Somewhat more to the east, that is, around Lille, heavy
fighting has been going on, the Germans considering the Somewhat more to the east, that is, around Lille, heavy fighting has been going on, the Germans considering the
French to be weak there. The latest accounts, however, show that the French have well held their own, and this is true of the whole of their vast line as far as Belfort. It now remains to be seen whether the Germans will fall back to new and stronger, and, we may add, cleaner, positions than those they now occupy, or whether they will make yet another series of violent attempts to break the French line. They must do something, for stalemate, though in a sense dangerous and embarrassing to both armies, is more dangerous and more embarrassing to them than to the Allies. If, how- ever, stalemate becomes inevitable, then, as we have explained elsewhere, the necessity under which the Germans will find themselves of doing something will in all proba- bility make them turn their eyes towards the invasion of Britain, with its accompanying movement of a great naval action. We hope most sincerely that the attempt will be made. We are not only ready to meet it at sea, but we are also more ready to meet it on land than we have ever been in our history. No doubt the very thought of Germans being allowed to come into contact with our soldiers at home may annoy the Navy, but they must not be jealous. The guarantee they give us is, we believe, quite ample, but in such times as the present there is nothing like having two insur- ance policies.
Previous page
