A curious similarity exists between Russia to-day and Russia of the spring of 1917. On that former occasion an ominous silence reigned for four or five days, and the daily communique from Petrograd lapsed. Then arrived the momentous news of the revolution—the beginning of catastrophe. A few days ago the Moscow wireless was breathing defiance against Poland, announcing a rush of patriots to the colours, and telling the world that Brussiloff was about to lead the Russian army as of old. And then silence—so intense that already the critics in London, as on that other noteworthy occasion, are taking stock of the position afresh. A few weeks aga it seemed as if the Bolshevik regime were at length to emerge triumphant from its life and death struggle, and the British Government had gone so far as to propose an armistice on behalf of the remains of Denikin's army. Then came Poland's great effort, which must have been an appalling shock to the war-weary Bolsheviks, and to-day there is a suspicion that 2 counter-revolution has occurred in Moscow. The situation affords rich material for speculation. There is a possibility that in their successive defeats of Yudenitch, Koltchak and_ Denikin, the Bolshevik conimanders have broken the back of their own army. Such things have happened before, and if so only lack of communications and distance from its bases can hold up the march of the Polish army.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.