THE REVIEW OF REVIEWS THE PROGRESS OF THE WORLD. LONDON, January 1, 1916. The firmament is void, "Watchman! and to those who seek in What of the the heavens no sign is Dawn ?" vouchsafed. The sun is darkened by the reek ascending from a thousand camps, and armed men seek the destruction of their fellows in the sway of some blind destiny whose purpose baffles the pious and profane. When men search their own souls they are forced upon the primal fact that in this world-convulsion, even as in earthquake and eclipse, each one counts for naught-private ambition is less than a vain thing. This conviction carries with it the seed of co-operation, which is the life germ of the tree of civilisation. In that thought rest hope and healing, for Brotherliness will save the peoples when Kings and Armies have failed them. We are yet groping in the darkness and are witnesses to a slaughter of innocents so colossal that imagination pales before the task of realising any particle of the accumulating horrors. Nations exterminated, and the work of a thousand years reduced to a heap of smoking ruins. Yet the Spirit moves! The deluge of waters did not suffice to quench the Eternal Hope which animates the heart of mankind, and even the fiery furnace of this war will fail to extinguish the divine spark without which man would indeed be a little lower than the beasts. In the light of this hope the scattered peoples of the British Empire take courage from adversity, and, obeying some undefined urge, forsake their accustomed ways and are united in confronting a world tyranny which threatens to overwhelm that Freedom which they have come to cherish as worth more than life itself. A heavy burden, not lightly to be borne, but shouldered with the strength and purpose befitting an imperial race of free men. Our fathers have met dire peril by land and sea for centuries, but never has a nation's armour been tested as in the past dark year. Britain has stood the testing, and armour-proof with her quarrel just— advances to the issue without boasting, but in good heart. Looking back on the perils of 1915, we have supreme cause to justify our confidence in the future. The Dominions foremost in every sacrifice. South Africa a source of strength and not of weakness. India patient in her trust in British Justice, and the little peoples offering their tribute to the nation which has striven to do rightly and has not abased them in their places. So it has come to pass that Britain, having no quarrel with the world, has been drawn into a struggle in which she now finds herself the leading protagonist, bringing assurance to those who have gone down in the fight that the wrongdoer will be brought to the bar of judgment. In the conduct of the war many blunders have been made, costly blunders, but in the main these have arisen from our sincere desire to avoid injury to the non-belligerent. Regard for the interests of America has permitted Germany to reap a rich advantage; a preference for straight dealing in the Balkans has been thwarted by Teutonic Machiavellism; the hope that International Law would be respected by place. It is idle to deny that Germany's achievements rest on the solid foundation of territorial conquest, and there is no immediate sign that she can be ousted from Belgium, France, Poland, Russia and Serbia. These are the fruit of her long preparation for her in-, sidious task of suppressing the liberties of her neighbours. While, however, this fact gives a very real semblance to the Chancellor's threat that Germany's terms will be harder the longer the war lasts, it is semblance only, unless all history lies. Assuming that Germany could retain her hold on the blood-soaked lands she has Land & Water.] ravished, Alsace and Lorraine give the assurance that her doom, however long deferred, will be sure. The Chancellor's speech indicates the mind of the German nation (for the Socialists sold the pass to Potsdam in August, 1914), but Germany will find that, while on her own initiative she was Before the Reichstag. [London. THE ROYAL MASTER: "Tell them, Chancellor, Victory is ours-all that remains is to defeat the Enemy!" all powerful to make war, the making of peace is removed from her hands. Whilst the Allies stand firm such speeches must be classed as idle chatter. Unless the solemn contract made by Britain, France, Russia, Japan and Italy is to be treated as a "scrap of paper,' there can be but one end. This five-fold assurance must be redeemed or the contracting parties must be for ever debased in a world where honour is not yet dead. This contract binds the great nations to unite their forces and devote their untold resources to the chastisement of the great offenders against the world's peace. The adhesion of Italy was long overdue, as her hesitancy in declaring war against Germany gave reason in many quarters for the assumption that her participation was limited to her own aggrandisement, and this constituted a Punch.] than that of raising loans, freely supported from the savings of their peoples. Neither of the Allies denies the urgency and difficulty of the situation, which involves great sacrifices to-day and promises still greater sacrifices of to-morrow. Turning to Germany, one is surprised to find that these huge efforts are regarded as child's [Melbourne, How William Stubbed His Toe. It is only pos- play. The Chancellor talks airily of hundreds of millions added to the Imperial Treasury, and still more to follow, without the slightest suggestion of strain or inconvenience. If this attitude reflected the truth, Germany would be in a truly enviable position, but this lighthearted pose deceives no one. The German people are willing or unwilling partners in a scheme whereby the whole of their floating and fixed capital is being slowly but surely absorbed by the State. The world is witnessing the greatest experiment in Socialism ever attempted, no less than the transfer of all private credit to the control of the Government. The war has already forced Germany from the rank of world-States, and has reduced her to trade-or barter-within her own borders, and so long as she is content Men. Entrenched! [London. In view of the threatened German attack on Egypt, trenches are being dug and fortifications prepared on both banks of the Suez Canal-which, together with a scheme for flooding large areas, will render the position practically impregnable. This brings us sharply up against the factor of Men. Experts differ, but we can safely say that the outside total of the fighting forces of the enemy at the beginning of the war was 12,000,000 soldiers. It is equally safe to say that 5,000,000 have been put out of action, and, judged by her arrested efforts in the two main theatres of war; and Bulgarian Allies, and in his extremity the Kaiser will find that some friendships can be bought at too dear a price. The division of the spoils in Serbia so as to please all parties is impossible-and “when thieves fall out," etc. The support of her Allies must include the supply of munitions and material of war, which increases the strain, already perilously nearing the breaking point. While there is no misgiving on the part of Too Late! For the time being the Kingdom of Serbia has been wiped off the map of the Balkan States. Attacked simultaneously by three enemies and deserted by her neighbour, she has suffered the full disaster of overwhelming defeat. That the Allies would have succoured her re mitigates in some slight degree the failure of the diplomatists. After protracted negotiations the Greek Government has withdrawn its forces from the district of Salonica, and the Allies are preparing defensive positions to withstand the threatened onslaught of the enemy. The Bulgarians are restrained from continuing their campaign on Greek soil, thus reveal The New Crucifixion. [Sydney. seemed possible Jerusalem, Samaria, and the Mount of Olives have been ing the character of the secret arrangement between the Kaiser and his brother-in-law. It is questionable whether the Central Powers can spare 250,000 men of the quality necessary to capture Salonica, and if the aid of Turkey is invoked it is highly improbable that Greece can afford to look on with the prospect of seeing the hated Crescent floating once again in the port of her dreams. suredly Bulgaria will not be satisfied with Serbian Macedonia while Salonica, Ka As valla, Adrianople and Constantinople are |