27 MAY 1955, Page 23

THE DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE WESTERN WORLD. Volume II. By

Thirty Years War as terribly as any country in history, neverthe- less survived and grew again into the powerful state which we have known. As for warnings, one may be drawn from the com- plete failure of Europe to do away with war during these two and a quarter centuries. Another is implicit in a comment of Napoleon's. 'The loss of time,' he onci said, 'is irreparable in war. Reasons alleged for it are always bad, for operations only fail through delays.' For us who even now are fighting what we self- deceptively call a Cold War—a phrase in which the important word is not 'cold' but `war'—this warning is highly relevant.

JULES MENKEN