The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1915. GERMAN BLUFF AND BLUSTER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 220, 24 February 1915, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1915. GERMAN BLUFF AND BLUSTER.

The news of the commencement of the German blockade of neutral ships on the high seas, the dropping of bombs in Essex, and tho temporary repulse of the Russians in the Carpathians, will not unnaturally produce tome alarm in weak and excitable minds. But there is nothing in either of these events to justify any approach to panic in those who take a sane and sober view of the whole situation. The retirement of the Russian armies in East Prussia before an overwhelming superiority of numbers of Germans is simply a receding wave of the advancing tide. The Russians have a reserve supply of both men sad courage amply snllicieiit to enable them before long to retrieve this temporary disaster. They are already recovering the ground they had fo r the moment lost. The attacks of the Germans between . the Dukla and the Wyskow Passes, fierce as they wore, were repulsed. Tile temporary succcsi of the ('iermans was only the result of Hie desperate effort of forces that are gradually Mailing out. The Russian armies are practically inexhaustible, while those of Germany are being slowly, but surely, drained away. As for the blockading of neutral ships and the dropping of bombs on peaceful and unfortified towns, tliev are but signs of the fact that Germany is beginning to lose her head. There is profound truth ill the old classic proverb, "Whom the gods wish to destroy they first deprive of thei r reason." The descent 'of Germany to the role of the pirate of the high seas is a species of delirium. And delirium is sure in the long run to be defeated. Every bomb dropped in Essex will draw out ten times as many recruits as it will make victims. And , every neutral ship mink by tlie German

submarines will raise against her another national enemy. Dr. Clifford, in his able article on the war in a recent number of The Contemporary, says:— "Germany has not a friend in the world, and she knows it." Her attempts to terrorise the whole world by the >l .:.-iter and brag she. is now displaying ■.re sure signs that she is going mad. 1 nless she had lost her reason she would know tliut she had enemies enough to contend with at the commencement of the war in Great Britain, France, Russia, and .Belgium. But her insane defiance of the recognised rules of war is provoking against her the implacable hostility of th e whole civilised world. Iler determination to blockade neutral ships lias already irritated America to an extent which, if persisted in, may before very long cause a dealaration of war against her by tile United States. To do that wottld be t-i seal her doom, not only to defeat,, but to extermination. The nation which threatens the world is as sure to bo crushed as the madman wftu fires upon

crowd. We can, therefore, afford to watch her desperate despairing to accomplish by piracy and brigandage what she has failed to accomplish by fair fighting in the spirit of the motto of the house- of Buccleuch: "I bide my time!" Of course, this does not mean that we can afford to relax our energies or abate our efforts. What it does mean is tliat we' must rally all the forces of the whole Empi ro to . a calm, cool, collected resistance to the desperation born of delirious excitement. It is a fatal policy to undcr-rate the power of an enemy. Germany has already put forth her full powers, hut we have not yet put forth ours. There are thousands of men in all parts o± the Empire ably to respond to its call who have not vet done so. The alternative we have to face 19 more men or more months. The. time the war will last depends upon the nature and number of the men sent out from all parts of the Empire to snppoTt her cause. Every man who refuses to respond to her call does something to prolong the war. Every man who consecrates himself to her service does something to shorten it. We all want to see the end of the war as soon as possible. The more thoroughly each of ug does his share to help the Allies in their struggle, the sooner the end will come. Those of us who cannot give our personal service must give our money to' provide the sinews of war. We have done "well already, but we have not yet done our best. The amount of our contributions to the Patriotic Fund, splendid as it was, does not yet compare favorably with the amount we. are spending in amusement and luxuries. It is far more important that we should (lo our full share towards contributing the funds needed to secure the speedy vidtory of the Allies, than it is for us to have a good time while others are fighting and dying for the cause which is ours as ready, but we hav e not yet done our full part to help, and then each of us will* share in the honor of dispelling for ever the impious dream of the nation which aspires to rule the world. VI hen we have all done everything we can to show the strength of a united and determined league fo- the suppression of tyranny and the defence of liberty, we shall succeed in exposing 1 Kttiserism as a senseless and suicidal I exhibition of "the vaulting ambition i ivliich overleaps itself -and falls on ;the ] other side." '.i.j.ijr^jjjjl