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Show oo FIRST YEAR OF WAR. Premier Asqulth, In moving the adjournment ad-journment of the house of commons yesterday until September, briefly reviewed re-viewed the first 12 months' progress of the war, which, as far as Great Britain is concerned, will be up next week. He put a very hopeful face on everything, ev-erything, and spoke of the manner In which the heart and spirit of the nation had been aroused during the past year. At that there is little doubt that when Great Britain entered the conflict, con-flict, few of her people, whatever the cabinet may have done, expected the war to be so long drawn out as It now promises to he. Lord Kitchener warned them that the conflict might last three years or more, but most Britons thought he was preparing them for tho worst, and that actually the worst of it would beNover within a year. What none of the citizens of the allied nations appeared to bo aware of was the state of preparedness of Germany on land, and that In fact has surprised tho whole world. It was expected that the kaiser's armies would make considerable headway at the opening of hostilities, but tho general feeling appeared to be that as Franco, Russia and Great Britain rapidly got their forces mobilized mo-bilized the tide of war would change. In the early stages of the conflict Russia surprised both Germany and Austria with the ready manner in which It .dispatched big armies Into the field, which were soon across the Austrian and German frontiers. During this year, however, the various va-rious Russian armies have been driven driv-en back, and, according to the news dispatches, the czar's forces at the present writing are In rathor a sorry plight, a condition which it is said has been brought about by a shortage short-age of munitions. In France and Belgium there has been llttlo change In the situation In months, in tact not since the Germans Ger-mans were driven back from the neighborhood of Paris last September. Septem-ber. This is one of phases of the war that it is difficult to understand, and one which probably will not be cleared up until the conflict is over and the whole truth about it Is made known. Butte Miner. |