The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1916. REAPING THE HARVEST.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 70, 19 October 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1916. REAPING THE HARVEST.

Of all the bombastic folly that German Wilhelm has at one time or another uttered, nothing quite reaches the absurdity of his recent deliverance when he looked upon Ins shattered and dispirited armies and said; “We are a victorious combination unimpressed by numbers,” and i( even went so far as to declare that the Turco-Hun warriors are each individually equal to any three—or oven six—of their adversaries. It is only a few short weeks since Wilhelm told the world that Germany was “an injured nation striving desperately for peace.” One explanation given of this resumption by the Kaiser of his “shining armour” attitude is that it is Wilhelm’s little contribution to the new and revised strategic cam-1 paign under Von Hindenburg. The “popular idol” is placing himself on the crest of a boom, and it is not fair to him to be weighted with a croaking raven on the box seat. In any case, with this unconquerable feeling in the air, it is strange that there are such frantic efforts on Germany’s part to secure peace. “Nemesis,” says a leading Canadian writer, ‘is crouching on the shoulders of Germany. The history of Prussia is too great a weight to bear. If victory has held Germany together, if militarism has been its cement, the moment victory passes and militarism proves its powerlessness the spectres | of the past arise. In 1861 Denmark was cynically deprived of SchleswigHolstein, 1866 Austria was crushed, 1870 France was torn to pieces. On that foundation, a foundation of lies, forgeries, and ruthless cynicism, the German Empire, as we know it, was built. The unscruplous Frederick and, boi'ore him, the Teutonic order, began, the base business of treachery and deceit. They never cared for scraps! of paper when their own personal in-] forests or possessions were to lie ad- j vaiitaged. Did not Frederick- the i Great write to the Emperor of Austria on the third division of Poland: i ‘Here is our new communion which, j if not necessary to our salvation, has 1 at least added largely to our possessions,’ or words to that effect. The end has come. Germany was built by the sword and will perish by the ; sword. She may cry for peace, but she will get no peace until the full harvest of the last half-century is reaped. It may take some time and we need every man we can gel, but Ihe did is now certain, and the longer it is Delayed the worse it will be for German v.”