Many but not all of the chapters of this book were first written as editorial articles. They were intended to supply in some slight measure an answer to the question raised on all sides and concerning each separate incident in the European War: "What does it mean?"
While the original articles have been revised, corrected, supplemented, their purpose remains exactly the same. They still represent an effort to explain, in the light of such information as is yet available the meaning of recent events so far described only in heavily censored news despatches and in laconic official statements from interested war offices.
They are then frankly and simply editorial comment on some but by no means all of the more considerable episodes of the first two months of the present world war written close to the event and here presented with a complete recognition of the limitations of such comment.
My acknowledgments are due Mr. William C.