NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE course of the war, whether in Thrace or in Macedonia, remains inscrutable. So successful is the censorship of all news that the world remains as ignorant of military opera- tions affecting in all some half a million men as if they were taking place not a few hundred miles from a capital like Vienna but in the very centre of Africa. In all probability, however, there has not been much fighting or marching, for the Turks are naturally standing on the defensive, and it would appear that the Bulgarians do not at present think it worth their while to run the risk of heavy losses. It would obviously pay them better to endure a fortnight or even a month of extra delay than to knock their armies about even by successful actions. In spite, however, of this fact we may still any day hear of a blow being struck by the Allies. If such a blow falls it will not be where it is expected. But we must remember that in such cases the obvious place may also be the unexpected place. Just as Machiavellian diplomatists are said occasionally to use the plain truth as the acme of deception, so a general may effect his surprise at a place so obvious that everyone would say that he could not possibly strike there because it was too clearly his game to do so. We have dealt elsewhere with the European situation, and need only say here that the omens all seem favourable to the preservation of peace for the present. The relations between Russia and Austria-Hungary continue to improve.
