Having got as far as Brussels, what are the Germans
to do next ? We sincerely trust that they will yield to the tempta- tion to push on westward till they reach the sea and overflow the whole of Belgium. It is to be feared, however, that they will not yield to this temptation, for if they do the Allies pressing north from the direction of Lille, and the Belgians coming south from Antwerp, might give them a very dis- agreeable squeeze. It is far more likely, then, that the Germans will not go very far west of Brussels. But even then, and in spite of their gigantic forces, they may spread the butter a little too thin for safety. In any case, there is no ground for anxiety. The occupation of Belgium is not the German objective. That objective is the invasion and destruction of France, and every day that the Germans waste in preliminary operations is a day lost to them and a day gained by the Russians. These considerations are, of course, well known to the able German strategists. What the German army is really doing is not invading Belgium, but clearing the ground and making things safe for the conquest of France by the German main army. For this purpose they want to protect their right flank very thoroughly, first by pushing away the enemy from its vicinity, and then by keeping him pushed back. Till their flank is absolutely clear they cannot let the main torrent flow.
