RUSSIA'S GREAT DEFENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1915, Page 9 (Supplement)

RUSSIA'S GREAT DEFENCE.

WEARING OIT TDK KXE.YIY. The result of the full of Lemberg will bo the 1 y llu-sia en tlii' greater part of her line, of rum.ii'.in'ciilinn in Galicia, anil io<i~ii]iii'iitl_v tl»' Abandonment of most, if not all, in ihe large welioii of I llir province niill in lior hands (writes tlir militiii-y corn-pumlc'ii of the Wellington Tiun'.ij. 'lik' li'.i:;-.i;ui commanders, if t'll'V HIV wise, must 'by DOVf have made ample provision for tliis «cHiii'l iind ha\c prepared for the very difficult task of c.tricating, over greatly narrowed channel-, the armies on the. western |)iii-i. ni the luu. ~i tin- Dneister. These armies imi.it he kept there till the latest possihlo moment, and the peculiar .-;.s'.ciu of routes, while, admir;.ih]y suited for their support v.'llikTntact, will lnrcgly fail v.iim U-mberg is lost, 'i'lie problem of saving these armies, with their mass of transport and other material, is a difficult one, and will exercise the skill of t'he Russians heiuue:';; is described a; having already I h.'t m::ch i.i its importance as a. centre I oi military supplies, though it lias unj doul.ledly keen the heart of the Russian j .system in ilalieia. There is no other j centre iii Cali-aa, ( ,r in Rusiia, any-' j where handy to the frontier, so well I suited as. a main base for the Russian | operations; and its importance can only , !»■ holitUed !, v making a. virtue, of necessity. ) Russians have never been accused of . any lack of persi deuce. The outstandi ing feature of their performance in this j war lias 'been their magnificent courage, amounting to a collective spirit of heroism and national self-sacrificing worthy of the highest honor. There is no testimony too high for the men who have maintained their spirit in the face ot tlie tremendous punishment which has been inflicted upon tliem. Russia shoulders the terrible burden of wearing down the German strength by a process which must be as costly to her as to the eribmy; and the western allies have thereby been accumulating a debt ot enormous magnitude. It is obvious that the eneniv, by concentrating their power in Galicia'in an offensive campaign, which seems to have been extraordinary in its weight and fury, has counted on results of great magnitude, ami results more far-reaching than the mere clearing of the Russians out of Galicia. The cost of the advance must have been enormous in both. men and munitions, two commodities' which Germany and Austria must weigh carefully before throwing them away,' against the advantage to lie gained. It is hardly likely that they count upon success in this limited object as likely to break the 'Russian resistance altogether; but it is possible that they hope to create u still deeper impression by following up with a new invasion of •Russia from the Galician frontier. The district which Lemberg servos is admirably suited for such an exploit, whieW. might be carried out for some distiA into Russian territory, snrily to a dangerous the the then the licmbcrg much' arsst rivc^^H^^^^^^^^^^^H^^^H a rn^^^^^^^H^^^H^^^^^^^H wcVH^^^^^l^^^^^H Fa i t'!^^^^^^^^H^^^^^l i tut i'ii^^H^^^^^^^^^H t o-o^^fl^^^^^^^^^^^^^| he .fl^^HH^^H eve^^^^^^^^^H lie knelt down cool as i^^^H|^F Ticked live of the German lads off—they'd a gun They were training on us—then again Of sixty yards more, to the foe's barriThive ; ' •.' 'a'.- i.'i.l out and two prisoners he made. Then sl-'.' v ed in as if he's just been for Round tlie hills and the valleys of sweet ,Vc ..i.ip ~i ti\ ( . ~;iid Kaiser from takin' V-.'.'j \.i !':"■'■ \,here he thought 'twas aisy to i.kip. lie sai'd: " I'll 'he there, hoch! about Chri-tmas lt.iv, An' I'll dine, a la .'arte, in tlie Champs I'.lysee"! ltui thct ilimier. if waitin'. by this must I).' "Id. \ow ! '; (•■■'■in" for Calais, at laste so I'm 1ol.l; Faith, he uii'dili as well try, where he is now. 1,, walk To the hills and the valleys of sweet County Cork. I doi..'t ! mi.w. dear Kathleen, how long it will la-l. Fa! eh.-,, i| is done and we look, o'er the -;'.'.. ).,.• Keu'land remember how we played our part For I hat freedom which 'beats in each Irishman's heart; Remember O'T.earv, who struck that .. e-v.n.l blow For freedom, when eight of the Huns he laid low. •jo , .' .! ".-.. \ -.i .-. ,'■-' ' tVc' - e in deeds. not, in lai.i, Roun3 Vrc hlls and 'she valleys erf sweet County Unit. ,