7 SEPTEMBER 1918

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The centre of the English line from Lens to the

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Somme above Monne attained its main objective on Thursday week, when the New Zealanders entered Bapaume, and the enemy began a retreat to the south of that town In three weeks,...

The preliminary operations on a wide front north and south

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of the Scarpe led on Thursday week to the recapture of Greenland Hill, dominating the Scarpe valley from the north and forming a firm defensive flank to cover the troops acting...

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

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rilHIS has been a wonderful week on the Western front. Along the whole line from Lens to Soissons, the Allies have won victory after victory, culminating in the great British...

The grand attack on the famous positions began on Monday

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morning. The Germans had worked at the fortifications for eighteen months, and, to make assurance doubly sure, had concen- trated an incredible number of men to hold the line....

The effect of the victory was instantaneous. On Tuesday Sir

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Douglas Haig reported that the enemy was retreating along practi- cally our whole battle-front. He was evacuating Lens itself. On Wednesday our troops forced the passage of the...

Our right wing directed on Peronne now took up the

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running. On Friday Conbles and Clery were taken, and the Somme was crossed both to the west and to the south of Peronne. The Austra- lians, who had pushed up the river valley to...

Meanwhile our left or northern wing on this vast battle-front

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had begun its final advance on the Hindenburg or Wotan line east of Arras. It may be as well to explain that the Hindenburg line was constructed during the battle of the Somme...

The, enemy has accelerated his withdrawal from the Lys salient,

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having no reserves to spare for this sector. On Friday week we re- entered Bailleul. On Saturday we reoccupied Mount Kemmel. On Tuesday we regained Wulterihein, while further...

THE PAPER SHORTAGE.

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TO OUR READERS. — It is now necessary for readers to place a definite order for the " Spectator" with their Newsagent or at one of the Railway Book- stalls. Should any reader...

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The output of new merchant vessels from British yards in.

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August amounted to 124,676 tons—about half the monthly average which the Admiralty six months ago hoped to attain during the latter part of this year. Lord Pirrie ascribes this...

" We are all enlisted men," was the gist of

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President Wilson's Labour Day message to his fellow-citizens--'a day supremely significant in relation to America's national 'enterprise of life and death. " Every tool in every...

Mr. Lloyd George on Saturday received a deputation -of the

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strikers, who had refused on the previous day to meet General Smuts. The Prime Minister, according to Sir George. Cave, received. the strikers as policemen and not as members of...

London was surprised and shocked on Friday last to learn

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that the Metropolitan Polkas and the City Police had gone an strike. The public at large knew nothing of the unrest among the men until they had taken the final step, in...

Bolshevik troops, acting under orders, attacked the British Embassy at

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Petrograd on Saturday, sacked the building, and brutally murdered our Naval Attaché, Captain Francis Cromie, who made a brave attempt to defend his charge. By the universal...

We fear that there can be little doubt now that

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the Tsarevitch, like hislather the late Emperor of Russia, has been cruelly done to death. Even amidst all the horrors of to-day one is sensible of the extreme poignancy of this...

M. Lenin, the Bolshevik chief, was attacked in Moscow on

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Friday last by two women Socialists. One of them, Dora Kaplan, fired on him and wounded him severely. M. Lenin was reported at first to have succumbed to his wounds. Later...

The plain man will find this new instance of the.

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Prime Minister's versatile diplomacy somewhat puzzling. The police would not have struck in a body if they had not been exasperated by what they regarded as official...

Meanwhile, our .French Allies have continued their brilliant offensive north

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and south of the Oise with most successful results. North of the Oise, on Thursday week they stormed Noyon and held the western bank of the Canal du Nord from Noyon to the upper...

The result of this steady pressure became obvious on Wednesday,

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when the Germans beat a retreat north of the Oise, retiring beyond Guiscard and half-way to Chauny, and also abandoned the line of the Vesle, between Soissons and Reims, which...

But the French operations south of the Oise have been

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of even greater importance. Between the Oise and the Aisne General Mangin, with American assistance, forced the enemy eastward towards the Forest of Coucy and the Chemin des...

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It is good news that a further step has been

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taken to release the administration of war pensions from party influences. Sir C. A. Montague Barlow and others wrote recently to all members of the House of Commons, asking...

It is not too much to hope that the spectacle

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of such leadership as this with its confused thought and muddled morals will not escape the attention and the censure of the many hundreds of thousands of patient sheep who have...

On Wednesday the Trades Union Congress adopted a resolution asking

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the enemy Socialists to define their war aims, and urging the Government " to initiate peace negotiations immediately the enemy, either voluntarily or by compulsion, evacuates...

The policy of " Down Glasses ! " during the

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war was adopted on Thursday week by the United States Senate and will, it is thought, be confirmed by the House of Representatives. The manufacture of spirits has already been...

The fiftieth Trades Union Congress, which met at Derby on

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Monday, began its business by sending its hearty congratulations to the Navy, Army and Air Force on their magnificent courage and devotion. There spoke the true voice of Labour....

One cannot leave the subject of the Trade Union Congress

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with- out reflecting upon the astonishing variety of tendencies which it represented. To begin with, we have Mr. Ogden advocating his universal organisation of trade unions for...

It would seem, however, that the late Commissioner is not

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responsible for the grave lapse of discipline in the force under his command. We infer this, apart from our own strong con- viction that he has been an excellent Commissioner,...

A writer in the Northern Whig describes the experiments which

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have been conducted by Mr. S. C. Davidson, the well-known inventor and manufacturer, in the use of peat as domestic fuel. Weight for weight, peat has 50 per cent. of the...

Another contrast was afforded by the flat refusal of that

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well- known pacificist, Mr. Smile, to resort to " peace by negotiation " when his own interests were at stake. Evidently he really knows the disadvantages of " peace by...

Bank rate, 5 per cent, changed from 51 per cent.

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Apri15, 1917.

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MARSHAL FOCH'S DOCTRINE. N OW that we have seen Marshal Foch

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at work, it is instruc- tive to turn back to his writings and notioe how they illustrate his methods. He is the only great General that we remember who, before he had the...

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

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THE GREAT BRITISH VICTORY. T HE British performance in bursting through the terribly formidable Wotan line is probably the greatest ffeat of arms which our soldiers have...

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THE BRITISH PRISONERS IN TURKEY.

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W E have read with particular interest the first Report of the " Prisoners in Turkey Committee." No one with a spark of feeling could read this Report without distress, though...

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INDIANS IN EAST AFRICA. I N an article in the Nineteenth

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Century and Alter for September, Sir Theodore Morison, who has spent many years of his life in India and two years recently in German East Africa, puts forward a proposal that...

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THE WOMAN'S SENIOR WAR SERVICE.

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I T is hardly to be wondered at that in the fifth year of the War the word " shortage " should have become the most hard- worked noun in the British language. But, while the...

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I LIKP. I expect the great majority of your readers,

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was delighted with the account which recently appeared in the Spectator of 'A Floating Home. Everybody, some time in his life, has wanted either to live upon a small island of...

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR...] SIE,—Two Indian mails

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have brought me an interesting budget of letters from Hindu friends, most of whom mention the Montagu Report. The general impression left by these communications is one of...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR..

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[Letters of the length of one of our Leading paragraphs are often more read, and therefore more effective, than those which fill treble the space.] THE MONTAGU REPORT. (To THE...

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A DISGRACE TO THE LONDON POLICE. [To THE EDITOR OF

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THE " SPECTATOR.") fig,—On Friday last at about 11.30 a.m. two special constables en duty in Hyde Park on the north side of the Serpentine were set upon by a body, some thirty...

MR. T. P. O'CONNOR AND ULSTER UNIONISTS. [To THE EDITOR

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OF THE " SPECTATOR."] FIR ; —There is ample evidence that the German Government had determined to bring about the European war in 1914 or 1915, when they had completed the...

THE SERGEANT'S PEACE TERMS. [TO THE EDITOR Or THE "

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SPECTATOR.") Sta,—I think those who agree with your articles on "Preparations for Peace " will be interested to read the following poem, which appeared in an American paper (The...

THE " VICAR."

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ITo THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") Stit s —The attitude adopted by the "Vicar of Christ " towards the war, as indicated by events or by the pleas of his apologists, is...

NO PEACE CONFERENCE: THE BOYCOTT. (To THE EDITOR OF THE

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" SPECTATOR.") it,—May I express grateful approval of your plea against any desire on the part of this country " to bring about wantonly the National destruction of Germany" ?...

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WOMEN'S WORK AND WAGES

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ITo TER EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] Sia,—Had the article in your issue of August 24th entitled " Women's Work and Wages " been written three, or even two, years ago there would...

THE HOUSEHOLD FUEL AND LIGHTING ORDER. [To THE EDITOR OF

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THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—I am obliged to the " Local Fuel Overseer " for his letter in your issue of the 17th ult., and I trust that his estimate of eighteen tons of coal may...

[To THZ EDITOR Of THE " SPECTATOR."] Sni,—As a domestic

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servant of nearly thirty years in one family, I have read with much interest the letters from ladies and servants which have appeared in your paper dealing with the above...

DOMESTIC SERVICE.

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ITo THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR:1 Sue.,—Being a parson's wife, I am - treated in some sort as a registry office, and so have a good deal of experience of the domestic servant...

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POETRY.

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TO THE MARNE RIVER. MARNE, on thy bank let some high sign he set Where thrice* the world's great Opposites have met; The lust of Rapine and the laws of Right, The fiends of...

"HOWLERS."

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Possibly the following might find a place among "howlers." In 6 a "general knowledge" paper a student was asked to define, among other...

" ARCHIE."

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[To THE EDITOR OF TEE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—In reading Major Bishop's book Winged Warfare I was interested to see that he stated therein that he was unaware of the origin of the...

GRAPE JAM.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Your correspondent, " S.B.," will find a recipe for above in the " Gardening Notes" in to-day's Morning Post (August 31st). I purpose...

BOOKS.

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EXAMINATIONS4 THE influence of examinations on modern life, though considerably if temporarily reduced by war conditions, may be illustrated by the curious fact that to the...

IS A GENERAL ELECTION NECESSARY P [To THE EDITOR OF

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THE " SPECTATOR.") rm,—Not one elector in ten thousand (one hundred thousand ?) desires peace except on our own terms. Therefore, there is no need of a General Election to find...

AFTER-CARE AND EMPLOYMENT OF TUBERCULOUS PERSONS.

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[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—One of the many problems with which we are faced at the present time is the after-care and employment of tuberculous persons. This...

BISMARCK.

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[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR."] ffia,—A propos of your review (August 31st) of Mr. Grant Robert- son's study of Bismarck, one may recall the conclusion of an article which...

TRANSLATIONS.

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[To TIM EDITOR or TM " Beizersroa."] gra,—Reading in your issue of August 18th the translation of Meleager's Lament by Herbert Snow (afterwards Dr. Herbert IOnaston, Headmaster...

JOHN PAYNE.

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[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") S IR,—My life of John Payne, which has been written with the kind assistance of Payne's executoi, is now almost ready for the press. I...

CHILDREN'S HYMNS.

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[To THZ EDITOR OE THE " SPECTATOR."] Snt.,—Yon may think this worth recording for the benefit of those who undertake to speak to children, or write hymns for them. A mother...

NOTICE.—When " Correspondence" or Articles are signed with Cho writer's

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name or initials, or with a pseudonym, or are marked " Communicated," the Editor must not necessarily beheld to be in agree- ment with the views therein expressed or with the...

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SMALL TALK AT WREYLAND.* Tem scholar-squire is probably becoming rare

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in these strenuous times, and those of us who have known such a man must regret that so admirable a type of humanity is passing away. A man who takes a keen interest in his...

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MEMOIRS OF SIR ANDREW MELVILL.*

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" HERE is another book about battles at Ypres, Arras and Lens : La Bassee, Armentieres and Dixmude : battles getting on for three hundred years old, but they keep well :...

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FICTION.

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ABINGTON ABBEY.• MR. MARSHALL has given us, not for the first time, a very pleasant story of sedative quality. But in his treatment of an eve-of -the - war theme he has, no...

WAR AND REVOLUTION IN ASIATIC RUSSIA.• Now that British troops

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are at Baku, the affairs of the Caucasus have a direct interest for us, and any book that throws light on the situation is welcome. Mr. Philips Price, who was the correspondent...

SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.

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plaice in this column doss not neassarily preclude subsequent review] THE Sareseaeaa REVIEWS.—The Nineteenth Century gives pro- minence to " An Indian's View of the Indian...

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The War Number, 1918, of The Frontiersman, the 01E04 gaette

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of the Legion of Frontiersmen, has as frontispiece a portrait of Captain F. 0. Selous, D.S.O., who was killed in action, East Africa, in January, 1917. The journal, in addition...

The Ministry of Reconstruction has begun to issue a series

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of twopenny pamphlets, the first of which explains The Aims of Re- construction, while others, like the second pamphlet on Housing in England and Wales, will deal with specific...

The Third Report of the Committee of the Privy Council

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for Scientific and Industrial Research shows that in the past year much has been done to initiate schemes of research either of a general character or for the benefit of special...

The Labour Party has published in a sixpenny pamphlet The

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Replies of the Socialist Parties of the Central Powers to the Inter- Allied " Memorandum on War Aims," with a neutral Socialist peace programme and an open letter from M....

In the World. By Maxim Gorky. (T. Werner Laurie. 12s.

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6d. net.)—This second volume of the autobiography of Maxim Gorky, the well-known Russian revolutionary and man of letters, does not take us very far in the experience through...

There are several suggestive articles in the Round Table for

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September. An American correspondent, describing " America's Will to Victory," lays stress on the efficacy of the economic weapon which the Allies can use against Germany. He...