| Show f VS V'S DEFENSE IS ISS PRAISED BY S T f BRITISH Minister Terms Struggle on Piave Among Most Famous Famous Famous Fa Fa- Fa- Fa World Wand Battles i v. v J. J By Dy Associated Press LONDON I O DO Ma May ht 22 The The The lord mayor nayor rJ gave o a n luncheon at Mansion hou house tolla today to commemorate the tho third Dver arr of f Italy's s 's entry Into the tile war Among those thoc present were Lord Robert Cecil CecH minister of blockade the Italian I as ador Marquis Imperial the French rench and Japanese ambassadors the I Chinese Serbian Brazilian and Belgian ministers the thc Russian char charge e and representatives of the American em em- Jass bass bassy 11 In proposing a a. toast to Italy 14 Our Ally Lord Robert Cecil expressed Foreign For For- eign Secretary Balfour's deep i regret egret that he WAS prevented from rom being present but hut Mr Ir Balfour had char charged ed him him to con c convey in words that could not be bo exaggerated exas- exas crated the warmth of or his admiration for far Ital Italy and the cordiality of his wishes for tor her hr continued prosperity and success ITALY'S STAND PRAISED AH AU recollected the thc terrific impression lon which entry into the great struggle lle had made but he did tild not think there was an anYmore anY more encouraging event ent than that thet the t fact ct that Ital Italy showed she would have no 50 part in the aggressive designs of r the central empires The past year ear had been vcr very eventful c but with the single exception of Russia Rue Rus cia sia all the allies had come out of tho the contest with renewed strength and none more so o than Ital Italy Italy has had trials a as 5 severe as as 01 or more severe Bevere than any of or the tho allies but she was remembered not BO so much for 01 her trials as for the glorious wa way in which she he had retrieved them Italy's 1 resistance on the lines of or the Piave would I live JIve amoD among the tho roost most famous b battles s in inan all an ages Lord Ro Robert rt believed that the great eat feat i of nf arms had bad not ot on only been of great re result re- re suIt sult to the tho allies but of enormous value to lo tho the Italians themselves Ital Italy hadJ hadi had i J come out of or the trial with greater unity 1 and sel seif and if possible greater great great- er courage than she had before Amid Amide great e t cheering he ho referred to the recent I f Italian naval raid on Pola The men who ho hoi i t took ok part In that raid he said took their j i lives Byes In their hands to strike a blo blow for their coun country J and for tor freedom NEED DEEDS NOT WORDS What had happened to Russia showed the necessity for or deeds not words Well meaning persons believed that if Ir only j i you would use use- language of or a a. con conciliatory cilia tory kind to the tho Germans the they would come and feed out of your our hand But Lord Robert believed that there was profound misapprehension of ot German krman psychology and that It bad had been demonstrated b by the Brest treat treaty the result of which h had iad been the total enslavement of or Rus Rus- eta sia As a a. result of what had occurred the resolution peace was now no never referred to except with Ith contempt It bad become a scrap of or paper as had most alt all democratic reform in Prussia expected soon probably In the tho Somme region near Albert lbert or on the thc Avre river where the German Gorman cannon have been thundering for Cor several days das but so far the German general staff starr has not shown its hand It Is Js known that there are great masses of or troops within striking distance distance dis- dis tance ance of oC the front and it Is believed belle that when the enem enemy is ready to strike there will be only brief artillery fire as ia a prelude to the tho actual assault b by the he infantry The last report from Crom the French war office mentions heavy ar artiller artillery ar- ar artillery tiller tillery fire Ire In the Somme region and at near Noyon where there was terrific lighting earl early in April |
