| M. VENIZELOS | GENERAL PERSHING | SIGNOR ORLANDO |
AN EPITOME OF THE WAR.
Few people in these Islands knew in the early part of the summer of 1914 that Europe was on the verge of the greatest war in history. The few men who had foresight and courage enough to warn us of the German menace were ridiculed, and when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand (nephew and heir to the Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria) and his wife were assassinated at Sarajevo, it was not realized that we had reached the opening stages of a long-drawn-out tragedy which would see Europe converted into a vast battlefield and cast a shadow over the whole world.
Austria, at the instigation of Germany, made the Sarajevo occurrence the pretext for beginning a war they had already planned and organized. Serbia was to be made a scapegoat, and Germany was to take advantage of the international situation thus created to launch her schemes for empire development. There was a month’s delay, probably to allow Germany to complete her preparations. On July 25th, Austria sent a note to Serbia charging her with complicity in the Sarajevo crime, demanding the suppression of all Serbian propaganda in the Dual Monarchy, and insisting that an investigation into the assassinations should be conducted on Serbian soil with the assistance of Serbian officials.
GERMAN DASH TO PARIS.
Serbia refused, and this was followed by a declaration on the part of Russia that she would permit no trifling in the Balkans. Meanwhile England was doing her utmost to pour oil on the troubled waters. One of her suggestions was a conference. This was turned down by Austria, who, on July 28th, declared war on Serbia. Thus began the hostilities which led to Armageddon. The challenge was taken up by Russia; in turn Germany declared war on both Russia and France; and finally Great Britain, determined not to tolerate the invasion of neutral Belgium, and refusing to contemplate the harrying of the French north coast, declared war on Germany. The fateful step was taken at 11 p.m. on August 4th.
Germany’s preparedness for war gave her a tremendous advantage at the outset. The first blow was aimed at Paris, and in attempting this coup the Hun armies over-ran Belgium, destroying and plundering some of its greatest treasures and committing crimes which horrified the world. For a time the advancing army was irresistible, but eventually the forces of Sir John French and General Joffre put a stop to the enemy progress and at the first battle of the Marne, commenced on September 6th, caused the Germans to retreat in disorder.