And that million was provided by Germany alone and not by the whole of the Central Powers.” There is, indeed, nothing to indicate at this time that the German Government is prepared to negotiate peace save on impossible terms. It has been a fallacy, and nearly a fatal one for the Allies, this underestimating the power of Germany. She has, as some one has truthfully said, made of war “a national industry.” She is a professional, while the rest of us are, after all, but amateurs, and she has repeatedly shown, moreover, that she has not the slightest intention of adhering to the rules laid down by _civilized_ nations for the conduct of the game. She has spikes on her boots and brass knuckles on her fingers, and she will not hesitate to gouge or kick or strike below the belt. She is a ferocious, formidable, and desperate adversary, possessed of immense staying power, and the only way we can hope to crush her in reasonable time is by intelligent coördination of effort, by the fullest and most painstaking preparation, and by the exertion of every ounce of our strength. Don’t let us be deceived by the made-in-Germany talk of an early peace. In accepting it we are only playing the enemy’s game. In every possible way Germany is throwing out the idea that the end of the war is in sight. She is doing this because she knows that she has reached the crest of her military strength. She is at “the peak of the load.” She knows that every day she is weaker by so many men, and that she no longer has any considerable reserves from which to replace these losses. She is ready and anxious to quit--upon her own terms. But she is prepared to fight a long, long time yet before accepting the terms that we and our allies must insist upon in order to safeguard the future peace of the world. The mere appearance of American troops upon the battle-line is not going to end the war, as so many of our people seem to think. Not until America begins making war as though she was facing Germany alone will it be possible to predict with any certainty when the end will come.