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diff --git a/20521.txt b/20521.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..99a746f --- /dev/null +++ b/20521.txt @@ -0,0 +1,15690 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Current History, A Monthly Magazine, by New York Times + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Current History, A Monthly Magazine + The European War, March 1915 + +Author: New York Times + +Release Date: February 6, 2007 [EBook #20521] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CURRENT HISTORY *** + + + + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Linda Cantoni, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + + + + +The New York Times + +CURRENT HISTORY + +A MONTHLY MAGAZINE + +_THE EUROPEAN WAR_ + +MARCH, 1915 + + + + +Caldron of the Balkans + + + But little has hitherto been published in English describing + from original sources how the Balkan States, out of which + the world conflict arose, resolved, in Kipling's phrase, to + "stand up and meet the war." The following documents, taken + from authoritative Balkan sources, show for the first time + the purely Balkan aspect of the great struggle. + + + + +How Turkey Went to War + +By Ottoman Authorities + + +_Immediately on receiving official notification of the rupture of +diplomatic relations between Austria and Servia, the Turkish Grand +Vizier hastened to inform the Diplomatic Corps in Constantinople that +Turkey would remain neutral in the conflict. Explaining this official +Turkish declaration, the following editorial article appeared early in +August in the Ministerial paper, Tasfiri-Efkiar, published in +Constantinople:_ + +The declarations made by the Grand Vizier to the Ambassadors of the +powers, in order to reassure them as to the dispositions of Turkey, do +not constitute from a legal point of view a declaration of neutrality, +according to the stipulations of The Hague Conventions; likewise the +Austrian ultimatum to Servia, viewed in the same light, is not +tantamount to a declaration of war. In fact, The Hague Conventions +demand a formal declaration in both cases. But if the formal +declaration of Turkish neutrality cannot be made before she has +received an official notification of the existing war, it is +nevertheless true that the head of the Government, in his +conversations with the Ambassadors, has given them to understand what +the opinion of the people is here. And even without this, the efforts +of the Turkish Government, the desire, and the policy of Turkey, are +so explicit that there is no ground for doubt as to the significance +of the declarations of the Grand Vizier. + +Turkey has never asked for war, as she always has worked toward +avoiding it. But we must not misunderstand the meaning of certain +terms. Neutrality does not mean indifference. The present +Austro-Servian conflict is to a supreme degree interesting to us. In +the first place, one of our erstwhile opponents is fighting against a +much stronger enemy. In the natural course of things Servia, which +till lately was expressing, in a rather open way, her solidarity as a +nation, still provoking us, and Greece will be materially weakened. In +the second place, the results of this war may surpass the limits of a +conflict between two countries, and in that case our interests will be +just as materially affected. + +We must therefore keep our eyes open, as the circumstances are +momentarily changing, and do not permit us to let escape certain +advantages which we can secure by an active and rightly acting +diplomacy. + +The policy of neutrality will impose on us the obligation of avoiding +to side with either of the belligerents, but the same policy will +force us to take all the necessary measures for safeguarding our +interests and our frontiers. If it be true, as reported, that the +pacificist tendencies of Turkey constitute one of the safest +guarantees of peace in the Balkans, then we must hope that on the day +when a general settlement of accounts will be made Europe will be +willing to recognize the important part played by Turkey in the +preservation of peace in the Near East, and will be eager to rectify, +if not all, at least one part of the wrongs she has caused to our +country. + + +TURKEY LEARNS OF THE WAR. + +_Turkish mobilization was still at its first stages when the European +war began on Aug. 1, 1914. The Turkish Government in particular and +the Turkish population in general were overwhelmed by the unexpected +turn of European events, and it was at the height of the crisis that +Turkey received the news of her two battleships building in British +yards being taken over by England. A correspondent of The Daily +Atlantis of New York, writing in Constantinople on Aug. 10, said:_ + +The European war makes the Turks think that this is their golden +opportunity for turkifying the empire from the one end to the other. +All non-Moslems, mere boys and young men of 25 to 30 years of age and +grown men up to 45, are being arrested by the police and secret +service force, and dragged to the barracks, like convicts, and if they +fail to pay the fifty or eighty pounds Turkish ($230 or $350) for +exemption from military service, they are forced to work as +"assistant-soldiers." + +The soldiers thus designated are not given rifles, nor are they +trained for service, but are simply employed as servants to the +regular soldiers. It is easy to understand that no one can endure such +conditions of military life, the result being that each and every one +of these non-Moslems sells whatever property he has in order to pay +the ransom and get away from the army, and from Turkey as well. In ten +days, since this peculiar recruiting began, fully ten thousand Greeks +found a way of escaping from Constantinople, many of them finding a +refuge in the free and hospitable United States. This getting away is +not so easy, writes the same correspondent, because officials of the +various ports are exacting heavy sums from the fugitives before +letting them go. Graft and extortion in this case reign supreme, and +it costs anywhere from three to fifteen pounds ($13 to $70) to "buy" a +police or port official. This process, originating in Constantinople, +is widespread in the provinces, and the sums paid in this way by the +non-Moslems to escape military service amount to millions. "Let the +infidels pay!" say the Turkish officials. "They have taken our ships, +and they have to pay for it." + +The popular feeling against England in these first days of the +European war is fierce. Numerous manifestations, in which the younger +element was largely represented, proceeded to attack the British +stores and British subjects, and there have been serious attempts +against the British Embassy in Constantinople and the British +Consulate at Smyrna. + +[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCESS MARIE JOSE + +Only Daughter of the King of the Belgians. + +(_Photo from Underwood & Underwood._)] + +[Illustration: HIS EMINENCE, CARDINAL MERCIER + +Archbishop of Mechlin, Primate of Belgium.] + + +CONSTANTINOPLE IN AUGUST. + +_Another letter from the same source, dated Constantinople, Aug. 6, +gives the following picture of the Turkish capital in the early +days of the European war:_ + +It is impossible to describe the way in which the Porte is trying to +put the country on a war footing, notwithstanding the terrible odds +she has to fight against. God only knows what the Turks are expecting +if the Austro-Servian conflict turns out according to their desires, +or if the European conflict takes the form of a decisive Austro-German +victory. We now have ample proof to show that the Turkish mobilization +is in such a way conducted as to be ready to act in common with +Bulgaria, in a simultaneous attack against Greek and Servian +Macedonia, as soon as the Austrians have a first decisive victory over +the Servians. This scheme, however, seems to be doomed since the entry +of Great Britain into the general war, and there are indications that +Turkey, warned by England and Russia, will disband her already +mobilized army. On the other hand, the news reaches Constantinople +that the Russian forces have crossed the frontier into Turkish +Armenia, and occupied Erzeroum, while Enver Pasha was seen yesterday, +(Aug. 5,) paying hasty visits to the Russian and British Embassies. +While such is the political situation, matters are still worse in the +business world of the Turkish capital. It is almost impossible to give +an idea of the general upheaval brought about by greedy speculators, +who are taking advantage of this anomalous situation, and by the +Government itself, requisitioning everything they can lay their hands +on, regardless of reason or necessity. + +Policemen and Sheriffs, followed by military officers, are taking by +force everything in the way of foodstuffs, entering the bakeries and +other shops selling victuals, boarding ships with cargoes of flour, +potatoes, wheat, rice, &c., and taking over virtually everything, +giving in lieu of payment a receipt which is not worth even the paper +on which it is written. + +In this way many shops are forced to close, bread has entirely +disappeared from the bakeries, and Constantinople, the capital of a +neutral country, is already feeling all the troubles and privations +of a besieged city. Prices for foodstuffs have soared to inaccessible +heights as provisions are becoming scarce. Actual hand-to-hand combats +are taking place in the streets outside the bakeries for the +possession of a loaf of bread, and hungry women with children in their +arms are seen crying and weeping in despair. + +Many merchants, afraid lest the Government requisition their goods, +hastened to have their orders canceled, the result being that no +merchandise of any kind is coming to Constantinople either from Europe +or from Anatolia. + +Both on account of the recruiting of their employes and of shortage of +coal the companies operating the electric tramways of the city have +reduced their service to the minimum, as no power is available for the +running of the cars. + +Heartrending scenes are witnessed in front of the closed doors of the +various banking establishments, where large posters are to be seen, +bearing the inscription: _Closed temporarily, by order of the +Government._ The most popular of these institutions is the Wiener +Bankverein. This bank, by making special inducements to small +depositors and by paying a higher interest than the others, succeeded +in concentrating the savings of many people of the working classes, +and as this institution is in imminent danger the rush to its doors is +exceptionally great and riotous. + +The municipality has issued a number of ordinances fixing the prices +of all necessary commodities, and the Government, after the first +panic, declared that no further requisitions are to be made. At the +same time the authorities took special pains in order to induce the +various merchants to import goods from abroad, thus relieving the +extremely strained situation of the market; but it is doubtful whether +such measures will have any calming effect on the scared population. + +Immediately after war was declared between Germany and Russia the +Porte ordered the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles closed to every kind +of shipping, at the same time barring the entrances of these channels +with rows of mines. The first boat to suffer from this measure was a +British merchantman, which was sunk outside the Bosphorus, while +another had a narrow escape in the Dardanelles. A large number of +steamers of every nationality are waiting outside the straits for the +special pilot boats of the Turkish Government, in order to pass in +safety through the dangerous mine field. This measure of closing the +straits was suggested to Turkey by Austria and Germany, and was +primarily intended against Russia, as it was feared that her Black Sea +fleet might force its way into the Sea of Marmora and the Aegean. + + +TURKISH PARLIAMENT PROROGUED. + +_On Sunday, Aug. 2, the Medjlissi-Meboussan, or Parliament of Turkey, +was urgently called together, and the Speaker of the House addressed +the members as follows:_ + +Dear Colleagues: The imperial proclamation ordering the last elections +has produced some uneasiness both within and without the empire. It +was said at that time that the Chamber was to be convened only to give +vent to partisan feeling and to disturb the quiet of the country. The +elections, however, proceeded in as orderly a way as possible, and the +Chamber performed its duty with great order and solicitude, having +voted the budget and many other laws. The country accordingly is +convinced that the Chamber has fulfilled its duty with relative calm, +in view of the circumstances. We part today in order to meet again in +November. The war between Austria-Hungary and Servia has a tremendous +importance in the general European situation. While until yesterday +Europe was kept in a state of watchful waiting, now we are informed +that war has been declared between Germany and Russia. In face of such +an international situation, it behooves all us Ottomans to rally in a +spirit of harmony around the imperial throne, and to act with the +moderation characteristic of our race for the preservation of our +country. + +Hoping that the great example given by Parliament to the nation as +regards the working in a spirit of harmony and order will have its due +influence on the country at large, I salute you and bid you farewell. + + +THE MOBILIZATION. + +_One of the first schemes of the German General, Liman von Sanders, +for the reorganization of the Turkish Army was to provide a system +whereby a speedier mobilization of the forces could be made possible. +According to this scheme, as far back as the first days of May, 1914, +every Mayor and village President of the empire was provided with a +sealed envelope, under orders to open it only on telegraphic notice +from the Central Administration. These envelopes were opened on Aug. +3, and were found to contain the papers constituting the order of +general mobilization, including a large poster in colors, bearing, +under the imperial monogram, or "Tougrah," two crossed green Turkish +flags, with crossed sword and rifle, and underneath a gun and its +carriage, and lastly the imperial edict in large letters, reading as +follows:_ + +A general mobilization was ordered to +start on ........................ + (To be dated on notice.) + +Those liable for duty must report at +their respective headquarters. First day +of mobilization is on ........................ + (To be dated on notice.) + + +DIPLOMATIC SITUATION AND PRESS OPINIONS. + +_While Turkey in this way was preparing for war, Talaat Bey, the +Turkish Minister of the Interior, and Halil Bey, President of the +Chamber, were leaving Constantinople for Bucharest, where they +intended meeting the representatives of the Greek Government, in order +to find a way of settling the outstanding Greco-Turkish differences +regarding the Aegean Islands and the question of refugees. The object +of this political move was twofold. First, Turkey was bent on giving +to Europe a proof of her pacific intentions, and, second, she was +trying to convince the Hellenic Government of her willingness to reach +an understanding regarding their mutual differences, and begin anew +the friendly relations of yore. The following extract is from an +editorial article published in the Ikdam of Constantinople on Aug. +17:_ + +From today the regeneration of our fleet begins. From today Ottoman +hearts must again rejoice. We must work hard now for the strengthening +of our navy. We must know that our fleet, which till yesterday was +lifeless, is no longer in incompetent hands and under the leadership +of lazy minds. New Turkey has intrusted her navy to iron hands. At the +head of our fleet is Djemal Pasha, whose naval successes it is +unnecessary to mention. The commander of the fleet is the Chief of the +Naval Staff, Arif Bey, and in command of the light flotilla is Capt. +Muzzafer Bey. Likewise the commanders and the other officers of the +two new battleships are chosen among the fittest. This is the +beginning of a new era for our navy. In addition to this we must say +that we are expecting good results from our political activity. Talaat +Bey and Halil Bey have left for Bucharest, where they will try to find +a solution of outstanding serious questions. At the same time they +will have an opportunity to exchange views with Rumanian statesmen. It +is unnecessary, in our belief, to exalt the significance of this +mission. We think, however, that a wise and moderate policy, +strengthened by a good army and navy, will go far in bringing good +results. + +_On Sept. 10 an official announcement from the Sublime Porte was +handed to the representatives of the powers in Constantinople, and +communicated to the press. This declaration ran as follows:_ + +As an expression of the sentiments of hospitality and friendship on +the part of the Ottoman Government toward the European populations of +the empire, there were instituted long ago certain regulations to +which Europeans coming to the Levant for commerce would be subjected, +these same regulations having been duly communicated to the respective +Governments of those Europeans. + +These regulations, adopted by the Porte on its own initiative, and +considered entirely as privileges, and having been strengthened and +made more general through certain acts, have continued to be in force +up to this time under the name "Old Treaties," (in Turkish "Ouhout-i +Atikah.") These privileges, however, are wholly incompatible with the +legal status of recent years, and especially with the principle of +national sovereignty. In the first place, they became a hindrance to +the progress and development of the Imperial Government, while in the +second, by creating misunderstandings in its relations with the +foreign Governments, they formed a barrier preventing these relations +from becoming more harmonious and more sincere. + +The Ottoman Empire continues to advance in the path of regeneration +and of reforms, overleaping many obstacles, and in order to acquire +the position due to it in the civilized family of Europe, it adopted +modern principles of government, and has not deviated from its +programme of having the State conducted on these principles. + +The founding of the constitutional form of government is in itself a +proof that the efforts of the Ottoman Empire for its regeneration have +been fully crowned with success. Certain exceptions, however, based on +the capitulations, such as the participation of foreigners in the +administration of justice, which is an all-important prerogative of +national sovereignty, the limitations imposed on the legislative +rights of the State, based on the argument that certain laws cannot be +applied to foreigners, the injustice inflicted on common right from +the impossibility of convicting a delinquent who disturbs the safety +of the country merely because he happens to be a foreigner, or because +the prosecution against him must be subjected to certain limitations +and particular conditions; and likewise the difference in the +competency of the various courts dealing with cases where the +capitulations are involved; all these constitute impregnable barriers +against every effort of the country toward progress in the +administration of justice. + +From another point of view, the fact that foreigners living in the +Ottoman Empire are exempt from taxation, in accordance with the +capitulations, makes it impossible for the Sublime Porte to procure +the indispensable means for the carrying out, not only of the reforms +but of its everyday needs. + +The impossibility of increasing the indirect taxation is bringing +about the increase of direct taxes, and therefore makes the burden on +the Ottoman tax-payers all the heavier. The fact that foreigners who +enjoy in the Ottoman Empire every protection and every privilege as +well as freedom in their business transactions are exempt from +taxation constitutes in itself an intolerable injustice and creates at +the same time a situation detrimental to the independence and prestige +of the Government. + +While the Imperial Government was firm in its resolution to continue +its efforts regarding the reforms, the general war broke and increased +the financial difficulties of the country in such a degree that all +the innovations and all the reforms which have been decided upon and +actually begun are threatened to remain without effect. + +The Sublime Porte feels convinced that the only way toward salvation +for the Ottoman Government lies in the realization of the necessary +reforms in the least possible time. In the same way the Porte feels +that every encouragement will be shown her in the decisive steps to be +undertaken for this end. + +Convinced of this, the Imperial Government has decided to abolish, on +Oct. 1, 1914, the capitulations, and all conventions, concessions, and +privileges emanating therefrom, which have become an iron ring around +the State, making it impossible for it to progress. + +At the same time the Ottoman Government engages to treat with foreign +countries in accordance with the rules of international law. While I +have the honor of communicating to your Excellency this decision, +which opens a new and happy era in the life of the Ottoman Empire, an +event which undoubtedly will please your Excellency, I consider it my +duty to add that the Porte in abolishing the capitulations does not +harbor any hostile feeling against any of the foreign States, but is +acting solely in the highest interests of the empire. At the same +time, the Porte is ready to begin pourparlers for the conclusion of +commercial treaties in accordance with the principles of international +law. + +_The Turkish press made little mention of the manner in which Europe +took notice of the important step taken by the Porte, and the +Ministerial Tasfiri Efkiar was the only one to express the feelings of +the Government on this occasion, saying:_ + +It is not proper for us to expect a unanimous and speedy satisfaction +from all the European powers; but, on the other hand, we must welcome +every objection and every discussion from whatever source it comes, as +in this way we shall know who are our friends and who our enemies. + + +APPROACHING THE CRISIS. + +_The events covering the period from Sept. 10, when the abolition of +the capitulations was decided upon, till Oct. 29, when the Turkish +fleet attacked Russian ports and shipping in the Black Sea, were +confined mostly to hasty and all-absorbing warlike preparations on the +part of the Turkish Government, assisted by the German military +mission. The Constantinople correspondent of The Daily Atlantis of New +York wrote on Sept. 17:_ + +We are daily approaching a crisis. The Government has not swerved from +its warlike attitude, and is threatening not only Greece, but Russia +and the Triple Entente as well, while, on the other hand, it has +failed to secure Rumanian or Bulgarian co-operation in its militant +policy. At the same time, the Porte has learned that efforts are being +made in the Balkans for common action against Turkey. It also became +known that the Governments of London and Petrograd agreed to indemnify +Bulgaria by giving her Adrianople and Thrace, while Greece was to have +Smyrna, with a considerable hinterland. + +During this period the Turkish press maintained an active campaign +against England and the Allies. The following extract from an +editorial article published in the Terdjumani-Hakkikat thus +characterizes the situation: + + Everybody knows that the Balkan States are traversing a + period of doubts, and that the belligerent parties are doing + their best in order to secure the sympathies and the + assistance of the Balkan States. + + To begin with, the idea of reconstructing the Balkan League + came under consideration. In this way the Balkan States + think they will become strong enough to impose their will at + the final settlement that will follow the war. This idea, + however, based as it is on the nullification of the Treaty + of Bucharest, and on certain sacrifices on the part of + Rumania and Greece, proved to be a failure. In the course of + the discussion between the two States it was shown that + neither Greece nor Rumania was willing to make any sacrifice + in favor of Bulgaria. The Balkan Alliance, being thus + unpracticable, the belligerent powers of Europe attempted to + attract Rumania and Bulgaria only, and to this end they made + every sort of promise to the two Governments of Sofia and + Bucharest. The President of the London Balkan Committee, Mr. + Noel Buxton, went to Bulgaria and made certain promises to + Mr. Radoslavoff, the Bulgarian Premier, in the name of Sir + Edward Grey. He promised the restitution to Bulgaria of the + Enos-Midia line, including Adrianople. The Bulgarians, + however, are not to be fooled in this way by promises at the + expense of third parties, and especially when the eventual + cost of these gifts might be a heavy one. We must not forget + that Bulgaria wants not Thrace, but Macedonia. If Great + Britain had promised Bulgaria Macedonia, including Saloniki, + and the Bulgarian Government was convinced beforehand of the + fulfillment of the promise, then it is certain that the + proposal would be accepted. But this is not in line with + England's interests, because in that case she would lose her + two other customers--Greece and Servia. And so there goes + Mr. Buxton making offers out of our own pocket. + + But we Turks have been used to injustices; and it has become + an axiom in history that whenever there is trouble in any + part of the world we must be the ultimate sufferers. It + seems that this time, too, "our friends" felt like repeating + the same story; but now we are not to be caught napping, and + the Government, having in time mobilized the army, is ready + for every emergency. + +_On Sept. 27 a Turkish destroyer having been stopped by a British +destroyer outside the Dardanelles, the Turkish Government ordered the +straits closed to all shipping._ + +_The Turkish Government tried to justify in the official press of +Constantinople the measure of closing the straits by declaring that +this important step was undertaken only after a Franco-British fleet +had established an actual blockade of the straits to the detriment of +Turkish commerce and neutral navigation. The Government organ, The +Tasfiri-Efkiar, said:_ + +The powers are trying to justify the mobilization of Switzerland, and +are making a great case of Belgian neutrality, but meantime they +consider our mobilization as having no other purpose than an +aggression against our neighbors. + +Now, if the neutrality of Switzerland, which is guaranteed by all the +powers, is likely to be endangered, how is it possible for us to +remain calm and undisturbed in this universal upheaval, so long as we +know that to annoy and continually harass Turkey according to the +fancies of Europe has well-nigh become a sort of fashion? + +Those powers that are dissatisfied at our mobilization are eager to +find our anxiety as without foundation for the mere reason that our +territorial integrity remains under the guarantee of all the powers. +But where was that guarantee when Tripoli and Cyrenaica were attacked +in a way little differing from open brigandage? And was it not the +same powers who forgot their guaranties in the Balkan Peninsula when +they abolished the famous status quo? With such facts before us is it +not ridiculous to speak of European guaranties? While we have now +before us what happened to Belgium, why should our mobilization excite +such widespread indignation? All we are trying to do is to safeguard +and protect our interests and protect ourselves from aggression on the +part of the Balkan States. + + +WAR DECLARED. + +_On Oct. 29, 1914, the attack of the Turkish forces upon Russia and +England was delivered. Following is the official Turkish version of +the events leading to the rupture of diplomatic relations between +Turkey and the Triple Entente, contained in the first Turkish +communique of the war, appearing in the Turkish press on Oct. 31, +1914:_ + +While on the 27th of October a small part of the Turkish fleet was +manoeuvring in the Black Sea, the Russian fleet, which at first +confined its activities to following and hindering every one of our +movements, finally, on the 29th, unexpectedly began hostilities by +attacking the Ottoman fleet. + +During the naval battle which ensued the Turkish fleet, with the help +of the Almighty, sank the mine-layer Pruth, displacing 5,000 tons and +having a cargo of 700 mines; inflicted severe damage on one of the +Russian torpedo boats, and captured a collier. + +A torpedo from the Turkish torpedo boat Gairet-i-Millet sank the +Russian destroyer Koubanietz, and another from the Turkish torpedo +boat Mouavenet-i-Millet inflicted serious damage on a Russian +coastguard ship. + +Three officers and seventy-two sailors, rescued by our men and +belonging to the crews of the damaged and sunken vessels of the +Russian fleet, have been made prisoners. The Ottoman imperial fleet, +glory be given to the Almighty, escaped injury, and the battle is +progressing favorably for us. + +The Imperial Government will no doubt protest most energetically +against this hostile action of the Russian fleet against a small part +of our fleet. + +Information received from our fleet now in the Black Sea is as +follows: From accounts of Russian sailors taken prisoners and from the +presence of a mine-layer among the Russian fleet, evidence is gathered +that the Russian fleet intended closing the entrance to the Bosphorus +with mines and destroying entirely the imperial Ottoman fleet after +having split it in two. Our fleet, believing that it had to face an +unexpected attack, and supposing that the Russians had begun +hostilities without a formal declaration of war, pursued the scattered +Russian fleet, bombarded the port of Sebastopol, destroyed in the city +of Novorosiysk fifty petroleum depots, fourteen military transports, +some granaries, and the wireless telegraph station. + +In addition to the above, our fleet has sunk in Odessa a Russian +cruiser and damaged severely another. It is believed that this second +boat was likewise sunk. Five other steamers full of cargoes lying in +the same port were seriously damaged. A steamship belonging to the +Russian volunteer fleet was also sunk, and five petroleum depots were +destroyed. + +In Odessa and Sebastopol, the Russians from the shore opened fire +against our fleet. + +The officers and crews of the mine-layer Pruth were subjected to a +rigid examination. + +Eight or ten days ago the Pruth, lying in the roadstead of Sebastopol, +received a cargo of mines and was put under the command of officers +who for a number of years past had been training on board the Russian +depot ship in Constantinople and therefore had become familiar with +the ins and outs of the Bosphorus. + +As soon as it became known that a small part of the Turkish fleet went +out to the Black Sea, the Russian fleet sailed from Sebastopol, +leaving only an adequate squadron for the protection of the city, and +on Oct. 27 put to sea, taking a southerly direction with the rest of +its forces. On the next day the mine-layer Pruth left Sebastopol and +steamed southward. + +The Russian fleet, acting in different ways, intended to fill with +mines the entrance of the Bosphorus, attack the weak squadron of the +Ottoman fleet, at that time on the high seas, and cause the +destruction of the rest of the Turkish fleet, which, being left in the +Bosphorus, would rush to the assistance of the light flotilla, and, +encountering the mines, would be destroyed. + +Our warships manoeuvring on the high seas met the mine-layer Pruth as +well as the torpedo boats accompanying her, and thus took place the +events already known from previous communications. + +The rescued Russian officers are five in number, one of them a +Lieutenant Commander. The prisoners have been sent to Ismid. + +This successful action on the part of our squadron, which only by +chance came to be on the high seas at the time of the naval battle, is +itself one of the utmost importance for us, as it assures the future +of our fleet. + + +THE SULTAN'S PROCLAMATION. + +_As soon as war was declared against Russia, England, and consequently +France, the Sultan issued the following proclamation to his troops:_ + +To my army! To my navy! + +Immediately after the war between the Great powers began, I called you +to arms in order to be able in case of trouble to protect the +existence of empire and country from any assault on the part of our +enemies, who are only awaiting the chance to attack us suddenly and +unexpectedly as they have always done. + +While we were thus in a state of armed neutrality, a part of the +Russian fleet, which was going to lay mines at the entrance of the +straits of the Black Sea, suddenly opened fire against a squadron of +our own fleet at the time engaged in manoeuvres. + +While we were expecting reparation from Russia for this unjustified +attack, contrary to international law, the empire just named, as well +as its allies, recalled their Ambassadors and severed diplomatic +relations with our country. + +The fleets of England and France have bombarded the straits of the +Dardanelles, and the British fleet has shelled the harbor of Akbah on +the Red Sea. In the face of such successive proofs of wanton hostility +we have been forced to abandon the peaceful attitude for which we +always strove, and now in common with our allies, Germany and Austria, +we turn to arms in order to safeguard our lawful interests. + +The Russian Empire during the last three hundred years has caused our +country to suffer many losses in territory, and when we finally arose +to that sentiment of awakening and regeneration which would increase +our national welfare and our power, the Russian Empire made every +effort to destroy our attempts, either with war or with numerous +machinations and intrigues. Russia, England, and France never for a +moment ceased harboring ill-will against our Caliphate, to which +millions of Mussulmans, suffering under the tyranny of foreign +domination, are religiously and whole-heartedly devoted, and it was +always these powers that started every misfortune that came upon us. + +Therefore, in this mighty struggle which now we are undertaking, we +once for all will put an end to the attacks made from one side against +the Caliphate, and from the other against the existence of our +country. + +The wounds inflicted, with the help of the Almighty, by my fleet in +the Black Sea, and by my army in the Dardanelles, in Akbah, and on the +Caucasian frontiers against our enemies, have strengthened in us the +conviction that our sacred struggle for a right cause will triumph. +The fact, moreover, that today the countries and armies of our enemies +are being crushed under the heels of our allies is a good sign, making +our conviction as regards final success still stronger. + +My heroes! My soldiers! In this sacred war and struggle, which we +began against the enemies who have undermined our religion and our +holy fatherland, never for a single moment cease from strenuous effort +and from self-abnegation. + +Throw yourselves against the enemy as lions, bearing in mind that the +very existence of our empire, and of 300,000,000 Moslems whom I have +summoned by sacred Fetwa to a supreme struggle, depend on your +victory. + +The hearty wishes and prayers of 300,000,000 innocent and tortured +faithful, whose faces are turned in ecstasy and devotion to the Lord +of the universe in the mosques and the shrine of the Kaabah, are with +you. + +My children! My soldiers! No army in the history of the world was ever +honored with a duty as sacred and as great as is yours. By fulfilling +it, show that you are the worthy descendants of the Ottoman Armies +that in the past made the world tremble, and make it impossible for +any foe of our faith and country to tread on our ground, and disturb +the peace of the sacred soil of Yemen, where the inspiring tomb of our +prophet lies. Prove beyond doubt to the enemies of the country that +there exist an Ottoman Army and Navy which know how to defend their +faith, their country and their military honor, and how to defy death +for their sovereign! + +Right and loyalty are on our side, and hatred and tyranny on the side +of our enemies, and therefore there is no doubt that the Divine help +and assistance of the just God and the moral support of our glorious +Prophet will be on our side to encourage us. I feel convinced that +from this struggle we shall emerge as an empire that has made good the +losses of the past and is once more glorious and powerful. + +Do not forget that you are brothers in arms of the strongest and +bravest armies of the world, with whom we now are fighting shoulder to +shoulder. Let those of you who are to die a martyr's death be +messengers of victory to those who have gone before us, and let the +victory be sacred and the sword be sharp of those of you who are to +remain in life. + +MEHMED-RESHAD. + +On the 22 Djilhidje, 1332. +Or October 29, 1914. + + +VERBATIM TERMS OF THE FETWA + +(Sultan's Proclamation of a Holy War.) + +_The issuance by the Sultan of the Fetwa, or proclamation, announcing +a holy war, called upon all Mussulmans capable of carrying arms--and +even upon Mussulman women--to fight against the powers with whom the +Sultan was at war. In this manner, according to Constantinople +newspapers, the holy war became a duty not only for all Ottoman +subjects, but for the 300,000,000 Moslems of the earth. The Turkish +newspaper Ikdam called upon the people as follows:_ + +Mussulmans, open your eyes! Grasp your weapons; trust to God. Hurl +yourselves with full might against the foe! As the Caliph has said, +the Divine help will be with us. Forward! Sons of Islam! There is no +longer a difference of nationality; there is no longer a difference of +culture. All Mussulmans are united and have but a single wish--to +destroy our foes! + +_The wording of the Fetwa itself, however, is less fiery in tone than +the impassioned newspaper appeal. The Fetwa reads as follows:_ + +First Question--If lands of Islam are subjected to attack by enemies, +if danger threatens Islam, must in that case young and old, infantry +and mounted men, in all parts of the earth inhabited by Mohammedans, +take part in the holy war, with their fortune and their blood, in case +the Padisha declares the war to all Mohammedans? Answer--Yes. + +Second Question--Since Russia, England, France, and other States +supporting these three powers against the Islamitic Caliphate have +opened hostilities against the Ottoman Empire by means of their +warships and their land troops, is it necessary that all Mohammedans +also who live in the countries named shall rise against their +Government and take part in the holy war? Answer--Yes. + +Third Question--Under all circumstances, since the attainment of the +goal depends upon the participation of all Mohammedans in the holy +war, will those who refuse to join in the general uprising be punished +for conduct so abhorrent? Answer--Yes. + +Fourth Question--Mohammedans who live in lands of the enemy may, under +threats against their own lives and the lives of their families, be +forced to fight against the soldiers of the States of Islam. Can such +conduct be punished as forbidden under the Sheriat, and those guilty +thereof be regarded as murderers and punished with the fires of hell? +Answer--Yes. + +Fifth Question--Inasmuch as it will be detrimental to the Mohammedan +Caliphate of the Mohammedans who live in Russia, France, England, +Servia, and Montenegro fight against Germany and Austria-Hungary, +which are the saviors of the great Mohammedan Empire, will therefore +those who do so be punished with heavy penalties? Answer--Yes. + + +BRITAIN'S ANSWER. + +[From The London Times, Nov. 6, 1914.] + +_A supplement to The London Gazette published yesterday morning +contains the following:_ + + NOTICE. + + Owing to hostile acts committed by Turkish forces under + German officers, a state of war exists between Great Britain + and Turkey as from today. + + Foreign Office, Nov. 5, 1914. + +Following this notice is a proclamation extending to the war with +Turkey the Proclamations and Orders in Council now in force relating +to the war, other than the Order in Council of Aug. 4, 1914, with +reference to the departure from British ports of enemy vessels which, +at the outbreak of hostilities, were in such ports or subsequently +entered the same. + +The Gazette also contains an Order in Council, dated Nov. 5, annexing +the Island of Cyprus. + +The order, after reciting the Convention of June 4, 1878, the Annex +thereto, and the Agreement of Aug. 14, 1878, by which the Sultan of +Turkey assigned the Island of Cyprus to be occupied and administered +by England, and affirming that by reason of the outbreak of +hostilities with Turkey the Convention, Annex, and Agreement have +become annulled, asserts that it has seemed expedient to annex the +island. His Majesty, with the advice of his Privy Council, has +therefore ordered: + + From and after the date hereof the said island shall be + annexed to and form part of his Majesty's dominions, and the + said island is annexed accordingly. + + +EGYPT'S NEW SULTAN. + +_The New Sultan of Egypt, Hussein I., made his State entry on Dec. 20, +1914, into the Abdin Palace, in Cairo. The streets were lined with +troops and the progress of their new ruler was watched by thousands of +enthusiastic spectators. The King of England sent a telegram to the +Sultan, to which his Highness replied thanking his Majesty for the +promised British support. A new Cabinet had already been formed. +Rushdi Pasha retained the position of Prime Minister and the portfolio +of the Interior. Following is King George's telegram to the Sultan:_ + +On the occasion when your Highness enters upon your high office I +desire to convey to your Highness the expression of my most sincere +friendship and the assurance of my unfailing support in safeguarding +the integrity of Egypt and in securing her future well-being and +prosperity. + +Your Highness has been called upon to undertake the responsibilities +of your high office at a grave crisis in the national life of Egypt, +and I feel convinced that you will be able, with the co-operation of +your Ministers and the Protectorate of Great Britain, successfully to +overcome all the influences which are seeking to destroy the +independence of Egypt and the wealth, liberty, and happiness of its +people. + +GEORGE R. AND I. + + +_The Sultan telegraphed the following reply:_ + +To his Majesty the King, London. + +I present to your Majesty the expression of my deepest gratitude for +the feelings of friendship with which you see fit to honor me and for +the assurance of your valuable support in safeguarding the integrity +and independence of Egypt. + +Conscious of the responsibilities I have just assumed, and resolved to +devote myself, in entire co-operation with the Protectorate, to the +progress and welfare of my people, I am happy to be able to count in +this task on your Majesty's protection and on the assistance of your +Government. + +HUSSEIN KAMEL. + + + + +Servia and Her Neighbors + + The utterances of Servia's statesmen and people since the + war began have not appeared in English. Only accounts of + fighting by the nation from which the great conflagration + started have been printed. How Servia has judged the issues + while conducting her struggle against annihilation, and how + the neighboring Balkan States regard her, are + authoritatively presented below. + + +_Premier Pashitch spoke in the Skuptschina, or Servian Parliament, on +Aug. 4, 1914, and made the following declaration given to the press by +the Official Servian Bureau:_ + +Mr. Pashitch laid stress on the fact that the Serajevo affair was used +as pretext for the war, desired long ago by the Austrian Monarchy, +which did not look on Pan-Serbism with a favorable eye, while the +aspirations of other countries of Rumania, Germany, and Italy were +tolerated. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy wished to crush Servian +aspirations by curbing the Servian prestige. + +In answering the Austrian note, Mr. Pashitch said, we reached the +extreme limits of submission to her demands. We did everything in +order to avoid the conflict and prove that we were peaceful. Now, all +united, we will defend our rights. + +We rely on the sympathy and support of great and sisterly Russia, who +knows that our foes have been conspiring against our independence and +our progress, and who will not permit our prestige to be crushed. At +the side of Russia we have other friends. + +(Long live Russia! Long live England! Long live France! Long live the +Triple Entente!) + +I thank the Opposition--continued Mr. Pashitch--because she has united +with us in these critical moments, forgetting in the face of danger +party lines and the dissension of opinions. + +_From Nish the following official communication was telegraphed to the +foreign press by the Government Bureau on Aug. 9, 1914:_ + +The Servian mobilization was effected with marvelous order, and once +more it proved the good military organization of Servia, and how much +the country can rely on the patriotic devotion of her soldiers. + +Notwithstanding the erroneous statements of a part of the foreign +press, notwithstanding the speedy development of events, +notwithstanding the season of work in the fields, fully 80 per cent. +of the reserves presented themselves on the first day of mobilization, +which was completed amid general enthusiasm. + +For a long time the Servians knew that the main struggle would be +turned against Austria. The Montenegrin and Servian peoples enter the +war against the common foe with an equal confidence in their armies. +The enthusiasm of these two countries is all the stronger from the +fact that they are fighting simultaneously with the aid of the +Russians, French, and English. Numerous manifestations have taken +place in Servian and Montenegrin cities in favor of Russia, France, +and England. + + +THE BULGARIAN MENACE. + +_Following is the account of the declaration of the Servian Minister +of Commerce, Mr. Paul Maringovich, published in the Bulgarian +newspaper Mir of Sofia in November, 1914:_ + +Mr. Maringovich's declarations are characteristic of the +Serbo-Bulgarian relations. This Servian statesman at first spoke of +the trials of the Servian Nation on account of the war, and then +expressed the belief that these trials will pass and Servia will see +better days with the realization of her ideals. Mr. Maringovich +predicts that the differences between Servia and Bulgaria will be +settled in the future and that the two peoples will live in perfect +harmony. + +Regarding the Serbo-Bulgarian relations Mr. Maringovich said in the +Mir: + +"I am sorry to hear that Bulgaria demands concessions from us. In +exchange for her friendship she demands concessions in Macedonia. But +in this case that cannot be called friendship. + +"Bulgaria demands this today because we are at war with Austria, and +we cannot accordingly oppose her. But in doing this she simply betrays +her weakness because it is a certain proof of weakness to strike one +from behind while he is struggling with another. If Bulgaria is proud +and strong she can measure herself with us as soon as the war with +Austria is over. A strong Bulgaria must measure herself with the +strong and not with the weak. + +"Why do people in Bulgaria today insist on concessions? Do you know +how many difficulties there are today in the granting of such +territorial concessions? You felt the pain of similar action. +Silistria was taken from you while your army was victoriously marching +on Constantinople. Do not insist on implanting deep in the Servian +heart a mortal hatred against yourselves. + +"Do not ask the reason of our dissensions of today, in a difference of +interests, because such difference does not exist, but try to find it +in the arrogance and the conceit of the two nations. We do not +recognize you as a nation. But this recognition must be made with the +understanding that you drop your conceit. + +"In Bulgaria people think that at this moment we have the support of +Russia. But there is a mistake even in this, as we are further than +you from Russia. If today Russia offers to us her support she is doing +that because we are struggling against Austria and preventing her from +invading the Balkans. + +"To this argument you oppose the treaty of Bucharest. But that treaty +is not our work. By not accepting the Czar's wish in his telegram of +May 5, (18,) 1913, you lost his support. This example from the past +can show you how far you can go when you oppose Russia. But in no case +are you entitled to blame those who are not guilty of your misfortune. + +"When Russia undertakes to do something for the Slavs, she always does +it in a way beneficial to the party to which she promised her support. + +"When this war is over, when the whole of Slavdom shall be freed, when +in a special congress all the interests of the Slavs shall be +discussed and the services rendered by each and every one of them +shall be weighed, Bulgaria must fear that decisions will be taken +which will be contrary to her and that her interests will be +sacrificed. + +"A country must not act always according to her interests. Does not +the Bulgarian people have any obligations toward Russia? Duty always +stands above mere interest. + +"When the war is over an entirely different atmosphere will rule in +the souls of the peoples, and it will then be possible to weigh the +actual interests with more equanimity and more calm. At least we +Servians have this opinion." + +_The following statement was made by the Servian Minister at +Petrograd, Mr. Spalaikowich, in the Russkoye Slovo:_ + +What is Bulgaria going to do in the present circumstances? To which +side will she cling? Is not her people going to take the arms against +their secular enemy, the Turks? + +This solution would be the most satisfactory for Bulgaria. Now a +chance is given her to fulfill her obligations to Russia, who made her +free. Let the Bulgarian sword be thrust against the secular enemy of +Slavdom and the petty differences be forgotten. + +Bulgaria, under the Russian wing, will enter the Slav family united, +strong, and beloved. If she remains inactive she will drag herself +poor and forgotten by all and full of regrets. + + +A PEASANT'S ANSWER. + +_As illustrating the popular feeling in Bulgaria the following letter +from a peasant to Mr. Maringovich appeared in the official organ of +the Bulgarian Government, Echo de Bulgarie, published in French:_ + +Your Excellency: I am a plain peasant from the Danube country. While +born on the shores of the beautiful blue Lake of Ochrida, and really, +I cannot understand what is the meaning of your factum, (sic.) What +have you come to do among us? Nobody knows you any more in Sofia. You +are Servian and consequently a foreigner to us Bulgarians. There are +certain pains that nothing can alleviate, nor heal, and there are +wounds that nothing can cicatrize. + +Since your entry in Ochrida, in my father's house, you, the Servian +Army, behaved like enemies. You profaned the church, that Bulgarian +church where I took my first communion. You have despoiled the +archives and burned our libraries; you ordered closed our national +school where I learned to mumble the alphabet of my mother tongue. + +I have seen the epic struggle of my compatriots against Greeks and +Turks, and I took part with them in order to obtain these national +institutions. And did you come there in Ochrida, and everywhere in +Macedonia protected by our valiant army of Lule Bourgas and Chataldja, +to perform the duty of allies--of Slav brethren? + +You established yourselves as conquerors of the country, as vandals, +with the manifest purpose of extinguishing every vestige of our +national culture. You associated yourselves with the non-Slavs +(Rumanians and Greeks) against us, your allies, in order to reach your +end. Why, then, do you call us Slavs? We were called Tartars until +just before you arrived in Sofia. + +You treated as villains our Bishops, whom the Turks and the Greeks +were forced to restore us after a struggle of seventy-five years. You +burned our Bulgarian books, and you forbade, under penalty of death, +our people from calling themselves Bulgars. You tortured my parents +with all the refinements of torture that you have invented. + +Why, I beg of you? Because you were Servians? I will not go so far as +to injure you with the belief that the Servians are capable of crimes +against nature. Then, because we were Bulgarians; because those poor +people, taking you for their brethren, for Christians, for Slavs, at +least had the courage to say they were Bulgarians and to think +themselves such. + +And this continues today with increased intensity. Ah, Mr. +Maringovich! You have committed there and you persist in committing a +crime against humanity that nothing will ever efface. You stabbed us +to the heart, with premeditation, and the wound is still bleeding; you +killed our faith in the Slav brotherhood. You morally assassinated us. + +In the face of these crimes, Bregainitza and Slivnitza are pale +figures. These odious crimes will not be left unpunished. The day of +chastisement will come whether you look for it or not. + +Your Excellency, I permit myself to repeat the question: What have you +come to do among us? + +Really you must have a good cheek--permit me this undiplomatic +expression--and a Servian cheek, in order to have the audacity to come +here and tell us tales. It is not only this; but you make sport of our +sacredest and deepest sentiments, you reopen our wounds, and you +purely and simply abuse us. You ought to have thought of all this +before you set out for Sofia. Today there is an abyss dividing Serbs +and Bulgars. It is an open precipice which will serve for you as a +grave. You wish to fill it? To succeed you must employ other means +than words. + +Sir: You are a foreigner to us; there is not an honest man in all +Bulgaria who can consider you a welcome guest. Nobody knows you. For +every Bulgar there is only one word and one gesture for you. We stake +our liberty in giving you the answer and in making the gesture. + +Sir: You may take the train which brought you here from Nish. There is +the depot. Farewell! Kindly accept the assurance of my consideration +for your person, whom I had not the advantage to know. + + +THE MINISTRY'S POSITION. + +_The statement by the new Servian Cabinet in the Skuptschina on Dec. +8, 1914, follows:_ + +The new Ministry has made in the Skuptschina the following +declarations: The Government that has the honor to appear before you +has been constituted with the purpose of manifesting to the end of +this great crisis the union of the wills, the forces, and the +intentions of all political parties of our country. + +This Government is convinced of the confidence of the Skuptschina, as +it puts all of its forces to the service of the great cause of the +Servian Nation, and of the Serbo-Croatian-Slovenian family. + +The Government considers its first duty to bow low before the heroic +sacrifices voluntarily made on the altar of the fatherland. + +The Government sends to the entire army and to all the military, from +commanders down to simple privates, the expression of its confidence, +its admiration and its gratitude for their efforts and their +sacrifices to the common fatherland. + +Our little and young army, conserving the good reputation it had +acquired in the past years, has put itself worthily on the side of the +glorious and veteran armies of our great allies, who are struggling +together with us for the cause of justice and liberty. + +There is no doubt that in the end of these painful days of war our +historic nation will be recognized and appreciated. + +The Government is convinced that all the Servian people are united +until the end of this hallowed war, to defend their hearths and their +liberty; that their sole duty is to assure an army proportionate to +this great war, which from the very beginning has been a struggle for +the emancipation and the union of all our brother Serbo-Croato-Slovaks, +who now suffer under foreign rule. + +The brilliant success which will crown this war will compensate +largely the great sacrifices of the present Servian generation. In +this struggle the Servian people have not to choose, because in a +question of life and death there is no choice. + +This people is forced to struggle and will do its duty with the same +unflinching energy of a century ago for the redemption of the tomb of +Kossovo. + +The Government will try faithfully to represent this national +decision; and, faithful to its powerful and heroic allies, it will +with confidence await the hour of victory. + +The Government, conscious of the pains and hardships suffered by the +army and in large part by the nation, will do all that human strength +can do for the amelioration of the present situation and will +energetically try all measures for refitting the army and bettering +the sanitary service, as in this cause no sacrifices shall be spared. + +In concert with you, gentlemen, the Government will take all the +necessary measures for helping the population to recuperate after the +war. + +Now, while the enemy is yet at the gates of our country, the +Government cries: Forward, with God's help, against the enemy! Forward +in the struggle against the enemy! + +[All the Deputies, without party distinction, repeated the last words +of Premier Nicola Pashitch, and immense applause greeted the +manifesto.] + + +STATEMENT TO GREECE. + +_The Servian Minister at Athens, Mr. Baluhtchich, caused this +announcement to be made on Nov. 29, 1914:_ + +On Nov. 29 the Servian Minister at Athens declared that all talk of +Servian concessions of any kind in favor of Bulgaria was premature. + +The Servian Government, the Minister said, finds it impossible to +proceed to any concession territorial or moral, so long as Servia is +in a state of war. + +The Bulgarian Government has not made, and it is impossible to +formulate, her demands directly to Servia, because it is impossible to +foresee the outcome of a struggle so violent and apparently destined +to be long. For Servia it is impossible to enter negotiations of +indemnity or concessions for the neutrality of Bulgaria before an end +is put to the present situation. The only certain thing is that the +Governments of the Triple Entente are endeavoring to reconstitute the +Balkan League, which is to be made of three Balkan States, namely, +Servia, Greece, and Bulgaria. + +But, as I had the occasion of stating some time ago, the Bulgarian +territorial demands, with regard to the reconstitution of the league, +have been so preposterous that neither Greece nor Servia could begin +discussions on such a basis. + +I deny, in the most emphatic manner, Mr. Baluhtchich said, the news +that Servia was to cede, or that Bulgaria directly and formally +demanded from my Government, any strip whatever of Macedonian +territory, at least for the time being. + +Likewise it is untrue that the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Mr. +Radoslavoff, demanded from the Ambassadors of the Triple Entente that +the compensation for her neutrality be guaranteed to her from now for +the future. It is true that a disturbing political ferment is going on +now in the Balkan Peninsula, the Servian Minister said in conclusion, +but it is a difficult thing to express opinions at this time. + +However, before the war is over, neither concessions nor discussion +can be made, at least as far as Servia is concerned, and it seems that +the Triple Entente concurs in this view. + + +BULGARIA AND KULTUR. + +_In the semi-official Servian daily, Samouprava, published in Belgrade +and now at Nish, the following editorial article appeared early in the +first week of October, 1914:_ + +The Bulgarians are a queer people. Those of the foreigners who +sympathize with them are apt to call them realists, positivists, and +calculants, but we Servians, knowing them, understand that such +definitions applied to them are flattering euphemisms and nothing +more. The Bulgarian people are really laborious and thrifty. +Unfortunately the cultured members of Bulgarian society, who studied +abroad, bear in their social and political life the fundamental +characteristics of the German intellect. + +The cultured Bulgarians have absorbed the German Kultur, although they +do not owe Germany even the hundredth part of what they owe to Russia. + +All these are facts that need not proofs. Bulgaria, therefore, could +not more wantonly accuse Servia than by saying that we allied +ourselves with the enemies of Slavdom. The cynicism of these +accusations is proved by the following officially registered Bulgarian +actions: + +The Stoilof Ministry has concluded an alliance with Servia and also an +understanding which the Bulgarians sold to Turkey for eight Bishoprics +in Macedonia. + +During the crisis which followed the annexation of Servian Bosnia and +Herzegovina to Austria, and when Russia was mortally insulted, +Bulgaria, in common understanding with Austria, proclaimed her +independence and definitely annexed Oriental Rumelia. These profits +Bulgaria secured to the detriment of Servian interests. + +During the Balkan war, and notwithstanding all that Servia had done +for Bulgaria, the Bulgarian attitude was once more treacherous, +culminating in the wanton attack upon her allies at the instigation of +Austria. + +Today, when Russia fights a life-and-death struggle, Bulgaria is +keeping neutral, and every one knows what kind of neutrality is this +when such a multitude of Germans is passing through Bulgarian +territory in order to arm and lead the Turks against Russia. And, last +but not least, immediately after the present war between Austria and +Servia, the Bulgarians proposed an alliance to Rumania. + +After all this it is a wonder how the Bulgarians dare to invoke Slav +sympathies, which they always sold to Austria, and which the Bulgarian +press is now trying to sell at auction. Lucky he who buys them. + +[Illustration: A YOUTHFUL BELGIAN HERO + +Joseph Lessen, a Boy Scout, 18 Years of Age, Who So Distinguished +Himself That He Was Decorated on the Field by King Albert.] + +[Illustration: THE CROWN PRINCE OF BELGIUM + +H.R.H. Prince Leopold, Eldest Son of the King of the Belgians. + +(_Photo from Underwood & Underwood._)] + + +AFTER FIVE MONTHS' FIGHTING. + +_On Dec. 17, (30, New Style,) 1914, Crown Prince Alexander of Servia, +in his quality of Commander in Chief of the Army, issued the following +order of the day to his troops:_ + +Soldiers! It is now five months since the day when the enemy attacked +our beloved country. Notwithstanding the fact that we had suffered +the trials of two heroic but hard wars, nevertheless firm and +undaunted we have stood the attack. Having routed the enemy in Tchar +and Zadar we gave him, after heroic and sanguinary battles, the +biggest blow of all. + +Thousands of prisoners, hundreds of guns, a quantity of war booty, +which came to our hands, are witnesses of his defeat and our glory. + +Soldiers! I feel proud in announcing to you that not a single enemy +remains on the soil of the Servian Kingdom. We cast him out with great +losses. + +At this sacred moment, when on the heroic City of Belgrade anew waves +the victorious Servian flag, I desire to fulfill a great duty of +gratitude. In our ranks, in this third war, are fighting our brothers +which we have liberated from the Turkish yoke. The soldiers of +Kossovo, of Vardar, of Hekligovatz, of Bregalnitsa, of Bitolie, and of +Porets, have shown themselves worthy of their brothers of Shumadia and +the Danube, of Poutrin and Morava, of Timok and Usjitsa. + +They have shown themselves worthy of the heroes Milaten and Dughan, +who for long have carried the glory and the good name of the Servian +arms. + +I want to give to these new soldiers of ours conspicuous proofs of the +gratitude of the fatherland. In the face of the undeniable proof of +their fulfillment of their duty, in the face of their enthusiasm I +declare that these soldiers shall have the political and +constitutional rights of Servia, their liberatrix! The Skuptschina, in +its first sitting after peace is signed, will take all the necessary +measures in order that full liberties be given to our brethren. + +Soldiers! The iron ring of our powerful allies is fastening tighter +every day around our common enemy. And he, (the enemy,) feeling that +his defeat is well nigh at hand and dreading its dire consequences, +fights desperately and strenuously. But in vain. The number of their +soldiers is diminishing daily, and our allies are strengthened with +new troops on the fields of battle. + +The end of this gigantic struggle is from now known, although not yet +accomplished. We must, therefore, for some time to come, fulfill our +difficult duty and stay by the side of our big and powerful allies, +who are fighting for us, till our enemy is annihilated on the +battlefield. + +And then peace will come to crown worthily those who have been +sacrificed for our great fatherland, and then our country will be much +enlarged, much stronger, and much happier than she ever has been. And +for this, oh, my heroic Servia will be grateful to you. + + +RUSSIAN CONGRATULATIONS. + +_On Dec. 18, 1914, the new Russian Minister to Servia, Prince +Troubetzkoi, presented his credentials to the Servian Crown Prince +Alexander, whom he addressed as follows:_ + +Illustrious Sir: I have the honor to hand to your Royal Highness the +letter by which his Majesty the Emperor of Russia has deigned to +accredit me by his Majesty the King of Servia. + +My august master has charged me to express to you the vivid sympathy +and the sincere admiration which his Majesty feels for the valiant +people of Servia, her heroic army, and her venerable chief. + +Allow me to express to your Highness the joy that I feel in fulfilling +the imperial commission today when your army has covered itself with +immortal glory and has written in Servian history the most beautiful +page that a people may desire. + +Separated by a long distance, but, attracted by the heart of her elder +sister, Servia may say that in this terrible struggle against an +enemy, numerically stronger but morally weaker, she is not alone and +will not be forsaken. + +I pray that this conviction may double the unflinching courage of the +Servians and lead them always to new victories. + +In assuming today the duties incumbent upon me after the death of my +lamented predecessor, Hartwig, I take the courage, illustrious Sir, to +express the hope that your Highness will not deprive me of his +assistance, which will be absolutely necessary to me in order that I +may work to the best of my abilities for the common good of the two +countries, and also for the consummation of peace in the Balkan +Peninsula, this peace that Russia considers as the essential aim of +her efforts and her sacrifices. + +_Crown Prince Alexander answered as follows:_ + +The expression of the vivid sympathy and admiration which his Majesty +the Emperor has addressed through you to the people and army of Servia +are so much the more welcome as I personally witnessed the hard +conditions under which my valiant army is struggling and the heavy +burdens oppressing my brave people. + +The fact that, although separated by a long distance from Russia, her +elder sister, Servia can find in her bosom a heart having the same +sentiments as hers, has encouraged our army and our people to persist +in the heroic struggle that they are waging against a more numerous +enemy. This certainty will give us new strength to carry the struggle +to the end. + +In the fulfillment of your mission, after the death of your +predecessor, a mission which the late Hartwig performed with such love +and such devotion to the true Slav interests, you can rest on my +absolute confidence and the continued support of my Government, being +sure that the greatness and the power of Servia are in full accord +with the greatness and the power of holy Russia. + +The lamented Hartwig made many trips for the mutual benefit of both +countries, Russia and Servia, and his efforts had resulted in creating +stable conditions and securing the peace of the Balkans. + +In accepting the letters, by which his Majesty the Emperor has +accredited you by his Majesty the King of Servia, my beloved father, I +bid you, Mr. Minister, welcome, and I wish you success in your +mission. + + +BULGARIA'S SENTIMENT. + +_The following Bulgarian view of the Servian victory that resulted in +the recapture of Belgrade is presented from an editorial article of +the Dnevnik of Sofia:_ + +The Austro-Hungarian action against Servia seems to have failed. It +goes without saying that the return of the Servians to Belgrade does +not mean yet that the handful of the starving and half-naked Servian +Army has been victorious against its strong opponent. + +The Servian success, according to latest information, is due to means +that are very little laudable in themselves. + +The commander of the advance posts of the Austro-Hungarian Army, being +a native of Dalmatia, became intimate with the Servians and committed +an odious treason. He disclosed to them the dispositions of the +Austro-Hungarian forces, and he himself, with the sections forming the +guard, surrendered to the Servians. + +From the Austrian rearguard one part scattered to various villages, +another was sleeping. They were not ready and, caught unexpectedly, +were dispersed. + +Austro-Hungarian prestige is severely wounded. The shameful treason +shows how dangerous is the Pan-Servian propaganda to the integrity of +the Austrian Empire, when corruption has reached even the officers +standing in high command. + +The Austro-Hungarian General Staff, as we are informed, has already +taken those measures imposed by the situation. The Generals, Frank and +Potiorek, have been recalled and will be probably court-martialed. And +it seems that the "brilliant" Servian victories are the beginning of +the end of the "Slav Belgium." + + +GREECE ACCLAIMS. + +_The following editorial article, headed "A New Marathon" on the +Servian victory, appeared in the Greek newspaper Patris of Athens on +Dec. 3, (16, New Style,) 1914, expressing the views of the Hellenic +Government:_ + +The reoccupation of Belgrade by the Servians is one of those military +feats which amount to historical phenomena. The Servians not only +contributed the greatest feat of the European war, as far as results +are concerned, but won for themselves an immortal page in the world's +history. + +Greece alone has to show an analogous achievement, although greater, +when she expelled the Persian invasion. + +Only the achievements of Arhangelovatz, Ouzhitse, and Lazarevats can +compare in a certain degree to the brilliancy of Marathon and Plateae. +And the Servian achievement appears all the more Hellenic if analogies +are to be considered. + +The Servians, until yesterday a little people, with an army almost +insignificant in face of the masses of the Austrian columns, +submissive in times of peace, in the face of the most oppressive +demands of Austrian diplomacy--considered like all the small peoples +to be living at the mercy of the great--when the hour of supreme +defense for altars and hearths struck, and in the face of an enemy +threatening to swallow their country, they arose, terrible in their +vengeance, and repeated the feat of the routing of Goliath by their +small but invincible power. + +This was possible because their regiments were not moved by the hope +of effectively beating the enemy, which hope springs from the +consciousness of numerical superiority, but they were enlivened and +strengthened before death by the undying fire of freedom, national +pride, and the conviction that they were thrust into the most honored +struggle, after which there would not be left for them anything but to +live or die. + +And the Austrians, who considered their campaign against Servia as +mere child's play; the Austrians with their German military +organization; the Austrians, who constitute one-sixth of the entire +European military power, started against Servia with the same logic, +the same haughtiness, the same bombastic prediction of the result of +the unequal war with which the Persian masses moved against +Greece.... + + + + +Little Montenegro Speaks + + +_The following Montenegrin message to Italy appeared in La Gazetta del +Popolo of July 21, (Aug. 3,) 1914:_ + +This terrible European war, if one takes away from it the diplomatic +ornaments with which the Chancelleries are wont to decorate it, dates +from a century back. It is, let us hope, the final revolt of the +nations oppressed by the unjust work of the Congress of Vienna. + +The nationalities of which the powers of the Triple Entente, and +especially Russia, have made themselves the champions have not +provoked this bloody struggle. It was imposed on them by the +reactionary spirit of the Germanic world, which desired to consolidate +its hegemony, based on the sufferings of the weak, impossible to +describe, and on the contempt of right, which was proclaimed as a +system of government. + +The neutrality observed up to now by your august Italian country has +been a powerful assistance to the cause of right against the cause of +oppression. + +We Serbs of Montenegro and Servia are now on the point of conquering +that national unity, which our poets, our thinkers, and our sovereigns +have sung, implored, and prepared, and, following the trail opened by +Mazzini, Cavour, and Garibaldi, we put our confidence in Italy, this +mother of civilization, who by her smile embellishes the sun-kissed +Slav shores of the Adriatic. + +Help us in conquering the place which is awaiting us at the altar of +justice! We firmly believe that Italy, when at the price of new +sacrifices she shall have all of her exiled sons united under her +glorious standard, will inaugurate a new era of friendly and intimate +connections with the young Slav world, who from her hands received so +many benefits and who in exchange offers her the collaboration of +young and enthusiastic people in the great task undertaken by our +protectors in the name of civilization and liberty. + + + + +Bulgaria's Attitude + +Speech From the Throne + +By Tsar Ferdinand I. + + +_The following speech by Tsar Ferdinand I. of Bulgaria was read at the +opening of the Bulgarian Parliament, called the Sobranje, on Oct. 15, +(28,) 1914, by the Prime Minister, Mr. Radoslavoff._ + +With the ending last year of a long and exhausting struggle which we +conducted with incomparable self-denial, the Bulgarian people and my +Government directed again their efforts toward the healing of the +wounds of the recent past and the remodeling of the national forces, +and likewise toward creating new resources and prosperity for the +country. + +Our common peaceful activity was interrupted by the breaking out of +the greatest and most terrible of all wars that history has up to this +day recorded. In face of this mighty struggle of the European nations +my Government has deemed it its duty before the nation, and the course +imposed on it, to declare the neutrality of Bulgaria and to maintain +this attitude sternly and honestly according to international +obligations and the interests of the fatherland. + +Thanks to this process, my Government maintains good and friendly +relations with all the great powers; has succeeded in giving to our +relations with our neighbors a color of greater confidence, so +necessary after the crisis of the last year, and in the midst of the +events that lie heavy today on the whole of Europe. + +_A supplemental statement of the royal position was made by the +Bulgarian Premier, Mr. Radoslavoff, in the Sobranje at the sitting of +Nov. 12, (25,) 1914, which follows:_ + +With the proclamation of the state of siege, taken in accordance with +the decision of Parliament, as a measure of further security, +everything is moving along according to the laws and the Constitution +of the country. And the Government is endeavoring that the internal +administration may proceed in as orderly a way as possible. + +You remember very well that on the 16th (29th) of July, when war was +declared by Austria-Hungary, I came here and told you that the +decision of the Government was to maintain strict neutrality. + +One day before the closing of the extra session of Parliament I +repeated the declarations of the Government, that no matter what kind +of political combinations were formed around us the Government is +resolved to maintain absolute neutrality to the end. + +It was with pleasure that I heard at that time the assurances of all +the party leaders that if I were to keep this attitude they would help +me maintain the absolute neutrality of Bulgaria. + +I do not know why after a few days there have been published various +statements signed by the different party leaders. + +Nothing in particular had been done on our side up to that time. There +was nothing irregular, but, notwithstanding all this, complaints have +been lodged against the Bulgarian Government that its neutrality was +one-sided, that the Government was favoring one group of the powers +while hostile to the other, that through Bulgaria arms and ammunition +were sent from a belligerent country [Germany] to a non-belligerent, +[Turkey,] and this moved the leaders of the parties to turn to the +nation and denounce the sincerity of your Government. + +The silence of the nation and the attitude of the powers gave us full +justification for the fairness and loyalty with which we keep our +neutrality. + +Two months ago the nation had witnessed a manifesto, signed by all the +party leaders with the exception of the narrow Socialists, which means +that the opposition has not been united on this question, as it is +said in the manifesto that all the opposition was united in a fear +lest the Government abandon its neutrality. In the manifesto addressed +to the Bulgarian nation the desire was expressed for the formation of +a Ministry in which all the political parties were to be represented. + +But the silence of the nation has given ample proof of its confidence +in the present Ministry. The declaration of the Government on July 13 +(26) holds today, as it held then. We are keeping the strict +neutrality of Bulgaria. Those that were supposed to have grievances +against us have no proofs to show our breach of neutrality. Every side +was satisfied with our assurances. + +Notwithstanding the difficulties with which the path of the Government +is strewn today, I, supported by the majority of the Parliament, will +follow the same policy. Bulgaria has remained neutral, and up to now +she is in excellent relations with all neighboring countries. + +Bulgaria is in most friendly relations with Rumania, Greece, and +Servia, which is at war. Bulgaria keeps the most sincere relations +with Turkey. Bulgaria remains neutral and loyal in her position. I +make the declaration so that the entire nation may be informed that +the present Government has assured the territorial integrity of +Bulgaria. + +Our policy meets with the approval of all the great powers without +exception. If we ever are led by the force of circumstances to enter +some arrangement whereby Bulgaria will obtain something more in the +way of territory, this will come from the will of the entire +Bulgarian concert, with which we desire to remain up to the end in +good relations. + +This is what I can and what I must say today in the National +Parliament. [Cheers and applause.] + + +BULGARIAN PARLIAMENT REPLIES. + +[As voted on Nov. 12, (25,) 1914.] + +Your Majesty: The national representation considers it an agreeable +duty to express its satisfaction for the statements addressed to it +and to offer its collaboration to the Tsar and the Government for the +safeguard of the dear interests of the fatherland. + +Your Majesty! + +The breaking out of the terrible war which today oppresses and +exhausts the nations has stopped the peaceful activity in which the +Bulgarian Nation and your Government were engaged for the regeneration +of the national forces and the creation of new resources for the +prosperity of the country and the healing of the wounds of the long +and heroic war which the nation, with unflinching self-sacrifice, has +waged in the past year. + +Your Majesty! + +In the face of the momentous and far-reaching events now taking place +in Europe and around Bulgaria, the national representation has noted +with delight that the Government, having at heart the future of the +country when it declared the neutrality of Bulgaria, is maintaining +this attitude strictly and loyally, as the international necessities +and the most vital interests of the country demand. + +Your Majesty! + +The national representation has learned with joy that, thanks to this +attitude, the Government of your Majesty has preserved good and +friendly relations with all the great powers and has improved our +relations with our neighbors, which good relations are so necessary +for Bulgaria after the crisis of the last year, and during the events +of which we are the witnesses. + +Your Majesty! + +The great events that are shaking Europe are apt to call for our +attention, but, in spite of this, they will not stop us in the way of +the peaceful development of our culture, to which Bulgaria after the +war devoted her energies. + +We will carefully examine and heartily approve of all the measures +which the Government may take for the progress of the country and will +give them our support. + +Long live his Majesty the Tsar! + +Long live her Majesty the Tsarina! + +Long live his Royal Highness the Crown Prince! + +_Following is the allocution of Tsar Ferdinand I., on Dec. 2, (15,) +1914, to the Delegation of the Sobranje, which brought to him the +Bulgarian Parliament's answer to the speech from the throne._ + +Gentlemen: It has always been agreeable to me to meet the +representatives of the National Parliament and exchange with them +ideas on the situation and the administration of the country. In the +present year, however, during the development of the events around us +this contact with the representatives of the people is not without +some importance for the Chief of the State. + +I desire to hear from you, gentlemen, what are the concerns of the +nation and to partake of them with you. The thought that I am +nourishing, and my hope is, that, thanks to the stability and the +wisdom of the Bulgarians, the country will emerge from the new trials +untouched and without being threatened in the future. + +I am really proud in duly acknowledging the virtues of the Bulgarian +people. When, in 1912, this people, moved by a single impulse, arose +and crushed a strong opponent by a force and ardor unsurpassed till +now, the whole world recognized its military virtues. But the +Bulgarian Nation has also displayed unique virtues in its reverses by +valiantly enduring the blows of misfortune. + +This nation will warmly undertake its mission in order to achieve its +destiny, when it will win more respect on the part of foreigners than +it won by its victory; and the hearts of its sons, so devoted to the +fatherland, will be warmed anew. + +Today, when the whole of Europe is burning and the conflagration is +approaching us, when all the nations around us are moving and making +ready for action, the Bulgarian Nation, duly appreciating the +situation, has established its attitude with an equanimity and a +reserve which constitute the undeniable proofs of its wisdom and its +political maturity. + +The eyes of the Czar and of the people are turned toward you. In the +advices that you are giving, in the opinions that you express, I +observe your care for the national prosperity and your resolution to +sacrifice everything on the altar of the fatherland and for the +interests of the nation. This sets me at rest and inspires me with the +hope that in the future also complete harmony will prevail between the +nation and the Crown, and that from this harmony we shall draw the +necessary strength for the assurance of the future of Bulgaria. + +May God watch over the fortunes of our fatherland and may He crown +with success our common efforts. + + +BULGARIA'S NEUTRALITY. + +_In the last sitting of the Bulgarian Sobranje, just before the +Christmas holidays, the Premier, Mr. Radoslavoff, made the following +statements as they appear in the semi-official organ, Narodni Prava, +of Sofia:_ + +Since last July Bulgaria has maintained strict neutrality. Whatever +accusations have been addressed to her from abroad as to her alleged +breaches of neutrality, on the part of one or other of the belligerent +groups, are without any foundation whatever. It is recognized that +such insinuations come from our enemies, who have every interest in +our breaking neutrality. + +The Government maintains and will maintain its neutral policy to the +end, and in this case we declare that we will adhere to it, and, +supported by the country, we will try to take as much advantage of it +as is possible. + +Whether we are going to have or not to have a Ministry in which all +the political parties will be represented, this does not at all +interest those from abroad, where the dignified attitude of our +Government is recognized. Do not ask us to negotiate what the Triple +Entente is willing to give us, or to say to the central +powers--Austria and Germany--"You, what are you going to give us?" + +Because in that case they would answer: "Why should we give you +anything? For your inactivity? Because you keep tranquil, watching us +shedding our blood? Is it for this that we must give you something?" + +I, for myself, have repeated on another occasion that during these +critical moments, when new States are being founded while others are +falling to the ground, to safeguard and preserve the present frontiers +of Bulgaria is the greatest service that can be rendered her. We know +what we have asked and what was offered to us. But who guarantees that +we shall have what was orally promised to us? We ourselves cannot +guarantee it. I declare that we are on good terms with our neighbors +so long as they respect the interests of Bulgaria. If I knew that we +would receive Macedonia and Cavalla and Dobrudja, be sure that I, +first among all, would advise the formation of a coalition Ministry. + +_Representative Tchandref_ (interrupting)--Go ahead and take them +alone. + +_Radoslavoff_--But now we may not, neither in Chataldja nor in Cavalla +nor in Dobrudja. The Bulgarian Government is pursuing the absolute +preservation of peace and is watching developments. The friends that +we have, notwithstanding all evil machinations, have not deserted us. +Bulgaria still has friends, but friends and enemies tell us, Keep +quiet, Bulgarians! In this lies your safety! + + +A MILITARY ESTIMATE. + +_The subjoined statement by the Bulgarian General, Savoff, appeared in +the Vienna Reichspost of Dec. 20, 1914:_ + +Taking into account the military operations up to this date, it is +easy to conclude that the two central monarchies are holding the +advantage of the Allies. Germany has demonstrated to the world her +enormous strength, while Austria-Hungary has shown herself to be +really a great power. Austria-Hungary must be proud of her army and of +the brilliant successes it has won against the colossal Russian +military organization. + +_So far as the neutral States are concerned, Gen. Savoff said:_ + +Bulgaria will keep neutral as long as she can. The responsible factors +of the country will face every influence, and will act according to +the best interests of the fatherland. We must insist on the correction +of the mistakes made by the Treaty of Bucharest. We are resolved, in +case this should prove necessary, to take back by force of arms the +territories that belong to us and that have been snatched from us. The +Bulgarian Army is ready and will do its duty up to the end when the +interests of the country demand it. + + +OPPOSITION PARTY'S STATEMENT. + +_Following is an editorial article published Oct. 15, (28,) 1914, in +the Mir, the organ of the Nationalists, and signed by A. Bouroff, +ex-Minister and ex-Vice President of the Bulgarian Parliament, or +Sobranje._ + +The Government knows that the Bulgarian people will never forgive it, +should the Ministry let pass the present historical opportunity +without securing important advantages for Bulgaria. + +These advantages the Government is endeavoring to obtain by keeping a +pro-Austro-German neutrality. In order not to disclose this policy, +the Government avoids a discussion with Austria and Germany. In order +to render service to Austria the Government is courting Turkey, +provoking Russia through its action and its press, avoids the +constitution of a council of State demanded by the opposition, and +objects to the formation of a Ministry in which all the political +parties were to be represented. Perhaps the Government would go even +further, but it is prevented from doing so, on one hand by Rumania, +who maintained a puzzling position, and the probable surprises that +her "friendly" Turkey has in store, and on the other by the explicit +and general unwillingness of the Bulgarian people to jeopardize its +existence through adventurous actions that are so contrary to its +national character and sentiments. The result of these contradictory +inclinations and influences is shown in our present political +weakness, which I am afraid will be fruitless in the end. + +What is to be expected from this policy? In case of victory of the +Triple Entente, Bulgaria can hope for nothing good. If the Dual +Alliance is victorious we shall have certain compensations that to my +deep conviction will be far from satisfying our national aspirations. +The Austro-German alliance, first of all, will think of itself; that +is to say, to realize the greatest ideals of pan-Germanism, the +debouching of Austria in the Aegean Sea through Saloniki, which +necessarily comprises the occupation by Austria of all Macedonia west +of the Vardar. In the second place, Turkey will have to be compensated +and strengthened, as in the future her army will be a more obedient +organ in the hands of German diplomacy and more amenable than Slav +Bulgaria, whose troops, in the opinion of the most prominent German +papers, cannot fight the Russians, while Turkey at any time is ready +to serve Germany. But Turkey can be compensated in Europe only at the +expense of Bulgarian Thrace. To Bulgaria will be given, at most, +Istip, Kotchana, Radovich, Serres Drama, and Cavalla to make good the +losses in Thrace. + +To obtain such a meagre result, the Government of Bulgaria maintains a +policy contrary to popular sentiment and to the racial bonds of the +people, and a policy contrary to the further interests of Bulgaria, +which are incompatible with the building up of a strong Turkey in the +Balkans, a Turkey that would be the bulwark of Germany. The most +essential part of it is that this policy is based on a most +improbable hypothesis, that is to say, the final triumph of the +Austro-German arms. If the Bulgarian Government had left prejudices to +one side and looked clearly at the events, they would not have been +slow to understand that from the moment England stepped into the war +and Italy abandoned her allies, the Austro-German alliance politically +lost the game. Each passing day diminishes more and more the hopes of +success of the Dual Alliance, and permits England and Russia to expand +their inexhaustible forces. It is not difficult to foresee from now +the terms of peace that England and Russia will impose. Any policy +which expects to profit from the defeat of these two powers is doomed +to failure, and because such is the policy of the Bulgarian +Government, we think that it is against the interests of the country. + +This policy, among its other disadvantages, opens forever a gap +between little Bulgaria and great Russia, which power, even if +defeated, will never cease to play an active part in the Balkans. +Against this policy, which is risking much to obtain little, we +propose the policy of coming to an agreement with the Triple Entente, +on the basis of a Bulgarian neutrality favorable to it, which surely +and without sacrifices is expected to bring to us greatest results. +The only thing that the powers of the Triple Entente are demanding +from us is to open negotiations with them. This does not abolish our +neutrality, because other States, too, such as Italy, Rumania, Greece, +and Turkey, are negotiating at the present time. + + +BALKAN ALLIANCE OPPOSED. + +_An editorial article which appeared in the Bulgarian paper Volja of +the Stamboulovist Party, on Dec. 20, 1914, appears below._ + +The question has been raised whether in reality negotiations are being +conducted between the Balkan States, that is to say, Bulgaria and +Servia, Greece and Bulgaria, Bulgaria and Rumania. How much of this is +true? + +Such negotiations are not being conducted, neither do we believe that +it is possible for them to exist, because we do not know what our +neighbors demand from us. The only true part of this story is that the +powers of the Triple Entente are endeavoring to drag into the war +Greece, Bulgaria, and Rumania, a thing that would be not only +profitable to them, but even necessary for these same powers of the +Triple Entente. + +And as long as Bulgaria is not any longer inhabited by imbeciles, who +will undertake once more a war for the promotion of the glory and the +interests of those who by every means endeavored to ruin us, these +powers are thinking today, being moved by some sentiment of humanity, +that certain concessions must be made to Bulgaria, but on condition of +military support. + +And so far as concerns Servia, who only a few days ago was on the +brink of the precipice, and who, in a little while from now, will find +herself in a worse position, it is apparent that, without the +assistance of Bulgaria, her ruin will be certain. This, however, does +not prevent Servia as well as the Triple Entente from insisting on +giving us as little as possible, and then only after the Serbs have +taken Bosnia and Herzegovina. + +Rumania and Greece desire an understanding for the sake of their +tranquillity. And it was said that Rumania is giving Dobrudja, but +Greece does not want even to hear of the cession of Cavalla Drama and +Serres, but, on the contrary, demands, in case Bulgaria gets Servian +Macedonia, to obtain for her (Greece's) account Doirani, Ghevgeli, and +Monastir. Greece and Rumania agree on one point--themselves to stay +out of the war, while inducing Bulgaria to fight. + +But Bulgaria insists on getting compensation, not by war but by her +neutrality. The aspirations therefore of the interested States are +totally different, and, under such circumstances, no understanding is +possible. The object of the Triple Entente is clear. But this is no +concern of ours, nor of any of the other Balkan States, with the +exception of Servia. + +Therefore, to speak plainly, the understanding will be possible only +when interests are taken into account. And on this basis some means to +an understanding with our neighbors will be found, whether they want +it or not. + + + + +THE TURK IN EGYPT'S EYES. + +[Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES.] + + +Cairo, Jan. 31, (Dispatch to The London Daily News.)--In order to +understand the bearing of the latest news upon Moslem opinion, +particularly in Cairo and Alexandria, it must be borne in mind that +Turkey still enjoys considerable military prestige here. Tens of +thousands of Egyptians continue to regard her one of the great powers. +They never believed the news of her defeat in the Balkans and the +reoccupation of Adrianople confirmed them in their skepticism. At the +same time, a secret German propaganda for some years before the war +did much to spread abroad the doctrine of German invincibility. It is +not to be wondered at, therefore, that a section of the population +holds entirely erroneous views as to the present balance of power and +requires unmistakable evidence of Turkish defeat to open their eyes. + + + + +Greece's Watchful Waiting + +Grecian Neutrality Defined + +[From the Athenae, Athens, July 23, (Aug. 3,) 1914.] + + +Yesterday at 10 A.M. the Council of Ministers met at the Premier's +house and took cognizance of a number of dispatches from the Hellenic +representatives of the Governments of the great powers relating to the +European war which has just begun. At 11 A.M. the Ministers went in a +body to the palace, where, under the Presidency of the King, a council +was held which discussed the position of Greece in the European +conflict. His Majesty, having listened to the Premier, who +communicated all the latest news regarding the situation, agreed on +all points as to the attitude of Greece in the Austro-Servian +conflict, which attitude would be one of absolute neutrality as long +as Bulgaria and Turkey remained neutral. + +During this council the Chief of Staff of the army, Gen. v. Dousmanis, +was sent for, and he gave the Ministers some information of a military +character regarding the position of Greece. Gen. Dousmanis assured +them that the army was in excellent condition and that all preliminary +preparations for a mobilization were already taken. + + +FRENCH, GREEKS, AND GERMANS. + +[_Editorial comment of the Athenae of Aug. 9 (Sept. 21)_]: + +... In Greece there does not exist a discrimination between those who +love France and those who do not, because as a rule the entire nation +worships France. The Hellenic world, from the most uneducated citizen +to the one who represents all the development of intellect, worships +France. + +It was always with admiration that the discerning Hellenic intellect +looked upon the French Nation, which is the leader in every progress. +French letters, French art, and French industry have found in Greece +sincere admirers and enthusiastic heralds. The French heroism, the +devotion that every Frenchman feels for the ideals of the fatherland, +the superiority of the French woman, whom certain malevolent writers +have so misrepresented to the world; the virtue of the French +housewife, the French mother, and the French patriot, have always been +splendid examples to those who are apt to think on the world's +progress. The birthplace of the forerunners of the modern social and +civic spirit and the mother of the most genuine philhellenism, the +France of Rabelais, Moliere and Voltaire and Beranger and Hugo has +always been an object of respectful sympathy for those in Greece who +are admirers of the beautiful, the liberal, and the ideal. + +Every one of us knows that, if France has not been able to help +materialize the Greek's rightful aspirations, this is not due to lack +of good intentions on her part, but rather to the French compliance +with the interests of the Slav; and we know that France had to +cultivate those interests by her own wealth, and contrary to her +democratic principles, only in order to have an alliance against her +neighboring enemy, against whom she meditated revenge for a defeat and +the vindication of her subjugated children. + +For the German people, this people of progress and civilization, which +has never aspired to a world hegemony by the subjugation of other +peoples, outside of the needs of their frontiers, Greece feels the +same admiration and sympathy. And when such French patriots as Jules +Huret and Georges Bourdon, in voluminous works, have cited the German +progress and German social civilization as an example to their own +country, it would be almost a reversal of logic if we outsiders were +to deny these things, at the sight of two friends who have come to +blows. + +If there is anything that grieves the Greek soul, which has always +been used to appreciate virtue disinterestedly, it is the fratricidal +woe of two nations who ought to be, hand in hand, forerunners and +co-workers in the great enterprises of science and civilization! + + +PRIME MINISTRY'S ATTITUDE. + +_Premier Venizelos set forth the Government's neutral policy in his +speech to Parliament on Sept. 15, (28,) 1914. A translation appears +below._ + +_After speaking of the Greco-Turkish relations and the efforts being +made at the time for the settlement of the outstanding questions of +the refugees and the Aegean Islands, Mr. Venizelos said:_ + +Unfortunately the labors of the new session are beginning amid the +clangor of the great European war. The Government has declared that +during this war Greece is to remain neutral, but at the same time it +did not conceal the fact that it has obligations toward one of the +belligerents, Servia, and that said obligation it was resolved to +fulfill faithfully should the _casus foederis_ arise. + +Greece, however, wishes nothing more than that such an occasion should +not arise, as it desires that the conflagration which is gradually +enveloping Europe should not spread over the Balkans, whose peoples, +after two wars, so much need rest. + +So far as it depends upon the initiative of Greece, every one may be +assured that the European conflagration will not spread in the Balkan +Peninsula. And if its other peoples are inspired by the same thoughts, +then we can feel sure that peace will be preserved in the Levant up to +the end of the war. + +But even for the neutrals there are obligations. The position of the +neutrals is not so easy as one might think, and the Government has +endeavored and is still endeavoring to fulfill as perfectly as +possible the various obligations imposed by neutrality. I must +acknowledge at this time that my task has been rendered easier by +public opinion, which notwithstanding its sympathies, has done nothing +to hurt any one of the belligerents. I regret that I cannot say the +same as regards the press, because the press, not confining itself to +the expression of so many natural sentiments, has often indulged in +violent attacks against the belligerents, and especially at the time +when, owing to the peculiar psychological condition in which the +latter find themselves, every such attack touches them most deeply. +And I again entreat you, from this official tribune, to avoid any such +attack. I hope my advice will be more willingly complied with at this +time. + + +WHERE GREECE STANDS. + +_The following statement by Premier Venizelos was published in the +Corriere della Sera of Milan on Oct. 29, 1914._ + +The Greek Government has declared its neutrality and will abide by +this policy. Notwithstanding this, she did not deny her treaty +obligations to Servia, and is resolved to fulfill all the terms of +this treaty should the _casus foederis_ arise. + +It is understood that Greece does not desire this _casus foederis_ to +arise. + +Our relations with Turkey have been strained for some months. But +after the negotiations of Bucharest some agreement was reached +regarding the refugees. Those in Europe will learn that the Greeks +expelled two hundred thousand persons from Thrace and Asia Minor. One +portion of them we have settled in the islands. Besides those there +are about fifty thousand Turkish refugees--though not persecuted--in +Macedonia. A mixed committee was to arrange the exchange of these +refugees at the beginning of the war. As to the question of the +ownership of the Aegean islands, the Hellenic Government considers the +question settled from an international standpoint, not only by the +treaties of London and Athens, but also by the unanimous decision of +all the European powers. + +The Government declared that it was ready to satisfy Turkey regarding +this question, under the _sine qua_ condition that the islands would +continue to be occupied and administered by Greece in the same way as +all the other provinces of the Hellenic Kingdom. After an exchange of +views on the subject, it was decided that I should meet the Grand +Vizier in Brussels, but the war prevented this. + +Afterward, this desire was again expressed, that the negotiations +which originally were to take place in Brussels should open elsewhere. +To this end both parties sent delegates to Bucharest in order to find +some solution of the island question, but again this meeting failed to +accomplish anything. + +Turkey proposed an adjournment of the negotiations to a more +propitious time, alleging that the general conditions in Europe, and +her internal troubles, made it impossible for her delegates to +continue the discussions on the island question. Unfortunately the +plight of the Greek populations in Turkey is becoming worse every day, +and large numbers of refugees are coming daily to Greece. + +Regarding Bulgaria, I can say nothing, except that she keeps repeating +her intention of remaining neutral. At the same time Bulgaria did not +mobilize, therefore we have not taken this measure ourselves. + +But naturally--and this must be taken in its widest meaning--when the +flames of a conflagration are licking one's door one must take all the +precautionary measures. Is it not right? + +Regarding Epirus, we declared clearly that we have no designs upon +Avlona. + + +OCCUPATION OF EPIRUS. + +_The subjoined statement by Premier Venizelos appeared in The London +Morning Post._ + +ATHENS, Oct. 27. + +In the Chamber of Deputies this evening, in reply to an +interpellation, M. Venizelos, the Premier, stated that Greece had +reoccupied Northern Epirus solely to restore order and security to +those districts already cruelly tried by prolonged bloodshed and +anarchy. The Premier emphasized the provisional character of this +reoccupation, inasmuch as Greece continued to respect the +international agreements regarding Albania. + +M. Venizelos was followed by M. Zographos, the late President of the +Epirote Provisional Government, and now Deputy for Attica, who, amid +profound attention and great enthusiasm, recounted the enormous +sacrifices of blood and treasure by the Epirotes for their freedom, +and declared that the liberation of Epirus must this time be final. M. +Rallis, one of the leaders of the Opposition, declared that Epirus was +resolved to remain united with Greece. + +I am informed from a diplomatic source that the great powers have +received the announcement of the reoccupation in a friendly spirit, +and no protests have thus far been received from quarters whence they +might have been expected. + + +RELATIONS WITH BULGARIA. + +_Following is an editorial article from the semi-official newspaper +Patris of Athens of Dec. 12, (25,) 1914._ + +With Bulgaria not one of the Balkan States can come to any +understanding. The neighboring Balkan peoples, at least the +Christians, cannot agree with them--not because they are lacking good +intentions, but because the Bulgarians in their demands are +unreasonable, unjust, insatiable, monstrous, and treacherous; because +the Bulgarians always demand the impossible; because they are pursuing +profits at the expense of third parties, whom they invite to cede +rights obtained by sacrifices and based on the right of war; because, +while they can demand compensations at the expense of a non-Christian +neighbor--to which no one would object--they turn on their +co-religionists, struggling to take away from them what they lawfully +and with sacrifices have acquired. + +On account of this policy of the Bulgarians, not one of the Christian +peoples of the Balkan Peninsula believes in the possibility of an +understanding with them. That, also, is Rumania's position. +Accordingly it should be unnecessary to deny the news from Sofia +announcing the attainment of an alleged Rumano-Bulgarian +rapprochement. In order to reach this understanding, the Bulgarians +would not confine themselves to the rules of present Rumano-Bulgarian +practice, which in itself is a question of secondary importance. + +The Bulgarians turn eager eyes to the whole of Dobrondja, which might +perhaps be the dowry of the royal Rumano-Bulgarian match so impudently +heralded in Sofia, although the whole thing was a monstrous lie, +without any appearance of respect for the family affairs of the royal +throne of Rumania. + +But, as in our own case, neither the Servians can cede even an acre of +land to Bulgaria nor Rumania give back Dobrudja, because all of these +territories belong to their present owners by right of war. For the +same reason the Serbo-Bulgarian relations failed a month ago; likewise +no ground was found for an understanding between Bulgaria and Greece; +and for the same reason the negotiations between Rumania and Bulgaria +are failing today. + +The Bulgarians have turned from one to another of the peoples of the +Balkans in order to cheat them. But this attempt, made once too often, +at length has failed. But will this final failure bring to reason the +hotheads of Sofia? After the cruel disappointment they received at the +hands of Rumania, the Bulgarian politicians must understand that +whatever is won by war by war only is given back. No one is so stupid +as to give them willingly his dominions. + +Do they wish to take them? Let them come. Let them declare war. +Because so long as they are not doing this, and so long as they +persist in their present methods, they are offering the spectacle of a +childish if not a demented people. + + +GRECO-RUMANIAN FRIENDSHIP. + +_The Rumanian Minister, Mr. Filidor, presented his new credentials to +King Constantine on Dec. 14. His speech appears below._ + +Your Majesty! I have the honor to deliver to your Majesty the letters +with which his Majesty, my august sovereign, has deigned to confirm my +quality as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to your +Majesty, a mission which I had already the honor of filling under the +glorious reign of the great King Carol I., the founder of the Rumanian +dynasty. + +I happened to be a witness of the most brilliant period of the history +of new Greece, during which your Majesty at the head of his Government +has succeeded, by his military talents, in bringing into realization +the great achievements of ancient Greece, whose majestic relics are +serving still as an inimitable example to the whole of mankind. + +The military effort of your Majesty has been crowned by the Treaty of +Bucharest, which was a common pacifying work of Greece and Rumania, +and which was so instrumental in strengthening the bonds of friendship +and interests which so happily unite the two peoples. + +Deeply impressed by the conviction that my mission consists in working +for this latter end, I dare pray your Majesty to grant me his august +favor, as in the past, and I assure you that I will employ all my +energy for the fulfillment of this effort, so necessary for the future +fortunes of both countries. + + + + +Where Rumania Stands in the Crisis + +Declaration of Neutrality + + +BUCHAREST, Aug. 5, 1914. + +The Council of the Crown has decided on the neutrality of +Rumania--Agence Roumaine. + + +THE SITUATION IN RUMANIA. + +[From the Paris Temps of Aug. 23, 1914.] + +From an occasional correspondent we receive the following letter: + +The departure of the mobilized French soldiers who were in Bucharest +has been the occasion for sympathetic manifestations toward France. + +Among the population and in the streets there was not a single voice +which was not heartily and enthusiastically for the Triple Entente in +general and France in particular. + +Certain personages, such as the General Pilot who in 1870 fought on +the side of France, and certain newspaper editors who, yielding to +national aspirations, have carried on since the first day of the war a +violent campaign against Austria, are enthusiastically cheered by the +public in the cafes and by the majority of the army officers who +assisted in uniform at these scenes. + +More than that, there were imposing manifestations in the streets; +other meetings, still more effective, were held in secret, at which +Generals and superior officers assisted. But notwithstanding this +public sentiment the police are on the lookout; the orders they have +received are particularly severe, as entire regiments are kept in +readiness in the public parks and Government buildings. All those +functionaries who are suspected of being openly hostile to Austria are +closely followed and watched. + +What is the reason of this? One may put the question to himself, as +really this sentiment of the nations corresponds too well with a +secular and inevitable policy. Despite all contrary reasoning, one +fact remains, and this is summed up in Transylvania and Bukowina and +the five million Rumanians who are under Austro-Hungarian rule. There +is for the Rumanians of the kingdom the unforgettable series of +persecutions of every kind to which their brethren on the other side +of the mountains are subjected--persecutions dating from yesterday and +which are continued today. Only the day before the Austrian +mobilization fifty students from the Rumanian Kingdom who happened to +be in Brassow (Hungary) on an excursion were arrested and brought +before the police authorities, and actually thrown into prison, +because they dared display badges with Rumanian colors in their +buttonholes. + +"If I were to march into Moldavia," a Rumanian was telling me, +"against the enemies of Austria, I would have to begin by sabring all +the Moldavian peasants, who are crying, 'Down with Austria!' Of +course, I never could do this!" + +Under such conditions, if the waverings of the Government were to be +explained, the task would be a hard one. In our opinion, they may be +ascribed to different causes, the more important factor being the +opinion of the King himself; but this alone would not suffice. + +The King (Carol) is first of all bound to Emperor Francis Joseph by an +old friendship. King Carol has never admitted that the diminution of +his kingdom after Plevna was a right thing, and the toasts in +Constanza (during the Czar's visit to Rumania early in the Summer of +1914) have demonstrated, for those who could read between the lines, +in both the politeness of the Czar and the reserved tone of King +Carol, that this sentiment had not yet disappeared. + +In the face of this disposition, so firmly expressed, the Ministers +and the party leaders of Rumania felt rather uncomfortable. It must be +borne in mind that a parliamentary regime, properly speaking, does not +exist; the Ministries do not fall by vote of the chambers of +Parliament. When the King estimates that a Ministry has been too long +in power, when he hears distinctly the murmur of the Opposition, then +he calls a new President of the Council, who has Parliament prorogued +and a new one formed--this is the exact procedure--according to his +liking. By reason of this process, and also by reason of a special +attraction which the Court exercises over a small, refined, and +elegant society, the counsels of the King are inspired by the advices +of his counselors. + +But there are also other reasons that plead for this uncertain +attitude, and by which it is attempted to justify a policy of +indifference. + +The successes of last year--of which the Rumanians have not understood +the causes, because they never tried to understand them--have troubled +them in a certain way. + +Their statesmen persist perhaps a little too much in playing +Machiavelli, and in exalting abstention to a system. Their fondest +desire at the present moment is not, we are persuaded, to march on +Austria, but, on the contrary, not to march at all, and not to +intervene in the war up to the day of the final liquidation. + +What is this policy worth? The chances are that it may not always be +good, particularly in the present state of things. Rumania is still a +small country by reason of its area. In addition to this, her +neighbors, on which she was wont to exercise a moderating influence, +are bound to change in density of population. And it is very likely +that Rumania, on the next day after the war, might find herself +suddenly surrounded by homogeneous peoples, who in the meantime would +become distinctly more important than she is, and that these people +might have against her certain slight grievances which they would make +her feel. Moreover, even if Austria by chance is victorious, and even +if the Government at Bucharest helped her, is it not clear that her +(Rumania's) Hungarian neighbor, becoming stronger, would make her +(Rumania) suffer the same as she made the Servians suffer when they +were feeble? + +Rumania may well protest her friendship, but this will not prevent +her, if only by her presence, from being a danger to the tranquillity +of the Hungarian subjects in Transylvania. And then who is going to +defend her? + +Here is what the good sense of the people says, and it is this common +sense which will triumph in the end over all vacillation, and will, in +spite of everything, assert its way of seeing things. + + +THE ATTITUDE OF RUMANIA. + +[From the Paris Temps of Sept. 25, 1914.] + +Mr. Diamandy, Rumanian Minister at Petrograd and an ardent advocate of +Rumanian intervention, has returned to the Russian capital after a +voyage to Bucharest, where he went in order to explain his views to +his Government. + +The return of Mr. Diamandy to Petrograd is regarded as a favorable +omen, as this diplomat had expressed previous to his departure that he +would not come back to his post if he were not successful in placing +Rumania on the side of the Triple Entente. + +On the other hand, l'Agence de Balkans is in receipt of the following +dispatch from Bucharest, Sept. 19, 1914: + +"The semi-official papers of the Rumanian Government have published +the following statement with regard to the Treaty of Bucharest: The +viewpoint of Rumania on the subject of the Treaty of Bucharest, and of +its connection with the European war, has been discussed and +established in a council of the Crown, held on the 21st of July, (Aug. +3, N.S.) In the Treaty of Bucharest the Rumanian interest was not +bound to fixed frontier lines, except so long as these assured an +equilibrium necessary to Rumania. Rumania was not obliged to protect +this equilibrium in its actual form any longer than in her mind this +could be possibly maintained. + +"If the European war, in its future consequences, should bring about +certain modifications in the actual frontiers of one or the other of +the Balkan States, the interest of Rumania requires that the Balkan +equilibrium be established in accordance with the changes made to +correspond with the purpose of maintaining the real equilibrium in its +new form, no matter what the frontier lines will be in their final +re-establishment. In connection with the attitude of Rumania in the +presence of the European war no new decision has been taken. All the +political parties are subjecting their attitude to the action of the +Government. Mr. von Busch, the new Minister of Germany, has arrived +and was received yesterday in confidence by King Charles." + + +DEATH OF KING CHARLES. + +[From The London Times, Oct. 12, 1914.] + +King Charles of Rumania died of heart failure early on Saturday +morning at the Castle of Pelesh, Sinaeia. + +Yesterday Parliament was convoked, and the new King took the oath of +allegiance. Subsequently the Government issued a proclamation stating +that the new King would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and +realize the ideals of the Rumanian race. + +Both in itself and as an episode of the present European +conflagration, the death of the King of Rumania is an event of +singular importance. The late King was in many respects the maker of +his adopted country. When, in March, 1866, he accepted the crown the +condition of the Danubian principalities, Moldavia and Wallachia, was +little better than that of a misgoverned Turkish province. They still +owned Ottoman suzerainty, their army was non-existent, their financial +resources were precarious, the condition of their people was wretched, +their means of communication were primitive, and their public affairs +were in a condition bordering on anarchy. With the support of the +French Emperor, to whom he was distantly related, Prince Charles of +Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen faced one of the most difficult tasks ever +allotted to an inexperienced ruler, and carried it to triumphal +completion. + +He created an army, introduced railways, won independence for his +realm and for himself. He evolved order out of chaos, secured military +renown at Plevna as commander of the joint Russo-Rumanian forces in +the Russo-Turkish war, established national finance on a sound basis, +built up a considerable export trade, extended the frontiers of the +principality and raised it to the rank of a kingdom, and watched with +untiring vigilance over every aspect of national development. Not only +as the first recognized and independent sovereign of modern Rumania, +but as her creator, King Charles will ever hold a foremost place in +Rumanian history. + +In this great work the late ruler derived advantage, not only from his +eminent personal qualities, but from his foreign origin. As a German +Prince, powerfully connected, he stood outside and above Rumanian +party factions, and succeeded gradually in imposing his will on them +all. Born on April 20, 1839, at Sigmaringen, near the source of the +Danube, he was barely 27 when he accepted the call to rule an unknown +country with which his only connection was that, like the estates of +his family, it, too, was watered by the Danube. Of middle height, well +built, pronounced features, and clear, gray eyes, his personality +expressed quiet energy. His statecraft he learned by experience and +from the excellent counsel of his father, Prince Charles Anthony of +Hohenzollern, head of the senior and Roman Catholic branch of the +Hohenzollerns. Only once did he falter. In March, 1871, when the +French sympathizers of his subjects exposed him as a German Prince and +a Hohenzollern to great unpopularity, while the bankruptcy of the +Jewish speculator to whom his railway schemes had been intrusted threw +discredit upon his ideas of economic development, he summoned the +members of the Provisional Government from whom he had accepted the +crown and announced to them his decision to abdicate. Fortunately for +Rumania, they succeeded in dissuading him from his purpose. The +famous Conservative statesman, Lascar Catargi, formed a Ministry which +held office for five years and enabled the ruler to turn the most +dangerous corner of his reign. Thenceforward the path was +comparatively clear, though by no means easy. It led to Rumanian +participation in the Russo-Turkish war, to the conquest of national +independence, and eventually, on May 22, 1881, to his coronation as +King of Rumania, with a crown made of steel from a Turkish gun +captured by Rumanian troops at Plevna. + +Yet the Rumanian triumph was not unalloyed. Russia injudiciously and +ungratefully insisted on depriving Rumania of the portion of Rumanian +Bessarabia of which Russia had been deprived after the Crimean war, +and allotted the Dobrudja, a swampy region south of the Danube, to the +principality as compensation. The indignation in Rumania was +indescribable and has never entirely subsided. The Senate in the +Chamber declared the resolve of the country to defend its integrity by +force. The Czar threatened to disarm the Rumanian Army--a threat which +drew from Prince Charles the proud reply: "The Rumanian Army, which +fought so gallantly before Plevna under the eyes of the Czar, may be +annihilated, but will never be disarmed." But he nevertheless +recognized the futility of resistance to the Russian demand, and +exerted himself to calm the national excitement. In later years the +breach was partially if not wholly healed. + +Of the more material achievements of his reign there is little space +to speak. The best record of his life is to be found in the present +condition of the country--_si monumentum requiris circumspice_. His +furtherance of the petroleum industry, of the export of grain, timber +and other agricultural produce, the building of the great bridge over +the Danube at Tchernavoda, and the extensive harbor at Constanza, the +network of railways, the immense system of fortifications defending +the capital, and the line Fokshani-Galatz--all these and much more are +mainly his work. + +Little is yet known of the action of King Charles in the last crisis +of his life. It is a strange coincidence that just as the +Franco-German war of 1870-71 brought him into conflict with the +Francophil tendencies of his subjects and led to his offer of +abdication, so the present war should again have engendered rumors of +his abdication on account of his alleged antagonism to the national +desire for the acquisition of Transylvania and the Southern Bukovina, +which are peopled by more than 3,000,000 Hungarian and Austrian +Rumanes. The Rumanian people felt that the hour for the liberation of +their kindred had struck. Russia is understood to have invited Rumania +to occupy the desired territory. But King Charles, who brought and +kept Rumania within the orbit of the Triple Alliance, was, as a +Hohenzollern and a German Prince, averse to hostile action against the +German Emperor and the Emperor Francis Joseph. It is, moreover, stated +that he was bound by his word of honor never to take the field against +a Hohenzollern cause. + +The late King Charles married, in November, 1869, Princess Elizabeth +of Wied, the gifted "Carmen Sylva," whose brilliant literary and +artistic talents have gained her a worldwide reputation. The only +child of the marriage, the infant Princess Marie, died in 1874--a +bereavement that ever left a note of sadness in the lives of her +parents. + + +THE NEW KING. + +King Ferdinand, who now succeeds his uncle on the throne of Rumania, +was born in August, 1865, and, like his predecessor, is a Hohenzollern +and a Roman Catholic. + +Among his near relatives are the King of the Belgians and his +namesake, Tsar Ferdinand of the Bulgarians, who are both first +cousins, and his niece, Queen Augustina Victoria, the consort of Dom +Manoel. Through his mother, the Princess Antonia, who was born an +Infanta of Portugal, King Ferdinand is kin with all the house of +Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, to which his consort, the new Queen Mary, +belongs as daughter of the late Duke of Edinburgh. + +Her Majesty is thus first cousin to King George and to the Czar, as +also to Princess Nicholas of Greece. Her three sisters are married +respectively to the Grand Duke Cyril of Russia, Prince Ernest, the +eldest son of the mediatized Prince of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, and to +the Infante Alfonso d'Orleans of Spain. + +Their Majesties have six children, of whom the Crown Prince Carol, who +celebrates his 21st birthday this week, and the Princess Elizabeth, +born in 1894, are of marriageable age. The youngest, Prince Mircea, +who bears a historic Rumanian name closely connected with Silistria, +was born during the Balkan war at the beginning of 1913. King +Ferdinand's family is a remarkable example of religious +differences--his Majesty is a Roman Catholic, the Queen is a Lutheran, +and their children are members of the Orthodox Church of Rumania. + +The Rumanian Minister has received a copy of a proclamation published +in The Official Gazette stating that the new King will follow in the +footsteps of the late monarch and will accomplish the ideals of the +Rumanian race. + + +IN RUMANIA'S PARLIAMENT. + +[From The Messaggero of Rome.] + +BUCHAREST, Dec. 17. + +The intention of the Government to avoid in Parliament any discussion +of the political action of the Ministry was reaffirmed yesterday by +Premier Braliano, who, in a brief declaration in the Chamber, prayed +the parties to waive any discussion whatever upon the answer of +Parliament to the speech from the throne, and to have confidence in +those governing the country. + +The independent Deputies, however, have shown themselves determined to +provoke a discussion. Among the others, Mr. Couza, a Nationalist, +demanded permission to express his personal admiration for the valor +of the Servians, and insisted on ample measures being taken for +preventing the exportation of articles of which in due time there will +be an absolute deficiency in the country. + +Constantin Mille, an independent, and proprietor of the newspaper +Adeverul, delivered a long speech in which he declared himself +dissatisfied with the policy of the Government, which ought to have +taken a decisive stand at the beginning of the conflict. Instead of +doing this, the Government has put us in the position of not knowing +to which side we must turn, as long as our only intention is to turn +first to this side and then to that, without having the necessary +guarantees. + +After paying high tribute to the valor of the Servian Army and the +heroism of Belgium, the speaker demonstrated that Rumania, since the +beginning of the conflict, ought to enter the war on the side of the +Triple Entente. + +He afterward protested against certain facts that the expressed +neutrality of the country cannot tolerate; such as the passage through +Rumanian territory of guns and ammunition from Germany for Turkey; the +taking over by Germany of certain medical supplies originally intended +for the Rumanian Army, and exchanging the same for grain. + +He then assailed the propaganda carried out by German emissaries +through certain news agencies, and the corruption of certain papers of +the Rumanian press. + +And during all this time, concluded Mr. Mille, our brethren in +Transylvania are being exterminated by war while expecting our +intervention. The Government must break its silence, which is becoming +more and more suspicious, and frankly affirm its intention. + + +RUMANIA'S POLICY. + +[From The London Daily Telegraph of Dec. 29, 1914.] + +BUCHAREST, Dec. 28. + +Today, in the debate on the address in reply to the message from the +throne, the Prime Minister repeated the declaration made in the +Chamber asking the majority to waive discussion and the Opposition to +leave the Government full liberty of action to fulfill its great duty. + +The Conservative Party, by the mouth of its chief, expressed its +willingness to do this. M. Disesco, on behalf of the Conservative +Democrats, repeated the declaration made by M. Take Jonesco, in the +Chamber, according to which Rumania ought to abandon her neutral +position and make an immediate alliance with the Triple Entente. + +M. Disesco added that the Rumano-Austro-German alliance ceased to +exist from the day when the Crown Council was held at Sinaeia; that +council settled the matter of Rumania's neutrality. The speaker laid +stress on the ingratitude of Austria toward Rumania in 1913, and +alluded to the statements made recently by M. Take Jonesco concerning +the threat of Austria against Rumania in 1913 should that country +attack Bulgaria. + +He concluded by observing that the two sections of the Opposition, +Conservative and Conservative-Democrat, had declared for abandonment +of neutrality and an alliance with the Triple Entente, and expressed +the hope that presently this policy will be adopted officially. The +address was afterward agreed to unanimously. + +A large number of Senators telegraphed to the President of the +Italo-Rumanian League at Rome expressing their happiness at witnessing +the realization of the league's initiative, and requesting the +President to consider them members of the Rumanian section of the +league, which, being convinced of the profound significance and great +usefulness of closer relations between the two countries, they joined +with enthusiasm. + + +"LEAGUE OF UNITY." + +BUCHAREST, Dec. 27. + +At a special session today the League for the National Unity of All +Rumanians acclaimed with grand enthusiasm the new committee, which has +as President the Rev. Father Lucaci, the great propagandist of and +martyr for the Rumanian cause in Transylvania and a member of the +Rumanian National Committee of Hungary. There were also elected MM. +Take Jonesco, Nicolas Filipescu, and Delavrance Gradischteano, all +former Ministers. The committee is charged with the hastening of +action by Rumania for the conquest of the Rumanian provinces of +Austria-Hungary. + + +RUMANIAN STATISTICS. + +[From Le Messager d'Athenes, Nov. 28, 1914.] + +According to statistics published in a Rumanian paper, when the +foreign press speaks of Rumanian aspirations it sums up the whole +question in the word Transylvania. + +It is not unnecessary perhaps to remark that this word has in this +case a significance rather political and ethnological than purely +geographical. This word comprises all the Austro-Hungarian territories +occupied by Rumanians, with the understanding that Transylvania is the +most important as regards area and Rumanian popularity. + +Actually the Rumanian claims on the Austro-Hungarian territories are +the following: + +Transylvania--57,250 square kilometers, 2,850,000 inhabitants, of whom +1,750,000 are Rumanians. + +Banat--28,510 square kilometers area, and 1,730,000 inhabitants, of +whom 700,000 are Rumanians. + +Chrishana--Area, 41,338 square kilometers, and 2,920,000 inhabitants, +of whom 1,100,000 are Rumanians. + +Mamoaresh--Area, 9,720 square kilometers, and 360,000 inhabitants, of +whom 120,000 are Rumanians. + +Bukowina--Area, 10,471 square kilometers, and 900,000 inhabitants, of +whom 300,000 are Rumanians. + +Total area, 147,280 square kilometers, and 8,760,000 inhabitants, of +whom 3,970,000 are Rumanians. + +In consequence, of 8,760,000 inhabitants of trans-Carpathian Rumania, +nearly 4,000,000 are Rumanians, 2,200,000 Hungarians, 1,000,000 +Serbo-Croatians, 730,000 Germans, and so on. + + +RUMANIA'S CLAIMS. + +[From The London Times, Nov. 25, 1914.] + +SOFIA, Nov. 23. + +The efforts made by Germany and Austria-Hungary to win over Rumania, +or at least to induce her to refrain from prosecuting her claims to +Transylvania, are being pursued with indefatigable energy and +perseverance. The same methods are being employed in Bucharest as +here, but on an even larger scale. The issues involved seem to be more +fully realized by the Central European powers than by their opponents, +and no pains are being spared to draw Rumania and Bulgaria within the +orbit of their influence. + +The campaign in Bucharest was at first attended by a certain measure +of success, owing to the attitude of M. Bratiano, the Premier; of M. +Carp, a former Prime Minister, and of M. Marghiloman, the present +leader of the Conservative Opposition. But many influential Liberals +have already associated themselves with the programme of the action +advocated by M. Take Jonesco, the chief of the Conservative-Democratic +Party, and of M. Filipescu, a former Conservative Minister, whose +advocacy of a forward policy threatens to cause a split in the +Conservative camp. The great bulk of the political world desires to +profit by the European crisis to secure Transylvania, the only +difference of opinion being with regard to the advisability of +immediate action. The consultative committee of the Conservative Party +has passed a resolution demanding the abandonment of neutrality. + +The concessions offered by Count Tisza, the Hungarian Premier, in the +hope of averting the coming storm, make no impression on the Rumanians +either within or without the monarchy. He promises to allow the +teaching of Rumanian in the schools, the use of the language in the +public services, and increased Rumanian representation in the +Hungarian Parliament. But the time for concessions has gone by. The +Austrian advance into Servia threatens to cut off Rumania from +Southern and Western Europe and to prevent the arrival from the +United States of the large supplies of stores and medicaments ordered +there. + +It is evident that neither Rumania nor Bulgaria can long maintain +their present attitudes. It remains for the powers of the Entente to +devise a means for securing the co-operation of both States. + +Servia recently inquired in Bucharest whether Rumania would oppose +territorial concessions to a neighboring State, evidently indicating +Bulgaria. Rumania replied that she would be happy to see all the +quarrels of her neighbors arranged. The Government at Nish, +appreciating the necessities of the situation, is now disposed toward +a policy of concession. Servia's only hope of maintaining an +independent existence lies in the success of the Entente powers. She +is, therefore, bound to consent to any course they may deem necessary +at the present juncture. + + +UTTERANCES OF STATESMEN. + +_The New York Daily Greek Atlantis, in its issue of Nov. 21, 1914, +reports as follows the statement of three Rumanian leaders to a Greek +paper in Constantinople. The Rumanian Foreign Minister, Mr. Purumbaru, +said:_ + +Rumania is inspired by a sincere desire not to displease either of the +two European Georges. Having adopted a policy of neutrality, she will +maintain it to the end. Russia has expressed her satisfaction with the +present attitude of Rumania, while Austria, since the beginning of the +war, has avoided taking any oppressive measures against the Rumanians +of Transylvania. As regards Italy, the Rumanian people harbor the +friendliest intentions toward her. The Italo-Rumanian relations are +most cordial. In Rumania the policy of Italy is followed with much +attention. The relations of Rumania toward the other Balkan States, +and especially toward Servia and Greece, are good. It is true that the +Bulgarian intentions are not very clear. It appears, however, that the +desire for peace is strong in Sofia, where it is felt that the +interest of Bulgaria lies in adapting rather the country to the +present situation than in throwing it into a struggle whose results +would be unknown beforehand. + +As for Servia, Rumania has not intervened on her behalf in this war, +as it had not its origin in the Treaty of Bucharest. + +In accordance with the common understanding of all the Balkan States, +Rumania is always in favor of a union of them all, but opposes any +combination between two or more Balkan States to the detriment of +another. + +_M. Jonesco, leader of the Opposition, spoke on the Balkan situation +as follows:_ + +I always believed and still believe that the Balkan States cannot +secure their future otherwise than by a close understanding among +themselves, whether this understanding shall or shall not take the +form of a federation. No one of the Balkan States is strong enough to +resist the pressure from one or another of the European powers. + +For this reason I am deeply grieved to see in the Balkan coalition of +1912 Rumania not invited. If Rumania had taken part in the first one, +we should not have had the second. I did all that was in my power and +succeeded in preventing the war between Rumania and the Balkan League +in the Winter of 1912-1913. + +I risked my popularity, and I do not feel sorry for it. I employed all +my efforts to prevent the second Balkan war, which, as is well known, +was profitable to us. I repeatedly told the Bulgarians that they ought +not to enter it because in that case we would enter it too. But I was +not successful in my efforts. + +During the second Balkan war I did all in my power to end it as +quickly as possible. At the conference of Bucharest I made efforts, as +Mr. Pashich and Mr. Venizelos know very well, to secure for beaten +Bulgaria the best terms. My object was to obtain a new coalition of +all the Balkan States, including Rumania. Had I succeeded in this the +situation would be much better. No reasonable man will deny that the +Balkan States are neutralizing each other at the present time, which +in itself makes the whole situation all the more miserable. + +In October, 1913, when I succeeded in facilitating the conclusion of +peace between Greece and Turkey, I was pursuing the same object of the +Balkan coalition. On my return from Athens I endeavored, though +without success, to put the Greco-Turkish relations on a basis of +friendship, being convinced that the well understood interest of both +countries lies not only in friendly relations, but even in an alliance +between them. + +The dissensions that exist between the Balkan States can be settled in +a friendly way without war. The best moment for this would be after +the general war, when the map of Europe will be remade. The Balkan +country which would start war against another Balkan country would +commit, not only a crime against her own future, but an act of folly +as well. + +The destiny and the future of the Balkan States, and of all the small +European peoples as well, will not be regulated by fratricidal wars, +but, with this great European struggle, the real object of which is to +settle the question whether Europe shall enter an era of justice, and +therefore happiness for the small peoples, or whether we will face a +period of oppression more or less gilt edged. And as I always believed +that wisdom and truth will triumph in the end, I want to believe, too, +that, in spite of the pessimistic news reaching me from the different +sides of the Balkan countries, there will be no war among them in +order to justify those who do not believe in the vitality of the small +peoples. + + +RUMANIANS IN HUNGARY. + +_N. Filipescu, ex-Minister of War, said:_ + +The position of the Rumanians in Hungary is not so bad after all. +Since the beginning of the general war the Rumanians of Hungary gave +proofs of their faith and devotion to Hungary. + +We hoped to see this country appreciating the fact. Our belief is +strengthened every day. I am convinced that if from this war Hungary +should emerge victorious she would show less good-will toward the +Rumanians of Transylvania. It is the first time that I have expressed +in this way my opinion as a seeming threat. I hoped that the +Hungarians would in the end take to the right path. But I see that we +have nothing to hope from that side, and I only regret our former +amicable relations with Germany. + +Two Balkan States--Servia and Greece--are nearer to us on account of +the recent past. But in saying this I do not mean that our relations +in the future will be less friendly. With the other States, and +especially Bulgaria, our relations might become better. This is our +sincerest desire. As for Turkey, we never ceased to be on good terms +with her, and I hope the same will hold good in the future. + + + + +Exit Albania? + +Departure of Prince William of Wied--After the Revolution of July, +1914. + +[From Il Corriere della Sera of Milan, Italy, of Sept. 3, 1914.] + + +DURAZZO, Sept. 3. + +An hour ago the Italian yacht Misurata, flying the Albanian ensign on +the foremast and the Italian colors aft, weighed anchor and proceeded +to Venice. Aboard the Misurata were Prince William of Wied, Princess +Sophie, Tourkhan Pasha, (the Albanian Premier,) Akis Pasha, and other +members of the Court. + +Princess Sophie, coming aboard the launch which took them to the +Misurata, was weeping. Prince William looked calm. The Italian marines +and the Rumanian volunteers cheered, and the cruiser Libia saluted the +Prince with the regular number of salvos. The square near the seashore +was by that time full of refugees. + +Prince William bade Durazzo good-bye, but every one is convinced that +he will never come back. + +Last Monday (Aug. 31) the Ministers of the powers met in the Italian +Legation to consider the taking of certain measures, in case of +trouble, which was already brewing on account of the non-payment of +the apportionments to the men of the garrison. + +On the morning of the next day the Minister of Rumania brought to the +palace a letter from the insurgents addressed to the representatives +of the powers and announcing that the patience of the insurgents was +exhausted, and that they were resolved to enter Durazzo by any means. +An identical letter was addressed to the inhabitants of the city. + +It was then that the Prince decided to abandon Durazzo. + +The Ministers, having received the message of the insurgents and +having been notified of the intention of the Prince to leave the +place, met again in the palace in order to find a way of settlement of +the vexing financial problem. At the same time the International +Commission of Control decided to call on the insurgent camp at Shiak, +(outside of Durazzo,) give them the news of the imminent departure of +the Prince, and invite them to the city. + +The insurgents replied assuring the commission of their good +intentions toward the city and the foreigners. They added that they +had not taken any decision regarding the new form of government, +because some of their chiefs were at that time in Avlona, and they +promised to make their decision known after the departure of the +Prince from Durazzo. On the other hand, they left it to be understood +that there was already established in Albania a mutual national +confidence between all the Musselman Albanians. + +On its return to Durazzo the International Commission of Control found +itself face to face with another surprise. The gendarmerie had +mutinied. The men belonging to this corps were opposing the departure +of the Prince before he had paid their wages, and threatened to make +use of their weapons. + +The commission sent the French delegate to the gendarmerie barracks, +and it was with great trouble that the men were dissuaded from their +original designs. Yesterday the Prince distributed decorations freely. +Today at 7 A.M. he left the palace, and, saluted by the Diplomatic +Corps, he repaired to the waterfront. + +After the Prince and Princess embarked, the adjoining square was +filled with great crowds of people. Malissor and Kotsovessi tribesmen +and all those who were yet in Durazzo as protectors of the Prince went +to the waterfront in order to embark on an Italian mail steamer bound +for San Giovanni di Medua. + +These people looked desperate and gave the impression of being in the +last degree of poverty. Each one had from two to three pistols, and no +one was unarmed. There might have been nearly 2,000 men there, all +eager to leave, but this proved impossible, as their chiefs, Issa +Boletinotz and Bairam Zouri, had not provided them with the necessary +tickets. + +At last, with the help of the Almighty, order was re-established, and, +after two hours of trouble impossible to describe, these 2,000 +refugees embarked on the steamer Citta di Bori. + +The Italian marines re-embarked on the cruiser Libia, and the +International Commission took charge of the Government. + + +LAST PROCLAMATION OF PRINCE OF WIED. + +_Before leaving Durazzo, the Prince of Wied addressed the following +proclamation to the Albanian people:_ + +Albanians, when your delegates came to offer me the crown of Albania, +I answered with confidence to the appeal of this noble and chivalrous +people who were asking me to aid them in the work of their national +regeneration. I came to you animated by the most ardent desire to help +you in this patriotic task. + +You have seen me, from the beginning, devoting all my efforts for the +reorganization of the country, and desirous of giving you a good +administration and justice for all. But ill-omened events occurred to +destroy our common labors. In fact, certain souls, blinded by passion, +have misunderstood the scope of our reforms and have not given credit +to a Government just born. On the other hand, the war which broke out +in Europe has all the more complicated our position. + +I therefore thought that, in order not to leave unfinished the work to +which I wish to consecrate my forces and my life, I must just for a +little while go to the Occident. + +But know that, from afar as from near, I will have but one thought--to +work for the prosperity of our noble and chivalrous Albanian +fatherland. During my absence the International Commission of Control, +deriving its powers from Europe, which created our country, will +assume the Government. + + +ESSAD PASHA PRESIDENT. + +[From Le Temps, Paris.] + +DURAZZO, Oct. 4. + +Essad Pasha was today named President of the temporary Government. The +time limit for taking possession of the Government expired at 2 P.M. A +short time before this hour Essad Pasha occupied the strategic points +of the city with his forces of 10,000 Ottomans. + +The members of the Albanian Senate elected him President, and +expressed to him their congratulations for the confidence the nation +has in him. + + +ALBANIA UNDER MANY RULERS. + +[From The Times of London, Oct. 30.] + +BUCHAREST, Oct. 27. + +There are now six Italian warships at Avlona, where a sanitary station +will be established for the relief of Albanian refugees driven from +Epirus by the Greek "sacred bands." The duty of maintaining the +decisions of the conference in London will apparently be intrusted to +Italy as the only neutral power among the signatories to the Albanian +settlement. The consent of Austria to this arrangement would seem to +have been secured. + +At present Albania is under six different regimes. Scutari and its +neighborhood is governed by a local commission composed of Moslems and +Christians. Avlona is also administered by a commission. The Mirdites +form a separate State under Prenk Bib Doda. The Malissors remain +isolated under their patriarchal institutions. The southern districts +have been appropriated by the Greek invaders. Durazzo and the central +regions obey Essad Pasha, who enjoys the title of Prime Minister and +is recognized by the International Commission. That shadowy body, now +reduced to four members, personates the ghost of the European concert. +Except in the south the country is remarkably tranquil under its +indigenous institutions. + +After he had left Albania Prince William of Wied received a telegram +from the King of Italy assuring him of support in the future. His +subsequent inclusion, however, in the German General Staff is regarded +as seriously compromising to his prospects as sovereign of Albania. + + +ITALY'S SANITARY MISSION. + +[From The London Morning Post, Oct. 28, 1914.] + +ROME, Oct. 27. + +The dispatch of the battleship Dandolo, the Climene and other Italian +warships to Valona is due to the Government's knowledge of a scheme +for starting an agitation tending to infringe the decision of the +London Conference, which declared Albania neutral. Ismail Kemal Bey, +whom I have just seen, expressed his satisfaction at Italy's action at +Valona on both political and humanitarian grounds. He did not think +that the step would lead to complications, and described the condition +of the people at Valona as very miserable. + +The Tribuna, commenting on the Government announcement, declares that +Italy's aim is for the present solely humanitarian, since the +miserable conditions of Valona necessitate sanitary aid. A few +companies of marines will land from the Dandolo to protect the +Sanitary Mission. With regard to coast surveillance, the British and +French Governments have warned Italy of a suspicious Moslem movement +in the harbor of Smyrna, whence a thousand rabid young Turks have +started or are starting on two steamers hired by the committee for +Albania, with the intention of hoisting the Turkish flag and +reannexing Albania to Turkey. Italy, in perfect accord with all the +signatories of the London Conference, proposes to thwart the attempt. + +The Giornale d'Italia considers that what has been done at Valona is +sufficient affirmation of Italian interests. Italy never meditated +expeditions into the interior or a protectorate over Albania. The +Government's intention is to show that whoever touches Valona touches +Italian interests, which are that no power shall establish a naval +base there. + + +SASENO OCCUPIED. + +[From The London Times, Oct. 30, 1914.] + +ROME, Oct. 30. + +The Italian occupation of the rocky and desolate islet of Saseno +which, from a strategic point of view, completely dominates the sea +approaches to Avlona, is a logical consequence of the occupation of +that town for the purpose of establishing a hospital and maintaining +order. The islet itself was for some months in 1913 and 1914 a bone +of contention between the Italians, who insisted on obtaining it for +the Principality of Albania, and the Greeks, who were equally anxious +to retain it in their own possession. With Saseno under the control of +a foreign power, the possessor of Avlona could never make the town +into a place of arms. + +Saseno, as one of the Ionian Islands, became a British protectorate in +virtue of the Treaty of Paris of Nov. 5, 1815, but was given to Greece +by the Treaty of London of March 29, 1864. The Ambassadors' Conference +decided in the Autumn of last year that it was illogical to allow the +chief harbor of Albania to be dominated by the territory of a foreign +power, and by the Protocol of Florence, Dec. 19, 1913, it was +definitely included in Albania. This decision was ratified by +legislative enactment in Greece, to which effect was given by King +Constantine's proclamation of June 13, 1914, shortly after which the +Hellenic garrison was withdrawn. During the Greek regime, the island, +being neutralized by the Treaty of 1864, was quite unimportant, and at +one time the Turks by arrangement with the Hellenic Government, +maintained a lighthouse there. + + +GREEK TROOPS IN EPIRUS. + +[From The Morning Post, London, Oct. 28, 1914.] + +ATHENS, Oct. 26. + +In view of the continuous Albanian attacks and the growing insecurity +in Northern Epirus the Greek Government today ordered Greek troops to +occupy the districts of Argyrocastro and Premeti. The official +communique just issued declares this to be an entirely provisional +measure to restore order and security in a country already exhausted +by prolonged sanguinary conflicts, and Greece proposes to continue to +adhere to the international arrangements regarding Epirus. It goes +without saying that this reoccupation coincides entirely with public +opinion, which has long been exercised over the sufferings of the +Epirotes. + + +ASSENT OF THE POWERS. + +[From The London Morning Post, Oct. 30, 1914.] + +Following are the replies of the great powers (states Reuter's Agency) +to the Greek note announcing the intention of Greece to reoccupy +Epirus: + +France declared that she saw no objection to the course proposed by M. +Venizelos's note. + +Russia intimated that she would gladly accept whatever decision in the +matter was reached by Great Britain and France. + +The British Government accepted M. Venizelos's note. + +Germany and Austria-Hungary replied that they accepted the declaration +of the Greek Government that the occupation would not be contrary to +the decisions of the London Conference. + +Italy declared that she, for the same purpose as set forth in the +Greek note, namely, the maintenance of order and security, was taking +similar steps at Valona, and that she had adopted this course while +fully respecting the decisions of the powers. She raised no objection +to M. Venizelos's proposal. + + +ITALIAN OCCUPATION OF AVLONA. + +[From the Messaggero of Rome, Dec. 28, 1914.] + +AVLONA, Dec. 26. + +_The following proclamation addressed to the population was posted +here:_ + +The grave disorders that become apparent from time to time in this +country have paralyzed commerce, work, and initiative, and are +endangering the life and property of the inhabitants. + +The Italian Government, a watchful guardian of Albanian fortunes, +desires that your tranquillity, so cruelly tried, shall be assured. +Invoked by your wishes the marines of Italy are disembarking from the +ships to establish order and defend you. + +(Signed) ADMIRAL PATRIS. + + +THE LAST WORD. + +[From the Messaggero of Rome, Jan. 6, 1915.] + +DURAZZO, Jan. 4. + +Yesterday the rebels by a letter signed "The Mussulman Committee" +demanded that the Ministers of Servia and France be consigned to them. + +At 6:30 o'clock the attack against the city began. + +Essad Pasha visited the trenches, notified the Italian Legation that +there was great danger, and demanded all possible assistance. + +At 2:30 a few cannon shots from the Misurata and the Sardegna made +themselves heard, defending the city, silencing in this way the rebel +musket fire. + +The Italian colony and the legations of Italy, France, and Servia are +embarked on the ships Sardegna and Misurata. + + + + +TO BELGIUM + +By EDEN PHILLPOTTS. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + + Champion of human honor, let us lave + Your feet and bind your wounds on bended knee, + Though coward hands have nailed you to the tree + And shed your innocent blood and dug your grave, + Rejoice and live! Your oriflamme shall wave + While man has power to perish and be free-- + A golden flame of holiest liberty, + Proud as the dawn and as the sunset brave. + + Belgium, where dwelleth reverence for right + Enthroned above all ideals; where your fate + And your supernal patience and your might + Most sacred grow in human estimate, + You shine a star above this stormy night, + Little no more, but infinitely great. + +[Illustration: The Balkan States, After the Second Balkan War.] + + + + +The War in the Balkans + +General Aspect of the Near East on Aug. 1, 1914. + +By Adamantios Th. Polyzoides, Editor The Atlantis. + + +The opening of the great European war found the Balkan Peninsula in +the political shape given to it by the Treaty of Bucharest, Aug. 10, +(old style, July 28,) 1913. + +This treaty was signed in the Rumanian capital immediately after the +second Balkan war by Greece, Rumania, Bulgaria, Servia, and +Montenegro, and, considered in its essential points, was the handiwork +of European diplomacy, at whose instance Rumania had entered the war, +with the avowed purpose to re-establish the destroyed Balkan +equilibrium. Europe had two reasons for interfering in what was then +considered as the final settlement of the Balkan question. In the +first place, she wanted to reaffirm her authority and predominance +over the Balkan States, and, in the second, she considered it as an +indispensable part of her Near Eastern policy never to allow much +freedom of movement on the part of these same States, which in two +successive wars had proved their ability to safeguard and promote +their vital interests in spite of all European opposition. To explain +this course of European diplomacy one must bear in mind that the +Balkan States, since their constitution as such, have always been +considered as proteges of Europe, or, to put it more plainly, as not +being of age, and therefore deprived of the right and privilege to +deal directly with their ancient master, Turkey, in all serious +matters in which their most vital interests were involved. + +In the Treaty of Berlin after the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 a +congress, in which all of the Great European powers participated, most +emphatically affirmed that Turkey was responsible to Europe for any +complaints that the Balkan States might have against the Ottoman +Government regarding the treatment of their connationals, still left +under the Sultan. At the same time the Balkan States received due +warning regarding their dealings with Turkey, and were made to take a +pledge that whenever they had troubles with the Porte the powers and +not themselves were to be the arbiters. All the world knows how +Turkey, by constant wire-pulling, secured immunity from Europe for not +fulfilling the obligations incumbent on her by the Treaty of Berlin, +and how one of the Balkan States, namely, Greece, was left alone and +unprotected, to be chastised by Turkey in 1897 for not leaving to the +powers the settlement of the Cretan question which had brought about +the war. + +The European powers, having done practically nothing during +thirty-five years for the betterment of the conditions under which the +non-Moslem populations had to live in Turkey, were overwhelmed to hear +in the Autumn of 1912 the news of a series of alliances concluded at +Sofia on June 12 between Bulgaria and Servia, and between Bulgaria and +Greece, for the purpose of settling once for all the perennial Balkan +question. European diplomacy was slow, as usual, in grasping the +meaning of the new alliance, and when, on Oct. 5, 1912, Montenegro +suddenly declared war on Turkey, with Servia, Bulgaria, and Greece +following suit on the 18th, there was consternation in London, Paris, +Berlin, Vienna, Rome, and, to a certain degree, in Petrograd. + +An idea of the unpreparedness of European diplomacy in the face of the +sudden Balkan war can be had by simply glancing at the records of the +British House of Commons of the first weeks after the war was +declared. + +Sir Edward Grey, then and now Foreign Secretary of State for Great +Britain, making the first announcement of the rupture between Turkey +and the Balkan States, said--exposing the views not only of his +Government but of the European concert as well--that Europe, being +taken unawares, would not permit any alteration of the Balkan +frontiers as the result of the war. After the first victories of the +Balkan allies we see Great Britain changing her policy. "The Balkan +victors shall not be deprived of the fruits of their victories," +Premier Asquith was declaring in Parliament less than a fortnight +after Sir Edward spoke. In both these instances the British statesmen +were voicing the policy of the European concert taken as a whole. In +the first place, the Foreign Secretary was led into believing that +Turkey might prove victorious against the Balkan coalition, and the +warning about the immutability of the Balkan frontiers was only for +Turkey, in case her victorious armies were to cross the boundaries +into Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro, and Greece. + +When events marked the utter collapse of the Turkish campaign, Premier +Asquith came out with the declaration that Europe had agreed on a +policy safeguarding the interests of the victorious Balkan allies. +This policy was maintained as long as the Balkan victories were +confined in their first progress toward Ottoman territory, at the same +time leaving the great European interests unharmed. But when Servian +troops arrived at Durazzo, and Montenegro entered Scutari while Greece +kept pushing on to Avlona and Bulgaria stood before Tchataldja, the +European concert was no longer unanimous in safeguarding the interests +of the victors. + +Austria, seeing her secular dream of a descent on Saloniki definitely +destroyed, and feeling at the same time the imperative need of making +impossible a Servian occupation of the Adriatic littoral, raised her +voice in favor of the creation of an autonomous Albania at the expense +of Servia, Montenegro, and Greece. + +Italy, and then Germany, joined their ally in support of Albania. +Russia, at the same time not wishing to give any greater impetus to +the Bulgarian campaign, dexterously manipulated Rumania, which raised +at that time her first claims on Dobrudja. France, who for the last +twenty-five years has subjected her Near Eastern policy to the +exigencies of the Petrograd statesmen, agreed to the Albanian +proposals of the four powers, and finally Great Britain, fearing +complications, declared abruptly through Sir Edward Grey that the +Balkan war was one of conquest, and for that reason subject to +European intervention. In this way European diplomacy stepped into the +Balkan conflict and took charge of the final settlement of the first +war. + +The resolution to interfere in the war once taken, the European powers +lost no time in finding a way to end the conflict, and with this +object in mind they forced on the belligerents two successive +armistices, culminating in the two peace conferences of London. These +armistices served two purposes from the diplomatic point of view; +first, they exhausted financially the little Balkan countries; and, +secondly, they prepared public opinion for the acceptance of any peace +terms. The second conference in London succeeded in forcing a peace +treaty on the Balkan States. With the exception of Bulgaria, who hoped +to retain most of the Turkish territory won by the Balkan coalition, +every one was dissatisfied with the way the London conference ended. + +Turkey, on one hand, was losing more territory than at first imagined, +as the result of her defeat, and the loss of Adrianople was especially +hard for every Turk. + +Greece was obliged to sign a peace treaty giving her vague and +indefinite boundaries and leaving out the question of the Aegean +Islands and Epirus, to be settled at a later date by another +conference of the Ambassadors of the six great powers in London. + +Servia also had to wait for the realization of her fondest hope, which +was to obtain a free commercial access to the Adriatic by way of +Durazzo or San Giovanni di Medua. That question also was to be decided +by the Ambassadorial conference. Montenegro was to lose Scutari, for +which she had shed her heart's blood, without getting at the same time +any adequate compensation. Such was the Peace of London, from the +strictly Balkan point of view, and its conclusion in May, 1913, was +the signal for the disruption of the Balkan League and the forerunner +of the second war. One month later Bulgaria, having fallen under +Austrian influences, quarreled with Servia and Greece over the +division of certain Macedonian territories, and on June 16 (29, new +style) all of a sudden attacked her erstwhile allies, thereby bringing +about the second Balkan conflict, with Greece, Servia, and Montenegro +united against her. The outcome of this war, the entry of Rumania and +Turkey into the field against Bulgaria, the tearing up of the London +Treaty, and the settlement of Bucharest are too well known to need an +extensive mention here. + +The Treaty of London once torn to pieces by the second Balkan war, it +remained for the great powers to find a new way of forcing their terms +on the recalcitrant Balkan States, and this they succeeded in doing by +adroitly using Rumania as the representative of European diplomacy. +Thus the Rumanian Army, without any provocation from Bulgaria, took +the field against her neighbor, and acted as a mediator and arbiter of +the second Balkan conflict. + +The Greek, Servian, Montenegrin, and Bulgarian delegates who went to +Bucharest at the close of the war knew beforehand that behind the +actions of the Rumanian Government stood united the whole of European +diplomacy, again striving to put down once for all these insolent +little States who thought themselves emancipated from European +guardianship. These delegates knew quite well that there was no +escape, but they went, trying and hoping for the best. The Rumanian +"Green Papers," published a short time after the Treaty of Bucharest +and covering a period between Sept. 20, 1912, and Aug. 1, 1913, give a +vivid and true story of the whole proceedings, showing once more what +a powerful instrument diplomacy is in the hands of the strong for +cheating the weak. + +On Aug. 1, 1914, we see the Balkan Peninsula presenting the following +aspect: + +From the erstwhile European Turkey, of six vilayets, or departments, +namely, those of Adrianople, Saloniki, Monastir, Uskub, Jannina, and +Scutari, only one, and that mutilated, remains, the Vilayet of +Adrianople. Greece, Bulgaria, Servia, Montenegro, and Albania +appropriated the rest. Gone is Crete, and gone are the twenty-six +Aegean Islands, twelve of them permanently united to their Hellenic +motherland, while Italy temporarily occupies fourteen as a result of +the Tripolitan war of 1911. Thus Turkey, from an area of 168,500 +square kilometers, and 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 inhabitants, forming her +European dominions, was reduced to about 30,000 square kilometers and +nearly 3,000,000 inhabitants, including the population of +Constantinople, amounting, according to the only available foreign +statistics, to 1,203,000 inhabitants. Of course Turkey has in Asia an +area of more than 2,000,000 square kilometers, with a population +approximating 20,000,000, but that, properly speaking, does not enter +into Balkan considerations. + +Greece, after her two victorious wars, approximates 120,000 square +kilometers in territory, with more than 5,000,000 population. + +Rumania has 139,690 square kilometers of area and 7,601,660 of +population. + +Servia has an area of 87,300 square kilometers and a population of +4,256,000. + +Bulgaria's area is 114,000 square kilometers, with 4,766,900 of +population. + +Montenegro has an area of 14,180 square kilometers and half a million +in population, and, lastly, Albania, the newborn State, with its +scant hope of future political life, has an area of about 17,600 +square kilometers, with an approximate population of 800,000 +inhabitants. + +Were the Balkan States satisfied with the above arrangement when the +great European war broke? To this question we have the following +answer from those concerned: + +Turkey never forgave the European powers the treatment accorded to her +in the London peace conference, and proved her dissatisfaction by +entering Thrace and occupying Adrianople immediately she saw Bulgaria +engaged in the second war. But Turkey desired also the Aegean islands +occupied by Greece, and these, all but two at the entrance to the +Dardanelles, the powers allotted to Greece, not securing thereby an +increase of Turkish sympathies. + +Greece was disappointed in two instances by the European powers; +first, because they did not make their decision regarding the islands +binding upon Turkey, thus creating a series of unending controversies +between the Porte and the Government of Athens, one result of which +was the wholesale expulsions and persecutions of the Greek element in +Turkey, and especially in the Vilayets of Adrianople and Smyrna. The +question of settling in a friendly way the Greco-Turkish differences +was to be discussed between the Grand Vizier, Prince Said Halim, and +the Premier of Greece, E.K. Venizelos, in a meeting of the two +statesmen in Brussels, when the great European war broke. + +Bulgaria, who for a moment saw her most cherished dream of Balkan +hegemony realized and had all her fondest hopes shattered by the +second war and the Treaty of Bucharest, cannot help regarding her +neighbors as the robbers of what she considers her national patrimony, +and at the same time she does not forget that in all their proceedings +against her, Greek, Servian, Rumanian, and Montenegrin acted with the +tacit approval of the great powers. + +Servia for years had struggled to get an outlet on the Adriatic, and +when, after a glorious war, she attained her goal, she found Austria +opposing her, and behind Austria the whole of the European concert. + +Montenegro in the same way cannot forget the disappointment of being +cast out of Scutari after one of the most strenuous and glorious +campaigns of her history, and lastly Albania, poor and helpless, +without any support from her creators, feels all that a weak and +wretched foundling has to feel toward those responsible for its +misfortunes and miseries. In contrast with these feelings, Rumania was +the only Balkan State perfectly satisfied with the new arrangement. In +fact, Rumania, having played in the war the part of a great power, +came out of it not only with increased prestige but also with the +richest of all the Bulgarian provinces, Dobrudja, as a sort of +deserved payment for serving the ends of European diplomacy. + +From this general dissatisfaction of the Balkan States with European +diplomacy and European intrigue sprang Gavrilo Prinzip and the murder +at Serajevo that plunged Europe and the world into the greatest and +most disastrous war of all time. + +In fairness, however, to the Balkan States it must be said at this +juncture that war, in whatever form and character, was far from the +Balkan mind on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian Archduke and heir to +the throne, Franz Ferdinand, and his consort were assassinated by the +Servian youth Prinzip in the capital of Bosnia. + +The years 1912 and 1913 had been too costly for the whole of the +Balkan Peninsula, and the necessity of a continued peace for a good +number of years was universally recognized, with the exception of +Constantinople, in Athens, Bucharest, Sofia, Belgrade, Cettinge, and +even Durazzo. To prove this we have the opinions of all the Balkan +leaders and the views expressed in the Balkan press up to Aug. 1, +1914. + +A single point yet calls for a few remarks, and this covers the mutual +relations of the Balkan States just before the European war. + +We have seen in what a degree the question of the ownership of the +Aegean Islands had divided the Governments of Athens and +Constantinople. In fact, if any war in the Near East were to be +feared, this was one between the two secular enemies, Greek and Turk, +and when in May, 1913, the anti-Greek agitation in the Ottoman Empire +reached its climax it was only through the tremendous influence of the +Greek Premier on Hellenic public opinion and his extreme moderation +that a new diplomatic rupture between the two countries was averted. + +In anticipation of this eventuality Turkey secured two battleships of +the dreadnought type, the Brazilian Rio de Janeiro (then Sultan Osman +I. and afterward H.M.S. Erin, England having taken over the ship on +Aug. 5, 1914) and the Reshadieh, (likewise taken over by England and +renamed H.M.S. Agincourt,) and was preparing for war in such haste +that Greece did not hesitate to buy at the original cost price the two +old American battleships Idaho and Mississippi, (now Limnos and +Kilkis.) + +This was in July, 1914, just a few weeks before the European war. +Since that time Greco-Turkish relations have been neither better nor +worse. It must be said here that these relations had their origin, not +in the obsolete London Treaty of May, 1913, but in the Treaty of +Athens, signed in December, 1913, between the two countries, and +covering in a general way the more essential points of the outstanding +questions between the two parties, excluding, however, the Aegean +Islands controversy. + +After signing the Treaty of Bucharest Bulgaria turned her attention +exclusively to Turkey, and, letting bygones be bygones, concluded the +Peace Treaty of Constantinople in October, 1913, and inaugurated the +most friendly relations with her erstwhile opponent. Since that time +the report has spread that an alliance, both offensive and defensive, +had been signed by the two countries, but this has been repeatedly +denied both from Constantinople and Sofia. + +The diplomatic relations between Servia and Turkey and Montenegro and +Turkey were re-established a short time before the European war, but +these countries, being now in no direct contact with Turkish +territory, their relations with the Porte are of little importance. + +Between Bulgaria on one hand and Rumania, Greece, Servia, and +Montenegro on the other, the diplomatic relations have been +re-established, but gone is the old friendship, for reasons already +explained. Greece, Servia, and Montenegro are the best of friends, +and, according to unofficial and confidential reports, a defensive and +offensive alliance for the maintenance of the Balkan status quo, +exists between the three countries. Between Rumania and Greece +friendly relations exist, and for some time it was said that a +marriage was to be arranged between the Greek Crown Prince, George, +and the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of the Rumanian King, Ferdinand +I., who succeeded to the throne after the death of his uncle, King +Charles. This match, however, seems to have been abandoned, perhaps +for political reasons, and more so because Greco-Rumanian relations +have not as yet reached that firmness which only might justify such a +rapprochement of the two royal families. + +Between Servia and Rumania there is some courtesy but scarcely any +friendship, and this is not surprising, especially now, when each side +is aiming to an aggrandizement (at the expense of Austria) in a way +injurious to the other. Montenegro naturally follows Servia's course, +and as for Albania, what we said previously of her applies now, with +this particular observation, that the only neighborly interest shown +her is from Italy, trying to play the game of Tripoli at the expense +of the Skipetars, while all the other European powers are busily +engaged in the great war. + +In conclusion we may note that of all the Balkan States only Rumania +and, to a certain degree, Greece have any money to run their affairs. +This, however, has nothing to do with the matter of their entrance in +the war, as in that case there will be one or the other European +combination to pay the freight. + +Such was the aspect of the Balkan Peninsula at the beginning of the +great European war. + + + + +[Illustration: (_From The Bystander, London._) + +How the Famous Bernhardi Wrote the Eulogy of Germany's Culture.] + +THE EUROPEAN WAR AS SEEN BY CARTOONISTS + +_A SELECTION OF NOTABLE CARTOONS FROM LEADING ENGLISH, FRENCH, +ITALIAN, AND GERMAN PUBLICATIONS, SHOWING HOW THE KNIGHTS OF THE PEN +AND BRUSH ARE WAGING THE WAR OF CARICATURE AGAINST THE FOES OF THEIR +RESPECTIVE ALLIANCES_ + +ENGLISH CARTOONS, PAGE 1073 + +FRENCH CARTOONS, PAGE 1084 + +ITALIAN CARTOONS, PAGE 1088 + +GERMAN CARTOONS, PAGE 1091 + + + + +Still Not Letting Go--and Still Breathing! + +[Illustration: (_From The Sketch, London._) + +THE PRUSSIAN EAGLE: "This is no good to me. That pup's growing every +minute. I've half a mind to fly away."] + + + + +Going! Going! ----? + +[Illustration: (_From The Tatler, London._) + +The Barbarian Finds His "Place in the Sun" Too Hot for Him.] + + + + +The God in the Cart + +(AN UNREHEARSED EFFECT.) + +[Illustration: (_From Punch, London._) + +TURKEY: "I'm getting a bit fed up with this. I shall kick soon." + +AUSTRIA: "Well, I was thinking of lying down."] + + + + +The Great Illusion + +[Illustration: (_From Punch, London._) + +KAISER: "My poor bird, what _has_ happened to your tail feathers?" + +GERMAN EAGLE: "Can you bear the truth, Sire?" + +KAISER: "If it's not for publication." + +GERMAN EAGLE: "It's like this, then. You told me the British lion was +contemptible. Well--he wasn't!"] + + + + +What Punch Thinks Is Awaiting the Kaiser + +[Illustration: (_From Punch, London._)] + + + + +The Man Behind the Kaiser + +[Illustration: (_From the Bystander, London._)] + + + + +Nothing Doing + +[Illustration: (_From Punch, London._) + +IMPERIAL DACHSHUND: "Here I've been sitting up and doing tricks for +the best part of seven weeks, and you take no more notice of me than +if--" + +UNCLE SAM: "Cut it out!"] + + + + +As Between Friends + +[Illustration: (_From Punch, London._) + +BRITISH LION: "Please don't look at me like that, Sam. _You_'re not +the eagle I'm up against."] + + + + +Kultur + +[Illustration: (_From The Sketch, London._) + +Making the German Officers' Mess a Success.] + + + + +Homers + +[Illustration: (_From The Sketch, London._) + +THE POLICEMAN: "What have you got there? Pigeons?" + +THE ENGLISHMAN (_naturalized_): "No; they vos singing-birds." + +THE POLICEMAN: "What song do they sing?" + +THE ENGLISHMAN (_naturalized_): "Home, sveet home."] + + + + +The New Year's Present That We Are Wishing For + +[Illustration: (_From La Vie Parisienne, Paris._) + +A Million English Soldiers to Help Us Drive the Germans from France +and Belgium.] + + + + +"His" Christmas Sabots + +[Illustration: (_From La Vie Parisienne, Paris._) + +(The conspicuous place taken by children's stockings at Christmas time +in English-speaking countries is usurped by the youngsters' shoes in +France.)] + + + + +"Sire, Your Soup's Getting Cold" + +[Illustration: (_From La Vie Parisienne, Paris._) + +How about that famous dinner that the Kaiser ordered in one of the big +Paris hotels! Isn't the bill of fare a trifle out of season by this +time?] + + + + +Chaffing the French Censor + +(_From La Vie Parisienne, Paris._) + +[Illustration: "At the same instant, happily, a furious gallop +resounded along the road from ----, and, full of joy, our Colonel +cried: 'They are the ----.' They were, as a matter of fact, the +----."] + +[Illustration: "Despite this reinforcement, it was hot work. Capt. +---- of the ---- Company of the ---- Regiment especially distinguished +himself, leading his men in an irresistible charge. We lost ---- men, +but the enemy left ---- dead in the ruins of the village of ----."] + +[Illustration: "At the end of the ---- ---- victory ---- ---- ---- +important strategic point ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----. 'I am very +pleased with you,' said our General to us."] + + + + +The Under-Study + +[Illustration: (_From Numero, Turin._) + +The Triple Alliance Revised and Corrected.] + + + + +A Substitute for Belgian Blocks + +[Illustration: (_From Numero, Turin._) + +A New Form of Paving for French and Belgian Cities.] + + + + +What Italy Thinks of "Guglielmo" + +(A SERIES OF ITALIAN POSTCARDS.) + +[Illustration: HIMSELF TO GOD: "If I were not afraid of Thee I would +declare war upon Thee also!"] + +[Illustration: GUGLIELMO'S DREAM. The map bears the inscription, "The +Great German Empire."] + +[Illustration: "Isn't there somebody else to declare war upon?" + +"There's the Republic of San Marino, your Majesty."] + +[Illustration: GUGLIELMO (bearing the European war): "Heavens! It's +beginning to get heavy."] + + + + +You Can't Bluff the Turk + +(_From Simplicissimus, Munich._) + +[Illustration: "Will you restore the capitulations immediately?"] + +[Illustration: "No."] + +[Illustration: "Will you give up the Goeben and the Breslau +immediately?"] + +[Illustration: "No."] + +[Illustration: "In respect to the Dardanelles, will you immediately +----?" + +"No. And now suppose you just put up that revolver."] + +[Illustration: "With pleasure! The thing wasn't loaded at all!"] + + + + +The Mistress of the Sea + +(_From Lustige Blaetter, Berlin._) + +[Illustration: Behold, O World, How I Stand Here! + +Look Out, Britannia!] + + + + +The "Prize-Taker" + +[Illustration: (_From Lustige Blaetter, Berlin._) + +"How long will you allow this brute to tread on your corns?" + +[The allusion is to England's attitude toward neutral shipping.]] + + + + +The Face at the Window + +[Illustration: (_From Lustige Blaetter, Berlin._)] + + + + +Novel Coastwise Scenery + +[Illustration: (_From Jugend, Munich._) + +Since it was given out that the German barbarians were refusing to +fire on cathedrals, England has worked out a jolly little plan for +coast defense.] + + + + +The Dancers + +[Illustration: (_From Lustige Blaetter, Berlin._) + +How the Germans Conduct the English Ballet.] + + + + +The English Spider + +[Illustration: (_From Jugend, Munich._)] + + + + +The Jap-Infested British Lion + +[Illustration: (_From Simplicissimus, Munich._) + +"Goddam! What kind of fleas have I got in my mane anyway!"] + + + + +The Englishman and His Globe + +[Illustration: (_From Simplicissimus, Munich._) + +"Curses! Blood is more slippery than water!" + +[The original was in black and red and vividly represented a dripping +globe.]] + + + + +The German Watch in Kiao-Chau + +[Illustration: (_From Simplicissimus, Munich._) + +[A superb cartoon published before the fall of the German stronghold +in China.]] + + + + +GERMANY vs. BELGIUM + +_Case of the Secret Military Documents Presented by Both Sides_ + + [The Belgo-British plot alleged by Germany is thoroughly + aired in the following communications. The text of the + secret documents, which, according to the German contention, + prove that the Allies did not intend to respect Belgian + neutrality--that Belgium herself conspired with England to + break it--was discovered in the archives of the Belgian + Government after the German occupation of Brussels, and is + embodied on Pages 1105 to 1109 in the subjoined article, + published in behalf of Germany by Dr. Bernhard Dernburg. + + The article, called by Dr. Dernburg "The Case of Belgium," + as reproduced below, and published between gray covers like + the Belgian "Gray Book," prompted publications in rejoinder + by the Belgian Legation at Washington. The first of these, + entitled "The Innocence of Belgium," appears on Page 1110; + it states that the secret documents show in their own + statements the "clearest proof of the innocence of Belgium." + The second Belgian article, headed "Why Belgium Was + Devastated," and appearing on Page 1115, embodies the German + proclamations establishing military rule in the violated + territory.--EDITOR.] + + +"THE CASE OF BELGIUM" + +"In the Light of Official Reports Found in the Secret Archives of the +Belgian Government after the Occupation of Brussels" + +Remarks Introductory to the Secret Documents + +By Dr. Bernhard Dernburg + +Herewith are published facsimiles of papers found among the documents +of the Belgian General Staff at Brussels, referring to arrangements +between the English Military Attache and the Belgian Minister of War +regarding British intervention in Belgium. + +It will be remembered from the British "White Book" that in November, +1912, a correspondence passed between Sir Edward Grey and the French +Minister in London, in which it was stated that British and French +military and naval experts had consulted together from time to time as +to plans to be followed in case of war, and it was stated in this +correspondence that in accordance with such prearranged plans the +French fleet would stay in the Mediterranean to safeguard the joint +interests there, whereas the British fleet would safeguard their +interests in the north. Of this correspondence the members of the +British Cabinet remained ignorant until the Cabinet meeting +immediately preceding the written statement by Great Britain on Aug. 2 +that in case a German fleet attacked the French coast or passed into +the Channel, England would give all the assistance in her power, +(British "White Papers," No. 148,) and it was also, of course, +concealed from the British public until the speech of Sir Edward Grey +on Aug. 3. It will be remembered that in consequence of this +revelation the British Minister of Commerce, Mr. John Burns, and two +other members, Lord Morley and Mr. Trevelyan, left the British Cabinet +under protest; that the leader of the British Labor Party, Mr. Ramsey +Macdonald, resigned from the leadership and that Mr. Arthur Ponsonby +in his famous letter denounced Sir Edward Grey's practices. + +Mr. Ponsonby said that time and again they had been assured that there +were no obligations whatsoever on the part of Great Britain to come to +France's assistance and yet they found themselves now so hopelessly +entangled that as a matter of fact the British Government could not +back out. + +The fact of these consultations, by which, of course, all the plans of +mobilization of both the British and French armies were disclosed to +the two allies and which include the landing of English troops in +France, is now fully established by the annexed documents. They show +that these conversations were also held with Belgium, that plans had +been concerted to invade Belgium with an army of 100,000 men by way of +three French ports--viz., Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne--and that the +British plans even considered a landing by way of the Scheldt, thus +violating also Dutch neutrality. + +The documents, giving all the details as translated and showing that +Belgian railway cars were to be sent to the named French ports in +order to transport the British troops into Belgium, are dated from +1906. + +The Belgian Minister at Berlin, Baron Greindl, a well-known Belgian +patriot, protested to his Government. The heading of his protest is +also given in facsimile. In it he said that it was not quite safe to +trust to the British and French to keep the Belgian neutrality, that +it was not wise to take all measures only against a German infraction +of Belgian neutrality and that the British spirit was clearly shown by +the words of Col. Barnardiston that the Scheldt might be used for +transporting troops into Belgium. + +Furthermore, it will be remembered that the British and French +Governments violently protested when the plans were made public that +the Dutch Government intended to fortify the mouth of the Scheldt in +1906. But in 1912, when the Balkan crisis became acute, the British +went one step further. When Col. Bridges, in a conversation with Gen. +Jungbluth, the Chief of the Belgian General Staff, said that England +was ready to strike, that 160,000 men were ready to be landed and that +they would land them as soon as any European conflict should break +out, Gen. Jungbluth protested that for such a step the permission of +Belgium was necessary. The cool reply was that the English knew it, +but thought that, as Belgium was not strong enough alone to protect +herself, England would land troops anyway. Gen. Jungbluth answered +that Belgium felt strong enough to protect herself, which is in +keeping with her declaration to France, when she offered to protect +Belgium by five army corps, as reported in the British "White Book." +The position of England was therefore that, while in 1906 they had +already concerted plans for a joint action, in 1912 England intended +action in any case, should a European conflagration break out. + +Now, it must be recollected that as early as July 28, 1914, Sir Edward +Grey said to Prince Lichnowsky, as mentioned in his communication to +Sir E. Goschen: "The situation was very grave. While it was restricted +to the issues at present actually involved, we had not thought of +interfering in it. But if Germany became involved in it and then +France, the issue might be so great that it would involve all European +interests, and I did not wish him to be misled by the friendly tone of +our conversation--which I hoped would continue--into thinking that we +should stand aside." (British "White Papers," No. 89.) + +This was at a time when the Belgian issue had not been raised at all. +It only came about by Sir Edward Grey's notes written on July 31. Thus +the British entanglement with France, as evidenced by the British +"White Book," prevented England taking the same attitude in 1914 which +she had taken in 1870, when she made a treaty with France as against +the German invasion of Belgium and with Germany as against the French +invasion of Belgium. A similar agreement was suggested by Prince +Lichnowsky to Sir Edward Grey on Aug. 1, 1914, as reported in the +English "White Book," No. 123, when the former asked Sir Edward Grey +whether if Germany gave a promise not to violate Belgian neutrality +England would engage to remain neutral, upon which Grey replied that +he could not say that. + +It is therefore perfectly evident, in the first place, that in case of +a German war, that was sure to be brought about by Russia's +mobilization against Germany, England would go to war against Germany, +and it has been proved that the English assurance to that effect has +strengthened the hands of the Russian war party, which thereupon got +the upper hand and forced the Russian Czar into the war, (see report +of Belgian Charge d'Affaires at St. Petersburg to the Minister of +Foreign Affairs at Brussels, July 30.) + +In the second place, it is shown that England meant, with or without +Belgium's will, to land her troops, in violation of Belgium's +neutrality, in Belgium, irrespective of whether German troops were +marching through Belgium or not, because no such declaration had been +made in 1912 or any time thereafter until Aug. 4 in the German +Reichstag. It is further evident that as soon as Russia mobilized, +Germany would have to fight Russia as well as France and England, and +that in such a fight she was forced to draw quickly when she saw her +enemies reaching for their hip pockets. And only the prompt action at +Liege that put this important railway centre commanding the railway +connections to France and Germany into German hands prevented the +English landing and invading Belgium. + +The guilt of the Belgian Government in this matter consists, in the +first place, in making and concerting plans with the English and +French Governments as to what steps to take in case of war. A plan of +the French mobilization was found in the same docket, and it cannot be +presumed that the conference between British and French experts was +unknown to the British Military Attache in Brussels. It is furthermore +impossible to believe that the French railway for the shipping of +British troops from Calais, Dunkirk, and Boulogne into Belgium in +Belgian cars could have been used without the knowledge of the French +authorities. Secondly, that Belgium did not heed the advice of Baron +Greindl and did not try to insure her independence in the same way by +approaching Germany and making a similar contract with her. This +disposes of the contention that the Belgian conversation had a purely +defensive character as against all comers. It shows the one-sidedness +of the inclination, which is evidenced also by the placing of all +Belgium's fortresses on the eastern frontier. + +The Belgian people had been told at the beginning of the war that +Germany demanded that the Belgian forces should fight with the Germans +against the French and the English, and the truth had become known +only three full months later, when the Belgian "Gray Book" was +published. Then Belgium was practically occupied territory. While +Belgium pretended neutrality and friendship toward Germany, it was +secretly planning for her defeat in a war which was considered +unavoidable. The poor Belgian people, however, must suffer because of +the large ambitions of King Leopold of Congo fame and of a broken-down +diplomacy. + +The Imperial Chancellor has declared that there was irrefutable proof +that if Germany did not march through Belgium, her enemies would. This +proof, as now being produced, is of the strongest character. So the +Chancellor was right in appealing to the law of necessity, although he +had no regret that it violated international law. This law of +necessity has been recognized as paramount by nearly every prominent +statesman, including Gladstone, and by all teachers of international +law, even by the United States Supreme Court's decision, Vol. 130, +Page 601, stating in regard to the treaty with China concerning +Chinese immigration into the United States: "It will not be presumed +that the legislative department of the Government will lightly pass +laws which are in conflict with the treaties of the country, but that +circumstances may arise which would not only justify the Government in +disregarding their stipulations, but demand in the interests of the +country that it should do so, there can be no question. Unexpected +events may call for a change in the policy of the country." And to +strengthen this opinion another decision by Justice Curtis, rendered +in 1908, may be cited, stating that, "while it would be a matter of +the utmost gravity and delicacy to refuse to execute a treaty, the +power to do so was a prerogative of which no country could be deprived +without deeply affecting its independence." + +We now let these Belgian documents speak for themselves. + + +Summary of the Secret Documents + +I. The first document is a report of the Chief of the Belgian General +Staff, Major Gen. Ducarme, to the Minister of War, reporting a series +of conversations which he had had with the Military Attache of the +British Legation, Lieut. Col. Barnardiston, in Brussels. It discloses +that, as early as January, 1906, the Belgian Government was in +consultation with the British Government over steps to be taken by +Belgium, Great Britain, and France against Germany. A plan had been +fully elaborated for the landing of two British army corps in French +ports to be transferred to the point in Belgium necessary for +operations against the Germans. Throughout the conversation the +British and Belgian forces were spoken of as "allied armies"; the +British Military Attache insisted on discussing the question of the +chief command; and he urged the establishment, in the meantime, of a +Belgian spy system in Germany. + +II. When in the year 1912 Lieut. Col. Barnardiston had been succeeded +by Lieut. Col. Bridges as British Military Attache in Brussels, and +the Chief of the Belgian General Staff, Major Gen. Ducarme, had been +succeeded by Gen. Jungbluth as Chief of the Belgian General Staff, the +conversations proceeded between the two latter officials. That is to +say, these were not casual conversations between individuals, but a +series of official conversations between representatives of their +respective Governments, in pursuance of a well-considered policy on +the part of both Governments. + +III. The above documents are given additional significance by a report +made in 1911 by Baron Greindl, Belgian Minister in Berlin, to the +Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs, from which it appears that this +representative of the Belgian Government in Berlin was familiar with +the plans above set forth and protested against them, asking why like +preparations had not been made with Germany to repel invasion by the +French and English. + +Taken together, these documents show that _the British Government had +the intention, in case of a Franco-German war, of sending troops into +Belgium immediately--that is, of doing the very thing which, done by +Germany, was used by England as a pretext for declaring war on +Germany_. + +They show also that the Belgian Government took, in agreement with the +English General Staff, military precautions against a hypothetical +German invasion of Belgium. On the other hand, the Belgian Government +never made the slightest attempt to take, in agreement with the German +Government, military precautions against an Anglo-French invasion of +Belgium, though fully informed that it was the purpose of the British +Government to land and dispatch, across French territory into Belgium, +160,000 troops, without asking Belgium's permission, on the first +outbreak of the European war. _This clearly demonstrates that the +Belgian Government was determined from the outset to join Germany's +enemies._ + +[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. WINSTON SPENCER CHURCHILL + +A Recent Photograph of the Head of the British Admiralty.] + +[Illustration: QUARTERMASTER GENERAL VON STEIN + +Germany's Official War News Is Issued Through the Office of the +Quartermaster General. + +(_Photo from Brown Bros._)] + + +DOCUMENT NO. 1 + +Report of Gen. Ducarme, Chief of the Belgian General Staff, to the +Belgian Minister of War + +"_Confidential_ +Letter to the Minister +Concerning the Confidential Conversations. + +"BRUSSELS, April 10, 1906. + +"Mr. Minister: + +"I have the honor to report to you briefly about the conversations +which I had with Lieut. Col. Barnardiston and which have already been +the subject of my oral communications. + +"The first visit took place in the middle of January. Mr. Barnardiston +referred to the anxieties of the General Staff of his country with +regard to the general political situation, and because of the +possibility that war may soon break out. In case Belgium should be +attacked, the sending of about 100,000 troops was provided for. + +"The Lieutenant Colonel asked me how such a measure would be regarded +by us. I answered him, that from a military point of view it could not +be but favorable, but that this question of intervention was just as +much a matter for the political authorities, and that, therefore, it +was my duty to inform the Minister of War about it. + +"Mr. Barnardiston answered that his Minister in Brussels would speak +about it with our Minister of Foreign Affairs. + +"He proceeded in the following sense: The landing of the English +troops would take place at the French coast in the vicinity of Dunkirk +and Calais, so as to hasten their movements as much as possible. The +entry of the English into Belgium would take place only after the +violation of our neutrality by Germany. A landing in Antwerp would +take much more time, because larger transports would be needed, and +because, on the other hand, the safety would be less complete. + +"This admitted, there would be several other points to consider, such +as railway transportation, the question of requisitions which the +English army could make, the question concerning the chief command of +the allied forces. + +"He inquired whether our preparations were sufficient to secure the +defense of the country during the crossing and the transportation of +the English troops--which he estimated to last about ten days. + +"I answered him that the places Namur and Liege were protected from a +coup de main and that our field army of 100,000 men would be capable +of intervention within four days. + +"After having expressed his full satisfaction with my explanations, my +visitor laid emphasis on the following facts: (1) That our +conversation was entirely confidential; (2) that it was not binding on +his Government; (3) that his Minister, the English General Staff, he +and I were, up to the present, the only ones[1] informed about the +matter; (4) that he did not know whether the opinion of his sovereign +had been consulted.... + +[Footnote 1: This is similar to the manner in which the English +entente with France was arranged. The British Parliament and the +British Cabinet were kept in ignorance of the fact that English and +French naval experts were consulting together. The British Minister +for Foreign Affairs, Sir Edward Grey, repeatedly assured the country +that Great Britain's hands were free. Yet, when the crisis came, this +quite unofficial exchange of military views and plans, this mere +gentleman's agreement, revealed itself, of course, as a binding +obligation. Nations do not reveal their military secrets to each other +except on the clear understanding that an alliance is in force.] + +"In a following discussion Lieut. Col. Barnardiston assured me that he +had never received confidential reports of the other Military Attaches +about our army. He then gave the exact numerical data of the English +forces; we could depend on it, that in twelve or thirteen days two +army corps, four cavalry brigades, and two brigades of horse infantry +would be landed. + +"He asked me to study the question of the transport of these forces to +that part of the country where they would be useful, and he promised +to give me for this purpose details about the composition of the +landing army. + +"He reverted to the question concerning the effective strength of our +field army, and he emphasized that no detachments should be sent from +this army to Namur and Liege, because these places were provided with +garrisons of sufficient strength. + +"He asked me to direct my attention to the necessity of granting the +English Army the advantages which the regulations concerning the +military requisitions provided for. Finally he insisted upon the +question of the chief command. + +"I answered him that I could say nothing with reference to this last +point and promised him that I would study the other questions +carefully.... + +"Later on the English Military Attache confirmed his former +calculations: twelve days would at least be necessary to carry out the +landing at the French coast. It would take a considerably longer time +(1 to 2-1/2 months) to land 100,000 men in Antwerp. + +"Upon my objection that it would be unnecessary to await the end of +the landing in order to begin with the railway transportations, and +that it would be better to proceed with these when the troops arrived +at the coast, Lieut. Col. Barnardiston promised to give me exact data +as to the number of troops that could be landed daily. + +"As regards the military requisitions, I told my visitor that this +question could be easily regulated.... + +"The further the plans of the English General Staff progressed, the +clearer became the details of the problem. The Colonel assured me that +one-half of the English Army could be landed within eight days; the +rest at the conclusion of the twelfth or thirteenth day, with the +exception of the horse infantry, which could not be counted upon until +later. + +"In spite of this I thought I had to insist again upon the necessity +of knowing the exact number of the daily shipments, in order to +regulate the railway transportation for every day. + +"The English Military Attache conversed with me about several other +questions, namely: + +"(1) The necessity of keeping the operations secret and of demanding +strict secrecy from the press; + +"(2) The advantages which would accrue from giving one Belgian officer +to each English General Staff, one interpreter to each commanding +officer, and gendarmes to each unit of troops, in order to assist the +British police troops.... + +"In the course of another interview Lieut. Col. Barnardiston and I +studied the combined operations to take place in the event of a German +offensive with Antwerp as its object and under the hypothesis of the +German troops marching through our country in order to reach the +French Ardennes. + +"In this question, the Colonel said he quite agreed with the plan +which I had submitted to him, and he assured me also of the approval +of Gen. Grierson, Chief of the English General Staff. + +"Other secondary questions which were likewise settled had particular +reference to intermediary officers, interpreters, gendarmes, maps, +photographs of the uniforms, special copies, translated into English, +of some Belgian regulations, the regulations concerning the import +duties on English provisions, to the accommodation of the wounded of +the allied armies, &c. Nothing was resolved on as regards the activity +which the Government or the military authorities might exert on the +press.... + +"During the final meetings which I had with the British Attache, he +informed me about the numbers of troops which would be daily +disembarked at Boulogne, Calais, and Cherbourg. The distance of the +last place, which is necessary for technical considerations, will +involve a certain delay. The first corps would be disembarked on the +tenth day, and the second on the fifteenth day. Our railways would +carry out the transportation so that the arrival of the first corps, +either in the direction of Brussels-Louvain or of Namur-Dinant, would +be assured on the eleventh day, and that of the second on the +sixteenth day. + +"I again, for a last time, and as emphatically as I could, insisted on +the necessity of hastening the sea transports so that the English +troops could be with us between the eleventh and twelfth day. The +happiest and most favorable results can be reached by a convergent and +simultaneous action of the allied forces. But if that co-operation +should not take place, the failure would be most serious. Col. +Barnardiston assured me that everything serving to this end would be +done.... + +"In the course of our conversations, I had occasion to convince the +British Military Attache that we were willing, so far as possible, to +thwart the movements of the enemy and not to take refuge in Antwerp +from the beginning. + +"Lieut. Col. Barnardiston on his part told me that, at the time, he +had little hope for any support or intervention on the part of +Holland. At the same time he informed me that his Government intended +to transfer the basis of the British commissariat from the French +coast to Antwerp as soon as all German ships were swept off the North +Sea.... + +"In all our conversations the Colonel regularly informed me about the +secret news which he had concerning the military circumstances and the +situation of our eastern neighbors, &c. At the same time he emphasized +that Belgium was under the imperative necessity to keep herself +constantly informed of the happenings in the adjoining Rhinelands. I +had to admit that with us the surveillance service abroad was, in +times of peace, not directly in the hands of the General Staff, as our +legations had no Military Attaches. But I was careful not to admit +that I did not know whether the espionage service which is prescribed +in our regulations was in working order or not. But I consider it my +duty to point out this position which places us in a state of evident +inferiority to our neighbors, our presumable enemies. + +"Major General, Chief of the General Staff. (Initials of Gen. +Ducarme.) + +"Note.--When I met Gen. Grierson at Compiegne, during the manoeuvres +of 1906, he assured me the result of the reorganization of the English +Army would be that the landing of 150,000 would be assured and, that, +moreover, they would stand ready for action in a shorter time than has +been assumed above. + +"Concluded September, 1906." + +(Initials of Gen. Ducarme.) + + +DOCUMENT NO. 2 + +Minutes of a Conference Between the Belgian Chief of the General +Staff, Gen. Jungbluth, and the British Military Attache Lieut. Col. +Bridges + +(Lieut. Col. Barnardiston, British Military Attache in Brussels, was +succeeded in his office by Lieut. Col. Bridges. Likewise, Gen. Ducarme +was succeeded, as Chief of the Belgian Staff, by Gen. Jungbluth. A +conversation between Col. Bridges and Gen. Jungbluth was committed to +writing, and that writing was also found at the Belgian Foreign +Office. The document, which is dated April 23 and is presumed to +belong to the year 1912, is marked "confidentielle" in the handwriting +of Graf v.d. Straaten, the Belgian Foreign Secretary. This is the +translation:) + +"_Confidential._ + +"The British Military Attache asked to see Gen. Jungbluth. The two +gentlemen met on April 23. + +"Lieut. Col. Bridges told the General that England had at her disposal +an army which could be sent to the Continent, composed of six +divisions of infantry and eight brigades of cavalry--together 160,000 +troops. She has also everything which is necessary for her to defend +her insular territory. Everything is ready. + +"At the time of the recent events the British Government would have +immediately effected a disembarkment in Belgium (chez nous) even if we +had not asked for assistance. + +"The General objected that for that our consent was necessary. + +"The Military Attache answered that he knew this, but that--since we +were not able to prevent the Germans from passing through our +country--England would have landed her troops in Belgium under all +circumstances (en tout etat de cause). + +"As for the place of landing, the Military Attache did not make a +precise statement; he said that the coast was rather long, but the +General knows that Mr. Bridges, during Easter, has paid daily visits +to Zeebrugge from Ostend. + +"The General added that we were, besides, perfectly able to prevent +the Germans from passing through." + + +DOCUMENT NO. 3 + +Report of Baron Greindl, Belgian Minister in Berlin, to the Belgian +Minister of Foreign Affairs + + +[On the 23d of December, 1911, Baron Greindl, then and for many years +Belgian Minister in Berlin, made a report to the Belgian Minister of +Foreign Affairs. There was found in Brussels a copy of this report. +Although a copy, the official character of this third document found +in Brussels is evident from the official imprint on the paper on which +the copy stands. The first page reads:] + +....... SECTION +No. ........... +..... ENCLOSURE COPY + +Reply to No. +General department +Office of ........ + +BERLIN, Dec. 23, 1911. + +Belgian Legation, +No. 3,022--1,626. + +Strictly Confidential. + +What is Belgium to do in case of war? + +Mr. Minister: + +I have had the honor to receive the dispatch of the 27th November +last, P without docket number, registration number 1,108.... + +[Baron Greindl's report is an extremely long one. Extracts from it +were published in The North German Gazette of Oct. 13. A facsimile has +been made of the first page only of the document, because of its great +length. + +The writer reveals with great astuteness the ulterior motives +underlying the English proposal and draws attention to the danger of +the situation in which Belgium had become involved by a one-sided +partisanship in favor of the powers of the Entente. In this very +detailed report, dated Dec. 23, 1911, Baron Greindl explains that the +plan of the General Army Staff for the defense of Belgian neutrality +in a Franco-German war as communicated to him only concerned the +question as to what military measures should be adopted in case +Germany violated Belgian neutrality. The hypothesis of a French attack +on Germany through Belgium had, however, just as much probability in +itself. The diplomat then goes on in the following manner:] + +"From the French side danger threatens not only in the south of +Luxemburg, it threatens us on our entire joint frontier. We are not +reduced to conjectures for this assertion. We have positive evidence +of it. + +"Evidently the project of an outflanking movement from the north forms +part of the scheme of the entente cordiale. If that were not the case, +then the plan of fortifying Flushing would not have called forth such +an outburst in Paris and London. The reason why they wished that the +Scheldt should remain unfortified was hardly concealed by them. Their +aim was to be able to transport an English garrison, unhindered, to +Antwerp, which means to establish in our country a basis of operation +for an offensive in the direction of the Lower Rhine and Westphalia, +and then to make us throw our lot in with them, which would not be +difficult, for, after the surrender of our national centre of refuge, +we would, through our own fault, renounce every possibility of +opposing the demands of our doubtful protectors after having been so +unwise as to permit their entrance into our country. Col. +Barnardiston's announcements at the time of the conclusion of the +entente cordiale, which were just as perfidious as they were naive, +have shown us plainly the true meaning of things. When it became +evident that we would not allow ourselves to be frightened by the +pretended danger of the closing of the Scheldt, the plan was not +entirely abandoned, but modified in so far as the British Army was not +to land on the Belgian coast, but at the nearest French harbors. + +"The revelations of Capt. Faber, which were denied as little as the +newspaper reports by which they were confirmed or completed in several +respects, also testify to this. This British Army, at Calais and +Dunkirk, would by no means march along our frontier to Longwy in order +to reach Germany. It would directly invade Belgium from the northwest. +That would give it the advantage of being able to begin operations +immediately, to encounter the Belgian Army in a region where we could +not depend on any fortress, in case we wanted to risk a battle. +Moreover, that would make it possible for it to occupy provinces rich +in all kinds of resources and, at any rate, to prevent our +mobilization or only to permit it after we had formally pledged +ourselves to carry on our mobilization to the exclusive advantage of +England and her allies. + +"It is therefore of necessity to prepare a plan of battle for the +Belgian Army also for that possibility. This is necessary in the +interest of our military defense as well as for the sake of the +direction of our foreign policy, in case of war between Germany and +France." + + [The text of the documents presented above is not disputed + by the Belgian Government. Instead it is made the basis of + the Belgian reply, beginning on the next page.] + + * * * * * + +THE BELGIAN BATTLEGROUND + +By the HON. WILLIAM H. TAFT. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + +The heart of the world should go out to the poor people of Belgium. +Without being in any respect a party to the controversies of the war, +their country has been made the battleground of the greatest and in +some respects the most destructive war in history. Any movement to +relieve their distress has my profound sympathy. + + * * * * * + + [The following letter from the Belgian Legation at + Washington certifies the official character of the documents + presented below.--EDITOR.] + + LEGATION DE BELGIQUE, + + WASHINGTON, D.C. + + Jan. 25, 1915. + + _To the Editor of The New York Times Current History:_ + + In accordance with the request, in your letter of December + 10th addressed to the Belgian Minister, for official + documents published by the Legation, I have the pleasure of + sending you, herewith, by the Minister's instructions, a + copy of a pamphlet entitled "The Innocence of Belgium," + dealing with the Military Documents published recently in + THE NEW YORK TIMES. + + I also take this opportunity to transmit you a copy of a + pamphlet entitled "Why Belgium Was Devastated," containing + translations of the German Proclamations issued in Belgium. + + I have the honor to be, Sir, + + Your obedient servant, + + JAMES GUSTAVUS WHITELEY. + + +[BELGIAN LEGATION ARTICLE NO. 1.] + +"INNOCENCE OF BELGIUM" + +"Reply to Publication of Military Documents by Germany" + +The German Government has at last decided to publish the documents +which it says were found in Brussels, and which it claims prove that +Belgium violated her neutrality. + +As a matter of fact these documents are the clearest proof of the +innocence of Belgium. + +Document No. 1 refers to a conversation between Major Gen. Ducarme and +the English Military Attache, Lieut. Col. Barnardiston. + +The English Military Attache _went to call_ on the Belgian General and +told him of the anxiety on the part of the English General Staff in +regard to the general political situation and the possibility of war. +"_In case Belgium should be attacked_, the sending of about 100,000 +troops was provided for." + +He (the British Military Attache) proceeded in the following terms: + +"The landing of the British troops would take place on the French +coast.... The entry of the English into Belgium would take place only +_after the violation of our (Belgian) neutrality by Germany_." + +It almost seems as if Col. Barnardiston had foreseen the future. + +The document continues as follows: "My visitor laid emphasis on the +following fact: that it (the conversation) was not binding on his +Government ... and that he did not know whether the opinion of his +Sovereign had been consulted." It was thus clearly shown by the +British Military Attache that his communication was simply a +conversation; it is, moreover, perfectly well known that Military +Attaches have no power to make conventional agreements. + +The document further continues: "In the course of another interview, +Lieut. Col. Barnardiston and I studied the combined operations to take +place in the event of a _German offensive_, with Antwerp as its +object, _and under the hypothesis of the German troops marching +through our (Belgian) country_, in order to reach the French +Ardennes"--an additional proof that the object of the conversation was +solely to prevent a violation of Belgian neutrality. + +Document No. 2 refers to a conversation between the British Military +Attache and Gen. Jungbluth, in which the former said that the British +troops would effect a landing "even if we (the Belgians) did not ask +for assistance." This is an additional proof that no agreement or +convention had been made. + +To this the Belgian General replied that "our (Belgium's) consent was +necessary," and he added that "we (the Belgians) were, moreover, +perfectly able to prevent the Germans from passing through Belgium," +thus showing his anxiety to preserve the neutrality of Belgium. + +Dr. B. Dernburg claims that England would have sent troops into +Belgium in any event, even if Germany had not invaded Belgium. +Affirmations which are not based upon any evidence cannot destroy the +text itself of the documents. + +In a letter of Sir Edward Grey, Secretary for Foreign Affairs of +England, addressed to the British Minister to Belgium, on the 7th of +April, 1913, the British statesman declares in the most formal way, +that: "As long as Belgium's neutrality was not violated by any other +power, we (the British) should certainly not send troops ourselves +into their territory." + +The full text of this important letter is as follows: + + In speaking to the Belgian Minister today I said, speaking + unofficially, that it had been brought to my knowledge that + there was apprehension in Belgium lest we should be the + first to violate Belgian neutrality. I did not think that + apprehension could have come from a British source. + + The Belgian Minister informed me that there had been talk, + from a British source which he could not name, of the + landing of troops in Belgium by Great Britain, in order to + anticipate a possible dispatch of German troops through + Belgium to France. + + I said that I was sure that this Government would not be the + first to violate the neutrality of Belgium, and I did not + believe that any British Government would be the first to do + so, nor would public opinion here ever approve of it. What + we had to consider, and it was a somewhat embarrassing + question, was what it would be desirable and necessary for + us, as one of the guarantors of Belgian neutrality, to do if + Belgian neutrality was violated by any power. For us to be + the first to violate it and to send troops into Belgium + would be to give Germany, for instance, justification for + sending troops into Belgium also. What we desired in the + case of Belgium, as in that of other neutral countries, was + that their neutrality should be respected, and, as long as + it was not violated by any other power, we would certainly + not send troops ourselves into their territory. I am, &c., + + (Signed) E. GREY. + +Document No. 3 contains, according to Dr. B. Dernburg, the personal +views of the Belgian Minister in Berlin, but it does not, in any way, +indicate the existence of an agreement between Belgium and England +against Germany. + +It is impossible to say that these documents constitute a proof of an +agreement between England and Belgium against Germany, unless one +accepts the idea that Germany had a right to violate Belgium's +neutrality and that all measures taken as a precaution against +violation of neutrality must therefore have been taken against +Germany. + +The documents contain merely conversations between military officers +in regard to a possible future co-operation of their armies in the +event of violation of Belgian territory by Germany. They never even +resulted in an agreement between those Governments; Military Attaches +have no authority to make such agreements. + +The events that happened last August and the sudden invasion of +Belgium by Germany show that the British Government was fully +justified in fearing the violation of Belgian territory by Germany. It +seems incredible, after what has passed, that the German Government +should denounce the British Government for approaching Belgian +military officers and taking precautions against the very thing which +eventually happened. + +If further proof should be necessary, the documents published in the +"Gray Book" show as clearly as possible that, when the war broke out, +Belgium had no such agreement with any of the powers. + +On July 24 the following letter was sent by the Belgian Minister for +Foreign Affairs to the various Belgian Legations concerned, with +instructions to communicate the same to the powers as soon as said +Legations should have received telegraphic orders to do so: + + Mr. Minister: + + The international situation is serious; the eventuality of a + conflict between several powers cannot be set aside from the + anxieties of the Government of the King. + + Belgium has observed with the most scrupulous exactness the + duties of a neutral State which are imposed on her by the + Treaties of April 19, 1839. These duties, whatever the + circumstances may be, _will be resolutely fulfilled by her_. + + The friendly disposition of the powers toward her has been + so often affirmed that Belgium has the confidence that her + territory will be untouched by any attack if hostilities + should break out on her frontiers. + + All the necessary measures have nevertheless been taken, in + order to assure the observance of her neutrality.... It is + scarcely necessary to insist upon their character.... These + measures _are not and can not have been inspired by a design + to participate in an armed struggle of the powers, nor by + any sentiment of defiance toward any one of them_. + +Belgium declared that she would not fail to fulfill all of her duties, +that she had not a single agreement of alliance with any one, and that +she wanted to remain absolutely neutral. + +Seven days later the Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs communicated +to the Belgian Legations his answer to the question which Sir Edward +Grey had asked Belgium in the name of England: + +"Mr. Minister: + +"The British Minister requested to see me very urgently and +communicated to me the following: + +"'Sir Edward Grey has asked the French and German Governments, +separately, whether each of them was prepared to respect the +neutrality of Belgium. + +"'In view of the existing treaties, I am also instructed to inform the +Minister for Foreign Affairs of Belgium that _Sir Edward Grey presumes +that Belgium will do her utmost to maintain her neutrality_.' + +"I immediately thanked Sir Francis Villiers for this communication, +which the Belgian Government appreciates very highly, and I added that +Great Britain and the other nations, guarantors of our independence, +might be sure that we would neglect no effort to maintain our +neutrality, and that we were convinced that the other powers, in view +of the excellent relations of friendship and confidence which we have +always enjoyed with them, would observe and maintain this neutrality." + +At the decisive moment, the attitude of Belgium was thus +irreproachable. She was not bound to any other nation; she had her +hands free. She declared that she was ready to make the necessary +sacrifices to defend her neutrality and to resist any aggression from +whatever source, and she added that, trusting in her friendly +relations with the powers, she was unwilling to believe that any of +them would violate her neutrality. + +On Aug. 3, at 7 A.M., after having received the ultimatum from +Germany, Belgium declared that she refused to repudiate her +engagements. + +The next day, the 4th of August, at 3 P.M., the Belgian Minister for +Foreign Affairs received from Sir F. Villiers, Minister of England in +Brussels, the following note: + + BRUSSELS, Aug. 4, 1914. + + I am instructed to inform the Belgian Government that if + Germany exercises pressure for the purpose of compelling + Belgium to abandon her position of a neutral country, the + Government of his Britannic Majesty expects Belgium to + resist by every possible means. The Government of his + Britannic Majesty is ready, in that event, to join with + Russia and France, _if desired by Belgium_, to offer to the + Belgian Government, at once, common action for the purpose + of resisting the use of force by Germany against Belgium, + and at the same time to offer a guarantee to maintain the + independence and the integrity of Belgium in the future. + +England offered her help _but did not impose it_. She did not intend +to send troops into Belgian territory as a preventive measure. She +expressly subordinated her assistance _to the desire of Belgium_. + +It was only on the 4th of August, during the evening, after having +vainly hoped and waited for a change in the attitude of Germany, that +Belgium called England, France, and Russia to co-operate, as guarantor +powers, in the defense of her territory. + +In the preface published by Dr. B. Dernburg, with the documents, it is +said that "only the prompt action at Liege that put this important +railway centre, commanding the railway connections to France and +Germany, into German hands, prevented the English landing and invading +Belgium." + +It is impossible to conceive how the taking of Liege prevented the +English from landing and invading Belgium. That statement is hardly a +compliment to the intelligence or the geographical knowledge of the +American people. The fact is that Liege was taken a long time before +the British troops landed at Calais, and it is still today in the +hands of the Germans without in the least interfering with the arrival +of British reinforcements in France and in the territory still left in +the possession of Belgium. The fact is that Liege was not taken to +prevent the British from entering Belgium, but because it was part of +the plan of the German General Staff to invade Belgium at once, to +march across her territory, to crush the army of France as soon as +possible, and then to turn and attack the Russians on the east. + +It is interesting to recall here the famous conversation held between +the British Ambassador in Berlin, on one side, and the Chancellor of +the Empire, Mr. Bethmann-Hollweg, and the German Secretary for Foreign +Affairs, Mr. von Jagow, on the other side, at the time of the invasion +of Belgium by the German troops. These conversations prove, +indisputably, the premeditated intention of Germany to violate +Belgium's neutrality: + + To the request of Sir Edward Goschen, the English Ambassador + in Berlin, to be allowed to know if Germany would pledge + herself to respect the neutrality of Belgium, the German + Secretary of State replied that "this neutrality had already + been violated by Germany." Herr von Jagow went again into + the "reasons why the Imperial Government had been obliged to + take this step, namely, that they had to advance into France + by the quickest and easiest way so as to be able to get well + ahead with their operations and endeavor to strike some + decisive blow as early as possible. It was a matter of life + and death to them, for, if they had gone by the more + southern route, they could not have hoped, in view of the + paucity of the roads and the strength of the fortresses, to + have got through without formidable opposition entailing + great loss of time. This loss of time would mean time gained + by the Russians for the bringing up of their troops to the + German frontier. Rapidity of action was the great German + asset, while that of Russia was the inexhaustible supply of + troops." (Official report of the British Ambassador in + Berlin to the British Government.) + +This conversation preceded by a few minutes that in which the German +Chancellor, giddy at the sight of the abyss into which Germany was +falling, uttered these celebrated words: "Just for a word, NEUTRALITY, +a word which in war times has been so often disregarded; just for A +SCRAP OF PAPER, Great Britain is going to make war on a kindred +nation. At what price would that compact (neutrality) have been kept? +Has the British Government thought of that?" Sir Edward Goschen +replied that fear of consequences would hardly be regarded as an +excuse for breaking a solemn engagement. (Official report of the +British Ambassador in Berlin to his Government.) + +Finally, the solemn avowal of the German Chancellor, during the +sitting of the Reichstag on Aug. 4, 1914, settles this question +definitely: "We are in a state of legitimate defense. NECESSITY KNOWS +NO LAW. Our troops have occupied Luxemburg and have perhaps already +penetrated into Belgium. This is against the law of nations." + +The truth is that every step taken by Germany was a clear indication +of her intentions against Belgium. Her strategic railroads are +concentrated on the Belgian frontier, and her military writers, von +Bernhardi, von Schliefenbach, and von der Goltz, made no secret of her +plan to carry on her war by means of an invasion of Belgium's neutral +country. Events have shown how, long before the war, preparations had +been made to carry this plan into effect. + +Dr. B. Dernburg says that the one-sidedness of the Belgian inclination +is indicated by the placing of all Belgian fortresses on the eastern +frontier. The distinguished statesman (apparently confused by the +ardor of discussion) has already in another article, published in The +Independent of Dec. 7, 1914, placed Antwerp at the mouth of the Rhine; +today he places Namur on the German frontier, whereas that fortress is +situated near the frontier of France. There are three fortresses in +Belgium--Antwerp, Liege, and Namur. Antwerp is in the north, Liege in +the east, and Namur in the south. Namur, being near the French +frontier, could menace Germany only in case the Germans should have +penetrated about one-third of Belgium. It is, in fact, a fortress +against France. + +Nothing has been brought forward to show that, if Germany had not +invaded Belgium, France or England would have done so. The exact +contrary is clearly indicated by the documents. + +Dr. B. Dernburg cites a decision of the Supreme Court of the United +States and attempts to apply it to the case of Germany's violation of +Belgian neutrality and to justify Germany by the law of necessity. The +example chosen (the Chinese question) does not involve massacres, +bombardments, nor the burning of towns. It is not an analogous case. +The following would be a closer analogy to Germany's action in regard +to Belgium: A man pretending that he has been attacked in the street +by a powerful enemy, claims that he is justified in killing an +innocent person, if by doing so he can gain an advantage over his +adversary. + +It would be difficult for any one to produce a decision of the Supreme +Court justifying a crime on the plea that the perpetration of the +crime was advantageous to the culprit who committed it. + +When a nation has to resort to such arguments to defend its actions it +must realize that its case is desperate. + +Germany has converted smiling and peaceful Belgium into a land of +sorrow, of mourning, and of ruins. There is not a family that does not +mourn one of its dear ones. In the face of the indignation which has +aroused the world, Germany, today, endeavors to refute the accusation +which rises against her from so many tombs, and she endeavors to throw +upon the innocent the terrible responsibility of her own crimes. + +It is not probable that this course of action will win back to Germany +the sympathy which she has lost throughout the world. + +The foregoing documents show clearly that Belgium had made no +agreement with England for attacking Germany, nor even an agreement +for British military defense of Belgian neutrality. + + [Having replied to the representations made in the German + indictment drawn by Dr. Dernburg, the Belgian authorities + proceeded to compile a pamphlet, the contents of which are + reproduced on the following pages, purporting to show from + original documents the manner of the German violation of + Belgium's neutralized territory.] + + * * * * * + +THE BIG AND THE GREAT + +By WILLIAM ARCHER. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + The Big and the Great + When they to History's judgment seat shall come, + Which will shine glorious in the eyes of men, + Huge Germany or heroic BELGIUM? + Which will be hailed Great, Wilhelm or ALBERT, then? + + * * * * * + + [The following title and article are reproduced from the + second pamphlet referred to in the letter from the Belgian + Legation at Washington to THE NEW YORK TIMES CURRENT + HISTORY, appearing on Page 1110.--EDITOR.] + +[BELGIAN LEGATION ARTICLE NO. 2.] + +"Why Belgium Was Devastated" + +"As Recorded in Proclamations of the German Commanders in Belgium" + + "_Necessity knows no law_." + + --BETHMANN-HOLLWEG. + + "_The wrong that we are committing we will endeavor to + repair as soon as our military goal has been reached._" + + --BETHMANN-HOLLWEG. + + +EXTRACT FROM A PROCLAMATION TO THE MUNICIPAL AUTHORITIES OF THE CITY +OF LIEGE. + +Aug. 22, 1914. + +The inhabitants of the town of Andenne, after having declared their +peaceful intentions, have made a surprise attack on our troops. + +It is with my consent that the Commander in Chief has ordered the +whole town to be burned and that about one hundred people have been +shot. + +I bring this fact to the knowledge of the City of Liege, so that +citizens of Liege may realize the fate with which they are menaced if +they adopt a similar attitude. + +The General Commanding in Chief. +(Signed) VON BUELOW. + + +NOTICE POSTED AT NAMUR, AUGUST THE 25TH, 1914. + +(1) French and Belgian soldiers must be surrendered as prisoners of +war at the prison before 4 o'clock. _Citizens who do not obey will be +condemned to enforced labor for life in Germany._ + +_A rigorous inspection of houses will begin at 4 o'clock. Every +soldier found will be immediately shot._ + +(2) Arms, powder, dynamite, must be surrendered at 4 o'clock. Penalty: +death by shooting. + +The citizens who know where a store of arms is located must inform the +Burgomaster, _under penalty of enforced labor for life_. + +(3) Each street will be occupied by a German guard who will take ten +hostages in each street, whom they will keep in custody. + +If any outrage is committed in the street, _the ten hostages will be +shot_. + +(4) Doors must not be locked, and at night after 8 o'clock three +windows must be lighted in each house. + +(5) It is forbidden to remain in the street after 8 o'clock. The +people of Namur must understand that there is no greater nor more +horrible crime than to endanger the existence of the city and the life +of its inhabitants by attacks upon the German Army. + +The Commandant of the City. +(Signed) VON BUELOW. + +Namur, 25th of August, 1914. (Imprimerie Chantraine.) + + +LETTER ADDRESSED ON AUG. 27, 1914, BY LIEUT. GEN. VON NIEBER TO THE +BURGOMASTER OF WAVRE. + +On Aug. 22, 1914, the General commanding the Second Army, Herr von +Buelow, imposed upon the City of Wavre a war levy of three million +francs, to be paid before Sept. 1, as expiation for its unqualifiable +behavior (contrary to the law of nations and the usages of war) in +making a surprise attack on the German troops. + +The General in command of the Second Army has just given to the +General commanding this station of the Second Army the order to send +in without delay, this contribution which it should pay on account of +its conduct. + +I order and command you to give to the bearer of the present letter +the two first installments, that is to say, two million francs in +gold. + +Furthermore, I require that you give the bearer a letter, duly sealed +with the seal of the city, stating that the balance, that is to say, +one million francs, will be paid, without fail, on the 1st of +September. + +I draw the attention of the city to the fact that in no case can it +count on further delay, as the civil population of the city has put +itself outside the law of nations by firing on the German soldiers. + +_The City of Wavre will be burned and destroyed if the levy is not +paid in due time, without regard for any one; the innocent will suffer +with the guilty._ + + +PROCLAMATION POSTED AT GRIVEGNEE, Sept. 8, 1914. + +_Commune of Grivegnee. +Very Important Notice._ + +The Major Commandant Dieckmann, at the Chateau des Bruyeres, requests +me to bring the following statement to the knowledge of the +inhabitants: + +Dieckmann Battalion, +Chateau des Bruyeres, Sept. 6, 1914. + +Present at the discussion: + +(1) The Cure Fryns of Bois de Breux. +(2) The Cure Franssen of Beyne. +(3) The Cure Lepropres of Heusay. +(4) The Cure Paquay of Grivegnee. +(5) The Burgomaster Dejardin of Beyne. +(6) The Burgomaster Hodeige of Grivegnee. +(7) Major Dieckmann. +(8) Lieut. R. Reil. + +Major Dieckmann brought to the knowledge of the persons present the +following orders: + +"(1) Before the 6th of September, 1914, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, +all arms, munitions, explosives, and fireworks which are still in the +hands of the citizens must be surrendered at the Chateau des Bruyeres. +_Those who do not obey will render themselves liable to the death +penalty. They will be shot on the spot, or given military execution, +unless they can prove their innocence._ + +"(2) All inhabitants of houses in Beyne-Heusay, Grivegnee, Bois de +Greux, and Fleron must remain at home after sunset, (at present 7 +o'clock P.M., German time.) The aforesaid houses must be lighted as +long as any one remains up. The entrance door must be shut. Those who +do not conform to the regulations expose themselves to severe +penalties. Any resistance to these orders will be followed by sentence +of death. + +"(3) The Commandant should meet no opposition whatever in these +domiciliary visits. Each inhabitant must open all the rooms of his +house without even a summons. Whoever makes any opposition will be +severely punished. + +"(4) Beginning Sept. 7, at 9 o'clock in the morning, I will permit the +houses of Beyne-Heusay, Grivegnee, Bois de Breux, to be occupied by +persons formerly dwelling in them as long as no formal prohibition to +frequent these places shall have been issued against the inhabitants +above referred to. + +"(5) In order to be sure that this permission is not abused, the +Burgomasters of Beyne-Heusay and of Grivegnee shall immediately draw +up a list of persons who shall be held as hostages, at the fort of +Fleron, in twenty-four-hour shifts; on Sept. 6, for the first time, +from 6 o'clock in the evening until midday, Sept. 7. + +"_The life of these hostages will depend upon the population of the +aforesaid communes remaining pacific under all circumstances._ + +"During the night it is strictly prohibited to make any luminous +signal whatever. The circulation of bicycles is only allowed from 7 +A.M. until 5 P.M., German time. + +"(6) I will designate from the lists submitted to me the persons who +will be detained as hostages from noon of one day to noon of the next +day. If the substitute does not arrive in time, the hostage will +remain another twenty-four hours. _After this second period of +twenty-four hours, the hostage incurs the penalty of death if the +substitution is not made._ + +"(7) Hostages will be chosen, primarily, from among priests, +Burgomasters, and other members of the civic administration. + +"(8) I demand that all civilians living in the vicinity, especially in +Beyne-Heusay, Fleron, Bois de Breux, and Grivegnee, shall show +deference toward the German officers by taking off their hats and by +carrying the hand to the head in military salute. In case of doubt, +every German soldier must be saluted. If any one refuses to do so, he +must expect the German soldiers to make themselves respected by any +means they may select. + +"(9) The German soldiers have the right to visit any wagon or package +belonging to the inhabitants of the surrounding country. Any +opposition will be severely punished. + +"(10) _Any one knowing of the location of a store of more than one +hundred litres of petroleum, benzine, benzol, or other similar liquids +in the aforesaid communes, and who does not report same to the +military commander on the spot, incurs the penalty of death, provided +there is no doubt about the quantity and the location of the store. +Quantities of 100 litres are alone referred to._ + +"(11) Any one who does not instantly obey the command of 'hands up' +becomes guilty (sic) of the death penalty. + +"(12) _The entrance to the Chateau des Bruyeres_ and to the park _is +prohibited under the penalty of death_ from dark till dawn, (6 P.M. to +6 A.M., German time,) to all who are not soldiers of the German Army. + +"(13) During daytime entrance to the Chateau des Bruyeres is allowed +only by the northeast entrance, where there is a guard, and only to +the people to whom cards of admission have been given. Any gathering +near the guard is prohibited in the interest of the population. + +"(14) Any one who by spreading false news prejudicial to the morale of +the German troops or who by any means tries to take measures against +the German Army renders himself a suspect and incurs the risk of +being shot immediately. + +"(15) Whereas by the above regulations the inhabitants in the vicinity +of the fortress are threatened with severe penalties if they violate +these regulations in any way, on the other hand these same +inhabitants, if they remain peaceful, may rely upon the most +benevolent protection and help on all occasions when wrong is done +them. + +"(16) The requisition of cattle in specified quantities will take +place daily from 10 A.M. until noon and from 2 P.M. to 3 P.M. at the +Chateau des Bruyeres before the Cattle Commission. + +"(17) Any one who under the protection of the insignia of the Swiss +(Red Cross) Convention harms, or even tries to harm, the German Army +and is discovered shall be hung." + +(Signed) DIECKMANN, +Major in Command. + +Grivegnee, Sept. 8, 1914. + +For certified copy: The Burgomaster, +(Signed) VICTOR HODEIGE. + + +SUMMONS TO CAPITULATE. + +Sept. 4, 1914. + +To the Commander of Termonde and, at the same time, to the Burgomaster +of Termonde: + +The Germans have taken Termonde. We have placed the heaviest siege +artillery all around the town. Still, at the present time, one dares +shoot from houses upon German soldiers. The town and the fortress are +summoned to hoist immediately the white flag and to stop fighting. If +you do not yield to this summons immediately the town will be razed to +the ground within a quarter of an hour by a heavy bombardment. All the +armed forces of Termonde will immediately lay down their arms at the +Porte de Bruxelles (Brussels Gate) at the south exit from Termonde. +Arms held by the inhabitants will be deposited at the same time and at +the same place. + +The General Commanding the German Forces Before Termonde, +(Signed) VON BOEHN. + + +PROCLAMATION POSTED IN BRUSSELS SEPT. 25, 1914. + +General Government in Belgium. + +It has happened recently in some places which are not at the present +time occupied by strong forces of German troops, military convoys or +patrolling parties have been attacked by surprise by the inhabitants. + +I draw the attention of the public to the fact that _a record_ is kept +of the towns and villages in the vicinity in which such attacks have +taken place and that they must expect their punishment as soon as +German troops pass near by. + +The Governor General of Belgium, +(Signed) BARON VON DER GOLTZ, +Field Marshal. + +Brussels, 25th September. + + +NOTICE POSTED AT BRUSSELS OCT. 5, 1914, AND PRESUMABLY IN MOST OF THE +COMMUNES IN THE COUNTRY. + +On the evening of Sept. 25 the railway and telegraph lines were +destroyed on the Lovenjoul-Vertryck line. + +Consequently the two above-mentioned places on the morning of Sept. 30 +had to give an account and to furnish hostages. + +In the future the communities in the vicinity of a place where such +things happen (_no matter whether or not they are accomplices_) will +be punished without mercy. + +To this end hostages have been taken from all places in the vicinity +of railroad lines menaced by such attacks, and at the first attempt to +destroy the railroad tracks or the telegraph or telephone wires they +will be immediately shot. + +Furthermore, all troops in charge of the protection of the railroad +lines have received orders to shoot any person approaching in a +suspicious manner the railroad tracks or the telegraph or telephone +lines. + +The Governor General of Belgium, +(Signed) BARON VON DER GOLTZ, +Field Marshal. + + +NOTICE POSTED AT BRUSSELS, NOV. 1, 1914. + +A legally constituted court-martial has pronounced, the 28th of +October, 1914, the following condemnations: + +"(1) Upon Policeman de Ryckere for attacking, in the exercise of his +legal functions, an agent vested with German authority, for willfully +inflicting bodily injury on two occasions in concert with other +persons, for facilitating the escape of a prisoner on one occasion, +and for attacking a German soldier--_Five years' imprisonment_. + +"(2) Upon Policeman Seghers for attacking, in the exercise of his +legal functions, an agent vested with German authority, for willfully +inflicting bodily injury upon said German agent, and for facilitating +the escape of a prisoner (all these offenses constituting a single +act)--_Three years' imprisonment_." + +These sentences have been confirmed by Gov. Gen. Baron von der Goltz +on Oct. 31, 1914. + +The City of Brussels, excluding suburbs, has been punished for the +crime committed by its policeman de Ryckere against a German soldier +by an additional fine of 5,000,000 francs. + +The Governor of Brussels, +(Signed) BARON VON LUETTWITZ, +General. + +Brussels, Nov. 1, 1914. + + +EXTRACT FROM THE SIXTH REPORT OF THE BELGIUM COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. + +After such proclamations, who will be surprised at the murders, +burnings, pillage, and destruction committed by the German Army +wherever they have met with resistance? + +If a German corps or patrolling party is received at the entrance to a +village by a volley from soldiers of the regular troops who are +afterward forced to retire the whole population is held responsible. +The civilians are accused of having fired or having co-operated in the +defense and, without inquiry, the place is given over to pillage and +flames, and a part of the inhabitants are massacred. + +The Commission of Inquiry has already mentioned these facts in its +report of Sept. 10, (third report.) + +The facts which have been gathered since then have confirmed its +conclusions. + +The odious acts which have been committed in all parts of the country +have a general character, throwing the responsibility upon the whole +German Army. It is simply the application of a preconceived +system--the carrying out of instructions--which has made of the +enemy's troops in Belgium "a horde of barbarians and a band of +incendiaries." + +The reports which the commission has had the honor of submitting to +you up to the present, Mr. Minister, concern especially events of +which the towns of Aerschot and Louvain and the communes in the +Provinces of Antwerp and Brabant have been the theatre. New reports +will be sent you shortly which will permit you to take cognizance of +the gravity of acts committed by the invaders in other parts of the +country, notably in the Provinces of Liege, Namur, Hainault, and +Flanders. + +The President, +(Signed) COOREMAN. + +The Vice President, +(Signed) COUNT GOBLET D'ALVIELLA. + +The Secretaries, +(Signed) CHEVALIER ERNEST DE BUNSWYCK, +(Signed) ORTS. + + + + +"FROM THE BODY OF THIS DEATH" + +By SIDNEY LOW. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + She is not dead! Although the spoiler's hand + Lies heavy as death upon her; though the smart + Of his accursed steel is at her heart, + And scarred upon her breast his shameful brand; + Though yet the torches of the vandal band + Smoke on her ruined fields, her trampled bones, + Her ravaged homes and desolated fanes, + She is not dead but sleeping, that wronged land. + + O little nation, valorous and free, + Thou shalt o'erlive the terror and the pain; + Call back thy scattered children unto thee, + Strong with the memory of their brothers slain, + And rise from out thy charnel-house, to be + Thine own immortal, radiant self again. + + +[Illustration: H.I.M. AUGUSTA VICTORIA + +The Most Recent Photograph of the German Empress. + +(_Photo from American Press Association._)] + +[Illustration: A WAR-TIME PICTURE OF THE KAISER + +The Effects of the Stress of War Are Noticeable in This Photograph of +the War Lord, Taken in His Winter Campaign Uniform. + +(_Photo from Underwood & Underwood._)] + + + + +"A Scrap of Paper" + +Recent Versions of the German Chancellor's Reference to the Belgian +Treaty of Neutrality[2] + +By Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg and Sir Edward Grey. + +[Footnote 2: The report of Sir Edward Goschen, British Ambassador to +Berlin, on the severance of diplomatic connections between England and +Germany, was published by the British Foreign Office as a "White +Paper" on Aug. 27, 1914. Sir Edward said that in pursuance of +instructions from Downing Street, he went on Aug. 3 to see Gottlieb +von Jagow, the German Foreign Minister, and asked if Germany would +promise to respect Belgian neutrality. Herr von Jagow replied that it +was too late, as German troops had already crossed the Belgian border, +and explained the military necessity of this step. + +After remonstrance, Sir Edward withdrew, but made another visit the +same afternoon and warned von Jagow that unless the German Government +at once withdrew its troops from Belgian soil he must demand his +passports. Herr von Jagow repeated that withdrawal was impossible; +and, seeing that war was now certain, expressed his deep regret at the +failure of the policy by which he and the Chancellor, Dr. von +Bethmann-Hollweg, had been trying to get into more friendly relations +with England and through her with France. + +The Ambassador, after mutual expressions of personal regard, withdrew +and visited the Imperial Chancellor, who, according to Sir Edward's +story, "began a harangue, which lasted about twenty minutes. Just for +a word, 'neutrality'--a word which in war was so often disregarded--just +for a scrap of paper, Great Britain was going to make war on a kindred +nation. The policy to which he had devoted himself had tumbled like a +house of cards. What Great Britain had done was unthinkable--it was +like striking a man in the back when he was fighting for his life +against two assailants." + +Sir Edward said that he protested strongly against this and told the +Chancellor that, while an advance through Belgium might be a matter of +life and death for Germany, the defense of Belgian neutrality, in +compliance with her solemn engagement, was a matter of life and death +for the honor of Great Britain. + +"The Chancellor said," Sir Edward continued: "'But at what a price +will that compact have been kept! Has the British Government thought +of that?' I hinted to his Excellency as plainly as I could that fear +of consequences could hardly be regarded as an excuse for breaking a +solemn engagement. But his Excellency was so excited, so little +disposed to hear reason, so evidently overcome by the news of our +action, that I refrained from adding fuel to the flame by further +argument."] + + +I. + +General Field Headquarters of the German Armies in France, via Berlin +and London, Jan. 24.--"I am surprised to learn that my phrase, 'a +scrap of paper,' which I used in my last conversation with the British +Ambassador in reference to the Belgian neutrality treaty, should have +caused such an unfavorable impression in the United States. The +expression was used in quite another connection and the meaning +implied in Sir Edward Goschen's report and the turn given to it in the +biased comment of our enemies are undoubtedly responsible for this +impression." + +The speaker was Dr. Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, the German Imperial +Chancellor, and the conversation with a representative of The +Associated Press occurred at the German Army Field Headquarters, in a +town of Northern France, and in a villa serving as the office and +dwelling for the Imperial Chancellor, for the Foreign Minister, +Gottlieb von Jagow, and for the members of the diplomatic suite +accompanying Emperor William afield. + +The Chancellor apparently had not relished the subject until his +attention was called to the extent to which the phrase had been used +in discussion on the responsibility of the war. He then volunteered to +give an explanation of his meaning, which in substance was that he had +spoken of the treaty not as "a scrap of paper" for Germany, but as an +instrument which had become obsolete through Belgium's forfeiture of +its neutrality, and that Great Britain had quite other reasons for +entering into the war, compared with which the neutrality treaty +appeared to have only the value of a scrap of paper. + +"My conversation with Sir Edward Goschen," said the Chancellor, +"occurred Aug. 4. I had just declared in the Reichstag that only dire +necessity and only the struggle for existence compelled Germany to +march through Belgium, but that Germany was ready to make compensation +for the wrong committed. + +"When I spoke I already had certain indications, but no absolute proof +upon which to base a public accusation, that Belgium long before had +abandoned its neutrality in its relations with England. Nevertheless, +I took Germany's responsibilities toward the neutral State so +seriously that I spoke frankly of the wrong committed by Germany. + +"What was the British attitude on the same question?" continued the +Chancellor. "The day before my conversation with Ambassador Goschen, +Sir Edward Grey had delivered his well-known speech in Parliament, in +which, while he had not stated expressly that England would take part +in the war, he had left the matter in little doubt. + +"One needs only to read this speech through carefully to learn the +reason for England's intervention in the war. Amid all his beautiful +phrases about England's honor and England's obligations we find it +over and over again expressed that England's interests--its own +interests--call for participation in the war, for it is not in +England's interests that a victorious and therefore stronger Germany +should emerge from the war. + +"This old principle of England policy--to take as the sole criterion +of its actions its private interests regardless of right, reason, or +considerations of humanity--is expressed in that speech of Gladstone's +in 1870 on Belgian neutrality, from which Sir Edward quoted. + +"Mr. Gladstone then declared that he was unable to subscribe to the +doctrine that the simple fact of the existence of a guarantee is +binding on every party thereto, irrespective altogether of the +particular position in which it may find itself at a time when the +occasion for action on the guarantee arrives; and he referred to such +English statesmen as Aberdeen and Palmerston as supporters of his +views. + +"England drew the sword," continued the Chancellor, "only because it +believed its own interests demanded it. Just for Belgian neutrality it +would never have entered the war. + +"That is what I meant when I told Sir Edward Goschen in that last +interview, when we sat down to talk the matter over privately as man +to man, that among the reasons which had impelled England to go into +the war the Belgian neutrality treaty had for her only the value of a +scrap of paper. + +"I may have been a bit excited and aroused," said the Chancellor. "Who +would not have been at seeing the hopes and the work of the whole +period of my Chancellorship going for nought? I recalled to the +Ambassador my efforts for years to bring about an understanding +between England and Germany; an understanding which, I reminded him, +would have made a general European war impossible, and which +absolutely would have guaranteed the peace of Europe. + +"Such an understanding," the Chancellor interjected parenthetically, +"would have formed the basis on which we could have approached the +United States as a third partner; but England had not taken up this +plan, and through its entry into the war had destroyed forever the +hope of its fulfillment. + +"In comparison with such momentous consequences was the treaty not a +scrap of paper? England ought really to cease harping on this theme of +Belgian neutrality," said the Chancellor. "Documents on the +Anglo-Belgian military agreement which we have found in the meantime +show plainly enough how England regarded this neutrality. As you know, +we found in the archives of the Belgian Foreign Office documents which +showed that England in 1911 was determined to throw troops into +Belgium without the assent of the Belgian Government if war had then +broken out--in other words, to do exactly the same thing for which, +with all the pathos of virtuous indignation, it now reproaches +Germany. + +"In some later dispatch Sir Edward Grey, I believe, informed Belgium +that he did not believe England would take such a step because he did +not think English public opinion would justify that action. And still +people in the United States wonder that I characterized as a scrap of +paper the treaty whose observance, according to responsible British +statesmen, should be dependent on the pleasure of British public +opinion--a treaty which England itself had long since undermined with +its military agreements with Belgium! + +"Remember, too, that Sir Edward Grey expressly refused to assure us of +England's neutrality even in the event that Germany respected Belgian +neutrality. + +"I can understand, therefore, the English displeasure at my +characterization of the Treaty of 1839 as a scrap of paper, for this +scrap of paper was for England extremely valuable, furnishing an +excuse before the world for embarking in the war. + +"I hope, however, that in the United States you will see clearly +enough that England in this matter, too, acted solely on the principle +of 'right or wrong, my interest.'" + +The Chancellor during the conversation had twice risen to take a few +impatient steps about the room. He spoke calmly enough, but with an +undercurrent of deep feeling, particularly when he mentioned his +efforts for an understanding with England and the world peace which he +had hoped would come from them based on an agreement between Great +Britain, Germany, and the United States, and with a note of thorough +conviction as to the justice of the German position toward Belgium. + + +II. + +SIR EDWARD GREY'S REPLY. + +London, Jan. 26.--Sir Edward Grey, the British Secretary of State for +Foreign Affairs, today authorized the following statement in reply to +an interview obtained with Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg, the German +Imperial Chancellor, by a representative of The Associated Press and +published in London on Jan. 26 and in the United States on Jan. 25: + +"The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs authorizes the publication +of the following observations upon the report of an interview recently +granted by the German Chancellor to an American correspondent. It is +not surprising that the German Chancellor should show anxiety to +explain away his now historic phrase about a treaty being a mere +'scrap of paper.' + +"The phrase has made a deep impression because the progress of the +world largely depends upon the sanctity of agreements between +individuals and between nations, and the policy disclosed in Herr von +Bethmann-Hollweg's phrase tends to debase the legal and moral currency +of civilization. + +"What the German Chancellor said was that Great Britain in requiring +Germany to respect the neutrality of Belgium 'was going to make war +just for a word, just for a scrap of paper'--that is, that Great +Britain was making a mountain out of a molehill. He now asks the +American public to believe that he meant the exact opposite of what he +said; that it was Great Britain who really regarded the neutrality of +Belgium as a mere trifle, and that it was Germany who 'took her +responsibilities toward the neutral States so seriously.' + +"The arguments by which Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg seeks to establish +the two sides of this case are in flat contradiction of the plain +facts. + +"First, the German Chancellor alleges that 'England in 1911 was +determined to throw troops into Belgium without the assent of the +Belgian Government.' This allegation is absolutely false. It is based +upon certain documents found in Brussels which record conversations +between British and Belgian officers in 1906, and again in 1911. + +"The fact that there is no note of these conversations at the British +War Office or the Foreign Office shows that they were of a purely +informal character and that no military agreement of any sort was at +either time made between the two Governments. Before any conversations +took place between the British and the Belgian officers it was +expressly laid down on the British side that discussion of the +military possibilities was to be addressed to the manner in which, in +case of need, British assistance could be most effectually afforded to +Belgium for the defense of her neutrality, and on the Belgian side a +marginal note upon the record explains that 'the entry of the English +into Belgium would only take place after the violation of our +(Belgium's) neutrality by Germany.' + +"As regards the conversation of 1911, the Belgian officer said to the +British officer: 'You could only land in our country with our +consent'; and in 1913 Sir Edward Grey gave the Belgian Government a +categorical assurance that no British Government would violate the +neutrality of Belgium and that 'so long as it was not violated by any +other power we should certainly not send troops ourselves into their +territory.' + +"The Chancellor's method of misusing documents may be illustrated in +this connection. He represents Sir Edward Grey as saying, 'he did not +believe England would take such a step because he did not think +English public opinion would justify such action.' + +"What Sir Edward Grey actually wrote was: 'I said that I was sure +that this Government would not be the first to violate the neutrality +of Belgium, and I did not believe that any British Government would be +the first to do so, nor would public opinion here ever approve of it.' + +"If the German Chancellor wishes to know why there were conversations +on military subjects between British and Belgian officers he may find +one reason in a fact well known to him--namely, that Germany was +establishing an elaborate network of strategical railways leading from +the Rhine to the Belgian frontier through a barren, thinly populated +tract. The railways were deliberately constructed to permit of a +sudden attack upon Belgium, such as was carried out in August last. + +"This fact alone was enough to justify any communications between +Belgium and the other powers on the footing that there would be no +violation of Belgian neutrality, unless it was previously violated by +another power. On no other footing did Belgium ever have any such +communications. + +"In spite of these facts the German Chancellor speaks of Belgium as +having thereby 'abandoned and forfeited' her neutrality, and he +implies that he would not have spoken of the German invasion as a +'wrong' had he then known of the conversations of 1906 and 1911. + +"It would seem to follow that according to Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg's +code wrong becomes right if the party which is to be the subject of +the wrong foresees the possibility and makes preparations to resist +it. + +"Those who are content with older and more generally accepted +standards are likely to agree rather with what Cardinal Mercier said +in his pastoral letter: 'Belgium was bound in honor to defend her own +independence. She kept her oath. The other powers were bound to +respect and to protect her neutrality. Germany violated her oath. +England kept hers. These are the facts.' + +"In the second part of the German Chancellor's thesis, namely, that +Germany 'took her responsibilities toward the neutral States +seriously,' he alleges nothing except that 'he spoke frankly of the +wrong committed by Germany' in invading Belgium. + +"That a man knows the right while doing the wrong is not usually +accepted as proof of his serious conscientiousness. The real nature of +Germany's view of her 'responsibilities toward the neutral States' +may, however, be learned on authority which cannot be disputed by +reference to the English 'White Paper.' + +"If those responsibilities were in truth taken seriously why, when +Germany was asked to respect the neutrality of Belgium if it were +respected by France, did Germany refuse? France, when asked the +corresponding question at the same time, agreed. This would have +guaranteed Germany from all danger of attack through Belgium. + +"The reason of Germany's refusal was given by Herr von +Bethmann-Hollweg's colleague, (the German Foreign Secretary, Herr von +Jagow.) It may be paraphrased in the well-known gloss upon +Shakespeare: 'Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, but four +times he that gets his blow in fust.' + +"'They had to advance into France,' said Herr von Jagow, 'by the +quickest and easiest way so as to be able to get well ahead with their +operations and endeavor to strike some decisive blow as early as +possible.' + +"Germany's real attitude toward Belgium was thus frankly given by the +German Foreign Secretary to the British Ambassador, and the German +Chancellor in his speech to the Reichstag claimed the right to commit +a wrong in virtue of the military necessity of hacking his way +through. The treaty which forbade the wrong was by comparison a mere +scrap of paper. + +"The truth was spoken in these first statements by the two German +Ministers. All the apologies and arguments which have since been +forthcoming are afterthoughts to excuse and explain away a flagrant +wrong. Moreover, all the attacks upon Great Britain in regard to this +matter and all talk about 'responsibilities toward neutral States' +come badly from the man who, on July 29, asked Great Britain to enter +into a bargain to condone the violation of the neutrality of Belgium. + +"The German Chancellor spoke to the American correspondent of his +'efforts for years to bring about an understanding between England and +Germany.' An understanding, he added, which would have 'absolutely +guaranteed the peace of Europe.' + +"He omitted to mention what Mr. Asquith made public in his speech at +Cardiff,[3] that Germany required as the price of an understanding an +unconditional pledge of England's neutrality. The British Government +were ready to bind themselves not to be parties to any aggression +against Germany. They were not prepared to pledge their neutrality in +case of aggression by Germany. + +[Footnote 3: In his address at Cardiff, appearing in Vol. 1, No. 2, of +THE NEW YORK TIMES CURRENT HISTORY, Premier Asquith said: + + In a communication to the German Government in 1912 + regarding her future policy Great Britain declared that she + would neither make nor join in any unprovoked attack upon + Germany. But that was not enough for German statesmanship. + + Germany wanted us to go further and pledge ourselves to + absolute neutrality in the event of Germany being engaged in + war. To that demand there was but one answer, and that was + the answer which the Government gave.] + +"An Anglo-German understanding on the latter terms would not have +meant an absolute guarantee for the peace of Europe, but it would have +meant an absolutely free hand for Germany, so far as England was +concerned, for Germany to break the peace of Europe. + +"The Chancellor says that in his conversation with the British +Ambassador in August last he 'may have been a bit excited at seeing +the hopes and work of the whole period of his Chancellorship going for +nought.' + +"Considering that at the date of the conversation, Aug. 4, Germany had +already made war on France, the natural conclusion is that the +shipwreck of the Chancellor's hopes consisted not in a European war, +but in the fact that England had not agreed to stand out of it. + +"The sincerity of the German Chancellor's professions to the American +correspondent may be brought to a very simple test, the application of +which is more apposite because it serves to recall one of the leading +facts which produced the present war. + +"Herr von Bethmann-Hollweg refused the proposal which England put +forward and in which France, Italy, and Russia concurred, for a +conference at which the dispute would have been settled on fair and +honorable terms without war. If he really wished to work with England +for peace why did he not accept that proposal? He must have known +after the Balkan conference in London that England could be trusted to +play fair. Herr von Jagow had given testimony in the Reichstag to +England's good faith in those negotiations. + +"The proposal for the second conference between the powers was made by +Sir Edward Grey with the same straightforward desire for peace as in +1912 and 1913. The German Chancellor rejected this means of averting +the war. He who does not will the means must not complain if the +conclusion is drawn that he did not will the end. + +"The second part of the interview with an American newspaper +correspondent consists of a discourse upon the ethics of the war. The +things which Germany has done in Belgium and France have been placed +on record by those who have suffered from them and who know them at +first hand. After this it does not lie with the German Chancellor to +read to the other belligerents a lecture upon the conduct of the +war." + + + + +THE KAISER AT DONCHERY. + +[By The Associated Press.] + + +Berlin, Jan. 29, (via London.)--The Lokalanzeiger has published some +further accounts of the visit of Dr. Ludwig Ganghofer, the author, to +Emperor William at the German Field Headquarters. It tells of a trip +made by the Emperor and Dr. Ganghofer to Donchery, in the region of +the Sedan battlefield. Here the Emperor, in speaking of the unity of +the German people, is quoted as saying to Dr. Ganghofer: "It is my +greatest pleasure that I could live to see it." + +The Emperor pointed out to the author where his father had stood at +Sedan, where Napoleon and Bismarck met, and other historic spots. + +The trip by automobile finally brought the party to the headquarters +of Crown Prince Frederick William, where, after luncheon had been +eaten, the Emperor turned smiling to his son and said: + +"One gets better things to eat at your headquarters than at mine. I +shall consider whether I shall not requisition your cook." + +The Emperor here had an opportunity to see a thousand French prisoners +march by. He was greatly pleased when some of them doffed their caps +to him and he returned their salute. During this review he turned to a +photographer who was taking pictures, and said: + +"Photograph the prisoners and not always me." + +The party later climbed a steep ascent to get a view of the +surrounding region. When descending, Dr. Ganghofer slipped, but the +Emperor quickly grasped him by the arm and saved him from a fall, +saying at the same time: + +"Soldiers and citizens must help each other all they can." + + + + +HAIL! + +A HYMN TO BELGIUM + +POEM BY + +JOHN GALSWORTHY + +MUSIC BY + +FREDERIC H. COWEN. + +(_From King Albert's Book._) + +[Music illustration: + + 1. Men of Belgium! Honour's own! + Ye who saved the Holy Grail, + Ye who died for Freedom's Crown, + Hail, ye brave, for ever hail! + + 2. Wives of Belgium! who to Death + Paid the toll of Mother's wail, + Bound with widowed sorrow's wreath + The brows of Death, ye dear saints: hail! + + 3. Maids of Belgium! ye who gazed + At worse than sullen Death, and pale + In terror, yet with eyes undazed, + Smiled on at Hope--ye sweethearts--Hail! + Maids of Belgium! Sweethearts, Hail! + + 4. Land of Belgium! earth and sky + For evermore shall tell thy tale. + The morning comes! Thou shalt not die! + Hail! Thou Sad Immortal: Hail! + Hail! Thou Sad Immortal: Hail! + +N.B.--If it is desired to sing this as a simple Hymn, the Melody of +the 3rd verse should be omitted and the words sung to the opening +eight bars, as in the 1st and 2nd verses] + + + + +Holland's Future + +By H.G. Wells. + +(_Copyright by The New York Times Company._) + + The article which follows was written by H.G. Wells for + publication in England. The British censor, however, refused + to permit its appearance there, and thus it was printed in + the United States for the first time by THE NEW YORK TIMES + on Feb. 7, 1915. In the development of his argument Mr. + Wells points out that "the Dutch hold a sword at the back of + Germany." That Holland has no intention of sheathing this + sword, so removing a menace from Germany, is indicated by + the recent cable from The Hague telling of the message sent + by the Government to the Second Chamber of the Legislature + dealing with pending legislation to prolong the term of + enlistment in the regular army, in which this language is + used: "The position of our country demands today, as it did + in August, that our entire military force should be at all + times available." + + +What changes for Holland are likely to result from the present war? + +Let me, as an irresponsible journalist, try to estimate them, and try +to forecast what Holland is likely to do in the next few months. I do +not want for a moment to suggest what Dutchmen ought to do; this +preaching to highly intelligent neutrals is not a writer's business, +but I want to imagine how things must look in the private mind of a +wary patriotic Hollander, and to guess what may be the outcome. +Because in many ways Holland does seem to hold the key to the present +situation. + +It is clear that whatever fears may have been felt for the integrity +of Holland at the beginning of the war must now be very much abated. +The risk of Germany attacking Holland diminishes with each day of +German failure, and the whole case and righteousness of the Allies +rests upon their respect for Holland. Holland's position as regards +Germany now is extraordinarily strong materially, and as regards the +Allies it is overwhelmingly strong morally. She has behaved patiently +and sanely through a trying crisis. She has endured much almost +inevitable provocation and temptation with dignity and honesty. Were +she now subjected to any German outrage she could strike with her +excellent army of 400,000 men at Aix-la-Chapelle, and turn repulse +into rapid disaster. + +That is the interesting thing about the Dutch position now. The Dutch +hold a sword at the back of Germany. Were they to come into the war on +the German side, they would, no doubt, provide a most effective but +certainly not a decisive reinforcement to the German western front, +but they would also lay open a convenient way for the Allies to the +vital part of Germany, Westphalia. But were they to come in on the +side of the Allies they would at once deliver a conclusive blow. They +could cut the main communications of the German army in Flanders, they +could round up and assist to capture a very large portion of the +German western forces, and they could open the road not only to attack +but to turn the Rhine defenses. In fact, they could finish Germany. + +This situation is already fairly obvious; I betray no strategic +secret; it must become manifest to every Dutchman before many more +weeks. One has but to look at the map. Every day now diminishes the +possibility of Germany being able to make any effective +counterattack, any Belgian destruction, in Holland, and every day +increases the weight of the blow that Holland may deliver. What are +the chances that Holland may not ultimately realize to the full the +possibilities of that blow and join the Allies? + +Against her doing so is the consideration that she is doing very well +as she is. She keeps her freedom. Practically the Allies fight to +secure it for her. The dread of Germanization which has hung over +Holland for forty years seems to recede. + +And, of course, as a secondary restraining force there is the +reasonable fear of devastation. The "good German" vindictiveness might +make one last supreme effort. + +But, on the other hand, is she really doing as well as it seems? +Unless she intervenes this war will probably last for another full +year. She wants it to end. It is a terrible oppression. Her army must +remain mobilized, even if it does not fight. Her trade stagnates. She +is incumbered by refugees. What if she struck to end the war and get +the tension over? Not now, perhaps, but presently. Simultaneously with +the Franco-British counter-stroke that now draws near. + +And what if she struck also for a hatred of what has happened to +Belgium? Suppose the Dutch are not so much frightened by the horrible +example of Belgium as indignant. My impression of the Dutch--and we +English know something of the Dutch spirit--is that they are a people +not easily cowed. Suppose that they have not only a reasonable fear +but a reasonable hatred of "frightfulness." Suppose that an +intelligent fellow-feeling for a small nation has filled them with a +desire to give Germany a lesson. There, it may be, is a second reason +why Holland should come in. + +And by coming in, there is something more than the mere termination of +a strain and the vindication of international righteousness to +consider. There is the possibility, and not only the possibility but +the possible need, that Holland should come out of this world war +aggrandized. I want to lay stress upon that, because it may prove a +decisive factor in this matter. + +The Dutch desire aggrandizement for the sake of aggrandizement as +little as any nation in Europe. But what if the path of aggrandizement +be also the path of safety? + +It is clear that both France and Belgium will demand and receive +territorial compensation for these last months of horror. It is +ridiculous to suppose that the Germans may fling war in its most +atrocious and filthy form over Belgium and some of the sweetest parts +of France without paying bitterly and abundantly for the freak. + +Quite apart from indemnities, France and Belgium must push forward +their boundaries so far that if ever Germany tries another rush she +will have to rush for some days through her own lost lands. The only +tolerable frontier against Germans is a day's march deep in Germany. +Of course, Liege will have to be covered in the future by Belgian +annexations in the Aix region and stretching toward Cologne, and +France will go to the Rhine. I think Belgium as well as France will be +forced to go to the Rhine. + +It is no good talking now of buffer States, because the German +conscience cannot respect them. Buffer States are just anvil States. +At any rate, very considerable annexations of German territory by +Belgium and France are now inevitable, and Holland must expect a much +larger and stronger Belgium to the south of her, allied firmly to +France and England. + +And to the north is it very likely that the British will be able to +tolerate the continued German possession of the Frisian Islands? These +islands, and the coast of East Friesland, have had but one use in +German hands, and that use has been the preparation of attacks on +England. Clearly the British may decide to have no more of such +attacks. Every advance in scientific warfare may make them more +dangerous and exasperating. The British intend soberly and sanely to +do their utmost to make a repetition of the present war impossible. To +secure this they may find it necessary to have Germany out of the +North Sea. But they have no desire whatever to take either the Frisian +Islands or East Friesland, if Holland will save them that trouble. + +Now, suppose the Dutch will not think of this now. Suppose, for the +want of their aid, the Allies are unable to press the war to the +complete regimentation of Germany, what will be the position of +Holland in twenty years' time? + +[Illustration: [map]] + +She will stand between England and Germany. A Germany incompletely +beaten means an Anglophobe Germany. Belgium and France expanded, +recuperated, allied, linked by a common literature and language, may +be too formidable for another German attack. So that there is the +possibility that in twenty years' time or so Germany, recovering and +vindictive, may in some way contrive to hold off France and Belgium, +and try her luck against England alone. By that time submarine and +aeroplane may be so developed as to render a German attack on England +much more hopeful than it is at present, especially by way of the +Rhine mouth. What, in the light of the Belgian experience and the new +doctrine of a "right of way," will be the outlook for a little +isolated Holland, as small as she is now, as a buffer State in such a +case. + +She has always been claimed as a part of the great Pan-German scheme, +and at any time she may find the German heel upon her face, +vindictively punishing her for her lack of enthusiasm for Teutonic +brotherhood. Hadn't she better get herself a little larger and +stronger now; hadn't she better help to make the ending of the German +threat more conclusive, and link herself definitely with the grand +alliance of the Western Powers? Now she could make a very good bargain +indeed. If she inquired she would find Britain ready enough to +guarantee the integrity and protection of Holland's colonial empire +forever by the British fleet. All the four Western Powers, France, +Belgium, Holland, Britain, would be willing to make the most binding +pledges for such mutual protection. It is the manifest common-sense of +the settlement that they should set up such a collective guarantee. +And, in addition, there are those Frisian Islands, and East Friesland, +and that dangerous wedge that Germany drives into Holland along the +Rhine. It is not difficult to map a very much improved Dutch frontier +along the Ems, and thence striking down to the Rhine and meeting the +iron country on the left bank of the Rhine, whose annexation and +exploitation is Belgium's legitimate compensation for her devastation +and sufferings. Here are the makings of a safer Greater Holland! +Thousands of Dutchmen must be looking on the map at the present time +and thinking such things as this. There, clearly and attractively, is +the price of alliance. + +The price of neutrality is an intact Holland--and a certain isolation +in the years ahead. But still, I admit, a not unhappy Holland, Dutch +and free. Until a fresh Anglo-German struggle begins. Yet, be it +noted, a Holland a little helpless and friendless if some renascent +Asiatic Power should presently covet her Eastern possessions. + +The price of participation with Germany, on the other hand, is +complete envelopment in the warm embrace of the "good German +brotherhood"--the gradual substitution of the German language for the +Dutch, and a Germanization of such colonies as the Allies may still +leave for Holland, frequent State visits from Kaisers, and the +subordination of Dutch mercantile interests to those of Hamburg and +Altona and (Germanized) Antwerp. And--the everlasting howling +everywhere of "Deutschland, Deutschland ueber Alles." + +(No! No! They will never fight for the Germans. No sane people will +ever fight for the Germans if they can possibly avoid it. Not even our +press censorship, not even the Maximilian Krafts in our silliest +weekly papers will provoke Holland to that.) + +But I have a sort of feeling, for the reasons I have stated, that even +without any serious breach of Dutch neutrality by the Germans, Holland +may decide presently to put her troops beside the Belgians. And if, as +is always possible, the Germans do make some lumpish onslaught upon +Dutch neutrality, then I am convinced that at once that sturdy little +country will up and fight like the very devil. And do remarkably well +by it. + +And I have a much stronger feeling that presently the Dutch Government +will ask the Germans to reconsider their proposed annexation of +Belgium. Upon that point Holland has absolutely dictatorial power at +the present moment. She could secure the independence of Belgium at +the cost of a little paper and ink, she could force Germany to +evacuate her sister country by the mere movement of her army. + +_Copyright in U.S.A._ + + + + +French Official Report on German Atrocities + + Having been instructed to investigate atrocities said to + have been committed by the Germans in portions of French + territory which had been occupied by them, a commission + composed of four representatives of the French Government + repaired to these districts in order to make a thorough + investigation. The commission was composed of M. Georges + Payelle, First President of the Cour des Comptes; Armand + Mollard, Minister Plenipotentiary; Georges Maringer, + Counselor of State, and Edmond Paillot, Counselor of the + Cour de Cassation. + + They started on their mission late in September last and + visited the Departments of Seine-et-Marne, Marne, Meuse, + Meurthe-et-Moselle, Oise, and Aisne. According to the + report, they made note only of those accusations against the + invaders which were backed up by reliable testimony and + discarded everything that might have been occasioned by the + exigencies of war. + + +_Presented to the President of the Council by the commission +instituted with a view to investigating acts committed by the enemy in +violation of international law. Decree of Sept. 23, 1914. MM. Georges +Payelle, First President of the Cour des Comptes; Armand Mollard, +Minister Plenipotentiary; Georges Maringer, Counselor of State, and +Edmond Paillot, Counselor at the Court of Appeal._ + +To the President of the Council of Ministers: + +Sir: Having been appointed by virtue of a decree of the 23d of last +September to carry out on the spot an inquiry in relation to acts +committed in violation of international law in the portions of French +territory occupied by the enemy which have been reconquered by the +armies of the republic, we have the honor to lay before you the first +results of our mission. + +We have already a full harvest of information to submit. It includes, +however, a very limited part of the findings at which we should have +been able to arrive if we had not submitted all the evidence which was +laid before us to severe criticism and rigorous examination. We have +indeed believed it to be our duty only to place on record those facts +which, being established beyond dispute, constitute with absolute +certainty what may be clearly termed crimes, omitting those the proofs +of which were, in our view, insufficient, or which, however +destructive or cruel they were, might have been the result of acts of +war properly so-called, rather than of willful excesses, attributable +to the enemy. + +Thus we are convinced that none of the incidents which we have +investigated could be disputed in good faith. In addition the proof of +each of them does not depend only on our personal observations; it is +founded chiefly on photographs and on a mass of evidence received in +judicial form, with the sanction of an oath. + +The lamentable sights which we have had before our eyes have made the +task to which we all four addressed ourselves, with a close +association of ideas and feelings, a very grievous one. It would +indeed have been too painful, if we had not found a powerful support +in the sight of the wonderful troops whom we met at the front, in the +welcome of the military leaders whose kind assistance has never failed +us, and in the sight of the population who bear unprecedented +calamities with the most dignified resignation. In the districts which +we crossed, and particularly in that country of Lorraine which was so +frequently the victim of the scourge of war, not one entreaty for +help, not one moan, reached our ears; and yet the terrible misery of +which we have been witness surpasses in extent and horror anything +which the imagination can conceive. On every side our eyes rested on +ruin. Whole villages have been destroyed by bombardment or fire; towns +formerly full of life are now nothing but deserts full of ruins; and, +in visiting the scenes of desolation where the invader's torch has +done its work, one feels continually as though one were walking among +the remains of one of those cities of antiquity which have been +annihilated by the great cataclysms of nature. + +In truth it can be stated that never has a war carried on between +civilized nations assumed the savage and ferocious character of the +one which at this moment is being waged on our soil by an implacable +adversary. Pillage, rape, arson, and murder are the common practice of +our enemies; and the facts which have been revealed to us day by day +at once constitute definite crimes against common rights, punished by +the codes of every country with the most severe and the most +dishonoring penalties, and which prove an astonishing degeneration in +German habits of thought since 1870. + +Crimes against women and young girls have been of appalling frequency. +We have proved a great number of them, but they only represent an +infinitesimal proportion of those which we could have taken up. Owing +to a sense of decency, which is deserving of every respect, the +victims of these hateful acts usually refuse to disclose them. +Doubtless fewer would have been committed if the leaders of an army +whose discipline is most rigorous had taken any trouble to prevent +them; yet, strictly speaking, they can only be considered as the +individual and spontaneous acts of uncaged beasts. But with regard to +arson, theft, and murder the case is very different; the officers, +even those of the highest station, will bear before humanity the +overwhelming responsibility for these crimes. + +In the greater part of the places where we carried on our inquiry we +came to the conclusion that the German Army constantly professes the +most complete contempt for human life, that its soldiers, and even its +officers, do not hesitate to finish off the wounded, that they kill +without pity the inoffensive inhabitants of the territories which they +have invaded, and they do not spare in their murderous rage women, old +men, or children. The wholesale shootings at Luneville, Gerbeviller, +Nomeny, and Senlis are terrible examples of this; and in the course of +this report you will read the story of scenes of carnage in which +officers themselves have not been ashamed to take part. + +The mind refuses to believe that all these butcheries should have +taken place without justification. Still, it is so! It is true that +the Germans have always advanced the same pretext for them, alleging +that civilians had begun by firing upon them. This allegation is a +lie, and those who advance it have been unable to give it any +probability, even by firing rifle shots in the neighborhood of houses, +as they are accustomed to do in order to be able to state that they +have been attacked by an innocent population on whose ruin or massacre +they have resolved. We have many times ascertained the truth of this; +here is one among others: + +One evening the Abbe Colin, Cure of Croismare, was standing near an +officer when the report of a gun rang out. The latter cried, "Monsieur +le Cure, that is enough to cause you to be shot as well as the +Burgomaster, and for a farm to be burned; look, there is one on fire." +"Sir," replied the priest, "you are too intelligent not to recognize +the sharp sound of your German rifle. For my part, I recognize it." +The German did not press the point. + +Personal liberty, like human life, is the object of complete scorn on +the part of the German military authorities. Almost everywhere +citizens of every age have been dragged from their homes and led into +captivity, many have died or been killed on the way. + +Arson, still more than murder, forms the usual procedure of our +adversaries. It is employed by them either as a means of systematic +devastation or as a means of terrorism. The German Army, in order to +provide for it, possesses a complete outfit, which comprises torches, +grenades, rockets, petrol pumps, fuse-sticks, and little bags of +pastilles made of compressed powder which are very inflammable. The +lust for arson is manifested chiefly against churches and against +monuments which have some special interest, either artistic or +historical. + +In the departments through which we have gone thousands of houses have +been burned, but we have only investigated in our inquiry fires which +have been occasioned by exclusively criminal intention, and we have +not believed it our duty to deal with those that have been caused by +shells in the course of violent fighting, or due to circumstances +which it has not been possible to determine with absolute certainty, +such as those at Villotte-devant-Louppy, Rembercourt, Mogneville, +Amblaincourt, Pretz, Louppy-le-Chateau, and other places. The few +inhabitants who remained among the ruins furnished us with information +in absolute good faith on this subject. + +We have constantly found definite evidence of theft, and we do not +hesitate to state that where a body of the enemy has passed it has +given itself up to a systematically organized pillage, in the presence +of its leaders, who have even themselves often taken part in it. +Cellars have been emptied to the last bottle, safes have been gutted, +considerable sums of money have been stolen or extorted; a great +quantity of plate and jewelry, as well as pictures, furniture, objets +d'art, linen, bicycles, women's dresses, sewing machines, even down to +children's toys, after having been taken away, have been loaded on +vehicles to be taken toward the frontier. + +The inhabitants have had no redress against all these exactions, any +more than they have for the crimes already described; and if some +wretched inhabitant dared to beg an officer to be good enough to +intervene to spare a life or to protect his goods he received no +other reply (when he was not greeted by threats) than the one +invariable formula, accompanied by a smile, describing these most +abominable cruelties as the inevitable results of war. + +As you have already learned from reading the documents of which we +have sent you copies, we proceeded first to the Department of +Seine-et-Marne. We there collected proofs of numerous abuses of the +laws of war, as well as of crimes committed against common rights by +the enemy, some of which exhibited features of special gravity. + +At Chauconin the Germans set fire to five dwelling houses and to six +buildings used for agricultural purposes with the assistance of +grenades, which they threw on to the roofs, and with sticks of resin +which they placed under the doors. M. Lagrange asked an officer the +reason of such acts and the latter merely replied: "It is war." Then +he ordered M. Lagrange to point out to him the situation of the +property known as the Farm Proffit, and a few moments later the +buildings of this farm were in flames. + +At Congis a body of the enemy were engaged in burning a score of +houses, into which they had thrown straw and poured petrol, when the +arrival of a French detachment prevented them from carrying out their +design. + +At Penchard, where three houses had been burned, Mme. Marius Rene saw +a soldier carrying a torch which, stuck in his belt, appeared to form +part of his equipment. + +At Barcy an officer and soldier made their way to the Mairie, and, +after having taken all the blankets belonging to the schoolmaster, set +fire to the muniment room. + +At Douy-la-Rame the Germans set fire to a mill, whose situation they +had ascertained by inquiry in the neighborhood. A workman 66 years old +had a narrow escape from being thrown into the flames. By struggling +violently and clutching on to a wall he was able to avoid the fate +with which he was threatened. Finally, at Courtacon, after having +compelled the inhabitants to furnish them with matches and faggots, +they sprinkled a great number of houses with petrol and set them +ablaze. The village, a great part of which is in ruins, presents a +lamentable appearance. + +Together with these crimes against property, we have been able to +place on record in the Department of Seine-et-Marne many grave +offenses against the person. + +Early in September a German cavalryman arrived one day at about 5 +o'clock in the afternoon at the house of M. Laforest, at +May-en-Multien, and asked for a drink. M. Laforest hurried off to draw +some wine from the cask, but the German, no doubt annoyed at not being +served quickly enough, fired his rifle at the wife of his host, who +was seriously wounded. Taken to Livry-sur-Ourcq, Mme. Laforest was +there cared for by a German doctor and had her left arm amputated. She +died recently in the hospital at Meaux. + +On Sept. 8 eighteen inhabitants of Vareddes, among whom was the +priest, were arrested without cause and led away by the enemy. Three +of them escaped. None of the others had returned up to Sept. 30, the +day we were there. From information collected, three of these men were +murdered. Anyhow, the death of one of the oldest among them, M. +Jourdain, aged 73, is certain. + +Dragged as far as the village of Coulombs and being unable to walk +further, the unfortunate man received a bayonet wound in the forehead +and a revolver bullet through the heart. + +At about the same time a man of 66, named Dalissier, living at Congis, +was ordered by the Germans to give up his purse to them. When he +proved unable to give them any money, he was tied up with a halter and +ruthlessly shot. The marks of about fifteen bullets were found on his +dead body. + +On the 3d of September, at Mary-sur-Marne, M. Mathe, terrified at the +arrival of the German troops, attempted to hide himself under the +counter of a wine shop. He was found in his hiding place and killed by +a thrust of a knife or bayonet in the chest. + +At Sancy-les-Provins, on the 6th of September, about 9 o'clock at +night, about eighty people were summarily arrested and imprisoned in a +sheep pen. On the next day thirty of them were taken by an officer's +order some five kilometers from the village to the barn called +"Pierrelez," where a German Red Cross ambulance was established. There +an army doctor (medecin-major) addressed some words to the wounded +under his charge, who at once proceeded to load four rifles and two +revolvers, their intention being obvious. Moreover, a French hussar, +who had been wounded in the arm and taken prisoner, said to the +priest, while asking him for absolution: "I am going to be shot, and +it will be your turn next." After having done as the soldier asked +him, the priest, unbuttoning his cassock, went and took his place +between the Mayor and another of his fellow-citizens, against a wall +along which the hostages were lined up; but at this moment two French +_chasseurs a cheval_ suddenly arrived, and the doctors, with their +ambulance staff, surrendered to these soldiers, near whom the hussar +had hastened to place himself. + +As showing the responsibility of officers of high rank for these +proceedings, it is interesting to note that the schoolmaster at Sancy, +when he was about to be taken off with the others, was allowed to +retain his freedom as a favor by General von Dutag, who was quartered +on him. + +On the 6th of the same month, after having set on fire some of the +houses in Courtacon, a body of soldiers, believed to belong to the +Imperial Guard, took five men and a child of thirteen out into the +fields, and exposed them to the French fire so long as the engagement +lasted. In the confines of the same commune, Edmond Rousseau, liable +to serve in the 1914 class, was arrested for the sole reason that his +age marked him out as being on the eve of being called up to the +colors, and was murdered under tragic circumstances. + +The Mayor, who was one of the hostages, when questioned as to the +position of this youth from the military point of view, replied that +Rousseau had passed the medical examination, that he had been declared +fit for service, but that his class had not yet been called up. The +Germans thereupon made the prisoner strip, in order to satisfy +themselves of his physical condition, then put his trousers on again, +and shot him within fifty meters of his fellow-citizens. + +The town of Coulommiers has suffered considerable pillage. Plate, +linen, and boots were taken away, principally from empty houses, and a +large number of bicycles were loaded on motor wagons. The Germans +occupied this place from the 5th to the 7th of September. On this day +before they left they arrested, without any pretext, the Mayor and the +Procureur de la Republique, and an officer grossly insulted them. +These two officials were kept in custody until the next morning, +together with the Secretary of the Mairie. Guards were set over the +Procureur during the night, and did their best to persuade him by +remarks exchanged between them that his execution was imminent. + +It is generally believed at Coulommiers that criminal attempts have +been made on many women of that town, but only one crime of this +nature has been proved for certain. A charwoman, Mme. X., was the +victim. A soldier came to her house on the 6th of September, toward +9:30 in the evening, and sent away her husband to go and search for +one of his comrades in the street. Then, in spite of the fact that two +small children were present, he tried to rape the young woman. X., +when he heard his wife's cries, rushed back, but was driven off with +blows of the butt of the man's rifle into a neighboring room, of which +the door was left open, and his wife was forced to suffer the +consummation of the outrage. The rape took place almost under the eyes +of the husband, who, being terrorized, did not dare to intervene, and +used his efforts only to calm the terror of his children. + +In the same way, Mme. X., at Sancy-les-Provins, and Mme. Z., at +Beton-Bazoches, were the victims of similar outrages. The former was +forced to submit to the will of a soldier with a revolver at her +throat; the second, in spite of her resistance, was thrown upon a bed +and outraged in the presence of her little daughter, aged 3. The +husbands of these two women have been with the army since the +commencement of the war. + +On the 6th of September, at Guerard, where two workmen, Maitrier and +Didelot, had been killed at the outposts, the enemy took possession of +six hostages. One only was able to escape and return to his village. + +At Mauperthuis, on the same day, four Germans who had already gone in +the morning to the house of M. Roger, presented themselves there again +at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. "There were three of you here this +morning, and now you are only two. Come out," said one of them. +Immediately Roger and a refugee named M. Denet, who was a guest in the +house, were seized and led away. The next day, at the end of the +village, Mme. Roger found the body of her husband, pierced by two +bullets. Denet had also been shot, and his body was discovered some +little time afterward in such a state of decomposition as to make it +impossible to ascertain the nature of the wounds which the unfortunate +man had received. + +In a hamlet in the same commune, M. Fournier, caretaker of a farm at +Champbrisset, resided with a Swiss named Knell. The Germans took them +on a cart as far as Vaudoy and murdered them. An inhabitant of +Voinsles, named Cartier, suffered the same fate. As he passed on his +bicycle along a road a little way from Vaudoy, he was stopped by the +Germans, who searched his bag, in which was a revolver. Cartier, +without any resistance, gave up his weapon of his own accord. His eyes +were bandaged, and he was shot then and there. + +On the 8th of September at Sablonnieres, where there were scenes of +general pillage, M. Delaitre, who had left his house during the battle +to take refuge under a culvert, was discovered in his hiding place by +a German soldier, who fired at him five times; he died the same day. + +[Illustration: GENERAL CASTELNAU + +One of the Most Conspicuous of the French Commanders.] + +[Illustration: GENERAL DUBAIL + +Commanding the French Forces Operating Around Verdun. + +(_Photo_ (C) _International News Service._)] + +At the same place, M. Jules Griffaut, 66 years of age, was herding his +cows peacefully in a field, when a detachment of the enemy passed 150 +meters from him. A soldier who was alone in the rear of the column +took aim at him, and shot him in the face. It is proper to add that a +German officer took the trouble to have the wounded man attended to by +a German army doctor, and that Griffaut recovered fairly soon. + +At Rebais, on the 4th of September, at 11 in the evening, the Germans, +after pillaging the jeweler's shop of M. Pantereau and loading the +goods which they had taken on to a cart, set fire to the house. They +also burned three private houses in the Rue de l'Etang by throwing +lighted straw into them. + +In this little town serious acts of violence were committed. M. +Auguste Griffaut, 79 years of age, was treated with horrible +brutality. They repeatedly struck him on the head with their fists. A +revolver shot grazed his head. His watch and his purse, containing 800 +francs, were stolen from his person. + +On the same day, some German soldiers grossly ill-treated Mme. X., a +wine-shop keeper, aged 29, on the pretense that she was hiding English +soldiers. They undressed her and kept her in the middle of them +completely naked for one and a half hours; then they tied her to her +counter, giving her to understand that they were going to shoot her. +They were, however, called out just then, and went away, leaving their +victim in charge of an Alsatian soldier, who untied her and restored +her to liberty. + +Again, on the 4th of September, other soldiers attempted to rape Mme. +Z., 34 years of age, after having sacked her grocery shop. Angered by +her resistance, they tried to hang her, but she cut the rope with a +knife which was open in her pocket. She was then beaten mercilessly +until the arrival of an officer, who was fetched by a witness of the +scene. + +At St. Denis-les-Rebais, on the 7th of September, a Uhlan obliged Mme. +X. to undress, threatening her with his rifle; then he threw her on a +mattress and raped her while her mother-in-law, powerless to +intervene, endeavored to keep her grandson, 8 years old, from this +revolting sight. + +On the same day, at the hamlet of Marais, in the Commune of +Jouv-sur-Morin, the three daughters of Mme. X., aged respectively 18, +15, and 13, were with their sick mother when two German soldiers +entered, seized the eldest, dragged her into the next room and raped +her in succession; while one committed his crime, the other watched +the door and with his weapons kept back the half-maddened mother. + +Frightful scenes occurred at the Chateau de ---- in the neighborhood +of La Ferte-Gaucher. There lived there an old gentleman, M. X., with +his servant, Mlle. Y., 54 years old. On Sept. 5 several Germans, among +whom was a non-commissioned officer, were in occupation of this +property. After they had been supplied with food, the non-commissioned +officer proposed to a refugee, a Mme. Z., that she should sleep with +him; she refused. M. X., to save her from the designs of which she was +the object, sent her to his farm, which was in the neighborhood. The +German ran there to fetch her, dragged her back to the chateau and led +her to the attic; then, having completely undressed her, he tried to +violate her. At this moment M. X., wishing to protect her, fired +revolver shots on the staircase and was immediately shot. + +The non-commissioned officer then made Mme. X. come out of the attic, +obliged her to step over the corpse of the old man, and led her to a +closet, where he again made two unsuccessful attempts upon her. +Leaving her at last, he threw himself upon Mlle. Y., having first +handed Mme. Z. over to two soldiers, who, after having violated her, +one once and the other twice, in the dead man's room, made her pass +the night in a barn near them, where one of them twice more had sexual +connection with her. + +As for Mlle. Y., she was obliged, by threats of being shot, to strip +herself completely naked and lie on a mattress with the +non-commissioned officer, who kept her there until morning. + +We have also taken note of the fact that, as appears from declarations +made by a municipal councilor of Rebais, two English cavalrymen who +were surprised and wounded in this commune were finished off with +gunshots by the Germans when they were dismounted and when one of them +had thrown up his hands, showing thus that he was unarmed. + + +MARNE. + +In the Department of the Marne, as everywhere else, the German troops +gave themselves up to general pillage, which was carried out always +under similar conditions and with the complicity of their leaders. The +Communes of Heiltz-le-Maurupt; Suippes, Marfaux, Fromentieres, and +Esternay suffered especially in this way. Everything which the invader +could carry off from the houses was placed on motor lorries and +vehicles. At Suippes, in particular, they carried off in this way a +quantity of different objects, among these sewing machines and toys. + +A great many villages, as well as important country towns, were burned +without any reason whatever. Without doubt these crimes were committed +by order, as German detachments arrived in the neighborhood with their +torches, their grenades, and their usual outfit for arson. + +At Lepine, a laborer named Caque, in whose house two German cyclists +were billeted, asked the latter if the grenades which he saw in their +possession were destined for his house. They answered: "No, Lepine is +finished with." At that moment nine houses in the village were burned +out. + +At Marfaux nineteen private houses were burned. + +At le Gault-la-Foret seven or eight houses were burned. Of the Commune +of Glannes practically nothing remains. At Somme-Tourbe the entire +village has been destroyed, with the exception of the Mairie, the +church, and two private buildings. + +At Auve nearly the whole town has been destroyed. At Etrepy +sixty-three families out of seventy are homeless. At Huiron all the +houses, with the exception of five, have been burned. At +Sermaize-les-Bains only about forty houses out of 900 remain. At +Bignicourt-sur-Saultz thirty houses out of thirty-three are in ruins. + +At Suippes, the big market town which has been practically burned out, +German soldiers carrying straw and cans of petrol have been seen in +the streets. While the Mayor's house was burning, six sentinels with +fixed bayonets were under orders to forbid any one to approach and to +prevent any help being given. + +All this destruction by arson, which only represents a small +proportion of the acts of the same kind in the Department of +Seine-et-Marne, was accomplished without the least tendency to +rebellion or the smallest act of resistance being recorded against the +inhabitants of the localities which are today more or less completely +destroyed. In some villages the Germans, before setting fire to them, +made one of their soldiers fire a shot from his rifle so as to be able +to pretend afterward that the civilian population had attacked them, +an allegation which is all the more absurd since at the time when the +enemy arrived the only inhabitants left were old men, sick persons, or +people absolutely without any means of aggression. + +Numerous crimes against the person have also been committed. In the +majority of the communes hostages have been taken away; many of them +have not returned. At Sermaize-les-Bains, the Germans carried off +about 150 people, some of whom were decked out with helmets and coats +and compelled, thus equipped, to mount guard over the bridges. + +At Bignicourt-sur-Saulx thirty men and forty-five women and children +were obliged to leave with a detachment. One of the men--a certain +Emile Pierre--has not returned nor sent any news of himself. At +Corfelix, M. Jacquet, who was carried off on the 7th of September with +eleven of his fellow-citizens, was found five hundred meters from the +village with a bullet in his head. + +At Champuis the cure, his maid-servant, and four other inhabitants, +who were taken away the same day as the hostages of Corfelix, had not +returned at the time of our visit to the place. + +At the same place an old man of 70, named Jacquemin, was tied down in +his bed by an officer and left in this state without food for three +days. He died a little time after. + +At Vert-la-Gravelle a farm-hand was killed. He was struck on the head +with a bottle and his chest was run through with a lance. + +The garde champetre Brulefer of le Gault-la-Foret was murdered at +Maclaunay, where he had been taken by the Germans. His body was found +with his head shattered and a wound on his chest. + +At Champguyon, a commune which has been fired, a certain Verdier was +killed in his father-in-law's house. The latter was not present at the +execution, but he heard a shot and next day an officer said to him, +"Son shot. He is under the ruins." In spite of the search made the +body has not been found among them. It must have been consumed in the +fire. + +At Sermaize, the roadmaker Brocard was placed among a number of +hostages. Just at the moment when he was being arrested with his son, +his wife and his daughter-in-law in a state of panic rushed to throw +themselves into the Saulx. The old man was able to free himself for a +moment and ran in all haste after them and made several attempts to +save them, but the Germans dragged him away pitilessly, leaving the +two wretched women struggling in the river. When Brocard and his son +were restored to liberty, four days afterward, and found the bodies, +they discovered that their wives had both received bullet wounds in +the head. + +At Montmirail a scene of real savagery was enacted. On the 5th of +September a non-commissioned officer flung himself almost naked on the +widow Naude, on whom he was billeted, and carried her into his room. +This woman's father, Francois Fontaine, rushed up on hearing his +daughter's cry. At once fifteen or twenty Germans broke through the +door of the house, pushed the old man into the street, and shot him +without mercy. Little Juliette Naude opened the window at this moment +and was struck in the stomach by a bullet, which went through her +body. The poor child died after twenty-four hours of most dreadful +suffering. + +On the 6th of September at Champguyon, Mme. Louvet was present at the +martyrdom of her husband. She saw him in the hands of ten or fifteen +soldiers, who were beating him to death before his own house, and ran +up and kissed him through the bars of the gate. She was brutally +pushed back and fell, while the murderers dragged along the unhappy +man covered with blood, begging them to spare his life and protesting +that he had done nothing to be treated thus. He was finished off at +the end of the village. When his wife found his body it was horribly +disfigured. His head was beaten in, one of his eyes hung from the +socket, and one of his wrists was broken. + +At Esternay, on the 6th of September, toward 3 in the afternoon, +thirty-five or forty Germans were leading away M. Lauranceau, when he +made a sharp movement as if to free himself. He was immediately shot +down. + +In the same town the following facts have been laid before us: + +During the night, between Sunday, the 6th of September, and Monday, +the 7th, the soldiers who were scattered among the houses pillaging, +discovered the widow Bouche, her two daughters, and Mmes. Lhomme and +Mace, who had taken refuge under the cellar staircase. They ordered +the two young girls to undress, then, as their mother tried to +intervene, one of the soldiers, bringing his rifle to his shoulder, +fired in the direction of the group of women. The bullet, after having +struck Mme. Lhomme near the left elbow, broke the right arm of Mlle. +Marcelle Bouche at the armpit. During the following day the young girl +died as a result of her wound. According to the declarations made by +witnesses, the wound was horrible to behold. + +Further, our inquiry in the Department of the Marne established other +crimes of which women were the victims. + +On the 3rd of September, at Suippes, Mme. X., 72 years of age, was +seized by a German soldier, who pushed the barrel of his revolver +under her chin and brutally flung her on her bed. Her son-in-law +rushed up at the noise, fortunately for her, at the moment when the +rape was about to be consummated. + +At the same place and time little ----, 11 years old, was for three +hours the prey of a licentious soldier, who, having found her with her +sick grandmother, dragged her to a deserted house and stopped her +mouth with a handkerchief to prevent her crying out. + +On the 7th of September, at Vitry-en-Perthois, Mme. X., aged 45, and +Mme. Z., aged 89, were both raped; the latter died a fortnight later. + +At Jussecourt-Minecourt, on the 8th of September, toward 9 in the +evening, Mlle. X. was violated by four soldiers, who broke in the door +of her room with the help of a billhook. All four flung themselves on +this young girl, who was 21 years old, and ravished her in succession. + +As the bombardment of open towns constitutes without doubt a violation +of international law, we thought it necessary to go to Rheims, which +was for eighty days bombarded by the Germans. We received a sworn +statement from the Mayor, from which we learned that about 300 of the +civilian population had already been killed; we saw that in different +parts of the town numerous buildings had been destroyed, and we took +note of the enormous and irreparable damage which had been inflicted +on the cathedral. The bombardment has continued since the 7th of +October, the day of our visit; the number of the victims, therefore, +must now be very considerable. Every one knows how the unhappy town +has suffered, and that the attitude of the municipality has been above +all praise. + +While we were working at the Hotel de Ville, six shells were fired in +the direction of this building. The fifth fell only a short distance +from the principal front, and the sixth burst fifteen or twenty meters +from the bureau. + +Next day we went to the Chateau of Baye and witnessed the traces of +the sack which this building has suffered. On the first floor a door +which leads into a room next to a gallery, where the owner had +collected valuable works of art, has been broken in; four glass +cabinets have been broken and another has been opened. According to +the declarations of the caretaker who, in the absence of her masters, +was unable to acquaint us of the full extent of the damage, the +principal objects stolen were jewels of Russian origin and gold +medals. We noticed that the mounts covered with black velvet, which +must have been taken out of the cases, were stripped of a part of the +jewels which had previously been affixed to them. + +Baron de Baye's room was in the greatest disorder. Numerous objects +were strewn on the floor from the drawers which remained open. A +writing table had been broken open. A Louis XVI. commode and a bureau +a cylindre of the same period had been ransacked. + +This room must have been occupied by a person of very high rank, for +on the door there still remains a chalk inscription, "J.K. Hoheit." No +one could give us exact information as to the identity of this +"Highness"; however, a General who lodged in the house of M. Houllier, +Town Councilor, told his host that the Duke of Brunswick and the staff +of the Tenth Corps had occupied the chateau. + +The same day we visited the Chateau of Beaumont, which is near +Montmirail, and belongs to the Comte de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville. +The wife of the caretaker declared that this house had been sacked by +the Germans in the absence of its owners during an occupation which +lasted from the 4th to the 6th of September. The invaders left it in +an indescribable state of disorder and filth. The writing tables, +bureaus, and safes had been broken open. The jewel boxes had been +taken from the drawers and emptied. + +On the doors of the rooms we could read inscriptions in chalk, among +which we took note of the following: "Excellenz," "Major von Ledebur," +"Graf Waldersee." + + +MEUSE. + +The Department of the Meuse, a great part of which the German armies +still occupy, has suffered cruelly. Important communes there have been +destroyed by fires lighted willfully by the Germans in the absence of +any kind of military necessity, and without the population's having +given any provocation for such atrocities by their attitude. This is +the case particularly at Revigny, Sommeilles, Triaucourt, Bulainville, +Clermont-en-Argonne, and Villers-aux-Vents. + +The Germans having completely sacked the houses of Revigny and carried +off their booty on vehicles, burned two-thirds of the town during +three consecutive days from the 6th to the 9th of September, +sprinkling the walls with petrol by means of hand pumps, and throwing +into the houses little bags full of compressed powder in tablets. We +have been furnished with specimens of these little bags and these +tablets, as well as with fuse sticks of inflammable matter which had +been left by the incendiaries. + +The church, which was classed as a historical monument, and the Mairie +with all its archives, have been destroyed. + +Many inhabitants, among whom were children, have been taken away as +hostages. They were, however, set at liberty next day, with the +exception of M. Wladimir Thomas. + +Few localities in the Department of the Meuse have suffered as much as +the Commune of Sommeilles. It is nothing but a heap of ruins, having +been completely burned on the 6th of September by a regiment of German +infantry bearing the number fifty-one. The place was set on fire with +help of machinelike bicycle pumps with which many of the soldiers were +furnished. + +This unhappy village was the scene of a terrible drama. At the +commencement of the fire Mme. X., whose husband is with the colors, +took refuge in the cellar of M. et Mme. Adnot, together with these +latter and their four children, aged respectively 11, 5, 4, and 1-1/2 +years. A few days afterward the bodies of all these unfortunate people +were discovered in the middle of a pool of blood. Adnot had been shot, +Mme. X. had her breast and right arm cut off; the little girl of 11 +had a foot severed, the little boy of 5 had his throat cut. The woman +X. and the little girl appeared to have been raped. + +At Villers-aux-Vents, on the 8th of September, German officers invited +the inhabitants who had not yet fled to leave their dwellings, warning +them that the village was about to be burned, because, they alleged, +three French soldiers had dressed themselves in civilian clothes; +others gave the pretext that an installation of wireless telegraphy +had been found in a house. The threat was carried out so rigorously +that one house alone remains standing. + +At Vaubecourt, where six dwelling houses were burned by the +Wuerttemburgers, fire was set to a barn with straw piled up by the +soldiers. + +At Triaucourt the Germans gave themselves up to the worst excesses. +Angered doubtless by the remark which an officer had addressed to a +soldier, against whom a young girl of 19, Mlle. Helene Proces, had +made complaint on account of the indecent treatment to which she had +been subjected, they burned the village and made a systematic massacre +of the inhabitants. They began by setting fire to the house of an +inoffensive householder, M. Jules Gand, and by shooting this +unfortunate man just as he was leaving his house to escape the flames; +then they dispersed among the houses in the streets, firing their +rifles on every side. A young man of 17, Georges Lecourtier, who tried +to escape, was shot. M. Alfred Lallemand suffered the same fate; he +was pursued into the kitchen of his fellow-citizen, Tautelier, and +murdered there, while Tautelier received three bullets in his hand. + +Fearing, not without reason, for their lives, Mlle. Proces, her +mother, her grandmother of 71, and her old aunt of 81, Mlle. Laure +Mennehand, tried with the help of a ladder to cross the trellis which +separates their garden from a neighboring property. The young girl +alone was able to reach the other side and to avoid death by hiding in +the cabbages. As for the other women, they were struck down by rifle +shots. The village cure collected the brains of Mlle. Mennehand on the +ground on which they were strewn, and had the bodies carried into +Proces's house. During the following night the Germans played the +piano near the bodies. + +While the carnage raged, the fire rapidly spread and devoured +thirty-five houses. An old man of 70, Jean Lecourtier, and a child of +two months perished in the flames. M. Igier, who was trying to save +his cattle, was pursued for 300 meters by soldiers, who fired at him +ceaselessly. By a miracle this man had the good fortune not to be +wounded, but five bullets went through his trousers. When the cure, +Viller, expressed his indignation at the treatment inflicted upon his +parish to the Duke of Wuerttemburg, who was lodged in the village, the +latter replied: "What would you have? We have bad soldiers just as you +have." + +In the same commune an attempt at rape was made which was unsuccessful +by reason of the obstinate and courageous resistance of the victim. +Three Germans made the attempt on Mme. D., 47 years old. Further, an +old woman of 75, Mme. Maupoix, was kicked so violently that she died a +few days afterward. While some of the soldiers were ill-treating her +others were ransacking her wardrobes. + +The little town of Clermont-en-Argonne, on the slope of a picturesque +hill in the middle of a pleasant landscape, used to be visited every +year by numerous tourists. On the 4th of September, at night, the +121st and 122d Wuerttemburg Regiments entered the place, breaking down +the doors of the houses and giving themselves up to unrestrained +pillage, which continued during the whole of the next day. Toward +midday a soldier set fire to the dwelling of a clockmaker by +deliberately upsetting the contents of an oil lamp which he used for +making coffee. An inhabitant, M. Monternach, at once ran to fetch the +town fire engine, and asked an officer to lend him men to work it. +Brutally refused and threatened with a revolver, he renewed his +request to several other officers, with no greater success. Meanwhile +the Germans continued to burn the town, making use of sticks on the +top of which torches were fastened. While the houses blazed the +soldiers poured into the church, which stood by itself on the height, +and danced there to the sound of the organ. Then, before leaving, they +set fire to it with grenades as well as with vessels full of +inflammable liquid, containing wicks. + +After the burning of Clermont, bodies of the Mayor of Vauquois, M. +Poinsignon, (which was completely carbonized,) and that of a young boy +of 11, who had been shot at point-blank range, were found. + +When the fire was out pillage recommenced in the houses which the +flames had spared. Furniture carried off from the house of M. +Desforges and stuffs stolen from the shop of M. Nordmann, a draper, +were heaped together in motor cars. An army doctor (medicine-major) +took possession of all the medical appliances in the hospital, and an +officer of superior rank, after having put up a notice forbidding +pillage on the entrance door of the house of M. Lebondidier, had a +great part of the furniture of this house carried away on a carriage, +intending it, as he boasted without any shame, for the adornment of +his own villa. + +At the time when this happened the town of Clermont-en-Argonne was +occupied by the Thirteenth Wuerttemburg Corps, under the command of +Gen. von Durach, and by a troop of Uhlans, commanded by Prince von +Wittenstein. + +On the 7th of September half a score of German cavalrymen entered the +farm of Lamermont in the Commune of Lisle-en-Barrois, and, after +having milk given to them, went away apparently satisfied. After their +departure rifle shots were heard in the distance. A little later a +second troop, composed of about thirty men, presented themselves in +their turn, and accused the farm people of having killed a German +soldier. Immediately the farmer, Elly, and one of his guests, M. +Javelot, were seized and taken to a place near, where, in spite of +their protestations of innocence, they were mercilessly shot. + +At Louppy-le-Chateau the Germans gave themselves over to immorality +and disgusting brutality during the night of the 8th and 9th in a +cellar where several women had taken refuge from the bombardment. All +these unhappy women were vilely ill-treated. Mlle. X., aged 71; Mme. +Y., aged 44, and her two daughters, one aged 13 and the other 8, and +Mme. Z. were violated. + +Hostages have been taken away from many communes. At the beginning of +September, at Laimont, eight persons were obliged to follow the German +troops, and on the 27th of October none of them had returned. The cure +of Nubecourt, who was carried off on the 5th of September, has not yet +reappeared in his parish. + +At Saint-Andre, M. Havette, who was among the number of persons +arrested, obtained from an officer permission to watch over the body +of his wife, who had been killed on the previous day by a fragment of +a shell. In the evening the inhabitants were ordered to collect +together in a barn. Havette believed that he was exempt from this +order by reason of the authority he had received, and remained at his +house until 11 in the evening. When he left his house he was struck +down by a rifle bullet. + +Of the other villages besides those whose burning we have related, +Vassincourt and Brabant-le-Roi were more or less completely burned. Up +to now it has not been possible for us to ascertain completely the +circumstances of their destruction. Our inquiry so far as it concerns +them will be further pursued. + +It has been brought to our knowledge that in the Department of the +Meuse the enemy has committed acts of cruelty toward the French +soldiers who were wounded and prisoners. We will set out the facts of +this at the end of the present report. + + +MEURTHE-ET-MOSELLE. + +We arrived in the Department of Meurthe-et-Moselle on the 26th of +October, and visited a great number of communes in the arrondissements +of Nancy and Luneville. + +Nancy, an open town into which the German Army has not been able to +enter, was bombarded without formal warning during the night of the +9th and 10th of September. About sixty shells fell into the middle of +the town and in the southern cemetery--that is, in places where there +is no military establishment. Three women, a young girl, and a little +girl were killed; thirteen people were wounded; the material damage +done was considerable. + +The enemy's aviators have flown over the town twice. On the 4th of +September one of them dropped two bombs, by one of which a man and a +little girl were killed and six people wounded, in the Place de la +Cathedrale. On the 13th of October three bombs were thrown on the +goods station. Four persons employed by the Eastern Railway Company +were wounded. + +When we reached Pont-a-Mousson, on the morning of the 10th of +November, seven shells had just been fired by the German batteries a +few hours before. It was the 24th day of the bombardment, which began +on the 11th of August. The evening before a young girl of 19 and a +child of 4 had been killed in their beds by fragments of shells. On +the 14th of August the Germans took as their special objective the +hospital, from whose towers floated Red Cross flags, visible from a +great distance. No less than seventy shells fell on to this building, +and we have witnessed the damage they have caused. + +About eighty houses were damaged by the different bombardments, all of +which took place without any warning. Fourteen civilians, mainly women +and children, were killed. There were about the same number of +wounded. Pont-a-Mousson is not fortified. Only the bridge over the +Moselle had been put in a state of defense, on the outbreak of +hostilities, by the Twenty-sixth Battalion of Chasseurs, who were then +quartered in the town. + +We experienced real horror when we found ourselves before the +lamentable ruins of Nomeny. With the exception of some few houses +which still stood near the railway station in a spot separated by the +Seille from the principal group of buildings, there remains of this +little town only a succession of broken and blackened walls in the +midst of ruins, in which may be seen here and there the bones of a few +animals partially charred and the carbonized remains of human bodies. +The rage of a maddened soldiery has been unloosed there without pity. + +Nomeny, on account of its proximity to the frontier, received from the +beginning of the war the visits of German troopers from time to time. +Skirmishes took place in its neighborhood, and on Aug. 14, in the +courtyard of the farm de la Borde, which is a little distance off, a +German soldier, without any motive, killed by a rifle shot the young +farm servant, Nicholas Michel, aged 17. + +On Aug. 20, when the inhabitants sought refuge in the cellars from the +bombardment, the Germans came up after having fired upon each other by +mistake and entered the town toward midday. + +According to the account given by one of the inhabitants, the German +officers asserted that the French were torturing the wounded by +cutting off their limbs and plucking out their eyes. They were then in +a state of terrible excitement. That day and part of the next the +German soldiers gave themselves over to the most abominable excesses, +sacking, burning and massacring as they went. After they had carried +off from the houses everything which seemed worth taking away, and +after they had dispatched to Metz the product of their rifling, they +set fire to the houses with torches, pastilles of compressed powder +and petrol which they carried in receptacles placed on little carts. +Rifle shots were fired on every side; the unhappy inhabitants, who +had been driven from the cellars before the firing, were shot down +like game--some in their dwellings and others in the public streets. + +MM. Sanson, Pierson, Lallemand, Adam Jeanpierre, Meunier, Schneider, +Raymond, Duponcel, and Hazotte, father and son, were killed by rifle +shots in the streets. M. Killian, seeing himself threatened by a sabre +stroke, protected his neck with his hand. He had three fingers cut off +and his throat gashed. An old man aged 86, M. Petitjean, who was +seated in his armchair, had his skull smashed by a German shot. A +soldier showed the corpse to Mme. Bertrand, saying: "Do you see that +pig there?" M. Chardin, Town Councilor, who was Acting Mayor, was +required to furnish a horse and carriage. He had promised to do all he +could to obey, when he was killed by a rifle shot. M. Prevot, seeing +the Bavarians breaking into a chemist's shop of which he was +caretaker, told them that he was the chemist, and that he would give +them anything they wanted, but three rifle shots rang out and he fell, +heaving a deep sigh. Two women who were with him ran away and were +pursued to the neighborhood of the railway station, beaten all the way +with the butts of rifles, and they saw many bodies heaped together in +the station garden and on the road. + +Between 3 and 4 o'clock in the afternoon the Germans entered the +butcher shop of Mme. Francois. She was then coming out of her cellar +with her boy Stub, and an employee named Contal. As soon as Stub +reached the threshold of the entrance to the door he fell severely +wounded by a rifle shot. Then Contal, who rushed into the street, was +immediately murdered. Five minutes afterward, as Stub was still +groaning, a soldier leaned over him and finished him off with a blow +of a hatchet on the back. + +The most tragic incident in this horrible scene occurred in the house +of M. Vasse, who had collected a number of people in his cellar in the +Faubourg de Nancy. Toward 4 o'clock about fifty soldiers rushed into +the house, beat in the door and windows, and set it on fire. The +refugees then made an effort to flee, but they were struck down one +after the other as they came out. M. Mentre was murdered first; then +his son Leon fell with his little sister, aged 8, in his arms. As he +was not killed outright, the end of a rifle barrel was placed on his +head and his brains blown out. Then it was the turn of the Kieffer +family. The mother was wounded in the arm and shoulder. The father and +little boy aged 10 and little girl aged 3 were shot. The murderers +went on firing on them after they had fallen. Kieffer, stretched on +the ground, received another bullet in the forehead, and his son had +the top of his head blown off by a shot. Last of all M. Strieffert and +one of the sons of Vasse were murdered, while Mme. Mentre received +three bullets, one in the left leg, another in the arm on the same +side, and one on her forehead, which was only grazed. M. Guillaume was +dragged into the street and there found dead. Simonin, a young girl of +17, came out last from the cellar, with her sister Jeanne, aged 3. The +latter had her elbow almost carried away by a bullet. The elder girl +flung herself on the ground and pretended to be dead, remaining for +five minutes in terrible anguish. A soldier gave her a kick, crying +"Capout." + +An officer arrived at the end of this butchery, and ordered the women +who were still alive to get up, and shouted to them: "Go to France!" + +While all these people were being massacred, others, according to an +expression used by an eyewitness, were driven like sheep into the +fields under the threat of immediate execution. The cure, in +particular, owed his escape from being shot to extraordinary +circumstances. + +According to the depositions which we have received, all these +abominations were committed chiefly by the Second and Fourth Regiments +of Bavarian infantry. To explain them, the officers have alleged that +civilians had fired on their troops. As our inquiry has established +formally, this allegation is a lie, for at the moment when the enemy +arrived all arms had been deposited at the Mairie, and the part of the +population which had not quitted the country had hidden itself in the +cellars, a prey to the greatest terror. Besides, the reason alleged, +even were it true, would assuredly be insufficient to excuse the +destruction of a whole city, the murder of women, and the massacre of +children. + +A list of persons who were killed in the course of the burning and the +shootings has been drawn up by M. Bievelot, Conseiller d'Arrondissement. +The list includes no less than 50 names. We have not quoted all of +them. For one thing, among the people whose death has been proved, +some died under conditions which are not stated with sufficient +precision; on the other hand, the dispersal of the inhabitants of the +town which has now been destroyed made our inquiry very difficult. Our +efforts will be continued. In any case, what we have already been able +to establish beyond dispute is enough to give an idea of what was, on +the day of Aug. 20, the martyrdom of Nomeny. + +Luneville was occupied by the Germans from Aug. 27 to Sept. 11. During +the first few days they were content to rob the inhabitants without +molesting them in any other way. Thus, in particular on Aug. 24, the +house of Mme. Jeaumont was plundered. The objects stolen were loaded +on to a large vehicle in which were three women, one of them dressed +in black and the two others wearing military costumes and appearing, +as we were told, to be canteen women. + +On Aug. 25 the attitude of the invaders suddenly changed. M. Keller, +the Mayor, went to the hospital about 3:30 o'clock in the afternoon +and saw soldiers firing in the direction of the attic of a neighboring +house, and heard the whistling of the bullets, which appeared to him +to come from behind. The Germans declared to him that the inhabitants +had fired on them. He protested, and offered to go around the town +with them in order to prove the absurdity of this allegation. His +proposal was accepted, and as at the beginning of the circuit they +came across in the street the body of M. Crombez, the officer +commanding the escort said to M. Keller, "You see this body. It is +that of a civilian who has been killed by another civilian who was +firing on us from a house near the synagogue. Thus, in accordance with +our law, we have burned the house and executed the inhabitants." He +was speaking of the murder of a man whose timid character was known to +all, the Jewish officiating minister, Weill, who had just been killed +in his house, together with his 16-year-old daughter. The same officer +added, "In the same way we have burned the house at the corner of the +Rue Castara and the Rue Girardet, because civilians fired shots from +there." It is from this dwelling that the Germans alleged shots had +been fired on to the courtyard of the hospital, but the position of +the building makes it impossible for such a statement to be true. + +While the Mayor and the soldiers who accompanied him were pursuing +their investigation the fire broke out on different sides; the Hotel +de Ville was burned as well as the synagogue, and a number of houses +in the Rue Castara, and the Faubourg d'Einville was in flames. The +massacres, which were continued until the next day, began at the same +time. Without counting M. Crombez, the officiating minister, Weill, +and his daughter, whose deaths we have already mentioned, the victims +were MM. Hamman, Binder, Balastre, (father and son,) Vernier, Dujon, +M. Kahn and his mother, M. Steiner and his wife, M. Wingerstmann and +his grandson, and, finally, MM. Sibille, Monteils, and Colin. + +The murders were committed in the following circumstances:-- + +On Aug. 25, after having fired two shots into the Worms Tannery to +create the belief that they were being attacked from there, the +Germans entered a workshop in this factory, in which the workman, +Goeury, was working, in company with M. Balastre, father and son. +Goeury was dragged into the street, robbed there and brutally +ill-treated, while his two companions, who were found trying to hide +themselves in a lavatory, were killed by rifle shots. + +On the same day soldiers came to summon M. Steiner, who had hidden in +his cellar. His wife, fearing some misfortune, tried to keep him back. +As she held him in her arms she received a bullet in the neck. A few +moments after, Steiner, having obeyed the order which had been given +to him, fell mortally wounded in his garden. M. Kahn was also murdered +in his garden. His mother, aged 98, whose body was burned in the fire, +had first been killed in her bed by a bayonet thrust, according to the +account of an individual who acted as interpreter to the enemy. M. +Binder, who was coming out to escape the flames, was also struck down. +The German by whom he was killed realized that he had shot him without +any motive, at the moment when the unfortunate man was standing +quietly before a door. M. Vernier suffered the same fate as Binder. + +Toward 3 o'clock the Germans broke into a house in which were Mme. +Dujon, her daughter aged 3, her two sons, and M. Gaumier, by breaking +the windows and firing shots. The little girl was nearly killed; her +face was burned by a shot. At this moment, Mme. Dujon, seeing her +youngest son, Lucien, 14 years old, stretched on the ground, asked him +to get up and escape with her. She then saw that his intestines were +protruding from a wound, and that he was holding them in. The house +was on fire; the poor boy was burned, as well as M. Gaumier, who had +not been able to escape. + +M. Wingerstmann and his grandson, aged 12, who had gone to pull +potatoes a little way from Luneville, at the place called Les Mossus, +in the District of Chanteheux, were unfortunate enough to meet +Germans. The latter placed them both against a wall and shot them. + +Finally, toward 5 o'clock in the evening, soldiers entered the house +of the woman Sibille, in the same place, and without any reason took +possession of her son, led him 200 meters from the house and murdered +him there, together with M. Vallon, to whose body they had fastened +him. A witness, who had seen the murderers at the moment when they +were dragging their victim along, saw them return without him and +noticed that their saw bayonets were covered with blood and bits of +flesh. + +On the same day a hospital attendant named Monteils, who was looking +after a wounded enemy officer at the hospital of Luneville, was struck +down by a bullet in the forehead while he was looking through a window +at a German soldier who was firing. + +The next day, the 26th, M. Hamman and his son, aged 21, were arrested +in their own house and dragged out by a band of soldiers who had +entered by breaking down the door. The father was beaten unmercifully; +as for the young man, as he tried to struggle, a non-commissioned +officer blew out his brains with a revolver shot. + +At 1 o'clock in the afternoon M. Riklin, a chemist, having been +informed that a man had fallen about thirty meters from his shop, went +to the spot indicated and recognized in the victim his brother-in-law, +M. Colin, aged 68, who had been struck in the stomach by a bullet. The +Germans alleged that this old man fired upon them. M. Riklin denied +this statement. Colin, we are told, was a harmless person, absolutely +incapable of an aggressive act, and completely ignorant of the means +of using a firearm. + +It appeared to us desirable to deal also at Luneville with acts which +are less grave, but which throw a peculiar light on the habits of +thought of the invader. On Aug. 25 M. Lenoir, 67 years of age, +together with his wife, were led into the fields with their hands tied +behind their backs. After both had been cruelly ill-treated, a +non-commissioned officer took possession of 1,800 francs in gold which +M. Lenoir carried on him. As we have already stated, the most impudent +theft seems to have formed part of the customs of the German Army, who +practiced it publicly. The following is an interesting example: + +During the burning of a house belonging to Mme. Leclerc, the safes of +two inhabitants resisted the flames. One, belonging to M. George, +Sub-Inspector of Waters and Forests, had fallen into the ruins; the +other safe, belonging to M. Goudchau, general dealer, remained fixed +to a wall at the height of the second story. The non-commissioned +officer, Weiss, who was well acquainted with the town, where he had +often been welcomed when he used to come before the war to carry on +his business of hop merchant, went with the soldiers to the place and +ordered that the piece of wall which remained standing should be blown +up with dynamite, and saw that the two safes were taken to the +station, where they were placed on a truck destined for Germany. This +Weiss was particularly trusted and esteemed by the persons in command. +It was he who, installed at Headquarters, was given the duty of +administering the commune in some sense, and was in charge of the +requisitioning. + +After having committed numerous acts of pillage at Luneville, after +having burned about seventy houses with torches, petrol, and various +incendiary machines, and after having massacred peaceful inhabitants, +the German military authorities thought it well to put up the +following proclamation, in which they formulated ridiculous +accusations to justify the extortion of enormous contributions in the +form of an indemnity: + + NOTICE TO THE POPULATION. + + On Aug. 25, 1914, the inhabitants of Luneville made an + attack by ambuscade against the German columns and + transports. On the same day the inhabitants fired on + hospital buildings marked with the Red Cross. Further, shots + were fired on the German wounded and the military hospital + containing a German ambulance. On account of these acts of + hostility a contribution of 650,000 francs is imposed on the + commune of Luneville. The Mayor is ordered to pay this + sum--50,000 francs in silver and the remainder in gold--on + Sept. 6, at 9 o'clock in the morning, to the representative + of the German military authority. No protest will be + considered. No extension of time will be granted. If the + commune does not punctually obey the order to pay 650,000 + francs all the goods which are available will be seized. In + case payment is not made domiciliary searches will take + place, and all the inhabitants will be searched. Any one who + shall have deliberately hidden money or shall have attempted + to hide his goods from the seizure of the military + authorities, or who seeks to leave the town, will be shot. + The Mayor and hostages taken by the military authorities + will be made responsible for the exact execution of the + above order. The Mayor is ordered to publish these + directions to the commune at once. + + Henamenil, Sept. 3, 1914. + + Commander in Chief, + Von FOSBENDER. + +On reading this extraordinary document one is justified in asking +whether the arson and murders committed at Luneville on Aug. 25 and 26 +by an army which was not acting under the excitement of battle, and +which during its preceding days had abstained from killing, were not +ordered on purpose to make more plausible the allegation which was to +serve as a pretext for the exaction of an indemnity. + +The village of Chanteheux, situated quite close to Luneville, was not +spared either. The Bavarians, who occupied it from the 22d of August +to the 12th of September, burned there 20 houses in the customary +manner and massacred 8 persons on the 25th of August, MM. Lavenne, +Toussaint, Parmentier, and Bacheler, who were killed, the first three +by rifle shots, the fourth by two shots and a blow with a bayonet; +young Schneider, aged 23, who was murdered in a hamlet of the commune; +M. Wingerstmann and his grandson, whose death we have recorded above +in setting out the crimes committed at Luneville; lastly, M. Reeb, +aged 62, who certainly died as the result of the ill-treatment which +he suffered. This man had been taken as hostage with some 42 of his +fellow-citizens who were kept for 13 days. After having received +terrible blows from the butt of a rifle in his face and a bayonet +wound in his side, he continued to follow the column, although he lost +much blood and his face was so bruised that he was almost +unrecognizable, when a Bavarian, without any reason, gave him a great +wound by throwing a wooden pail at his forehead. Between Henamenil and +Bures his companions saw that he was no longer with them; no doubt he +fell by the way. + +If this unhappy man was to suffer the most cruel martyrdom of all, the +hostages taken with him in the commune had also to suffer violence and +insult. Before setting fire to the village, the hostages were set with +their backs to the parapet of the bridge while the troops passed by +ill-treating them. As an officer accused them of firing on the +Germans, the schoolmaster gave him his word of honor that it was not +so. "Pig of a Frenchman," replied the officer, "do not speak of honor; +you have none." + +At the moment when her house was burning Mme. Cherrier, who was coming +out of the cellar to escape suffocation, was drenched with an +inflammable liquid by some soldiers who were sprinkling the walls. One +of them told her that it was benzine. She then ran behind a dunghill +to hide herself with her parents, but the fire raisers dragged her by +force in front of the blaze and she was obliged to witness the +destruction of her dwelling. + +Like Nomeny, the pretty town of Gerbeviller, on the banks of the +Mortagne, fell a victim to the fury of the Germans under terrible +circumstances. On the 24th August the enemy's troops hurled themselves +against some sixty chasseurs a pied, who offered heroic resistance, +and who inflicted heavy loss upon them. They took a drastic vengeance +upon the civilian population. Indeed, from the moment of their +entrance into the town, the Germans gave themselves up to the worst +excesses, entering the houses, with savage yells, burning the +buildings, killing or arresting the inhabitants, and sparing neither +women nor old men. Out of 475 houses, 20 at most are still habitable. +More than 100 persons have disappeared, 50 at least have been +massacred. Some were led into the fields to be shot, others were +murdered in their houses or struck down in passing through the streets +as they were trying to escape from the conflagration. Up to now 36 +bodies have been identified. They are those of MM. Barthelemy, Blosse +(Senior), Robinet, Chretien, Remy, Bourguignon, Perrin, Guillaume, +Bernasconi, Gauthier, Menu, Simon, Lingenheld (father and son), +Benoit, Calais, Adam, Caille, Lhuillier, Regret, Plaid (aged 14), +Leroi, Bazzolo, Gentil, Victor Dehan, Charles Dehan, Dehan the +Younger, Brennevald, Parisse, Yong, Francois, Secretary of the Mairie; +Mmes. Perrot, Courtois, Gauthier, and Guillaume, and Mlles. Perrin and +Miquel. + +Fifteen of these poor people were executed at a place called "La +Prele." They were buried by their fellow-citizens on Sept. 12 or 15. +Almost all had their hands tied behind their backs; some were +blindfolded; the trousers of the majority were unbuttoned and pushed +down to their feet. This fact, as well as the appearance of the +bodies, made the witnesses think that the victims had been mutilated. +We did not think we ought to adopt this view, the bodies being in such +an advanced state of decomposition that a mistake on the subject might +be made. Besides, it is possible that the murderers unbuttoned the +trousers of the prisoners so as to incumber their legs, and thus make +it impossible for them to escape. + +On Oct. 16, at a place called Le Haut-de-Vormont, buried under fifteen +to twenty centimeters of earth, we found the bodies of ten civilians +with the marks of bullets upon them. On one of them was found a +laissez passer in the name of Edward Seyer, of Badonviller. The other +nine victims are unknown. It is believed that they were inhabitants of +Badonviller, who had been taken by the Germans into the neighborhood +of Gerbeviller to be shot there. + +In the streets and houses, during the day of the sacking, the most +tragic scenes took place. + +In the morning the enemy entered the house of M. and Mme. Lingenheld, +seized the son, 36 years of age, who wore the brassard of the Red +Cross, tied his hands behind his back, dragged him into the street, +and shot him. They then returned to look for the father, an old man of +70. Mme. Lingenheld then took to flight. On her way she saw her son +stretched on the ground, and as the unhappy man was still moving some +Germans drenched him with petrol, to which they set fire in the +presence of the terrified mother. In the meantime M. Lingenheld was +led to La Prele, where he was executed. + +At the same time the soldiers knocked at the door of the house +occupied by M. Dehan, his wife, and his mother-in-law, the widow +Guillaume, aged 78. The latter, who opened the door, was shot +point-blank, and fell into the arms of her son-in-law, who ran up +behind her. "They have killed me!" she cried. "Carry me into the +garden." Her children obeyed and laid her at the end of the garden +with a pillow under her head and a blanket over her legs, and then +stretched themselves at the foot of the wall to avoid shells. At the +end of an hour the widow Guillaume was dead. Her daughter wrapped her +in a blanket and placed a handkerchief over her face. Almost +immediately the Germans broke into the garden. They carried off Dehan +and shot him at La Prele, and led his wife away on to the Fraimbois +road, where she found about forty people, principally women and +children, in the enemy's hands, and heard an officer of high rank say: +"We must shoot these women and children. We must make an end of them." +However, the threat was not carried into effect. Mme. Dehan was set at +liberty next day, and was able to return twenty-one days later to +Gerbeviller. She is convinced, and all those who saw the body share +her opinion, that her mother's body had been violated. In fact, the +body was found stretched on its back with the petticoats pushed up, +the legs separated, and the stomach ripped open. + +When the Germans arrived M. Perrin and his two daughters, Louise and +Eugenie, had taken refuge in a stable. The soldiers entered, and one +of them, seeing young Louise, fired a shot point-blank at her head. +Eugenie succeeded in escaping, but her father was arrested as he fled, +placed among the victims who were being taken to La Prele and shot +with them. + +M. Yong, who was going out to exercise his horse, was struck down +before his own house. The Germans in their fury killed the horse after +the master, and set fire to the house. Some others raised the +trap-door of a cellar in which several people were hidden and fired +several shots at them. Mme. Denis Bernard and the boy, Parmentier, 7 +years of age, were wounded. + +At 5 in the evening Mme. Rozier heard an imploring voice crying, +"Mercy! Mercy!" These cries came from one of two neighboring barns +belonging to MM. Poinsard and Barbier. A man who was acting as +interpreter to the Germans declared to a certain Mme. Thiebaut that +the Germans boasted that they had burned alive in one of these barns, +in spite of his entreaties and appeals to their pity, a man who was +the father of five children. This declaration carries all the more +conviction, since the remains of a burned human body have been found +in the barn belonging to Poinsard. + +Side by side with this carnage, innumerable acts of violence were +committed. The wife of a soldier, Mme. X., was raped by a German +soldier in the passage of the house of her parents, while her mother +was obliged to flee at the bayonet's point. + +On Aug. 29 Sister Julie, Mother Superior of the hospital, whose +devotion has been admirable, went to the parish church with a +mobilized priest to examine the state of the interior of the building, +and found that an attempt had been made to break through the steel +door of the tabernacle. The Germans had fired shots around the lock in +order to get possession of the ciborium. The door was broken through +in several places, and the bullets had caused almost symmetrical +holes, which proved that the shots had been fired point blank. When +Sister Julie opened the tabernacle she found the ciborium pierced with +bullet holes. + +The excesses and crimes which were committed at Gerbeviller were +principally the work of the Bavarians. The troops which committed them +were under the command of the German General, Clauss, whose brutality +has been brought to our notice in other places. + +On the 22d of August the Germans burned part of the village of Crevic, +using torches and rockets. Seventy-six houses were burned, including +in particular that of Gen. Lyautey, which the fire-raisers had +entered, led by an officer, crying aloud: "We want Mme. and Mlle. +Lyautey in order to cut their throats." A Captain, leveling his +revolver at M. Voigin's throat, threatened to shoot him and throw him +into the flames, together with one of his fellow-citizens, "whose +brains," he said, "we have already blown out." He was alluding to the +death of an old gentleman, M. Liegey, 78 years of age, whose body was +found in the ruins with a bullet wound under his chin. The officer +added, "Come and see the property of Gen. Lyautey, who is in +Morocco--it is burning." Meanwhile a workman named Gerard was forced +at the bayonet's point to go up to his garret. The Germans set fire to +a heap of forage and obliged Gerard to remain near the blaze. When the +soldiers were driven out by the intolerable heat, Gerard was able to +escape through a little opening, but he had had one cheek already +badly burned. + +At Deuxville, where the enemy willfully set fire to fifteen houses, +the Mayor, Bajole, and the cure, Thiriet, were arrested. L'Abbe +Marchal, cure of Crion, saw them both in his parish in the hands of +the Germans; he approached his colleague and asked the reason of his +arrest. The latter replied, "I made signs." L'Abbe Marchal gave him a +little bread and went away; but he had scarcely gone thirty paces when +he heard the sound of a volley. The two prisoners had just been +executed. The next day an officer who spoke our language perfectly, +and said that for eight years he had been attached to the German +Embassy in Paris, told L'Abbe Marchal that the cure of Deuxville had +made signs and had admitted it. "As for the Mayor," he added, "I do +not believe the poor devil had done anything." + +At Maixe the Germans burned thirty-six houses and murdered MM. Gaucon, +Demange, Jacques, Thomas, Marchal, Chaudre, Grand, Simonin, Vaconet, +and Mme. Beurton on the pretext that they had been firing at them. +Gaucon was dragged from his own house and thrown on a dunghill where a +soldier killed him with a rifle shot in the stomach. Demange, who was +wounded in both knees while in his cellar, succeeded in dragging +himself as far as the kitchen. The Germans set fire to the house and +prevented Mme. Demange from rescuing her husband, and left their +victims to be burned in the blazing house. + +Mme. Beurton was also in her cellar with her family when two soldiers +came down into it; one of them carried a lantern and the other a +rifle. The latter fired haphazard on to the group and hit the unhappy +woman. Vaconet was struck by a bullet in the side at the foot of M. +Rediger's staircase; as for Simonin, he was taken away in the +direction of Drouville. A few days afterward a German officer handed +to M. Thouvenin, Municipal Councilor of the commune, a note stating +that Simonin had been shot and that his last wishes were expressed in +a document which was in the hands of the General commanding the Third +Bavarian Division. On this document, of which a copy has been sent to +us, appears the signature of an officer of the Third Regiment of the +Chevauxlegers. The other victims at Maixe met their deaths under +conditions which we have been unable to ascertain. + +In the same village, Mlle. X., aged 23 years, was raped by nine +Germans during the night of Aug. 23-24. An officer was sleeping in the +room above that in which this revolting scene was being enacted, but +he did not consider it necessary to intervene, though he must +certainly have heard the cries of the young girl and the noise made +by the German soldiers. + +The Chateau of Beauzemont was broken into on the 22d of August. On the +fifteenth day of its occupation, the wives of several German staff +officers arrived in motor cars. Everything that had been stolen from +the Chateau, especially plate, hats, and silk dresses, was loaded on +the motor cars. On the 21st of October the Lieutenant Colonel +commanding the ---- French Infantry Regiment took possession of this +chateau. He found it in a state of disorder and revolting filth. The +drawers of most of the furniture had been broken into and left open, +and the floor of the billiard room was in a filthy condition. There +was a disgusting smell in the bedroom occupied by the German General +commanding the Seventh Reserve Division. The cupboard at the head of +the bed contained body linen and muslin curtains full of excrements. + +At Baccarat the enemy did not massacre anybody, but on the 25th of +August they carried out a systematic pillage, and in order to be able +to do this undisturbed they had ordered the population to assemble at +the railway station. The pillage was carried out under the supervision +of the officers. Clocks and various articles of furniture and objets +d'art were carried off. When the inhabitants returned home they were +ordered out again an hour later and informed that the town was to be +burned. Indeed, the centre of the town was ablaze. The conflagration, +which was started by torches and pastilles, destroyed 112 houses; only +four or five were burned by shells. After the fire sentinels were +placed, who prevented the owners from approaching the ruins of their +houses, and when the blaze had abated the Germans ransacked the ruins +themselves in order to gain access to the cellars. After this +operation Gen. Fabricius, commanding the artillery of the Fourteenth +Baden Corps, said to M. Renaud, the Acting Mayor: "I did not think +that Baccaret contained such a quantity of fine wine. We found more +than 100,000 bottles." One must, however, add that at the glass works +the enemy really displayed comparative honesty, inasmuch as they only +exacted, at the revolver's point, a reduction of 60 to 75 per cent. on +the goods which they bought. + +At Jolivet, on the 22d of August, M. Villemin was leaving M. Cohan's +house with the latter and a M. Richard when German soldiers fell upon +M. Richard. Struck on the head by the butt of a rifle, Richard fell. +Cohan rushed back to his house. Villemin went to look after his +cattle, after having followed Richard for a short distance as the +latter was being led away by his aggressors. At about 5 o'clock in the +evening he went out to see a neighbor, but was immediately arrested +and shot. His assassins threw his body over a fence into a garden. + +On the 25th of August, in the same commune, Mme. Morin's house was +pillaged. The Germans took linen, plate, furs and hats. The next day +the house was set on fire by lighting bits of wood found in packing +cases. + +At Bonvillers, on the 21st, 23d, and 25th of August, twenty-six houses +were set on fire by the Germans, who made use of squibs and candles. + +At Einville, on the 22d of August, the day the Germans arrived, they +shot a Town Councilor, M. Pierson, whom they wrongfully accused of +having fired on them. They also executed, without reason, MM. Bouvier +and Barbelin, whom they had taken away a short distance from the +village. They also massacred a poacher called Pierrat, whom they had +found carrying a sack containing a small net and a gun in pieces. The +wretched man was terribly tortured by them. Having dragged him beyond +the village, they brought him back in front of Mme. Famose's house. +This lady saw him pass by in the midst of the Germans. His nose was +nearly cut off. His eyes were haggard and, to quote the witness's +remark, he seemed to have aged ten years in a quarter of an hour. At +this moment an officer gave an order and eight soldiers went off with +the prisoner. When they returned ten minutes later without him one of +them said in French, "He was already dead." + +On the 12th of September M. Dieudonne, Mayor of Einville, was taken +off as a hostage with his assistant and another of his townsmen by the +enemy at the time of their retreat. He and his companions were taken +to Alsace, then into Germany, where they were kept until the 24th of +October. Before his arrest, and during a fight which took place around +his commune, M. Dieudonne had been forced, notwithstanding his +protests, to commandeer several of his townsmen in order to bury the +dead. Three of the inhabitants of Einville thus forcible employed on +this duty were wounded by bullets; another, M. Noel, was killed by a +fragment of a shell. + +The farm of Remonville, situated within the boundaries of the same +village, was burned down. The women were able to escape. Four men who +were working on this estate must have been all killed. The bodies of +two of them, Victor Chaudre and Thomas Prosper, were discovered two +months later buried together near the buildings which had been burned. +Both had been decapitated, and Thomas's head was smashed to pieces. + +At Sommerviller the enemy's course on the 23d of August was marked by +the sack of the cafes and grocers' shops and of several private +houses, and by the murder of M. Robert, aged 70, and M. Harau, aged +65, who were killed by rifle shots. The latter at the moment when he +received his death wound was quietly eating a piece of bread. + +At Rehainviller, on the 26th of August, the Germans seized the cure, +Barbot, and M. Noircler in the street. The bodies of these two men +were found a long time afterward buried in the fields a few hundred +meters from the village. Their bodies were in an advanced state of +decomposition, and it was therefore impossible to ascertain the wounds +which the cure had received; as for Noircler, his head was found in +the grave by the side of the rest of his body, in a line with his hip. + +[Illustration: AVIATOR-COMMANDANT MARCONNAY + +One of the Oldest and Best Known French Military Aviators Killed +During a Reconnoissance. + +(_Photo from Underwood & Underwood._)] + +[Illustration: GENERAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG + +Commanding the First British Army, One of the Six Armies Recently +Incorporated. + +(_Photo_ (C) _American Press Association._)] + +In this commune twenty-seven houses have been burned. No one saw +the fire lighted, but after the disaster a certain number of little +fuse-sticks which the Germans frequently use for the purpose of +fire-raising, and which the peasants call "macaronis," were collected. + +At Lamath, on the 24th of August, the Bavarians shot an old man of 70, +M. Louis, who had come out of his house to relieve the needs of +nature. The unhappy man received at least ten bullets in the chest. +His son-in-law, who was in an advanced stage of tuberculosis, was +taken and led away. No news has been received of him. Two other +inhabitants of the commune who were made prisoners at the same time as +this man are still in captivity in Bavaria. + +The Abbe Mathieu, cure of Fraimbois, was arrested on the 29th of +August on the false allegation that shots had been fired at the +Germans in his parish. In the course of his captivity, which lasted +sixteen days, he was present at the murder of two of our +fellow-countrymen, M. Poissonnier of Gerbeviller and M. Victor-Meyer +of Fraimbois; the former, an invalid who could scarcely stand, was +accused of having followed the armies as a spy. The latter had been +arrested because his little girl had picked up a bit of telephone wire +broken by shrapnel. One morning toward 6 o'clock the Bavarian officers +went through a travesty of justice, reading documents drawn up in +German, collecting the votes of eight or nine young Lieutenants to +whom voting papers had been given. The two men were condemned +unanimously and warned that they were about to die, and the priest was +requested to give them the consolations of religion. They protested +their innocence with prayers and tears, but they were compelled to +kneel down against the embankment of the road, and a platoon of +twenty-four soldiers drawn up in double file fired twice at them. + +The village of Fraimbois was pillaged, and the objects stolen were +loaded on to vehicles. The Abbe Mathieu complained to Gens. Tanner and +Clauss of the burning of his bee-house, and received from the former +the simple reply, "What do you expect? It is war!" The latter did not +even reply. + +At Mont three houses were burned with petrol. At Herimenil, on the +29th of August, the enemy, who had arrived on the 24th, were guilty of +monstrous acts. The inhabitants were asked to come to church and were +kept there for four days, while their houses were sacked and the +French bombarded the village. Twenty-four people were killed inside +the church by a shell. As a woman, who had succeeded with great +trouble in leaving the church for a moment, was returning with a +little milk for the children, a Captain, furious at seeing that this +prisoner had been allowed to pass, cried out, "I meant that the door +should not be opened! I meant the French to fire on their own people." +This same Captain, a short time before, had been guilty of a revolting +cruelty. He was present, eyeglass in eye, when Mme. Winger, a young +woman of 23, was going to church in obedience to the general order, +together with her servants, a girl and two young men, each of them 18 +years old, and, considering their progress too slow, with a word he +directed the soldiers to fire, and the four victims fell mortally +wounded. The Germans left the corpses in the street for two days. + +Next day they shot M. Bocquel, who was ignorant of the orders which +had been given and had remained in his house. They also killed in his +own house M. Florentin, aged 77. This old man, who received several +bullets in the chest, was probably killed in consequence of his +deafness, which prevented him from understanding what the enemy had +ordered. + +In this commune twenty-two houses were burned with petrol. Before +setting fire to Mme. Combeau's house the soldiers dug up the floor of +a cellar and distinterred the sum of 600 francs, which they +appropriated. + +On the 23d of August young Simonin, aged 15-1/2, living at Hadiviller, +was going back from Dombasle when the Germans threatened him with +their rifles and took him prisoner. They began by beating him +unmercifully. Then on the orders of an officer, he was led away by a +soldier. As he went along he saw his father about 50 meters off +calling to him. The soldier then tied him to a telegraph pole, and +fired on Simonin's father, who fell vomiting blood, and soon after +died as he lay. Meanwhile, the young man was able to free himself from +his bonds, and succeeded in running the gauntlet of several shots, one +of which tore his coat. + +At Magnieres, where one house only was burned, a German armed with a +rifle entered, toward the end of August, the house of M. Laurent and +compelled a girl of 12, young ----, who had taken refuge there, to +accompany him into a room, where he raped her twice, in spite of her +ceaseless cries and groans. The poor girl was absolutely terrorized. +In addition, the soldier was so threatening that M. Laurent did not +dare to interfere. + +At Croismare on the 25th of August, when the Germans were forced to +beat a retreat, maddened by their check, they began to fire on +everybody they met. A Uhlan officer killed with a rifle shot M. +Kriegel, who had gone into the field to pull potatoes. He then saw MM. +Matton and Barbier returning from their work. He rode up to them and +ordered them to stop and stand up against an embankment. The two +peasants thought at first that he was anxious to see them sheltered +from the rifle shots that were being fired all round. But their +delusion was soon dispelled when they saw him load his revolver. In +the course of this operation three cartridges were dropped, and the +officer ordered Matton and Barbier to pick them up. Barbier handed him +one of the cartridges back with the words, "Do not do us any harm; we +have just been working in the fields." "Nicht pardon, cochon de +franzose, capout," replied the officer, and fired twice. Matton ducked +quickly, and thanks to this movement was only hit in the right +shoulder instead of full in the chest. As for Barbier, a bullet went +through both his thumbs and ripped open his left forefinger. + +At Remereville on the 7th of September the enemy, alleging falsely +that the inhabitants had fired on them from the steeple, set fire to +the houses with the assistance of rockets. A few houses only escaped +the flames. Before being burned the village had been bombarded by the +Germans, who had taken as their objective an ambulance, whose flag +they saw perfectly. + +The commune of Drouville, which was twice occupied, was absolutely +sacked on the 5th of September. The invaders burned thirty-five +houses, using torches and doubtless petrol also, for they left on the +spot a can which contained twenty-five to thirty liters. + +At Courbesseaux arson and pillage were also committed on the 5th of +September. Nineteen houses were burned, and M. Alix, who was trying to +put out a fire in a stack of luzerne on his property, was shot at +several times and obliged to flee. + +Finally, on the 23d of August, at Erbeviller, a Saxon Captain found a +very practical means of getting money for himself. He collected the +men in the village and tried vainly, by threatening to shoot them, to +obtain a declaration from them that the sentries had been shot at, +although he knew perfectly well that it was untrue. Then he shut them +up in a barn. In the evening he had brought before him the wife of M. +Jacques, a retired schoolmaster, who was one of the prisoners, and +said to her, "I am not certain that these are the men who fired. They +will be set at liberty tomorrow morning if you can give me a thousand +francs in the next few minutes." Mme. Jacques gave him the amount, and +in reply to her request he gave her a receipt for it, and the hostages +were set at liberty. + +The receipt drawn up by the officer reads as follows: + + Erbeviller, 23d August, 1914. + + RECEIPT. + + _As a punishment for being suspected_ of having fired on + German sentries during the night of August 22d and 23d I + have received from the Commune of Erbeviller one thousand + francs, (1,000 fr.) + + BARON ---- (illegible). + + haupt. reit. regim. + +In a commune of the Department of Meurthe-et-Moselle two nuns were for +several hours exposed without defense to the lust of a soldier. By +terrorizing them he obliged them to undress, and after having +compelled the elder to pull off his boots, he committed obscenities on +the younger. We undertook not to publish the names of the victims of +this abominable scene, or of that of the village in which it took +place, but the facts were laid before us under the sanction of an oath +by witnesses who deserve the fullest confidence, and we take the +responsibility of pledging ourselves as to their accuracy. + +During our stay at Nancy and Luneville, we had the opportunity of +receiving a good deal of evidence with reference to crimes committed +by the Germans in districts which were still occupied by their troops, +and which the majority of the inhabitants had been forced to evacuate. +The most cruel of these acts took place at the village of Embermenil. +At the end of October or the beginning of November, an enemy patrol +met near this commune a young woman, Mme. Masson, who was obviously +pregnant, and questioned her as to whether there were French soldiers +at Embermenil. She replied that she did not know, which was true. The +Germans then entered the village and were received by our soldiers +with rifle fire. On the 5th of November a detachment of the Fourth +Bavarian Regiment arrived and collected all the inhabitants in front +of the church. An officer then asked which person it was who had +betrayed them. Suspecting that he referred to her meeting with the +Germans some days before, and realizing the danger that all her +fellow-citizens ran, Mme. Masson with great courage stepped forward +and repeated what she had said, and declared that in saying it she had +acted in good faith. She was immediately seized and forced to sit down +on a bench beside young Dime, aged 24, who had been taken haphazard as +a second victim. The whole population begged for mercy for the unhappy +woman, but the Germans were inflexible. "One woman and one man," they +said, "must be shot. Those are the Colonel's orders. What will you? +It is war." Eight soldiers drawn up in two ranks fired three times at +the two martyrs in the presence of the whole village. The house of +Mme. Masson's father-in-law was then set on fire. That of M. Blanchin +had been burned a few moments before. + +Mme. Millot of Domevre-sur-Vezouze has described to us the murder of +her nephew, Maurice Claude, aged 17, of which she was an eyewitness. +On the 24th of August, at the moment when the Germans arrived at +Domevre, this young lad was with his family in his father's house, at +the foot of a staircase, when he saw that soldiers were aiming at him +from the street. He stepped aside to shield himself, but was not able +to find shelter, and was struck by three bullets. Wounded in the +stomach, in the buttock, and in the thigh, he died three days later, +after having displayed admirable resignation. When he knew that he was +dying he said to his disconsolate mother, "I can well die for my +country." + +The same day MM. Auguste Claude and Adolphe Claude, the latter aged +75, were also killed, and 136 houses in the village were burned by +means of incendiary cartridges. Further, two inhabitants, MM. Bretton +and Labart, were taken as hostages. It is not known what has become of +them since. + +M. Veron, retired schoolmaster, at Audun-le-Roman, in the +arrondissement of Briey, made a deposition before us which runs as +follows: + +"On the 21st of August, toward 5 in the evening, the Germans who had +occupied for seventeen days the village of Audun-le-Roman, began +without any reason to fire upon the houses with rifles and machine +guns. Four women, Mlle. Roux, Mlle. Trefel, Mme. Zapolli, and Mme. +Giglio, were wounded. Mlle. Trefel was struck while she was giving a +drink to a German soldier. Three men were killed: M. Martin, an +agriculturist, aged 68, whose house was burned, was led out and shot +in the street in the presence of his wife and children. M. Chary, aged +55, foreman roadmaker, was escaping from the conflagration, holding +his wife by the hand, when he was killed by rifle shots. I have seen +his body, which was riddled with wounds. M. Ernest Samen was struck by +five revolver bullets at the moment when he was shutting the door of +his coach house. + +"I saw the enemy set fire to the Cafe Matte with petrol. Mme. Matte +went out with a little bag in her hand containing her savings, about +two thousand francs. She was robbed by a German officer, who snatched +the bag away." + +The witness added that the Mayor must have been carried off by a +patrol, but in any case he had disappeared. + +At Arracourt, M. Maillard was killed in the fields by a bullet which +went right through him; five houses were burned. + +The village of Brin-sur-Seille was almost entirely destroyed by fire +lighted by cartridges and round fuses. Further, the wife of a man at +Raucourt who is with the colors, Mme. X., declared to us that she had +been raped in her own house in the presence of her little boy, aged +3-1/2, by a soldier who had placed the point of his bayonet on her +breast to overcome the resistance which she opposed to him. + + +OISE. + +In the Department of Oise we have ascertained the following facts: + +When on the 31st of August the Germans entered the village of +Monchy-Humieres a group of about fifteen people were in the street +looking at them as they entered. No act of provocation was committed, +but an officer believed that he heard some one say the word +"Prussian." At once he directed three dragoons to fall out and ordered +them to fire. Young Gaston Dupuis was killed, M. Grandvalet was +wounded in the right shoulder by a bullet, and a little girl of 4 who +belonged to a family of refugees from Verdun was slightly wounded in +the neck. + +Next day the commune of Ravenel was sacked, and the stolen objects +were taken away in a carriage. A man named Vilette, while bicycling on +the road near the village, met a motor car in which were several +Germans. They began to fire at him without any reason. He jumped down +from his machine and took to flight across country, but a bullet +stopped him on his way. He died a few hours afterward, leaving a widow +and two children. + +On the same day, near Mery, the enemy opened fire on some English guns +which were drawn up at the place called Le Bout de la Ville, and an +engagement began between the cavalry of the two armies. At this moment +the Germans entered the sugar factory, which is situated in a hamlet +of the commune. They seized the manager, his family, and all the staff +of the factory, and, during the three hours which the engagement +lasted, made them walk in a parallel line to themselves in order to +protect themselves against the fusillade which was catching them on +the flank. Among the twenty-five people who were thus exposed to grave +danger were women and children. A work girl, Mme. Jeansenne, was +killed, and a foreman, Courtois, had a bullet through his left arm. At +10 in the evening, the enemy returned in force to the village. They +left the next day after having burned the houses and carried out a +general sack. + +On the 2d of September the Germans entered Senlis, where they were +greeted by rifle fire from African troops. Alleging that they had been +fired on by civilians, they set fire to two quarters of the town. One +hundred and five houses were burned in the following manner: The +Germans marched along the streets in a column; at a whistle from an +officer, some of them fell out, and proceeded to break in the doors of +the houses and the shop fronts; then others came along and lit the +fire with grenades and rockets; patrols who followed them fired +incendiary bullets with their rifles into those houses in which the +fire was not taking hold fast enough. + +While our soldiers were firing in the outskirts of the town, the +hostages who had been taken into the streets by the Germans were +forced to walk in the middle of the road, while the Germans prudently +kept to the footpaths. M. Levasseur, Mme. Dauchy and her little girl +aged 5, MM. Pinchaux, Minouflet, and Leymarie were among the number of +the hostages who were thus exposed to death. Near the hospital +Levasseur was killed. Soon Leymarie in his turn fell mortally wounded. +As he was carrying him to lay him at the foot of a wall, Minouflet was +struck by a bullet on the knee. An officer approached him, and told +him to show his wound, and then suddenly fired with his revolver into +his shoulder. At the same spot a witness saw another officer in the +act of torturing a French wounded soldier by beating him in the face +with a stick. + +Meanwhile several murders were committed. M. Simon was dragged out of +his house and killed by a rifle shot in the side. At 2 o'clock the +Germans broke in the door of M. Megret's house. The latter came +forward, promised to give them everything they asked for, and brought +them ten bottles of wine. He was murdered by a shot full in the chest. +MM. Ramu, Vilcoq, Chambellant and Gaudet, drawn by curiosity, went to +look at the burning forage store to which the French troops had set +fire as they retired. Enemy soldiers fired on them several times. Ramu +was wounded, Gaudet was killed on the spot, Chambellant received two +bullets, one in his right hand and the other below the groin, and died +a week later. MM. Simon, Ecker, Chery, Leblond, Rigauld, Louis, and +Momus were also killed in Senlis. + +At 3 o'clock the Mayor, M. Odent, was arrested at the Hotel de Ville +on the allegation, against which he protested, that civilians had +fired on the German troops. While he was being led away the Secretary +of the Mairie joined him near the Hotel du Grand Cerf, and proposed +that he should go and fetch his Deputies. "It is useless," he replied, +"one victim is enough." The Magistrate was taken to Chamant, and +during the journey was the butt of hateful brutality. His gloves were +torn from him and thrown in his face; his stick was taken from him and +he was violently beaten with it on the head. Finally, toward 11 +o'clock, he was made to appear before three officers. One of them +questioned him, persisting in accusing him of having fired or caused +others to fire on the Germans, and warned him that he was about to +die. M. Odent then went to his fellow-captives, handed them his papers +and money, shook hands with them, and with great dignity made his last +adieu. He then returned to the officers. On their order, two soldiers +dragged him ten meters away and sent two bullets through his head. The +murderers made a little hollow in the ground, and flung over the +corpse a layer of earth so thin that it did not cover the victim's +feet. A few hours before, 200 meters off, six other inhabitants of +Senlis, MM. Pommier, Barbier, Aubert, Cottereau, Arthur Rigault, and +Dewert, had already been shot and buried. + +The same evening M. Jeandin, a baker, who had been arrested at 3 or 4 +in the afternoon without any reason, and then taken by the Forty-ninth +Pomeranian Regiment of Infantry to Villers-Saint-Frambourg, was +fastened to a stake in a field and pierced repeatedly with the point +of a bayonet. + +It is unnecessary to say that the town of Senlis was pillaged. While +the enemy sacked the houses they took pleasure in exciting the worst +instincts of the populace by offering part of the booty to women in +wretched circumstances. + +At Villers-Saint-Frambourg the woman X. was raped by a soldier who got +into her house. After the crime she took refuge in a neighboring +house. The precaution was a wise one, for numerous comrades of the +aggressor broke into her house and, furious at not finding the victim +they sought, smashed the windows and seized the chickens, rabbits, and +pig which they found in an outhouse. + +On Sept. 3 at Creil, under the orders of a Captain who tried to force +MM. Guillot and Demonts to show him the houses of the richest +inhabitants, the Germans scattered among the houses, breaking in doors +and windows, and gave themselves up to pillage with the complicity of +their leaders, to whom they came constantly to show the jewelry which +they had stolen. Demonts and Guillot were then led into the country, +where they found about 100 inhabitants of Creil and Nogent-sur-Oise +and the neighborhood. All these persons were forced to suffer the +shame and grief of working against the defense of their country by +cutting down a field of maize which hindered the firing of the enemy +and by digging trenches intended to shelter the Germans. For seven +days the enemy kept them there without giving them food. Some women of +the neighborhood were, fortunately, able to give them a little. + +Meanwhile in the town several people were put to death. M. Parent, who +was escaping, was killed in the Rue Victor Hugo by a shot by a Uhlan. +As soon as he fell, troopers hurled themselves upon him to search his +clothes. M. Alexandre had his head shattered, at the intersection of +the Rue Gambetta and the Rue Carnot. Germans entered the shop of M. +Breche, wine seller. Thinking, no doubt, that he was not serving them +quickly enough, they dragged him into the courtyard of Mme. Egasse, +his neighbor, where an officer accused him of having fired on the +soldiers, and ordered, in spite of his denial, that he should be shot +at once. Mme. Egasse tried to soften the murderers, but she was +brutally ordered off. From the room to which she went she heard the +reports, and through the window she saw Breche's body stretched on the +ground. When she came down she could not prevent herself from +expressing her grief. The officer then said to her: "A dead man! We +see too many to take any notice. Besides, wherever we are fired upon, +we kill and burn." + +A young man named Odener, carrying a bag of rice, had been taken from +Liancourt of Creil. When he reached the Place de l'Eglise, worn out by +fatigue and the ill-treatment which he had received, he put down his +load and tried to escape. Two soldiers took aim at him, fired, and +struck him down. A certain Leboeuf, who had been his fellow-prisoner, +died at Creil a few days afterward in consequence of a wound which he +had received on the way. + +Gen. von Kluck's army arrived at Crepy-en-Valois on the 2d of +September, and took four days to march through. The town was +completely sacked under the eyes of the officers. In particular the +jewelers' shops were ransacked. + +Thefts of jewelry and body linen were committed in a house in which +lodged a General commanding with some twelve officers of the General +Staff. Almost all the safes in Crepy were gutted. + +On the 3d of the same month, at Baron, an artist of great talent, +Prof. Alberic Magnard, fired two shots from a revolver on a troop +which was entering his property. One soldier was killed and another +wounded. The Germans, who in so many places have committed the worst +cruelties without any motive, here contented themselves with burning +the property of their aggressor. The latter committed suicide to avoid +falling into their hands. None the less the commune was sacked. M. +Robert, notary, was robbed of his jewelry, his linen, and of 1,471 +bottles of wine, and forced to open his safe and allow an officer to +take 8,300 francs which were locked up there. In the evening he saw +another officer who wore on his finger nine women's rings, and whose +arms were adorned with six bracelets. Two soldiers told him, besides, +that they received a premium of four marks whenever they brought their +commanding officers a piece of jewelry. + +In this commune, Mme. X., a most respectable young woman, was violated +by two soldiers in succession in the absence of her husband, who is +with the colors. One of these two men ransacked a chest of drawers +while his comrade was committing his crime. + +At Mesnil-sur-Bulles on the evening of the 4th of September two +Germans arrived in a carriage and one on a bicycle and went to the +house of the Deputy Mayor, M. Gustave Queste. As the latter did not +understand them, he asked his cousin, M. Queste, Professor at the +Lycee of Amiens, to act as interpreter for him. After having fulfilled +this office the professor returned home. A few minutes afterward, +hearing a shot, he went out to ascertain what was happening. He found +himself in the presence of one of the three soldiers to whom he had +just spoken in his cousin's house. This man, who was drunk, fired at +him and killed him. + +The same three soldiers, passing through Nourard-le-Franc, set fire to +seven houses with torches which they had brought with them in their +carriage. A few hours before their arrival at Mesnil-sur-Bulles a +Uhlan patrol had already made a reconnoissance in this commune. +Troopers entered the house of M. Amedee Queste, burst open a door, +broke the furniture, and stole a quantity of jewelry as well as a sum +of 60 francs. + +At Choisy-au-Bac the Germans, who had been in the village since the +31st of August, willfully set fire on the 1st and 2d of September to +forty-five houses under the grossly false allegation that they had +been fired upon, and previously, in the presence of their officers, +gave themselves up to a general pillage, the product of which was +carried away in vehicles stolen from the inhabitants. Two army +doctors, wearing the brassards of the Red Cross, themselves pillaged +the house of Mme. Binder. + +M. Morel, working carpenter, who was in his garden, was shot in the +groin by a soldier who was passing on the road. He died next day. Four +young men were taken as hostages and led away on the 8th of September. +One of them was able to escape. His comrade, Rene Leclere, is said to +have been shot at Besme, in the Department of the Aisne; as for the +other two, no one knows what has become of them. + +At Compiegne, which was occupied by the enemy from the 31st of August +to the 12th of September, the chateau suffered comparatively little; +the thefts there were not very important. But a great number of houses +were pillaged. The house of Comte d'Orsetti, which is situated +opposite to the palace, was literally sacked, principally by +non-commissioned officers. Plate, jewelry, and valuables were +collected in the courtyard of the chateau, examined, inventoried, and +packed up, and were then loaded in two removal vans on which had been +placed the Red Cross flag. + +Application was made to Capt. Schroeder to put an end to the burglary +and the scandalous orgy which was going on in the villa, and at last +he went to the place; but after having glanced at the interior of the +pillaged houses he went off again, saying, "It is war, and besides I +have no time." + +On Sept. 4 a soldier, who had gone to pass the night at the house +where Mme. X. was concierge, drove the husband with several of the +former's relations out of the house, threatening them with his rifle, +and then obliged Mme. X. to pass the night with him. + +At Trumilly, where they remained from the 2d to the 4th of September, +the Germans pillaged the commune and carried off the product of their +theft in artillery wagons as well as in carriages. The first day, Mme. +Huet, on whom were billeted a part of the staff of the Nineteenth +Regiment of Hanover Dragoons and a great number of soldiers, saw a +non-commissioned officer take possession of a box containing her +jewels to the value of about 10,000 francs. She went to complain to +the Colonel, who contented himself with saying, with a smile, "I am +sorry, Madame, it is war." + +On the 3d of September the advance troops had left, but stragglers +remained in the country. One of them, a soldier of the Ninety-first +Regiment of Infantry, on whose medal was engraved the name of "Ahne," +stole in Mme. Huet's house 115 francs from the servants, 300 francs +from the mistress of the house, and 400 francs from M. Cornillet. This +man then went to the house of Mme. X., whose husband was with the +colors, and forced this woman to submit to him by threatening her with +his revolver. + +During the occupation of the commune by the Germans M. Cornillet, the +victim of one of the thefts of which we have just spoken, had an +officer billeted upon him. After the departure of this guest he +discovered that the sum of 150 francs, which had been placed in the +wardrobe of the room in which the German had slept, had disappeared. +Finally M. Colas, an old man of 70, was searched in the street by a +soldier, and robbed of about 30 francs. + +One of the most serious acts of which we have been informed in the +Department of the Oise was committed near Marqueglise, by an officer +of high rank. Two young men of Saint Quentin, named Charlet and Gabet, +who had left Paris to return to their native place with the object of +obeying the summons to be enrolled for military service, met on the +road two Belgian subjects making their way to Jemmapes, where they +lived. The latter offered them a lift in their carriage, and the four +men journeyed together as far as the village of Ressons, where they +were arrested by a German detachment. They were bound, and then taken +to the District of Marqueglise, and brought before a superior officer, +who questioned them. When he learned that two of them were natives of +Belgium this officer declared that the Belgians were "sales gens"; +then without any explanation he took his revolver and fired on each of +the prisoners in turn. The two Belgians and young Gabet fell dead, +struck in the head. As for Charlet, who was wounded in the neck and +right shoulder, he pretended to be killed, and after the departure of +the murderer, was able to drag himself a certain distance. Before +being taken to Compiegne, where he died next day, the unfortunate man +was able to describe to the Abbe Boulet, cure of Marqueglise, the +cowardly deed of which his companions and himself had been the +victims. + + +AISNE. + +In the communes of the Department of the Aisne which we have been able +to visit we have everywhere found evidences of acts of pillage and +numerous crimes against women. + +At Connigis on the 8th of September at about 8 o'clock in the evening +Mme. X. was the victim of grievous violence at the hands of two +Germans, who had gone to her parents-in-law's house, where she was +living in the absence of her husband, who had been mobilized. One of +the Germans held M. X., the father, in front of the door while the +other, threatening the young woman with his rifle, committed acts of +revolting obscenity upon her in the presence of the mother-in-law. +When he had accomplished his crime he took the place of his comrade, +mounting guard over M. X., while the former in his turn outraged the +young woman. + +At Brumetz, where the occupation by the enemy lasted from the 3d to +the 10th, the village was pillaged. One house, as well as the chateau +of M. de Maleyssie, a Captain on the staff of the Sixth French Army +Corps, were burned. + +At Chierry, the Chateau of Varolles was burned with torches with +petrol. The Chateau of Sparre was also set on fire after it had been +completely pillaged, pictures taken from their frames, and the +tapestries cut up with blows of the sword. + +At Jaulgonne, between the 3d and 10th of September, the Prussian Guard +emptied the cellars, stole the linen, and did 250,000 francs' worth of +damage. In addition, they burned a house on the allegation that the +owner had fired on them when in reality he was hiding in terror in his +cellar. + +Two inhabitants of this commune were killed. One, M. Rempenault, aged +87, was found in the fields killed by a bullet; the other, named +Blanchard, aged 61, had been arrested because the Prussians had seen +him talking in a street with a French chasseur-a-pied, who, after +having delayed in the village, had succeeded in taking to flight on a +bicycle and escaped a rifle fusillade which was aimed at him. +Blanchard was led into an outlying part of Jaulgonne and wounded with +a bayonet by a soldier and then finished off by an officer, who +shattered his head with a revolver shot. + +At Charmel the Germans, from the moment of their arrival, entered the +houses by breaking in the doors. They did not leave a bottle of wine +in the cellars and they pillaged chiefly the empty houses, carrying +away linen, money, jewelry, and other articles. At the house of the +schoolmaster they took the funds of the School Savings Bank, which +amounted to 240 francs. On the 3d of September, at 11 o'clock at +night, they set fire to the chateau of Mme. de Rouge, and the same day +one of them entered the house of Mme. X., seized her by the throat and +violated her. + +At Coincy, on the 3d and 4th of September, they emptied the cellars +and sacked the empty houses and committed outrages on several women in +the village. + +At Bezu-St.-Germain, on the 8th of September, two soldier cyclists +came to the farm of ---- and passed part of the night there. Having +obliged the inhabitants to go to bed, and having forbidden them on +pain of death to move, whatever sounds they might hear, one of them +went into the room of the little servant girl, aged 13, and, putting +his hand on her mouth, committed a complete rape upon her. Hearing a +loud cry, the farmer's daughter escaped through her window and called +some officers who were lodging with a neighbor. One of them came down, +had the two cyclists, who at that moment were coming from the farm, +arrested, and marched to headquarters. The next day, when the victim +was asked to recognize the culprit and point him out, he had +disappeared. + +On the 3d of September, at Crezancy, the soldiers made young Lesaint, +aged 18, come out of his house, and an officer killed him with a +revolver shot. One of the murderer's comrades declared later that this +murder had been committed because Lesaint was a soldier, and when a +man to whom he was speaking denied this, he added, "He was on the way +to be one." He said also that the young man had stupidly caused his +own death, because, with the intention of escaping, he had put out the +candle which was lighted in his room. Now this candle had not been put +out by the unfortunate Lesaint, but had been removed by a soldier who +wished to visit the house. In any case, the officer reluctantly +admitted that his comrade had fired too soon. + +In the same locality M. Dupont, "gerant du familistere," was arrested +on the 4th of September because he had tried to protect his till +against a soldier who was in the act of ransacking it. With a +trooper's cap on his head, which they had drawn down to his chin, and +both his hands tied behind his back, he was made the butt of the +Germans, who amused themselves by forcing him to go on to a very high +slope, raining blows upon him and pricking him with bayonets every +time he fell down. He was taken on the 6th to Charly-sur-Marne with a +convoy of military prisoners, and on the 8th of September, in the +morning, his murderers in their retreat forced him to follow the +column. As he could not drag himself along in consequence of the +violence which he had suffered, the Germans struck him with redoubled +vigor and pushed him along, holding him under the arms. A kilometer +further on they killed him with a blow from a lance or bayonet through +the heart. + +At Chateau-Thierry, where the German troops remained from the 2d to +the 9th of September, the pillage was carried out under the eyes of +the officers. Later on army doctors who remained in the town after the +departure of the army were included in an exchange of prisoners, and +their canteens were opened. They contained articles of clothing which +were the product of the sack of the shops. + +On the 5th of September the girl ----, aged 14, met a soldier as she +was coming back from fetching some bread for her parents. She was +dragged into the shop of a shoemaker, and from there into a room where +two other Germans joined the first. She was threatened with a bayonet, +thrown on to a bed, and violated by two of these men. The third was +prepared to follow his comrades' example, but allowed himself to be +moved by the child's entreaties. + +The aunt of this young girl was also the victim of serious crimes at +Verdilly, where her family have the farm ----. After having bound her +husband four soldiers belonging to the heavy artillery chased her to +the house of a neighbor, whom they terrorized with threats, and while +one of them held her the others violated her in succession. + +At Hartennes-et-Taux, in the Arrondissement of Soissons, the Germans, +as everywhere else, pillaged the houses. At the hamlet of Taux they +set fire to the straw with which they had stopped up the openings of +an isolated cellar in which were three of the inhabitants whom they +had taken for soldiers. The three men were suffocated by the smoke. + + +ACTS OF A MILITARY NATURE. + +Acts committed in the violation of the laws of war and affecting +combatants, murder of wounded or prisoners, stratagems forbidden by +international conventions, attacks on doctors and stretcher bearers, +have been innumerable in all the places in which there has been +fighting. We have not been able to verify the majority of them because +the witnesses are for the most part soldiers, who are obliged to move +from place to place continually. Besides, these acts have been set +forth in reports addressed by corps leaders to the military +authorities, who may add them to the documents of our inquiry if they +think fit to do so. Many are also attested by evidence collected by +magistrates in hospitals, and we are engaged at this moment in +analyzing them with a view to drawing up a supplementary report. A +certain number, however, have been laid before us in the course of our +investigation. + +At Bar-le-Duc M. Ferry, the head surgeon, gave us a report of +depositions made to him in the course of his duties. Sergt. Lemerre of +the --th Infantry Regiment told him that on the 6th of September, when +he was wounded in the leg at Rembercourt by a fragment of a shell, he +had been left on the battlefield eight days by the German Red Cross +people although they knew quite well that he was there. On the fourth +day this non-commissioned officer received a further wound by a +soldier, who fired at him on the order of an officer who was going +over the scene of action with his revolver in his hand. Moreover, he +repeatedly saw near him German stretcher bearers firing on our +wounded. + +The soldier Dreyfus of the --th Infantry Regiment related the +following story to Dr. Ferry: + +"On the 10th of September at Somaine, as he was leaving the +battlefield, wounded, he met three Germans. He told them in German +that he had just been wounded, but these men answered that this was no +reason why he should not receive another bullet, and they thereupon +shot him point blank in the eye." + +At Vaubecourt an infantry sergeant and two soldiers were shot by the +enemy. They alleged that one of the latter was found on the church +tower in the village, from which he would have been able to exchange +signals with our troops. + +On the 22d of August a detachment of Germans arrived in the vicinity +of Bouvillers in the Department of Meurthe-et-Moselle at the farm of +La Petite Rochelle, where the owner, M. Houillon, had lodged some +French wounded soldiers. The officer in command ordered four of his +men to go and finish off nine wounded who were lying in the barn. Each +one was shot in the ear. Mme. Houillon begged mercy for them, and the +officer, placing the barrel of his revolver to her breast, told her to +be silent. + +On the 25th of August the Abbe Denis, cure of Remereville, tended in +the evening Lieut. Toussaint, who last July headed the list of +candidates who left the School of Forestry. As he fell wounded on the +battlefield this young officer was struck with bayonets by all the +Germans who passed near him. His body was covered with wounds from +head to foot. + +At the hospital at Nancy we saw the soldier Voyer of the --th Infantry +Regiment, who still bore traces of German barbarity, having been badly +wounded in the backbone outside the Forest of Champenoux on the 24th +of August, and paralyzed in both legs as the result of his wound. He +was lying on his face when a German soldier turned him over brutally +with his gun and hit him three times on the head with the butt of his +rifle. Other soldiers passing by kicked him and hit him also with the +butts of their guns. Finally one of them with a single blow caused a +wound of about three or four centimeters under each eye with what Dr. +Weiss, head doctor and Professor of Faculty at Nancy, thinks must have +been a pair of scissors. + +A hussar who was treated by the same doctor relates that, having +fractured his leg falling off his horse, and being unable to extricate +himself, he was assaulted by Uhlans, who stole his watch and chain +after having taken his carbine and shot him in the eye with it. + +Seven French soldiers, also treated by Dr. Weiss, told him that they +had seen the enemy finish off the wounded on the battlefield. As they +had feigned death to escape massacre, the Germans belabored them with +the butts of their guns to see if they were still alive. + +In the same hospital a German soldier wounded in the stomach told Dr. +Rohmer that his wound had been caused by a revolver shot fired by his +own officer because he had refused to finish off a French wounded +soldier. Again, another German, wounded in the back, the result of a +shot fired point-blank, told Dr. Weiss that a soldier had fired at him +by order of an officer to punish him for having carried into a village +near the battlefield several French wounded soldiers. + +On the 25th of August, at Einvaux, the Germans fired at a distance of +300 yards at Dr. Millet, army doctor, belonging to the --th Colonial +Regiment, just as, together with two stretcher bearers, he was +attending to a man lying on a stretcher. As his left side was turned +toward them, the enemy could perfectly see his brassard. And, +furthermore, they could not mistake the nature of the work upon which +these three men were engaged. + +On the same day Capt. Perraud of the same regiment, having noticed +that the soldiers of a section of men upon whom his mitrailleuses were +firing were wearing red trousers, ordered the firing to cease. +Immediately this section fired on him and on his men. They were +Germans in disguise. + +Believe us, &c., + +G. PAYELLE, President. +ARMAND MOLLARD. +G. MARINGER. +PAILLOT, Rapporteur. + +Paris, Dec. 17, 1914. + + + + +A FRENCH MAYOR'S PUNISHMENT. + +[By The Associated Press.] + + +Nancy, (via Paris,) Jan. 30.--The Mayor of a large township in the +vicinity of Nancy has been suspended from office for a fortnight for +shooting at a German aeroplane as it was flying over his town. + +In taking this measure the authorities of Nancy held that a civilian +had no right to act as a combatant, as by so doing he only brought +upon the heads of the civilian population severe reprisals. + + + + +We Will Fight to the End + +By Premier Viviani of France. + + +_Premier Viviani recently delivered to Parliament an address upon the +war which attracted worldwide attention. Viviani served notice on +Germany and Austria that France will not lay down her arms until she +and her allies have won such a victory that they can dictate terms. +Premier Viviani's speech was delivered by himself in the Chamber of +Deputies on Dec. 22, while on the same day the speech was read in the +Senate by M. Briand, Minister of Justice. It is as follows:_ + +Gentlemen: This is not the usual communication in which a Government +presenting itself for the first time before Parliament sets forth its +policy. Just now there is only one policy--a relentless fight until we +attain definite freedom for Europe by gaining a victory which shall +guarantee peace. + +Gentlemen, that was the cry uttered by all when, in the sitting of +Aug. 4, a sacred union arose, as the President of the Republic has so +well said, which will throughout history remain an honor to the +country. It is the cry which all Frenchmen will repeat after having +put an end to the disagreements that have so often embittered our +hearts and which a blind enemy took for irremediable division. It is +the cry that rises from the glorious trenches into which France has +thrown all her youth, all her manhood. + +Before this unexpected uprising of national feeling, Germany has been +troubled in the intoxication of her dream of victory. On the first day +of the conflict she denied right, appealed to force, flouted history, +and, in order to violate the neutrality of Belgium and to invade +France, invoked the law of self-interest alone. + +Since then her Government, learning that it had to reckon with the +opinion of the world, has recently attempted to put her conduct in a +better light by trying to throw the responsibility for the war upon +the Allies. But through all the gross falsehoods, which fail to +deceive even the most credulous, the truth has become apparent. + +All the documents published by the nations interested, and the +remarkable speech made the other day at Rome by one of the most +illustrious representatives of the noble Italian Nation, demonstrate +that for a long time our enemy has intended a coup de force. If it +were necessary, a single one of these documents would suffice to +enlighten the world. + +When, on July 31, 1914, at the suggestion of the English Government +all the nations concerned were asked to suspend their military +preparations and enter into negotiations in London, France and Russia +adhered to this proposal. But Germany precipitated matters. She +declared war on Russia on Aug. 1, and made an appeal to arms +inevitable. And if Germany by her diplomacy killed the germ of peace +it is because for more than forty years she had untiringly pursued her +aim, which was to crush France in order to achieve the enslavement of +the world. + +All the revelations are brought before the tribunal of history, where +corruption has no place, and as France and her allies, despite their +attachment to peace, have been obliged to endure war they will pursue +it to the uttermost. + +Faithful to the signature which she attached to the treaty of Sept. 4, +1914, and by which she engaged her honor, that is to say, her life, +France, in accord with her allies, will not lay down her arms until +she has avenged outraged right and regained forever the provinces +which were torn from her by force, restored heroic Belgium to the +fullness of her material prosperity and political independence, and +broken Prussian militarism so that the Allies may eventually +reconstruct a regenerated Europe founded upon justice and right. + +We are not inspired, gentlemen, in this plan of war and of peace by +any presumptuous hope, for we have the certainty of success. We owe +this certitude to our army of all ranks and to our sailors, who, +joined to the British Navy, secure for us the control of the seas, and +to the troops who have repulsed in Morocco incessant aggressions. + +We owe it also to the soldiers who defend our flag in those far-off +French colonies, who from the very first outbreak of the war hastened +back with their tender solicitude for the mother country. + +We owe it to our army, whose heroism has been guided by incomparable +leaders throughout the victory of the Marne, the victory of Flanders, +and in many fights, and we owe it to the nation, which has equaled +this heroism by a corresponding demonstration of silence and serenity +during the critical hours through which the country has passed. + +Thus we have shown to the world that an organized democracy can serve +by its vigorous action the ideal of liberty and equality which +constitute its greatness. Thus we have shown to the world, to use the +words of our Commander in Chief, who is both a great soldier and a +noble citizen, that "the republic may well be proud of the army that +she has prepared." And thus, this impious war has brought out all the +virtues of our race, both those with which we were credited--of +initiative, elan, bravery, and fearlessness--and those which we were +not supposed to possess--endurance, patience, and stoicism. + +Let us do honor to all these heroes. Glory to those who have fallen +before the victory, and to those also who through it will avenge them +tomorrow! A nation which can arouse such enthusiasm can never perish. + +Sheltered by this heroism the nation has lived and labored, accepting +all the consequences of the war, and domestic tranquillity has never +been troubled. + +The Minister of Finance has laid before you in a masterly statement +the financial situation and has explained the resources that we have +obtained from the issue of Treasury bonds and advances from the Bank +of France, which have enabled us to bear the expenditure imposed by +the war, so that we have not had any need to resort to a loan. The +Bank of France is in a position, thanks to its excellent condition, to +furnish resources to the Treasury and to aid in the resumption of the +economic life of the country. + +Everything serves to demonstrate the vitality of France, the security +of her credit, the confidence which she inspires in all, despite the +war which is shaking and impoverishing the world. The state of her +finances is such that she can continue the war until the day when the +necessary reparation has been obtained. + +Gentlemen, it is not sufficient for us to salute the victims who have +fallen on the field of battle. We must uncover also before the civil +non-combatants and innocent victims who up to now have been protected +by the laws of war, but whom, in order to terrify a nation which is +and will ever remain unshaken, the enemy either captured or massacred. +The Government has done its duty toward their families, but the debt +of the country is not yet discharged. + +Under the force of invasion, departments have been occupied and the +ruins in them have accumulated. The Government solemnly undertakes +before you--it has already partly carried it out, and has asked for a +first credit of $70,000,000--that France will rebuild again those +ruins, and the carrying out of this work will certainly be borne in +mind in the indemnities which we shall exact. + +The day of a definite victory has not yet come. Our task until then +will be heavy, and it may be long. Let us bring all our strength to +bear in the carrying out of this task. Our allies know that we will do +so, as well as the neutral nations, and it is in vain that a wild +campaign of false news has been set on foot. If Germany at the outset +pretended to have any doubt as to the attitude of France, she no +longer doubts. + +Let Germany bear witness now that when the French Parliament reopened +after over four months of war, it has renewed before the world the +spectacle it offered on the day when, in the name of the nation, it +took up the challenge. + +To conquer, heroism at the frontier will not suffice. It is necessary +also to have internal union. Let us continue to preserve this sacred +union from any blemish today, as in the past, and in the future. Let +us keep before our minds the one cry of victory, the vision of our +motherland, and the ideal of right. + +That is what we are fighting for and what Belgium is still fighting +for, Belgium, who is giving to this ideal all the blood in her veins, +and what also unshakable England is fighting for, as also faithful +Russia, intrepid Servia, and the audacious Japanese Navy. + +Nothing more sublime has ever presented itself before the eyes of men +than this struggle against barbarism and despotism, against a system +of provocation and continual threats, which Germany called peace, +against a system of murders and collective pillage, which Germany +called war, against the insolent hegemony of a military caste. France +with her allies has let loose the scourge of war against all these. +France the emancipator and avenger has sprung up at one bound. + +That is the issue at stake. It goes beyond the life of the present +generation. Let us continue to have but one soul and one mind, and +tomorrow, when peace is restored and when our opinions, now +voluntarily enthralled, are again given their liberty, we will recall +with pride these tragic days, for they have tended to make us more +valiant and better men. + + + + +NUITS BLANCHES + +By H.S. HASKINS. + + _The diminishing of lights in Paris houses as a precaution + against a raid by the enemy's aeroplanes is the new + rule.--Cable Dispatch._ + + + The gaslights cast a saffron glow, + The ghostly tapers sputter low, + The lampwicks smolder, dimly red. + (Beware the gray shapes overhead!) + Lock tight the windows, bar the door! + Have done with laughter, sing no more, + For fear lays hand upon the throat. + (Beneath the stars the airmen float.) + Hush, hush, my babe, lest fiends that fly + Shall come to still your hunger cry. + Let grief not speak its tale aloud! + (Black death is racing with a cloud.) + Through heav'n's eternal window panes, + Far, far above the swift air lanes, + God's starlight shines forever more. + (How restless glide the ships of war!) + + + + +Unconquered France + +Story of Two Months' Combat with 2,000,000 Invaders. + +[From the Bulletin Francais.] + + Two million men were engaged on the German side in October + and November when the Kaiser's forces hammered at the + Allies' lines in an attempt to break through to Dunkirk and + Calais. Around Ypres alone the invaders' losses were more + than 120,000 men. These statements are made in a + semi-official account of the fighting in Flanders, which + takes up three pages of the Bulletin Francais, copies of + which reached THE NEW YORK TIMES on Jan. 11, 1915. As + translated, the article in the December Bulletin appears + below. + + +The hour has arrived when the balance of these last weeks can be +established and the results clearly seen. The formidable attempt by +the Germans, first to turn the left of ourselves and our allies, and +then, that having been prevented, to break through, has entirely +failed. By the effort the enemy tried to repair the defeats of the +Marne, and they have only added another check to the failure of +September. + +Meanwhile, in order to invade our territory, according to their old +plans the Germans have neglected nothing. On the front that extends +from Lys to the sea they massed, in the beginning of October, fifteen +army corps, including four divisions of cavalry. Their army heads, the +Crown Prince of Bavaria, Gen. Deemling, the Duke of Wuerttemburg, have +multiplied their exhortations and appeals to the troops in the effort +to maintain the morale of their men. + +We have found their orders on dead officers and prisoners, and always +they are the same. It is a question of "a decisive action against the +French left" or a question of "piercing the line at Dupres or Ypres," +for, as one of these orders stated, "the decisive coup remains to be +struck, and to accomplish this the allied line must be pierced." This, +the orders stated, had to be accomplished at any price and in all +haste. They wanted a decision in the western theatre of war before +turning to the east. + +Then the Emperor himself was with his troops, hoping to animate the +German soldiers with his presence. He announced to them that he would +be at Ypres on Nov. 1, and that was the date fixed for the annexation +of Belgium. In fact, everything had been taken into account, except, +of course, the victorious resistance of the allied armies. + +To make possible this effective resistance it was necessary for the +Allies to oppose the enemy with a force which if not equal to theirs +was nevertheless sufficient for the purpose in view. + +What was the situation at the beginning of Oct. 1? The Belgian Army +came out of Antwerp intact, but too exhausted to participate in the +actions then pending. The English Army had left the Aisne to operate +in the north. The army of Gen. de Castelnau did not extend on its left +south of Arras. The army of Gen. Maudhuy stretched out from that point +to the south of Lille. Further on were the territorial cavalry and the +marines. This was not a sufficient force to meet the German advance. + +Gen. Joffre, the Commander in Chief, ordered Gen. Foch to the command +of the armies of the north. Reinforcements were sent him in the +ensuing three weeks, and during that period the rail and automobile +services operated day and night, hurrying up reinforcements. They +arrived on time by divisions and by corps, every man being animated by +an admirable spirit. + +About Oct. 20 our battle line was from Nieuport to Dixmude, between +which places one of our divisions and the marines held the railroad. +Meanwhile, just back of them, the Belgian Army was being reorganized. +South of Dixmude, and along the canal, our line stretched to the east, +forming before Ypres a vast half circle occupied by four French and +one British army corps. The line then descended toward the south of +Messines to Armientieres, forming two sections, the first held by the +English and the second by the French. + +The German attack had as its object the seizure of Dunkirk, which was +necessary if Calais and Boulogne were to be reached. The purpose was +to envelop us and cut the British lines of communication to the sea. +All the heavy artillery was brought up from Antwerp and made ready for +use against the Allies. What happened? + +On Nov. 3 the attack was made and repulsed, crushing the enemy, who +had managed to gain the left bank of the river. We then pushed the +German rear guard into the water, and to this day German cannon and +the carcasses of their animals can be seen half buried in the water +and mud. + +Finding it impossible to turn our left, the enemy tried to break +through our lines. This was the battle of Ypres, a furious and savage +struggle, with the German commanders hurling their organizations in +enormous masses, regardless of the life of their men, sacrificing all +for the end they hoped to attain. + +This end was not attained. During the following three weeks we +suffered and withstood their repeated and frantic attacks. All these +attacks were repulsed, and this despite the fact that our front, with +its circular form, was not easy to maintain. + +In these actions about Ypres the armies of France and England worked +in the closest union, and this union, in which co-operation was so +splendidly maintained, is worthy to be recorded on the brightest pages +of military history. + +On Nov. 12 the Germans were successful to the north of Ypres and +crossed the canal in two places. A day passed and they were thrown +back to the other side. On the 12th also they gained a little ground +south of Ypres, but this loss was quickly regained, and by the 15th +their attacks had become fewer and our position by then was +practically impregnable. + +Subsequent actions by the Germans were likewise repulsed, and in these +encounters we were brilliantly supported by our Allies. These actions +have sealed the fraternity of the allied troops, and the energy of our +resistance has likewise encouraged and strengthened the confidence of +the Belgians. + +The losses of the Germans certainly exceed 120,000 men. In certain +trenches of 1,200 meters length as many as 2,000 bodies have been +found, and this is impressive when we take into consideration that the +Germans take advantage of every opportunity to remove their dead from +the fields of battle. These great losses explain the recent formation +of new army corps in Germany. + +The numerous artillery commands that we have put in action south of +Ypres have opened great chasms in the German masses. All this marks +the importance of our successes, and significance is added by the fact +that the Germans have always regarded the taking of Ypres as one of +the decisive features of the campaign. + +If Dunkirk, Calais, and Boulogne had been taken, England would have +found her lines of communication with her armies in France gravely +endangered. In maintaining her lines from the sea to Arras we have +obtained at the same time the best guarantee against the return of the +enemy to Paris. + +To measure the extent of the allied successes we must compare the line +occupied by our left and the German right at the beginning of +September and since the middle of November. When we consider this, it +is plain that our successes were not temporary, but have been a +constant progress, rendering vain the attacks of the Germans. + +It has been demonstrated by facts that Gen. Joffre has read the plans +of the German commanders and is ready for them everywhere and always. +As for the allied troops, they have gained the qualities they perhaps +lacked most in the beginning, particularly as regards rapid +organization for the defensive and the digging of trenches. Today our +troops are as expert in trench work as are the soldiers of the enemy. + +France remains unconquered. Since Sept. 6 she has registered only +successes, in spite of the massing against her of fifty German army +corps. These fifty German corps, it must be said, and said again, for +such is the truth, are still facing us. Fifteen German army corps and +the whole of the Austrian force are facing Russia. Yet the formidable +mass which assails us has not made us flinch in any part of our line, +and in many cases our enemy has drawn back under the weight of the +Allies' efforts. + + + + +Four Months of War + +[From the Official Bulletin des Armees, Dec. 6, 1914.] + + The Bulletin des Armees, the newspaper published by the + French Government for the soldiers at the front, in the + issue of Dec. 6, 1914, contains an article bearing the + title, "Four Months of War," which is a summary account of + the events that have taken place since the outbreak of + hostilities. This document estimates as fifty-two army corps + and ten cavalry divisions the military forces which Germany + hurled against France. In a chapter entitled "Our Reverses + in August," it sums up the events that preceded the battle + of the Marne, as presented below. + + +Our concentration had to be flexible enough to enable us to bring our +chief effort to bear upon the spot where the enemy would prove most +active. The violation of Belgium made us acquainted with the +intentions of the German staff--the great conflict would take place in +the north. + +As we were obliged, before engaging in it, to wait for the coming into +line of the English army, which was to take place only on Aug. 20, we +at once took measures to retain the greatest possible number of German +troops in Alsace and in Lorraine. + +In Alsace, our first attack, which was badly conducted, took us to +Muelhausen, but we could not hold the city (Aug. 7.) + +A second attack, led by General Pau, brought us back there. On Aug. 20 +we held the road to Colmar through the Vosges and the plain. The enemy +had sustained great losses. + +But from that time the unfortunate events in Lorraine and Belgium +forced us to limit the field of operations in Alsace as well as the +intensity of our efforts (Aug. 20.) + +In Lorraine our offensive had first been brilliantly successful. On +Aug. 19 we had reached Sarrebourg, Les Etangs, Dieuze, Morhange, +Delme, and Chateau-Salins. + +But on the 20th the enemy, strongly intrenched on thoroughly fortified +territory, resumed the offensive. + +On the 22d, 23d, and 24th we were compelled to fall back on +Grand-Courenne de Nancy and south of Luneville. + +On the 25th simultaneous counterattacks from the armies of Gens. +Dubail and Castelnau greatly strengthened our positions. + +But seven or eight German army corps and four divisions of cavalry had +overcome the magnificent resistance of Liege. Every one knows of the +conditions under which the French took the offensive in Belgium with +the armies of Gens. Ruffey and Langle de Cary. + +As soon as the English Army was ready in the region of Mons we took +the offensive in Belgian Luxemburg with the armies of Gens. Ruffey and +Langle de Cary. This offensive was at once checked, with great losses +on our side. + +Here again the ground had been strongly fortified by the enemy. There +was also, in some of our army corps, a failure to transmit and carry +out orders (Aug. 21-23.) + +On the left of these two armies and in conjunction with the English +army Gen. Lanrezac's army, anxious for its right wing, then fell back +(Aug. 24) on the line that stretches between Beaumont and Givet. + +On the 25th and 26th the English army, kept in check at Landrecies and +Le Cateau, withdrew toward the Marne. + +These days were marked by bloody contests. The enemy lost heavily, but +constantly gained ground. + +At that time we either had to hold the ground under the perilous +conditions resulting from the retreat of our left wing or else retreat +along the whole front until it were possible to resume the offensive +under favorable conditions. + +The Commander in Chief decided upon the latter alternative. + +_The first object to attain was withdrawing in good order while +weakening and delaying the enemy by constant attacks. Several of these +attacks were brilliantly conducted, especially those of Lanrezac's +army at Saint-Quentin and Guise, of Langle's army on the Meuse, and of +Ruffey's army further east. They were supported from Nancy to the +Vosges by Castelnau's and Dubail's armies. In order to prepare for the +offensive a new army had been formed, that of Gen. Maunoury. It was +to be concentrated in the last days of August in the vicinity of +Amiens._ + +But the advance of the enemy, by stages of forty-five kilometers a +day, was so swift that Gen. Joffre, in order to realize his plan for +the offensive, had to order the retreat to be continued. + +The army should withdraw to the Aube, and as far as the Seine if +necessary; everything should be subordinated to preparing a successful +offensive. + +On Sept. 5 the conditions which the General in Chief sought to realize +were fulfilled--our left wing (Maunoury's army, the English Army, the +army of Lanrezac which was now d'Esperay's army) was no longer in +danger of being cut off. + +On the contrary, the German right, (Gen. von Kluck,) marching to the +south toward Meaux and Coulommiers, was exposing its right wing to +Maunoury's army. + +On the evening of the 5th the General in Chief ordered a general +advance, adding: "The hour has come to advance at any cost and to die +rather than fall back." + + +VICTORY OF THE MARNE. + +As early as Sept. 8 the menace directed by Gen. Maunoury against the +German right was beginning to tell. + +The enemy brought back from the south to the north two army corps and +wheeled about facing west. + +Thus it presented a weak point to the English Army, which, having +advanced from the line stretching from Rozoy to Lagny, (on the 6th,) +straightened its line toward the north, crossed the Marne on the 9th, +thus flanking the German Army already battling with Gen. Maunoury. + +On the right of the British d'Esperay's army also crossed the Marne, +forcing the enemy to retreat, and at the same time supporting the +action of its neighbors, that is to say, the English Army on the left +and Foch's army on the right. + +[Illustration: Map of Operations in France During First Four Months of +the War + +(1) Point where Germans failed to hold Nancy, Sept. 12, 1914. + +(2) Extreme limits of the dash to Paris, terminating Sept. 8, 1914. + +(3) Point to which the first unsuccessful flanking movement against +the French left wing extended, Aug. 30, 1914. + +(4) Point of extension of similar flanking operations, balked Nov. 12, +1914. + +(5) Scene of frustrated efforts to break through French centre, Sept. +26, 1914. + +(6) Line of attacks upon Calais and Dunkirk, defeated Oct. 18, 1914. + +(7) Ypres, where desperate and fruitless assaults, ending Nov. 15, +1914, were made by the Germans. + +(8) Intrenched line of battle, Feb. 1, 1915.] + +For it was on our centre, made up of Foch's army, which had been +constituted on Aug. 20, that the Germans were going to seek revenge +for the check of their right wing; if they had succeeded in cutting us +off between Sezanne and Mailly, the situation would have been reversed +with the advantage on their side. + +From Sept. 6 to Sept. 9 Foch's army met with repeated assaults, but on +the evening of the 9th the left of his army, shifting from west to +east toward Fere-Champenoise, flanked the Prussian Guard and the +Saxons who were advancing southeast of this town. + +This bold manoeuvre insured success. The Germans withdrew in great +haste, and on the 11th in the morning Gen. Foch entered +Chalons-sur-Marne. + +On his right Langle de Gary's army had also moved forward, and on the +12th, after spirited encounters, it joined, and added to, the line of +Gen. Foch's army. + +Meanwhile Ruffey's army (now Darrail's) had succeeded in stretching +its lines north, and, although meeting with a stubborn resistance, +hastened the German retreat, which was accelerated by the offensive +taken by Castelnau's and Dubail's armies from Nancy to the Vosges. + +Thanks to this strategic offensive, the campaign turned in our favor. +We have maintained this advantage over the enemy ever since. + + +THE RACE FOR THE COAST. + +_After Sept. 13 the German resistance, strengthened by strong +defensive works prepared in advance, checked the French and English +pursuit; then began the "race for the sea." During this long battle +the German staff never lost the hope of turning the allied left wing, +while we hoped to be able to outflank their right wing. The result was +a race which at the end of October extended the fronts of the opposing +armies as far as the North Sea._ + +In this race the Germans had an advantage over us, namely, the +concentric shape of their front which simplified the problem of +carrying troops and supplies. + +In spite of this advantage, the turning movement attempted by their +right with twelve army corps, six reserve corps, and four corps of +cavalry, utterly failed. + +This failure confirmed the victory of the Marne. + +As early as Sept. 11 Gen. Joffre had directed the effort of Maunoury's +army against the German right wing. But this army was not large enough +to cope with the situation. + +So about Sept. 20 a new army was formed on the left of Maunoury's army +and intrusted to Gen. de Castelnau. + +This army strongly intrenched itself in the district which stretches +over Lassigny, Roye, and Peronne. It was supported on its left by the +territorial divisions of Gen. Brugere. (Sept. 21-26.) + +But still it was inadequate to achieve our end, and on Sept. 30 +further north than the army of Castelnau, Maudhuy's army came to the +front, and occupied the region of Arras and Lens, extending toward the +north to co-operate with the divisions coming from Dunkirk. + +Nevertheless, all these troops, in presence of the strenuous exertions +of the enemy, formed too thin a line, a line too extended to allow any +breaking. + +At that time and at the request of Field Marshal French the +transportation of the English Army from the Aisne to the Lys region +was decided upon. + +The valiant Belgian Army which had left Antwerp on Oct. 9 thanks to +the protection of the British and French marines was also on its way +to the Yser region to reinforce the barrier which had to be created +and maintained. + +These moves took time. The English Army was only to come into action +by Oct. 20. On the other hand, the Belgian Army, which had been +fighting for three months, was momentarily lacking ammunition. Gen. +Joffre ordered a new effort. + +On Oct. 4 he had intrusted to Gen. Foch the mission of co-ordinating +the operations of the armies in the north. + +On the 18th he placed at his disposal reinforcements which, +continually increasing until Nov. 12, were to form the French army of +Belgium under the command of Gen. d'Urbal. + +This army, in conjunction with the Belgians and an English corps, was +henceforth to fight between the sea and the Lys River. + +The Journal de Geneve, judging this phase of the war, has written that +the French General Staff, by shifting so swiftly such huge bodies of +troops, gave evidence that it had the situation splendidly in hand. + +The result of this effort was a total failure of the German attack in +Flanders. + + +GERMAN OFFENSIVE CHECKED. + +_This attack was especially violent; twelve army corps and four +cavalry corps were massed between the Lys and the sea._ + +_The Emperor was at the head of his armies. He addressed his men, +stating that a "decisive blow" was to be delivered. For three weeks +the German staff hurled furious assaults in mass formation. But as +early as Nov. 12 we were in a position to state that the outcome of +these assaults had been a victory for the Allies._ + +From the sea to Dixmude the Belgian Army, Gen. Grossetti and Admiral +Ronarc'h held first the railroad from Nieuport to Dixmude, then the +left bank of the Yser. + +A hostile army corps, which had succeeded in reaching the left bank, +was forced to withdraw. It has never been able to go further than +Dixmude. + +More to the south, from Dixmude to the north of Ypres, a like +situation. + +The Germans, on Nov. 12, had crossed the river at two points, were +pushed back to the other bank, thus giving Gen. Humbert the command of +the bridges. + +East of Ypres, Gens. Dubois, Balfourrier, and Douglas Haig had not +yielded an inch of ground. + +Further south the German attack, aiming at our lines of communication, +had been particularly violent, but the English and the French regained +all the ground that had been momentarily lost and made it impregnable. + +During the second half of November the shattered German attacks +weakened. The infantry engaged us less frequently and the artillery +showed less activity. + +The enemy, in the battle of Ypres alone, had lost at least 120,000 +men. + +Never had such a thoroughly prepared and spirited offensive undergone +such a complete failure. + + +A WAR OF SIEGE. + +_Meanwhile, from the banks of the Lys to the ridges of the Vosges a +war of siege was ceaselessly raging. The Bulletin des Armees says:_ + +It is hardly necessary to emphasize the meritorious behavior of our +troops in waging this war inch by inch, never yielding, progressing +often in spite of the added difficulty of transporting important +French and English contingents to the north. + +In close conjunction with the armies of the north the armies of Gen. +Maudhuy and Gen. de Castelnau held without flinching in the slightest +the line between the Lys and Noyon, from the middle of October till +the end of November. + +Their progress has been continuous since the end of October; our +positions in Arras and La Bassee have been strengthened, +Quesnoy-en-Santerre has been captured, and in all the encounters with +the enemy our artillery and infantry have constantly made gains. + +Between the Oise and the Argonne the armies of Maunoury, d'Esperay, +and Langle de Cary were confronted with very strong positions, viz., +the heights of the Aisne, of Berru, Nogent-l'Abbesse, Moronvilliers, +and the wooded hills of Western Argonne. + +In September they had to resist a very violent general attack. This +attack was a failure, especially east of Rheims, (Sept. 26.) + +The Emperor had witnessed this check of his troops just as a week +later he was to witness the failure at Ypres. + +Our armies, that is to say, Sarrail's and Dubail's, fulfilled with +method and success the task intrusted to them, viz., to protect our +right flank against attacks on the line from Metz to Thionville; to +retain in front of them the greatest possible number of German army +corps; to free as far as practicable, the national territory that had +been invaded, especially in the Woevre region and around Verdun. + +In a first period (Sept. 13-29) the enemy had the upper hand, +fortified themselves in St. Mihiel, reached the Hauts-de-Meuse, and +threatened Verdun. + +In the second period (Oct. 1 to Nov. 30) we regained the advantage. + +We cleared the vicinity of Verdun. We advanced east of Nancy, which is +now quite safe from German shells, to the north of Luneville, and to +the northeast and east of Saint-Die. + +In November we had recovered almost in its integrity the invaded +territory between Belfort and the Moselle. + +_In brief, the situation on Dec. 1 was as follows:_ + +In number of men, the French Army is equal to what it was on Aug. 2, +as all the gaps have been filled up. + +The quality of the troops is infinitely better. Our men now fight like +veterans. All are deeply convinced of their superiority and have +absolute faith in the final victory. + +Several necessary changes were made among the commanding officers, and +in the last three months none of those mistakes was committed that had +been observed and punished in August. + +Our supply in artillery ammunition has been largely increased. The +heavy artillery which we lacked has been provided for and seen at work +on the battlefield. + +The English Army has been very heavily reinforced in November. It is +numerically stronger than at the outset of the campaign. The Indian +troops have completed their apprenticeship in European warfare. + +The Belgian Army has been reorganized into six divisions. It is ready +and eager to reconquer the national territory. + + +A SERIES OF GERMAN REVERSES. + +The enemy have failed in their abrupt attack upon Nancy. + +They failed in their swift march on Paris. + +They failed to envelop our left wing in August. + +They failed in the same attempt in November. + +They failed to pierce through our centre in September. + +They failed in their attack by way of the coast on Dunkirk and Calais. + +They failed in their attack on Ypres. + +_The Bulletin des Armees concludes its account in these words:_ + +Germany has exhausted its reserves in this fruitless effort. Her newly +formed troops are raw. + +Russia more and more asserts her superiority against Germany, as well +as against Austria. + +The German armies after this check are fatally doomed to retreat. + +All this has been accomplished during the last four months. The moment +had come to sum up these operations; the press is now free to comment +upon them. + + + + +LONG LIVE THE ALLIES! + +By CLAUDE MONET. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + +I feel myself greatly honored by the opportunity given me to express +all my admiration of heroic Belgium, and to offer a like admiration to +the noble and valiant King of the Belgians. + +Long live Belgium! Long live the Allies! Long live France! + + + + +United States Fair to All + +Disclaimer of Bias Against Germany and Austria + +By William J. Bryan, American Secretary of State + + The following letter is the most exhaustive document that + has come from the Administration at Washington since the + outbreak of the war dealing with any aspect of the relations + of this country toward that conflict. Its length is due to + the fact that it is intended as a categorical denial of the + different charges that have been made and of the arguments + current in German circles accusing the Administration of + unfriendliness to Germany and Austria-Hungary. Senator Stone + was interested in having these charges answered for two + reasons: First, there is a large German population in St. + Louis, the chief city of his State, and, second, he is + Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. Senator + Stone wrote his letter of inquiry on Jan. 8, saying that he + had received many letters from sympathizers with Germany and + Austria who believed the United States Government had been + showing partiality to England, France, and Russia. + + +WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 1915. + +_Hon. William J. Stone, Chairman Committee on Foreign Relations, +United States Senate, Washington, D.C._ + +Dear Mr. Stone: I have received your letter of the 8th inst. referring +to frequent complaints or charges made in one form or another through +the press that this Government has shown partiality to Great Britain, +France, and Russia against Germany and Austria during the present war +and stating that you have received numerous letters to the same effect +from sympathizers with the latter powers. You summarize the various +grounds of these complaints and ask that you be furnished with +whatever information the department may have touching these points of +complaint in order that you may be informed as to what the true +situation is in regard to these matters. + +In order that you may have such information as the department has on +the subjects referred to in your letter, I will take them up seriatim. + +_(1) Freedom of communication by submarine cables versus censored +communication by wireless._ + +The reason that wireless messages and cable messages require different +treatment by a neutral Government is as follows: + +Communication by wireless cannot be interrupted by a belligerent. With +a submarine cable it is otherwise. The possibility of cutting the +cable exists, and if a belligerent possesses naval superiority the +cable is cut, as was the German cable near the Azores by one of +Germany's enemies, and as was the British cable near Fanning Island by +a German naval force. Since a cable is subject to hostile attack, the +responsibility falls upon the belligerent, and not upon the neutral, +to prevent cable communication. + +A more important reason, however, at least from the point of view of a +neutral Government, is that messages sent out from a wireless station +in neutral territory may be received by belligerent warships on the +high seas. If these messages, whether plain or in cipher, direct the +movements of warships or convey to them information as to the location +of an enemy's public or private vessels, the neutral territory becomes +a base of naval operations, to permit which would be essentially +unneutral. + +As a wireless message can be received by all stations and vessels +within a given radius, every message in cipher, whatever its intended +destination, must be censored, otherwise military information may be +sent to warships off the coast of a neutral. It is manifest that a +submarine cable is incapable of becoming a means of direct +communication with a warship on the high seas; hence its use cannot, +as a rule, make neutral territory a base for the direction of naval +operations. + +_(2) Censorship of mails and in some cases repeated destruction of +American letters on neutral vessels._ + +As to the censorship of mails, Germany, as well as Great Britain, has +pursued this course in regard to private letters falling into their +hands. The unquestioned right to adopt a measure of this sort makes +objection to it inadvisable. + +It has been asserted that American mail on board of Dutch steamers has +been repeatedly destroyed. No evidence to this effect has been filed +with the Government, and therefore no representations have been made. +Until such a case is presented in concrete form this Government would +not be justified in presenting the matter to the offending +belligerent. Complaints have come to the department that mail on board +neutral steamers has been opened and detained, but there seem to be +but few cases where the mail from neutral countries has not been +finally delivered. When mail is sent to belligerent countries open and +is of a neutral and private character it has not been molested so far +as the department is advised. + +_(3) Searching of American vessels for German and Austrian subjects on +the high seas and in territorial waters of a belligerent._ + +So far as this Government has been informed, no American vessels on +the high seas, with two exceptions, have been detained or searched by +belligerent warships for German and Austrian subjects. One of the +exceptions to which reference is made is now the subject of a rigid +investigation, and vigorous representations have been made to the +offending Government. The other exception, where certain German +passengers were made to sign a promise not to take part in the war, +has been brought to the attention of the offending Government with a +declaration that such procedure, if true, is an unwarranted exercise +of jurisdiction over American vessels in which this Government will +not acquiesce. + +An American private vessel entering voluntarily the territorial waters +of a belligerent becomes subject to its municipal laws, as do the +persons on board the vessel. + +There have appeared in certain publications the assertion that failure +to protest in these cases is an abandonment of the principle for which +the United States went to war in 1812. If the failure to protest were +true, which it is not, the principle involved is entirely different +from the one appealed to against unjustifiable impressment of +Americans in the British Navy in time of peace. + +_(4) Submission without protest to British violations of the rules +regarding absolute and conditional contraband as laid down in The +Hague Conventions, the Declaration of London, and international law._ + +There is no Hague Convention which deals with absolute or conditional +contraband and, as the Declaration of London is not in force, the +rules of international law only apply. As to the articles to be +regarded as contraband, there is no general agreement between nations. +It is the practice of a century, either in time of peace or after the +outbreak of war, to declare the articles which it will consider as +absolute or conditional contraband. It is true that a neutral +Government is seriously affected by this declaration, as the rights of +its subjects or citizens may be impaired. But the rights and interests +of belligerents and neutrals are opposed in respect to contraband +articles and trade and there is no tribunal to which questions of +difference may be readily submitted. + +The record of the United States in the past is not free from +criticism. When neutral this Government has stood for a restricted +list of absolute and conditional contraband. As a belligerent, we have +contended for a liberal list, according to our conception of the +necessities of the case. + +The United States has made earnest representations to Great Britain in +regard to the seizure and detention by the British authorities of all +American ships or cargoes bona fide destined to neutral ports, on the +ground that such seizures and detentions were contrary to the existing +rules of international law. It will be recalled, however, that +American courts have established various rules bearing on these +matters. The rule of "continuous voyage" has been not only asserted by +American tribunals, but extended by them. + +They have exercised the right to determine from the circumstances +whether the ostensible was the real destination. They have held that +the shipment of articles of contraband to a neutral port "to order," +from which, as a matter of fact, cargoes had been transshipped to the +enemy, is corroborative evidence that the cargo is really destined to +the enemy, instead of to the neutral port of delivery. It is thus seen +that some of the doctrines which appear to bear harshly upon neutrals +at the present time are analogous to or outgrowths from policies +adopted by the United States when it was a belligerent. The +Government, therefore, cannot consistently protest against the +application of rules which it has followed in the past, unless they +have not been practiced as heretofore. + +_(5) Acquiescence without protest to the inclusion of copper and other +articles in the British lists of absolute contraband._ + +The United States has now under consideration the question of the +right of a belligerent to include "copper unwrought" in its list of +absolute contraband instead of in its list of conditional contraband. +As the Government of the United States has in the past placed "all +articles from which ammunition is manufactured" in its contraband +list, and has declared copper to be among such materials, it +necessarily finds some embarrassment in dealing with the subject. + +Moreover, there is no instance of the United States acquiescing in +Great Britain's seizure of copper shipments. In every case in which it +has been done vigorous representations have been made to the British +Government, and the representatives of the United States have pressed +for the release of the shipments. + +_(6) Submission without protest to interference with American trade to +neutral countries in conditional and absolute contraband._ + +The fact that the commerce of the United States is interrupted by +Great Britain is consequent upon the superiority of her navy on the +high seas. History shows that whenever a country has possessed that +superiority our trade has been interrupted and that few articles +essential to the prosecution of the war have been allowed to reach its +enemy from this country. The department's recent note to the British +Government, which has been made public, in regard to detentions and +seizures of American vessels and cargoes, is a complete answer to this +complaint. + +Certain other complaints appear aimed at the loss of profit in trade, +which must include at least in part trade in contraband with Germany, +while other complaints demand the prohibition of trade in contraband, +which appears to refer to trade with the Allies. + +_(7) Submission without protest to interruption of trade in +conditional contraband consigned to private persons in Germany and +Austria, thereby supporting the policy of Great Britain to cut off all +supplies from Germany and Austria._ + +As no American vessel, so far as known, has attempted to carry +conditional contraband to Germany or Austria-Hungary, no ground of +complaint has arisen out of the seizure or condemnation by Great +Britain of an American vessel with a belligerent destination. Until a +case arises and the Government has taken action upon it, criticism is +premature and unwarranted. The United States in its note of Dec. 28 to +the British Government strongly contended for the principle of freedom +of trade in articles of conditional contraband not destined to the +belligerent's forces. + +_(8) Submission to British interference with trade in petroleum, +rubber, leather, wool, &c._ + +Petrol and other petroleum products have been proclaimed by Great +Britain as contraband of war. In view of the absolute necessity of +such products to the use of submarines, aeroplanes, and motors, the +United States Government has not yet reached the conclusion that they +are improperly included in a list of contraband. Military operations +today are largely a question of motive power through mechanical +devices. It is therefore difficult to argue successfully against the +inclusion of petroleum among the articles of contraband. As to the +detention of cargoes of petroleum going to neutral countries, this +Government has, thus far, successfully obtained the release in every +case of detention or seizure which has been brought to its attention. + +Great Britain and France have placed rubber on the absolute contraband +list, and leather on the conditional contraband list. Rubber is +extensively used in the manufacture and operation of motors, and, like +petrol, is regarded by some authorities as essential to motive power +today. Leather is even more widely used in cavalry and infantry +equipment. It is understood that both rubber and leather, together +with wool, have been embargoed by most of the belligerent countries. +It will be recalled that the United States has in the past exercised +the right of embargo upon exports of any commodity which might aid the +enemy's cause. + +_(9) The United States has not interfered with the sale to Great +Britain and her allies of arms, ammunition, horses, uniforms, and +other munitions of war, although such sales prolong the conflict._ + +There is no power in the Executive to prevent the sale of ammunition +to the belligerents. The duty of a neutral to restrict trade in +munitions of war has never been imposed by international law or by +municipal statute. It has never been the policy of this Government to +prevent the shipment of arms or ammunition into belligerent territory, +except in the case of neighboring American republics, and then only +when civil strife prevailed. Even to this extent the belligerents in +the present conflict, when they were neutrals, have never, so far as +the records disclose, limited the sale of munitions of war. It is only +necessary to point to the enormous quantities of arms and ammunition +furnished by manufacturers in Germany to the belligerents in the +Russo-Japanese war, and in the recent Balkan wars, to establish the +general recognition of the propriety of the trade by a neutral nation. + +It may be added that on the 15th of December last, the German +Ambassador, by direction of his Government, presented a copy of a +memorandum of the Imperial German Government which, among other +things, set forth the attitude of that Government toward traffic in +contraband of war by citizens of neutral countries. The Imperial +Government stated that "under the general principles of international +law, no exception can be taken to neutral States, letting war material +go to Germany's enemies from or through neutral territory," and that +the adversaries of Germany in the present war are, in the opinion of +the Imperial Government, authorized to "draw on the United States +contraband of war, and especially arms worth billions of marks." + +These principles, as the Ambassador stated, have been accepted by the +United States Government in the statement issued by the Department of +State on Oct. 15 last, entitled "Neutrality and Trade in Contraband." +Acting in conformity with the propositions there set forth, the United +States has itself taken no part in contraband traffic, and has, so far +as possible, lent its influence toward equal treatment for all +belligerents in the matter of purchasing arms and ammunition of +private persons in the United States. + +_(10) The United States has not suppressed the sale of dumdum bullets +to Great Britain._ + +On Dec. 5 last the German Ambassador addressed a note to the +department stating that the British Government had ordered from the +Winchester Repeating Arms Company 20,000 "riot guns," Model 1897, and +50,000,000 "buckshot cartridges" for use in such guns. The department +replied that it saw a published statement of the Winchester Company, +the correctness of which the company has confirmed to the department +by telegraph. In this statement the company categorically denies that +it has received an order for such guns and cartridges from or made any +sales of such material to the British Government, or to any other +Government engaged in the present war. The Ambassador further called +attention to "information, the accuracy of which is not to be +doubted," that 8,000,000 cartridges fitted with "mushroom bullets" had +been delivered since October of this year by the Union Metallic +Cartridge Company for the armament of the English Army. + +In reply the department referred to the letter of Dec. 10, 1914, of +the Remington Arms-Union Metallic Cartridge Company of New York to the +Ambassador, called forth by certain newspaper reports of statements +alleged to have been made by the Ambassador in regard to the sales by +that company of soft-nosed bullets. From this letter, a copy of which +was sent to the department by the company, it appears that instead of +8,000,000 cartridges having been sold only a little over 117,000 were +manufactured and 109,000 were sold. + +The letter further asserts that these cartridges were made to supply a +demand for a better sporting cartridge with a soft-nosed bullet than +had been manufactured theretofore, and that such cartridges cannot be +used in the military rifles of any foreign powers. The company adds +that its statements can be substantiated and that it is ready to give +the Ambassador any evidence that he may require on these points. The +department further stated that it was also in receipt from the company +of a complete detailed list of the persons to whom these cartridges +were sold, and that from this list it appeared that the cartridges +were sold to firms in lots of 20 to 2,000 and one lot each of 3,000, +4,000, and 5,000. Of these only 960 cartridges went to British North +America and 100 to British East Africa. + +The department added that if the Ambassador could furnish evidence +that this or any other company is manufacturing and selling for the +use of the contending armies in Europe cartridges whose use would +contravene The Hague Conventions, the department would be glad to be +furnished with this evidence, and that the President would, in case +any American company is shown to be engaged in this traffic, use his +influence to prevent so far as possible sales of such ammunition to +the powers engaged in the European war, without regard to whether it +is the duty of this Government upon legal or conventional grounds to +take such action. + +The substance of both the Ambassador's note and the department's reply +have appeared in the press. + +The department has received no other complaints of alleged sales of +dumdum bullets by American citizens to belligerent Governments. + +_(11) British warships are permitted to lie off American ports and +intercept neutral vessels._ + +The complaint is unjustified from the fact that representations were +made to the British Government that the presence of war vessels in the +vicinity of New York Harbor was offensive to this Government, and a +similar complaint was made to the Japanese Government as to one of its +cruisers in the vicinity of the Port of Honolulu. In both cases the +warships were withdrawn. + +It will be recalled that in 1863 the department took the position that +captures made by its vessels after hovering about neutral ports would +not be regarded as valid. In the Franco-Prussian war President Grant +issued a proclamation warning belligerent warships against hovering in +the vicinity of American ports for purposes of observation or hostile +acts. The same policy has been maintained in the present war, and in +all of the recent proclamations of neutrality the President states +that such practice by belligerent warships is "unfriendly and +offensive." + +_(12) Great Britain and her allies are allowed without protest to +disregard American citizenship papers and passports._ + +American citizenship papers have been disregarded in a comparatively +few instances by Great Britain, but the same is true of all the +belligerents. Bearers of American passports have been arrested in all +the countries at war. In every case of apparent illegal arrest the +United States Government has entered vigorous protests with request of +release. The department does not know of any cases except one or two, +which are still under investigation, in which naturalized Germans have +not been released upon representations by this Government. There have, +however, come to the department's notice authentic cases in which +American passports have been fraudulently obtained and used by certain +German subjects. + +The Department of Justice has recently apprehended at least four +persons of German nationality who, it is alleged, obtained American +passports under pretense of being American citizens, and for the +purpose of returning to Germany without molestation by her enemies +during the voyage. There are indications that a systematic plan had +been devised to obtain American passports through fraud for the +purpose of securing safe passage for German officers and reservists +desiring to return to Germany. + +Such fraudulent use of passports by Germans themselves can have no +other effect than to cast suspicion upon American passports in +general. New regulations, however, requiring among other things the +attaching of a photograph of the bearer to his passport, under the +seal of the Department of State, and the vigilance of the Department +of Justice, will doubtless prevent further misuse of American +passports. + +_(13) Change of policy in regard to loans to belligerents._ + +War loans in this country were disapproved because inconsistent with +the spirit of neutrality. There is a clearly defined difference +between a war loan and the purchase of arms and ammunition. The policy +of disapproving of war loans affects all Governments alike, so that +the disapproval is not an unneutral act. The case is entirely +different in the matter of arms and ammunition because prohibition of +export not only might not, but, in this case, would not, operate +equally upon the nations at war. Then, too, the reason given for the +disapproval of war loans is supported by other considerations which +are absent in the case presented by the sale of arms and ammunition. +The taking of money out of the United States during such a war as this +might seriously embarrass the Government in case it needed to borrow +money, and it might also seriously impair this nation's ability to +assist the neutral nations which, though not participants in the war, +are compelled to bear a heavy burden on account of the war, and, +again, a war loan, if offered for popular subscription in the United +States, would be taken up chiefly by those who are in sympathy with +the belligerents seeking the loan. + +The result would be that great numbers of the American people might +become more earnest partisans, having material interest in the success +of the belligerent whose bonds they hold. These purchasers would not +be confined to a few, but would spread generally throughout the +country, so that the people would be divided into groups of partisans, +which would result in intense bitterness and might cause an +undesirable if not a serious situation. On the other hand, contracts +for and sales of contraband are mere matters of trade. The +manufacturer, unless peculiarly sentimental, would sell to one +belligerent as readily as he would to another. No general spirit of +partisanship is aroused--no sympathies excited. The whole transaction +is merely a matter of business. + +This Government has not been advised that any general loans have been +made by foreign Governments in this country since the President +expressed his wish that loans of this character should not be made. + +_(14) Submission to arrest of native-born Americans on neutral vessels +and in British ports and their imprisonment._ + +The general charge as to the arrest of American-born citizens on board +neutral vessels and in British ports, the ignoring of their passports, +and their confinement in jails, requires evidence to support it. That +there have been cases of injustice of this sort is unquestionably +true, but Americans in Germany have suffered in this way, as Americans +have in Great Britain. This Government has considered that the +majority of these cases resulted from overzealousness on the part of +subordinate officials in both countries. Every case which has been +brought to the attention of the Department of State has been properly +investigated, and if the facts warranted a demand for release has been +made. + +_(15) Indifference to confinement of non-combatants in detention camps +in England and France._ + +As to the detention of non-combatants confined in concentration camps, +all the belligerents, with perhaps the exception of Servia and Russia, +have made similar complaints, and those for whom this Government is +acting have asked investigations, which representatives of this +Government have made impartially. Their reports have shown that the +treatment of prisoners is generally as good as possible under the +conditions in all countries, and that there is no more reason to say +that they are mistreated in one country than in another country, or +that this Government has manifested an indifference in the matter. As +this department's efforts at investigations seemed to develop +bitterness between the countries, the department on Nov. 20 sent a +circular instruction to its representatives not to undertake further +investigation of concentration camps. + +But at the special request of the German Government that Mr. Jackson, +former American Minister at Bucharest, now attached to the American +Embassy at Berlin, make an investigation of the prison camps in +England, in addition to the investigations already made, the +department has consented to dispatch Mr. Jackson on this special +mission. + +_(16) Failure to prevent transshipment or British troops and war +materials across the territory of the United States._ + +The department has had no specific case of the passage of convoys or +troops across American territory brought to its notice. There have +been rumors to this effect, but no actual facts have been presented. +The transshipment of reservists of all belligerents who have requested +the privilege has been permitted on condition that they travel as +individuals and not as an organized, uniformed, or armed bodies. The +German Embassy has advised the department that it would not be likely +to avail itself of the privilege, but Germany's ally, Austria-Hungary, +did so. + +Only one case raising the question of the transit of war material +owned by a belligerent across United States territory has come to the +department's notice. This was a request on the part of the Canadian +Government for permission to ship equipment across Alaska to the sea. +The request was refused. + +_(17) Treatment and final internment of German S.S. Geier and the +collier Locksun at Honolulu._ + +The Geier entered Honolulu on Oct. 15 in an unseaworthy condition. The +commanding officer reported the necessity of extensive repairs which +would require an indefinite period for completion. The vessel was +allowed the generous period of three weeks, to Nov. 7, to make repairs +and leave the port, or, failing to do so, to be interned. A longer +period would have been contrary to international practice, which does +not permit a vessel to remain for a long time in a neutral port for +the purpose of repairing a generally run-down condition due to long +sea service. Soon after the German cruiser arrived at Honolulu a +Japanese cruiser appeared off the port, and the commander of the Geier +chose to intern the vessel rather than to depart from the harbor. + +Shortly after the Geier entered the Port of Honolulu the steamer +Locksun arrived. It was found that this vessel had delivered coal to +the Geier en route and had accompanied her toward Hawaii. As she had +thus constituted herself a tender or collier to the Geier, she was +accorded the same treatment and interned on Nov. 7. + +_(18) Unfairness to Germany in rules relative to coaling of warships +in Panama Canal Zone._ + +By proclamation of Nov. 13, 1914, certain special restrictions were +placed on the coaling of warships or their tenders or colliers in the +Canal Zone. These regulations were framed through the collaboration of +the State, Navy, and War Departments and without the slightest +reference to favoritism to the belligerents. Before these regulations +were proclaimed war vessels could procure coal of the Panama Railway +in the Zone ports, but no belligerent vessels are known to have done +so. + +Under the proclamation fuel may be taken on by belligerent warships +only with the consent of the canal authorities and in such amounts as +will enable them to reach the nearest accessible neutral port; and the +amount so taken on shall be deducted from the amount procurable in +United States ports within three months thereafter. Now it is charged +that the United States has shown partiality, because Great Britain and +not Germany happens to have colonies in the near vicinity where +British ships may coal, while Germany has no such coaling facilities. +Thus it is intimated the United States should balance the inequalities +of geographical position by refusal to allow any warships of +belligerents to coal in the Canal Zone until the war is over. As no +German warship has sought to obtain coal in the Canal Zone the charge +of discrimination rests upon a possibility which during several +months of warfare has failed to materialize. + +_(19) Failure to protest against the modifications of the Declaration +of London by the British Government._ + +The German Foreign Office presented to the diplomats in Berlin a +memorandum dated Oct. 10 calling attention to violations of and +changes in the Declaration of London by the British Government, and +inquiring as to the attitude of the United States toward such action +on the part of the Allies. The substance of the memorandum was +forthwith telegraphed to the department on Oct. 22, and was replied to +shortly thereafter to the effect that the United States had withdrawn +its suggestion, made early in the war, that for the sake of uniformity +the Declaration of London should be adopted as a temporary code of +naval warfare during the present war, owing to the unwillingness of +the belligerents to accept the declaration without changes and +modifications, and that thenceforth the United States would insist +that the rights of the United States and its citizens in the war +should be governed by the existing rules of international law. + +As this Government is not now interested in the adoption of the +Declaration of London by the belligerents, the modifications by the +belligerents in that code of naval warfare are of no concern to it, +except as they adversely affect the rights of the United States and +those of its citizens as defined by international law. In so far as +those rights have been infringed the department has made every effort +to obtain redress for the losses sustained. + +_(20) Generally unfriendly attitude of Government toward Germany and +Austria._ + +If any American citizens, partisans of Germany and Austria-Hungary, +feel that this Administration is acting in a way injurious to the +cause of those countries, this feeling results from the fact that on +the high seas the German and Austro-Hungarian naval power is thus far +inferior to the British. It is the business of a belligerent operating +on the high seas, not the duty of a neutral, to prevent contraband +from reaching an enemy. + +Those in this country who sympathize with Germany and Austria-Hungary +appear to assume that some obligation rests upon this Government, in +the performance of its neutral duty, to prevent all trade in +contraband, and thus to equalize the difference due to the relative +naval strength of the belligerents. No such obligation exists; it +would be an unneutral act, an act of partiality on the part of this +Government to adopt such a policy if the Executive had the power to +do so. If Germany and Austria-Hungary cannot import contraband from +this country it is not, because of that fact, the duty of the United +States to close its markets to the Allies. The markets of this country +are open upon equal terms to all the world, to every nation, +belligerent or neutral. + +The foregoing categorical replies to specific complaints is sufficient +answer to the charge of unfriendliness to Germany and Austria-Hungary. +I am, my dear Senator, very sincerely yours, + +W.J. BRYAN. + + + + +THE HOUSE WITH SEALED DOORS + +By EDITH M. THOMAS. + + + _... "A house with sealed doors, where a family of 7,000,000 + sits in silence around a cheerless hearth.... America opened + the window ... and slipped a loaf of bread into the + larder."--Frederick Palmer, in_ THE NEW YORK TIMES. + + Merchant ships many are on the main. + This that we send plies not for gain-- + Ship of the loaves! May her course be straight, + When the starving millions her coming wait! + + In a "Happy Province" beyond the sea + ("Happy" by fiat--a monarch's decree!) + They have seized their lands, they have taken their stores, + They have shut them up, they have sealed the doors! + + The folk within--their table is bare. + But why should the lords of the "Province" care?-- + Myrmidons, myrmidons, first to feed; + Afterwards think of the people's need. + + Let the arm'd men eat, let the people wait, + (Say the lords of the "Province" who parcel out fate,) + Let the arm'd men feed--that their strength endure, + That their hearts be lusty, their grasp be sure! + + In that "Happy Province" beyond the sea + They are not bond and they are not free: + In silence they sit by their smoldered hearth; + But the winds bear their burden around the earth! + + The winds and the waters are rolling along + The rune of their sorrow (too cruel for song!) ... + Bring food for the family robbed of its stores; + Open a window where sealed are the doors! + + Merchant ships many are on the main. + This that we send plies not for gain-- + Ship of the loaves!... Ye have given them lead, + Ye lords of the "Province," but we give bread! + + + + +Seizures of American Cargoes + +By William J. Bryan, American Secretary of State + + By agreement between the Governments of the United States + and Great Britain the text of the American note, printed + below, setting forth the views of this Government in + opposition to British interference with American trade, was + made public in Washington on Dec. 31, 1914, and + simultaneously in London. At the same time copies of the + American communication were for the first time delivered to + the Ambassadors and Ministers of all the powers at + Washington, and the note was cabled by them to their + respective Governments. The American communication--it is + not a note, strictly speaking, because all notes are sent by + mail in diplomacy and never by telegraph--sets forth clearly + the conditions of which the American Government and people + complain resulting from the frequent seizures and detentions + by the British of American cargoes destined to neutral + European ports. + + +_The Secretary of State to the American Ambassador at London._ + +Department of State, +WASHINGTON, Dec. 26, 1914. + +The present condition of American foreign trade resulting from the +frequent seizures and detentions of American cargoes destined to +neutral European ports has become so serious as to require a candid +statement of the views of this Government in order that the British +Government may be fully informed as to the attitude of the United +States toward the policy which has been pursued by the British +authorities during the present war. + +You will therefore communicate the following to his Majesty's +principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, but in doing so you +will assure him that it is done in the most friendly spirit and in the +belief that frankness will better serve the continuance of cordial +relations between the two countries than silence, which may be +misconstrued into acquiescence in a course of conduct which this +Government cannot but consider to be an infringement upon the rights +of American citizens. + +The Government of the United States has viewed with growing concern +the large number of vessels laden with American goods destined to +neutral ports in Europe which have been seized on the high seas, taken +into British ports, and detained sometimes for weeks by the British +authorities. During the early days of the war this Government assumed +that the policy adopted by the British Government was due to the +unexpected outbreak of hostilities and the necessity of immediate +action to prevent contraband from reaching the enemy. + +For this reason it was not disposed to judge this policy harshly, or +protest it vigorously, although it was manifestly very injurious to +American trade with the neutral countries of Europe. This Government, +relying confidently upon the high regard which Great Britain has so +often exhibited in the past for the rights of other nations, +confidently awaited amendment of a course of action which denied to +neutral commerce the freedom to which it was entitled by the law of +nations. + +[Illustration: COUNT LADISLAUS STADNICKI + +Founder of the Polish Legion of the German Army. + +(_Photo from Engelbrecht._)] + +[Illustration: GENERAL VON KROBATKIN + +Chief of the Austrian General Staff. + +(_Photo from Paul Thompson._)] + +This expectation seemed to be rendered the more assured by the +statement of the Foreign Office early in November that the British +Government was satisfied with guarantees offered by the Norwegian, +Swedish, and Danish Governments as to non-exportation of contraband +goods when consigned to named persons in the territories of those +Governments, and that orders had been given to the British fleet and +customs authorities to restrict interference with neutral vessels +carrying such cargoes so consigned to verification of ship's papers +and cargoes. + +It is therefore a matter of deep regret that, though nearly five +months have passed since the war began, the British Government has not +materially changed its policy and do not treat less rigorously ships +and cargoes passing between neutral ports in the peaceful pursuit of +lawful commerce, which belligerents should protect rather than +interrupt. The greater freedom from detention and seizure which was +confidently expected to result from consigning shipments to definite +consignees rather than "to order" is still awaited. + +It is needless to point out to his Majesty's Government, usually the +champion of the freedom of the seas and the rights of trade, that +peace, not war, is the normal relation between nations and that the +commerce between countries which are not belligerents should not be +interfered with by those at war unless such interference is manifestly +an imperative necessity to protect their national safety, and then +only to the extent that it is a necessity. + +It is with no lack of appreciation of the momentous nature of the +present struggle in which Great Britain is engaged and with no selfish +desire to gain undue commercial advantage that this Government is +reluctantly forced to the conclusion that the present policy of his +Majesty's Government toward neutral ships and cargoes exceeds the +manifest necessity of a belligerent and constitutes restrictions upon +the rights of American citizens on the high seas which are not +justified by the rules of international law or required under the +principle of self-preservation. + +The Government of the United States does not intend at this time to +discuss the propriety of including certain articles in the lists of +absolute and conditional contraband which have been proclaimed by his +Majesty. Open to objection as some of these seem to this Government, +the chief ground of present complaint is the treatment of cargoes of +both classes of articles when bound to neutral ports. + +Articles listed as absolute contraband, shipped from the United States +and consigned to neutral countries, have been seized and detained on +the ground that the countries to which they were destined have not +prohibited the exportation of such articles. Unwarranted as such +detentions are, in the opinion of this Government, American exporters +are further perplexed by the apparent indecision of the British +authorities in applying their own rules to neutral cargoes. + +For example, a shipment of copper from this country to a specified +consignee in Sweden was detained because, as was stated by Great +Britain, Sweden had placed no embargo on copper. On the other hand, +Italy not only prohibited the export of copper, but, as this +Government is informed, put in force a decree that shipments to +Italian consignees or "to order" which arrive in ports of Italy cannot +be exported or transshipped. The only exception Italy makes is of +copper which passes through that country in transit to another +country. In spite of these decrees, however, the British Foreign +Office has thus far declined to affirm that copper shipments consigned +to Italy will not be molested on the high seas. Seizures are so +numerous and delays so prolonged that exporters are afraid to send +their copper to Italy, steamship lines decline to accept it, and +insurers refuse to issue policies upon it. In a word, a legitimate +trade is being greatly impaired through uncertainty as to the +treatment which we may expect at the hands of the British authorities. + +We feel that we are abundantly justified in asking for information as +to the manner in which the British Government propose to carry out the +policy which they have adopted in order that we may determine the +steps necessary to protect our citizens engaged in foreign trade in +their rights and from the serious losses to which they are liable +through ignorance of the hazards to which their cargoes are exposed. + +In the case of conditional contraband, the policy of Great Britain +appears to this Government to be equally unjustified by the +established rules of international conduct. As evidence of this, +attention is directed to the fact that a number of the American +cargoes which have been seized consist of foodstuffs and other +articles of common use in all countries which are admittedly relative +contraband. In spite of the presumption of innocent use because +destined to neutral territory, the British authorities made these +seizures and detentions without, so far as we are informed, being in +possession of facts which warranted a reasonable belief that the +shipments had in realty a belligerent destination, as that term is +used in international law. + +Mere suspicion is not evidence, and doubts should be resolved in favor +of neutral commerce, not against it. The effect upon trade in these +articles between neutral nations resulting from interrupted voyages +and detained cargoes is not entirely cured by reimbursement of the +owners for the damages which they have suffered, after investigation +has failed to establish an enemy destination. The injury is to +American commerce with neutral countries as a whole through the hazard +of the enterprise and the repeated diversion of goods from +establishing markets. + +It also appears that cargoes of this character have been seized by the +British authorities because of a belief that, though not originally so +intended by the shippers, they will ultimately reach the territory of +the enemies of Great Britain. Yet this belief is frequently reduced to +a mere fear in view of the embargoes which have been decreed by the +neutral countries to which they are destined on the articles composing +the cargoes. + +That a consignment "to order" of articles listed as conditional +contraband and shipped to a neutral port raises a legal presumption of +enemy destination appears to be directly contrary to the doctrines +previously held by Great Britain and thus stated by Lord Salisbury +during the South African war: + +"Foodstuffs, though having a hostile destination, can be considered as +contraband of war only if they are for the enemy forces; it is not +sufficient that they are capable of being so used, it must be shown +that this was in fact their destination at the time of their seizure." + +With this statement as to conditional contraband the views of this +Government are in entire accord, and upon this historic doctrine, +consistently maintained by Great Britain when a belligerent as well as +a neutral, American shippers were entitled to rely. + +The Government of the United States readily admits the full right of a +belligerent to visit and search on the high seas the vessels of +American citizens or other neutral vessels carrying American goods and +to detain them WHEN THERE IS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO JUSTIFY A BELIEF +THAT CONTRABAND ARTICLES ARE IN THEIR CARGOES; but his Majesty's +Government, judging by their own experience in the past, must realize +that this Government cannot without protest permit American ships or +American cargoes to be taken into British ports and there detained for +the purpose of searching generally for evidence of contraband or upon +presumptions created by special municipal enactments which are clearly +at variance with international law and practice. + +This Government believes and earnestly hopes his Majesty's Government +will come to the same belief, that a course of conduct more in +conformity with the rules of international usage, which Great Britain +has strongly sanctioned for many years, will in the end better serve +the interests of belligerents as well as those of neutrals. + +Not only is the situation a critical one to the commercial interests +of the United States, but many of the great industries of this country +are suffering because their products are denied long-established +markets in European countries, which, though neutral, are contiguous +to the nations at war. Producers and exporters, steamship and +insurance companies, are pressing, and not without reason, for relief +from the menace to transatlantic trade which is gradually but surely +destroying their business and threatening them with financial +disaster. + +The Government of the United States, still relying upon the deep sense +of justice of the British Nation, which has been so often manifested +in the intercourse between the two countries during so many years of +uninterrupted friendship, expresses confidently the hope that his +Majesty's Government will realize the obstacles and difficulties which +their present policy has placed in the way of commerce between the +United States and the neutral countries of Europe and will instruct +its officials to refrain from all unnecessary interference with the +freedom of trade between nations which are sufferers, though not +participants, in the present conflict; and will in their treatment of +neutral ships and cargoes conform more closely to those rules +governing the maritime relations between belligerents and neutrals +which have received the sanction of the civilized world and in which +Great Britain has in other wars so strongly and successfully +advocated. + +In conclusion, it should be impressed upon his Majesty's Government +that the present condition of American trade with the neutral European +countries is such that, if it does not improve, it may arouse a +feeling contrary to that which has so long existed between the +American and British people. Already it is becoming more and more the +subject of public criticism and complaint. There is an increasing +belief, doubtless not entirely unjustified, that the present British +policy toward American trade is responsible for the depression in +certain industries which depend upon European markets. The attention +of the British Government is called to this possible result of their +present policy, to show how widespread the effect is upon the +industrial life of the United States and to emphasize the importance +of removing the cause of complaint. + +WILLIAM J. BRYAN, +Secretary of State. + + + + +GERMAN CROWN PRINCE TO AMERICA + +[By The Associated Press.] + + +Geneva, (via Paris,) Jan. 29.--Crown Prince Frederick William of +Germany has sent to the local correspondent of The Associated Press, +in response to a request for a statement on the war, the following +reply, dated near Verdun, Jan. 22: + +"You ask me to send a message to the American people. Being an officer +and no diplomat, I have no right to do so, but if you like I will tell +you three things: + +"First--Every single German and Austrian is quite certain that we will +come out on top, and will give his last drop of blood to this end. + +"Second--We are convinced that the day will come when the people of +Russia and France will find out that they are only doing the dirty +work for England. + +"Third--We expect from America absolutely fair play in all questions. + +"These are my personal ideas, but a good many of my countrymen feel +the same. Greetings. + +"WILHELM, Kronprinz." + + + + +The Official British Explanation + +By Sir Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Great +Britain + + The State Department in Washington and the Foreign Office in + London, by agreement, made public simultaneously on Jan. 10, + 1915, the British reply to the American protest against the + undue detention of American ships and cargoes seized for + search for contraband. The answer, signed by Sir Edward + Grey, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, + was addressed to Walter Hines Page, the American Ambassador + in London, who cabled it to Washington on Jan. 7. The note + is preliminary, and was to be followed by a more detailed + reply. + + +_The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the American +Ambassador._ + +FOREIGN OFFICE, Jan. 7, 1915. + +Your Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your note +of the 28th of December. It is being carefully examined and the points +raised in it are receiving consideration, as the result of which a +reply shall be addressed to your Excellency dealing in detail with the +issues raised and the points to which the United States Government +have drawn attention. This consideration and the preparation of the +reply will necessarily require some time, and I therefore desire to +send without further delay some preliminary observations which will, I +trust, help to clear the ground and remove some misconceptions that +seem to exist. + +Let me say at once that we entirely recognize the most friendly spirit +referred to by your Excellency and that we desire to reply in the same +spirit and in the belief that, as your Excellency states, frankness +will best serve the continuance of cordial relations between the two +countries. + +His Majesty's Government cordially concur in the principle enunciated +by the Government of the United States that a belligerent, in dealing +with trade between neutrals, should not interfere unless such +interference is necessary to protect the belligerent's national +safety, and then only to the extent to which this is necessary. We +shall endeavor to keep our action within the limits of this principle +on the understanding that it admits our right to interfere when such +interference is not with "bona-fide" trade between the United States +and another neutral country, but with trade in contraband destined for +the enemy's country; and we are ready, whenever our action may +unintentionally exceed this principle, to make redress. + +We think that much misconception exists as to the extent to which we +have, in practice, interfered with trade. Your Excellency's note seems +to hold his Majesty's Government responsible for the present condition +of trade with neutral countries, and it is stated that, through the +action of his Majesty's Government, the products of the great +industries of the United States have been denied long-established +markets in European countries which, though neutral, are contiguous to +the seat of war. Such a result is far from being the intention of his +Majesty's Government, and they would exceedingly regret that it should +be due to their action. + +I have been unable to obtain complete or conclusive figures showing +what the state of trade with these neutral countries has been +recently, and I can, therefore, only ask that some further +consideration should be given to the question whether United States +trade with these neutral countries has been so seriously affected. The +only figures as to the total volume of trade that I have seen are +those for the exports from New York for the month of November, 1914, +and they are as follows, compared with the month of November, 1913: + +Exports from New York for November, 1913, and November, 1914, +respectively: Denmark, $558,000, $7,101,000; Sweden, $377,000, +$2,858,000; Norway, $477,000, $2,318,000; Italy, $2,971,000, +$4,781,000; Holland, $4,389,000, $3,960,000. + +It is true that there may have been a falling off in cotton exports, +as to which New York figures would be no guide, but his Majesty's +Government have been most careful not to interfere with cotton, and +its place on the free list has been scrupulously maintained. + +We do not wish to lay too much stress upon incomplete statistics; the +figures above are not put forward as conclusive, and we are prepared +to examine any further evidence with regard to the state of trade with +these neutral countries, which may point to a different conclusion or +show that it is the action of his Majesty's Government in particular +and not the existence of a state of war and consequent diminution of +purchasing power and shrinkage of trade, which is responsible for +adverse effects upon trade with the neutral countries. + +That the existence of a state of war on such a scale has had a very +adverse effect upon certain great industries, such as cotton, is +obvious, but it is submitted that this is due to the general cause of +diminished purchasing power of such countries as France, Germany, and +the United Kingdom rather than to interference with trade with neutral +countries. In the matter of cotton it may be recalled that the British +Government gave special assistance through the Liverpool Cotton +Exchange to the renewal of transactions in the cotton trade of not +only the United Kingdom, but of many neutral countries. + +Your Excellency's note refers in particular to the detention of +copper. The figures taken from official returns for the export of +copper from the United States for Italy for the months during which +the war has been in progress up to the end of the first three weeks of +December are as follows: + +1913--Fifteen million two hundred and two thousand pounds. + +1914--Thirty-six million two hundred and eighty-five thousand pounds. + +Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland are not shown separately for +the whole period in the United States returns, but are included in the +heading "Other Europe"; that is, Europe other than the United Kingdom, +Russia, France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Holland, and Italy. The +corresponding figures under this heading are as follows: + +1913--Seven million two hundred and seventy-one thousand pounds. + +1914--Thirty-five million three hundred and forty-seven thousand +pounds. + +With such figures the presumption is very strong that the bulk of +copper consigned to these countries has recently been intended not for +their own use, but for that of a belligerent who cannot import it +direct. It is therefore an imperative necessity for the safety of this +country while it is at war that his Majesty's Government should do all +in its power to stop such part of this import of copper as is not +genuinely destined for neutral countries. + +Your Excellency does not quote any particular shipment of copper to +Sweden which has been detained. There are, however, four consignments +to Sweden at the present time of copper and aluminium which, though +definitely consigned to Sweden, are, according to positive evidence in +the possession of his Majesty's Government, definitely destined for +Germany. + +I cannot believe that, with such figures before them and in such cases +as those just mentioned, the Government of the United States would +question the propriety of the action of his Majesty's Government in +taking suspected cargoes to a prize court, and we are convinced that +it cannot be in accord with the wish either of the Government or of +the people of the United States to strain the international code in +favor of private interests so as to prevent Great Britain from taking +such legitimate means for this purpose as are in her power. + +With regard to the seizure of foodstuffs, to which your Excellency +refers, his Majesty's Government are prepared to admit that foodstuffs +should not be detained and put into a prize court without the +presumption that they are intended for the armed forces of the enemy +or the enemy Government. We believe that this rule has been adhered to +in practice hitherto, but if the United States Government have +instances to the contrary we are prepared to examine them, and it is +our present intention to adhere to the rule, though we cannot give an +unlimited and unconditional undertaking, in view of the departure by +those against whom we are fighting from hitherto accepted rules of +civilization and humanity and the uncertainty as to the extent to +which such rules may be violated by them in future. + +From the 4th of August last to the 3d of January the number of +steamships proceeding from the United States for Holland, Denmark, +Norway, Sweden, and Italy has been 773. Of these there are 45 which +have had consignments of cargoes placed in the prize court, while of +the ships themselves only eight have been placed in the prize court, +and one of these has since been released. + +It is, however, essential under modern conditions that where there is +real ground for suspecting the presence of contraband the vessel +should be brought into port for examination. In no other way can the +right of search be exercised, and but for this practice it would have +to be completely abandoned. + +Information was received by us that special instructions had been +given to ship rubber from the United States under another designation +to escape notice, and such cases have occurred in several instances. +Only by search in a port can such cases, when suspected, be discovered +and proved. + +The necessity for examination in a port may also be illustrated by a +hypothetical instance connected with cotton, which has not yet +occurred. Cotton is not specifically mentioned in your Excellency's +note, but I have seen public statements made in the United States that +the attitude of his Majesty's Government with regard to cotton has +been ambiguous and thereby responsible for depression in the cotton +trade. + +There has never been any foundation for this allegation. His Majesty's +Government have never put cotton on the list of contraband; they have +throughout the war kept it on the free list, and on every occasion +when questioned on the point they have stated their intention of +adhering to this practice. But information has reached us that, +precisely because we have declared our intention of not interfering +with cotton, ships carrying cotton will be specially selected to carry +concealed contraband, and we have been warned that copper will be +concealed in bales of cotton. + +Whatever suspicions we have entertained we have not so far made these +a ground for detaining any ship carrying cotton, but should we have +information giving us real reason to believe in the case of a +particular ship that the bales of cotton concealed copper or other +contraband the only way to prove our case would be to examine and +weigh the bales, a process that could be carried out only by bringing +the vessel into a port. In such a case, if examination justifies the +action of his Majesty's Government, the case shall be brought before a +prize court and dealt with in the ordinary way. + +That the decisions of British prize courts hitherto have not been +unfavorable to neutrals is evidenced by the decision in the Miramichi +case. This case, which was decided against the Crown, laid down that +the American shipper was to be paid even when he had sold a cargo, +cost, insurance, and freight, and when the risk of loss after the +cargo had been shipped did not apply to him at all. + +It has further been represented to his Majesty's Government, though +this subject is not dealt with in your Excellency's note, that our +embargoes on the export of some articles, more especially rubber, have +interfered with commercial interests in the United States. It is, of +course, difficult for his Majesty's Government to permit the export of +rubber from British dominions to the United States at a time when +rubber is essential to belligerent countries for carrying on the war, +and when a new trade in exporting rubber from the United States in +suspiciously large quantities to neutral countries has actually sprung +up since the war. + +It would be impossible to permit the export of rubber from Great +Britain unless the right of his Majesty's Government were admitted to +submit to a prize court cargoes of rubber exported from the United +States which they believed to be destined for an enemy country and +reasonable latitude of action for this purpose were conceded. But his +Majesty's Government have now provisionally come to an arrangement +with the rubber exporters in Great Britain which will permit of +licenses being given under proper guarantees for the export of rubber +to the United States. + +We are confronted with the growing danger that neutral countries +contiguous to the enemy will become, on a scale hitherto +unprecedented, a base of supplies for the armed soldiers of our +enemies and for materials for manufacturing armament. The trade +figures of imports show how strong this tendency is, but we have no +complaint to make of the attitude of the Governments of those +countries, which, so far as we are aware, have not departed from +proper rules of neutrality. We endeavor in the interest of our own +national safety to prevent this danger by intercepting goods really +destined for the enemy without interfering with those which are "bona +fide" neutral. + +Since the outbreak of the war the Government of the United States have +changed their previous practice and have prohibited the publication of +manifests till thirty days after the departure of vessels from the +United States ports. We had no "locus standi" for complaining of this +change and did not complain. But the effect of it must be to increase +the difficulty of ascertaining the presence of contraband and to +render necessary in the interests of our national safety the +examination and detention of more ships than would have been the case +if the former practice had continued. + +Pending a more detailed reply I would conclude by saying that his +Majesty's Government do not desire to contest the general principles +of law on which they understand the note of the United States to be +based, and desire to restrict their action solely to interferences +with contraband destined for the enemy. + +His Majesty's Government are prepared, whenever a cargo coming from +the United States is detained, to explain the case on which such +detention has taken place, and would gladly enter into any arrangement +by which mistakes can be avoided and reparation secured promptly, when +any injury to the neutral owners of a ship or cargo has been +improperly caused, for they are most desirous, in the interest both of +the United States and of other neutral countries, that British action +should not interfere with the normal importation and use by the +neutral countries of goods from the United States. + +I have the honor to be, with the highest consideration, your +Excellency's most obedient humble servant, + +E. GREY. + + + + +Italy and the War + +By William Roscoe Thayer + +[From THE NEW YORK TIMES, Jan. 17, 1915.] + + William Roscoe Thayer, author of the article printed below, + is one of the leading authorities on Italy in this country. + His works on Italian history include "The Dawn of Italian + Independence," "Italica," "A Short History of Venice," and + "The Life and Times of Cavour." The last named, published + three years ago, made a marked impression and won for its + author an enviable place as a historian. Mr. Thayer is a + graduate of Harvard and has edited the Harvard Graduates' + Magazine since 1892. Since 1913 he has been a member of the + Board of Overseers of Harvard College. + + +Too little has been said about Italy's refusal to join Germany and +Austria in their war for world power. During the past five months we +have heard German apologists offer the most contradictory arguments to +prove, first, that Russia, next, that France and Belgium, and, +finally, that England began the struggle. The Kaiser himself, with +that disdain of fact which is the privilege of autocrats, declared +that the sword was forced into his hands. And all the while the mere +abstention of Italy from supporting Germany and Austria gave the lie +to the Germanic protestations and excuses. + +By the terms of the Triple Alliance every member of it is bound to +communicate at once to the other members all international diplomatic +transactions which concern the alliance. Germany and Austria failed to +do this during the earlier stages in July, when they were preparing +for the war. Only after they had laid their train so surely that an +explosion was almost inevitable did they communicate the documents to +Italy and call upon her to take her place in the field with them. But +Italy refused; because, after examining the evidence, she concluded +that Germany and Austria were the aggressors. Now, the terms of the +Triple Alliance bind its members to stand by each other only in case +of attack. + +Italy's verdict, therefore, threw the guilt of the war on Germany and +Austria. She had testimony before her which does not appear even in +the "White Papers" and other official diplomatic correspondence; and +all the efforts of German zealots and casuists have not subtracted one +iota from the meaning of her abstention. Germany and Austria were the +aggressors--that is the Italian verdict which history will confirm. + +On this side of the water the German apologists made as little as +possible of Italy's withdrawal--they were too busy trying to persuade +the American public that trivialities like the passage of a French +aeroplane or of a French automobile with two French officers in it, +across a corner of Belgium, thirty minutes before the German Army +invaded Belgium, proved that the French and Belgians began the war. +They sneered a little at Italian honor; they implied that scuttling +off was all that could be expected of a decadent Latin people; and +they hinted that, after the Kaiser had disposed of France, Belgium, +England, and Russia, he would punish Italy for her "flight." + +At Berlin, however, the importance--military, political, and naval--of +Italy's withdrawal from the Triple Alliance was appraised at its true +value. The German Foreign Office employed alternately threats and +blandishments upon her. They warned her that, if she refused to back +up her allies, she would be treated without mercy at the end of +hostilities. When the policy of terrorizing failed, seductive promises +were held out--suggestions of an addition to Italian territory and of +a subsidy for military expenses. These also failed. Italy could not be +induced to send her million soldiers against the Allies. Then Germany +labored to prevent her from actively joining the Allies--and this +effort Germany is keeping up at the present moment, under the +direction of the sleek Prince von Buelow. + +The Italians, who have in large measure a sense of humor, that +clarifying quality which Prussianization has destroyed in the Germans, +must have smiled when they heard the German envoys expatiate on the +beauties of neutrality, and, although they are a polite people, they +must have found it hard to keep from laughing when the agents of Dr. +Bethmann-Hollweg, who had just declared that a treaty is only a scrap +of paper, to be torn up at pleasure, tried to impress upon Italy the +sacredness of the treaty which bound her to the Triple Alliance. + +Not content with these official, or officious, manoeuvres, the German +Government sent Socialist leaders into Italy to urge the Italian +Socialists not to consent to a war in behalf of the Allies; but they, +too, seem to have met with a chilly reception. The Italian Socialists, +like the rest of the world, wondered why it was that 5,000,000 +Socialists in Germany should allow themselves to be commandeered, +apparently without a murmur, to uphold a war waged to preserve and +extend military despotism. + +In addition to these direct efforts to win Italy to their side, or at +least to keep her from going over to the enemy, the Germans have been +busy since early in August with their Press Bureau, which has pursued +methods there similar to those they have made us familiar with here. +But in Italy they have been more guarded and less truculent, and they +have not, like the preposterous Bernstorff and his associates, assumed +that the public they were addressing was not only ignorant of the +simplest facts of recent European history, but were also morally +imbecile. + +Although the Italians are not less susceptible than are other peoples +to be swayed by sudden political gusts, they were not at the end of +July, 1914, taken by surprise. For a long time past their King and +statesmen had deliberated as to what ought to be Italy's course in +case Germany should carry out her well-understood purpose of humbling +England. The Italians were not deceived by the increase from year to +year of the German Army. They knew perfectly well what the tremendous +efforts of the Germans to create a great navy meant. They had no +illusions as to the purpose of the strategic railways to the Belgian +frontier on the west or to the Russian border on the east. They knew +how narrowly a European war was averted during the Balkan cataclysm +two years ago. They did not wrong the Kaiser by supposing that the +immense fund which he had recently raised from "voluntary" 5 per cent. +contributions on incomes was to be given to The Hague Tribunal to +promote the cause of universal peace. They logically and honorably +decided that, if Germany provoked war, Italy would not support her. +The bond of the Triple Alliance called for no other action on her +part. Germany and Austria provoked the war; Italy stood by her +agreement. + +But a still further consideration influenced her. It was understood +that, _if the war in which Germany and Austria engaged should involve +England as an enemy, Italy's obligation to support the Triple Alliance +would cease_. Since it would be suicidal for Italy to accept the +liability of a _casus foederis_ which should expose her to attack by +the English and French Navies, her participation in the Triple +Alliance always carried the proviso that it did not bind her to fight +England. + +Such is the substance of the statement made by the dean of Italian +statesmen, in a letter I received from him two months ago. No Italian +could speak from a more thorough knowledge of the facts than he +possessed, and that it has long been surmised that the Triplice could +not drive Italy against England appears in various publications. Gen. +Bernhardi, for instance, who knew so accurately the intentions of the +German General Staff and the secrets of the German Foreign Office, +intimates more than once that Germany and Austria, in their war for +world power, need not hope for Italy's support. Referring to Col. +Boucher's book, "L'Offensive contre L'Allemagne," he says: "Modern +French writers are already reckoning so confidently on the withdrawal +of Italy from the Triple Alliance that they no longer think it +necessary to put an army in the field against Italy, but consider that +the entire forces of France are available against Germany."[4] + +[Footnote 4: Bernhardi: "Germany and the Next War." English popular +edition, Page 138.] + +[Illustration: [map]] + +Why Italy made the reservation in the case of England will appear when +we glance at the origin of the Triple Alliance. + +In 1871 Bismarck thought that the Franco-Prussian war, by the military +losses and by the immense indemnity which it inflicted on the French +people, had rendered France powerless for a generation. But within +four years she paid the indemnity and had so far recovered in her +armament, commerce, and prosperity, that the Iron Chancellor prepared +to attack her again, and this time, to quote his butcher's phrase, "to +bleed her white." Only the certainty that the other powers would +interfere stayed his hand then. + +So he set about circumventing France by other means. A league of the +three Emperors of Germany, Austria, and Russia was the combination he +preferred; but Russia proved an uncertain partner, as she feared +Germanization, on the one hand, and, on the other, she was the +encourager of pro-Slavic aspirations which ran counter to the Germans' +ambition. Bismarck, therefore, looked about him for an alternative +plan. + +He would keep the friendship of Russia--even though Russia declined a +formal league--and he would lure Italy into the Germanic alliance. +England, he knew, could not be persuaded to enter a Continental +combination. Her commercial interests pointed elsewhere, and she still +clung to her policy of splendid isolation. But Italy was unattached; +and while she was the least formidable of the six great powers, +Bismarck saw that he could make good use of her for his own purposes. +The adroitness by which he drew her into his net is in direct contrast +to the bovine diplomacy by which Kaiser William II. and his +subservient Chancellors have succeeded, during the past twenty years, +in smashing all their alliances and in alienating the sympathy of the +civilized world. + +After the completion of Italian unity in 1870, the new Italian Kingdom +found itself harassed not only by the many details of solidifying the +civil Government, but also by the perplexities of international +relations. The abolition of the Pope's temporal power made her, in +theory at least, an object of odium to zealous Roman Catholics +throughout the world. Her nearest neighbors--France and +Austria--having long been the most loyal supporters of the head of the +Roman Church, Italy could not be sure that either or both of them +might not intrigue against her in behalf of the restoration of the +Papacy. There was also in Italy a group of patriotic Jingoes--the +Irredentists--bent on "redeeming" from Austria territory whose +inhabitants they claimed were Italian in language, ideals, and +situation. The Irredentist propaganda naturally increased the rancor +which Austria felt toward the Italians over whom she had recently +despotized. + +When Crispi, who was passing from his earlier character of conspirator +and Radical to that of constitutional statesman, made the tour of the +European Chancelleries, in 1877, he found Bismarck profuse in his +expression of good-will toward Italy. If we are to believe Crispi, the +Chancellor was ready then to draw up a treaty with her, and went so +far as to hint that he approved of Italy's aspirations. Among these +were the possession of Tunis and a foothold on the east coast of the +Adriatic. The next year, at the Berlin Congress, however, Italy's +interests were ignored, and, instead, Austria was encouraged to extend +her dominion south of the Balkans, and the French were at least not +discouraged from coveting a stronger position in the Mediterranean. + +Finally, in 1882, France seized Tunis, to the immense indignation of +the Italians, who had come to regard that as their predestined +province. For it lay only a few hours by steamer from the southern +coast of Sicily; it commanded the passage between the western and +eastern Mediterranean; and, above all, it was the symbol of Italy's +colonial ambition. To have a colony, if not several, was then regarded +as the sign of being a first-class power; and that Italy should be +tricked out of Tunis seemed to advertise to the world that she was not +a first-class power. For her protests availed nothing. + +The Italians did not know then, nor for a long time afterward, that +_the French seizure of Tunis was directly due to Bismarck's +instigation_. Lord Salisbury, also, who seems to have been in the +plot, approved it for his own reasons. Bismarck's motives were +plain--he wished to entangle France further in African colonial +ventures. It had taken forty years, many thousand soldiers' lives, and +great expenditures for France to make Algiers reasonably safe. As +Tunis would increase the French burdens, it followed that every +regiment needed there would diminish the strength of the armies with +which France guarded herself from a German attack on her eastern +frontier. + +Having roused the Italians to wrath by this ruse, Bismarck had no +difficulty in persuading them to join the Triple Alliance. He hardly +needed to suggest that, if they had felt anxious at the possibility of +French hostile pressure before, they had an even greater reason for +such anxiety now that the French controlled the Mediterranean south of +them. We may suspect also that Bismarck pointed out, as a special +inducement, that, if Italy joined the alliance, she would be free from +the likelihood of an attack by Austria. + +Accordingly, in 1882, Italy entered into partnership with Germany and +Austria for mutual defense. The only powers likely to assail them at +that time were France and Russia; for England was still isolated, and +Bismarck, although he felt a strong antipathy toward the English, was +too shrewd a statesman either to scorn or to provoke them. As late as +1889, he approved of Italy's seeking an _entente_ with England. + +At the time Italy joined the Triplice she felt, no doubt, an unwonted +sense of security. Were not two powerful empires standing by, ready +to defend her? Her wounded pride, also, was solaced by her admission +on equal terms into such a league. Neither France nor any other could +henceforth taunt her with being a second-rate power. + +The immediate result of the alliance was the spread of German +commercial and financial enterprises throughout the peninsula, and the +steady growth of Italian bad feeling toward France. A large group of +Italians made Gallophobia their guiding principle. They remembered +that, in the sixties, Napoleon III. had maintained at Rome that French +garrison which prevented them from emancipating the States of the +Church from Papal control, and from completing the unification of +Italy. They remembered that Napoleon annexed Nice--Garibaldi's +birthplace--to France, and that the French _chassepots_ at Mentana +dispersed Garibaldi and his red shirts bent on capturing the Eternal +City. In the eighties, the Italians had good reason to suspect that +the French Clericals were busy devising some imbroglio through which +the Pope might be restored to the temporal power. + +A convinced Gallophobe and crafty intriguer like Crispi, therefore, +easily inflamed Italian indignation, so recently excited by the +seizure of Tunis and by Clerical intrigues, and he counted it a gay +feather in his cap when, in 1889, he declared a tariff war on France. +Hard times for Italy followed; the commerce of the country was +dislocated, and although Crispi tried to get compensation by +negotiating special terms for trade with Germany and Austria, the new +customers did not make up for the old. Germany could not furnish +capital as France had done. Paris was, and is, the financial capital +of the European Continent. + +On this side Italy lost and Bismarck gained by the Triple +Alliance--for he had attained his purpose of splitting France and +Italy apart. What advantage did the Italians derive from the +agreement? The reply commonly given is, protection. But, we ask, +protection from whom? Not from France, because it is clear enough +that, whether the Triplice existed or not, Germany would have attacked +the French, if they had attacked the Italians; so that Italy had in +Germany a logical protector, to whom she need not have sacrificed her +initiative. + +Her only other possible assailant was Austria, and it may fairly be +argued that the alliance restrained Austria from attack; but Austria +permitted herself every other unfriendly act toward Italy except open +war; and Germany looked placidly on. + +The fact that Germany, the chief Protestant nation in Europe, was the +ally of Italy, might also be regarded as a support to the Italians in +their long conflict with Papal pretensions; but how little Germany +cared for Italy's welfare in this struggle appeared in 1903, when +Kaiser Wilhelm prevented the election of Cardinal Rampolla as Pope. +Rampolla, if not a Liberal, was a devoted Italian; Sarti, who defeated +him, was a Reactionary, controlled by the Jesuits, hostile to Italy. + +When we look at Germany's action in other affairs we find pleasant +words but no tangible profit. From her geographical position Italy +claimed an interest in the status of the Balkan Peninsula, and +particularly in the eastern shore of the Adriatic. Germany pretended +to favor her interests--according to Crispi, Bismarck even went so far +as to ask, "Why don't you take Albania?"--but it was Austria that +Germany steadily pushed on into the Balkans; and in 1908, when +Austria, with Germany's connivance, appropriated Bosnia and +Herzegovina, the Italians realized that they had been tricked again, +as they were in the case of Tunis. + +Since 1908 the Teutonic partners, growing more and more arrogant, have +shown indifference to the concerns of their Italian ally, who, seeing +no future for her in Europe, swooped down on Tripoli, the only stretch +of North African littoral not already possessed by the French and by +the English. Persons on the inside at Rome whispered that, if Italy +had not occupied Tripoli when she did, Germany would have forestalled +her; for the Kaiser, furious at being thwarted in Morocco and at +having failed to bully France into submission, as he had done in 1905, +had determined to seize Tripoli, come what might. More than one +Foreign Office has ample proof to settle this assertion. Its +plausibility is patent--Germany was already in close league with +Turkey, and, looking forward to a war on England, she saw the +advantage of owning territory and a naval base within easy reach of +the Suez Canal. + +Certain it is that both Germany and Austria frowned on Italy's Libyan +enterprise, and that, in their intrigues in the Balkan Peninsula, in +1912 and 1913, they ignored their Italian partner. + +And yet as long ago as 1895 Germany admitted that Italy was hardly +getting a fair return from her bargain with her Teutonic allies. On +March 5, 1895, Senator Lanza reported an interview he had just had +with Emperor William, who said; "He had found Count Kalnoky (the +Austrian Premier) ... still uneasy lest we (Italy) may come to +consider the Triple Alliance insufficiently advantageous, merely +because it cannot supply us, at once and in times of peace, with the +necessary means of satisfying our desires with regard to the +territories of Northern Africa and others as well. His Majesty ... +added: 'Wait patiently. Let the occasion but present itself and you +shall have whatever you wish.'"[5] + +[Footnote 5: Crispi's "Memoirs," iii., 326-7.] + +In spite of the Kaiser's assurance, Italy has got less and less return +from the Triple Alliance every year since 1895. + +It appears, therefore, that Italy long ago opened her eyes as to the +real profit the alliance brought her. When England loomed up as the +objective which Germany resolved to destroy, Italy quite logically let +it be understood that she would not engage in a fight against England. +Over thirty years of political alliance had created no sympathy among +the Italians for the Germans. Like all other Europeans, they resented +the arrogance of the Teutons who strode over their country. + +But deeper, far deeper than personal dislike of bad manners was the +fundamental antagonism between the Italian and the Prussian ideal. The +Italians were pledged to Liberty, the Germans to Autocracy, bulwarked +by militarism. In their long struggle for independence the Italians +had had the sympathy of the best Englishmen, and in Palmerston, and +especially in Lord John Russell, they found very powerful political +helpers. But never since Bismarck took the helm of Prussia had one +word in behalf of Democracy and Freedom been lisped by Monarch or +Minister. For Italy to abandon her democratic ideal and to revert to +the feudal-despotic ideal of the Pan-Germanists is unthinkable. + +If she goes into the war, as now seems probable, it will be to uphold +the Allies, who are fighting against Teutonic ambition inspired by +despotic aims. Self-preservation demands that choice--because, should +Germany win, she will not spare Italy. A stronger reason than +self-interest, or than fear, however, will guide the Italians. In +their past civilization and in their modern ideals they belong with +the Western powers. They know the origin of their national +independence. And if any Ministry should attempt to send them to +replenish the wasting armies of Germany and of Austria, they would +invoke the memory of Victor Emmanuel and of Garibaldi, of Mazzini and +of Cavour, and refuse to be partners in schemes to aggrandize the +Hapsburgs and the Hohenzollerns. + +"I am the son of Liberty," said Cavour; "to her I owe all that I am." +That, too, is Italy's motto, which she will not deny. + + + + +HE HEARD THE BUGLES CALLING + +BY CAREY C.D. BRIGGS + + + There's an old red mill at the foot of the hill; + Hear the mill-wheel turning, turning + To the drip of tears through the long, long years + Of my heart's relentless yearning-- + Oh, the tender note of the catch in his throat, + Oh, the tear that he dried with laughter; + "I'll be back some day-- + Mind the mill while I'm away," + And he waved one last kiss floating after. + Gone is the miller boy, + Gone from the mill; + Gone up the winding road, + Gone o'er the hill; + Gone with the drum-beat up over the hill, + Where he heard the bugles calling. + + There's no grist for the mill or siller for the till, + But I've kept the mill-wheel turning + To the rumble and the beat of a million marching feet, + And my sad heart's muffled yearning. + Oh, the road his brave feet trod, lit with glory up to God, + Oh, the courage of his call shames my sorrow; + "I'll be back some day-- + Mind the mill while I'm away," + And I caught one last kiss for tomorrow. + Gone is the miller boy, + Gone from the mill; + Gone up the winding road, + Gone o'er the hill; + Gone with the drum-beat up over the hill, + Where he heard the bugles calling. + + + + +German Soldiers Write Home + +Letter of Prince Joachim + + The following letter was written by Prince Joachim of + Prussia, son of the Kaiser, to Sergt. Karl Kummer of a + Prussian Regiment of Guards, who had been sent, badly + wounded, to his sister at Teplitz, and whom the Prince had + known for years. + + +My Dear Kummer: How sincerely I rejoiced to receive your very +solicitous letter. I was sure of Kummer for that--that no one could +hold him back when the time came to do some thrashing! God grant that +you may speedily recover, so that you can enter Potsdam, crowned with +glory, admired and envied. Who is nursing you? + +The old proud First Guard Regiment has proved that it was ready to +conquer and to die. Kummer, if I can in any way help you I shall +gladly do so by providing anything that will make you comfortable. You +know how happy I have always been for your devotion to the service, +and how we two always were for action (Schwung.) I, too, am proud to +have been wounded for our beloved Fatherland, and I regret only that I +am not permitted to be with the regiment. Well, may God take care of +you. Your devoted, + +JOACHIM OF PRUSSIA. + + + + +Letter of Rudolf Herzog + + The following letter, written from the field by Rudolf + Herzog, one of the leading German novelists and poets, was + published in rhymed verse in No. 41 of Die Woche. + + +It had been a wild week. The storm wind swept with its broom of rain; +it lashed us and splashed us, thrashed noses and ears, whistled +through our clothing, penetrated the pores of our skin. And in the +deluge--sights that made us shudder--gaunt skeleton churches, cracked +walls, smoking ruins, piled hillock high; cities and villages--judged, +annihilated. + +Over there a stone pit; faces grown like the faces of beasts, a +picked-up rabble of assassins. A short command. A howling of death. +Squarely across the road we surge. A bloody grappling coil; batteries +broken and shattered; iron and wood and bits of clothing and bones. + +And upon the just and the unjust alike, the lashing rain for days and +nights. + +We rushed through the gray Ardennes woods, the Chief Lieutenant and I, +racing along day after day, wrapped up tightly, our rifles ready, +through wood and marsh. No time to lose! No time to lose! Down into +the valley of the Meuse! + +Of twenty bridges, there remained but beams rolled up by the +waters--and yawning gaps. + +Now comes the order: In three days new bridges must be finished! + +Haste, men! Haste! Rain or no rain, it must be done! + +Pioneers and railway builders working together, hunt up material, drag +and hammer and ram it together; take the rain for the sweat of their +brows; look like fat toiling devils; hang along the banks, lie in the +water--after all, in this weather, no one can get any wetter! They +speak very little, and never laugh. Three days are short. Nothing, +nothing but duty! + +Not a thought remained for the distant homeland and dear ones far +away; the only thought, by day and by night--on to the enemy, come +what may! No mind intent on any other goal. No time to lose! No time +to lose! Haste! Haste! + +And forward and backward and criss-cross through the gray Ardennes, +the Chief Lieutenant and I, racing day after day. Laughter, when we +tried it, died sickly on our lips. The bridges! the bridges! and +nothing but the bridges! Empty belly, and limbs like lead. Once more, +now; all together for a last great heave! + +There lies Fumay on the smooth-flowing river; and next to the old +bridge, a newly built one stretches from shore to shore--a German +roadway, a roadway to good fortune! + +Captain of the Guard! You? From the Staff Headquarters? + +He shouts my name as he approaches. + +"Congratulations! Congratulations!" + +And he waves a paper above a hundred heads. + +"Telegram from home! Make way there, you rascal! At the home of our +poet--I've just learned it--a little war girl has arrived!" + +I hold the paper in my outstretched hand. Has the sun broken suddenly +into the enemy's land? Light and life on all the ruins?... + +I see a new bridge reaching on-- + +Springtime scatters the shuddering Autumn dreariness. + +My little girl! I have a little girl in my home!... + +You bring back my smile to me in a heavy time.... + +I gaze up at the sky and am silent. And far and near the busy, noisy +swarm of workers is silent. Every one looks up, seeking some point in +the far sky. Officers and men for a single heart-throb listen as to a +distant song from the lips of children and from a mother's +mouth--stand there and smile around me, in blissful pensiveness, as if +there were no longer an enemy. Every one seems to feel the sun, the +sun of olden happiness. + +And yet, it had merely chanced that on the German Rhine, in an old +castle lost amid trees, a dear little German girl was born. + +(Written Sept. 17, 1914, in the field.) + + + + +Letter of the Duke of Altenburg + + From a letter written from the front by the Duke of + Altenburg on Sept. 5, and published in the Altenburger + Zeitung. + + +We have lived through a great deal and done a great deal, marching, +marching continually, without rest or respite. On Aug. 10 we reached +Willdorf, near Juelich, by train, and from the 12th of August we +marched without a single day of rest except Aug. 16, which we spent in +a Belgian village near Liege, until today, when we reached ----. Those +have been army marches such as history has never known. + +[Illustration: DJEMAL PASHA + +The Turkish Minister of Marine, Who Shares with Enver Pasha the +Control of Turkish Affairs. + +(_Photo_ (C) _International News Service._)] + +[Illustration: EMIR ALI PASHA + +Vice President of the Turkish Parliament, Who Was Sent to Berlin to +Take Back to Turkey Mohammedan Prisoners Captured from the Allies. + +(_Photo from Press Illustrating Co._)] + +The weather was fine, except that a broiling heat blazed down upon us. +The regiment can point back to several days' marches of fifty +kilometers ----. Everywhere our arrival created great amazement, in +Louvain as well as in Brussels, into which the entire ---- marched +at one time. At first we were taken for Englishmen in almost every +village, and we still are, because the inhabitants cannot realize that +we have arrived so early. The Belgians, moreover, in the last few days +almost invariably set fire to their own villages. + +On Aug. 24 we first entered battle; I led a combined brigade +consisting of ----. The regiment fought splendidly, and in spite of +the gigantic strain put upon it, it is in the best of spirits and full +of the joy of battle. On that day I was for a long time in the +sharpest rifle and artillery fire. Since that time there have been +almost daily skirmishes and continual long marches; the enemy stalks +ahead of us in seven-league boots. On Aug. 26 we put behind us a +march of exactly twenty-three hours, from 6:30 o'clock in the morning +till 5:30 the next morning. With all that, I was supposed to lead my +regiment across a bridge to take a position guarding a new bridge in +course of construction; but the bridge, as we discovered in the nick +of time, was mined; twenty minutes later it flew into the air. + +After resting for three hours in a field of stubble, and after we had +all eaten in common with the men in a field kitchen--as we usually +do--we continued marching till dark. + +The spirit among our men is excellent. Tonight I am to have a real +bed--the fourth, I believe, since the war began. Today I undressed for +the first time in eight days. + + + + +Letter of Paul Oskar Hoecker + + The German novelist, Paul Oskar Hoecker is a Captain of the + Landwehr. + + +I wanted to write to you from the village of D., which we captured by +storm. Hundreds of Frenchmen, upon the retreat of their troops, +preferred to flee to the cellars, where they promptly transformed +themselves into civilians. Our battalion had orders to conduct +investigations, arrest those apparently liable to military service, +and to take possession of all arms. Unexpectedly large stores of +ammunition thus fell into our hands. Among these seizures were many +chests containing dumdum bullets and bearing the stamp of the +ammunition factory where they were made. The cartridges were intended +for use in carabines. Accordingly, it would seem to be chiefly a +question of the unlawful use of these missiles, repulsive to the laws +of nations, by bicycle and scout corps. + +These bullets lay also in a factory package in a writing desk next to +a draft of the last will and testament which Monsieur le Capitaine +wrote out on the first day of mobilization: He bequeathed his cash +fortune of 110,000 francs, as well as his household furniture and his +two hunting dogs, to Mme. Isabelle H. The forsaken Mme. Isabelle, who +sought distant and clearer skies two days before our entry into the +village, does not, however, seem to have been very fond of animals; +for out of the forsaken house there rose piteously the whimpering and +whining of the half-starved setters. + +But what are the thousand bright recollections of the captured town, +what are all the experiences of this campaign, compared to the heavy, +heavy days of fighting which our battalion had to battle through near +L.! + +On Sunday, Oct. 4 the detachment marched from D. in the direction of +L. It had been known for some time that the enemy was attempting a +movement around our extreme right flank. Continual detrainments of +French troops were taking place at L. A further advance was to be +permitted to them under no conditions. The march toward L. took place +on various roads. A cavalry division cleared the territory north of +the city, and dispatched, simultaneously with our own advance, a +company of Jaegers and a company of bicycle men against L. + +At 1 o'clock we received fire. The point of our column returns it. As +ever in small towns and suburbs the skill of the French is great in +street fighting, turning to best advantage every protruding corner and +extension of a building, and utilizing every alley of trees for firing +attacks. Then the Frenchman clears these spaces quickly and hurries +for protection to the next block of houses, till he has lured the foe +far enough forward to surprise him with a carefully prepared fire from +the side. + +By leaps and bounds we advance along the broad road to the heights of +the two suburbs F. and R. Here for the first time there is a matching +of fighting forces. Undoubtedly the foe is far superior to us +numerically; and he seems firmly determined not to allow himself to be +crowded out of his excellent sheltered positions. + +Our battery rolls up, and lets her brazen tongue speak. The infantry +fight ceases, until the foremost buildings are set aflame on all three +sides. Troop at a time, the French now take to flight, most of them +abandoning their cartridges, as is evidenced by the rattle of +exploding ammunition on every floor of the buildings. + +But R. holds out, while F., at the right of the roadway, and the +houses afire on the road toward Lille itself are quickly cleared of +the enemy. The bicycle patrol, which has undertaken a determined +advance to F., meets no further foe. + +But upon the two companies engaged on my right there is poured a +murderous fire that presently exacts heavy toll; and in the rough +country hereabout it is impossible to discover the masked positions of +the sharpshooters and machine guns. The Frenchman is an expert in the +location of excellent hiding places, wire entanglements, and the like. +He even puts forth infinite efforts to make his fortified positions +extremely comfortable nests from which he can enjoy a view of all the +points at which, in the irregular lay of the land, the enemy must +necessarily halt; and thereupon the Frenchman meets the hesitating +column of attack with his concentrated fire. + +Four guns are nibbling at the edge of the village with their shells. +Perhaps the machine guns, whose monotonous rattle lashes our nerves to +the snapping point, may be hidden there in the church tower. But the +battery commander hesitates to damage the house of God. So he leaves a +gap there, and sweeps the smaller houses. Suddenly one of the machine +guns ceases--it must have been concealed in the hedge close to the +church; the gun squad serving it must have been found by the fire of +our gunners; for presently there is noticeable in that quarter a foot +race of red-trousered infantrymen. In the moaning of the shells there +mingles the rattling of shrapnel. A whole group tumbles pell-mell; +yonder one of them dashes madly this way and that, until a new load +strikes him--they move like dolls in a miniature theatre; it is hard +to realize at this distance that human lives are being crushed out +here. + +But an hour later we entered R. Night has fallen. Through the mighty +gaps in the gabled roofs of the houses of the narrow street on which +we enter shines the moon. Four men of the bicycle corps stand silent +at the entrance to the village; the prisoners in their midst, +infantrymen in uniform or in rapidly donned civil garb--the tell-tale +red of the trousers shows under the short vest of one of them. In the +streets lie curious bundles, the corpses of those who have fallen +here. A wounded soldier drags wearily up to the subaltern officer's +post, with hands raised above his head; it is a Frenchman who has +thrown away his blue coat, but still wears his cap. The steps of the +incoming battalion ring out on the village pavement. Otherwise an icy +silence, night, and the smell of blood and burning. + +And now horror creeps over us. We greet Death. He greets us. + +In R. scarcely a single house is still inhabited. All have fled to L. +In the street that has been assigned to my company, I must have almost +every house opened by force, in order that the men, worn out with +marching and fighting, may rest. Here and there, in answer to +prolonged knocking, one of the inhabitants comes to the door. When the +shell fire began they took refuge in their cellars. + +In the brightly tiled hall of a pretty house that has escaped damage I +sit with the gentlemen for several hours over glasses of mulled wine. +We are waiting for orders for the next day. The orders reach us at 1 +o'clock that night; the detachment is to take its stand at 7 o'clock +beside the church at R., in order to continue the advance toward L. + +But during the hours of the night many changes have taken place. The +troops driven out of R. have sent their patrols, the black scouts, to +the very edge of the suburb again, under cover of darkness; and +reports of our cavalry and bicycle men tell that during the night +heavy detachments of troops sent from the north have reached L. They +talk of 40,000 to 50,000 men, chiefly newly enlisted forces and +territorials; but Englishmen, too, are said to be among them. Our +assigned task does not include fighting a destructive battle. We are +simply to compel the enemy to unfold his forces, for certain strategic +reasons the nature of which, of course, we do not know. Accordingly, +our small detachment must risk everything in order to lure upon itself +as many as possible of the enemy's troops. That, too, is just what +happened. + +We take our former positions. The cavalry division has departed, with +its artillery, its bicycle corps, its Jaegers, and its machine guns. +New problems are in store on the right wing for the brave division +which has already distinguished itself throughout the entire campaign. +We remain alone with our battery--the third battalion of the active +regiment and our provincial Landwehr battalion. + +It is going to be a heavy, heavy, heavy day of fighting. + +Patrols establish the fact that F. is free of the enemy's forces. But +as we enter the road toward L. the French machine guns at once +announce themselves. They sing and whistle and whirr above our heads. +After yesterday's losses (half a column of the Fifth Company is still +busy burying our dead, laying our wounded in automobiles and wagons to +be sent to the hospitals) our artillery will first shoot breaches in +the enemy's lines before we advance. + +But at midday the field artillery of the Frenchmen already replies to +ours. They must have transshipped, at night, from their positions on +the canal to L., in the belief that mighty forces were being assembled +here for a further tremendous blow. The object of our assignment would +in that case already have been for the most part accomplished. But all +of us subordinate officers--who neither possess nor should possess an +insight into the strategic movement--we have but a single desire: +Forward! + +For a few minutes, after the first thundering crash of the French +artillery, there is deep silence. It seems as if nature itself were +holding its breath. The crash had fallen in the alley of poplars along +the road. The roadway is strewn with branches and twigs. Just beside +the northern column of our battery the monstrous shell has buried +itself in the clay soil. A hail of earth-crumbs has rained upon us. We +cannot note any other damage. But all the companies that are still in +closed formation spread out in order to offer no compact target. + +For hours, now, there continues this terrible cannonading backward and +forward, this dreadful argument of batteries. Horrible as is the +devastation which such an instrument of murder can wreak, you +gradually grow accustomed to the roaring storm. And you almost smile +because you still lower your head each time. Until you remember: We +greet Death, and he greets us. + +"Near the church tower southeast of L. where the railway bridge can be +seen, are hostile riflemen, strength several companies." + +Our cavalry patrol disappears again--a French machine gun fires at it +without hitting--and the battalion commander calls to me: + +"Company left across the road, right and left of the farmhouse, +developing a column on each side, with wide intervals between!" + +Quickly the right wing column darts across. My Turkish professor, the +Chief Lieutenant, manages it beautifully. One sharpshooter always +darts ahead, throws himself on his belly, creeps on; a second follows. +At one, two kilometers, scarcely a headpiece is visible. The left +column is less successful. Over the heads of the sharpshooters there +at once whistle shells. They feel the air pressure; the tremendous +noise grips them. + +"Dodge! Lie down! Forward only one at a time, with long pauses! You'll +betray our positions, fellows!" + +And at this moment there is a clattering sound in the air above. A +French airman! + +"An airman, Captain!" + +"Yes, yes, I've heard him." + +The only thing that can help us is to keep from looking up. Only the +rows of flesh-colored oval faces, that immediately turn up to greet +each flight of an airman, permit the strength of forces to be +estimated at such great distances. + +Beyond any doubt the foe has overestimated our strength tenfold. +Otherwise he would not have put forth these tremendous efforts. His +strength, in such fortified positions, would have sufficed to hold an +entire army corps in check. And our poor weak brigade? + +I lie on my belly, creeping forward. To remain standing would be +suicide. + +Sst-sst-teewheet--boom-buzz--tsha! Tacktack-tacktack-tack! + +It's a bad music. We are being rained upon with iron. We hear it +whistle past our ears, we feel it whizz over our helmets. Our +artillery covers us in front, so that we cannot fire at the single +bodies of advance riflemen. They are drawing to the left toward the +entrance to F. Soon the infantry bullets are striking close among us. + +Nothing to be seen! Nothing to be seen! + +"We must advance further!" I shout into the line of sharpshooters. The +battalion commander shouts it at the same time. He wouldn't let any +one rob him of the honor of advancing in the foremost row of riflemen. +We crawl forward on all fours. After thirty meters, halt. Still +nothing to be seen. The land rises in front of us. Fifty meters +further; eighty; a hundred. At last we have a clear view ahead. Rifles +are advanced. + +"Half way to the left, at the entrance to F., sharpshooters, stand!" + +A few shots from our ranks. The blue figures falter, fall. But at the +same time we have betrayed our position. And now the hail begins anew. + +"They all shoot too high! Aim well, men! Every shot a bullseye!" + +My voice reaches only the rows of riflemen nearest to me. The clatter +and crashing is tremendous, but even more horrible is this singing and +whizzing past of shells, especially when the enemy's machine guns +sweep us. + +"Are those some of our men?" my bugler beside me asks. "They're +already standing half way down the road back of us!" + +A shiver of horror creeps over us. Yes, they have enticed and held us +fast in the midst of their artillery--and on the left their infantry, +well protected, has advanced under cover to our flank. And now the +French machine gun patters on our right, in monotonous rhythm, in this +concert of hell. + +Behind us there is no longer a sign of life. Our battery is gone; it +must have shot away its ammunition. + +"Order of the Brigade Commander: Company retire slowly!" A man at the +end of our serried line near the roadside has called the order to me. +The order travels by word of mouth along our line. It is a long time +before it reaches the riflemen furthest left. And as soon as the +slightest movement is noticeable in the beet fields, the deadly hail +rattles down upon us again. + +My eyeglass is covered with sweat and dirt. I tear it away. Now, as +the shells strike, clouds of dirt fly into my eyes. I close them. At +my left, a rifleman crawling along, nudges me: + +"The dogs!" he mutters: "Now they've got us in a hell of a pinch!" + +I can speak no more. We go crawling along another 500 meters. My +revolver bangs along on the ground at my left; my fieldglass at my +right. For a moment I think of the droll problem given to the officer +at the military examination: "What would you do if you saw artillery +unfold before you, infantry on your left, and artillery against your +flank on the right?" Answer: "I'd order: Take off helmets and pray!" + +Take off helmets and pray! Yes, there is now no help for it. Now it's +a case of dying decently like gentlemen. + +"No running away, men! We're no Frenchmen!" + +A minute's stop to take breath, at yon hay-rick on the left. So, there +they're advancing, in a gay company, the blue-frocks! + +"Left, riflemen, along the church yard wall, stand! Rifle fire!" + +And two groups are daring enough to stand upright and fire, although +the machine gun fire is sweeping us again. The man next to me is +loading his gun; suddenly he throws up an arm: + +"Hell! That's pretty warm!" A bullet has passed midway through the +cover of his rifle barrel. + +"Go on! Slowly! One at a time! Don't crowd!" + +On the road we find a man of the second column, pressed against a +tree. + +"Where is the battalion?" + +He points in the direction of R. + +"There they are, still fighting, Captain." + +Yes, there still stand some riflemen in a rifle fight. An officer with +them. + +"Forward!" and I point in their direction. + +But over there the witches' caldron is boiling more fiercely. The +machine guns are nearer there. After a short consultation with the +leader of the division I order: "Retire. Singly." + +The narrow road through which we retire is swept continually with +fire. I climb up to the ridge. Now nothing further matters. Only not +to fall alive in the hands of those over there! To die! I stumble over +a ridge in the field. A few moments of unconsciousness. Then again the +tacktack-tacktack of the machine guns. God, our Lord, Thou art our +refuge forever and aye! I pray Thee, I pray Thee, let me die an honest +soldier's death. And not suffer long. Now, dear Lord, please; now! If +only my fellows don't begin to run! + +"Slowly, men; slowly. Halt at the brown stretch of field." + +Panting, we lie there. "Rifles in position! Take aim! Fire!" + +As soon as a few shots have been fired, there ensues a pause in the +firing over there. We make good use of it. Then, "Down on your bellies +again!" + +I cannot go further. + +"Go ahead without me, boys. Greet my people for me. God with you. +You've fought well. Damn you, fellow, run, I tell you! Down on your +faces! Take breath. Fire!" + +When, long ago, I went to my confirmation lesson, the Superintendent +once said--ah, what a remarkable man that was!--"I would like only to +take a single look at my little garden. I'm a city child, and have +grown so fond of the flowers, this little bit of earth!"--Hui! hui! +there it whistles over our heads again. I greet Death. And my lips +touch the ridge of the field furrow. + +Of dust thou art; to dust thou shalt return. + +"Boys, you're not afraid? Eh?" And I try to laugh. + +"The apes over there! They don't know how to shoot. Such clowns! +They'll hit the sky!" + +Hui! hui! tack-a-tack-tacktack! Run on! The patent-leathered lackeys +can't hit us! + +But there lies one of the other company. Dead. + +"Don't run! Keep halting! Fire!" + +From the village a hail of shrapnel. From the opposite side, the same. +But now nobody runs with lowered head. We are now used to the +benediction of bullets. Further on, further on! + +Of the brigade there's not a trace. When the artillery had shot away +its ammunition, the order was given: "Retire, all!" It reached me, in +front there with the rifle lines, fully an hour later than the rest. + +Scattered stragglers join me. + +"Where is our Chief Lieutenant?" + +"Wounded in the neck; only a glancing bullet. Has returned slowly on +an artillery horse. Midway among the shrapnels. Great fellow." + +Nobody knows where the point of reunion is. I lead the rest of the +battalion after the other companies. Night is falling. Somewhere a +cavalry patrol tells us: They're to bivouac over there at the fort. + +We march toward that. Bicycle men come to meet us. We hear from +them--no one believed that a single man of us could escape that +devil's caldron alive. My orderly (Bursche) comes riding to meet me. +His eyes are wet. + +"My Captain! My Captain!" + +I must press many hands. I warm myself at the bivouac fire. The +Quartermaster has brought me a half flask of champagne. There's red +wine for the men in the baggage division. It has already been mulled. +A plate of rice soup. The earth-crumb is still sticking to my lips. I +swallow it down with the first draught of foaming wine: "I greet thee, +Life! I greet thee, Earth!" And comrades come up and are glad to see +me, old monster, again. + +Thank God, my company has suffered only few losses! When I order the +Sergeant Major to read the list, only a few are missing. But this one +or that one has been seen by some one of his comrades after the fight. +Well, then they are only scattered, and will find their way back by +and by. The battalion in these two days of fighting lost thirty-eight +dead and sixty-six wounded. That includes some light wounds from +glancing bullets. + +It all lies behind me like a confused dream. We are bivouacking in the +casemates of the fort. I awake several times in terror. Deep, deep +silence. Only the pacing to and fro of the sentinel on guard. To and +fro, to and fro. He is cold. + +I creep deeper into the straw. Poor fellow, the sentinel. How soft +I've got it! So warm here! I have hot eyes and hot cheeks, but +ice-cold hands. + +I pity all those who know life and death only from books. War is a +great teacher. We learn to love the earth. And thus our homeland +becomes so sacred to us. + + + + +Damp Humor of the Night Watch + + From a field postcard written by a German soldier in the + Franco-Prussian war and sent home by one who recalled it + under similar circumstances in the present one. + + + I guard this shed, + But who guards me? + Around my head + But night I see. + This only comfort sweet is mine, + To soothe my graveyard cough: + "This town will pay a lovely fine + If some one picks me off." + + + + +War Correspondence + +The Place of Tombs + +By Perceval Gibbon. + +[Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES.] + + +Zyrddow, Poland, Received in London Jan. 19.--There is a spot above +the river which must not be indicated too explicitly, but whose name +signifies in Russian the place of tombs. It is thus christened by the +troops who camp in a great forest which shadows the whole position. It +is a point at which the new German plan of thrusting toward the +railway instead of as hitherto toward the road has produced fighting +of more than Homeric quality. + +The Russians, who never misjudge the value of ground, were established +here in well-made trenches, with the shelter of the forest at their +backs for reserves and supports. Upon this iron front the Germans +spent themselves in fruitless attacks, incurring crippling losses. It +was only after repeated and disastrous failure of these tactics that +they began a different method of approach. + +Here, as everywhere else, they have a large amount of artillery, and +under incessant shell fire they proceeded to sap their way toward the +Russian trenches. Incidentally they expended shells enough to last an +army through the whole of a small war, and where formerly six acres of +trees projected from the main forest there are now no trees at all. + +The parapet of their trench is only thirty-five paces from the Russian +parapet, and the men crouching behind their shelter can hear the +voices of their enemies. None dare lift head or hand to even the +loopholes on the breastworks, since the worst shot in the world can +send bullet after bullet through any loophole at that distance. The +Russians are able to throw hand grenades, with which their trenches +are supplied, clear into the German trenches, while the German +shelling has had to cease since their own men are in equal danger from +any shell aimed at the Russian trenches. + +I rode down through the forest in an effort to reach one of the +trenches two nights ago, passing from the pale shine of the snow upon +the bare fields to sheer darkness. I found the staff established in a +spacious dugout some 400 yards behind the actual first line. Here, as +always, was a straw-padded, candle-lit interior, with an orderly +waiting, with telephone to ear, and all those rough-and-ready +contrivances by which men live who have death forever at their elbow. +Here, too, their faces disguised by weeks of beard and grimed with the +smirch of war, were burly Russian officers, those adequate and quietly +confident men who are the strength and inspiration of the Russian +Army. + +In all the gloom, where all life was balanced on a hair, one thing was +steadfast and cordial, and that was the unshaken assurance of these +cheerful, expert fighting men in their power to hold the Germans and +presently to resume the offensive, to which each one of them looks +forward, and advance at last toward the frontier of Germany. None +underestimates the enemy. They criticise him in a spirit of absolute +professional impartiality, admiring quite frankly the organization and +courage of the German infantry, but condemning the artillery and +pooh-poohing the cavalry. + +Yesterday morning the Germans renewed their bombardment of the +positions at Radziwillow, where the fine Russian trench is practically +impregnable, and has already cost them huge losses in their attempts +to assault it. + +I had an illustration of their lack of system in artillery fire while +returning along the rear of this position. Their shells sailed up +across the woods to the south of the railway, bursting on an empty +stretch of fields about a thousand yards away, and turned seven or +eight hundred acres of virgin snow into an inferno of smoke and torn +earth, but no single shell fell nearer than a thousand yards to any +living soul. + +During the last day or two I have seen a change in the nature of the +fighting on this front. The German procedure has no longer its old +character of desperate decision but has become more desultory and +their pressure flickers up and down the line as though in a panic of +effort to find some point at which the defense is weak. + +I learned here from prisoners that the Germans lately have been +celebrating victories. Berlin and other cities are said to be gay with +flags, and Gen. von Hindenburg has been acclaimed as a national hero. +I can only keep my eyes on the small portion of the long front limited +by Socahczew on the north and Msczonow on the south, but in regard to +this region I can offer my personal testimony that at no point have +the Germans gained anything in the nature of a success nor made any +attack which has not been immensely more costly in lives to them than +to the Russians. + + + + +Shelled Tsing-tao With Wireless Aid + +By Jefferson Jones, + +Staff Correspondent of The Minneapolis Journal and Japan Advertiser. + +[From THE NEW YORK TIMES, Jan. 24, 1915.] + + +Tokio, Dec. 15.--Far out in the Yellow Sea busy gunners on a Japanese +battleship aimed a 12-inch gun at one of the German forts in +Tsing-tao. Opening the breech, they removed the smoking cartridge +case, put in another loaded one, and waited to learn whether the +projectile had scattered death among the enemy or exploded harmlessly +in soft earth. They were five or six miles from their target. + +The gunners gazed toward the battleship's wireless masts. Presently +came a sputter and crackle of electric sparks. An officer appeared in +the turret and said, perhaps, "Very good. Put some more in the same +place," or, "That one was fifty feet to the right or sixty feet too +high." He had received a wireless message from the shore telling +exactly where the shell had struck, probably for the first time since +naval warfare began. + +At the rear of the Japanese lines, where a naval lookout had been +erected, I saw several marines focusing horned telescopes on the +besieged forts. As soon as a shell landed one of the men would +telephone the exact location to the naval wireless station at Sesheco, +which relayed the message to the warships. + +The fourth day of the siege was the most severe of the whole siege of +Tsing-tao. Gen. Johoji on the extreme left, with Gen. Barnardiston of +the British expeditionary force, was pressing the intrenched Germans +near Moltke Fort. Early in the morning Gen. Johoji had sent a +detachment against the triangular pumping station fort, as it was +deemed wise not to turn the siege guns on the place, because the fort +might be destroyed and the supply of water be cut off in the city +when the troops entered. The detachment approached the fort without +any resistance from the Germans, and, surrounding it, discovered that +there was a small garrison, which had barred itself inside. The +Japanese commanded the men to surrender, threatening to dynamite the +place. The steel door was opened and twenty-three Germans walked out. + +The capture of this fort was the key for the final attack of the +Japanese, as it left the central fort and redoubts exposed to fire. + +Late in the afternoon the fire became extremely heavy. The Germans +seemed to be making sharp resistance to the Japanese, lest they +advance within the quarter-mile zone of the redoubt walls. The +Japanese infantry, however, were sapping away, and as dusk settled +over the field we saw the bright flash of bursting shrapnel from the +German forts. It was the first shrapnel sent out by the Germans during +the siege. + +Ten, twelve, fifteen, and sometimes even twenty shrapnel shells could +be counted bursting at one time, all in a straight line, over the +Japanese front line, and then the big German searchlights would flash +about the field. They would fall on fifteen or twenty Japanese sappers +on the top of their trenches placing sandbags, and then the flash +would disappear. + +Thursday, Nov. 5, seemed only a repetition of what we had seen the day +before. All night long the firing kept up, and it was evident that the +German garrison at Tsing-tao was making stubborn and gallant +resistance. + +That night the Japanese forces advanced 200 yards under a heavy +shrapnel fire from the Germans. A snowstorm, followed by rain, had +filled the trenches with water a foot deep, and it was in these that +the Japanese and British forces found themselves during the closing +days of the siege. + +Friday, Nov. 6, was a bitter morning. A forty-mile gale was blowing +off the Yellow Sea, and with the thermometer at 2 below zero it was +not any too comfortable, even for those of us who were fortunate +enough to get near a charcoal burner. + +Toward midnight Gen. Yamada, whose men were intrenched in front of +Forts 2 and 3, sent out a detachment to learn the condition of the +German garrison opposing him. The men approached the redoubt walls of +the forts, climbed ten feet to the bottom, and found themselves face +to face with wire entanglements twenty yards wide and running the +length of the wall. No Germans were seen. Reinforcements were called +for while the scouts were cutting the entanglements. At 1 A.M., Nov. +7, Gen. Yamada with more than 300 men was behind the redoubt walls of +Fort 3. + +In the meantime, heavily protected on all sides by planks and +sandbags, a detachment of 200 Germans with machine guns was watching +the approach of Gen. Barnardiston's men, who had been stationed to the +right of Gen. Yamada. The Germans were unaware that the Japanese had +gained the wall, when suddenly a sentry heard Japanese voices. The +signal was given and the Germans rushed from their sandbag houses into +the shadow of the wall, hoping to reach their comrades, stationed 500 +yards back along the casement walls. Some, perhaps, reached their +destination, but the majority of the men were shot down by the +Japanese infantry. + +The capture of Forts 2 and 3 by Gen. Yamada was quickly reported to +Gen. Horiuchi, and within an hour his men had captured Forts 4 and 5 +with very little resistance. Gen. Johoji, on the extreme left, with +Gen. Barnardiston of the British force, also advanced with the news of +the capture of the positions, but the Germans put up a stubborn +resistance, and it was not until 6:30 A.M. that the attackers gained +the coast fort and Fort 1. + +With the capture of the redoubt fortifications there still remained +the mountainous forts, Iltis, Bismarck, and Moltke, a quarter of a +mile back toward Tsing-tao. With detachments of engineers and +infantrymen, Gens. Horiuchi and Yamada ordered the general attack. The +men rushed from their trenches for the base of the forts. It was to +be a hand-to-hand bayonet attack. + +But two guns on the Iltis fort had already been silenced, the four big +28-centimeter mortars on the same fort were useless for use at the +base of Iltis, while the other guns had been so placed and sandbagged +at the rear of the fort that they could not be quickly brought forward +and utilized for work along the steep slopes leading to the forts. +Rifles and machine guns were resorted to. + +The Japanese, as they charged up the slope, were mowed down by the +machine guns, but on they came from all sides--17,000 men against +3,800. The German garrison could not hold out, and the white flag was +hoisted from Fort C, close to Gov. Gen. Meyer Waldeck's residence. The +surrender came at 7:05 A.M. + + + + +THE BROKEN ROSE + +(TO KING ALBERT) + +By ANNIE VIVANTI CHARTRES. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + + Shy, youthful, silent--and misunderstood, + In the white glare of Kinghood thou didst stand. + The sceptre in thy hand + Seemed but a flower the Fates had tossed to thee, + And thou wert called, perchance half scornfully, + Albert the Good. + + Today thou standest on a blackened grave, + Thy broken sword still lifted to the skies. + Thy pure and fearless eyes + Gaze into Death's grim visage unappalled + And by the storm-swept nations thou art called + Albert the Brave. + + Tossed on a blood-red sea of rage and hate + The frenzied world rolls forward to its doom. + But high above the gloom + Flashes the fulgent beacon of thy fame, + The nations thou hast saved exalt thy name-- + Albert the Great! + + * * * * * + + Albert the good, the brave, the great, thy land + Lies at thy feet, a crushed and morient rose + Trampled and desecrated by thy foes. + One day a greater Belgium will be born, + But what of this dead Belgium wracked and torn? + What of this rose flung out upon the sand? + + Behold! Afar where sky and waters meet + A white-robed Figure walketh on the sea + (Peace goes before Him and her face is sweet.) + As once He trod the waves of Galilee + He comes again--the tumult sinks to rest, + The stormy waters shine beneath His feet. + + He sees the dead rose lying in the sand, + He lifts the dead rose in His holy hand + And lays it at His breast. + + O broken rose of Belgium, thou art blest! + + + + +The Emden at Penang + +Pen Picture by a Times Correspondent of the Havoc She Wrought + +[From THE NEW YORK TIMES Correspondent in Penang.] + + +Penang, Straits Settlements, Oct. 29.--The German cruiser Emden called +here yesterday and departed, leaving death and destruction behind her. +You will doubtless have learned long before this story of her visit, +carried by the slow mails of the Far East, is read in the United +States some account of the Emden's raid, but the cable can hardly +carry a detailed picture of the destruction wrought in a brief hour or +so yesterday in this busy harbor, and it seems worth while to describe +for you how this sudden vision of war burst on Penang. + +For those who do not know, the City of Penang lies on the western +coast of the Malay Peninsula, just below the Siamese border. It is the +shipping point of the Federated Malay States, where 65 per cent. of +the world's tin is produced, as well as a great amount of rubber and +copra. With a population of 246,000, it is growing by leaps and bounds +and gives every indication of soon becoming one of the largest ports +in the Far East. + +The thing that makes this city a point of importance in the present +war is the fact that it is the last port of call for ships going from +China and Japan to Colombo and Europe. As a result, it has been made +more or less of a naval base by the English Government. Large stores +of Admiralty coal have been collected and all vessels have been +commanded to stop here for orders before crossing the Bay of Bengal. + +It was probably with the idea of crippling this base, from which her +pursuers were radiating, that the Emden made her raid here. Had she +found it temporarily undefended she could at one blow seriously have +embarrassed the English cruisers patrolling these waters and at the +same time cause a terrific loss to English commerce by sinking the +many merchantmen at anchor in the harbor. + +It was early on Wednesday morning that the Emden, with a dummy fourth +funnel and flying the British ensign, in some inexplicable fashion +sneaked past the French torpedo boat Mosquet, which was on patrol duty +outside, and entered the outer harbor of Penang. Across the channel +leading to the inner harbor lay the Russian cruiser Jemtchug. Inside +were the French torpedo boats Fronde and Pistolet and the torpedo boat +destroyer D'Iberville. The torpedo boats lay beside the long +Government wharf, while the D'Iberville rode at anchor between two +tramp steamers. + +At full speed the Emden steamed straight for the Jemtchug and the +inner harbor. In the semi-darkness of the early morning the Russian +took her for the British cruiser Yarmouth, which had been in and out +two or three times during the previous week and did not even "query" +her. Suddenly, when less than 400 yards away, the Emden emptied her +bow guns into the Jemtchug and came on at a terrific pace, with all +the guns she could bring to bear in action. When she had come within +250 yards she changed her course slightly, and as she passed the +Jemtchug poured two broadsides into her, as well as a torpedo, which +entered the engine room but did comparatively little damage. + +The Russian cruiser was taken completely by surprise and was badly +crippled before she realized what was happening. The fact that her +Captain was spending the night ashore and that there was no one on +board who seemed capable of acting energetically completed the +demoralization. She was defeated before the battle began. However, her +men finally manned the light guns and brought them into action. + +In the meantime the Emden was well inside the inner harbor and among +the shipping. She saw the French torpedo boats there, and apparently +realized at once that unless she could get out before they joined in +the action her fate was sealed. At such close quarters (the range was +never more than 450 yards) their torpedoes would have proved deadly. +Accordingly, she turned sharply and made for the Jemtchug once more. + +All the time she had been in the harbor the Russian had been +bombarding her with shrapnel, but, owing to the notoriously bad +marksmanship prevalent in the Czar's navy, had succeeded for the most +part only in peppering every merchant ship within range. As the Emden +neared the Jemtchug again both ships were actually spitting fire. The +range was practically point-blank. Less than 150 yards away the Emden +passed the Russian, and as she did so torpedoed her amidships, +striking the magazine. There was a tremendous detonation, paling into +insignificance by its volume all the previous din; a heavy black +column of smoke arose and the Jemtchug sank in less than ten seconds, +while the Emden steamed behind the point to safety. + +No sooner had she done so, however, than she sighted the torpedo boat +Mosquet, which had heard the firing and was coming in at top speed. +The Emden immediately opened up on her, thereby causing her to turn +around in an endeavor to escape. It was too late. After a running +fight of twenty minutes the Mosquet seemed to be hit by three shells +simultaneously and sank very rapidly. The German had got a second +victim. + +It was here that the chivalrous bravery of the Emden's Captain, which +has been many times in evidence throughout her meteoric career, was +again shown. If the French boats were coming out, every moment was of +priceless value to him. Nevertheless, utterly disregarding this, he +stopped, lowered boats, and picked up the survivors from the Mosquet +before steaming on his way. + +The English here now say of him, admiringly, "He played the game." + +Meantime, boats of all descriptions had started toward the place where +the Russian cruiser had last been seen. The water was covered with +debris of all sorts, to which the survivors were clinging. They +presented a horrible sight when they were landed on Victoria Pier, +which the ambulance corps of the Sikh garrison turned into a temporary +hospital. Almost all of them had wounds of one sort or another. Many +were covered with them. Their blood-stained and, for the most part, +naked bodies were enough to send shivers through even the most +cold-blooded person. It was a sight I shall not forget for many a day. +Out of a crew of 334 men 142 were picked up wounded. Only 94 were +found practically untouched. Ninety-eight were "missing." It is not +yet known how many of the crew of the 78 of the Mosquet were rescued +by the Emden. + +So much of the story I am able to write from personal observation and +investigation. Here, however, is an account of what occurred from an +officer who saw it all from closer range and more intimate conditions, +for he was on the French torpedo boat destroyer Pistolet. I tell his +story exactly as he told it to me: + +"The Captain of the Pistolet had invited Capt. T. and myself to have a +game of bridge whist on board. His ship was lying alongside the +Government wharf, just inside the inner harbor. The game proved a most +interesting one and time flew by unnoticed. Finally, just before 1 +A.M., it came to a close, but, owing to the fact that our going home +at that hour of the morning would mean a rikisha ride of over two +miles, the Captain stretched a point and invited us to remain on +board, which we did. Little did we know what our decision was to mean +to us. + +"At 5:25 the next morning, just as day was breaking, I was awakened by +a deafening crash, followed by two others in rapid succession. Without +waiting for more, I pulled my ducks over my pajamas and hurried on +deck. Right before us, at the entrance to the inner harbor, lay the +Russian cruiser Jemtchug. Steaming toward her at full speed came the +German cruiser Emden, her bow guns belching forth vast clouds of +smoke, through which the flash of the guns could just be +distinguished. She was less than half a mile away. After what seemed +to me an interminable delay, the surprised Jemtchug started to reply +with her small guns, and the din grew greater and greater. + +"As the Emden came on she swerved slightly out of her course and +steamed down the far side of the channel, thus bringing her broadside +guns to bear on the Jemtchug, which by this time was literally +spitting fire. The range now was less than 300 yards, and the +execution being done must have been terrible. We noticed, however, +that the greater number of the Russian shells were 'carrying over.' + +"The Emden now changed her course again, to the right, and disappeared +behind a group of several tramp steamers so as to enable her to turn +around without unduly exposing herself. While she was doing this the +firing diminished greatly, owing to the disinclination on the part of +either, I imagine, wantonly to damage harmless merchant vessels. No +sooner had she started on her way out of the harbor, however, than the +din arose once more. + +"Just at this time the French torpedo boat Fronde dropped back from +her position alongside us and started in to take part in the melee +with a machine gun. This caused the Emden to devote part of her time +to us, and we were made the objective of a severe machine-gun fire +which, owing to our position in the shadow of the pier and of the fact +that the light was very poor, did little or no damage. Nevertheless, +it was rather disconcerting to hear the rattle of lead on the +corrugated iron sheds behind us. + +"By this time the Emden must have realized that at such close quarters +she was subject to the danger of a torpedo attack, (although as a +matter of fact no effort seemed to have been made along these lines,) +and she accordingly started up the north channel toward the outer +harbor at full speed, firing broadside after broadside at the +Jemtchug, now badly crippled. + +"Suddenly, as the two cruisers were abreast and no more than 150 yards +from one another, there was a tremendous crash. The Jemtchug heaved up +amidships, there was another detonation even louder than the first, +and she sank before I could realize what had happened. All that +remained was a large pillar of smoke to mark the spot where she had +been. A German torpedo had found its mark, and the Emden sailed around +the point without firing another shot. + +"By this time--less than thirty minutes after the first shot had been +fired--the Pistolet had cast off and we started across the harbor +toward the place where we had last seen the Jemtchug, with the Fronde +close behind us. It was slow work, as we had very little steam. + +"As we neared the scene of the disaster I received my first impression +of the horror of modern naval warfare. The water was strewn with +wreckage, amid which heads were popping up and down like corks in a +lily pond. It seemed as if it were alive with men. They were +everywhere, hanging on to pieces of wood, clutching life preservers, +clinging to debris of all kinds. + +"When we reached them we immediately started in getting them aboard by +means of boats, ropes looped at the end, by hand, and in any way +possible. They were indeed a most terrible sight. Most of them were +wounded, and those that were were bleeding profusely. Practically none +were wearing more than a pair of trousers, and a considerable number +did not even have that. A few were frightfully lacerated, and we +recovered one man who had had his leg blown off below the knee--he +died five minutes after we got him on board. It was like living a +frightful nightmare. Everywhere you turned you met a groaning, greasy +mass of humanity. + +"Discipline was thrown aside and Captain and men alike toiled in +their efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Jemtchug's survivors. +My partner at bridge the previous night, the doctor, asked my +assistance, and together we went from man to man doing what emergency +work we could. My pajama-decked costume was rapidly covered with +blood. It was a case of everybody helping everybody else. + +"Finally, when numerous launches of all sizes and makes had put out to +relieve us, we returned to the Victoria jetty, which the ambulance +corps of the Sikh garrison, aided by volunteers and local doctors, had +turned into a temporary hospital. Here were removed what remained of +the Jemtchug. + +"While the last few men were taken off the Pistolet, another +cannonading was heard. I hurried ashore, with no feeling of regret, I +might say, and took a rikisha to the outer sea wall to see whatever +fighting was going on. The ships were so far away that it was hard to +tell with the naked eye exactly what was going on. We could see the +little torpedo boat Mosquet trying to get beyond the range of the +Emden's guns while the shells were throwing up water all around her. +The chase had kept on for twenty minutes, I should say, when we saw +the little craft sink by the bow. The Emden lowered boats to pick up +any possible survivors, but, from the short time they were down, I +imagine most of the crew were lost. + +"I have tried to give you some little idea in the foregoing of the +frightful encounter I have witnessed. It seemed like a nightmare +afterward, although while it was actually going on you felt as if you +were looking at a sham battle. Even when the bullets started in to +rattle on the iron-covered sheds above our heads there was nothing +terrifying about it. After the effect of the first few shots had worn +off I felt as if I were watching a play. That quiet, staid Penang with +her shaded streets and sampan covered harbor should be the scene of a +naval engagement such as I witnessed today is almost unbelievable. Yet +the sordid aftereffects are before our eyes. + +"Only the masterly manoeuvring of that gentleman of the German +fleet--the Captain of the Emden--prevented the city from being the +scene of a terrible carnage. His refusal to sink unarmed vessels while +the crews were on board, his refraining from bombarding the town, his +stopping to pick up the crew of the Mosquet, although every minute was +valuable to him, at once made him 'that gentleman, the Captain of the +Emden.' On all sides you heard 'I hope they sink the Emden, but it +will be a shame if any of her crew are lost.' + +"While steaming away from Penang he met the tramp Glen. Instead of +capturing her, he sent her into Penang with the message: 'I tried not +to hit the town. If I did so, I am very sorry, indeed.' Well, he +'played the game,' and he has made me, for one, feel extremely +doubtful whether the much-talked-of German 'atrocities' are true, +except where the exigencies of war have made them unavoidable." + +Here you have the story of an engagement which will go down in history +as a demonstration that, even under the conditions of modern naval +warfare, it is possible for two ships of almost equal armament to +fight by daylight at almost point-blank range without resulting in the +disabling of both. A sight similar to that witnessed yesterday would +be considered by most naval critics as impossible, or, rather, +suicidal. + +The sad, or, rather, disgraceful, part of the story has yet to be +told. It was true that the Jemtchug was caught unprepared. Her Captain +was spending the night ashore, her decks were not cleared, she was +slow to get into action, and when she did so her marksmanship was +poor. All this could hardly be excused, but it becomes insignificant +when we consider the case of the French torpedo boats and the +D'Iberville, whose help the Jemtchug had a right to expect. Here they +lay in a harbor with fully ten minutes' warning that a hostile ship +was approaching, yet they allowed that ship to enter the harbor, steam +around it, turn, and make her escape without so much as firing a shot, +when, if they had gone into action, the Emden could hardly have +escaped. The range was everything they could have desired. + +What was the matter? Why did they remain silent? The answer is this: +Although it was a time of war, a large percentage of the officers of +these ships had been allowed to remain ashore over night. Not one of +the ships had steam up. Their decks were not even cleared for action. +Yet, even taking this into consideration, it is inexplicable that, +when two or three torpedoes from any one of them would have saved the +day, none was fired. The ships need not have moved an inch to have +done so. The range was ridiculously short--less than 200 yards at one +time. But surprise, lack of discipline, and general inefficiency +seemed to hold them paralyzed. + +The prevailing opinion here is that they did not wish to draw the +Emden's fire on themselves--although one did use her machine gun +toward the end of the engagement. Whatever is said, however, it is +impossible to get away from the fact that the French Navy yesterday +sustained a blow to its efficiency that it will take a long time to +wipe out. Theirs was a "masterly inaction" caused by something which +they do not attempt themselves to define. Both army and navy +commanders here are one in their contemptuous condemnation of such a +spectacle. + + + + +The Belgian Soldier + +[From The London Times, Oct. 17, 1914. By its Special Correspondent +lately in Antwerp.] + + +Before it fades I would like to record my impression of the Belgian +soldier as I have seen him day after day through the two months ending +with the fall of Antwerp. + +I have seen him on every kind of duty and off, on the roads, in +cabarets, in camp and barrack, on the march, in trenches, fighting +from behind all sorts of cover or from none, on foot, on horseback, on +bicycles, mounted proudly on his auto-mitrailleuse, or running behind +his gun-team of dogs, each dog pulling and barking as if it would tear +the whole German Army to pieces. I have seen him wounded on +battlefields, by the roadside, and in hospitals; I have seen him, in +the later days at Antwerp, brought back from the forts and from those +terrible advanced trenches unwounded, but from sheer exhaustion in +almost more serious plight than any of his comrades whom the shells +had hit. And I have seen him dead. + +As a result there has grown up in me an extraordinary affection for +him. Greater even than my admiration of his careless courage is my +liking for the man. For all his manhood he has so much of the child in +him; he is such a chatterbox and so full of laughter, and never are +his laugh and badinage so quick as when he has the sternest work on +hand. Unshaven, mud-bespattered, hungry, so tired that he can hardly +walk or lift his rifle to his shoulder, he will bear himself with a +gallant gayety which, I think, is quite his own and is altogether +fascinating. + +As time goes on perhaps it will be the faces of the dead and wounded +that will live most clearly in the memory, but at present the pictures +of the Belgian soldier which stand out sharpest are less lugubrious +and more commonplace. + +I walked one day back toward Antwerp, along that awful road which ran +by Contich and Waerloos to Waelhem. Daily along that road the German +shells fell nearer to the city, so that whenever one went out to the +place that he had visited yesterday he was likely to find himself +disagreeably surprised. One day I found myself, (I would not have +been there had I known it,) perhaps a mile inside the range of the +enemy's guns. A Red Cross car had dropped me and picked up wounded men +instead, and there was nothing for it but to walk back along the road. + +Along the road from the foremost trenches came a dozen Belgian +soldiers, just relieved after twenty-four hours of what it is +difficult to describe otherwise than as hell. Muddied from head to +heel, they could hardly drag their feet along, and, glad of any +company, I fell in and walked with the last straggler of the little +band, while the shrapnel with its long-drawn scream--whew-ew-ew-ew-bang!--broke +on either side of us. + +At every whew-ew-ew-ew which came too near I dived for cover. If there +was no friendly wall or vehicle or tree trunk at hand the ditch beside +the road was always there. And every time I dived my companion stood +in the middle of the road and shook with laughter--not unkindly, but +in the utmost friendliness and good humor--waiting till I rejoined him +and we resumed our walk. + +A little man, shockingly bedraggled, worn out almost to the point of +collapse, utterly indifferent to his own danger, and taking a huge, +childlike delight in my care for my personal safety, the picture of +him as he stood and laughed all alone in the bare road amid the +bursting shells seems to me curiously typical of the whole Belgian +Army. + +Another picture also--a composite photograph--I shall never forget. It +is the same man--sometimes blonde, sometimes dark, but always the same +smallish man--as, on picket duty, he stops you to examine your papers. +He does not understand the papers in the least. The British passport +begins with the words, "We, Sir Edward Grey, a Baronet of the United +Kingdom...." Sternly he wrinkles his brow over the formidable +document, earnestly trying to do his duty. At last, "Votre nom, +Edouard Gra-ee?" he asks. You explain that you wish that it was and +call attention to the place where your own insignificant name is +mentioned lower down. To his immense relief he has mastered the +central fact, namely, that you are English. And his face lights up +with the smile which one has come to know so well; a smile of real +pleasure and good-will. + +Sometimes he speaks a word of English, and with what pride he uses it! +"All ri'!" "Good night!" "How do?" And you go on into the night +feeling that you are leaving a friend behind whom you would like to +stop and talk to. And he, you know, has been cheered in his lonely +duty by the mere contact with an ally. + + + + +THE HEROIC LANGUAGE + +By ALICE MEYNELL. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + + When our now living languages are "dead," + Which in the classes shall be treasured? + Which will the masters teach? + Kepler's, and Shakespeare's, and thy word, thy phrase, + Thy grammar, thou heroic, for all days, + O little Flemish speech! + + + + +Cheerful Spirits in Trench Inferno + +[Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES.] + + +Northern France, Dec. 20, (Dispatch to The London Daily News.)--This +week--a week of many significant things--has ended in the wildest +whirl of weather imaginable. The rains have been terrific, blinding, +tropical in their almost ceaseless roar and fury. Surely only madmen +or fiends would fight in such an elemental maelstrom. We may be both, +and perhaps we are, now that the whole world is topsy-turvy; for we +are going savagely on at this dread business, half blind and wholly +desperate. If the furious sky were to rain red-hot pitchforks the +contending armies would still be undismayed and would crawl, if not +fly, at one another's throats. + +But there is no romance in trench fighting; it is sickening, +demoralizing. Ask any soldier who has been at it for a time. He will +pour a few plain truths into your shocked ear. Down at the railroad +terminal today I met some of them--a queer mixture. There was a batch +of German prisoners; there was a squad of wounded Belgians, and there +were four lost, stolen, or strayed British soldiers from the Seventh +Division--a Sergeant and three men. They were all so plastered over +with dirt that it was difficult to sort out their nationality. + +What struck me most was their absolute and undisguised cheerfulness. I +have lively recollection of the first German prisoners I saw in the +early days of the war. They were in a gray funk, which is several +degrees more sheer than a blue funk. They absolutely believed that the +next moment or two would be their last on this woeful earth and that +they would be shot out of hand. + +The young Prussians I met today said that they had been having a very +thin time recently; that their food was bad, and getting worse and +more scanty every day; that pneumonia and rheumatism were rife in +their trenches, to say nothing of the dreaded typhoid, and that they +were tremendously glad to be out of it all. They understood that they +were going to England. Anyway, they hoped so fervently. + +The Belgian soldiers were all slightly wounded, mostly in the legs and +arms. The mud and slime of the trenches north of Furnes had not yet +dried upon their sodden clothes. They were cold and benumbed and +desperately hungry, for their train had been held up for hours while +certain private and confidential military scene changing was going on. +In spite of the pain their hurriedly dressed wounds were giving them +they, too, were cheerful. + +"We are in great heart," said one of them, "for we are moving on +surely and certainly. This week something new has come to us. The +knell of retreat no longer sounds in our hearts; the tocsin rings +there instead. We are marching on; we are driving the barbarians back. +Every inch of our motherland regained is sweet and precious to us. +Three days ago I saw our King. He was as muddy and stained, Monsieur, +as I am now. An officer who was with him wanted to remove the mud from +his clothes. 'But no,' said the King, 'let it stay. If my own land +clings thus to me, let it stay; it is better that it should be so,' +and he laughed as he passed on. We all cheered him, and he laughed the +more, showing a shining face and bidding us take heart, as a brighter +day was dawning. + +"So we went into the fight that evening, afraid of nothing. In rain +and mist we charged a small village with a mighty shout. Though our +numbers were small we charged. We were beaten back, and then we +charged again. My bayonet broke off short in the breast of a huge +German, and then in the dark and mist a great crowd swept over us as +we both went down. I came to in the dawn. Our men were singing the +chant of victory. The gray enemy had gone. The village, smoking and +shattered, was ours. Our guns were rattling up the street to take +another and stronger position. + +"A small victory, perhaps, but none the less sweet for that. Alas! I +could not follow, and they brought me on here. The fortunes of war +were hard." + +He raised himself painfully. The big Sergeant from the lost legion, +coming along at the moment, picked him up like a baby, hoisted him on +his shoulders, and bore him along through mud to the clearing house +beyond the station yard. + +"Lucky chap," said the Sergeant. "He is going to have a warm, snug +Christmas in a snug, warm hospital; and here's me only lorst in this +bloomin' swamp, an' got to report for duty somewhere in the +mornin'--Lord knows where!" he grinned ruefully at me. + + + + +King George's Visit to the Troops + +[From The London Times, Dec. 8, 1914.] + + +_An officer in the Indian Expeditionary Force sends the following +description of an episode in the King's visit to the front:_ + +A red-letter day indeed--for the King turned up here at 10:45 this +morning and stayed quite a long time, inspecting detachments of the +Indian Army Corps. He only crossed from England last night I believe, +stayed with the General for breakfast, and saw us all before lunch, +going on to the next army corps. It was quite the most informal show I +have ever seen. He strolled up and down the ranks chatting with all +and sundry. He asked two of our native officers how long they had been +in the regiment, the General interpreting. + +The secret of his visit was well kept. Last night after dinner the +Adjutant biked over from Headquarters and said he and I and ---- had +been chosen by lot from the officers, with thirty-three men from each +of the three squadrons here, to represent the regiment at an +inspection by the Commander in Chief. Well, we went off this morning, +and found similar detachments from all the corps not in the trenches. +It was a dull morning and the mud was awful, and just before his +Majesty was due a German aeroplane appeared heading straight for us. +Our guns opened fire on it and it made off north, but it added +excitement. Otherwise it was a quiet morning and hardly any firing +from the trenches. The King and Sir James arrived in the first car, +then the Prince of Wales driving his own car, and a crowd of staff +officers. The two divisional staffs were presented, and then they +started walking down the lines. My new horse is a real good 'un, but +can't stand "Present arms!" under his nose, and he nearly backed into +his Majesty as he came up from behind. + +The Leicesters were in front of us. They had only come up out of the +trenches at midnight and were in a lovely state of mud and +unshavedness. The King simply reveled in them. He stopped and chatted +to quite every one man in three; wanted to know all about trench +fighting, and didn't seem to mind a bit their being covered with mud +and unshaved for days. The Prince was just as interested. He wandered +about at will, paying no attention to his father, and chatting with +all and sundry. One man was wearing a pair of German boots which +interested the King very much. He spent quite twenty minutes with the +Leicesters, and they deserved it. They have done splendidly all +through. + +After that he gave two V.C.s to gunners who had won them very early in +the war, and then when he ought to have been moving on he began +strolling up and down the line again, asking all sorts of questions +and noticing everything. At last they got him into his car to move on +to the next army corps. The General came back to give us his message. +It was that he was very pleased with all he had seen and heard; that +he wanted the troops to know that both he and the Queen always kept +them in their thoughts, and that he meant to see all of them again, +with his own eye, as soon as the war was over. The General gave it out +very well, (he is fluent in Hindustani,) and it made a great +impression on the men. + +It was altogether a wonderful visit, so quiet and informal and +businesslike; no apparent precautions or rehearsal; the King tramping +about in the mud as though he were partridge shooting, while the +Prince wandered about as he listed. My interpreter, a French-Canadian, +was amazed. + + +_A member of the London Scottish writes:_ + +IN THE TRENCHES, Nov. 11. + +This is our third day in the trenches. We have not had an attack yet, +though there has been hard fighting on our immediate right and left. +We are fairly safe here behind barbed wire entanglements, and this +would be an easy job if one could get used to the row and the watching +through the night, which is rather nerve-racking. This trench is in a +bonnie fir wood, just like bonnie Scotland, but the shell fire has +damaged nearly all the trees. Today, being windy, they are falling in +all directions. We have not had a hot meal since we came here. We are +not allowed to build fires, and it is impossible to get anything hot. +We have lost our blankets again in the meantime. I am just going to +have my lunch of "bully" and bread and plain water. + +Nov. 18. + +We have had a pretty rough time lately. Last night was the first for +ten days that I have had a roof over my head. The weather has been +atrocious--pouring rain and driving, cutting snow--but it did not get +through my overcoat, which is richly caked with mud. We have had a +fortnight's fighting and have marched back now from the firing line +for a short rest to refit. It meant two days' marching through roads +and fields ankle deep in clinging, porridgy mud, but we were all glad +enough to put up with any hardship so long as we got away from the +strain of flying shells and bullets. In the trenches we lost some more +of our men, but not many. I just wish you could see our battalion now; +what a change from the crowd that used to march through London. Every +man, almost, has a beard, and you could not imagine the dirty, +bedraggled crowd we are. The strain of watching through the night in +the trenches is pretty awful. The nights were pitch black, and the +rain came pouring down, making the trenches an awful mess. One chap +gave a loud cry in his sleep. Thinking it came from the wood in front, +I blazed away. We sent a burial party out in front of us one morning. +There must have been hundreds of Germans lying there, with thousands +further on. All we could do was just to cover them with earth. It was +a horrible sight, and it is impossible for you folks at home to +realize anything of the awfulness of this war. This awful pace surely +cannot last long. But despite all the discomfort, I would not have +liked to miss the chance of doing my part here. + +Nov. 20. + +The Prince of Wales visited us yesterday. We are billeted in a cafe, +and he came in rubbing his hands with the cold. He looked jolly well, +and has a fine, healthy, clear complexion. We have been living in the +lap of luxury lately. Yesterday was just like Christmas Day. We were +inundated with parcels from home, and the room is one litter of all +sorts of comforts, and any amount of sweets, shortbread, cake, &c. I +cannot recollect two such happy days as these have been. You can have +no idea how all these luxuries are appreciated after living on "bully" +and biscuits. We have a perfect avalanche of cigarettes and tobacco. +We had a bit of a panic this morning, as we were under orders to move +at any moment, but by good luck it did not come off, and we are +looking forward to a few more days' rest. Our last week in the +trenches was a picnic compared with our first experience. This is a +grand, free life, a sight better than mooching around the city. I'm +just going to have a tot of rum now and turn in--it warms the cockles +of one's heart and makes one sleep like Rip Van Winkle. + +Nov. 29. + +I never felt so fit in my life and never had such a good time before. +This is simply a splendid life, and I am very glad, indeed, I did not +miss my chance of being here. We were inspected today by Sir John +French, who is tremendously pleased with us. Rumor has it that we are +still to be here a few days, which is giving us a fine long rest. Then +we may be wanted again. One of our fellows has just gone past the +window with a huge sack on his back. It is most laughable to see +immaculate city chaps out here doing all sorts of "orra" jobs. We have +been served out with fur coats, no less; what on earth will they give +us next, I wonder? We are still living in the lap of luxury and are a +most happy family. We have a march every morning, which in this fine +cold weather is delightful. + + + + +French Amenities + +[From The London Times, Dec. 18, 1914.] + + +_An officer in the R.A.M.C. writes:_ + +Figure to yourself (as Wells says, isn't it?) a country of flat plowed +field, pollard willows and deep muddy ditches. Then we come along, and +in military parlance "dig ourselves in." That is, with the sweat of +the brows of hundreds of Tommies working by night deep narrow trenches +five feet deep and at least with the earth thrown up another two and a +half feet as a bank on top. These trenches are one and a half to two +feet wide, and curl and twist about in a maddening manner to make them +safer from shell-fire. Little caves are scooped in the walls of the +trenches, where the men live about four to a hole, and slightly bigger +dugouts where two officers live. All the soil is clay, stickier and +greasier than one could believe possible. It's like almost solid +paint, and the least rain makes the sides of the trenches slimy, and +the bottom a perfect sea of mud--pulls the heels off your boots +almost. One feels like Gulliver walking along a Lilliputian town all +the time. The front line of trenches--the firing line--have scientific +loopholes and lookout places in them for seeing and firing from, and a +dropping fire goes on from both sides all day long, but is very +harmless. + +Dec. 3, 1914.--I was just starting for my daily constitutional "on +top" when the enemy began their bombarding, nearly one and a half +hours earlier than usual, so I will postpone my little walk and finish +this instead. Yesterday we had one man killed and two wounded, the +first casualties for over a week. The story of one of the wounded is +worth telling to show you the pluck of these men. He told me he +noticed some new digging going on on the side of the enemy in front +of his firing post. One can see the spadefuls of earth coming up from +below the ground level when new trenches are being dug. Although this +was in broad daylight, our man thought he would go and see what the +Germans were up to, so he hops over the side of his trench and runs +forward thirty yards to a ditch and crawls along it some hundred yards +or so. He then spots a large shell-hole in the field on one side of +the ditch, so doubles off and gets into that and has a good look +around. Not satisfied with the point of view, he sprints to a line of +willows nearer still to the enemy--within 250 yards of them +indeed--and proceeds to climb up one of them. While doing this he gets +shot through the shoulder. He told me he thought he had ricked his arm +at first, as it felt numb and useless. Meanwhile a great pal of his in +the regiment, hearing that he had gone out like this, hops over the +parapet and sets off to look for him, and comes up just as he gets +hit. The second man upbraids the first roundly for being a fool, +carries his rifle for him, and brings him back. All this is done quite +in the day's work and "sub rosa," as they would get punished for +leaving the trench like that in the daytime if it was spotted. The +pluck of these men is perfectly extraordinary, and the placid way life +goes on under the risk of being sniped or shelled any moment is, until +one gets used to seeing it, quite past belief. I must say the officers +set the men a magnificent example. + + +_A young officer attached to the Yorkshire Light Infantry writes on +Dec. 6:_ + +One wonders when one sees a German face to face, is this really one of +those devils who wrought such devastation--for devastation they have +surely wrought. You can hardly believe it, for he seems much the same +as other soldiers. I can assure you that there is none of that +insensate hatred that one hears about, out here. We are out to kill, +and kill we do, at any and every opportunity. But, when all is done +and the battle is over, the splendid universal "soldier spirit" comes +over all the men, and we cannot help thinking that Kipling must have +been in the firing line when he wrote that "East is East and West is +West" thing. Just to give you some idea of what I mean, the other +night four German snipers were shot on our wire. The next night our +men went out and brought one in who was near and getatable and buried +him. They did it with just the same reverence and sadness as they do +to our own dear fellows. I went to look at the grave the next morning, +and one of the most uncouth-looking men in my company had placed a +cross at the head of the grave, and had written on it: + + Here lies a German, + We don't know his name, + He died bravely fighting + For his Fatherland. + +And under that, "got mit uns," (sic,) that being the highest effort of +all the men at German. Not bad for a bloodthirsty Briton, eh? Really, +that shows the spirit. + +I don't believe there is a man living who, when first interviewing an +11-inch howitzer shell, is not pink with funk. After the first ten, +one gets quite used to them, but really, they are terrible! They hit a +house. You can see the great shell--a black streak--just before it +strikes, then, before you hear the explosion, the whole house simply +lifts up into the air, apparently quite silently; then you hear the +roar, and the whole earth shakes. In the place where the house was +there is a huge fountain-spout of what looks like pink fluff. It is +the pulverized bricks. Then a monstrous shoot of black smoke towering +up a hundred feet or more, and, finally, there is a curious +willow-like formation, and then--you duck, as huge pieces of shell, +and house, and earth, and haystack tumble over your head. And yet, do +you know, it is really remarkable how little damage they do against +earth trenches. With a whole morning's shelling, not a single man of +my company was killed, although not a single shell missed what it had +aimed at by more than fifty yards. That makes all the difference, that +fifty yards. If you only keep your head down, you are as safe as +houses; exactly, you will remark, "as safe as houses." + + + + +The Things the Wounded Talk About + +[A British Surgeon, in The London Times, Dec. 22, 1914.] + + +If you would realize fully what the war, as an event in the procession +of events, means you must come to France and visit a military +hospital. You must make this visit not as a sightseer, nor yet in the +spirit of a philanthropist, but only as a friend. You must come +prepared to listen to stories that have no relation to war and the +affairs of war--most soldiers, I think, are reluctant to speak of the +things they have seen--to stories that concern home ties and the +doings, real and conjectured, of children--queer, sentimental stories +woven around old ideas like the Christmas idea and the idea of home. + +They will fill you with wonder at first, those unwarlike tales, +because they belong to the truly unexpected, against which it is +impossible to be prepared. It would not be an exaggeration to describe +the first effect of them as startling. They kill so many illusions and +they discredit so many beliefs. War, rendered thus the background of +life, assumes a new proportion and a new meaning. Or, rather, it +becomes vague and meaningless, like a darkness. + +A few days ago I sat by the bedside of a wounded sapper--a +reservist--and heard the story of life in a signal-box on a branch +line in the North of England. The man was dying. I think he knew it. +But the zest of his everyday life was still strong in him. He +described the manner in which, on leaving the army originally, he had +obtained his post on the railway. He told me that there were three +trains each way in the day, and mentioned that on Winter nights the +last train was frequently very late. This meant a late supper, but his +wife saw to it that everything was kept hot. Sometimes his wife came +to the box to meet him if it was a dry night. + +In the next bed there was a young Scotsman from a Highland district +which I know very well. We were friends so soon as he learned that I +knew his home. He was a roadman, and we talked of his roads and the +changes which had been wrought in them of late years by motor traffic. +He recalled a great storm, during which the sea wall around a certain +harbor was washed away and the highway rendered impassable. Then, +rather diffidently, he confessed that he had lost a foot and would be +handicapped in his work--"at Ypres." + +At the far end of the ward there was a German who spoke a little +English. He was a married man and came from Saxony. His wife and +children, he said, would miss him at Christmas. We spoke a long time +on the subject of Christmas. I suppose by all the orthodox canons that +this German should have told me that he was glad to be a prisoner or +else should have declared his conviction that the German Army would +speedily carry everything before it to victory. But somehow he forgot +to say these things and I forgot to ask him about them. These things +seemed far away in the quiet ward, even--and for this I beg +forgiveness--grotesque and uninteresting. + +I had the curiosity to return to the young Scot and to ask him if he +regretted the decision which had led to his being maimed for life. He +shook his head. "No, because I've had a good home. A man with a good +home should fight for it." He added that his father had advised him +very strongly to enlist. + +By the touchstone of the men it has broken this war is judged, and the +makers of this war. And more than ruined villages and desecrated +churches these soldiers pronounce condemnation. They, who have given +so much, are, in a sense, without joy and without enthusiasm; rather +they shun recollection. There is no zest in the killing of men. Their +thoughts, especially at this season, are directed away from the dull, +mechanic force which labors against its bonds across Europe, and dwell +in the homes it has threatened. The war is revealed as a thing gross +and dull-witted, a crime even against the ancient, chivalrous spirit +of war. + + + + +Three Dying Foes Made Friends + +[From The Hartford Courant, Jan. 14, 1915.] + + +_To the Editor of The Courant:_ + +_I have read nothing more tender and moving than the subjoined letter +found by a Red Cross agent at the side of a dead officer and forwarded +to the person to whom it was addressed. The writer was a French +cavalry officer engaged to a young American girl in Paris. It was +written as he lay dying from wounds received in a cavalry charge. Let +it speak for itself._ + +_E.P.P._ + +There are two other men lying near me, and I do not think there is +much hope for them either. One is an officer of a Scottish regiment +and the other a private in the Uhlans. They were struck down after me, +and when I came to myself, I found them bending over me, rendering +first aid. + +The Britisher was pouring water down my throat from his flask, while +the German was endeavoring to stanch my wound with an antiseptic +preparation served out to them by their medical corps. The Highlander +had one of his legs shattered, and the German had several pieces of +shrapnel buried in his side. + +In spite of their own sufferings they were trying to help me, and when +I was fully conscious again the German gave us a morphia injection and +took one himself. His medical corps had also provided him with the +injection and the needle, together with printed instructions for its +use. + +After the injection, feeling wonderfully at ease, we spoke of the +lives we had lived before the war. We all spoke English, and we talked +of the women we had left at home. Both the German and the Britisher +had only been married a year.... + +I wondered, and I supposed the others did, why we had fought each +other at all. I looked at the Highlander, who was falling to sleep, +exhausted, and in spite of his drawn face and mud-stained uniform, he +looked the embodiment of freedom. Then I thought of the Tricolor of +France and all that France had done for liberty. Then I watched the +German, who had ceased to speak. He had taken a Prayer Book from his +knapsack and was trying to read a service for soldiers wounded in +battle. + +And ... while I watched him, I realized what we were fighting for.... +He was dying in vain, while the Britisher and myself, by our deaths, +would probably contribute something toward the cause of civilization +and peace. + +[The letter ends with a reference to the failing light and the roar of +guns.] + +[Illustration] + + + + +Chronology of the War + +Showing Progress of Campaigns on All Fronts and Collateral Events from +Jan. 7 to and Including Jan. 31, 1915 + + +CAMPAIGN IN EASTERN EUROPE + +[Continued from the Last Number.] + +Jan. 8--Germans are trying to carry the Russian lines near Bolinow by +the use of steel shields to protect riflemen. + +Jan. 9--Germans renew offensive from direction of Mlawa; fighting on +the Rawka and in the north; Russians enter Transylvania; Austrians +meet delays near Nida River. + +Jan. 11--Russians are strengthening their lines. + +Jan. 12--Russians are pressing the Austrians near the Nida; Austrians +are fleeing from Bukowina. + +Jan. 13--Russians occupy several villages in the Masurian Lake region +and threaten Mlawa; Austrians state that Russians lost heavily in +Przemysl siege. + +Jan. 14--Russians push north from Warsaw; Germans retake several +positions on Bzura River; it is reported that Germans are short of +supplies. + +Jan. 15--New Russian army marches north in Poland; Germans near Mlawa +are in peril; von Hindenburg declared in danger. + +Jan. 16--Austrians bring up heavy artillery to hold the Donajec River; +Germans are on way to Budapest. + +Jan. 17--Russians take Kirlibaba Pass and progress along right bank of +the Vistula; Germans pushed back on Plock. + +Jan. 18--Germans occupy Kielce; Russians fall back to Radom; Russian +capture of Kirlibaba Pass flanks Austrians; Germans out of Plock. + +Jan. 20--Russians drive Austrians back in Hungary and march on +Jacobeni. + +Jan. 21--Russians renew offensive against Mlawa; Austrians rout +Russians from intrenchments on Donajec River. + +Jan. 22--New Russian army nears Prussia; invasion of Hungary halted; +Russian advance is causing alarm in Budapest. + +Jan. 23--Germans are massing in Hungary; Russians advance in the +north. + +Jan. 24--Russians checked in Transylvania. + +Jan. 25--Armies are deadlocked in Central Poland; Austrians declare +that Transylvania is safe; fierce fighting in Bukowina; Russians +forced from trenches south of Tarnow. + +Jan. 27--Austrians report the recapture of Uzsok Pass; Russians seize +Pilkalen; ten army corps are gathered in Southern Hungary, with many +Germans in them. + +Jan. 28--Great struggle for the Carpathians is opening; Austro-German +forces advance on eighty-mile front. + +Jan. 29--Russian wings advance in East Prussia and the Carpathians; +Russians close in on Insterburg; Tilsit surrounded. + +Jan. 30--Russians cut railway between Memel and Tilsit, and enter +Hungary. + +Jan. 31--Russians gain in Carpathians. + + +CAMPAIGN IN WESTERN EUROPE. + +Jan. 8--Allies gain north of Soissons, near Rheims, and in Alsace; +French Alpine troops use skis in gaining an advantage in Alsace. + +Jan. 9--Germans retake Steinbach and Burnhaupt; French take Perthes +and gain near Soupir. + +Jan. 10--French cut German railway lines to prevent reserves from +coming to the relief of Altkirch. + +Jan. 11--Allies, attacking from Perthes, are trying to cut German rail +communications. + +Jan. 12--French attempt offensive near Soissons and Perthes; they are +checked in Alsace; British forces at the front are steadily increasing +in number. + +Jan. 13--Germans, reinforced, win victory at Soissons, forcing French +to abandon five miles of trenches and to cross the Aisne, leaving guns +and wounded; heights of Vregny are won in this fight by the Germans +under the eyes of the Kaiser; Germans take 3,150 prisoners and +fourteen guns in two days' fighting. + +Jan. 15--French are calm over the Soissons defeat; British gain near +La Bassee. + +Jan. 17--Allies take trenches in Belgium; deadlock at La Bassee; +Allies closing on Lille. + +Jan. 18--Fierce fighting at La Boisselle; both sides are claiming +success at Tracy-le-Val. + +Jan. 19--French advance in attempt to cut off St. Mihiel. + +Jan. 20--French are nearer Metz; British take Freylinghuysen. + +Jan. 21--Germans repulsed in Ardennes woods by French and Belgians; +French retake trenches at Notre Dame de Lorette; Germans retake Le +Pretre woods; it is learned that the Soissons battle was won by von +Kluck's veterans, and that the Germans granted a half-hour truce while +French Red Cross aided wounded. + +Jan. 22--Fierce fighting in Hartmanns-Weiler region. + +Jan. 23--Germans renew activity near Ypres and bombard left wing of +Allies; fighting in Argonne region. + +Jan. 24--Germans are bombarding Flanders towns; Allies leave St. +Georges. + +Jan. 25--Kaiser sends Prince Eitel Friedrich to capture Thann and +direct fighting in Alsace; French gain toward Altkirch and destroy +bridges over the Meuse at St. Mihiel; Germans forced to abandon +Dixmude trenches because of floods. + +Jan. 26--Another battle on at La Bassee; Germans gain ground by +vigorous offensive near Craonne and in Alsace. + +Jan. 27--Germans attack between La Bassee and Bethune, this being the +Kaiser's birthday; the French claim that the German loss is 20,000; +indecisive fighting near Ypres. + +Jan. 28--French defeated at Craonne; Germans make gains in the Vosges +and Upper Alsace. + +Jan. 29--Germans checked in two attempts to cross the Aisne; they +drain the Yser flood area. + +Jan. 30--Germans win in the Argonne. + +Jan. 31--Kaiser directs German assault on La Bassee; zouaves and +Indians win the Great Dune west of Lombaertzyde. + + +CAMPAIGN IN AFRICA. + +Jan. 9--French win in Kamerun. + +Jan. 15--British take Swakopmund. + + +CAMPAIGN IN ASIA MINOR AND EGYPT. + +Jan. 9--Turks hasten construction of railway lines across Sinai +peninsula. + +Jan. 10--Turks are marching on Egypt; reserve Turkish army, trying to +save Erzerum, repulsed at frontier. + +Jan. 12--Erzerum road is being fought for; Noury Bey captured by +Russians. + +Jan. 13--Turks occupy Tabriz and report Arab victory over British +troops on the lower Tigris. + +Jan. 14--Armenian refugees cross Russian frontier; Turkish invasion of +Persia continues. + +Jan. 15--Turks advance in Persia. + +Jan. 17--Turkish corps cut to pieces in the Caucasus. + +Jan. 18--Turkish soldiers are being frozen to death. + +Jan. 21--Turks are pushing plans for a strategic railway to the +Egyptian frontier. + +Jan. 24--Russians check Turkish advance on Erzerum. + +Jan. 27--British defeat Turkish advance guard toward El Kantara on the +Suez Canal; three Turkish army corps now marching on Egypt; British +win at Korna. + +Jan. 28--Turks, reinforced, attack Russians in the Caucasus. + +Jan. 29--Turks fortify Erzerum, and order civilians to depart. + +Jan. 30--Russians take Tabriz. + +Jan. 31--Turks defeated near Sari-Kamysh. + + +NAVAL RECORD. + +Jan. 11--Report from Vienna that French dreadnought Courbet has been +sunk. + +Jan. 12--Japanese cruisers are hunting the German converted cruiser +Prince Eitel Friedrich off the coast of Peru. + +Jan. 13--Dover forts drive off two German submarines; bombardment of +the Dardanelles by the allied fleets continues. + +Jan. 16--French submarine Saphir sunk by Turkish mine at the +Dardanelles; Italian gunboat Coatit damaged in the Adriatic. + +Jan. 20--Dutch naval patrol boat sunk by a mine, five men being lost. + +Jan. 21--German cruiser Karlsruhe reported off Porto Rico. + +Jan. 22--German submarine U-19 sinks British freighter Durward. + +Jan. 23--German supply ship sunk by Australian cruiser. + +Jan. 24--British patrolling squadron under Vice Admiral Beatty defeats +German squadron attempting to reach English coast; German battle +cruiser Bluecher sunk and two other German battle cruisers damaged; +British battle cruisers Lion and Tiger damaged; Germans claim three +British ships were sunk. + +Jan. 28--British Admiralty denies that any British ship was sunk. + +Jan. 30--German submarine sinks three British steamers in Irish +Channel and chases Liverpool passenger boat. + +Jan. 31--German submarine sinks two British steamers in English +Channel; third steamer escapes. + + +AERIAL RECORD. + +Jan. 10--German aeroplanes threw thirty bombs on Dunkirk, damaging +several houses; Belgian aviators give battle to the Germans at great +altitude and finally drive them off; German aviator shot down by +French near Amiens. + +Jan. 16--German hydroaeroplane lost in North Sea; nine aviators of the +Allies drop bombs on Ostend. + +Jan. 19--German airships drop bombs on Yarmouth, King's Lynn, and +other English towns; four persons are killed, ten wounded, and +considerable property damage is done; it is reported that the German +plant at Friedrichshafen produces a super-Zeppelin every three weeks. + +Jan. 21--Allies drop bombs on Essen. + +Jan. 22--Holland is to investigate a report that a Zeppelin violated +her neutrality by flying over her territory. + +Jan. 23--Germans drop bombs on Dunkirk; it is reported that the +American Consulate is damaged. + +Jan. 25--It is reported from Amsterdam that 400 German war automobiles +were destroyed in the raid on Essen. + +Jan. 26--Russians bring down German airship that bombarded Libau. + +Jan. 28--Crew of German airship that bombarded Libau will be tried by +military court and will not be treated as prisoners of war; bomb +dropped on Belgrade. + + +AMERICAN INTERESTS. + +Jan. 24--Administration makes public in Washington a letter written by +Secretary Bryan to Senator Stone of Missouri in which discrimination +against Germany and Austria-Hungary is denied; twenty charges made by +pro-Germans are taken up and the Administration's position and action +on each are stated in detail. + + +AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. + +Jan. 17--Anti-war demonstrations in Vienna; Czech editor executed for +treason. + +Jan. 20--Governor of Cracow orders partial evacuation of the city. + +Jan. 21--Archduke Charles Francis, the Austrian Crown Prince, is in +Berlin, where he will be joined shortly by Baron Burian, the new +Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs; plans of campaign +against Russia are to be discussed with German officials. + +Jan. 23--Baron Burian leaves Berlin for German Army Headquarters to +confer with the Kaiser. + +Jan. 25--Riots in many parts of Hungary. + +Jan. 28--Riot among Southern Slavs because of mobilization order. + +Jan. 29--Prisoners of war are to be employed in farm work. + +Jan. 30--Warning is sent to Rumania against agitation among Rumanian +population of Transylvania. + + +BELGIUM. + +Jan. 8--Cardinal Mercier has been placed under restraint by the German +authorities because of his pastoral, read in the churches on Jan. 3, +in which he told the Belgians that they owe German authority "neither +respect, nor attachment, nor obedience." + +Jan. 9--It is reported that Cardinal Mercier was arrested, but the +report is denied by the Military Governor of Belgium; circulation of +the Mercier pastoral is not being permitted. + +Jan. 10--The Mercier pastoral is read in English churches; Belgian +refugees are proving a problem in England and Holland. + +Jan. 11--Admiration for Cardinal Mercier expressed by King Albert in a +letter to the Pope. + +Jan. 12--It is reported from Rome that the Vatican has asked Germany +for an explanation regarding the acts with reference to Cardinal +Mercier. + +Jan. 22--Full text of the Mercier pastoral is printed in THE NEW YORK +TIMES. + + +CANADA. + +Jan. 22--Major General Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defense, +arrives in Vancouver to arrange for enlistment of third contingent. + +Jan. 30--First detachment of Canadian troops is in France; other +detachments are en route; nine German prisoners escape from Halifax +citadel; war fund of $1,500,000 raised in five days in Montreal. + +Jan. 31--Six Canadians, including two officers, killed in La Bassee +fight. + + +EGYPT. + +Jan. 10--Abbas Hilmi, deposed Khedive, calls upon Egyptians and +Sudanese to rise against England. + + +ENGLAND. + +Jan. 8--House of Lords adjourns after discussion of recruiting and +other phases of the war. + +Jan. 12--Government appeals to women to induce men to enlist. + +Jan. 15--War Office issues statement that letters destined for hostile +countries will be held up unless they are unsealed. + +Jan. 16--Seven British naval officers, interned in Holland, escape, +but five are recaptured. + +Jan. 23--Statement shows that total casualty list of officers up to +Jan. 12 was 4,344, of whom 1,266 were killed, the rest being wounded +and missing; many interned Germans and Austrians released on parole. + +Jan. 27--Two Hindu soldiers win Victoria Crosses; London financial +papers deprecate a joint loan for the Allies. + +Jan. 28--Many Oxford "blues" are serving in the army. + +Jan. 31--There are 178 peers serving in the army. + + +FRANCE. + +Jan. 10--Government will surrender German surgeons and nurses held as +prisoners of war only in equal exchange. + +Jan. 14--Socialist Senator demands postponement of war discussion in +Parliament and says speeches must give way to voice of cannon. + +Jan. 18--Paris darkened by police order. + +Jan. 22--Capt. Uhde, stated to be a relative of the Kaiser, is sent to +concentration camp after being accused of having spied on the French +fleet at Toulon. + +Jan. 27--Many doctors have been killed, wounded, and taken prisoner, +the reason for lengthy casualty list being stated to be that the +French doctors do not desert their wounded on approach of the enemy. + +Jan. 29--Officer stops Mrs. Asquith and party on way to the front for +a weekend. + + +GERMANY. + +Jan. 8--Government charges that San Marino has been encouraging +espionage by its wireless station. + +Jan. 9--Tobacco sent to French prisoners to be admitted free of duty. + +Jan. 10--Retired Belgian General and Lieutenant sentenced to life +imprisonment for aiding Belgians to escape to Holland; it is said that +the Landsturm can still furnish 5,000,000 men; Socialist meeting +prohibited in Saxony. + +Jan. 11--Reports from Russia state that German women in men's uniform +have been taken prisoners in bayonet charges recently and that some of +them are wounded and in hospital; sale of blankets forbidden in Berlin +and Brandenburg; the stocks are to be placed at the disposal of the +military authorities; French women and children taken from occupied +territory are being sent home. + +Jan. 12--The Pope is negotiating for better treatment of clerical +prisoners. + +Jan. 17--Official reports state that the prisoners of war held by +Germany and Austria are now 800,000. + +Jan. 22--Escaped British officer charges cruelty toward British +prisoners. + +Jan. 23--Money prizes are offered to the first invaders of England. + +Jan. 25--Secretary Bryan makes public the text of German Government's +notification of cancellation of exequaturs granted by Belgian +Government to foreign Consular representatives, and the reply of the +United States. + +Jan. 27--Prince von Buelow tells Italian statesmen that Italy's +preparations for war are resented and that an ultimatum may be sent; +French charge that German soldiers reverse bullets for short-range +fighting; wife of Greek Consul at Liege sentenced to prison for aiding +Belgians to escape; all neutrals to be expelled from Upper Alsace; +Gen. von Bissing orders all Englishmen in Belgium sent to Germany. + +Jan. 30--Value of French territory occupied by the Germans is +estimated at $1,900,000,000 by the Inspector General of the Credit +Foncier, or 7.2 per cent., of the total value of all France; according +to the census of 1911 3,255,000 persons, or 8.2 per cent. of the +population of France, live in this territory; Berlin night life is +under the war ban, yet the opera and theatres are open. + + +ITALY. + +Jan. 11--Troops sent to garrison the Italian islands in the Aegean. + +Jan. 12--Demonstration when the body of Constantino Garibaldi, killed +while serving with the French, arrives in Rome; many applications for +nationality by Germans are being refused; Committee of National +Defense formed at Milan. + +Jan. 13--Italians in all parts of the world are offering to enlist in +event of war; a special police census shows 700,000 Austrians and +Germans in the country; embassies advise them to leave. + +Jan. 23--Vice Consul at Liege dismissed for aiding Belgians; prominent +Italians appeal to neutral countries to take steps to preserve art +treasures in belligerent countries. + +Jan. 25--Radicals want war. + +Jan. 29--Soldiers of the First and Third Categories are called to the +colors; retired officers fit for service are liable to be recalled. + +Jan. 30--Contracts for army and navy supplies are placed in the United +States. + +Jan. 31--Riots in Rome against neutralists. + + +RUMANIA. + +Jan. 8--The nation is mobilizing 750,000 men, of whom 500,000 form the +field army. + +Jan. 11--London experts think that Rumania will soon enter war on side +of Allies, her army linking with the extreme Russian left. + +Jan. 16--Students in Switzerland summoned home because of +mobilization. + +Jan. 22--Orders are placed with Swiss firms for medical supplies. + +Jan. 26--Exportation of army supplies to Hungary recommenced. + + +RUSSIA. + +Jan. 9--Girl fights with Cossacks and wins Cross of St. George. + +Jan. 10--Only half the number of this year's recruits liable for +military service are called out. + +Jan. 20--It is reported that some members of the imperial family are +opposed to the war. + +Jan. 21--Troops are warned against bogus proclamations, bearing Czar's +name, circulated by Austrians. + +Jan. 22--Orders issued for expulsion of Austrian and German subjects. + +Jan. 26--Foreign Minister Sazonof says there will be no peace while a +single soldier of the enemy remains on Russian soil. + +Jan. 29--Poles form legion at Warsaw. + + +RELIEF WORK. + +Jan. 8--California's relief cargo is on the way to Rotterdam. + +Jan. 9--To date the value of cargoes of food, clothing, and medical +supplies delivered, in transit on the Atlantic, or arranged for from +the United States to Belgium amount to more than $14,000,000; milk and +sugar are scarce in Belgium, the babies feeling the influence of the +food crisis. + +Jan. 10--Antwerp Council passes resolution of thanks to Americans, +whose help "is literally saving us." + +Jan. 11--American party sent to relieve German and Austrian prisoners +in Russia is halted by the Russian Government pending negotiations. + +Jan. 15--Large consignment of supplies is sent to Saloniki by American +Red Cross; Virginia and Maryland send Belgian relief ships; Georgia is +raising funds for a ship. + +Jan. 21--American Red Cross issues report of its European activities +from Aug. 1 to Jan. 9; war fund thus far amounts to $1,188,000; +forty-five American Red Cross surgeons and 150 nurses are on war duty +in Europe; Sing Sing prisoners are to knit socks for Polish destitute. + +Jan. 23--Mme. Grouitch, wife of the Secretary General for Foreign +Affairs of Servia, arrives in New York seeking funds for seeds for the +Servian Spring planting; Dr. Wickliffe Rose and Ernest Bicknell, who +have been in Russian Poland for the American Red Cross, report from +Berlin that conditions in Poland are worse, if anything, than those in +Belgium. + +Jan. 24--Commission for Relief in Belgium has thirty-five chartered +steamships running between American ports and Rotterdam carrying +supplies. + +Jan. 26--American Red Cross ships large consignment of supplies for +Constantinople and Servia. + +Jan. 27--Commission for Relief in Belgium states that 76,000 tons of +food, in addition to supplies in sight, are needed for next three +months; there are now 1,400,000 destitute, and the number is +increasing daily. + +Jan. 28--Committee of prominent American educators plans to have the +20,000,000 children of the United States help war sufferers through a +new fund, to be called the Children of America's Fund. + +Jan. 31--Rockefeller Foundation denies that it has withdrawn from +Belgium relief work. + + + + +TO HIS MAJESTY KING ALBERT + +By WILLIAM WATSON. + +[From King Albert's Book.] + + + Receive, from one who hath not lavished praise + On many Princes, nor was ever awed + By empire such as groveling slaves applaud, + Who cast their souls into its altar-blaze-- + Receive the homage that a freeman pays + To Kinghood flowering out of Manhood broad, + Kinghood that toils uncovetous of laud, + Loves whom it rules, and serves the realm it sways. + + For when Your people, caught in agony's net, + Rose as one dauntless heart, their King was found + Worthy on such a throne to have been set, + Worthy by such as They to have been crowned; + And loftier praise than this did never yet + On mortal ears from lips of mortals sound. + + + + +INDEX + +Vol. I. From the Beginning to March, 1915 + +[Titles of articles appear in _italics_.] + + +A + +ABBOTT, (Dr.) L., "Militarism and Christianity," 610. + +ABOUKIR, 752, 755, 761. + +ACLAND, F.D., speech, 277. + +ACTORS, Russian, appeal, 817. + +ADAMS, Adeline, poems, 593, 1004. + +ADCOCK, A. St. J., review of book, "In the Firing Line," 971. + +ADLER, Felix, criticism of A. Bennett, 95. + +AERONAUTICS, 659, 664, 710, 932. + +AERSCHOT, 380, 945. + +_After the Russian Advance in Galicia_, 958. + +AISNE, Battle of, 635, 650. + +ALABAMA Claims, 258. + +ALBANIA, 1062. + +ALBERT, King of the Belgians, appeal to King George, 287; + tributes in poems, 1210, 1228. + +_All-Night Attack_, 979. + +ALLENBY, (Maj. Gen.) E.H.H., 620-622, 635, 645. + +_Along the German Lines Near Metz_, 731. + +ALSACE-LORRAINE, 97, 147, 483, 488, 491, 492, 555, 557, 729, 736. + +ALTENBURG, Duke of, letter, 1200. + +AMERICANS, arrest on neutral vessels, 1181. + +_America's Peril in Judging Germany_, 515. + +AMMUNITION, sale of, 1178. + +ANDENNE, 1115. + +ANGELL, Norman, "On the Impending Crisis," 107. + +ANGLO-RUSSIAN Treaty, 45. + +_Another "Happy Thought"_, 789. + +_Answering the "Chant of Hate"_, 988. + +_Anti-Christian War_, 129. + +ANTWERP, 682, 784, 787. + +_Appeal of the German Universities_, 187. + +_Appeal to America for Belgium_, 924. + +_Appeal to the Civilized World_, 185. + +_Apportioning the Blame_, 548. + +ARBITRATION, 150; + treaties, 50, 225. + +ARCHER, William, poem, 1114. + +_Are We Barbarians?_ 178 + +ARIF Bey, 1029. + +ARNOLD, Winifred, poem, 789. + +ARRAS, Battle of, 707. + +ARTISTS, British, protest against vandalism, 130; + Russian, appeal of, 817. + +_As America Sees the War_, 582. + +_As the French Fell Back on Paris_, 689. + +"_As They Tested Our Fathers_," 106. + +ASHMEAD-BARTLETT, 714. + +ASQUITH, (Premier) H.H., criticisms, 23, 29, 62; + statements, 278, 279, 291, 292, 299; + letter to Mayors, 308; + speeches, 309-325. + +_At the Kaiser's Headquarters_, 718. + +_At the Villa Achilleion Corfu_, 999. + +ATROCITIES, German, 104, 129, 185, 192; + Allies accused by Bethmann-Hollweg, 223; + charges against Belgians, 261, 266; + official statements, 374-391; + letters of G.H. Putnam and R.F. Thienes, 563; + statement by Lord Channing, 592; + Aerschot, 945; + French official report, 1132. + +_Atrocities of the War_, 374. + +_Attack on Tsing-tao_, 745. + +AUGUSTA Victoria, _see_ GERMANY:--Empress. + +AUSTRIA-HUNGARY:-- + Balkan policy, 227. + Conditions in Galicia, 958. + Declaration of war on Serbia, 226. + Ultimatum to Serbia criticised, 109, 136, 189, 195, 202, 203, 339, 559. + +_Austria-Hungary's Version of the War_, 225. + +AUSTRO-GERMAN Treaty, 298. + +AUTHORS, British, defend England, 82; + Russian, appeal of, 817; + British, on Russian literature, 819. + +AVLONA, 1065. + + +B + +BAKHMETEFF, (Ambassador) George, on Russia and the war, 364; + authenticity of interview denied, 617. + +BALKAN States, 1025-1071. + +BALKAN WAR, 247. + +BALUHTCHICH, (Serbian Minister,) statement, 1039. + +_Baptism of Fire_, 977. + +_Barnardiston_, (Col.,) 1104, 1105, 1110. + +_Barrie at Bay: Which Was Brown?_ 100. + +BARRY, Beatrice, poems, 850, 948, 988. + +BASS, J.F., on visit to Russian trench, 963. + +BATTLE of Dorking, 13, 61. + +BATTLES, _see_ CAMPAIGNS, SEA fights, names of battles. + +BAVARIA:--Crown Prince Rupprecht's army orders, 984. + +BAZIN, Rene, appreciation of article in London Times on France, 153. + +BECK, J.M., "In the Supreme Court of Civilization," 413; + criticisms and replies, 431-448. + +BEER, G.L., "What Gladstone Said About Belgium," 448. + +BEGBIE, Harold, "As America Sees the War," 582. + +_Belgian Battleground_, 1109. + +_Belgian Cities Germanized_, 780. + +_Belgian Boy Tells Story of Aerschot_, 945. + +_Belgian Ruin_, 786. + +_Belgian Soldier_, 1215. + +BELGIUM:-- + Army, 725. + Claims, 48, 97. + Effects of war, 765. + "Gray Book," 371, 413-448. + Neutrality Violation and Treaty of London, opinion of G.B. Shaw, 25, + 30, 58; + A. Bennett, 62; + C. Graham, 65; + editorial in New York Times; C. Pankhurst; letter from Shaw to + President Wilson, 77; + H. Eulenberg, 80; + British authors, 82; + J. Galsworthy, 102; + R. Kipling, 107; + G.K. Chesterton, 108, 123; + A.C. Doyle, 136; + R. Rolland, 174; + G. Hauptmann, 175; + L. Fulda, 182; + German professors, 185; + British scholars, 189; + Y. Guyot and Professor Bellet, 196; + British theologians, 201; + von Harnack, 204; + Bethmann-Hollweg, 222; + German analysis of British "White Papers," 241; + "Truth About Germany," 249, 258; + Sir E. Grey, 286; + Asquith, 292, 321; + Lloyd George, 336; + statement by Legation at Washington, 365; + G.L. Beer on Gladstone's views, 448; + J.H. Schiff, 460; + Dr. C.W. Eliot, 484; + Dr. Dernburg, 488; + Prof. Burgess, 511; + A. von Briesen, 551; + W. Ostwald, 572; + Dr. N.D. Hillis, 575; + Germany's strategic railways, 1000; + "A Scrap of Paper," 1120. + Refugees, 48, 614, 776. + Treatment of resident Austrian and German citizens, 268. + +_Belgium's Bitter Need_, 614. + +BELGO-BRITISH Plot, 204, 369-372; 545-547; 990; 1000; 1101-1119. + +BELGRADE, 969, 1042. + +BELLET, (Prof.), reply to German professor's appeal to civilization, 194. + +BELLOC, Hilaire, "Why England Fights Germany," 993. + +BENEDICT XV., Pope, on destruction of Rheims, 392; + letter to Cardinal Mercier, 923. + +BENNETT, Arnold, "Shaw's Nonsense About Belgium," 60; + reply from Shaw, 63; + "What the German Conscript Thinks," 93; + comment of F. Adler, 95; + "When Peace Is Seriously Desired," 97. + +BERCHTOLD, (Count), on Austria-Hungary, 227. + +BERGSON, Henri, "The Vital Energies of France," 152. + +BERNHARDI, (Gen.) Friedrich von, criticisms of, 13, 15, 25, 56, 135, +140, 343. + +BERNHEIMER, G.E., reply to J.M. Beck, 431. + +BERNSTORFF, (Count) Heinrich von, on peace proposals, 274; + on Anglo-Belgian plot, 371. + +BETHMANN-HOLLWEG, (Dr.) Theobald von, criticism by G.K. Chesterton, 114; + speeches and statements, 219-225; + conference with Ambassador Gerard on peace, 273; + reply to Asquith, 313; + full text of speech in Reichstag, 989; + on Belgian neutrality, 1113; + "A Scrap of Paper," 1120. + +BEVIS, (Dr.), work among the wounded in Belgium, 714. + +_Big and the Great_, 1114. + +BLACKFORD, (Dr.) C.M., 107. + +_Bloodless Capture of German Samoa_, 749. + +BODKINSON, H.W., on refugees in Warsaw, 957. + +BOEHN, (Gen.) von, 1117. + +BOER War, 126, 133, 214. + +_Bombardment of Rheims Cathedral_, 392. + +BONN, (Prof.) M.J., "Tools of the Russian Juggernaut," 851. + +BOON, John, on German entry into Brussels, 679. + +BOSPORUS, Strait of, 1027. + +BOURTZEFF, (Russian revolutionist), 823. + +BOUTROUX, Emile, "Germany's Civilized Barbarism," 160. + +BRANDES, Georg, "Fate of the Jews in Poland," 854. + +BREZIZINY, Battle of, 740. + +BRIDGES, (Col.), 1102, 1107. + +BRIDGES, Robert, "An Anti-Christian War," 129. + +BRIESEN, Arthur von, "Apportioning the Blame," 548. + +BRIGGS, C.C.D., poem, 1198. + +_British Authors Defend England's War_, 82. + +_Broken Rose_, 1210. + +BROQUEVILLE, (Lieut.) de, 714. + +BROWN, Cyril, dispatches, 718, 780, 925-938. + +BRUSSELS, 679, 780, 1118. + +BRYAN, (Sec.) W.J., letter to Sen. Stone disclaiming bias against +Germany and Austria, 1175; + "Seizures of American Cargoes," 1183. + +BRYCE, (Viscount) James, on teachings of Bernhardi, 343; + appreciation of letter by Dr. C.W. Eliot, 477. + +BUCHANAN, (Sir) George, 229-236. + +BUELOW, (Gen.) Karl von, 1115. + +BULGARIA, England's overtures, 1031; + Serbs' view, 1036-1040. + +_Bulgaria and Kultur_, 1040. + +_Bulgaria's Attitude_, 1044. + _See also_ BALKAN States. + +BUNSEN, (Sir) Maurice de, 231. + +BURGESS, John W., letter on "Truth About Germany," 244; + articles on the war and controversy, 507. + +BURGESS, William, letter, 973. + +BURNS, John, 23. + +BUTLER, (Dr.) N.M., "The United States of Europe," 565. + +BUXTON, Noel, 1031. + +BYNG, (Maj. Gen.) Julian, 649. + + +C + +CABLE Censorship, 1175. + +_Caldron of the Balkans_, 1025. + +CAMBON, Paul, 233-242, 355. + +CAMPAIGN in Eastern Europe, 738-744; 957-965. + +CAMPAIGN in Western Europe, 620-738; 949-953; 1167-1174. + +CARGOES, Amer., seizures, 1183, 1188. + +CARNEGIE, Andrew, 206, 208; + interview, 451. + +CARTOONS, 1073-1100. + +CARUTHERS, M.V., poem, 864. + +_Case for Germany_, 209. + +_Case for the Triple Entente_, 276. + +_Case of Belgium_, 1101. + +CASTELNAU, (Gen.,) 643, 1170-1173. + +_Cathedrale, La_, 472. + +CAUSES of the War, views of T. Niemeyer, 206; + Dr. C.W. Eliot, 498; + M.J. Bonn, 852; + H. Belloc, 993. + +CHANNING of Wellingborough, (Lord), "What America Can Do," 588. + +"_Chant of Hate Against England_", 984; + answer, 988. + +CHARLES, King of Rumania, death, career, 1056. + +CHARTRES, Annie, poem, 1210. + +_Cheerful Spirits in Trench Inferno_, 1217. + +CHESTERTON, G.K., "Why England Came to be in It," 108; + "Russian or Prussian Barbarism," 111; + "Disposing of Germany's Civilizing Mission," 115; + "Russia Less Despotic Than Prussia," 119; + "The Bond of Teutonism," 122. + +CHILD, O.C.A., poem, 764. + +CHRONOLOGY of War, 793, 1007, 1224. + +CHURCHILL, W.S., criticism, 13; + speech, 330. + +_Civil Life in Berlin_, 943. + +COBB, Irvin S., on effects of war in four countries, 765. + +_Commercial Treaties After the War_, 863. + +_Common Sense About the War_, 11. + +_Commercial Aspects of War_, 526. + +_Concerning German Culture_, 542. + +_Concerning the German Professors_, 192. + +_Confiscation of German Patents_, 849. + +CONGO Conference, 259. + +CONNAUGHT, (Prince) Arthur of, 646. + +CONTRABAND, 1176, 1183, 1188. + +COWEN, F.H., music for hymn to Belgium, 1126. + +COX, John H., on fighting in Alsace, 736. + +_Credo for Keeping Faith_, 102. + +CRESSY, 753, 755, 761. + +_Crowds See the Niger Sink_, 760. + +CULTURE, 160, 178, 193-203; 317, 541, 543, 613, 821. + +_Culture vs. Kultur_, 543. + +CURZON, (Lord), criticism, 13; + speech, 308; + letter to London Times, 329. + +CYPRUS Island, 1035. + + +D + +_Damp Humor of the Night Watch_, 1206. + +DANKL, (Gen.), 959. + +DARDANELLES, Strait of, 1027, 1031. + +DARRAIL, (Gen.), 1172. + +DAVIS, R.H., on Rheims Cathedral, 932. + +_Dawn of a New Day_, 678. + +DAWNAY, (Maj.) Hugh, 649. + +DECLARATION of London, 1182. + +_Declaration of the Russian Industrial Interests_, 835. + +DEFENDER, 973. + +_Defense of the Dual Alliance_, 438. + +DELCASSE, T., letter denying use of dumdum bullets by French, 376. + +DERNBURG, (Dr.) Bernhard, on German review of the evidence, 229; + reply to letter by Dr. C.W. Eliot, 487; + "The Case of Belgium," 1101. + +D'ESPEREY, (Gen.) Franchet, 652. + +DETENTION Camps, _see_ PRISON Camps. + +_Diary of Lydia Evans_, 981. + +D'IBERVILLE, 1211. + +DIECKMANN, (Maj.), 1118. + +DISARMAMENT, 50, 97, 223. + +DIXMUDE, Battle of, 712, 715. + +DOUMIC, Rene, "The Soldier of 1914," 156. + +DOYLE, (Sir) A.C., "To Arms!" 132; + on British militarism, 140. + +DUBAIL, (Gen.), 1173. + +DUCARME, (Maj. Gen.), 1104, 1105. + +DUMDUM Bullets, sale by Amer. firms, 1179. + _See also_ ATROCITIES. + +DURYEE, (Mrs.) Nina Larrey, appeal for aid for Belgians, 776. + + +E + +ECOB, J.H., on the German Emperor, 510. + +ECONOMIC Aspects of War, discussed by F.H. Giddings, 526; + article by Prof. I. Fisher, 594; + article by R.G. Usher, 600. + +_Effects of War in Four Countries_, 765. + +_Effects of War on America_, 600. + +EGYPT, Sultan, _see_ HUSSEIN KAMEL. + +ELIOT, (Dr.) C.W., criticism, 182; + letters, 465, 473-506. + +EMDEN, poem, 816; + at Penang, 1211. + +_Emden's Last Fight_, 758. + +EMMICH, (Gen.) von, 935. + +ENGLAND:-- + Agreement with France, 239. + Army, views of G.B. Shaw, 31, 32, 34; + H.G. Wells on need of equipment, 91; + recruits, 106, 132, 299, 304, 306, 312-333; + reports of officers, 619. + Conditions described by I.S. Cobb, 765; + interview with F.H. Smith, 772. + Declaration of war upon Turkey, 1035. + Foreign Office, 13, 19, 28, 30, 61. + Invasion by Germans, 89, 92. + Labor problem, 49. + Labor Party, 31, 33, 36. + Navy, 311, 332. + Overtures to Bulgaria, 1031. + Russian Alliance, 81, 103, 107, 203, 207, 223. + Ultimatum to Germany, 291. + War Office, 34. + "White Paper," 19, 61, 228, 413, 431-448, 548. + _See also_ BELGO-BRITISH Plot. + +_England Caused the War_, 989. + +_English Artists' Protests_, 130. + +_Entrance of France Into War_, 350. + +EPIRUS, 1052, 1065. + +ESCAILLE, de l', 237. + +ESCHENBACH, (Councilor,) 986. + +ESSAD Pasha, 1063. + +ESTOURNELLES DE CONSTANT, (Baron) d', letters, 146. + +EUCKEN, (Dr.) Rudolf, defense of Germany, 534. + +EULENBERG, Herbert, letter, 80. + +EUROPEAN Federation, _see_ UNITED States of Europe. + +EVANS, Lydia, diary, 981. + +_Exit Albania?_ 1062. + +"EYEWITNESS," reports, 650. + + +F + +"_Facts About Belgium_," 365. + +_Fall of Antwerp_, 682. + +_Fate of the Jews in Poland_, 854. + +FAY, Frances C., translation of "La Cathedrale," 472. + +FERDINAND, King of Rumania, 1057. + +FERDINAND, Tsar of Bulgaria, speech from the throne, 1044. + +FERGUSSON, (Sir) Charles, 641. + +FERRIMAN, Z.D., on Serbians' re-entry into Belgrade, 969. + +FICHTE, J.G., 162. + +FIELDING, (Lady) Dorothie, 1714. + +_Fifteen Minutes on the Yser_, 949. + +_Fight to the Bitter End_, 451. + +FILIPESCU, N., on Rumanians in Hungary, 1061. + +_First Fight at Lodz_, 740. + +_First German Prisoners_, 974. + +_First Invasion of Serbia_, 742. + +_First Warnings of Europe's Peril_, 276. + +FISHER, Irving, on probable economic effects of the war, 594. + +FITZ CLARENCE, (Brig. Gen.), 649; + tribute from Sir J. French, 649. + +FLANDERS, Fighting in, 646, 1167. + +_Flaws in Shaw's Logic_, 65. + +FLEXNER, Hortense, poem, 612. + +_Flight Into Switzerland_, 966. + +FOCH, (Gen.), 647. + +FOSBENDER, (Gen.) von, 1148. + +_Four Months of War_, 1169. + +_Fourth of August_, 87. + +FOWLER, (Col.) J.S., 645. + +FOX, Frank, 685, 686. + +FRANCE:-- + Army, 156. + Capital moved, 357. + General conditions, 146, 765, 767, 770, 772, 982. + Invasion of Germany, 221, 261, 264. + Treatment of resident German and Austrian citizens, 268. + Vital energies of, 152. + +_France and England as Seen in War-Time_, 772. + +_France Through English Eyes_, 153. + _See also_ CAMPAIGN in Western Europe. + +FRANCIS JOSEPH, Emperor of Austria, 225, 226. + +FRANCKE, (Prof.) Kuno, reply to letter by Dr. C.W. Eliot, 478; + "French Hate and English Jealousy," 554. + +FRANCO-PRUSSIAN War, 13, 69. + +FREDERICK WILLIAM, _see_ GERMANY--Crown Prince. + +FRENCH, (Sir) John, tributes, 304, 306; + reports, 619; + order to troops, 654; + arrival in Paris, 768. + +FRENCH, W.E.P., poem, 458. + +_French Amenities_, 1220. + +_French Hate and English Jealousy_, 555. + +_French Official Report on German Atrocities_, 1132. + +"_From the Body of This Death_," 1119. + +FRONDE, 1211. + +FULDA, Ludwig, 180. + + +G + +GADKE, (Col.), 141. + +GALICIA, 958. + +GALLIENI, (Gen.), 702. + +GALSWORTHY, John, "A 'Credo' for Keeping Faith," 102; + poem, 1126. + +GEBWEILER, 738. + +GEIER (S.S.), 1181. + +GEORGE V., King of England, messages and addresses, 294, 298, 307, 1035; + visit to troops, 1035. + +GERARD, (Ambassador) J.W., report on peace talk in Germany, 273. + +_German Airmen_, 932. + +_German Attack on Tahiti_, 748. + +_German Declarations_, 534. + +_German Entry Into Brussels_, 679. + +_German Generals Talk of the War_, 934. + +_German Review of the Evidence_, 228. + +_German Religion of Duty_, 170. + +GERMAN Samoa, 749. + +_German Story of the Heligoland Fight_, 754. + +GERMAN-AMERICANS, 578. + +GERMANS, criticisms of, 93, 95, 124, 170. + +_Germans as Seen from a Convent_, 981. + +GERMANY:-- + Address to Americans, 533. + Army, criticisms, 93, 95, 141; + mobilization, 252; + strength, 255; + officers, 256; + reports of correspondents, 718, 731, 925-934; + prisoners, 974; + commanders' proclamations, 1116. + Crown Prince's message to America, 1187. + Empress's appeal to German women, 211; + birthday celebration, 722. + General conditions, 765, 943. + Navy, 134, 215, 217, 254, 256. + Reichstag, 250. + South African intrigues, 127, 133, 214. + Treatment of resident citizens of hostile nations, 267. + White Book, 189, 413, 431-448. + _See also_ CAMPAIGN in Western Europe. + +_Germany and World Empire_, 493. + +_Germany of the Future_, 606. + +_Germany the Aggressor_, 608. + +_Germany vs. Belgium_, 1102. + +_Germany's Civilized Barbarism_, 160. + +_Germany's Strategic Railways_, 1000. + +GIBBONS, Perceval, dispatches, 777, 961, 964, 1207. + +GIBBS, Philip, dispatches, 691, 704, 714, 729. + +GIDDINGS, F.H., "Possible Profits from War," 526. + +GILDER, J.B., poem, 501. + +GLADSTONE, W.E., 287, 317, 448. + +GLEESON, 714. + +_Glory of War_, 1004. + +GOLTZ, (Baron) von der, 1118. + +GOSCHEN, (Sir) E., 230-238. + +GOUGH, (Maj. Gen.) H. de La P., 645. + +GRADOW, Battle of, 965. + +GRAHAM, Cunninghame, criticism of G.B. Shaw, 65. + +GRANT, Lawrence, criticism of G.B. Shaw, 74. + +GRAY Book, _see under_ BELGIUM. + +_Great Britain's Mobilization_, 294. + +_Grecian Neutrality Defined_, 1050. + +_Greco-Rumanian Friendship_, 1053. + +GREECE, 1050. + _See also_ BALKAN States. + +GREEN, Horace, 686. + +GRIENDL, (Baron,) 1102, 1104, 1108. + +GREY, (Sir) Edward, criticisms, 13, 18, 19, 61, 67, 232-243; + appeal for national unity, 276; + letters, speeches, &c., 277, 279, 281, 290, 314, 355, 1111, 1120, 1188. + +GRIVEGNEE, 1116. + +GUESDE, Jules, 396, 398. + +GUYOT, YVES, reply to German professors, 194. + + +H + +HAASE, Hugo, speeches, 401. + +HAECKEL, (Prof.) Ernst, criticisms, 123, 525; + defense of Germany, 534. + +HAENISCH, (Gen.) von, 938. + +HAESELER, (Gen.) von, 722. + +HAGGARD, (Capt.) Mark, 128. + +HAGGARD, H.R., "South Africa's Boers and Britons," 126. + +HAIG, (Lieut. Gen. Sir) Douglas, 620, 637, 639, 641, 645, 648, 649. + +_Hail!_ (Hymn to Belgium), 1126. + +HAPSBURG Family, 138. + +_Hard Blows, Not Hard Words_, 103. + +HARDIE, Kier, on British Socialists and the war; questions Sir E. Grey, +409. + +HARDY, Thomas, poem, 924. + +HARNACK, (Prof.) Adolf von, criticism, 123; + address to Americans in Germany, 198-203. + +HARRISON, Frederic, "Concerning the German Professors," 192. + +HASKINS, H.S., poem, 1166. + +HAUPTMANN, Gerhart, letter from R. Rolland, 174; + reply, 175; + "Are We Barbarians?" 178. + +HAVENITH, E., on Anglo-Belgian plot, 372. + +HAWKE (cruiser), 757. + +_He Heard the Bugles Calling_, 1198. + +HEIGEL, Edward, 686. + +HEINE, Henry, poem, 525. + +HELLPACH, (Prof.) W., 986. + +HELIGOLAND, battle, 754. + +_Helpless Victims_, 776. + +HENDERSON, Arthur, on British Socialists and war, 409. + +HENDERSON, Barbara, translation of "Chant of Hate Against England," 985. + +HENDERSON, (Sir) David, 624, 643, 645. + +HENGELMULLER, (Baron) L., defense of Austria, 559. + +_Heroic Language_, 1216. + +HERZOG, Rudolf, letter, 1199. + +HIBBEN, John Grier, address, 503; + "The Trespass in Belgium," 545. + +HILLIS, (Rev. Dr.) N.D., sermon, 573; + interview, 579. + +HOECKER, P.O., letter, 1201. + +HOGUE (cruiser), 752, 755, 761. + +HOHENZOLLERN Family, 138. + +HOEHNE, Wilhelm, poem, 987. + +HOLLAND'S Future, 1128. + +_Hopeful Road to Lasting Peace_, 497. + +"_House with Sealed Doors_," 1183. + +_How Paris Dropped Gayety_, 767. + +_How Prohibition Came to Russia_, 831. + +_How Russian Manufacturers Feel_, 838. + +_How the Baroness Hid Her Husband on a Vessel_, 956. + +_How the Belgians Fight_, 725. + +_How the Cressy Sank_, 752. + +_How Turkey Went to War_, 1025. + +HUDSON, Kate, criticism of G.B. Shaw, 73. + +HUGLI, E.T., "The Flight Into Switzerland," 966. + +HUGUET, (Col.) Victor, 646. + +"_Human Documents_," 679, 939. + +HUNT, E.E., 686. + +HUSSEIN, Kemal, Sultan of Egypt, letter from King George and reply, 1035. + +_Hymn to Belgium_, 1126. + + +I + +_I Am for Peace_, 826. + +_If the Germans Raid England_, 87. + +IMERETINSKY, (Prince), statement to Americans, 362. + +_In Defense of Austria_, 436, 559. + +_In the Supreme Court of Civilization_, 413. + +INCOME Tax, Russia, 850. + +_Influence of the War Upon Russian Industry_, 834. + +"_Innocence of Belgium_," 1110. + +IRELAND, 276, 290, 323. + +IRISH-AMERICANS, 585. + +ISMAIL Kemal Bey, 1064. + +ISWOLSKI, 240. + +"_It Is for Us and for France_," 983. + +ITALY, 1064. + +_Italy and the War_, 1192. + + +J + +JAGOW, Gottlieb von, 230, 238, 241, 367, 1113. + +JAURES, J.L., 53, 398, 399. + +JAWOROWSKI, Kazinirz, on Poland and the war, 360. + +_Jeanne d'Arc_, 506. + +JEMTCHUG, 1211. + +JEROME, J.K., "Hard Blows, Not Hard Words", 103. + +JEWS in Russia, 361, 854. + +JOACHIM, (Prince), letter, 1199. + +JOFFRE, (Gen.) Joseph, 619-642, 1167, 1170. + +JONES, Jefferson, dispatches, 745, 1208. + +JONESCO, Take, on the Balkan situation, 1061. + +JORDAN, (Dr.) D.S., "A War of Dishonor," 502. + +JORDAN, (Dr.) Daniel, on German aggression, 490. + +JUNGBLUTH, (Gen.), 1102, 1107, 1111. + +JUNKERISM, 11, 13, 69, 75. + + +K + +_Kaiser and Belgium_, 507. + +KALISCH, 957. + +KANT, Immanuel, 168. + +KAROLYI, (Count) Michael, on Austria-Hungary and the war, 227. + +KAUFFMAN, Ruth, on Scarborough raid, 953. + +KAUTSKY, Karl, letter, 405. + +KENNEDY, J.B., poem, 581. + +KIPLING, Rudyard, "As They Tested Our Fathers", 106; + letter on "The Truce of the Bear", 107. + +KITCHENER, (Lord) H.H., speech, 304. + +KLUCK, (Gen.) A. von, 1170. + +KONOVALOV, A., appeal for Poles, 825. + +KORFF, (Baron,) on causes of the war, 363. + +KULTUR, _see_ CULTURE. + + +L + +LA FRANCE, Geni, on attack on Tahiti, 748. + +LADD, G.T., on judgment of Germany, 524. + +LAMBTON, (Gen. Hon.) W., 624, 645. + +LANGLE DE CARY, (Gen.), 1170-1173. + +LANREZEC, (Gen.,) 1170. + +LANSDOWNE, Marquis of, tribute to army, 306. + +LAPRADELLE, (Prof.) A.G. de, "Germany of the Future", 606. + +LAW, A.B., speeches, 278, 290, 294, 303. + +LEIBNITZ, criticism by E. Boutroux, 168. + +LETTERS, soldiers', 970; + from French girls, 982, 983; + soldiers', 1199, 1218. + +LICHNOWSKY, (Prince), 233, 237. + +LIEBKNECHT, (Dr.) Carl, on German Socialists, 402. + +LIEGE, 265, 266. + +LISSAUER, Ernst, poem, 984. + +_Little Montenegro Speaks_, 1043. + +LLOYD GEORGE, David, speeches, 228, 336. + +LOANS, _see_ WAR Loans. + +LOCKSUN, 1182. + +LODGE, (Sir) Oliver, criticism of H.G. Wells, 92. + +LODZ, Battle of, 740. + +LONG Live the Allies! 1174. + +_Lord of Hosts_, 501. + +LORRAINE, _see_ ALSACE-LORRAINE. + +LOUIS XIV., 26. + +LOUVAIN, 130, 171, 183, 185, 196, 369, 381, 385, 388, 390, 783, 916. + +LOW, Sidney, poem, 1119. + +LUETTWITZ, (Gen.) Baron von, 1118. + +LUNEVILLE, 1147. + +LUXEMBURG, 222, 280. + + +M + +MACDONALD, J.R., speech, 410; + criticism, 411, 520. + +MACH, (Dr.) Edmund von, defense of dual alliance, 438. + +MACK, Louise, 685, 686. + +MACNAUGTON, Miss, 714. + +MACREADY, (Maj. Gen.) Nevil, 627, 645. + +MACURDY, G.H., poem, 587. + +MAETERLINCK, Maurice, "The Need of Being Merciless," 144. + +MAIL Censorship, 1176. + +MARINGOVICH, Paul, on the Bulgarian menace, 1036. + +MARNE, Battle of, 627, 1169. + +MASLOV, P., "Commercial Treaties After the War", 863. + +MATHER, (Prof.) F.J., Jr., letters, 465, 514, 543. + +MATTHEWS, Brander, on German culture, 541. + +MAUNOURY, (Gen.), 1170-1173. + +MAYERHOFF, (Prof.), writes music for "Chant of Hate", 985. + +MEHMED-RESHAD, Sultan of Turkey, proclamations, 1033, 1034. + +"_Men of the Emden_", 816. + +MERCHANT Marine, 602. + +MERCIER, (Cardinal) Desideratus, pastoral letter, 913. + +MEUSE, Battle of, 691, 731. + +MEYNELL, Alice, poem, 1216. + +MICKIEWICZ, Adam, 857. + +_Might or Right_, 503. + +_Mighty Fate of Europe_, 219. + +MIGOULIN, (Prof.), on war situation, 836; + on Russian loans, 837. + +MILLE, Constantin, on Rumania, 1058. + +MILITARISM, views of G.B. Shaw, 11, 17, 25, 55, 59; + A. Bennett, 61; + C. Pankhurst, 69; + H. Eulenberg, 80; + J. Galsworthy, 102; + Sir A.C. Doyle, 138, 140; + M. Maeterlinck, 145; + d'Estournelles de Constant, 146, 149; + H. Bergson, 152; + L. Fulda, 181; + German professors, 185; + Y. Guyot and Prof. Bellet, 197; + Dr. C.W. Eliot, 475; + W.M. Sloane, 517; + A. von Briesen, 552; + Dr. N.D. Hillis, 573. + +_Militarism and Christianity_, 610. + +MOHAMMEDANS, holy war, 1034. + +MONET, Claude, "Long Live the Allies!" 1174. + +MONS, Battle of, 619, 971. + +MONTENEGRO, 1043. + _See also_ BALKAN States. + +MOROCCO, 258, 282, 283. + +MUNRO, (Dr.), 714. + +MURRAY, (Lieut. Gen.) Archibald, 624, 645. + +MUZZAFER Bey, 1029. + + +N + +NAMUR, 1115. + +NAPOLEON I., 26, 56. + +NAVAL Engagements, _see_ SEA Fights. + +NAVAL Situation, 88. + +_Need of Being Merciless_, 144. + +_Neutrals_, 948. + +_New Russia Meets Germany_, 777. + +_New Russia Speaks_, 817. + +_New Source of Revenue Needed_, 839. + +_New World Map_, 571. + +_New Year's Day, Battle of_, 961. + +NEW ZEALAND, work of expeditionary force, 749. + +NEWS Censorship, 791, 1175. + +NICHOLAIOVITCH, (Grand Duke) Nicholas, appeal to Poles, 359. + +NICHOLAS, Czar of Russia, criticisms, 44, 246, 260; + manifesto, speeches, &c., 358; + tribute from P. Vinogradoff, 821; + interview on prohibition, 832. + +NICHOLSON, (Commander) B.W.L., on Cressy, 755. + +NICOLSON, A.D., poem, 506. + +NIEBER, (Gen.) von, letter, 1115. + +NIEMEYER, Theodore, "The Causes of the War," 206; + comment, 208. + +NIETZSCHE, F.W., 194, 504, 612. + +NIEUPORT, Battle of, 951. + +NIGER (gunboat), 760. + +NORTON, (Commander) R.A., on the Hogue, 755. + + +O + +_Officer in Battle Had Little Feeling_, 959. + +_On the Impending Crisis_, 107. + +_Once Fair Belgrade Is a Skeleton City_, 969. + +_Open Letter to Pres. Wilson_, 76. + +"ORANGE Book," _see under_ RUSSIA. + +OSTWALD, Wilhelm, "A New World Map," 571. + +_Our Russian Ally_, 840. + + +P + +PAN-SLAVISM, 203. + +PANKHURST, Christabel, criticism of G.B. Shaw, 68. + +PARIS, 691; 767. + +_Paris in October_, 770. + +PARKER, (Sir) Gilbert, "Belgium's Bitter Need," 614. + +_Parting_, 553. + +PASHITCH, (Serbian Premier,) on Serbia and the war, 1036. + +PASSPORTS, 1180. + +PATENTS, 849. + +PATEY, (Sir) George, 750. + +_Patriotism and Endurance_, 913. + +PAU, (Gene.), 691, 694, 696, 1169. + +PEACE, 12, 37, 97, 149, 273, 297. + +PENANG, 1211. + +PERRIS, G.H., "As the French Fell Back on Paris," 689. + +PERSIA, 45. + +PHILIP II., 26. + +PHILOSOPHERS, German, 129, 606. + +PHILLPOTTS, Eden, poem, 1066. + +PICK, Edward, defense of Austria, 436. + +PIGEONS, homing, 792. + +PISTOLET, 1211. + +_Ping Pong_, 850. + +PITT, William, 316. + +PIUS X., Pope, 374. + +_Place of Tombs_, 1207. + +POEMS:-- + Adams, Adeline, "To a Cousin German", 593; + "Glory of War", 1004. + Archer, William, "The Big and the Great", 1114. + Arnold, Winifred, "Another 'Happy Thought'", 789. + Barry, Beatrice, "Ping Pong", 850; + "The Neutrals", 948; + answer to "Chant of Hate", 988. + Briggs, C.C.D., "He Heard the Bugles Calling", 1198. + Caruthers, Mazie V., "The Woman's Part," 864 + Chartres, A.V., "The Broken Rose", 1210. + Child, O.C.A., "The Soliloquy of an old Soldier", 764. + Flexner, Hortense, "Vigil", 612. + French, W.E.P., "Shot Tell His Mother", 458. + Galsworthy, John, "Hail! Hymn to Belgium", 1126. + Gilder, J.B., "The Lord of Hosts", 501. + Hardy, Thomas, "Appeal to America for Belgium", 924. + Haskins, H.S., "Nuits Blanches", 1166. + Hohne, Wilhelm, poem to France, 987. + Kennedy, John B., "Tipperary", 581. + Lissauer, Ernst, "Chant of Hate Against England", 984; + answer by B. Barry, 988. + Low, Sidney, "From the Body of This Death", 1119. + Macurdy, G.H., "To Melos, Pomegranate Isle", 587. + Meynell, Alice, "The Heroic Language", 1216. + Nicolson, A.D., "Jeanne D'Arc", 506. + Phillpotts, E., "To Belgium", 1066. + Rostand, Edmond, "La Cathedrale", 472. + Sheldon, Lurana, "I Am for Peace!" 826. + Simons, K.D.M., "A Song of the Siege Gun", 992. + Sudduth, H.T., "At the Villa Achilleion Corfu", 999. + Thomas, E.M., "The House with Sealed Doors", 1183. + Vose, Edward Neville, "The Dawn of a New Day", 678. + Watson, W., "To His Majesty King Albert", 1228. + Wetter, Louise von, "Parting", 553. + Ybarra, T.R., "The Men of the Emden", 816. + +POINCARE, (Pres. of France) Raymond, proclamation on mobilization, 350; + address to Parliament, 351; + protest to Pres. Wilson against German atrocities, 375. + +POLAND, _see_ CAMPAIGN in Eastern Europe. + +POLES in Russia, 359, 360, 825, 829, 854, 957. + +POLYZOIDES, A.T., "The War in the Balkans," 1068. + +PONSONBY, Arthur, 1102. + +_Possible Profits from War_, 526. + +PRISON Camps, 1181. + +_Prayer for Victory_, 212. + +_Probable Causes and Outcome of the War_, 473. + +PROFESSORS, German, 125, 162, 185-195. + +PROHIBITION in Russia, 831. + +_Proposed Internal Loans of Russia_, 837. + +PRUSSIA, _see_ CHESTERTON, G.K. + +PULTENEY, (Lieut. Gen.) W.P., 645. + +PURUMBARN, (Rumanian Minister,) statement, 1060. + +PUTNAM, G.H., letter on atrocities, 563. + + +R + +RADOSLAVOFF, (Bulgarian Premier,) statement, 1044. + +_Raid on Scarborough Seen from a Window_, 953. + +RAILWAYS, German, 1000. + +RAWLINSON, (Sir) Henry, 648. + +RED Cross, 33, 714, 765. + +REDMOND, J.E., speech, 291. + +RELIEF Work, 614, 776, 782. + +REMINGTON Arms Co., 1179. + +RENNENKAMPF, (Gen.) P.C. von, 738, 778. + +RESERVISTS, 1181. + +_Retreat to Paris_, 691. + +REUTER, Gabriele, "The German Religion of Duty," 170. + +RHEIMS, 55, 130, 184, 392, 393, 472, 928, 931. + +RITTENHOUSE, Anne, "How Paris Dropped Gayety," 767. + +ROBERTS, (Lord) F.S., 14. + +ROBERTSON, (Maj. Gen.) William, 624, 645. + +ROLLAND, Romain, letter, 174. + +ROOSEVELT, (Col.) Theodore, 591. + +ROSS, Malcolm, on capture of German Samoa, 749. + +ROSTAND, Edmond, poem, 472. + +ROUEN, 982. + +ROWAN, Edgar, on the Aboukir, Cressy, and Hogue, 752. + +RUFFEY, (Gen.), 1170-1173. + +RUHL, Arthur, 686. + +RUMANIANS in Hungary, 1061. + +RUMANIA, 1054-1062. + _See also_ BALKAN States. + +RUPPRECHT, (Prince), _see_ BAVARIA. + +RUSSIA:-- + Army, 738, 777, 961, 963. + Commerce, 362. + Duma, message to Britain, 361; + criticism, 843. + Finance, 837, 839. + Industries, 834-838. + Mobilization, 220, 228, 249, 263. + "Orange Book," 413, 431-448. + Progress, 840. + Taxes, 850, 863. + Treatment of resident Austrians and German citizens, 268. + United Russia, 827. + _See also_ CHESTERTON, G.K.; CAMPAIGN in Eastern Europe. + +_Russia and Europe's War_, 821. + +_Russia in Literature_, 819. + +_Russia to Blame_, 434. + +_Russia to Her Enemy_, 358. + +_Russian Appeal for the Poles_, 825. + +_Russian Atrocities_, 563. + +_Russian Financial Authority on the War_, 836. + +_Russian Income Tax_, 850. + + +S + +SAMOA, 749. + +SANDERS, (Gen.) Liman von, 1028. + +SANDERSON, (Dr.) R.L., reply to K. Francke, 557. + +SARGENT, (Dr.) Irene, on Alsace-Lorraine and Schleswig-Holstein, 492. + +SARRAIL, (Gen.), 1173. + +SASENO, 1064. + +SAUVEUR, Albert, "Germany the Aggressor," 609. + +SAVOFF, (Gen.), on Bulgaria's army and neutral States, 1047. + +SAZONOFF, (Count) Sergius, criticism, 19, 21; + interviews, 230-237; + on war and Russian trade, 362. + +SCARBOROUGH raid, 953. + +SCHEIDEMANN, Philipp, on German Socialists and the war, 402. + +SCHIFF, J.H., interview, the war, 459; + correspondence with Dr. Eliot, 465. + +SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, 483, 487, 490, 492. + +SCHMOLLER, (Prof.) Gustav von, 194. + +SCHOLARS, British, reply to German professors, 188. + +"SCRAP OF PAPER," 1120. + _See also_ BETHMANN-HOLLWEG, (Dr.) T. + +SEA Fights, 745-761; + Scarborough raid, 953; + Black Sea Battle, 1032. + +_Seeing Nieuport Under Shell Fire_, 951. + +_Seeking Wounded on Battle Front_, 714. + +SEGGEBRUCH, Frank, attack on Russia, 434. + +SEIZURES of American cargoes, 1183, 1188. + +SERBIA:-- + Army, "The Wounded Serb," 788; + mobilization, 1036. + Cabinet's statement, 1039. + Crown Prince Alexander's order to troops, 1040; + reply to address by Prince Troubetskoi, 1042. + Invasion, 742. + Russian domination, 204. + _See also_ BALKAN States. + +_Serbia and Her Neighbors_, 1036. + +SHAW, G.B., "Common Sense About the War," 11; + replies and criticisms, 60-73; + open letter to Pres. Wilson and comment of the nation, 76; + criticisms, 80, 775. + +SHELDON, Lurana, poem, 826. + +_Shelled Tsing-tao with wireless Aid_, 1208. + +"Shot. Tell His Mother," 458. + +SIMON, (Sir) John, speech, 276. + +SIMONS, Katherine Drayton Mayrant, Jr., poem, 992. + +_Sinking of the Cressy and the Hogue_, 755. + +_Sinking of the Hawke_, 757. + +_Slaughter in Alsace_, 736. + +SLAVS, 203, 519, 993. + +SLOANE, W.M., "America's Peril in Judging Germany," 515. + +SMITH, F.H., "France and England as Seen in War-Time," 772. + +SMITH-DORRIEN, (Sir) Horace, 622, 624, 645, 648. + +SOCIALISM, 31, 46, 54. + +SOCIALISTS, 94, 96, 172, 400. + +SOCIALISTS' Part, 397. + +_Sociological Aspects of War_, 530. + +SOKOLOV, A., on Russian finances, 839. + +_Soldier of 1914_, 156. + +_Soliloquy of an Old Soldier_, 764. + +SOLOMON, Abraham, "Nietzsche and German Culture," 612. + +SOMBART, (Prof.) Werner, on feeling of Germans toward the French, 986. + +_Song of the Siege Gun_, 992. + +SORDET, (Gen.), 622, 624. + +_South Africa's Boers and Britons_, 125. + +SPALAIKOWICH, (Serbian Minister,) on Bulgaria's position, 1037. + +_Speculations About Peace_, 273. + +SPIES, 104, 262, 780. + +_Spy Organization in England_, 790. + +STEIN, (Gen.) von, report on Liege, 266. + +STOLYPIN, 121. + +_Story of the "Eyewitness_," 650. + +_Story of the Man Who Fired on Rheims Cathedral_, 928. + +_Stout and Warlike Breed_, 479. + +STRAUS, Oscar S., 274. + +STRUVE, (Prof.) Peter, "United Russia," 827. + +SUDDUTH, H.T., poem, 999. + +_Summons of the Nation to Arms_, 308. + +_Supreme Court of Civilization, In the_, 413. + +SWIENTOCHOWSKI, Alexander, 858. + +_Swift Reversal to Barbarism_, 939. + +SWINTON, (Col.) E.D., reports, 650. + +SWITZERLAND, refugee problem, 966. + +SWOPE, Herbert B., North Sea battle, 761. + +SYDNEY (cruiser), 758. + + +T + +TAFT, W.H., "The Belgian Battleground," 1109. + +TAHITI, 748. + +TANKOSITCH, (Capt), 742. + +TARDIEU, Charles, on fighting in the trenches, 979. + +TCHELISHEFF, M.D., on prohibition in Russia, 831. + +_Teachings of Gen. von Bernhardi_, 343. + +TERMONDE, 385, 786, 1117. + +TEST, Sam, criticism of G.B. Shaw, 75. + +THAYER, W.R., "Italy and the War," 1192. + +THEOLOGIANS, British, letter, 201. + +THIENES, R.F., letter on Russian atrocities, 563. + +_Things the Wounded Talk About_, 1222. + +THOMAS, Edith M., poem, 1183. + +THOMPSON, Donald C., 686. + +THOMPSON, Vance, on reversal to barbarism, 939. + +_Tipperary_, 581. + +TISZA, (Count), 1060. + +_To a Cousin German_, 593. + +_To Americans from a German Friend_, 180. + +_To Americans in Germany_, 198. + +"_To Americans Leaving Germany_," 533. + +_To Arms!_ 132. + +_To Belgium_, 1066. + +_To Melos, Pomegranate Isle_, 587. + +_Tools of the Russian Juggernaut_, 851. + +TRADE Unionism, 31. + +TREATY of Bucharest, 1068. + +TREATY of London (1839), _see_ BELGIUM--Neutrality. + +TREATY of Prague, 40. + +TREITSCHKE, (Prof.) Heinrich von, 135, 168, 194. + +_Trespass in Belgium_, 545. + +TRIPLE Entente, peace pact, 297. + +TRIPP, (Gen.) von, 712. + +TRUBETSKOI, (Prince) Eugene, on Russia against Germany, 361; + appeal for aid for Poles, 829; + address to Serbian Crown Prince, 1041. + +"_Truce of the Bear_," 107. + +"_Truth About Germany_," 244. + +TSING-TAO, 745, 1208. + +_Turk in Egypt's Eyes_, 1049. + +TURKEY:-- + Diplomatic situation, 1028. + General conditions in Constantinople, 1026. + Mobilization, 1026, 1028. + Parliament prorogued, 1028. + Press comments on situation, 1025, 1028-1033. + Events leading to declaration of war, 1032. + _See also_ BALKAN States; MEHMED-RESHAD. + + +U + +_Unburied Dead Strew Lorraine_, 729. + +_Unconquered France_, 1167. + +_United Russia_, 827. + +UNITED States, arbitration treaties, 50. + +_United States Fair to All_, 1175. + +UNITED States of Europe, 455, 565. + +UNIVERSITIES, German, 187. + +URBAL, (Gen.) d', 1172. + +USHER, Roland G., "Effects of the War on America," 600. + + +V + +VALIEVO, 788. + +VANDERVELDE, Emil, on Socialists and the war, 397. + +VENIZELOS, E., on Greece's attitude, 1051. + +_Verdict of the American People_, 573. + +VESSELS, American, 1176. + +_Vigil_, 612. + +VILLIERS, (Sir) Francis, letter, 1112. + +VINOGRADOFF, Paul, "Russia and Europe's War," 820. + +VISE, 386. + +_Visit to the Firing Line in France_, 727. + +_Vital Energies of France_, 152. + +VIVIANI, (Premier) Rene, telegram to Ministry in Luxemburg, 350; + addresses before Parliament, 351, 1164. + +VOLLBEHR, Ernst, paintings done at the battle front, 938. + +VOORHAM, (Capt.) 753. + +VOSE, E.N., "The Dawn of a New Day," 678. + + +W + +WALLACE, (Sir) D.M., "Our Russian Ally," 840. + +_War at Home_, 765. + +_War in the Balkans_, 1068. + +WAR Loans, 1180. + +WAR Material, shipment across U.S. territory, 1181. + +WAR Pictures, 865-913. + +_War of Dishonor_, 502. + +_War-Time Scenes in Rouen_, 982. + +WARSHIPS, British, off Amer. ports, 1179; + coaling in Panama Canal Zone, 1182. + +WARBEKE, John, reply to Eucken and Haeckel, 537. + +WARINSKI, A., 861. + +WARREN, Whitney, on Rheims Cathedral, 393. + +_Warsaw Swamped with Refugees_, 957. + +_Waste of German Lives_, 964. + +WATSON, William, poem, 1228. + +_Why England Fights Germany_, 993. + +WAVRE, 1115. + +_Way to Peace_, 459. + +_We Will Fight to the End_, 1164. + +WEDDIGEN, (Capt. Lieut.) Otto, on North Sea battle, 761. + +WELLS, H.G., criticisms, 22, 61; + "Fourth of August," 87; + "If the Germans Raid England," 89; + comment, 92; + "Holland's Future," 1128. + +WENGLER, (Lieut.) on Rheims Cathedral, 928; + comment, 931. + +WETTER, Louise von, poem, 553. + +_What America Can Do_, 588. + +_What Gladstone Said About Belgium_, 448. + +_What the Economic Effects May Be_, 594. + +_What the German Conscript Thinks_, 93. + +_When Peace Is Seriously Desired_, 97. + +_Where Rumania Stands in the Crisis_, 1054. + +"WHITE Papers," _see under_ ENGLAND _and_ GERMANY. + +WHITEHOUSE, J.H., "The Belgian Ruin," 786. + +WHITELEY, J.G., on Belgo-British plot, 1110. + +WHITLOCK, Brand, 782. + +_Who Began the War and Why?_ 209. + +"_Why Belgium Was Devastated_," 1115. + +_Why England Came to be in It_, 108. + +_Why England Fights Germany_, 993. + +_Why Is America Anti-German?_ 482. + +WILD, (Gen.) von, 937. + +WILLIAM II., German Emperor, criticisms, 13, 56, 77, 94, 112, 115, 117, +121, 122, 139, 182, 185, 206, 208; + speeches and proclamations, 209-213; + prayer, 212; + telegram to King of Saxony, 213; + interview in 1908, 213; + letter to Lord Tweedmouth, 216; + comment, 218; + criticism, 260; + protest to Pres. Wilson against Allies' atrocities, 374; + criticisms, 508, 510, 576; + headquarters, 718; + at Donchery, 1125. + +WILLIAM, Prince of Wied, 1062, 1063. + +WILLIAMSON, (Mrs.) F.B., "Junkers," 75. + +WILSON, (Col.) G.C., 649. + +WILSON, (Maj. Gen.) Henry, 624, 645. + +WILSON, (Pres.) Woodrow, inquiries concerning sentiment in Germany on +peace, 274; + reply to Kaiser's protest against atrocities, 375; + address to Belgian Commission, 377; + comment of Lord Channing on his utterances on the war, 591. + +WINCHESTER Repeating Arms Co., 1179. + +WIRELESS messages, 1175. + +_With the German Army_, 925. + +WOLF, (Baron) H.H. von, 956. + +WOLFSKEHL, Karl, reply to R. Rolland, 176. + +_Woman and War_, 458. + +_Wounded Serb_, 788. + +_Wounded Soldiers_, 1222, 1223. + +WRIGHT, (Sir) Almroth, 34. + + +Y + +YBARRA, T.R., poem, 816. + +YPRES, Battle of, 647, 673, 675, 1167. + +YSER, Battle of, 711, 725, 948, 951. + + +Z + +ZOELLNER, (Gen.), 937. + +_Zouave's Story_, 704. + +ZWEHL, (Gen.) von, 936. + + +LIST OF MAPS. + +AISNE, Battle of the, 638, 640, 644. +ALSACE-LORRAINE, 730. +BALKAN States, 1067. +BELGIUM, beginning of invasion, 681. +EAST Prussia and Poland, 1006. +EASTERN Prussia to Galicia, 741. +FLANDERS and Northern France, 713. +FRANCE, operations in, 1171. +HOLLAND, 1130. +ITALY, 1194. +MARNE, Battle of the, 626, 628, 630, 634. +MONS, retreat from, 623, 625. +RAILROADS, German system that aided invasion of Belgium, 1002. +SERBIA, 743. +SOUTHEASTERN theatre of the war, 1024. +WESTERN Europe, 1004. + + +LIST OF PORTRAITS. + +ALBERT, King of the Belgians, 304. +AMADE, (GEN.) D', 778. +AUGUSTA VICTORIA, Empress of Germany, 209, 1120. +BARRIE, J.M., 16. +BECK, J.M., 413. +BELGIAN CROWN PRINCE, 1041. +BELGIAN PRINCESS, 1025. +BENNETT, ARNOLD, 16. +BERCHTOLD, (COUNT) LEOPOLD, 240. +BETHMANN-HOLLWEG, (DR.) T. von, 240, 976. +BISSING, (GEN.) von, 972. +BOUTROUX, EMILE, 96. +BRIESEN, ARTHUR von, 572. +BRYCE (VISCOUNT) JAMES, 460. +BUELOW, (GEN.) von, 666. +BURGESS, J.W., 476. +BUTLER, (DR.) N.M., 572. +CARNEGIE, ANDREW, 444. +CASTELNAU, (GEN.), 1136. +CHESTERTON, G.K., 64. +CHURCHILL, W.L.S., 256; with wife, 1104. +CRADOCK (ADMIRAL SIR) CHRISTOPHER, 832. +DANKL, (GEN.) VICTOR, 714. +DE WIART, CARTON, 304. +DERNBURG, (DR.) BERNHARD, 460. +DJEMAL PASHA, 1200. +DOYLE, (SIR) A.C., 64. +DUBAIL, (GEN.), 1137. +ELIOT, (DR.) C.W., 412. +EUCKEN, RUDOLF, 508. +EMIR ALI PASHA, 1201. +FISHER, (ADMIRAL SIR) JOHN, 928. +FREDERICK, (Austrian Archduke), 976. +FRENCH, (SIR) JOHN, 619. +FULDA, LUDWIG, 128. +GALSWORTHY, JOHN, 32. +GERMAN CROWN PRINCE, 634. +GIDDINGS, F.H., 508. +GREY, (SIR) EDWARD, 256. +GUESDE, JULES, 368. +GUYOT, YVES, 160. +HAIG, (SIR) DOUGLAS, 634, 1152. +HARDIE, KIER, 336. +HARNACK, ADOLF von, 192. +HARRISON, FREDERIC, 160. +HAUPTMANN, GERHART, 128. +HENRY, Prince of Prussia, 944. +HIBBEN, (DR.) J.G., 460. +HILLIS, N.D., 540. +HINDENBURG, (GEN.) PAUL von, 682, 817. +JELLICOE, (ADMIRAL SIR) JOHN, 714. +JOFFRE, (GEN.) JOSEPH, 762. +JORDAN. (DR.) D.S., 460. +KAMIO, (GEN.), 992. +KIPLING, RUDYARD, 32. +KITCHENER, (EARL), 972. +KLUCK, (GEN.) von, 682. +KROBATKIN, (GEN.) von, 1184. +LEOPOLD, Crown Prince of Belgium, 1041. +LESSEN, JOSEPH, 1040. +LOUIS ALEXANDER, Prince of Battenberg, 964. +MAETERLINCK, MAURICE, 96. +MARCONNAY, (COMMANDANT), 1152. +MARIE, JOSE, (Princess), 1025. +MATTHEWS, BRANDER, 540. +MERCIER, (CARDINAL) D., 1025. +MULLER, (CAPT.) KARL von, 762. +NICHOLAIEVITCH, (GRAND DUKE) NICHOLAS, 730. +NIEMEYER, THEODORE, 192. +PANKHURST, CHRISTABEL, 16. +PAU, (GEN.) PAUL, 778. +PIUS X., Pope, 272. +RENNENKAMPF, (GEN.), 730. +ROBERTS, (LORD), 964. +RUPPRECHT, Crown Prince of Bavaria, 666. +SANDERS, (GEN.) LIMAN VON PASHA, 992. +SAZONOFF, (MINISTER), 256. +SCHEIDEMANN, PHILIPP, 336. +SCHIFF, J.H., 445. +SHAW, G.B., 16. +SLOANE, W.M., 476. +SMITH-DORRIEN, (GEN. SIR) HORACE, 619. +SPEE, (ADMIRAL COUNT) von, 832. +STADNICKI, (COUNT), LADISLAUS, 1183. +STEIN, (GEN.) von, 1105. +STURDEE, (VICE ADMIRAL) FREDERICK, 928. +TIRPITZ, (ADMIRAL) von, 944. +VAN DER VELDE, EMIL, 368. +VIVIANI, RENE, 256. +WALES, Prince of, 817. +WILHELM, Crown Prince of Germany, 634. +WILLIAM II., German Emperor, 209, 1120. +WILSON, (PRES.) WOODROW, 272. +YOUTHFUL BELGIAN HERO, 1040. + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Current History, A Monthly Magazine, by +New York Times + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CURRENT HISTORY *** + +***** This file should be named 20521.txt or 20521.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/0/5/2/20521/ + +Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Linda Cantoni, and the +Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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