumb animals to which they axe at present sub- jected. Mr. Smw, of Penliwyn Park, Carmar- e then, haa received from his son, Mr. Court- 3 enay Snow, a.t the front, a present of a < Prussian Guard' helmet. The helmet bears the usuaJ motbo, "Mil Gott. fur Koneig und Vaterland," and has 4nside a contrivance by j) which it may be made to fit several sizes of n head. The helmet w&s given Air. Coortenay Snow by its owner, a German prisoner, in gratitude for some little kmdness he had (i<Miehim. 1,1 I "A Few Swanaea Girls" write: Havimg read in your iap-ar of to-day th&t only one g mM joined the Swansea B&tta.lian on Thu.rs4ay, we, somo of the girls of SwaNaea, on ] Ln-ny -for women; we onlywish there was an army for women, we would soon ahc'\v aotne of the young men who walk t<he stresbs of Sw*nae& that we are true patriots of Rritain, and only wish we h<td such an opportunity of proving it. Hoping that if this sorle meets the eye of any young man who hae not yet enlisted, he will hurry up and do ao, as it is bettef late than never. And we hcpe the Swan- sea Battelioai will hurry up and cook the turkey for the Kjaiser's Chrtatmae dinner.- (Bravo, lassies- Now Wilhelm knows what he's up againat). The tame poet of the Glamorgan Yeo* manry, who are now at Ay'lsham, Norfolk, 1 has produced the following rhyme on tha care which the troopers have to lavish oo I their accoutrements We are up in the morning Ere daylight is dawning, To make ourselves soldiers we tail, I We spend our time rubbin' Our saddles with dubbin, And putting our steelwork in oil. We've no time to trine With cartridge and rine, I And no ngure targets to spoil, For we're learning to ngh.t, As is proper and right, By putting our steelwork in oiJ. Though the enemy's hosts Rail the ncTth-pa&tem coasts, He'll never set foot on our soil For we Yeomen will sta.nd An inviacibIebaMd Now we're putting our steelwork in oil. Just sixty years ago a clever Welshman produced a book which, though now very j'are, and copies scarcely obtainable, is a most curious artistic enbrt, and almost unique in its way. Its size is folio, and it io entitled, Ridiculous Things, Scrape and Oddities by John Parry." John Parrv was a popular entertainer in the early part) of the Victorian era. nearly as popular .t the famous Albert Smith, with whom he was associated. The book in question con- tains 32 lithographed pages of drawings, verse, andi music. The drawings are re- markable, and display the marvellous fe- cundity of the artist's mind; many of the designs would have done no discredit to Hogarth himself. Amongst the LianerickW" s is the following:— There was a sly spinster of Swansea, Who would never let her dear John aoe Wha.t sh.3 Imd in hor pockets; But it proved to M twk4ets, So up weut Miss 1\J'lark of IS:w t