August 31, 1916 
LAND & WATER 
1 
LAND & WATER 
EMPIRE HOUSE, KINGSWAY, LONDON, VV.C 
Telephone: HOLBORN 2828 
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 1916 
CONTENTS 
PAGK 
I 
The Peace Kite. By Louis Raemaekers 
Unity of the Allies. (Leading Article.) 3 
Intervention of Roumania. By Hilaire Belloc 4 
Campaigning in Arabia. By Gerard Shaw g 
Development of German Agriculture. By Sir Herbert 
Matthews 11 
Sidelights on a Side Show. By Semsto 12 
Some Seaports of Syria. By Eden Phillpotts 14 
The Establishment of Poland. — III. 15 
Verhaeren and His Lesson. By J. W. Scott ly 
Greenmantle. By John Buchan 19 
The West End 24 
Kit and Equipment .xi. 
UNITY OF THE ALLIES 
IT came with dramatic effect — Roumania stepping 
out from the company of the Neutrals and joining 
the ranks of the Allies in their light to the death 
against Teuton barbarism. The fashion has been 
to decry the diplomacy of the Entente in the Balkan 
States, but at Bucharest at all events there has been no 
failure. Not an effort has been spared by either Berlin 
or Vienna to win this ancient Latin province to the side 
of the Germanic Powers ; both promises and threats 
have been employed freely, and if it could not be active 
friendship, at least it was felt that neutrality was 
assured, with a Hohenzollcrn Prince upon the throne. 
Not ten days ago it was telegraphed to the United 
States by an American correspondent in Berlin that 
the neutrality of Roumania was perfectly safe. But King 
Ferdinand of Roumania is both a constitutional monarch 
and an honourable man ; neither bribes nor menaces 
from Potsdam availed to deflect him from the straight 
path. At his accession he had promised to give prece- 
dence to the welfare of his people ; he has abided by 
his word, and he left to his responsible ministers and 
statesmen the decision, which, now taken, must exercise 
a tremendous influence on the future of the war. 
The strategical consequences hkely to ensue from the 
intervention of Roumania are explained by Mr. Hilaire 
Belloc in the ensuing pages. All the world realises that 
a crisis has occurred which is entirely favourable to 
the cause of the Allies. It followed closely on Italy's 
declaration of war against Germany, and as Germany 
has declared war on Roumania, there exists now complete 
unity of purpose between the Allies in their struggle 
with the Central Empires. Up to the present Rou- 
mania and Bulgaria are not at war, and no doubt the 
wily Ferdinand hopes even at this hour that he may 
be able to make a separate peace, after the manner 
Raemaekers depicts on the preceding page. 
Roumania has had a hard role to play during the past 
four and twenty months. Of herself she was powerless 
to withstand an invasion in force. The quarrel was not 
of her seeking, nor, apart from the abstract question of 
civilisation, had she any vital interest in the war. While 
the sympathy of most of her leading statesmen and the 
majority of her people were with the Entente, there 
was no inconsiderable section that was openly and 
actively on the side of Germany, which had substantial 
commercial and financial interests in the country. Her 
responsible ministers had therefore to exercise the greatest 
prudence and circumspection in their dealings with the 
belligerent powers. It is everywhere recognised that 
Roumania's entry into the war signifies the certain behej 
that complete victory at no distant date will rest with 
the AUies, or to put it in a different way, it bears 
testimony to the fact that all fear of German domination 
of Europe has passed away. There is not a Neutral 
Power anywhere in the world who can fail to comprehend 
the meaning of Roumania's action ; the Kaiser must 
read the hand- writing upon the wall and require no 
Daniel to interpret it for him. 
The grandiose German scheme of a Middle-Europe 
about which we have been hearing so much in recent 
weeks dissolves into thin air. for a Middle-Europe al- 
ways contemplated a broad highway to the Mediterra- 
nean and the continent of Asia through subservient Balkan 
States. Roumania has never permitted the Kaiser to 
cast his shoe over her. With Transylvania vvrested 
from Austria, and her peoples reunited under their own 
Government, she will stand more securely than ever as 
the great Eastern outpost of Latin civilisation, dwelling 
in sympathy and friendship with the Slavs biit bitterly 
opposed to Teuton aggression and interference. A strong 
Roumania, with rectified frontiers, should be a guarantee 
in the future of settlement and peace in the Balkans. It is a 
region of enormous natural wealth, as yet hardly touched ; 
let racial animosity be allayed and a period of prosperity 
is possible which would seem all but ■ incredible to those 
not familiar with the natural conditions of that much 
troubled corner of Europe. 
Italy by her declaration of war upon Germany has now 
finally and for ever dissevered herself from the Triple 
Alliance and enters the Quadruple Entente, an active 
partner. The Allies have never been more united in 
purpose than at this juncture ; all attempts to breed dis- 
sensions between them have failed ignominiously ; they 
move forward shoulder to shoulder as the champions of 
liberty and justice. Victory is ine\'itable sooner or later, 
but no sacrifice will deter them from making it final and 
complete. Already they are studying problems that will 
become urgent directly the guns are silent and human 
blood ceases to be outpoured. Germany defeated in the 
field will at once begin a new campaign in the council 
chamber, and we may yet discover her to be a more 
dangerous foe in peace than in war. But we have had 
our warnings. We have been taught with horrid 
iteration the true character of the Teuton, and we must 
never allow the Hun to assume that old mask behind 
which he posed as the good friend of all the world and 
which served him so. well during the forty years of 
preparation for this fight that was to secure for him the 
domination first of Europe, then of the world. 
The war is bringing about a better understanding 
between the Allied peoples. Never, for instance, in the 
long history of the two nations, have the English and the 
French entertained so high an appreciation of each other's 
national characteristics. It is the same so far as this 
country is concerned in respect to Russia and Italy. • The 
Great War will, we believe, prove the death of those 
insular prejudices which undoubtedly in the past have 
exercised a restricting influence on the development of 
British institutions in accordance with modern ideas. 
Humanity is yet a long distance from the uni\-ersal 
brotherhood of man, but the comradeship of the battle- 
field, and multitudinous self-sacrifices for a common ideal 
carry forward mankind towards that desirable and 
long desired goal. Even now many misunderstand- 
ings have been cleared away, and the Entente, which has 
stood so strongly the strain of war, should ha\-e no diffi- 
culty in withstanding the still more powerful test which 
peace will exert. The enemy would be quick to turn to 
his advantage any weakening on the part of any Power, 
but the events of the last few days must shatter his hope 
to find salvation thus when the end comes. 
