IAN HAY'S OPTIMISM.

It is very reassuring, after reading the increasingly pessimistic daily news reports, to hear from a man who knows the situation and who has the authority to speak that the -loss of Russia and the weakening of Italy as effective fighting forces are not causing the British and French to lose hope. The retreat of General Cadorna's forces is not considered a great German success, but rather a desperate gambler's throw, a final attempt to bring victory to the Teuton arms, an opportunity for the people of Berlin to hang out their flags and indulge in one of those celebrations which have become increasingly infrequent in the past months. It may eventually prove a cloud with a silver lining if the newly formed Allied War Committee, which will have supreme authority on all the fronts, succeeds in combining the disconnected activities of the many allied armies into one efficient and effective plan of action; if the particular aims of each nation are subordinated to the greater end--the complete defeat of the Hohenzollerns.

This is the message Major Ian Hay Beith gave to the Law School Society and the Graduate School Society yesterday evening. But such optimism as Ian Hay's must not be the cause of one moment's delay in our war preparations and in our firm dealing with all who hinder these preparations. Just as the Allies are concentrating all military affairs in one supreme command, so must we bend all our energies at home to the same united end. It is good to hear words of cheer, but they must lead only to greater determination.