The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1915. THE CENTENARY OF WATERLOO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 199, 1 February 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1915. THE CENTENARY OF WATERLOO.

This year is the centenary of the great- I est British victory recorded ill history. | On June IS it will be just a hundred years ago since Wellington and Blusher crushed the power of Napoleon and saved the liberty of iiuropc. The return of the anniversary of that great triumph of freedom over despotism ought to he an inspiring call to our Allies to renewed determination to persevere in the desperate hut gallant struggle in which they are now engaged. Tho composition of the forces of the combatants has changed strangely s:iice that time. Then we were fighting by the side of Prussia against France. Now we are fighting by the side of France, Belgium and Bussia against Germany. But the cause in which we are lighting now is precisely the same as that for which we fought then. \ov,\ us then, we are taking part 'ii a crusade against tho daring and impious .dream of universal monarcny. And it will do something to nerve our arms for the light if we remember that that dream has always ended in humiliating and overwhelming defeat. Alexander the Great cherished the dream, and the end of it was the deleat of his armies, and the division of his empire amongst his generals. Napoleon, harbored it, and the end of his dream was the. exile's death in bt. Helena. The memory of these defeats still says to the world: '\So perish all who dare to the like again." And looking hack to the last of these great victories, Waterloo, it is encouraging to recall th u fact that t..c odds against us then were quite as heavy as they are now. It is dillicult—perhaps impossible—to say where we are to turn ioi the most authentic and reliable record of Wellington's victory at Waterloo. l!ut a;-ording to all accounts the chances uf the British Allies were <.\jcouraging disheartening. Oil that day Wei!i".'l"U had collected oO,(J0O infai.tiy. 1 '"<1 cavalry and 15C guns on i!.i. '••w 'ge, some three miles long, winch u.strides the Charlcroi road near .Mont hit. Jean. Of these troops only one-third were British, and many of them raw recruits; of the others,' a large proportion were Dutch Belgians, many of whom were disaffected and sympathetic with the French. Some 11,000 men were in reserve in two groups, and IiOOU in advance occupying the important posts of Hougemont and La llenge. The right was strong so long as Hougemont hold out; the left llanl: was weak in comparison. The I'russians under Blucher were approaching that ihmk from Wavre, But ac-' cording to the graphic description of the battle given by Victor Hugo in "J.es .Miserable*," based on tile testimony of his own uncle, who took part in the engagement as a captain of the I'reiieh (.'nards, Mueller's troops were j misled by a wrong direction of the > route received from a boy, the conse'l'i(e o! which was that they wander- j r;l mues out of their way and only I arrivd on the scene late in the after- [ noon, just in time to turn the tide of | battle in favor of the British. But in ! spite of 1 hese disadvantages, the Bri- ! tish won, and Victor Hugo says that i the Victory was brought about by ai concurrence ol causes the failure of any ! of which might have led to a defeat, ! the remarkable and, humanly speaking, j inexplicable combination of which made ' Wellington the master of the day. In a discussion of the scenes of the vie- i tory <)iily a few weeks ago bir John ' French remarked, "God won Waterloo."' Then, (vrtainly seems to be strong evi- i dencc in iavor o| (hat opinion o! our j gie.-it general. Every victory in which ! the combatants are so strangely mixed i must be due not to the eliect oi a i Single cause, but to the resultant of' many. The power which eventually j v. in-- i-. the diagonal of a parallelogram \ rat her than either of its single sides. ■■ Wat"renin.!*- us that the direction ! or that- dij.'L'onal is marked out by a : 1 skill too high to be merely human. Llnd , | the direction tTie diagonal is taking now is such as to dispel all despair and 1 1

encourage every hope in the minds of the supporters of the British cause. The solidarity of the Empire is growing week by week, the staying power of our troops show no sign of exhaustion or of weakening, the harmony between the Allies is unmarred by a singlo breath of friction, while, on the other hand, there are signs that Austria is nearly worn out, and the reserve supplies by tiermany are slowly but surely falling Oi. I both in numbers and enthusiasm. It is impossible to .predict how long the | war may still last, and what more j fearful cost it may still entail, out there j is every reason to encburage us to hope | and believe that the centenary of | Waterloo may see a turn of the tide which will eventually lead to a victory i as decisive and as glorious as that won by Wellington in lue days of old.