8 
LAND & WATER 
August 1 6, 1 917 
'in philosophic fbntffiiplauoQ of events. " \\'liat we common 
'Enj^lishiheh demand at this moment is a clear, plain stale- 
■'menfof the national position" from the nationar point of 
'view. AVe want to know not only tliat' we mean to de'feat 
our enemies- that we know already^lwf what are the real 
•iacts as to the dangers and difficulties we hkve to encounter 
and in what manner it is proposed to overcome them. A 
nation which has faced the unnecessary disasters of Antwerp, 
the Dardanelles and Mesopotamia, and the dangerous 
succession of submarine sinkings, without flinching, is fit 
to be fully entrusted with the handling of its own destinies. 
The man who can rise to the .height of this amaz'ng situation, 
who can set forth to his countrymen the full truth about their 
own business, who can deal sternly With our enemies and 
■laithfully with our friends, will arouse a storm of enthusiasm 
and determination among us which will even yet astonish 
tl^e world. ' '■ • ' 
•■■* • * * * 
P.S. — Since the above article was written Mr. ' Arthur 
Henderson has made his defence in the House of Commons. 
Not even his best friends can consider it satisfactory. I'or 
some strong reason, which he cannot have fully disclosed, he 
honestly thought it more important to use his influence in 
favour of guiding the Labour Party to vote in favour of the 
delegation to Stockholm, than to cany out the policy whioh 
all his colleagues in the Cabinet were led by him to believe 
was his own, as it was tJieirs. It is a very unfortunate 
personal matter. But it does not affect the real issue. On 
that, Mr. Lloyd George's Administration has at last come to 
a "definite decision. ^Alinisters have resolved not to grant 
passports for delegates to the International Socialist Con- 
ference at Stockholm. Great Britain, the United States, 
I'rancc and Italy arp at one upon this point. It is a good 
thing for the .A.llies. It is, also, a good thing for International 
Socialism. There was nothing whatever to be gained for 
either by a " fraternal " consultation between the Socialists 
ot the Allied countries and the Social-Democrats of Germany, 
and Austria-Hungary. These Germans betrayed all of us 
Socialists at the beginning of the war : they have deliberately 
outraged all the highest interests of humanity during the 
war. Leave them alone to reflect upon the consequences of 
their own actions. 
»-'.v«<. 
The Military Situation 
By Hilaire Belloc 
THE oiH^ significant -military news of the last week 
is the sharp fighting against the enemy's attempt to 
recapture the Westhoek and Frezenburg positions in 
the West and the combined pressure to the north and 
to the south of the Moldavian armies in the East. 
As to the first of these what is happening is fairly clear. 
The offensive of July 31st obtained possession of all those 
points which lie in a crescent north and east of Ypres and 
overlook the plain beyond. The seizing of this dominating 
line was the first and most immediate object of the blow 
delivered on July 21st. Under the counter-attacks which 
filled the next 24 hours after the Allied assault and were 
prolonged during the next few days certain of these dominat- 
ing positions were challenged and notably, during the present 
week, the low summit upon which \\'esth(x;k stands and the 
cross roads of Frezenburg from which one looks down north- 
wards and westward every way to the Hanncbeck. The 
position will be more clearly understood if we glance at the 
' Contours upon' the accompanying map where it will be seen 
r 
i 
Cbnicun at S'metirs V?> 
o !-4 a * t?>rue 
that Westhoek is upon the very top of the low hummock 
between the Roulers and the Menin roads, while Frezen- 
burg (lying nearly 60 feet lower) gi\es direct view over 
more than a half circle of country around. The positions 
in (Question are, of course, quite low. They are no mote 
than the last sinkings of the Messines or White-Sheet 
Ridge into the general level of the Flanders Plain. West- 
hoek lies just under 100 feet above Ypres (though -jl miles 
distant from the eastern water-gate of those ruins) and 
Frezenburg is hardly 35 feet above the level of the same water- 
gate— though three "mi ies distant. The Pilkem ' Rid,ge" further 
to the north, is still less conspicuous in height, though more 
easily seen because it is the last rise of any sort before the dead 
level of the inundated sea flats. 
The enemy's effort then, has been to wrest these positions 
of obser\-ation from the British before the next blow should 
be delivered. So far (the moment of writing being Monday 
evening) he has failed. \\esthoek and Frezenberg are held 
and the former passed. In the woods to the south-east of 
Westhoek, where the contour is about g metres (some 30 feet) 
higher than the ruins of the village, some ground has been 
lost to the enem\-. 
The Eastern Front 
The plan of fighting upon the Eastern front is no less eviileni 
and the accompanying map will perhaps present its elenients 
I in the simplest form. 
With the abandonment of Czemowitz the Russo- 
Roumanians lost their prjinfipal depot and, what is equally- 
important, the terminus of that lateral road and railway down 
the Si'reth. which supplied their armies defending tlie Central 
