The wish has not seldom been expressed that belligerents would declare a truce just for Christmas Day so that, if only for twenty-four hours, men might rest from fighting at a time when this must be the kind of occupation that they least desire. And we may believe that such a plan might be heartily welcomed in Germany, where Christmas and its notable event. The notion, however, is scarcely practicable; that is, it might work well enough on land; but at sea, even with the aid of wireless telegraphy to inform all ships of the suspension of hostilities, there is always the chance of fog and gale which must be combated; and so far there is no evidence that the idea of a Christmas Day truce has ever gone beyond the region of a wish. Indeed to some minds it may appear incongruous that men whose whole energies are bent towards ends 80 much apparently opposed to the spirit of Christmas should have time to spare for its customary observance, to lay aside rifle and bayonet, for a brief space among so many horrors, make merry, and then with undefinished fury devote themselves afresh to the work of slaughter. But their way of greeting Christmas, whether as it comes amidst the dangers of a battlefield or the cares of civilian life, is surely a misapprehension both of the meaning of war and the conditions of peace. For all life, it has been said, is a battlefield, and there is no peace worthy of the name that has not to be bought by unremitting struggle. We speak of war often enough as the most terrible of evils, without pausing to think how many things are worse than this great business of killing so long as we can make sure about what we are fighting for. And while we may confidently appeal to the immutable standard of justice and liberty to show that the Allies' cause is a good one, we must in fairness admit that the vast majority of our opponents, however misled by false' teaching, believe themselves to be no less in the right, no less "defending their homes against spoliation and oppression.
So, although it be a Christmas: at variance with all traditional ideas of the day, though countless homes are in mourning, and, for all that the future can be
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.