eir country as long as possible against the
terrible German army-machine. Said the Belgian king: "A country which
defends itself commands the respect of all; that country cannot perish."
This action of Belgium disarranged the German army plans; instead of
reaching Paris according to schedule, the Germans were delayed in
Belgium for ten days. These ten days were full of horror and suffering
and defeat for the brave Belgians; but they are precious days in the
light of history. They gave time for the French to mobilize their armies
and bring them up to the northeast; and they enabled Great Britain to
send across the English Channel her first hundred thousand troops. In
this way Paris was saved from capture, and France from conquest; and
probably the whole world from German domination. The German plans for
world conquest met their first defeat at the hands of brave little
Belgium. The would-be conquerors had forgotten to include in their
time-table the elements of honor, patriotism, and self-sacrifice.

[Illustration: THE WESTERN FRONT 1914]

THE GERMAN ADVANCE.--Luxemburg was occupied without resistance, for
that little country had no army. On August 4, 1914, the German armies
attacked the Belgian fortress of Liege (lee-[)e]zh'), and within
twenty-three days Belgium was overrun, its capital taken, and all the
important places except Antwerp captured. After the delay in Belgium,
the main German armies advanced into France. Here they were met (August
21-23) by French and British troops; but the defenders were not yet
strong enough to stop the German advance. For twelve days they fell back
toward Paris, fighting continually, until the invaders were within
twenty miles of the city. The French government and archives were
withdrawn from Paris to Bordeaux in the southwest, so imminent seemed
the capture of the capital. The battle line now extended for one hundred
and seventy-five miles eastward from near Paris to the fortress of
Verdun.

THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE MARNE.--In the meantime the French commander,
General Joffre (zhofr), had secretly been collecting another army with
which to attack the invaders on the flank from the west. At the right
moment he hurled this army upon the German flank, while the men on the
main battle line were commanded to "face about and accept death rather
than surrender." On September 6-10 took place the first great battle of
the Marne, during which the Germans, under these new attacks, were
compe