to be able to sweep
her shipping off the seas, and lower her flag forever in Africa and Asia
and the Pacific. All the probabilities, it seems to me, point to that.
There is no reason why Italy should not stick to her present neutrality,
and there is considerable inducement close at hand for both Denmark and
Japan to join in, directly they are convinced of the failure of the
first big rush on the part of Germany. All these issues will be more or
less definitely decided within the next two or three months. By that
time I believe German imperialism will be shattered, and it may be
possible to anticipate the end of the armaments phase of European
history. France, Italy, England, and all the smaller powers of Europe
are now pacific countries; Russia, after this huge war, will be too
exhausted for further adventure; a shattered Germany will be a
revolutionary Germany, as sick of uniforms and the imperialist idea as
France was in 1871, as disillusioned about predominance as Bulgaria is
today. The way will be open at last for all these western powers to
organize peace. That is why I, with my declared horror of war, have not
signed any of these "stop-the-war" appeals and declarations that have
appeared in the last few days. Every sword that is drawn against Germany
now is a sword drawn for peace.

*If the Germans Raid England*

*By H.G. Wells.*

*From The Times of London, Oct. 31, 1914.*

_To the Editor of The [London] Times_:

Sir: At the outset of the war I made a suggestion in your columns for
the enrollment of all that surplus of manhood and patriotic feeling
which remains after every man available for systematic military
operations has been taken. My idea was that comparatively undrilled boys
and older men, not sound enough for campaigning, armed with rifles, able
to shoot straight with them, and using local means of transport,
bicycles, cars, and so forth, would be a quite effective check upon an
enemy's scouting, a danger to his supplies, and even a force capable of
holding up a raiding advance--more particularly if that advance was poor
in horses and artillery, as an overseas raid was likely to be. I
suggested, too, that the mere enrollment and arming of the population
would have a powerful educational effect in steadying and unifying the
spirit of our people. My proposals were received with what seemed even a
forced amusement by the "experts." I was told that I knew nothing about
warfare, and that the Ger