diff options
Diffstat (limited to '24810-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 24810-0.txt | 11559 |
1 files changed, 11559 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/24810-0.txt b/24810-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e04a5a --- /dev/null +++ b/24810-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11559 @@ +Project Gutenberg's The Better Germany in War Time, by Harold Picton + +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: The Better Germany in War Time + Being some Facts towards Fellowship + +Author: Harold Picton + +Release Date: March 12, 2008 [EBook #24810] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: UTF-8 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BETTER GERMANY IN WAR TIME *** + + + + +Produced by Irma Spehar, Markus Brenner and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) + + + + + + + THE BETTER GERMANY + IN WAR TIME + + _Being some Facts towards Fellowship._ + + + BY + HAROLD PICTON. + + + THE NATIONAL LABOUR PRESS, LIMITED, + MANCHESTER AND LONDON. + + + + TO THE + BRITISH AND THE GERMAN PEOPLES + AND + IN MEMORY OF + MY MOTHER + WHO KNEW AND LOVED + THEM BOTH. + + + + “Forsooth, brothers, fellowship is heaven, and lack of + fellowship is Hell.”—_A Dream of John Ball._ + + “Either we are all citizens of the same city and war between us, + a civil war, a monstrous iniquity to be forgotten, as soon as it + may bring in peace; or else there is no city and no home for man + in the universe, but only an everlasting conflict between + creatures that have nothing in common and no place where they + can together be at rest.”—_Times Literary Supplement_, Nov. 11, + 1915. + + “He had to be extremely careful, said Lord Newton at Knutsford + last Saturday, because if he made any statement which did not + accuse the Germans of brutality he was denounced by many people + as pro-German.”—_Common Sense_, April 20, 1918. + + “Des faits de ce genre méritent dêtre mis en evidence. Il + faudrait, dans ce déchaînement d’horreurs et de haines, insister + sur les quelques traits capables d’adoucir les âmes.”—_La + Guerre vue d’une Ambulance_ par L’Abbé FÉLIX KLEIN. + + “Hate as a policy is either inadequate to deal with the crimes + (real and invented) of our enemies, or, if adequate, so recoils + on the hater that he himself becomes ruined as a moral + agent.”—G. JARVIS SMITH, M.C. (late Chaplain at the Western + Front). _Nation_, Nov. 2, 1918. + + “The belief at home that the individual enemy is an incurable + barbarian is simply wrong....”—Second-Lieut. A. R. WILLIAMS, + killed in action August, 1917. + + “I will go on fighting as long as it is necessary to get a + decision in this war.... But I will not hate Germans to the + order of any bloody politician; and the first thing I shall do + after I am free will be to go to Germany and create all the ties + I can with German life.”—J. H. KEELING (B.E.F., December, + 1915). + + + + +CONTENTS + + +CHAPTER. PAGE. + + FOREWORD xi. + + I. MILITARY PRISONERS 1 + + II. CIVILIAN PRISONERS 75 + +III. PRISONERS IN PREVIOUS WARS 123 + + IV. REPRISALS OF GOOD 132 + + V. WHAT THE GERMAN MAY BE 149 + + APPENDIX 255 + + + + +FOREWORD[1] + + +One kind of German has been too often described, and not infrequently +invented. I propose here to describe the other German. At a military +hospital a lady visitor said to the wounded soldiers: “We’ve had lots of +books and tales of horror; why don’t some of you fellows prepare a book +of the good deeds of the enemy?” There was a slight pause. “Ah,” said +one of the soldiers, “that would be a golden book.” Very imperfectly, +and in spite of all the barriers raised by war passions, I have tried to +collect some of the materials already to hand for such a book. + +In any quarrel it is difficult to recognise that there is good in one’s +opponent. Yet in order that any strife may be wisely settled, this +recognition is plainly necessary. Mere enmity, without recognition of +good, belongs to primitive barbarism. It was against the foolish +unpracticality of this older barbarism (not surely only against its +wickedness) that Christ protested in the words, “But I say unto you, +love your enemies.” He saw around him the folly and unenlightenment of +the perpetual feud. I have collected the testimonies that are in the +following pages because such facts seem to me to need wider +recognition, if we are ever to gain an outlook upon a fairer and a truer +world. + +If my desire for peace has anywhere shown itself unduly, or in a way +irritating to others, I ask forgiveness. Whenever peace is made, the +world will need a peace built on all the facts of human nature. I have +tried to give here some of those which war passions inevitably obscure. +That is the whole of my task. + + HAROLD PICTON. + _September, 1918._ + + + FOOTNOTES: + + [Footnote 1: With the exception of a few minor insertions the + whole of this book was compiled, and the preface written, before + Peace came. It seemed, however, that it might only be harmful if + published then. I, therefore, kept the book back, but, as the + wording expressed my feeling as I wrote, I have left it + unchanged.] + + + + + The Better Germany in War Time + + I. + + MILITARY PRISONERS. + + +The cases of bad treatment of prisoners in Germany have been made known +very widely. No one, I imagine, can wish to defend bad treatment of +prisoners anywhere (even of criminal prisoners), and such a horrible +state of things as that of Wittenberg during the typhus epidemic is a +disgrace to human nature. + +But Mr. Lithgow Osborne says: “My whole impression of the camp +authorities at Wittenberg was utterly unlike that which I have received +in every other camp I have visited in Germany.” (Miscel. 16, 1916, p. +6). I propose to give some account of these other camps. I shall not +exclude adverse criticism, but as the public have heard little but such +criticism, I do not think it will be unfair to deal in these pages more +fully with the favourable reports. + + +LETTERS FROM OFFICERS AND OTHERS. + +The following letter from a British Officer appeared in the _Times_ of +December 30, 1914. It may well serve as an introduction and a caution: + + I do not doubt Private O’Sullivan’s wonderful experience as a + prisoner, but his is, I am sure, only an isolated case, and not + at all the usual treatment to which British prisoners are + subjected. I can speak from experience, as I, too, was a + prisoner (wounded), but afterwards released, as the building in + which I was, along with several German wounded, was captured by + the British. During the time I was with the Germans they treated + me with every consideration. Food was scarce, owing to the fact + that the roads were so well shelled by our artillery that their + transport could not come up; but they shared their food with me. + They also dressed my wound with the greatest care, and in every + way made me as comfortable as possible. Being able to speak a + little German, I talked to the other wounded, and found that + their papers also published dreadful tales of our treatment of + prisoners, which I am glad to say I was able to refute. + + I am, Sir, yours faithfully, + A BRITISH OFFICER. + December 27. + +I would especially call the attention of fair-minded men to the last +sentences. + +Here is a letter written by Second-Lieut. F. Phillips Pearce (aged 18) +of the 2nd Essex Regiment, from Crefeld on October 27, and printed in +the _Times_ of November 19, 1914: + + We are treated very well indeed here. We have good beds and + fires in the rooms, three good meals a day, and a French soldier + for a servant, and this morning I had a splendid hot bath. We + have roll call twice a day, at 8 a.m. and 9.45 p.m., and lights + out at 10.45, and we have a large courtyard to walk about in. We + have a canteen here where we can buy clothes and anything we + want. Prison fare is very good—new rolls and coffee and fresh + butter. Not bad! I had a very decent guard when I was coming up + on the train; he got me food, and when one man tried to get in + to attack me he threw him off the train. I am afraid I am out of + the firing line until the war ends (worse luck). I am in no + danger of being shot unless I try to bolt, which I shan’t do. I + shot the man who was carrying their colours, and he wanted to + have me shot, but luckily nobody seemed to agree with him. The + next time I saw him he had been bandaged up—he was shot through + the shoulder—and he dashed up and shook me by the hand and + shouted, “Mein Freund, mein Freund.” + +On November 25 other letters appeared in the _Times_. One was from a +cavalry subaltern in a German fortress: + + You ask about money; they provide lights and firing and all the + men’s food. The officers get 16s. a week and buy their own. + Quite sufficient, as it is cheap. I have learnt German fairly + quickly and do interpreter now in the shop for the men, though, + I am afraid, _tant mal que bien_. One of the officials here + used to be a professor, and is very kind trying to teach us. + Thanks for the warm underclothes, and most awfully for the + footballs. We have quite good matches.... It is better not to + try to send any public news of any kind from England; people + having been stupid trying to smuggle letters in cakes and + things, and it only makes trouble for everyone. + +A Captain writes: + + For dinner at 1 p.m. we are given soup, meat and vegetables.... + Supper takes place at 7 o’clock and consists of tea, sausages or + meat and potatoes.... We receive £5 a month as pay, of which 1s. + 6d. is deducted for food each day. We have a canteen here at + which we can buy everything we want, ... so there is no need to + send me anything at all, except perhaps those small 7d. editions + of novels. + +An English lady wrote early in 1915 from Munich: + + I must tell you I had permission to visit a wounded English + officer, a cousin, and I think it would reassure many people at + home to know how warmly he speaks of the great kindness that has + been shown him now for five months, as well as the skill and + attention of the doctors.—(_Times_, March 17, 1915.) + +Here, too, is a letter from Lieut.-Observer J. E. P. Harvey, an officer +of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry, and attached to the Royal Flying Corps: + + I met one of the pilots of the German machines that had attacked + us. He could speak English well and we shook hands after a most + thrilling fight. I had brought down his machine with my + machine-gun, and he had to land quite close to where I landed. + He had a bullet through his radiator and petrol tank, but + neither he nor his observer was touched. I met two German + officers that knew several people that I knew, and they were + most awfully kind to me. They gave me a very good dinner of + champagne and oysters, etc., and I was treated like an honoured + guest. I then came by train the next day to Mainz, where I was + confined in a room by myself for two days. I have now been moved + into a general room with eight other English officers, where we + sleep and eat. We are treated very well, and play hockey and + tennis in the prison yard.—(_News of the World_, February 27, + 1916.) + +Miss Colenso gives the following account, which appeared in the _Daily +News_ of June 28, 1918: + + A minister friend of mine told me the story of a young Scottish + boy of his acquaintance, now a military prisoner in Germany—I + forget for the moment in which camp. This boy received a letter + from home one day telling of his mother’s serious illness and + the doctor’s verdict that she could only live a few weeks. The + German Commandant, finding the boy in great distress, asked him + what was the matter, and on learning the cause of his grief, + said: “Would you like to go home to your mother?” The boy sprang + up, exclaiming indignantly, “How can you mock me when you know + it is impossible?” “But you shall go, my boy,” said the + commandant. “I will pay your return fare on condition that you + give me your word of honour to come back here.” The boy went + home to Scotland and remained by his mother’s side for about + three weeks till her death, when, true to his word, he returned + to Germany. + +The writer of “Under the Clock” considers that “well-attested” stories +of this kind should be given publicity. It is even more necessary to +examine the “attestation” of the other kinds of stories, for all the +bias is against the enemy, and demand is apt to create supply. + + +MERSEBURG, DŒBERITZ. + +I pass on now to a report made by a United States Official. The American +Consul writes from Leipzig under date of November 16, 1914: “On Saturday +afternoon, the 14th instant, I visited the military concentration camp +near Merseburg, where some 10,000 prisoners of war are interned. The +object of my visit was to investigate the claim of a French prisoner +that he is an American subject. The result of my observations regarding +the welfare and humane treatment of the prisoners at large was a +surprise to me.... Separated by nationality, these prisoners are housed +in wooden buildings, well built, ventilated and heated.... They sleep +upon straw mattresses in well-warmed quarters, and, as far as I could +judge, are as well or better housed than labourers upon public works in +the United States. The prisoners are fed three times a day. Breakfast +consists of coffee and bread. Dinner consists of vegetable and meat, +soup and bread, and for supper they are given bread and coffee. I was +informed that many of the prisoners have some money, and that they are +allowed to buy whatever else they may wish to eat. If I may judge from +the mounds of empty beer bottles at hand, there is evidence in support +of this statement. The prisoners appeared to be in good health and +cheerful, many of them engaging in games and other pastimes.” + +The diet described must be frightfully monotonous. Feeding has +throughout been one of the German difficulties. “Germany claims to hold +433,000 prisoners of war,” wrote an anonymous American journalist +(probably in November, 1914); “the housing and feeding of so great a +number must be a tremendous strain upon resources drained by the +necessities of war.” The numbers must now exceed two million. The Press +article referred to [Misc. No. 7 (1915)] is severe on the misery of camp +life, and the verminousness of the men (they were of mixed nationality) +in the camp at Döberitz which he visited. (See, however, the further +official reports quoted below at p. 9). But the writer does not confine +his condemnation to one side. “One hears of battles in which no quarter +is granted. There are stories of one side or the other refusing an +armistice to permit the other to gather its wounded. Each side is +desperately determined to win, and neither is counting the cost. So men +must rust in prison camps until the struggle is over.” The monotony in +this case seems to have been varied by fights between the prisoners of +different nationality, each set considering that the others had not done +their part in the war. We need not be contemptuous about that. The +monotony of the prisoners’ life must tend to produce the maximum degree +of mutual friction. There is absolutely no privacy for the prisoner of +war. To be forced to remain, day and night, for months and years in +idleness, with a crowd of others, not of one’s own choice is, I believe, +one of the psychological factors which make internment (especially to +many civilians) decidedly worse than imprisonment in a criminal prison. + + +CORRESPONDENCE AND PACKAGES. + +My next document illustrates the fact that each side makes similar +complaints about the other. Telegram received by American Embassy, +London, December 23, 1914, 22nd from Berlin Embassy: + + “Foreign Office reports receiving many complaints that money and + packages sent German military and civilian prisoners in enemy + countries from Germany do not reach addresses. Please secure + information for Department to forward German Foreign Office + whether money and other postal matter will be delivered to such + prisoners promptly and intact.—BRYAN, Washington.” + +There is no doubt that many letters and parcels have _not_ reached +German prisoners in England. Lord Robert Cecil has fully allowed this. +(_Times_ report. March 11, 1915.) In spite of this, I have no doubt that +the British authorities have done their best to expedite delivery. I +would suggest that this is probably the case on the other side, too. We +shall indeed later come upon some definite statements in support of this +view. One frequent cause of the non-arrival of parcels in Germany has +been convincingly described by Mr. Ian Malcolm, M.P. (_Daily Mail_, +November 8, 1916, and Reprint): + + I did not approach this subject quite “new to the game.” I had + already visited general post offices in England, Switzerland and + elsewhere, and had seen thousands, literally thousands, of food + parcels intended for our prisoners of war in Germany falling to + bits and incapable of being forwarded for want of skilled + packing. The sight was enough to make angels weep. To think that + so much self-sacrifice had been exercised in humble homes to + save up bits of dripping, crusts of bread, broken cigarettes, + and what not, in order that these should reach son or brother or + sweetheart in Germany, yet packed so badly albeit by loving + hands, that in the first rough and tumble of the post the paper + burst, the string came undone, and the contents of a dozen + parcels fell in an inextricable jumble upon the floor. + +There will unfortunately, too, be those in every land who will take +opportunities for mean thefts. We have all had experience of that during +this war, and the following cutting from the _Daily News_ of October 5, +1915, may be given in illustration: + + In a letter of thanks to the secretary of the committee of the + Elswick and Scotswood workmen, formed for the purpose of sending + comforts to the troops, Sir Ian Hamilton says: + + I am extremely touched by the extraordinary generosity and + kindness of the Elswick and Scotswood workmen. I will take + great care to let our soldiers know to whom they are + indebted for this most handsome contribution. Pray heaven + the parcels will escape thieves and scoundrels who waylaid + some of the gifts, and will arrive in good condition. + +If there are, alas, not a few men who will steal from their comrades, +there are not likely to be fewer who will steal from their enemies. + +Speaking generally, however, the delivery of parcels on both sides soon +became commendably regular. The care shown on the German side is warmly +praised by Captain Gilbert Nobbs, who remained quite able to appreciate +good deeds even after enduring terrible hardships and hearing worse +stories from others. The bad deeds of war, soldiers are able to judge +better than civilians. In his book “Englishman, Kamerad,” Captain Nobbs +writes: + + I was very much impressed with the fair and systematic handling + of our parcels, letters and money; even letters and postcards + which arrived for me after I had been sent back to England, were + re-addressed and sent back. A remittance of five pounds which + arrived for me after I had left was even returned to me in + England, instead of being applied to the pressing need of the + German War Loan.—(_Daily News_, January 25, 1918.) + +An acquaintance of my own, a lecturer in a technical school, spoke to me +to the same effect. He told me, as an illustration, of a parcel sent to +him which had become quite shattered in transit (p.p. 7). The Germans +transferred the contents to a sack, and, as he said, the temptation to +pilfer the sorely-needed foodstuffs must have been great. My informant +also spoke of the very thorough inoculation against disease. + + +ALTDAMM. + +On December 31, 1914, Mr. Damm reported to Mr. Gerard on the Camp at +Altdamm near Stettin. The general arrangement, he remarks, is the same +as that of the camp at Stargard on which he had reported previously. + +“It appears to me that every effort is being made to treat the prisoners +of war as humanely as possible in the two camps I visited. Dry and warm +shelter is provided, the food is simple and perhaps monotonous, but of +good material and well prepared, sanitary arrangements are good, and the +health of the men is carefully looked after.” + + +RUMOURS V. INSPECTION. + +But the general inspection of all camps had not yet been agreed to by +the German Government, and on February 23, 1915, Sir Edward Grey wrote +to Mr. Page (the American Ambassador in London) complaining that no +definite replies to his questions were forthcoming. “His Majesty’s +Government,” he continues, “have only unofficial information and rumours +on the subject to guide them, which they trust do not accurately +represent the facts.” The “unofficial information and rumours” had, +however, attained wide publicity, and obtained still more later. + +The German authorities agreed on March 17, 1915, to general inspection +of detention camps and consideration of complaints. The reports now to +be cited were made after this date. [Misc. 11 (1915)]. I propose to give +examples of almost all the earlier reports, for it was in the earlier +stages of the war that there was most difficulty everywhere in providing +accommodation for prisoners. We ought not to forget that the earliest +reports on our own camps which the British Government have published +begin with February, 1916.[2] + + +DŒBERITZ. + +On March 31 Mr. Jackson reported on the camp at Döberitz, a large camp +with between three and four thousand British prisoners. “So far as I +could ascertain, British soldiers are called upon to do only their share +in fatigue work.... So far as I could ascertain, after inquiry of a +number of men, nothing was known as to the stopping of either incoming +or outgoing correspondence.... The camp at Döberitz is in a healthy +location, and the barracks are new and of a permanent character.... They +are at least as good as those used by the Germans at present in the same +neighbourhood. As was to be expected a number of men had individual +grievances, but there were no general complaints, except with regard to +the German character of the food—_and those were the exact counterparts +of complaints made to me by German prisoners in England_.” I have +italicised the last clause as it will surely, to a fair-minded man, seem +a somewhat important one. + +Mr. Lithgow Osborne visited the camp at the same time. He says: + + Until two weeks ago the Russians and English were, in cases, + housed together—a source of complaint to the latter, more + especially on account of vermin. The races have now been + separated. The men all stated that they had the two blankets and + the other requisites provided in the German rules, and I heard + but one complaint about overcrowding. Most of the English and + French receive clothes from home. All the prisoners who do not, + are furnished from the camp supply; the men stated that this was + carried out according to the rules. + + No complaints whatever were made regarding the Commandant, the + non-commissioned officers, or the general government of the + camp. The food was the source of the few real complaints that + could be heard, although at least half of the men spoken to + admitted that it was quite as good as could possibly be + expected. + + The impression of the whole was excellent, and one received the + idea that everything that could reasonably be expected was done + for the men by the authorities in charge. + + +THREE POOR CAMPS. + +Mr. Jackson’s reports on Burg bei Magdeburg, Magdeburg and Halle a/d +Saale are the most unfavourable. They were all small officers’ camps, +Burg containing 75, Magdeburg 30, Halle 50 British officers. There were +a few orderlies at each camp. + +The chief points are inadequate ventilation, inadequate service for +officers and, in the first two, the fact that living rooms were used +for all purposes, there being no special mess or recreation rooms. There +seemed, however, to be no discrimination against the British. + + +GŒTTINGEN. + +Mr. Page himself reports on Göttingen, where there were about 6,000 +prisoners. “The Camp Commandant, Colonel Bogen, has done everything +possible to make this a model camp, and he has accomplished a great +work. The only complaint is as to the food, the quantity of which, of +course, is not under the control of the Commandant, as he is limited to +an expenditure of only 60 pfennigs (about 7d.) per day per man. + +“Everything was in the most beautiful order. There was a very fine steam +laundry and drying room, bath rooms, with hot and cold showers, and the +closets, etc., are in a very good condition and scientifically built. +There is running water and electricity in the camp. A French barrister +of Arras, named Léon Paillet, who was working with the French Red Cross +and who, for some reason or other, has been made a prisoner, has done +marvellous work in organising libraries, etc. + +“I am pleased to say that the professors and pastors in Göttingen have, +from the first, taken an interest in this camp, and Professor Stange has +done much in helping the lot of the prisoners. The Y.M.C.A. building, +erected through the efforts of Mr. A. C. Harte, who for a number of +years has been working with the Y.M.C.A. in India, will be a great help +to the men in the camp. + +“At the opening ceremonies there were speeches by Colonel Bogen, Mr. +Harte, and Professor Stange, and then each speech was delivered in +English and French by prisoners. These were followed by short speeches +by French, English, and Belgian prisoners. Then came a concert by the +camp orchestra and the camp singing society, followed by songs and +recitations by various prisoners.” + +Dr. Ohnesorg reported further on April 22. At that time there were 6,577 +prisoners, of whom 1,586 were British. He warmly commends the steam +laundry, the steam disinfecting plant, and the hospital. “A spirit of +contentment pervaded the camp. The British prisoners were well clothed. +I tasted the evening meal, consisting of a vegetable soup, which was +very palatable and, I should say, nourishing.... The citizens of +Göttingen have taken a great interest in the camp, and some of them, +notably Professor Stange, of the University, have given a great deal of +their time to the welfare of prisoners and the formation of classes for +study amongst them.” + + +GERMAN HELP FOR PRISONERS. + +The interest taken by prominent Germans in the welfare of prisoners of +war is little recognised in this country. The Berlin Committee (of which +more will be said later) has received considerable support. At the end +of June, 1916, a meeting in support of its work was held at the house of +Prince Lichnowsky, former Ambassador in London, who returned specially +from the front to preside. The Bishop of Winchester, writing in the +_Times_, tells us that many notable men and women were present, and that +at the meeting a collection of 8,000 marks (about £400) was made. + + +COLOGNE. + +Mr. Michelson visited in April, 1915, the three Cologne hospitals in +which wounded British prisoners are lying. He reports as follows: + + These institutions are so typical of large, modern, well ordered + hospitals that little need be said of their employment or + management. They are provided with all the machinery and + paraphernalia usual to surgical work on a large scale, contain + all standard and necessary conveniences and fittings, afford to + patients a maximum of protection in the matter of sanitation, + quiet and relief from preventable irritation, and are conducted + in a thoroughly scientific, professional and humane way. + + The names of the 49 wounded British prisoners are hereunto + annexed. I personally spoke to every one of these men, and with + many of them I conversed privately and without being overheard. + With but one exception no English-speaking British prisoner had + any complaint to make, and a number of the British prisoners + eagerly expressed to me their appreciation for the care and + attention given them. + + The physical condition of the Indians is particularly good. Only + 21 deaths have occurred among the 1,000 wounded cared for in + hospital No. VI. since the war began, and the death rate in the + other two hospitals is correspondingly low. The physicians in + charge consider the rate to be somewhat remarkable in view of + the many grave injuries treated. + + In closing I may say that there is no discrimination or + segregation among the patients and that certain French patients + with whom I spoke expressed, likewise, their appreciation for + the care and attention given them. + + +CREFELD. + +At Crefeld Mr. Michelson visited the camp for interned officers. Of +these interned 137 were British. The general statements of the +Commandant “were afterwards independently confirmed by the one interned +British medical officer, Captain Benjamin Johnson, who said that as a +physician he had no complaints to make or improvements to suggest. He +did, however, complain on the score of being held prisoner, but the +Commandant and the German medical officer, and I with them, feel that +the presence of a British medical officer in the barracks is desirable. + +“The bath room which I saw has a floor space of about 1,500 square feet, +one-half of which, drained in the centre, lies under some 20 shower +nozzles. There are a couple of porcelain tubs in the other half, and in +the centre there is a large stove. Hot and cold water is available. The +British officers were enthusiastic in their praise of this room. + +“As regards the sleeping rooms, wash rooms and latrines, and their +equipment, the general German housing regulations are being fully +complied with. I visited a great many sleeping rooms, and in none of +them did I find overcrowding, uncleanliness, insufficient light, heat, +or equipment. + +“The orderlies are housed in stalls in one of the stables, and in their +regard, too, the general German housing regulations are being fully +complied with. Their quarters looked sufficiently comfortable and clean, +and two or three of the orderlies with whom I spoke said that they had +no complaints to make, and that they were happy to be interned with, and +not apart from their officers. I visited the one building fenced off +from the others—also a stable—in which German soldiers are quartered, +and I found the accommodation and equipment there to be precisely that +furnished to the orderlies. The comparison was, however, somewhat in +favour of the orderlies, for the orderlies were fewer in number and less +crowded than the soldiers. Although exercise is not compulsory, there is +ample space in the central rectangle for out-door games of all sorts and +for walking. No appropriate form of exercise, recreation, or amusement +is denied the interned, and opportunities for distraction within the +barracks lie largely in their own hands. Smoking is freely permitted, +and English, French and Russian songs are sung without interference. The +walls of one French officer’s room were covered with good-natured +caricature drawings. When I asked the Commandant if the interned might +not be permitted to go out into the country under guard, he replied that +the barracks were too near the frontier for that, and he mentioned that +one officer had already escaped and succeeded in getting over the +border.” + +Food is provided to all officers at the rate of two marks daily. This +absorbs the whole of a lieutenant’s pay, and the Commandant recognised +the difficulty. But “none of the officers want the present arrangement +altered if alteration is to involve a decrease in the quality, +quantity, or variety of the food furnished. All of them agree that the +food is entirely satisfactory, under the circumstances, and that it is +fully worth two marks a day. + +“The officers told me that letters and packages were delivered to them +with commendable rapidity, and that the Commandant was unfailingly +obliging when, for important reasons, any officer needed to send off +more than two letters a month.” + + +GARDELEGEN, SALZWEDEL. + +Dr. Ohnesorg, of the U.S. Navy, inspected Gardelegen and Salzwedel. +Owing to typhus, the former was not completely inspected. Two hundred +and twenty-eight British soldiers were interned here. Dr. Ohnesorg +remarks that the situation is open, with natural drainage. There was a +good and unstinted water supply. “I had a long talk alone with Captain +Brown. He spoke well of the camp.” “Work was being rushed on” for the +complete eradication of the clothing louse which is the carrier of the +infection. “It should be mentioned that the Russian prisoners, who are +primarily responsible for the introduction of the disease, are quartered +alone, ... but all the prisoners associate with one another in the +compound.” At Salzwedel, out of a total of 7,900 prisoners, only 49 were +British. The supply of water was unstinted. Shower baths and hot water +were available. Each man could have a bath every three days, and the +baths were being added to. In the hospital “the English doctor informed +me that the medicines and treatment accorded to the sick were good.” + +“The majority of the English prisoners complained of not getting enough +food and the monotony of the diet. The black bread was another point of +protest. I myself was given a sample of the mid-day meal as it came +from the kettle. It consisted of a thick soup containing potatoes, +beans, and small portions of fish. It was palatable, and I should say +nourishing. The prisoners do not do heavy work, their work being police +duties, etc. I must add that those whom I saw were well nourished, of +good colour, and appeared to be in good physical condition. There were +only a half-dozen on the sick list, and, with one exception, they were +under treatment for wounds.” + + +GUESTROW, MUENSTER (LAGER), SOLTAU, SCHEUEN, SCHLOSS CELLE. + +Mr. Jackson reported on the first four of these. The Güstrow camp +(Mecklenburg) contained about 6,000 prisoners, of whom 300 were British. +It is situated in the pine woods, and consists of “solid, newly-built +wooden barracks, lighted by electricity and heated.” Washing and bathing +facilities were good and the postal department well organised. “Clothing +is furnished when required, _if asked for_.” + +“There are several workrooms, and most of the men who have trades can +find something to do to occupy their time and can earn a little money. + +“Most of the British soldiers spoke of harsh treatment immediately +following their capture—at the beginning of the war—and while they +were being transported to Germany, and several spoke of their having +been handled roughly while in the tents. Others said frankly that most +of those who had been treated badly since they came to the camp had done +something to deserve it. In any event all admitted that their present +treatment was good, and that there was now no discrimination against the +British. British soldiers had never been called on to do more than their +share of the dirty work about the camp. A party of Russians had always +had charge of the latrines, voluntarily, in return for some small +compensation. The spirits of the British prisoners seemed good.” + +The account of Münster is almost precisely similar—“solidly-built +barracks,” “good bathing arrangements,” “well-arranged hospital.” +Suggestive of the nervous strain of internment is the following: “Here +the relations between the British and Belgians seemed cordial, and the +former participated in the recent celebration of King Albert’s birthday, +which the French declined to do.” + +At Soltau there were about 30,000 prisoners, principally Belgian. Four +hundred were British. German control was largely eliminated, but the +results in this case do not seem to have been satisfactory. + +“In this camp there seemed to be fewer German soldiers on duty than is +the rule elsewhere, and practically the whole of its administration is +in the hands of the Belgians, who have organised many courses of study +(under Belgian professors) and who have a Catholic Church, a theatre, an +orchestra, and a choir. The British complained that there is +discrimination against them here (apparently more by the Belgians than +by the Germans), and that they are not permitted to participate in the +administration or to be represented in the kitchen or post office. +Complaints were made about the food and the delivery of mail and +parcels, and it was said that the Belgians objected to have them join in +football games, etc. They also said that they were compelled to do much +more than their share of fatigue work in connection with the latrines. +All these complaints were brought to the attention of the officer in +charge, who promised to investigate them, as apparently but little +attention had been paid to such matters so long as there had been no +trouble in the camp.” + +At Scheuen near Celle a similar difficulty existed. There were 118 +British out of a total of 9,000 prisoners. “The British +non-commissioned officers muster their men and exercise some general +control over them, but the French or Belgian non-commissioned officers +are in charge of the barracks and designate the men who are to do +fatigue duty. In consequence, it is claimed, British soldiers are +detailed to such work more frequently than those of other nationalities. +On speaking of this to the Commandant, he promised at once to arrange so +that a more fair division of work should be made in the future. +Otherwise the men made no complaint with regard to any discrimination +against them.” + + +ZUEDER ZOLLHAUS, WAHN. + +The reports issued in Miscellaneous, No. 14 (1915) continue the +inspections and reinspections up to the middle of May. As improvements +were continuously being made in the camps, it is scarcely necessary to +refer in detail to these further reports. There are reports on fifteen +camps for military prisoners. Two of these reports (those on the +“working camp” at Züder Zollhaus and Wahn) are unfavourable, thirteen +are favourable. At Züder Zollhaus were 2,000 prisoners, of whom 479 were +British. The camp was for prisoners who were willing to work on the +land. “I was given to understand,” writes Dr. Ohnesorg, “that this camp +would only be occupied during the summer months.” The inspector finds +the hospital accommodation in this case “very crude.” There were about +thirty cases of sickness which should certainly have been removed +elsewhere. The morning meal seems very small for the morning’s work. It +consists of either soup or coffee with 300 grammes (say 10 oz.) of +bread. Altogether it is plain that improvements here were urgently +needed. Dr. Ohnesorg, however, says: “All of them (the British +prisoners) appeared to be in good physical condition.... The work is not +hard, and they are permitted to take it leisurely.... They informed me +that their treatment was good, they were not overworked, and practically +the only complaint they had to make was that a more substantial meal to +begin the day on should be given them.” At Wahn the food was complained +of, and the most unpleasant feature is that the Commandant did not seem +on good terms with the British. + + +BLANKENBURG. + +As regards the camp for officers at Blankenburg, Mr. Jackson writes: + + The house itself is as comfortable as any of the places where I + saw interned officers in England.... It is surrounded by + attractive, well-kept grounds, in which a tennis-court has just + been made.... There are several modestly furnished mess and + recreation rooms, and a terrace which is used for afternoon + tea.... The Commandant is interested in his work, and evidently + does all he can to make conditions agreeable. + +There were 110 officers, of whom nine were British. + + +SENNE. + +At Sennelager Mr. Osborne reports: + + The situation of the camp is good ... on very dry, sandy soil, + surrounded at a few kilometres by pine forests. The buildings + are good. Though there were the customary complaints about the + food, more than half the men I spoke with expressed themselves + as satisfied.... The men looked healthy, and they all stated + that the general health of the camp was excellent.... There are + shower baths with hot and cold water.... The men said they were + well treated by the Commandants and the German soldiers and + N.C.O.’s in charge of them. + +The camps at Sennelager are large ones, and include more than two +thousand British prisoners. Games, concerts, and theatrical performances +help to pass the time. A play given by French prisoners was entitled: +_Avant et après la guerre._ + + +MAINZ. + +Of the officers’ camp at Mainz, Dr. Ohnesorg reports that “The quality +and quantity of the food was good and varied.... One and all the British +officers spoke in the highest terms of their commanding officer, his +kindness and courtesy, and said that they received every privilege which +could be afforded them, considering their position.” There were about +700 officers, of whom 25 were British. “If anything,” says the American +Consul at Wiesbaden in a later report on Mainz, “I should think the +British officers would ... receive almost greater courtesy at the hands +of their keepers than those of the other nations.” + + +GENERAL REMARKS OF DR. OHNESORG. + +Dr. Ohnesorg appends some general remarks on the camps he visited. In +the following quotations I have omitted nothing which is in the nature +of adverse criticism: + +“On the whole the treatment accorded them is good, but frequent protests +were made to me concerning the food—not so much because of its quality, +as because of the insufficient quantity and the monotony of the diet. +The prisoners, however, appeared to be in good physical condition and +well nourished. Appended are various weekly dietary slips. I had an +opportunity in various camps to sample either the mid-day or the evening +meal. I found them palatable and, I should say, nourishing. Considering +the fact that the men have practically no hard work to do, it appears to +be sufficient in quantity, each man getting a liberal allowance—probably +a litre and a half of food per meal. + +“The treatment accorded the sick and wounded prisoners is excellent. +They are given every advantage of medicines and treatment, and special +food when necessary. A dietary slip of the latter is appended. The same +routine, the same food, etc., as in use in German military hospitals, +apply for these various hospitals in prison camps. + +“I found no discrimination made between prisoners of various +nationalities. With the exception of Limburg, the British prisoners are +housed with the Russians, French and Belgians, and this is the cause +oft-times of complaint on the part of the English, especially if they +are under the direct supervision of a non-commissioned officer of +another nationality. Some of them stated that the work, i.e., the police +duties, etc., largely because of this are not equally and justly +divided. + +“Every precaution is taken by the authorities against the spread of +disease in camp. All the prisoners are vaccinated against smallpox, and +are immunised against typhoid and cholera. Certain simple rules against +the contraction of disease are posted throughout the camps, and the men +are impressed with the importance of personal cleanliness. Baths are +obligatory, the facilities affording each man a weekly bath under the +showers. + +“The water supply in the camps is good. In most of them it is connected +with the city supply, and when not, Artesian wells have been sunk on the +premises and water thus obtained. Taps are placed throughout the company +streets, and the use of water is unstinted. + +“As a rule, the prisoners were found to be well clothed, although not +all in their own uniforms. Some were in French uniforms, and some in a +combination of Russian, French, and British. + +“In many of these camps, prisoners are loaned out throughout the country +to work upon farms, and, in some cases, in various industries. This is +entirely voluntary on the part of the prisoner, and this service is +mostly accepted by the French. No British volunteer. These men have a +guard over them, are housed and fed by their employer and receive five +pfennigs a day in pay. It breaks the monotony of prison life, and many +more volunteer than are needed for this work.” + + +NEW REGULATIONS. + +On April 24, 1915, the Prussian Ministry of War issued a new set of +regulations respecting the maintenance of prisoners of war. They show +great thoroughness and forethought, but I am afraid the average +Englishman would be as unready to believe that they showed genuine good +intentions, as the average German would be to believe that favourable +regulations issued by the English authorities were really _bona fide_. +Yet, as it seems to me of general interest, I will here give the second +regulation: “Self-management as regards catering has already been +ordered for military and civilian prisoners’ camps, as this system has +been proved far preferable to the employment of contractors. Nearly all +the complaints about the food come from camps where contractors are +employed.” + + +ERFURT, OHRDRUF. + +It is impossible to do more than make very brief citations from the +remaining reports. In no case is the report otherwise than favourable, +and the food is described as good. + +At Erfurt “the kitchens are clean, and the midday soup (which I tasted) +was good”. The British soldiers had no complaint against German officers +or soldiers, but “they claimed that the French or Belgian +non-commissioned officers caused them to be detailed as members of +working parties more frequently than their fellow prisoners of other +nationalities.” This reminds us that complaints arise in institutions +other than those worked by “enemies.” + +At Ohrdruf “a number of men who had been treated for their wounds in +the lazaret at Weimar spoke in the highest praise of their treatment by +German doctors and nurses.... Some of the British thought (as at Erfurt) +that they were detailed to working parties (by French non-commissioned +officers) more frequently than the others, but otherwise no complaint +was made to me of any discrimination against them.” The British did not +like the soup, “but almost without exception they seemed in good +physical condition and in good spirits.” + + +MR. GERARD’S COMMENTS. + +“The food question,” writes Mr. Gerard (U.S. Ambassador at Berlin), “is +of course a difficult one in a country where the whole population is put +upon a bread ration. Most of the rumours current in England are without +foundation or very exaggerated.... No British prisoner needs clothes in +Germany ... and I have just learned that British prisoners at Zossen, to +whom we sent clothes, shoes, etc., have sold these articles to the +French prisoners and are asking for a second supply.” + + +MUENDEN, FRIEDBERG, TORGAU, MERSEBERG. + +Thirteen British prisoners at Hannover-Münden “said that they were not +discriminated against in any way.... All seemed in good spirits.” At +Friedberg were 13 British officers. “The commandant drew my particular +attention to the row of little gardens cared for by the interned, and is +much pleased with this feature of the place. He also told me he would +like to allow officers to have dogs, but he fears this cannot be +done.... The officers’ rooms amply exceed all requirements as to housing +and equipment.... The dining-rooms are two ... and either room would do +credit to a club or hotel of the first class.” At Torgau “the commandant +spoke of the British officers to me in very complimentary terms.” At +Merseberg “the new food regulations are in force.... No complaints were +made to me about the food, and the men appeared to be in good health.” + + +A PENNY BLUE BOOK. + +On May 14, 1915, Viscount (then Sir Edward) Grey, writing to Mr. Page +(U.S. Ambassador in London), mentioned that His Majesty’s Government +“have heard with pleasure that there is a distinct disposition on the +part of the German authorities to accept suggestions made for the +welfare of the prisoners of war.” These words gave hope of the +development of better feeling and of those “reprisals of good” which +many believe to be more constructive than reprisals of frightfulness. +The Penny Blue Book on the treatment of prisoners of war, issued not +long after this, was not helpful to these hopes. As regards Germany, +this publication consists almost exclusively of the “unofficial +information and rumours” which, as Sir Edward Grey stated in February, +1915, His Majesty’s Government “trusted did not accurately represent the +facts.” The result is unfortunate. The Blue Book is limited by its title +to “the first eight months of the war,” and deals almost exclusively +with charges brought before the close of 1914, when, as is well known, +there was confusion everywhere. The method of arranging the evidence is +too much that of an advocate aiming at producing the maximum effect. For +example, we read (page 6): “The United States Consul-General at Berlin +heard on October 16 that information regarding the treatment of +non-commissioned officers and men of the British Army who are prisoners +of war in other camps is anxiously awaited at Torgau. ‘Rumours of their +exposure to the elements, their starvation and their treatment, are +rampant all along the line.’” On turning to Misc. 7 (1915) we find that +_these last words were not those of the American Consul-General_, but +those of an officer interned at Torgau. The American Ambassador, Mr. +Gerard, writes: “It should also be added that, although the British +officers at Torgau state that they have heard reports of starvation and +ill-treatment of British soldiers in other prisoners’ camps, the Embassy +have no reason for believing that this is the case.” _This statement is +omitted in the Penny Blue Book._ + +To give the public an idea of the camp at Döberitz quotations are made +(page 33) from an article by an anonymous American journalist. An early +official report is cited which gives a very different impression, but as +it is quoted in quite a different part (page 18) of the Blue Book, the +contradiction is only seen on careful examination. On the covers of the +two copies of the Blue Book which I have are lists of Foreign Office +publications. Amongst these (see pages 9, 10) is Miscel. No. 11 (1915) +(price 3d.), which contains two official U.S. reports on Döberitz, one +by Mr. Jackson, the other by Mr. Lithgow Osborne, both of them entirely +favourable. No hint of the existence of these reports (received on April +10 and April 24 respectively) is given in the body of the Penny Blue +Book. As regards British camps, the only evidence cited is the report +made by Mr. Chandler Hale of the U.S. Embassy after the riot at Douglas +in November, 1914. + +I am fully aware that the sufferings of prisoners of war, as of soldiers +in the field, cannot be adequately presented in official reports, but +the sifting of more human and biased evidence is an extremely difficult +task, and it is sufficiently plain that we should not rely on official +evidence to exculpate ourselves, while using rumours and unofficial +information to condemn the enemy. + +There are very many prison camps in Germany, and their individual tone +must depend enormously upon the aims and efforts of the commandant in +charge. A mistake of appointment, almost a slip of the pen, and a man +may be in charge who will make life unendurable as only unlimited +authority can. + +The words used by Lord Newton in the House of Lords on July 31, 1917, +are noteworthy in this connection. One impression he derived from his +intercourse with the German delegates at the Hague was that “in spite of +the German power of centralisation, Berlin headquarters did not know a +great deal of what was going on. As the Germans had thirty times as many +prisoners as we had, it would be surprising if they did know what went +on.” (_Daily News_, August 1, 1917.) + + +A PRISONER IN AUSTRIA. + +Here is an account of a British member of Parliament, a prisoner in +Austria: + + Captain A. Stanley Wilson, M.P., who is a prisoner of war in + Austria, has written the following letter to Colonel Duncombe, + chairman of the Holderness Conservative Association, here: + + “I am a prisoner of war, and with only one hope—that the + war will be over soon. I was taken off a Greek steamer by a + submarine on December 6. After two nights and a day on board + I was brought here. I must not give any details. Colonel + Napier was also taken prisoner, and we are together. + Fortunately I have in him a capital companion who can speak + German very well. + + I am afraid it will be a very long time before I see my + constituents. I wish them all a happy new year and hope that + during next year I may meet them again. The outlook for me + is not very bright, but I intend to do my best to be + cheerful. Up to the present we have been very well treated. + We had some most exciting experiences in the submarine. The + officers on board treated us as though we were their guests + and not their prisoners. We have as companions two French + officers who were made prisoners the day before us, their + submarine having run ashore.”—_Manchester Guardian_, + + January 10, 1916. + +Captain Wilson (an able-bodied prisoner) has since been unconditionally +released. + + +THE FOOD QUESTION. + +The report already given makes it clear that very similar complaints, or +(as Mr. Jackson puts it [page 16]) complaints that were “exact +counterparts” as to food, have often been made on both sides. It is also +plain that complaints on this score in German camps have been by no +means universal. I do not in the least suppose that the food in general +would be satisfying or other than dreadfully monotonous. (“Oft recht +eintönig,” says Professor Stange quite frankly in his interesting +pamphlet on Göttingen camp.) Loss of appetite, depression, indigestion +will then in many cases produce grave physical trouble. All this may +occur and does occur, without anything like a deliberate attempt at +starvation. British born wives of interned Germans would sometimes, even +before the reduction of rations, speak bitterly of their husbands’ +needs. An anti-English journalist might have used such complaints to +charge us with starvation. But even perfectly _bona fide_ complaints +need indicate only monotony, loss of robustness, and consequent physical +(and mental) ills—and indeed the tragedy of these things may become +terribly dark. It is, however, something very different from deliberate +starvation. + +In any comparison between the two sides it is only fair to take into +account the special difficulties of the German case. The number of +prisoners in Germany by August, 1915, was probably over one million. +This is an enormous figure. While Great Britain and her Allies have +tried to prevent food from reaching Germany, the drain upon the German +food stock has continually grown as the number of prisoners has +increased. By the end of 1917 this famished country had to support +probably more than two million extra persons. The French Press long ago +frankly regarded this as one of the means of helping towards the +starving out of Germany, while in an American cartoon the Russian +prisoners were figured as an enormous beast with its head in a cupboard +labelled “Germany’s Food Supply.” These are considerations for the +fair-minded, and it is for them to recall that as soon as there was in +our own case a menace of food shortage, there was also what might in +official language be described as a complete revision of the prisoners’ +rations. The prisoners’ own language would very likely describe it +differently. We can scarcely be surprised at sad and even very bitter +words at times from prisoners’ wives. + +That prisoners themselves are, however, sometimes able to envisage the +difficulties is indicated by the following extract from a _Daily News_ +interview with a corporal repatriated from Münster. He commented on the +fact that some men were the recipients of more parcels than they needed, +while others got none. The interview continues: + + You see, without regular parcels from home a man simply starves + at a camp like Münster. If the Germans had the food I believe + they would give it, but they haven’t: they are starving + themselves.[3] All they allowed us was bread and water and thin + soup. The consequence is that the men who get no parcels have to + go round begging from the other chaps just to keep body and soul + together. + + From what I saw of it, getting so much while others get nothing + isn’t good for a man either. Some fellows—the stingy sort—will + save up their parcels against a rainy day. Make a regular little + store they will. Others—the lively sort—sell what they have + over to the unlucky ones, and spend their time gambling with the + few marks they make. Poor devils! You can’t blame them! + +The word “starvation” has been, and is here, too freely, if very +naturally, used. The remarks of Lord Newton, speaking in the House of +Lords on May 31, 1916, are important in this connection: + + If Lord Beresford was accurate in his assumption that prisoners + of war would literally starve to death if parcels did not + arrive, hundreds of thousands of prisoners would be dead + already. Russian prisoners, of whom there were over a million in + Germany, received no parcels at all, and if it was impossible to + exist upon the food supplied by the Germans, these men would + literally have died like flies.... Lord Beresford and other + noble lords had been rather prone to ignore the fact that + Germany was a blockaded country. It was common knowledge that + there was a general scarcity of food throughout Germany, and, if + the prisoners did not get as much as they ought to have, in all + probability the vast majority of the German population was in a + state of comparative hunger.... He could not see what advantage + there was in making out that the case of our prisoners was worse + than it really was, and it seemed to him little short of an act + of cruelty to the relations of these unfortunate men to lead + them to suppose that our men were not only in a state of misery, + but in a state of starvation.—(_Morning Post_, June 1, 1916). + +There is no question either that nerve strain and monotony accentuate +the critical attitude towards food. Here is an extract from Mr. +Jackson’s report on Senne (September 11, 1915): “There were some +complaints, as usual, in regard to the food. I had arrived in the camp +just after the midday meal was served, and while some of the men said +that the meat had been bad, and they wished that I had an opportunity to +taste it, others said that the meat had been particularly good, because +the officers had heard that I was coming. None of them knew that I had +actually eaten a plate of their soup and had found it excellent, both +palatable and nutritious, and that my visit to this particular camp had +not been announced in advance. The menu for the day had been made out at +the beginning of the week, and could not have been changed after my +presence in the camp was known, and I had a bowl of the soup which was +left over after the prisoners had been served.” (Miscel. 19 [1915], page +41.) + +It is sometimes forgotten that complaints as to food are frequent in all +institutions, schools, colleges, workhouses, hospitals, etc. I have +before me a recent letter from an Englishman in a consumptive sanatorium +in his own country: “I exist as best I can, and the less said about it +the better. I am no better, and only glad that I am not worse. I at +least don’t feel so ill as I did a week ago, although I have lost 3½ +lbs. since then. The food is atrocious, and my appetite small. The +fellows here buy quite two-thirds of what they eat, otherwise they too +would lose in weight. No good comes of making complaints ... nothing is +ever done.” Things _may_ be so, I am not a great believer in +institutions, but certainly independent investigation is needed to +warrant any conclusion. The same I feel to be the case as to complaints +of feeding, whether in British or German camps. + +Each side, too, is also unreasonably certain of its own justice and of +the injustice of the others. Thus the Social Democrat, Herr Stücklen, +speaking in the Reichstag debate of June 6, 1916, said: “I have received +a letter about the treatment of our prisoners in France which says, ‘If +pigs were so fed by us they would go on hunger strike.’ But I do not +wish our Government to exercise reprisals, which, after all, could only +hit the innocent.” [_Cambridge Magazine_, August 26, 1916, Supplement +“Prisoners.” An important supplement for those who wish to get a glimpse +(it is no more than a glimpse) of recriminations made by others as to +treatment of prisoners.] It is odd how exactly the same phrases occur on +both sides. Thus a private at Döberitz, according to the unknown +American journalist referred to on pages 5 and 25, relieved his feelings +as to the German food with the words: “I ’ad a sow. And even she +wouldn’t eat skilly.” + +To suit the tastes of all the different nationalities would at any time +be difficult; under war conditions it is impossible. Professor Stange +relates how the hostess of some Russian working prisoners thought to +give them a specially good meal of meat. The result, however, was less +bulky than a soup, and the Russian comment on this occasion was, “Mother +good, eating not good.” (“Das Gefangenen-Lager in Göttingen,” page 9.) + + +A PRISONER’S REPORT. + +A serious and responsible statement of experiences has been made by +Chaplain Benjamin O’Rorke, M.A., in his little book, “In the Hands of +the Enemy.” I commend the book to the notice of those who wish for a +fair statement by a patriot who has actual experience of a good many +German camps in the early days of the war. As he was taken prisoner in +August, 1914, his experiences belong to the time before the improvements +introduced in all countries had been begun. There are callous episodes, +for instance, one of revolting caddishness of an orderly standing by +without offering help when an invalid officer is struggling to tie up +his bootlace. Military bounce, popular vulgarity, hardships, +homesickness, courage—all these things one may read of, but the +incidents which some journalists revel in are to seek. It was a neutral +journalist, we should remember, who sent to a German paper a wonderful +account of the panic fears and regulations of London under the Zeppelin +menace. + +Chaplain O’Rorke’s reminiscences give us a good many “facts towards +fellowship.” Let us select a few. Even the unpleasant ones may help us, +where they show that the failings of the others are the same as our own. +The prisoners were taken to Germany from Landrecies. + + +THE CREDULITY OF HATE. + + At Aachen a hostile demonstration took place at our expense. + There happened to be a German troop train in the station at the + time. A soldier of our escort displayed a specimen of the + British soldier’s knife, holding it up with the marline-spike + open, and declared that this was the deadly instrument which + British medical officers had been using to gouge out the eyes of + the wounded Germans who had fallen into their vindictive hands! + From the knife he pointed to the medical officers sitting + placidly in the train, as much as to say. “And these are some of + the culprits.” [It is not surprising that thus monstrously + misinformed, and ready to believe all evil against the hated + English, the soldiers] strained like bloodhounds on the leash. + “Out with them!” said their irate colonel, pointing with his + thumb over his shoulder to the carriages in which these + blood-thirsty British officers sat. The colonel, however, did + not wait to see his behest carried out, and a very gentlemanly + German subaltern quietly urged his men to get back to their + train and leave us alone. The only daggers that pierced us were + the eyes of a couple of priests, a few women and boys, who + appeared to be shocked beyond words that even a clergyman was + amongst such wicked men. + +I have quoted this passage as I have not the least wish to give a merely +_couleur de rose_ picture of the situation. Human nature is, I fear, +everywhere very much the same, and, once its passions are aroused, +extremely credulous of evil against its opponents. Only one thing in the +account a little surprises me, and that is the colonel’s order. If the +officer was a colonel, would a subaltern be able quietly to countermand +his orders? Is there not some mistake of rank here, or perhaps a +misunderstanding of an angry exclamation? + + +TORGAU. + +The populace at Torgau called them swine with variations—all of which, +alas, is exactly what has been done, in some cases, by the populace on +our side too. At Torgau “the Commandant was a Prussian reservist officer +with a long heavy moustache. We were told [by the other prisoners] that +he was courteous and considerate in every respect, and that, provided we +took care, to salute him whenever we passed him, we should find him +everything we could reasonably wish.” And later, “It was a subject of +universal regret when the first Commandant resigned his position.” + + +DOGS. + +A great deal has been made of the use of dogs in some prison camps. The +following is the account given in Mr. O’Rorke’s book (page 41): + + As time went on our numbers increased to about 230 British + officers, and 800 French officers joined us from Maubeuge, + including four generals. One of the latter had been interned in + Torgau before, in the 1870 war, and had made good his escape. + The authorities guarded against the recurrence of such an + eventuality on the present occasion, their most elaborate + precaution being the enlistment of dogs to reinforce their + sentries. Their barkings could be heard occasionally by night, + but their presence disturbed neither our repose nor our + equanimity. + +It is worth while to quote from a report made by Dr. Ohnesorg and Mr. +Dresel on Wittenberg in March, 1916: + + The police dogs are not now a cause of complaint on the part of + the prisoners.—(_Miscel_. 16 [1916] p. 85). + +Dr. Austin in “My Experiences as a German Prisoner” writes: + + For a long time previous to our arrival at Magdeburg we had been + informed that large and savage dogs were to be provided to aid + the sentries.... They were certainly savage enough, but were + always led by a sentry, or chained in their den, and were never + let loose on us. (p. 141). + +To return to Chaplain O’Rorke’s narrative: “When we first arrived [the +barrack warder] had adopted the rôle of gaoler in his demeanour towards +us, but after a while he became civil and deferential, and—when his son +was captured in the war—actually sympathetic.” (p. 45.) At Torgau “the +meals, though far from sumptuous and not always palatable, were +sufficient for our needs.” (p. 43.) + + +BURG. + +At Burg, at the canteen, “we used to treat one another to a whole roll +or a cake and a cup of excellent coffee; and, until they were put on the +_verboten_ list, to a chop or steak. The serving was done under the +direction of a kind, motherly _Frau_ at the one canteen, and by a polite +German boy-waiter at the other.... The regular meals seemed to be +provided by the proprietor of the larger canteen under contract with the +German Government. They were served at 8 a.m., 12 noon and 6-30 p.m. In +quality they were superior to the Torgau fare, but in quantity scarcely +sufficient in the depth of winter for hungry young men. Still it must be +remembered that they cost only 1s. 6d. a day” [out of the daily pay +allowed]. Weekly baths were the regulation, but “it was often possible +for pushing natures to get an extra bath on other days,” by a method +which works all the world over. At Burg “the new Commandant was a tall, +well-made, soldierly figure. He had a strong face, curiously resembling +an owl.” An amusing little story follows as to the preciseness of the +Commandant and Mr. O’Rorke continues: “It is pleasant to add that this +new Commandant was in one respect just the man that was needed. From the +first day he began to make the place hum, the foul clean, and in time +rendered it habitable. Had there been any, he would have made the dust +fly, but there was not. Indeed the court was at first almost a bog +through which we threaded our way inch deep in mud, and hopped over the +pools. All this disappeared in a few weeks under the Commandant’s +direction; the swamp was drained and the path widened.” British +officials, too, know that the problem of mud in a confined space trodden +by thousands of feet is one needing energy for its solution. + +The Commandant seems to have had a quality more valuable even than +energy—a capacity for learning from those under him. He was a judge by +profession, and was at first stern and terrible, as well as thorough. To +him the prisoners were as ordinary prisoners, “but in time he learnt to +place us in a different category. As for myself, eventually he granted +me facilities for carrying on my work outside the _Lager_, which he +might easily have refused, and when, five months later, we parted, it +was with a certain measure of mutual cordiality” (p. 74). The Adjutant +also learned more cordiality, and adjutants are sometimes prouder of +making others feel their authority than commandants are. + + +CENSOR FINED BY PRISONER. + +The Chaplain instituted a system of fines for “unparliamentary +expressions.” “Once I had to fine the German censor. He was engaged on a +hot day in examining a very large number of packages before distributing +them to their owners. He let fall in an unguarded moment the remark that +it was a nuisance to have to open so many parcels—specifying the +particular kind of nuisance he felt it to be ... but unfortunately I +overheard it and he had to pay the penalty. He did so with a good +grace.” A touch like this seems to me, personally, to tell more +eloquently than many orations how absurd it is to be regarding one +another as all monsters who ought to be put out of the world. + + +VISITS OUTSIDE CAMP. + +The hospital accommodation at the camp was very poor, and a lieutenant +was sent out to a hospital in the town to have his little finger +amputated. Mr. O’Rorke asked for permission to visit him. The Adjutant +at once agreed. “It was not long before I presented myself at the office +for my escort. I expected a couple of armed soldiers at the least, +remembering our reception at the hands of the populace. Instead, my +escort consisted of Herr Kost—the friendly censor and interpreter—and +a soldier. ‘Are you going to run away?’ asked Herr Kost. I smiled at the +futility of such an idea. ‘Then we won’t take a soldier.’ My journey of +half an hour to the hospital, my reception there, and my return to the +prison were unmarred by any unpleasant incident whatever. The hospital +was of the latest and best. Lieut. George had nothing but words of +gratitude about the doctors and nurses.” + +The Chaplain was allowed to visit the “reprisal prisoners,” those put in +solitary confinement owing to the infliction of this penalty on the +officers and men of two German submarines. He found them well treated. +“The privacy of this little room,” said the Hon. Ivan Hay “is preferable +to the liberty and Babel of the Burg dormitories.” The prisoners were +specially selected from families of distinction. + + +PRISONERS AND POPULACE. + +The other Burg prisoners were afterwards removed to Mainz. “The German +Commandant took pity on my loneliness and offered me the privilege of +going into the town where and when I liked if I would give my word of +honour that I would make no attempt to escape. I agreed to the proposal. +We shook hands over it, put it down in writing, and he presented me with +a passport for the period of a week.” Mr. O’Rorke, dressed in khaki, was +soon the centre of a crowd of about twenty-five boys and girls. But, and +this is really worth our noting, “they behaved extraordinarily well, and +made no offensive remark.” His followers increased, and he made things +worse by giving them sweets! He called upon the German Pastor in order +to get rid of them, but even this failed. A long stop at a café did not +tire the vigilance of his escort. When he again came out, there they +were. “We exchanged smiles and off we started.” A bookseller, whose shop +Mr. O’Rorke visited, came to his rescue and dispersed most of the +little crowd, but another one gathered later, though again it showed no +impoliteness or unfriendliness. + + +MS. RETURNED. + +It remains to be said that Mr. O’Rorke’s diary was confiscated on his +release, but was restored to him by post a few weeks later, marked as +having passed the German Censor! + + +ANOTHER PRISONER’S REPORT. + +Another useful little book of reminiscences is that of Mr. L. J. Austin, +F.R.C.S., of the British Red Cross, “My Experiences as Prisoner in +Germany.” “About ten miles from Namur we suddenly ran into the outposts +of the German Army, consisting of a picket of about twenty Uhlans, who +examined our papers, obligingly removed the tree from across the road, +and allowed us to proceed. Shortly afterwards we were again held up, +this time by an officer, who re-examined us all, and again we were +allowed to proceed.... Near midday we came to a small village called +Maffe, and here we had the misfortune to run straight into the head of +the main German Army marching upon Namur.” Detention was, under the +circumstances, practically inevitable. The party could scarcely be +allowed to motor off with valuable information as to the position of the +German Army in their possession. They were indeed suspected of being +spies. Said an interpreter: “You know you’ve been incredibly foolish to +come anywhere near our forces; you will not be able to return after +seeing our Army, but will have to be sent back into Germany. I do not +know what will become of you, but you will be treated as gentlemen.” +“During the afternoon of the first day an officer of the Motor Cycle +Corps who spoke excellent English came in and had a friendly talk with +us, and seemed to be inclined to laugh at the position he found us in. +We were struck by the familiarity between the privates and some of the +officers. For instance, in this particular case, some of the soldiers +had practice rides on their officers’ motor-bicycles.” There followed a +long interview with Prince Heinrich, the 33rd of Reuss. He was very +suspicious, but polite. “Finally His Royal Highness shook hands with us +and said: ‘I do not know what will become of you gentlemen, but probably +you’ll be sent back to Germany to assist in looking after wounded +soldiers of France and Belgium, and possibly English if they are foolish +enough to cross the Channel.’” The prolonged detention of Mr. Austin is +inexcusable, but there seem to be somewhat inexplicable detentions on +both sides. A document handed to the prisoners on their release was to +this effect: “The German Government advises the English Government that +unless all Red Cross units at present in England are immediately +returned, no further exchange of British medical officers can be +contemplated.” [Cf. too Miscel. 30 (1916) pp. 2, 36; also International +Red Cross Reports, First Series, pp. 18, 19.] + + +CREDULITY ONCE MORE. + +The general experiences of Mr. Austin are very similar to those of Mr. +O’Rorke. At Bouvigny “a somewhat offensive non-commissioned officer ... +removed all knives that we had and was greatly excited at the presence +of the large jack-knife which had been issued to us before we left. +These knives carried a long spike, for punching leather and opening +tins, and the story has been circulated in Germany that these knives +were issued to the troops for the express purpose of gouging out the +eyes of the German wounded.” There is something pathetically hopeless +about these aspects of human credulity in war-time. When we see the +extraordinary nonsense that each side readily believes of the other, we +must accept it as something to the credit of human nature that any +reasonable treatment of prisoners occurs at all. + + +ORDINARY HUMANITY. + +“Our other personal effects,” the narrative goes on, “including our +money, were returned to us.” The doctor’s papers had not been returned +by the German officers who originally examined him, and this fact caused +many delays and annoyances, but one does not read of any actual +ill-treatment. The use of dogs is referred to (see p. 33). The last +incident on German territory is thus recorded: “When the Holland train +drew in the officer had not returned, but one of our party who spoke +German well informed the sergeant that the officers had told us we were +to go by this train, and he very obligingly placed us in it after we had +taken tickets to the nearest Dutch station, Ozendaal.” + + +REPORTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS. + +To me it seems that the Swiss have made some of the finest efforts of +the spirit during this war. It is no mean achievement. Some are bound by +many ties of friendship to the German people, some to the French. There +has, of course, been occasional failure and sheer partisanship, but an +utterance such as that of Carl Spitteler is marvellous in its +determination to do justice, and in its reverence for the suffering of +all the nations. The International Committee of the Red Cross at Geneva +has been a centre of kindliness in the midst of carnage. In France and +in Germany a committee was, by mutual agreement, established consisting +of representatives of the national Red Cross, of the American and +Spanish Embassies, and one delegate of the International Committee. +These committees arranged that delegates of the International Committee +should visit prisoners’ camps in both countries. No such committee +existed in Great Britain, but with the consent of the British +authorities some camps in this country were visited in January, 1915. +(See footnote, page 9.) + + +GERMAN CAMPS: FOOD. + +In January, 1915, National Councillor A. Eugster was deputed to visit +French prisoners in Germany. In general, the Swiss reports[4] give an +almost exactly similar impression to those made by the United States. As +regards the food, M. Eugster remarks that the sum of 60 pf. (just over +7d.) is allowed daily for the German private, and exactly the same sum +for the prisoners. In his second report, made in March, he points out +that the food question has become more serious and (as far as his +experience goes) complaints are more numerous. He summarises very +reasonably the difficulties of the case, especially as regards the bread +problem. Prisoners were originally allowed 500 grammes daily, but when +the bread rations of the German civilians were reduced from 250 to 200 +grammes, some reduction in the prisoners’ allowance was only to be +expected, and their ration was fixed at 300 grammes. They would +otherwise have been allowed two and a half times as much as the Germans +themselves. Potato meal was allowed to make up the quantity, but the +result was not good. Writing in March, M. Eugster says: “There are +to-day from 750 to 800,000 prisoners in Germany. Allowing 300 grammes +per man, this makes a daily consumption of 240,000 kilos. of bread +(about 235 tons). This is not a bagatelle at a moment when the +importation of cereals is impossible.”[5] By Art. 7 of the Hague rules +an arrangement between belligerents as to prisoners should be possible, +and Eugster suggests that meal might be sent under neutral care to the +camps, and bread baked there under neutral surveillance. + + +GENERAL RESULT. + +M. Eugster’s reports on the individual camps convey almost exactly the +same impression as the American reports. At Sennelager the English +doctor spoke highly of the treatment of the wounded, and the French +doctors readily acknowledges that German wounded and French wounded were +treated alike. At Zossen a sculptor was at work in his studio, a painter +painted landscapes, a gardener ornamented the grounds, and a musician +had his compositions rendered by a choir of 150 to 200 practised +singers. It is the best educated prisoners, remarks the deputy, who are +the most content. Summarising the impressions of his first tour, Herr +Eugster says: “I am glad ... to be able to assert that the French +prisoners are humanely treated. In such distracted times errors and +mistakes can easily occur, but on the whole one can say that Germany +does her duty by her French prisoners.” + +It is not surprising to learn that M. Eugster received anonymous letters +reviling him for not producing evidence to support the prejudices of the +writers. Some readers of this account may indeed be made suspicious by +his German name. M. Eugster was fully alive to these suspicions, and he +suggested that a German and French Swiss might with advantage visit +camps jointly. The suggestion was carried out, and in the third series +of visits Dr. de Marval accompanied him. The general evidence is as +before. + + +VERMIN. + +The Swiss reports are in some respects more outspoken than the American +ones. The heading “vermin” occurs in almost all. It requires a special +campaign to deal with the lice, but the campaign seems to be carried on +with vigour. + + +TACT. + +There is another point. “We must not forget,” writes Eugster, “that to +be a prisoner is in itself a very trying fate.” It needs a little +contact with prisoners to realise _how_ hard their fate is, and how +easily the wrong way with them may produce soured and embittered men. +Writing of Halle in May, Eugster and de Marval remark: “The relationship +between the Commandant and the prisoners is correct, but without +cordiality; the subordinates were often wanting in tact.” I confess it +is simple words like these that depress me more than rumours of +starvation or bad housing. Anyone knows that authority does not readily +become the friend of the fallen. The military manner, even when acquired +by Englishmen, is not always pleasant, and the sergeant who bullies his +own men is not likely to be more considerate to prisoners. Let us face +plain facts in these matters, and remember that all imprisonment is +rather terrible, and that all absolute authority (especially among +underlings) is apt to become tyrannous. In the prison camps of every +nation it is examples of a foolish military officialdom that make for +embitterment and degradation; and in these camps, too, it is the tact +which comes of true insight, that is doing much for that brotherhood of +hearts which is the only way to peace. “These people,” says Eugster in +another place, “ought to be treated with tact. They should not be +treated as enemy prisoners, but as men and chivalrous adversaries. A +little consideration, not costing much, will make a good impression. A +friendly word, as from man to man, breaks the ice of discontent, and the +chivalrous spirit of the superior is recognised with gratitude.” + +To reach this standard we must try to think the best of our +adversaries. Charity is something less meagre than justice, and it holds +the future of the world in its grasp. In the past we denounced French, +Russians, Irish and Boers in turn. It was not denunciation that did much +for the future, but the larger-hearted charity which took its place. + + +PRISONERS IN FRANCE. + +M. de Marval reports well of the feeding of prisoners in France. There +is the usual difficulty about vermin. The officer prisoners seem, in +many ways, to have the worst time. “Their lodging is in general too +crowded, badly ventilated, and badly lighted ... and lacking in +elementary comforts. They can ... buy ... chairs, tables, blankets, +etc.”[6] There was in France, as elsewhere, considerable complaint in +the earlier days as to the delivery of parcels. The parcels arrived +broken and partly or wholly emptied of their contents. So it was, we may +remember, with parcels intended for English prisoners in Germany. The +probability is that in both cases imperfect packing was responsible for +the damage. (Cf. pp. 6, 8.) In the report just cited, De Marval states +that, in general, there has been great improvement in the lodging of the +prisoners, and that some bad camps (Vitré, Lorient, Belle-Ile) have been +broken up (January, 1915). Here again the reports coincide with those +made upon German camps. In all countries the prisoners of war presented +at first a problem not readily solved, and great hardships resulted. +“Some of the hospitals,” writes M. de Marval, “lack comforts, are not +sufficiently roomy, or do not possess the necessary medicaments.” He +goes on: “I shall not delay over the retrospective complaints often +formulated by prisoners.... Officers who had been injured by the +populace or bound during transport and soldiers who had told me of bad +treatment were alike pleased to declare that all such things were +past.” Here again the report is exactly paralleled by the American +report on the German Camps. (Cf. p. 16). “Religious services are in +general arranged for the Catholics; it is very difficult to secure +ministrations for the Protestants.” “If the officers are often meanly +lodged, the same is true of the soldiers. The bedding sometimes leaves +much to be desired, the straw in many of the camps is scanty, damp, and +pretty often full of lice. The litter is actually being replaced +everywhere by straw palliasses. As a support for these an open wooden +framework is placed on the beaten ground which is often wet. Those who +sleep under tents are subject to bronchitis and rheumatism, those who +are in forts or old convents sometimes lack the proper allowance of +air.... Though the quality of the water leaves something to be desired, +it is supplied filtered and boiled, and in amount generally +sufficient.... In some camps there is not enough water for washing +either the person or clothing.... In general each man has a blanket, but +it is very small and often much worn; some are still needed in some of +the camps.... If I have not referred to certain regrettable incidents of +which I have been told, it is because they appear isolated, and one must +guard against generalising from them. Besides, these incidents are +bygones and few in number.” At Fougères (Brittany) “the beds are +touching each other.” Cassabianda was a bad camp. So much has been made +of earlier defects in German camps that it is well to remember (as +indeed the above report shows) that defects may easily occur in other +countries besides Germany. Of Cassabianda (February 12)[7] we read: +“Huts extremely dilapidated. Sanitary accommodation worse than scanty. +(_Les W.—C. sont plus que sommaires_). Nourishment scarcely sufficient +for those who are working.... The cooking arrangements are worse than +scanty.... Sleeping accommodation extraordinary: beds made from boughs +by prisoners and superposed in two or three tiers. The ceilings and +windows are falling in ruins.... Wishes of the prisoners—to have more +to eat.... A very poor camp (_dépôt très médiocre_), but well governed +by a good and conscientious commandant who is badly seconded by his +officers. It is a difficult task to render habitable premises that are +falling into ruins.” I am quite sure that none of us would impute ill +intent to the French authorities. We should say simply that the prisoner +problem was at first beyond their power, that in exceptional cases there +were bad officers and in others lack of organisation. If we are capable +of fair play, we shall, in many cases, say exactly the same thing about +the German authorities. In Germany the one outstanding question is food, +otherwise, as M.M. de Marval and Eugster state in a joint report issued +in May: “We fully recognise the excellent arrangement and perfect +organisation, thought out to the smallest detail, and the admirable +administration of the Camps.” + + +LATER U.S. REPORTS. + +It is allowed by all investigators that camps almost everywhere have +been improved as the war went on. Mr. Gerard himself writes, under date +June 10, 1915: “It is generally admitted that conditions in the camps +are constantly improving, and no good can be attained by the +investigations of complaints based upon reports of conditions as they +are supposed to have been several months ago.” In citing the _earlier_ +U.S. and Swiss reports I have therefore by no means exaggerated the +facts favourable to German treatment. There have been many later +reports, but it will be impossible and unnecessary to give more than a +few references: + +The reports in Miscel. No. 15 (1915) give a quite favourable account of +the German efforts on behalf of the prisoners. Canadian officers at +Bischofswerda, however, complained of their treatment on the way from +the front. They said that “they were at first compelled to share their +compartments with French Algerian (black) soldiers, but that other +arrangements were made by a German officer in the course of their +journey.” Some may consider this an interesting comment on the +employment of Algerian and other native troops. + + +HUNGER DURING TRANSPORT. + +The Canadian officers also said “that while on the road they had +received but little food, their treatment not differing, however, from +that of other prisoners.” On reading this I could not help recalling a +_Daily News_ interview headed “The Blue Ladies: Good work at the Free +Buffet at Euston.” (June 24, 1916.) “We have just had the escort of some +German prisoners in,” said one of the ladies. “We do not give anything +to the prisoners. We have enough to do to look after our own men.” I +recalled, too, the British nurse who said in my presence, with a snap of +her fingers, “We have not _that_ much sympathy with the German wounded.” +I want to believe that in the great majority of cases the attitude on +both sides is very different; but what a sundering influence war-like +patriotism is! We must surely reach brotherhood by some other way. + + +FRIEDRICHSFELD. + +Mr. Michelson reports highly of the camp at Friedrichsfeld. All kinds of +work was going on. “No German foreman were to be seen, and only on +looking for them did I notice that there were, here and there, guards +watching the prisoners. In two instances I saw unguarded prisoners at +work.” Some wounded at Magdeburg “all, without exception, said they had +been treated with great consideration while being transported from the +front.” (June 3, 1915). The hospital treatment is spoken well of both +here and at the base hospital at Isighem, W. Flanders, visited by Dr. +Ohnesorg. + + +ORGANISATION AND RECIPROCITY. + +I pass on to Miscel. No. 19 (1915). Writing in June, Mr. Gerard gives an +interesting account of the courses of instruction and lectures arranged +for German N.C.O.’s and men in order to increase their efficiency in +managing the camp kitchens. There is a characteristic touch of German +thoroughness in the scheme. Mr. Gerard concludes: “I should be glad to +have you bring the foregoing to the attention of the British Government. +The German military authorities have now satisfied themselves that +German prisoners in England are being treated as well as the conditions +admit (except with regard to the confinement on board ships, which is +still a sore point), and they are showing every disposition to treat +British prisoners (both officers and men) in the most favourable manner +possible, and to pay attention to their wishes in so far as can be done +consistently with the principle that all the prisoners (of whom there +are considerably more than one million) must be treated in practically +the same manner.” + + +LAZARETS. + +Writing from Hamburg, the American Consul-General, Mr. Morgan, says: “It +is not necessary for me to enter into the details of the different +lazarets which I visited, beyond stating that they are all in the most +up-to-date condition, and everything is being done for the wounded that +could be done anywhere.” At the Paderborn lazarets, “Some of the men +said to me that it would be necessary to drive them away (that they +would make no attempt to escape) because they were so well cared for and +so comfortable.” (p. 40, l.c.) At the Wesel lazarets, “Many of (the +British) were very uncomfortable from their wounds, but all replied that +their present treatment, as well as that which they had received at the +front, and on the way from the front, was, and had been, entirely +satisfactory.... All those consulted in regard to the matter said that +they had come from the front in a German lazaret train, together with +German wounded, and that, as nearly as they could tell, they had +received exactly similar treatment and care as accorded to the German +wounded. Their only request was for books and tobacco.” (October 26, +1915.) + + +A DIFFICULTY. + +At Neubrandenburg, “until a few days ago the officers were permitted to +use a tennis court outside the enclosure, to swim in the lake, and to +walk in the neighbouring woods. As four officers (one Englishman) made +an attempt to escape (from the bath house) these privileges were +temporarily suspended, but I was told by the Commandant, whose relations +with the prisoners are of the best, that they would be restored at an +early date.” + +The excellence of the bathing facilities at the officers’ camp, +Friedberg, is commented on, as it frequently is in other cases. At +Giessen, Dr. Ohnesorg spoke with many prisoners who had had experience +of working camps. “They said (the work) was not hard, and before being +allotted to these various working camps, they underwent a thorough +medical examination, and those who were found in an unfit physical +condition were not detailed for this work. They are fed and housed by +their employer, and in one instance I met a complaint of insufficient +food.” + + +SOME OFFICER CAMPS. + +At Bad Blenhorst a number of prisoner officers are taking the “cure” +under a German military surgeon. At Clausthal “the situation of the +camp is ideal, being placed in the midst of the Hartz mountains, with a +wide expanse of view, and my visit gave me a very favourable impression +in general.” At Cüstrin “The German officers treat the prisoners like +unfortunate comrades.” At Bischofswerda the complaints were that +“shorts” were forbidden for football, and that baths were not allowed +more than once daily. The Commandant promised to remedy both grievances. +The report on Halle is unfavourable. There was overcrowding, and “the +enclosure for exercise leaves much to be desired.” The food was not +complained of, except as regards monotony.[8] + + +KŒNIGSBRUECK, ZWICKAU, GÖRLITZ. + +Königsbrück, a camp for 15,000 prisoners (but with only three British), +“is complete in all respects, and adheres to a high standard in regard +to the kitchens, theatre, washing-places, canteens, supply-room for +clothing, etc.” Zwickau (with two British) “is excellent ... outside +each barrack is a specially built stand where the mattresses are aired +every day ... and within the confines of the camp are several acres of +vegetable gardens ... in which the French take particular interest.” The +arrangements at Görlitz (with thirteen British) “in all details struck +me as being exceedingly good.” In general hospital treatment at the +camps is entirely satisfactory. + + +SCHLOSS CELLE, WITTENBERG, STENDAL, FOOD. + +In Miscel. No. 16 (1916) we may note the following: At the officers’ +camp, Schloss Celle, “the Commandant in civil life is a judge, and +seemed on excellent terms with the prisoners.” Mr. Gerard reports on a +visit of his own to Wittenberg on November 8, 1915. The soup for the +mid-day meal appeared to him “to be very good,” and the testimony of the +men was to the effect “that the food had improved considerably during +the last two months.” About 300 out of the 4,000 prisoners in this camp +were British.[9] At Stendal Mr. Osborne found the thick soup +“exceedingly palatable, though thoroughly un-English.” The British +prisoners “admitted that they could live on the camp rations, if +necessary, and still retain good health, as is the case with the +Russians, and that their objection to the food was on account of its +sameness, and because it was not cooked in an English way.” In March, +1916, Mr. Osborne reports that a large swimming pool is in process of +completion at one end of the camp. + + +REPORTS AND INFORMATION. + +At Fort Friedrichshafen, Ingolstadt, “those who had no overcoats said +that they could get them from the German authorities if necessary, but +that they preferred to wait for the present to see if they could not be +sent from home. All would like new boots, as they are not pleased with +the wooden-soled boots provided locally.” Sir Edward Grey, writing just +before the receipt of this report, referred to information “that the few +British prisoners of war at this camp are very badly fed, and that +parcels arrive with great irregularity, their contents being frequently +abstracted.” In a reply dated a week later, Mr. Gerard (U.S. Ambassador +at Berlin) writes that “in reply to a direct inquiry, which was made out +of the hearing of any German officer or man,” the British prisoners at +Ingolstadt “stated that there was nothing to which they would care to +have special attention paid. The men were in good spirits, and there was +no evidence to show that any of them were badly fed. All were in touch +with their friends at home, and no complaint was made with regard to +irregularity in the receipt of parcels.” + + +FAVOURABLE AND HUMOROUS. + +Of the officers’ camp at Blankenberg i/Mark, Messrs. Jackson and Russell +report, “The atmosphere of the camp is excellent.” There is a touch of +humour in the report on Merseburg (l.c. p. 29). “One man complained to +me that he had been punished for ‘having a hole in his trousers’ (as he +said), but on investigation I found that he had cut a new pair of +trousers, which had been given him by the German authorities, in order +to make a pair of boxing shorts. One man had a black eye, another a +sprained thumb, and a third a broken nose, as the result of boxing +matches.”[10] The four English prisoners at Königsmoor said “that there +was no discrimination against them of any kind, and their relations with +the German guard were evidently pleasant. They all said that they had +plenty of warm clothing, including overcoats, and one even had an +overcoat which had been given him by the German authorities in addition +to one which he had received from home. They said the food was ‘not +bad’ ...” At the working camp at Hakenmoor, “the midday ‘soup’ was +excellent.... All looked in good health and seemed to be contented, and +their relations with the German guards appeared to be friendly.... +Several complained that the clothing furnished soon became too tight for +comfort, and nearly every man in the camp had put on from ten to thirty +(even more) pounds of flesh. None spoke of any bad treatment ... +although one Englishman said that there were occasional differences with +the (Belgian) barrack captains. The Commandant is interested in his +work; he knows most of the men by name, and seems to try to do all in +his power to add to their comfort.” + + +FOOD. + +In these reports the food is almost invariably referred to as good, and +to save further quotations we may cite the evidence at Güstrow +i/Mecklenburg as giving a fair general view of the case (January, 1916): +“The men told me that while they depend on their home parcels for +variety, a man who received nothing (as is the case with the Russian +prisoners) could live on the food supplied, although in that case he +would always be glad when meal time came.” + + +“ATMOSPHERE.” + +At Dyrötz, “the general atmosphere of the camp certainly seemed +excellent, both on the part of the men and on the part of the +authorities.” (January, 1916.) At Blankenburg “the Commandant has now +adopted the practice of taking different officer prisoners of war with +him for occasional walks in the neighbouring country.” “In a lazaret at +Spandau,” writes Mr. Jackson, “I sat alone with Captain Coulston in the +good-sized, comfortably furnished room which he occupies by himself.... +Recently he had had a conversation with Her Royal Highness the Princess +Friedrich Leopold of Prussia, who visited the lazaret, but ordinarily he +had little opportunity to talk, as he speaks only a few words of German, +French, or Russian. On my speaking of this, I was told that an effort +would be made to have English-speaking German officers call on him from +time to time.” + + +GERMAN PROFESSORS. + +Attention is again drawn to the excellent work of Prof. Stange at +Göttingen. “He has an office in the camp at which he is present for two +hours every day, during which time he can be consulted by any prisoner, +and has formed classes of study, which are well attended.” At Giessen, +too, “Prof. Gmelin of the local university has taken a great interest in +the prisoners and visits them regularly with a view to providing for +their instruction.” + + +A CONTRADICTION. + +The following is important and I quote it in full. _Mr. Osborne to Mr. +Gerard._ (_February 23, 1916_) (l.c. p. 62.): + + In accordance with your instructions and with reference to the + article in the London _Times_ of February 7, stating the report + of an exchanged British prisoner of war that two British + prisoners at the detention camp at Güstrow, in Mecklenburg, had + been bayonetted for smoking in a forbidden vicinity, and that + one had died and the other was still in hospital, I have the + honour to inform you that I visited the camp at Güstrow on + February 12, 1916. I did not notify the camp authorities of my + arrival. I was shown every courtesy and received every facility + for speaking to the British prisoners out of earshot of the + Germans. I talked with a large number of British + non-commissioned officers and with some of the men, and all were + unanimous on two points; first, that if such an occurrence as + the one mentioned had taken place, they would certainly have + heard of it; and, second, that they had heard of no such + occurrence. I visited the lazaret, through which I was taken by + a British N.C.O., who is an assistant in caring for the sick, + and spoke to every British patient under treatment there, not + one of whom could possibly have been suffering from a bayonet + wound. It seems to me quite out of the question that the + occurrence mentioned in the English newspaper accounts could + have actually taken place at Güstrow. + + In point of fact, instead of complaints at Güstrow, I heard + rather praise of the camp from the British interned there, and + praise of the British prisoners from the camp authorities. The + men were all well fitted out with clothes of all sorts, and + seemed particularly cheerful. The authorities stated that it + had never been necessary, in recent times at least, to place a + British prisoner under arrest. On the whole, the camp struck me + as being as nearly ideal as it is possible for a place of + detention of this kind to be. + +The discrepancy between the last sentence in Mr. Osborne’s report and +the _Times_ article is a striking one. It should give one pause in +placing too much reliance upon untested accusations, or upon newspaper +articles based upon them. We forget sometimes that all the bias is +_against_ an enemy, and the only stories likely to be free from +exaggeration are those told in his favour. + + +A MILITARY PRISON. + +In the military prison at Cologne (Miscel. 16 [1916] p. 67), “the +prisoners receive the same food and the same general treatment as the +German military prisoners, with whom they are permitted to talk.... The +prisoners are not permitted to receive food from outside sources.... +Generally speaking the conditions do not differ materially from those in +an ordinary working camp.... Corporal B. was found guilty of lack of +respect to his British superior, Corporal J. was punished for striking +the French non-commissioned officer in charge of his barrack, and +Corporals O. and S. had trouble with the German Landsturmmann in charge +of a cooking party....” Most of the sentences were for striking work at +various work centres, the men sentenced stating that the conditions were +bad. There was a special complaint against the railway work at +Langen-Halbach b/Haiger, but not all the British joined in the strike. +“I saw the men’s midday meal, consisting of a thick porridge which +appeared to be nutritious. One man claimed that it was thicker to-day +than usual, but several of his comrades contradicted this flatly. No +complaints were made to me of any rough treatment in the Gefängnis +[prison].” + + +BAVARIAN COURTESY. + +The Venerable Archdeacon Wm. E. Nies, who had been given permission to +visit British prisoners of war in Bavaria, writes: “I think it is only +fair to comment favourably upon the friendly way in which my mission to +the men is received and furthered by the commanders without exception +thus far.” + + +HOSPITAL TREATMENT. + +Of Germersheim hospitals we read: “The food served in these hospitals is +exceptionally satisfactory. Dr. Algeron, the chief surgeon in charge, a +broad-minded man and indefatigable worker, attends personally to the +catering.... Under this regime there have been some noteworthy increases +in weight....” + +At Bayreuth a private of the Black Watch had been “removed—for the +purpose of electrical treatment of his arm by which it is hoped to avoid +an operation—to the military lazaret in the city, which is an admirably +equipped modern hospital.” + + +WUENSDORF, CREFELD. + +We pass now to reports in Miscel. No. 26 (1916). Indian prisoners of war +at Wünsdorf (Zossen) find their treatment “very good.” At Crefeld +officers’ camp, “the walks on parole ... have been entirely +successful.... The only complaint as to these was that the German +accompanying the party was a non-commissioned instead of a regular +officer. This will, however, be rectified at once.... There is no +trouble of any kind with the inhabitants on these.... The relations with +the camp authorities are excellent.” As regards the behaviour of the +inhabitants, I would refer also to Chaplain O’Rorke’s statement (see p. +36), though, as one would expect, the inhabitants have in some other +cases behaved badly (_e.g._, p. 32). + + +MUENSTER II., MUENSTER III. + +At Münster II, “The Commandment, General von Ey-Steinecke, as well as +the other officers, and the general treatment, are well spoken of by the +men.” Some improvements suggested on March 16 were already started on +the 18th. At Münster III. the benches in the English Chapel “were +provided at the expense of the camp, although the British prisoners +offered to pay for them.... The camp authorities have endeavoured to +arrange courses of instruction with some success, and several British +are taking lessons in French.... Sergeant Middleditch, the ranking +non-commissioned officer, who has taken an active part in the work of +improvement, stated that the relations with the camp authorities were +excellent, and that the officers showed much consideration in acceding +to reasonable requests. The commandant, General Raitz von Frentz, is +well spoken of by all, and shows a liberal and progressive spirit in +dealing with such difficulties as arise.” + + +PARCHIM, BRANDENBURG. + +From Miscel. No. 7 (1917) a few extracts may be made. Of Parchim Dr. +A. E. Taylor and Mr. J. P. Webster write: “We believe that special +commendation should be given to the Commandant, Oberst Kothe, for the +spirit in which he governs the camp, and for the way in which he does +everything in his power for the welfare of the prisoners, and for the +promotion of a cordial relationship between the men and those in +charge.” Of Brandenburg, Mr. Jackson writes candidly: “The part of the +building occupied by the British prisoners was not so clean as the +remainder, but for this the men themselves are responsible.” It is +obvious that the spirit as to this and other matters will vary in every +country among different sets of men (c.f., _e.g._, below the very +different Güstrow report). + + +COTTBUS. + +Men in hospital at Cottbus “said that the food was good and their +treatment excellent.” Men in the main camp complained that bread sent to +them from Switzerland and England arrived in a mouldy condition, but “as +the mouldiness seemed to start in the middle of the loaf, they thought +this was due to the quality of the bread itself or the manner in which +it was packed.” + + +ABSENCE ON LEAVE. + +At Celle, where “inactive officers” and some others are detained, Mr. +Jackson found one British subject absent on leave, while “several others +have been permitted to make visits to their families in Germany. A +request from another, who had obtained no benefit from his stay at Bad +Blenhorst, for permission to go somewhere for a ‘cure’ is under +consideration.” + + +LIMBAU, GUESTROW. + +At the working camp at Limbau (occupied Russian territory) “the men +described the commandant as a ‘gentleman,’ and said they had no +difficulty in communicating with him in regard to their wishes. None had +any complaint to make of their treatment, and only a very few spoke of +the work as hard.” The camp contained 500 British prisoners. + +At Güstrow, “the treatment of the men and the conditions found in their +camp appeared to be very favourable. The commandant stated that the +British were the most satisfactory prisoners under his care....” Two +million, five hundred thousand letters passed through the camp post +office in the previous year, and about sixty thousand packages were +distributed. + + +HOSPITAL TREATMENT. + +Hospital treatment is again and again described favourably in the +individual reports (_e.g._, pp. 4, 6, 14, 22, 50, 57), but the opinion +may here be cited of a Swiss doctor who has been occupied in German +hospitals during most of the war: + + The writer of these lines never saw anything anywhere that could + be considered as intentional change for the worse in the lot of + prisoners and sick; on the contrary, he was able to ascertain + that the prisoners and the sick are treated in a manner that + could not be more humane. If later on the food was insufficient, + the English must be aware of the reasons which brought about + far-reaching starvation among great circles of the population of + Germany.... From deepest conviction the writer of these lines + affirms that the German people and the German doctors are + [generally] without guilt in the face of the accusations made + against them. Individual exceptions, if proved, could not alter + this judgment. + + +THE REPATRIATIONS. + +There are bad stories of men arriving half-starving at the British and +French lines at the time of the general repatriations. It would require +care and impartiality to sift these. The more experience one gains, the +less one trusts the average newspaper report in war-time. It seems very +probable that, as Erzberger contended, many prisoners made off of their +own accord after the German Revolution, and the straits to which these +men were reduced could scarcely be ascribed to the German authorities. +That there were brutal cases of men being _driven_ away is also quite +probable. As regards the general question of prisoners, Erzberger said: +“If England can now actually prove that English prisoners of war have +been illegally treated, I give my word no guilty person shall go +unpunished. But allow me the counter question, Is it known in enemy +countries how _German_ prisoners of war were frequently treated? I do +not believe that is sufficiently well known. Only listen to our soldiers +who come from France....” (Berlin, Nov., 24, 1918, _Wolff_.) It should +be obvious that both sides must be heard before justice can decide, but +the obvious is the unrecognised in war time. And probably even by the +best and most impartial judgment only very rough generalisations can be +arrived at. One need seems to me paramount, that each side shall become +once more aware of the _good_ in the other. Here, then, are one or two +favourable facts from repatriated men: “We understand that the Germans +could not let us march to the frontier, as we were prepared to do, lest +we should start to plunder the inhabitants. For the same reason we were +accompanied on the train by a German N.C.O. with a rifle. At night we +slept in school buildings at Zevenaar (?) where we were given food and +coal, and were well treated. We gave some of our food there to Sisters +for the poor.... We had not to pay any fare at Wesel. The Germans on the +train wished to be very friendly. We understand that the German +authorities helped to make the arrangements about our taking the train +at Wesel. No special compartments were put on for us. We travelled with +the ordinary passengers.” (_Daily News_, November 25, 1918.) + +Again: + + The first contingent of British prisoners from Germany to arrive + in London under the terms of the armistice reached Cannon Street + Station from Dover yesterday. The party, numbering nearly 300, + were provided with hot refreshments on arrival. The men looked + remarkably fit, and one of the party explained that they had + mostly been working on the railways behind the lines, and their + treatment had been fairly good. + + Another contingent of returned prisoners, numbering about 800, + arrived at Dover yesterday afternoon. + + (_Daily News_, Nov. 21, 1918.) + +The _Daily News_ has honourably distinguished itself by publishing +favourable articles by repatriated prisoners. An officer writes: + + Three days ago I arrived in England after having spent eight + months in a German prison camp. We were among the first + repatriated prisoners of war to come through Switzerland, and + were secretly amused at the attitude of friends and relatives on + our arrival home. They seemed to be quite surprised because most + of us were looking healthy and fit, and were not walking + skeletons or physical wrecks. + + But after reading the home newspapers, we understood their point + of view. I do not for one moment suggest that these tales of + inhuman treatment are untrue or exaggerated, because I know many + cases which confirm them;[11] but I do say that this horrible + treatment has not been general, nor does it apply to all + prisoners of war. For this reason I am writing of what I know of + the prisoners in Baden, in Southern Germany, and I hope that + this article may allay the anxiety of those who are daily + expecting some dear one home, and who fear that he will be + terribly changed through suffering. + +Men behind the lines had suffered far more, this officer considered. +This is somewhat at variance with the extract last cited. The writer +continues: + + But the lot of the prisoners in the permanent camps in Baden was + much brighter. My authority for saying so is an old Roman + Catholic priest, Father Nugent, a native of Lancashire, I + believe, who was in Southern Germany when the war broke out. He + had free access to all prison camps and hospitals in Baden, and + had no stories of harsh and brutal treatment to tell. Two + American doctors were allowed to visit the hospitals in Rastatt, + Lazaret 4, and the Russenlager Hospital. They said that the + patients were comfortable and well looked after, in spite of the + great shortage of medical supplies in Germany. + + Some of the soldiers had a good time working on the Baden farms. + One orderly at our camp, who was away for a fortnight in the + fruit season, picking plums, told me that he had met one of his + old regiment working on a farm. This man had just driven in to + the railway station for the Red Cross parcels, and told him that + they were working with an old German and his wife. They shared + rations with each other, and once a week the whole household + visited the cinema. + +Delay in repatriation occurred owing to disorganisation. + + But there is no ill feeling towards the prisoners in Baden. + After the armistice we wandered at will round Freiburg and in + the Black Forest; and everyone was treated with civility. There + were no cases of open hostility at all. + + (_Daily News_, Dec. 18, 1918.) + +Mr. G. G. Desmond volunteered at the age of 46. He was taken prisoner +and gave (_Daily News_, Dec. 10, 1918) some account of his general +outlook after his imprisonment. Unlike some of the stay-at-homes he can +still believe in the German people, as the following concluding +paragraphs of his article show: + + The soldiers and the country people round Dülmen, and afterwards + everybody we met in those parts, expressed no sense of rancour + at their defeat, and simply leapt over it all to the prime, + joyful fact that the _Krieg_ was _fertig_. Everybody greeted you + with that, and covered his face with smiles thereby. Some said + that the terms were very hard, but agreed with me when I told + them that they were made hard in order to defeat thoroughly the + old gang and ensure a lasting peace. I wish I felt as certain + now as then that the Allies had that clean intention. One farmer + chuckled when he told me that Germany must give up a hundred and + fifty U-boats, because, he said, she had no such number. + + One of the political parties, I am afraid I cannot remember + which, published a manifesto stating that Germany had been + deceived and betrayed by the military party, whereby among other + things she inflicted great wrongs on Belgium and the Allies, and + that she must pay in full for those wrongs. I do not doubt that + is a widespread feeling in Germany. If, however, the terms of + peace are to be vindictive, we shall in turn be in the wrong, + and the new Germany may have better cause than the old to hate + us. + + When we were fighting the Kaiser, we took pains to tell the + German people that we were fighting their battle against their + enemies. We were, in fact, liberating the traditional distressed + damsel from the clutches of the ogre. It was a pity that so many + of our blows fell upon the damsel and not on the ogre. It would + be not only a pity but a crime and a grievous blunder if, now + that the damsel is free, we proceeded to thrash her for the + faults of the ogre. + + The Germans, apart from their late Government, are not + Orientals intent upon deceiving us at every turn. They say they + have turned over a new leaf, and I am thoroughly persuaded that + they speak the truth. In business of all kinds, under + circumstances that made it very easy for them to have cheated + me, I found them, during my stay at Dülmen, the straightest + people I ever had anything to do with. They think the same of + us. Feldwebels and others who have had to do with us both + assured me that they much preferred the British to any other + class of prisoner, because we are blunt and true, say what we + mean, and stick to what we say. Certainly the Germans are the + most English of the great peoples on the Continent. + + +CONCLUSION. + +Our survey of the reliable evidence at present available seems to me to +prove that there has usually been a serious effort in Germany to treat +military prisoners well. This does not imply that their lot is otherwise +than hard, and the prolongation of the imprisonment adds terribly to the +hardship. It is impossible to banish from one’s mind such horrors as +those of Wittenberg, but it is quite plain that these were very far from +typical. When militarism goes wrong, it goes very wrong. If we consider +the special German difficulties with regard to prisoners, and the +special dangers of the militarist state, we may, I think, conclude a +very fair standard of humanity amongst the German people from the fact +that in so large a proportion of cases treatment has been reasonable and +in many even excellent. + +I have no wish to arouse any resentment, and in case this conclusion +should do so, I quote here a further neutral opinion, that of a +well-known Norwegian, M. T. E. Steen, who had been allowed to visit +prisoners’ camps in Britain, France, and Germany. M. Steen gave a +lecture at the Queen’s (Small) Hall on July 15, 1915, under the auspices +of the British Red Cross Society. Sir Louis Mallet presided. According +to the _Daily Telegraph_ report, “M. Steen spoke favourably to the +conditions prevailing at the various internment camps he visited in +Germany, and expressed the hope that his remarks would remove misgivings +and allay anxiety. The general impression which the camps made on him, +he said, was ‘very satisfactory.’” + +We must remember, too, that in Germany also all kinds of rumours and +statements have circulated with regard to the treatment of prisoners and +wounded by us and our Allies (cf. pp. 2, 32, 38, and 80). Such rumours +and exaggerations are apparently a part of war. On the other side they +have not made for a benevolent attitude, and the really large amount of +interest openly shown in prisoners of war by such men as Prince +Lichnowsky, Prof. Stange, Prof. Gmelin, the Göttingen Pastors, and +others, is a remarkable fact. We realise this the more, when we consider +that it is not easy on this side for men in prominent positions openly +to show interest in German prisoners of war. + + +CAMPS IN U.K. + +It would be interesting to compare the U.S. reports on British camps +with their reports on German ones. Unfortunately any useful comparison +is impossible. A collection of reports on “various internment camps in +the United Kingdom” is published in White Paper No. 30 (1916), but the +earliest inspection here recorded took place on February 21, 1916. As +the chief difficulties everywhere occurred earlier, the earlier reports +are plainly necessary for a fair comparison. “Are we as compassionate to +our prisoners as our ancestors were to theirs?” wrote the _Daily +Chronicle_ on October 29, 1914, and added “From accounts that have +reached us of the conditions that prevail at some of our concentration +camps, we fear not.” Moreover, in these later reports it is difficult to +know the exact meaning of such remarks as the following, unless we have +the earlier reports: “They seemed much happier and more contented than +at the time of my former visit....” (Officers’ Camp, Holyport). “There +has been no change in the sleeping accommodations since the last report, +but as the number of the prisoners is much less than it was at that +time, there is much more room....” (Dorchester.) + +“The general tone of the hospital seemed to be much happier than at the +time of my last visit.” (Dartford, Lower Southern Hospital for wounded +prisoners of war.) + +“There has been no change in the sleeping accommodation since the last +visit, except that, owing to the smaller number of men, there is now +more room than before.... The men seemed much happier and more contented +than at the time of our last visit.” (Officers’ camp, Donington Hall.) + +The last quotation recalls the once famous charges as to the excessive +luxury of Donington Hall. In every country the same kind of protest +arises as to the luxurious treatment of prisoners, and this is declared +a scandal in view of the inhuman policy of the enemy. In every country +is to be found the type of patriot who feels that all is lost if it can +be proved that he has treated an enemy too well. The hubbub about +Donington Hall led to the appointment of a Commons delegation to visit +various camps, and to a report in the _Times_ (April 26, 1915). In this +report the Hall is described as “a large, bare house situated in a +hollow.... The style of furnishing was that of a sergeant’s mess.” There +was one piano, provided at the prisoners’ expense. The billiard tables +and other accessories imagined by perfervid patriots vanish into thin +air. + +Dyffryn Aled Officers’ camp in North Wales is described in the same +account as “an inaccessible, gloomy, mildewed-looking house, with all +the windows on the front side covered with iron bars. It was previously +used as a private lunatic asylum. The kitchen seemed about the best room +in the house.... There are no fixed baths, but the officers’ valets +carry hot water from the kitchen for hip baths.” As regards the site of +Dyffryn Aled it is only fair to quote the U.S. report: “The situation of +the house, in a romantic valley among the Welsh mountains, is fine and +healthy.” But even in April, 1916, the bathing arrangements remained +primitive: “Each officer has his tin tub.” One would certainly not wish +to make any hardship of this, yet it is perhaps as well to recall the +U.S. reports on Friedberg and Crefeld in May and April, 1915, +respectively. “The room containing the shower-nozzles would ... do +credit to a club or hotel of the first class.” (See p. 23.) At Crefeld: +“The bathroom which I saw has a floor space of about 1,500 square feet, +one-half of which, drained in the centre, lies under some 20 shower +nozzles. There are a couple of porcelain tubs in the other half, and in +the centre there is a large stove. Hot and cold water is available. The +British officers were enthusiastic in their praise of this room.” (P. +13.) + + +A FRIENDLY THOUGHT. + +The “Stobsiad,” the magazine of the prisoners’ camp at Stobs, Scotland, +contains in its seventeenth number (Jan., 1918) a friendly thought for +the interned “enemy” in Germany. The Y.M.C.A. and the Friends tell them +of the ever-increasing need of the interned Englishmen for English +books. “Would it not be possible,” the paragraph proceeds, “for our +German readers to place English books that they could part with at the +disposal of the English prisoners of war, just as here German books have +been placed at our disposal. Dr. Elisabeth Rotten’s Committee (Berlin, +No. 24, Monbijou-Platz 3) will gladly give further information. It would +give us pleasure if many of our readers would fulfil this wish.” + + +UNRELIABLE COMPLAINTS. + +“There has been some trouble with correspondence,” we read (_Times_, +l.c.). The Commandant of one camp, while censoring a prisoner’s +correspondence, came across a statement that “he slept on a plank bed +with a verminous mattress ... the prisoner admitted that he had written +a false statement in order to induce his friends to send him more +luxuries.” I am reminded of a report from Zossen mentioned by the Swiss +Red Cross delegate. I quote from the abstract in the _Basler +Nachrichten_: “It appears that there is much correspondence with +sympathetic ink at Zossen. A great deal of iodine, starch and condensed +milk are sent to the prisoners by their friends. These materials serve +for the preparation of such inks.” We have heard of the use of +sympathetic ink in this country. Experience suggests that complaints +made by these methods are not to be relied on. The man who likes to tell +a tall story is not very infrequent, either amongst civilians or +soldiers, and if he can gain notoriety or advantage thereby, the +temptation is considerable. Let these be obtained at the expense of the +enemy, and the temptation is greater still. Some German girls were being +taken back to Germany. An officer asked a girl what kind of a time she +had in England. “Oh, dreadful,” she replied at first. It was the way to +gain kudos. But generosity came to her rescue, she repented and +corrected herself: “No, perfectly lovely,” she said, “everyone was good +to us.”[12] There are many on both sides who would not repent, but would +make capital out of their interlocutor’s ignorance. + + +RUMOURS. + +Rumours, of course, still continue. They will continue as long as +passions run high. There was a rumour of smallpox at Ruhleben. The +English Captain of the Camp wrote to say: “There have been no cases of +smallpox since the camp was started here.” There were repeated rumours +that parcels were not delivered. An appeal was made to the Director of +the Press Bureau by C.Q.M.S. J. R. Wheeler of the 2nd Wilts. Regt., +prisoner at Göttingen. He pointed out that these rumours (apparently +confirmed by postal officials) were totally unfounded. “Parcels arrive +safely, and are issued to men often within a couple of hours of being +received from the Post Office.” The same matter is dealt with by U.S. +representatives, but, as the Swiss delegate, Arthur Eugster, remarks, +even neutral reports are in these days distrusted. In fact, often it is +only what seems to confirm the worst suspicions that is believed. Mr. +Wheeler points out that “the packing of parcels leaves much to be +desired; in many cases a cake is put in a cardboard box and lightly +wrapped up in brown paper,” a statement that is important in view of the +common opinion that British parcels were specially maltreated. The idea +of differential treatment had indeed become an obsession. An example of +the extraordinary nonsense that is believed is the story that “on the +hospital ship, Oxfordshire, on March 19, sixty wounded British soldiers, +the majority of them from the Black Watch and 6th Gordon regiments, were +taken out of their cots to make room for sixty Germans ... and that, in +addition, the Germans were supplied with fresh eggs and bread, while the +British wounded soldiers had only biscuits.” All this was the subject of +a grave question in Parliament. The story was, of course, without +foundation, but, according to Mr. Tennant himself, “it had obtained +widespread credence.” Marvellous indeed is the credulity of war-time. + + +PRISONER WORKERS. + +How far hatred is due to want of knowledge the record of prisoner farm +workers on this side proves: + + As to the German prisoners, it took both the farmers and the + townspeople in the places where they are quartered, and from + which they are often motored to the farms, some little time to + overcome the widespread prejudice against their employment. But, + after a little acquaintance with them, this prejudice appears to + be dying down. + + “They are one of our mainstays on the farms in West Sussex,” Mr. + Herbert Padwick, chairman of the West Sussex War Agricultural + Committee, and vice-president of the Farmers’ Union, told me. + “Some of them,” he said, “are themselves farmers, and the sons + of farmers. Their work looks slow, but in the end, as a rule, we + find it very thorough. They used to say, perhaps chaffingly, + they wanted to produce the best crop we have ever had in + England, because they were sure the Germans would take it. No + doubt they really thought it at one time, but they are not, I + think, under this illusion any longer.” + + _Daily News_, Aug. 20, 1918. + +Most of us have heard favourable comments from farmers and others as to +the work of their German helpers. “I think they’ve done jolly well, and +they deserve some encouragement,” said one man to me. The idea that all +Germans are “Huns” vanishes on personal acquaintance. On the other side +prejudices similarly vanish, and I remember seeing an account of how a +German farmer took his prisoner helpers for a picnic. Evidently he was +allowed considerable freedom with them. There were German Press protests +against the picnic. + +From the _Daily News_ of September 28, 1918, I take the following: + + Here is a “gleaning” worth setting beside those which “Kuklos” + gave us yesterday. A West-country farmer of my acquaintance has + a brother who is a prisoner in the hands of the Germans at a + place not far from Stettin. Recently a number of German + prisoners were sent to work on his farm, and among them was a + German farmer from that very place. The German told him that he + had English prisoners on his own fields in the Fatherland, so + that quite possibly this curious exchange may be complete. + + It may be mentioned, incidentally, that the English prisoner + speaks well of his treatment in Germany. The German, for his + part, assured my friend that while his prisoner-hands were not + receiving excellent cider, like that which he himself was now + allowed, they had plenty of good beer during the harvest. + +I have often thought that a widespread distribution of prisoner workers +throughout each belligerent country might do more than anything else to +allay mutual misunderstanding. In all wars the tendency is to regard the +enemies as terrible beings, scarcely even of human shape. To a +considerable extent this is due to the fact that all the horror of war +is attributed by civilians to the enemy. The soldiers of course know +better. But when the civilian finds enemy prisoners good fellows to work +with, he cannot often resist the proof of our common humanity. A village +girl was telling me lately how the feelings of many had altered since +German prisoners had been in the neighbourhood, and especially marked +had been the effect upon those who had actually worked with them. “So +you’ve changed your mind about them,” she said to a friend who worked +with prisoners, and the friend had the courage to answer quite simply: +“Yes, I have.” If we all have the courage to change our minds, the peace +that comes will be real. + + +SOME OTHER PRISONERS. + +There is often so much similarity in the complaints made on both sides +that the sufferings would seem to be very similar. I happened once, in a +private hotel, to get into conversation with some German women who had +been taken prisoner in East Africa. They were scarcely “military +prisoners,” but they were taken prisoner in the ordinary operations of +war. With the women were three children. A young baby was wizened and +pitiable, a little boy of between three and four had evidently had his +whole body covered with boils or abscesses, a little girl of perhaps +five would have been a charming little creature, but for a large abscess +on her forehead and big swellings under the eyes. I asked how it was the +children were in this condition. The Belgians, by whom these women were +originally taken prisoner, would not, I was told, supply any milk for +the children. It may be said that the Belgian officials should be +consulted on this point, and I am well aware that prisoners’ statements +need corroboration. Do we, however, apply this rule in other cases? Are +we careful to investigate newspaper reports of the statements of +prisoners who have been in German hands, and should we suggest that the +evidence of German officials should also be taken? The women struck me +as singularly quiet, and unhysterical, and I must add, fair-minded. +There were officials at times, they said, who were more humane, and +provided milk on the quiet. Did they make any protests, I asked. “At +first we did,” they answered, “but we were always told ‘You are +prisoners, and have nothing to say.’” The condition of the children +certainly suggested that they had suffered severely from malnutrition. +This may indeed have been unavoidable, and not the fault of any one. I +had a little further chat with one of the group, a very quiet woman, +whose rather drawn, set face showed that she had passed through hard +times. It was a little pathetic to me to note how sincerely she was +convinced of the superior virtues of her side. “In the earlier days of +the war when we had English prisoners,” she said, “they were always well +fed, even though we went short. Our Commandant always made a point of +seeing that they were well provided for.” There was in the quiet, rather +weary voice just a gentle shade of reproach, and that was all. I have +not the slightest doubt that the woman was perfectly sincere. I made +only the very obvious remark that it seemed to me there were good and +bad on both sides, and that some officials behaved well, and some not +well. It was a mistake to generalise and think all was ill on the other +side and all was well on one’s own. She saw fairness in this view, I +think. There was a mutual approach, and a growing kindliness. I felt +then, and feel more strongly now, that kindness cannot grow out of +merely aggressive patriotism. + + +TURKEY. + +It seems plain that in France, Germany and Great Britain there has been +an honest, if not always a very sympathetic attempt to treat prisoners +decently. But we hear little about the condition of prisoners elsewhere. +It is curious to note how, in spite of all the horror perpetrated +repeatedly by Turkish authorities in times, not of war, but of peace, +British feeling is never very indignant against the Turk; and how +prisoners of war are faring in Turkey we scarcely know. Not till July, +1917, does there seem to have been any definite application for the +inspection of Turkish internment camps. On July 18, 1917, an +announcement appeared in the Press to the effect that, in response to a +request from the British Government, the International Committee of the +Red Cross at Geneva had applied to the Turkish Government for the +necessary permission. + +Yet here, as in all war matters, we come upon “reprisals.” The following +is a cutting from the _Daily News_ of July 20, 1917: + + Mr. James Hope, for the Foreign Office, stated in the Commons + yesterday that five British officers had been for over three + months imprisoned in Constantinople as a reprisal for the + alleged imprisonment of Turkish officers in Egypt. The United + States Ambassador was requested on April 25 to explain to the + Porte by telegram that only one of the five Turkish officers in + Egypt had been under arrest, and that for attempted escape. He + regretted to say that one of the five British officers had died. + They had just received a message from the Danish Minister at + Constantinople stating that the four surviving officers returned + to camp on July 4. + +Statements about _enemy_ reprisals are usually less frank than this. The +neutral observer has usually to watch each side describing its most +drastic actions as reprisals upon the other for similar deeds. + + +SERBIA. + +The condition of Austrian and German prisoners in Serbia has been +touched upon by Dr. F. M. Dickinson Berry, Physician to the +Anglo-Serbian Hospital Unit. I give the following quotations from an +article by Dr. Berry in the _Nation_ of August 21, 1915. + +“There is no doubt that the prisoners suffered badly during the +winter.... Typhus decimated them earlier and more universally, probably +owing to the way in which they were crowded together. Outside the town +our prisoner pointed out a cottage adjacent to a brick-kiln, where he, +with 250 men, had stayed some months without beds, blankets, or even +straw to sleep on, and with the scantiest of food.” But the villagers +showed kindness, said the prisoner, and bestowed on them the food placed +by Serbian custom on the graves of the dead. “Many of the prisoners fell +sick and were taken off to the hospital. Here, too, they lay on the +floor with nothing to cover them but a great-coat, if the fortunate +possessors of such. Few who entered the hospital ever came back; if not +ill with typhus when they came in, they were pretty safe to get it +there, and they passed on to the cemetery beyond the town, where, as in +so many Serbian cemeteries, however remotely situated, there is a +portion covered thickly with plain wooden crosses, marking the graves of +Austrian prisoners. Our informant told us that of those with him 50 per +cent. had died; of eleven Italians whom he had under his charge one only +survived. Asked whether they had any guards, he said no; each sergeant +(he himself was one) was put in charge of fifty men, and was answerable +with his life in case any should escape.” There were, however, some +compensations for the primitive barbarity of these arrangements. The +Serbian people did not attack their prisoners, they fed them. They might +have learned a less human attitude under more civilised conditions. “As +we motored through the town we were amused at the number of greetings +our prisoner received; he was evidently a well known and popular person. +As we passed he pointed out the houses of acquaintances and other +objects of interest. On one side lived a municipal official, who, +finding that he held the same sort of post in Bohemia, greeted him as a +colleague and used to ask him to his house. Further on was the fountain +where he had come to wash his clothes in the bitter winter weather, and +close by the house of the kind but match-making old lady who washed his +clothes for him, and having a daughter’s hand to dispose of, wished to +keep him as a son-in-law.” + + +RUSSIA. + +Of what happened in Russian prison camps we have only rumours, and the +usual individual statements. The old Russian régime was scarcely likely +to be very efficient or very humane in its treatment of prisoners, but +any one who has examined war stories will be very cautious of believing +all that is told. What the “unofficial information and rumours” were may +be sufficiently gathered by referring to the _Cambridge Magazine_ of +August 26, 1916, Supplement “Prisoners.” It may be well to add this: in +November, 1918, Erzberger, interviewed by Dr. Stollberg, of the +_Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, asserted that out of 250 thousand +prisoners in Russia only 100 thousand remained alive. + + +AN IMPORTANT COMPARISON. + +It will help to clarify our ideas of charges of ill-treatment to remind +ourselves of the following. A British officer, Lieut. Gilliland, was put +in charge of the British prisoners of war captured by the Bulgarians. +Mr. MacVeagh brought forward in the House of Commons various charges +made against this officer by repatriated prisoners. It was said that he +distributed unfairly food and clothing consigned to Irish prisoners, +and that he ordered the flogging of British prisoners by their Bulgarian +captors for the most trivial breaches of discipline. Mr. Macpherson, for +the War Office, said prisoners repatriated from Bulgaria had made +allegations against Lieut. Gilliland which were entirely opposed to +information received from independent sources, especially from the U.S. +Legation in Sofia, who stated that the officer had done everything +possible for our men. Further inquiry was promised (_Manchester +Guardian_, November 8, 1917). The charges of the prisoners are in this +case not considered as necessarily true or unbiased. Ought not similar +caution to be observed against whomsoever the charges may be made? + + + FOOTNOTES: + + [Footnote 2: It is fair to add that the International Red Cross + in January, 1915, visited camps at Holyport, Dyffry, Dorchester, + Southend, Portsmouth, and Queensferry. They did not visit the + Isle of Man, where even then about 4,600 civilians were + interned, and they were evidently, if somewhat innocently, + hoping for the release of civilians (First Series, p. 25). The + reports are quite satisfactory as far as they go, and the + delegates considered that the prisoners, and especially the + military prisoners (_surtout les militaires_), were treated + well. The feeding is, however, criticised rather adversely in + the case of Portsmouth (both military and civilian) and at + Queensferry (civilian). (_La nourriture est elle bien ce qu’elle + doit être_?) Removal from boats at Southend to _terra firma_ is + recommended. The eternal soup, which seems to have been the lot + of prisoners in all countries, must become fearfully wearisome. + The preserved fish, etc., of later days may become even more + trying.] + + [Footnote 3: Bishop Bury (_My Visit to Ruhleben_) writes: “Again + I was conscious of just the same spirit of + privation—extraordinarily pathetic it was—about people and + places....” (p. 79) It is to be feared that some who “profess + and call themselves Christians” can see nothing pathetic in the + sufferings of an enemy people.] + + [Footnote 4: _Comité International de la Croix Rouge, Première + Série._] + + [Footnote 5: The number of prisoners now (October, 1917) in + Germany is probably nearly three times as great.] + + [Footnote 6: _Comité International Rapports_ (Première Série, p. + 31).] + + [Footnote 7: l.c., p. 60.] + + [Footnote 8: Reporting on March 9, 1916, Mr. Jackson wrote that, + though, “owing to its situation and character,” it could never + be made “an entirely satisfactory camp,” yet “there had been a + marked improvement in its general ‘atmosphere.’” (Misc. 16 + [1916].)] + + [Footnote 9: Dr. Ella Scarlett-Synge (M.D., D.P.H.) visited this + camp on December 17, 1915. She reports: “The prisoners of war + are housed in well-built, well-drained barracks having excellent + ventilation. Each man has an iron bedstead with two blankets (or + a thick quilt), a straw mattress, good pillow and sheet....”] + + [Footnote 10: These indulgences can also be paralleled on this + side. A writer from a British internment camp says, during “a + great sports week”: “There are already a lot in hospital with + broken legs and arms.”] + + [Footnote 11: It is astounding how extremely rare are + responsible accounts of the worser ill-deeds by those who have + actually suffered them. These stories have almost always been + heard from someone else. (Cf. pp. 156, 157.)] + + [Footnote 12: “The Common Cause.” October 16, 1914.] + + + + +II. + +CIVILIAN PRISONERS. + +RESIDENT ENEMY NATIONALS. + + +A few extracts from Dr. J. M. Spaight’s important work, “War Rights on +Land,” will be useful as an introduction to this section. “Resident +enemy nationals,” runs Dr. Spaight’s marginal summary, “are not +interfered with” (l.c., p. 28). The text proceeds: “The treatment of +resident enemy nationals has undergone a great change for the better in +modern times. Ancient theory and practice regarded them as enemies, +individually, and admitted the right to arrest and imprison them. The +last instance of this rigorous rule being put in force is Napoleon’s +detention of British subjects who happened to be in France when war +broke out in 1803. Present usage allows enemy nationals to depart +freely, even when they belong to the armed forces of the other +belligerent.” The State has the right to detain such subjects, but usage +is against it. Again, “‘Present usage,’ says Professor LeFur, ‘does not +admit of the expulsion _en masse_ of enemy subjects resident in a +belligerent’s territory, save when the needs of defence demand such +expulsion....’ The bad precedent set by the Confederate Government in +1861, when it ordered the banishment of all alien enemies, has not been +followed in subsequent wars. France and Germany allowed enemy subjects +to continue to reside in their respective territories during the war of +1870-1, but the former country was led by military exigencies to rescind +the general privilege so far as Paris and the Department of the Seine +were concerned, at the end of August, 1870. A Proclamation was then +issued by General Trochu which enjoined ‘every person not a naturalised +Frenchman and belonging to one of the countries at war with France’ to +depart within three days, under penalty of arrest and trial in the event +of disobedience. The incident is instructive as showing usage [viz., +non-interference with resident enemy nationals] in the making; for +though there were 35,000 in Paris alone, and their expulsion was clearly +justifiable as a measure of defence, the general opinion in Europe was +that they were harshly treated, and a sum of 100 million francs was +claimed, as part of the war indemnity, in respect of the losses they +sustained in being driven out. It shows, as Hall observed, that public +opinion ‘was already ripe for the establishment of a distinct rule +allowing such persons to remain during good behaviour’ (_Hall, +International Law_, p. 392). The usage has been strengthened by the +precedents set in the Russo-Turkish War in 1877-8, the Chino-Japanese +War of 1894, and the Russo-Japanese War, in all of which enemy residents +were suffered to remain.” + + +ORIGIN OF GENERAL INTERNMENT. + +How did it come about that this more humane usage was in the present war +departed from? The average Englishman, I fear, assumes that all the +blame is in this case due to the enemy. The following correspondence +should make the matter clearer. [See Miscel. Nos. 7, 8 (1915).] + + _Memorandum communicated by American Embassy,_ + + October 17, 1914. + + The American Embassy has the honour to submit the following copy + of a telegram which has just been received from the Secretary of + State at Washington relating to civilian prisoners in the United + Kingdom and Germany: + + There are a very few English civilians in Germany who have been + placed in prison or in prison camps—about 300. The German + Government is informed that a great number of German civilian + prisoners—over 6,000—are in prison camps in England. + Department is requested by Ambassador, Berlin, to suggest that + liberty, so far as possible, be allowed alien enemies detained + by war. + + + _Mr. Page, United States Ambassador in London, to + Sir Edward Grey._ (Received Oct. 31.) + American Embassy, London, + October 30, 1914. + + Sir,—I have the honour to transmit herewith enclosed the + attached copy of an open telegram I have received from the + Minister at Copenhagen relating to reports on the imprisonment + of German subjects in England. + + Inasmuch as the Minister at Copenhagen has dispatched this to + the Secretary of State at Washington, it seems probable that I + shall receive definite instructions from him to transmit it to + you, but in view of the desirability of an early consideration + of the matter I now venture to submit this copy of the telegram + for your information. + + I have, etc., + WALTER HINES PAGE. + + + Copy of Telegram received October 29, 1914. + + Following telegram sent to Department to-day (by the Ambassador + at Berlin): + + The Foreign Office requests this Embassy to find out through the + American Embassy in London whether the reports concerning the + imprisonment of German subjects in England are well founded. + Unless a reply is received from the British Government before + November 5 that all Germans who have not rendered themselves + especially suspicious have been released, the German Government + will be obliged to take retaliatory measures, and accordingly + arrest all male British subjects in Germany between 17 and 55 + years. American Minister, Copenhagen. + + + Copy of Telegram received from Berlin by the American Embassy, + November 3, 1914. + + Are Germans over 45 being arrested wholesale in England? If + arrests are only of those under 45, I may be able to keep + English over that age out of jail. Will not British Government + allow all over 45 to leave? That is the legal military age here, + and no one over that age can be compelled to serve. + + + _Sir Edward Grey to Mr. Page, United States Ambassador in + London._ + + + Foreign Office, + November 9, 1914. + + Your Excellency, + + I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your + Excellency’s note of the 30th ult., and of subsequent notes + informing me of the attitude likely to be adopted by the German + Government with regard to the measures that have been taken in + this country for the detention of German subjects of military + age. + + The decision of His Majesty’s Government in this respect being + clearly irrevocable, the communications which you were good + enough to transmit did not appear to call for an immediate + reply, although, as your Excellency is aware, the German + Government threatened, and have since carried out, reprisals + against British subjects in Germany. + + At the same time, I hope in due course, when the measures taken + here have assumed a definite form, proper consideration having + been given to reasonable claims for exemption as regards + particular categories of persons, to address your Excellency + further on the subject, with a view of obtaining the release at + least of British subjects in Germany who correspond to those + categories. + + I may state at once that no Germans over the age of 45 are being + arrested.[13] + + I should, however, be glad if your Excellency would endeavour to + bring home to the German Government that His Majesty’s + Government are faced with a problem which does not apply to the + same extent in Germany. + + There are, roughly, 50,000 Germans resident in this country, and + the presence of such large numbers of the subjects of a country + with whom Great Britain is at war must necessarily be a cause of + anxiety to the military authorities who are concerned with + taking adequate measures for the defence of the realm.[14] + + In detaining persons who might, in certain eventualities, become + a source of danger to the State, His Majesty’s Government are + only acting in accordance with the dictates of a legitimate and + reasonable policy, and they would be clearly lacking in their + duty to the country if they neglected to safeguard its interests + by allowing the continuance of possible risks to the public + safety. + + In proceeding as they have done they have only had this one + consideration before them, and it has never once been their + intention to indulge in a domestic act of hostility towards + German subjects as such, or in any way to inflict hardship for + hardship’s sake on innocent civilians. + + Every endeavour is being made, as Your Excellency is aware from + Mr. Chandler Anderson’s report on the concentration camps, to + mitigate the inconvenience to the persons detained, and to + provide the best possible treatment for them under the + circumstances. + + As time goes on it is hoped that it will be possible to improve + further the necessarily austere conditions of the military + discipline to which the prisoners are bound to be subjected, and + every endeavour is being made already to rectify any mistakes + that may have occurred, both in the arrest of persons who should + properly be exempt, and in the régime, which, through its + hurried organisation, could not fail to contain a certain number + of defects at the outset.... + +Into the case for and against general internment I do not propose to +enter; it has nothing to do with the main purpose of this book. It does, +however, concern that purpose to point out first that the general +internment of resident enemy nationals (whatever its justification in +any particular case) is contrary to modern usage, and second that the +order for general internment was given first not in Germany, but in +Britain. The popular view on this subject is erroneous. The German order +was issued as a “reprisal,”[15] but, once issued, it was carried out +with dispatch, a dispatch which was, of course, easier because of the +comparatively small number of British subjects in Germany. + +It will, I think, be useful to quote some further letters. The first +document is an extract from a telegram received, _via_ Copenhagen, by +the U.S. Embassy in London on November 7, 1914. The telegram is from the +Ambassador (Mr. Gerard) at Berlin, and conveys the representations of +Mr. Chandler Anderson, of the American Embassy in London, who was at +the moment in Berlin. Anderson says: + + Tell Foreign Office that there is no compulsory military service + required by German law for men over 45, and any men over that + age serving in the army are volunteers. Agreement to release all + men over 45 would produce better understanding, refusal is + regarded as questioning truth of their assurances, which were + endorsed by our Ambassador. Would like to settle these matters + while here, and want to leave on Tuesday or Wednesday. Am + arranging to have someone from this Embassy return with me to + report, for information of Foreign Office here, about + concentration camp and reasons for internment of civilians, in + order to establish common basis for their treatment and + provisions and clothing furnished and pay of officers, on the + understanding that accounts will be balanced at close of war or + at stated intervals.—GERARD, Berlin. + + American Minister, Copenhagen. + +The following documents deserve careful consideration: + + _Memorandum communicated by American Embassy._ + + November 9, 1914. + + The American Embassy has the honour to submit the following copy + of a telegram which the Ambassador at Berlin has sent to the + Department of State at Washington: + + “Order for internment British between 17 and 55 has gone into + effect. This does not apply to clericals, doctors, or women, or + to British subjects from colonies or protectorates where Germans + are not interned. German Government wishes to receive official + information regarding such colonies, as it understands Germans + are interned in South Africa. Germany is willing to release men + over 45 if England will do so. Germans over 45, except officers, + have no compulsory military obligations.” + + American Embassy, London, Nov. 9, 1914. + + + _Memorandum by Sir Edward Grey._ + + The American Ambassador asked me to-day whether the American + Embassy would be allowed, as reports were being made in Germany + about the treatment of German civilians in England, to send + someone to visit the Germans interned in Newbury and Newcastle. + + The Ambassador also said that he had received specific + complaints from Germans interned in Queensferry. + + He has given me the following copy of a letter from the American + Ambassador in Berlin. + + The object of the Ambassador’s enquiry is simply, by bringing + out the facts, to prevent false statements from doing harm in + Germany, and at the same time, I assume, to contribute to the + remedying of any grievances that may exist. + + The American Ambassador in Berlin is, I know, doing all in his + power to secure good treatment for British subjects in Germany, + and I think that it would be desirable to let the American + Embassy here have full information as to our treatment of + Germans. + + I have, etc., + E. GREY. + Foreign Office, November 13, 1914. + + + _Mr. Gerard to Mr. Page._ + American Embassy, Berlin. + November 8, 1914. + + Sir,—Although it may already be too late to be of much + practical effect, I feel it my duty, in the interest of + humanity, to urge upon you to obtain some formal declaration on + the part of the British Government, as to its purpose in + ordering the wholesale concentration of Germans in Great Britain + and Ireland, as is understood here to be the case. It is known + here that many of the Germans interned belong to the labouring + classes, and that their position is actually improved by their + internment, and it is recognised that the British Government has + the right to arrest persons when any well-founded ground for + suspecting them to be spies exists. Great popular resentment has + been created by the reports of the arrests of other Germans, + however, and the German authorities cannot explain or understand + why German travellers who have been taken from ocean steamers + should not be permitted to remain at liberty, of course under + police control, even if they are compelled to stay in England. + The order for the general concentration of British males between + the ages of 17 and 55, which went into effect on the 6th inst., + was occasioned by the pressure of public opinion, which has been + still further excited by the newspaper reports of a considerable + number of deaths in concentration camps. Up to the 6th + considerable liberty of movement has been allowed to British + subjects in Germany,[16] and, as you were informed in my + telegram of the 5th, many petitions were received from them + setting forth the favourable conditions under which they were + permitted to live and to carry on their business, and urging the + similar treatment of German subjects in England. I cannot but + feel that to a great extent the English action and the German + retaliation has been caused by a misunderstanding which we + should do our best to remove. It seems to me that we should do + all in our power to prevent an increase of the bitterness which + seems to have arisen between the German and English peoples, and + to make it possible for the two countries to become friends on + the close of the war. + + I have, etc., + JAMES W. GERARD. + + + _Mr. Harris to Mr. Gerard_. + + Frankfort-on-Main, + November 9, 1914. + + Sir,—In a letter of the same date as this I have referred to + the return from Giessen of four officers sent to Giessen, and + returned again to Frankfort and to Nauheim, from which they + came. I referred in this letter to the commander of the XVIIIth. + Army Corps here. The commando is in charge of Excellenz de + Graaf, who has, as he tells me, an American wife, and who + through the past few months has shown this consulate all + possible consideration, as it seems to Mr. Ives and myself. + Twice during the great press of the first few weeks of the war, + he came to the office in person and made known his desire to + assist us in any way possible. Both Mr. Ives and myself have had + occasion to go to the commando many times on various errands, + and in nearly every case we have been granted the things we + desired. It would be difficult to find a man at home or abroad + with a more pleasant manner than de Graaf’s, or who shows less + of the harsh or severe. Many of the English have gone to him, + and they in all cases, so far as I have heard, speak in highest + terms as to the way he has received them, and as to the entire + freedom given them in this city until the order of last Friday. + + I have gone into the matter just a little because of a vicious + and, I think, wholly unwarranted attack in the papers, in which + Mr. George Edwardes, of London, is made to say quite improbable + things as coming from de Graaf, and perhaps made our work just a + little more difficult. Whether this be the case or not, I am + sure you will be glad to know that the commander here has given + ample evidence of desire to meet Mr. Ives and myself in every + request we have had to make of him. + + I have, etc., + H. W. HARRIS, American Consul-General. + +The “entire freedom” allowed to English in Frankfort until the reprisal +order was made out is a fact that should be emphasised. It bears out the +idea that it was British action which brought about the general +internment order in Germany. Moreover, the reports as to ill-treatment +and deaths produced the same kind of effect on the other side as they +did on this. Of course, there were grave hardships on both sides, and, +indeed, Sir Edward Grey allowed (vide p. 79) that “the régime ... +through its hurried organisation, could not fail to contain a certain +number of defects at the outset.” + +The régime, like some other steps taken in this war, was too hurriedly +arranged in response to newspaper agitation. The _Cologne Gazette_, +complaining that Germans are treated like pariahs in England, asks if +Englishmen in Germany are “to enjoy for ever a life of gods unmolested.” +(_Daily Chronicle_, October 29, 1914.) The old demand for “reprisals,” +leading to counter-reprisals and a crescendo of cruelty. + +In Austria no general internment order was made. The _Daily Chronicle_ +correspondent, writing in January, 1915, from Vienna, spoke of the +freedom of all foreigners there, even when the subjects of enemy +Governments. All such subjects, his host reminded him, “enjoy full, or +nearly full liberty, whereas in Great Britain and France Austro-German +subjects have either been clapped into prison, or at any rate confined +in a camp or barracks.” + + +CIVILIAN AND MILITARY PRISONERS COMPARED. + +“Confinement in a camp or barracks” sounds a small thing. It is really, +wherever it occurs, a rather terrible thing. The universal experience is +that civilians suffer under this restraint more than soldiers, and +consequently are more “difficult” to deal with.[17] There are, I think, +various fairly obvious reasons for this difference. To the soldier the +prison camp is an escape from worse horrors, the soldier is inured to a +large measure of monotony, he is also inured to military control and +certain peculiarities of the military manner. To the civilian the prison +camp is a change from freedom to confinement, from comfort to hardship, +often from prosperity to ruin. The civilian’s life has been one of +varied activities, and becomes one of almost unrelieved monotony. He is +in most cases quite unused to military control, and feels himself +degraded to a kind of servitude. Used to a separate and individual life, +he is forced into contact, day and night, with others not of his own +choice, and often antipathetic to him. He finds himself deprived of +every vestige of privacy, and his thoughts revolve often round chances +gone, work lost, hopes vanished, a wife living in penury, and a future +altogether dark. If anyone will try to picture such a life continued not +for weeks or months only, but for _years_, he will, I think, feel that +hysteria, loss of mental balance and actual insanity are consequences +that are only too likely to follow. + +Civilian control for civilian prisoners seems in general to be +desirable. Military control was practically withdrawn from Ruhleben in +the autumn of 1915. At a few camps here, such as the one at Cornwallis +Road, it is practically absent, and I feel this is one reason why, +writing in March, 1916, the U.S. Attaché was able to report that there +had at this camp been no attempts at escape. + +There was much that was harsh and bad in the earlier days of internment +in Germany, but the official U.S. reports certainly make us aware of +cordial German co-operation in improving matters. The unofficial +account, moreover, of Dr. Cimino (“Behind the Prison Bars in Germany”) +astonishes me chiefly by the amount of politeness which it reveals in +the German official. + +There will always be stupid officials, and complete military authority +is a very dangerous thing. This obvious conclusion should be recognised +as applying (to some extent at least) to both sides. It is a rather +dreadful thing to be under more or less hostile restraint, whether one +be German or British. “Even if ideal conditions prevailed, one could not +remove the unavoidable feeling of restraint and the sorrow of separation +of men from their wives and families. There is in all the camps a +feeling of gloom which one visitor said ‘haunted him for days.’ It is +scarcely surprising that feelings of resentment should arise. Many of +the men have lived in this country for twenty or thirty years; some have +come over here as young children, some are even unable to speak German; +very many have married British wives and have come to regard themselves +as citizens of this country. The visit of someone who is not in +authority over them, but who will listen to their troubles and give them +a kind word of encouragement, has done very much to lighten the +bitterness of confinement.” So write the Emergency Committee in their +second report on their work for the assistance of Germans, Austrians and +Hungarians in distress. Dr. Siegmund Schulze, who has worked for a +similar organisation in Berlin, writes: “It appears that those who have +recently expressed their opinion in the British Parliament have taken +the complaints of a few dissatisfied prisoners as a basis for their +general opinion. We can quite understand these complaints, because we +notice among all prisoners that the longer the imprisonment lasts, the +greater is the feeling of dissatisfaction.... It is noteworthy that in +the English utterance even the trustworthiness of neutral reports is +doubted; for example, the statements of the American Ambassador are +regarded as pro-German, therefore distorted. Frl. Dr. Rotten and I have +heard a great number of neutral opinions on the prisoners camps; I have +myself discussed the conditions of the detention camp with neutrals who +have visited them, and ascertained the truth as to their reports. Our +verdict can only be that there is absolutely no question of any +conditions which would constitute an infringement of international law, +or which could imperil the health of the soldiers.... Moreover, I have +in Ruhleben formed my own opinion as to the condition of the prisoners. +I acknowledge that the depressed state of mind in which the prisoners +must naturally be after more than six months’ imprisonment has an effect +upon their reports, and that many prisoners are in a state of suppressed +rage. On the other hand I cannot but say that after the removal of +certain insanitary conditions there have been absolutely no substantial +complaints made by the prisoners. Much as I regret the position of the +prisoners, among whom I have many personal acquaintances, I must, on the +other hand, say that the accommodation and also the behaviour of the +officers is, on the whole, as humane as possible under the difficult +conditions. The American Attaché, Mr. Jackson, who formerly visited the +detention camps in England, and has now again visited the German +detention camps, has confirmed to me the assertion which he made to the +Commandant of the Ruhleben Camp, viz., that if he were obliged to choose +where, among the countries now at war, he would be interned, he would +certainly choose Ruhleben.... Without doubt, as is now apparent +everywhere, an imprisonment extending over a long period, say, for +instance, a year, means far more for men of the present generation than +one could have thought. I consider it possible that many prisoners who +are detained for such a long time will return to their homes with an +essential deterioration of their mental condition.” These last are very +grave, and indeed terrible words, words that I fear only too accurately +represent the facts, but yet, as Dr. Schulze continues, “We ought not to +conclude from this that we are justified in making reproaches against +the other country in respect of the treatment of prisoners, but rather +conclude that we should work energetically towards the termination of +the war.” + +The mental suffering (_stagnant_ suffering) caused to civilian prisoners +(in Britain, as elsewhere) is, I fear, very far from being understood. +The following few sentences may give some glimpses—I was going to say +“enlightening glimpses,” but, alas, they are only glimpses into the +darkness: “Our visitors in talking to the men in the camps receive from +them many kinds of requests; of these by far the most frequent and +urgent is that their wives and families may be visited. For one reason +or another, letters from home very frequently do not reach the +prisoners, and often for weeks or months together they receive no word +of their families.” The report goes on: “One man’s wife was at the point +of death when he left her and her young children; another’s wife with +several children was addicted to drink, and was only kept from it by her +husband’s influence; in other cases children were left behind with no +mother to care for them.” (The quotations are from the second report of +the Friends’ Emergency Committee, January, 1915.) To imagine the anguish +of these cases, whether in Germany or in Britain, is to shrink as from a +blow. Many will feel that the policy of general internment was +unavoidable. But we may surely show generous sympathy where an +unavoidable policy has brought great misery upon thousands who were +innocent. Such sympathy, as we shall see later, always assists +reciprocal sympathy on the other side. + + +SOME REPORTS ON RUHLEBEN. + +I will now turn to the consideration of reports on individual camps for +civilians. The most important German civilian camp, of course, for us, +is that of Ruhleben. If I cite a Report on the Meeting of the Camp +Committee held there on February 4, 1915, a good deal as to the general +management of the camp will become plain. [Miscel. No. 7 (1915) p. 67.] + + The following minutes of a meeting of the select committee of + the camp committee and of the overseers,[18] which was called by + Baron von Taube on February 2, were read by the Secretary: + + At 6-30 p.m., Baron von Taube received a select committee of the + camp committee in the presence of the assembled overseers of the + latter. Messrs. Powell, Fischer, Jones, Blakely, Cocker, + Overweg, Asher, Hallam, Russel, Aman, and Jones were present; + also[19] Messrs. Delmer, Butcher, Stern, Scholl, Mackenzie, + Horn, Klingender, Butterworth, and Hatfield. + + Having greeted the assembled members, the Baron proceeded to say + that he thought it would be best if only three or four delegates + from the camp committee were to discuss matters directly with + the overseers. He expressed his views and compared the + management of the camp with the administration of a town of + 10,000 inhabitants. Too many participants might only render the + work of the overseers more arduous. He therefore suggested that + at the meetings of the overseers, the select committee of the + camp committee should consist of from three to four gentlemen + with deciding votes. The suggestion was accepted. Thereupon the + Baron informed the meeting that Messrs. Butcher, Klingender, and + Stern had been proposed. In reply to this, Mr. Delmer, chairman + of the camp committee, said that from among the eight men whose + names had been submitted, three or four should from time to time + be chosen as delegates according to their special knowledge and + the business to be transacted. After a short discussion it was + agreed, upon the proposal of Mr. Powell, that three or four + gentlemen should, as delegates from the camp committee, take + part in a general meeting of overseers to be held once a + fortnight. At these meetings a strict account of the work of the + overseers during the interval should be rendered. On the + proposal of the chairman, Mr. Delmer, it was further agreed that + delegates of the camp committee should have the right at all + times to require the overseers to furnish explanations of any + incidents affecting the interests of the camp. A motion of the + chairman, which was also approved by the Baron, was to the + effect that, in order to spare the overseers’ committee time and + trouble, any incidents occurring in the camp should be + thoroughly sifted and investigated by the camp committee, and + then reported to the administration as soon as possible by a + single competent deputy through the overseers. + + The presiding overseer welcomed a further motion by the + chairman, Mr. Delmer, which was as follows: In the interests of + the necessary reciprocity, a delegate of the overseers should + attend the meetings of the camp committee. + + Mr. Klingender drew attention to the two points contained in the + camp committee’s letter to Baron von Taube. The Baron said he + agreed with the contents of the letter. + + At the conclusion the chairman (Mr. Delmer) remarked that the + camp committee had been formed with a view to beneficial + co-operation with the overseers, and for the advancement of the + existing organisation, and that it intended loyally to carry out + this principle, of which words the Baron graciously took note. + The chairman (Mr. Delmer) then expressed his hearty thanks in + the name of the assembled members of the camp committee to the + Baron for his presence and for the consideration he had kindly + given to the arrangement, whereupon the Baron said that he would + be very pleased personally from time to time to take part in the + meetings of the camp committee. + + Baron von Taube then closed the meeting. + + The secretary announced that he had laid a copy of the minutes + before the Baron, who had kindly accepted and signed it, and + had, with his own hand, written on it the words, “Have taken + note of the minutes and agree on all points.” + + The chairman greeted Mr. Fischer, overseer of hut 3, who was + present as delegate of the overseers. The meeting proceeded to + discuss the following matters: + + LATRINES FOR INVALIDS.—At the last meeting the camp committee + had requested a member to procure information on this matter. + Mr. Fischer reported that the small latrine between huts 3 and 4 + (which was formerly intended for women) should be used for this + purpose. A door with a lock would be put in. Permits would + probably be issued by the doctor or his representative. The + overseers had for a long time striven to obtain permission for + the sick to use the water closets, but these for the most part + were not in the premises which were at the disposal of the + military authorities, and therefore could not, even on payment, + be opened. He would again inquire if it were not possible to + obtain a closed water closet for the sick. + + POSTAL MATTERS.—Questions concerning the postal regulations + and the censoring of letters were brought up. A member expressed + his intention of obtaining precise information and of reporting + thereon. + + OUTBREAK OF DIARRHŒA.—It was announced that 78 cases had + occurred at hut 1.[20] Mr. Fischer was asked whether the number + of cases in each hut was known to the overseers. He replied that + they had furnished a report on the previous day. It was + suggested that in such a case the overseers might with advantage + seek the assistance of the delegates of the camp committee, and + especially in the present case, as the overseers were much + occupied with other work, and could not collect complete + statistics. + + BREAD.—The question of the quality of the bread was raised; it + was alleged that bread insufficiently baked and bread which + consisted of remains insufficiently ground together was + sometimes distributed. As 2,000 of the prisoners were penniless, + the question was one of great importance. Mr. Fischer said that + bread of inferior quality, if returned immediately, would be + exchanged. + + YOUTHS UNDER 17 YEARS OF AGE.—It was alleged that not all the + prisoners under 17 years of age had yet taken the necessary + steps to obtain their release. The meeting, however, thought + that it was the presence of young sailors, for whose release + repeated application had been made, that had produced this + impression. These sailors, however, were in quite a different + position from the civilian prisoners. Civilian prisoners under + 17 were released. The overseers had the matter under + consideration. + + WASHING.—Mr. Whitwell had taken cast-off clothing from the + rubbish-box. He had had them washed, and found that they were + still serviceable. In his opinion, the whole of the camp washing + could be done by two machines costing about 60M. each. Mr. + Fischer observed that the overseers had given this matter their + attention, but that great difficulties would arise if any + proposals adverse to the concessions granted by the military + authority to private concerns were to be made. + + The meeting was then adjourned. + +We may next cite an unofficial statement: + + STATEMENT RESPECTING CONDITIONS AT RUHLEBEN COMMUNICATED TO HOME + OFFICE BY TWO RELEASED CIVILIANS ON MARCH 18, 1915. + + Mr. John P. Bradshaw, of Ballymoney, co. Antrim, and Mr. William + David Coyne, of Ballyhaunis, co. Mayo, both British subjects, + arrived in England on the March 15, having just been released + from detention at Ruhleben on account of their unfitness for + military service. + + The following statement has been made by them to the Home + Office: + + They were examined by the Camp Doctor, and released as unfit for + military service. + + A fortnight ago all who considered themselves unfit were invited + to send their names in with a statement of the grounds of + unfitness. + + A week later all were asked to state where they would go if + released from Ruhleben, but few of the real British subjects + were anxious to be released now unless they can leave Germany + because of the bitterness against England.[21] + + Since March 7 a very important change has taken place in the + food supply to the prisoners; thanks to investigations by + Rittmeister von Müller, the caterer has been dispensed with. It + is believed in the camp that the United States authorities + prompted these investigations. + + The German authorities provide bread which is of better quality + than formerly. The allowance is over half a pound per man per + day, i.e., more than the civilian population is allowed, but it + is believed that a regulation has been made, though not yet + brought into force, to reduce the bread allowance to correspond + with that allowed to persons outside the camp. Bread is no + longer purchaseable at the canteen. + + The Government allows 60 pfennige (just over 7d.) per head for + the rest of the food. The canteen committee buys 100 grammes of + meat (gristle, bone, etc., included) per man per day. Pork is + much used, then comes mutton, and, more rarely, beef. + + The meat is cooked in the soup and each man is given a piece + about the size of a cutlet with his soup at midday. The spare + pieces are divided amongst the men from the last barracks to be + served; the barracks take it in turn to be last. + + On one day a week dinner consists of a piece of sausage and rice + and prunes. + + A piece of sausage is now served with the evening tea or coffee. + This sausage is bought out of the savings under the new system. + + The rest of the savings on the catering and the profit on the + sales at the canteen go towards providing clothes, etc., for the + poorest men in the camp. + + The meat is inspected by two of the prisoners, one a veterinary + surgeon and the other a butcher; it is cooked by ships’ cooks + who are interned, and served by men chosen from among the + prisoners. The food is said to be well cooked and the meals + quite appetising, at any rate when compared with the previous + régime. + + The two men named above received all parcels sent to them. + Formerly parcels took about four weeks to reach the camp from + England, but now they arrive in ten to twelve days. + + The officials are scrupulously honest as regards money owned by + or sent to the prisoners, except that they pay out in paper or + silver, whereas they took in gold. Money is paid out to those + prisoners who have an account at the rate of 20M. per fortnight, + but an extra 20M. can be obtained for the purchase of boots, + clothes, etc., if shown to be necessary. + + The correspondence regulations are now that one postcard with + nine lines of writing may be sent each week, and two letters, + each of four pages of notepaper may be sent per month. In + addition, business letters may be sent to any reasonable extent. + + A dramatic society has been started and recently gave its first + performance, Shaw’s “Androcles and the Lion.” Admission was + free, but seats cost from 20 to 40 pfennigs, not according to + the position of the seat, but according to the means of the + purchaser. + + Baron von Taube and Graf von Schwerin make a point of being + present at all entertainments organised by the prisoners, and + make a short speech of thanks at the end. Since the trouble over + the food has been settled the relations between the officials + and the prisoners have greatly improved. + + A month ago all British colonial subjects were re-arrested and + interned. [Miscel. No. 7. (1915). P. 81.] + +We now come to the official U.S. report of June 8, 1915, with +accompanying letters. [Miscel. No. 13 (1915)] + + + _Mr. Page, United States Ambassador at London, to Sir Edward + Grey._ (Received June 15.) + + The American Ambassador presents his compliments to His + Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the + honour to transmit, herewith enclosed, a copy of a letter he has + received from the Embassy at Berlin, dated the 8th inst., + enclosing a report made by Mr. G. W. Minot upon the conditions + at present existing in the British civil internment camp at + Ruhleben. + + Mr. Gerard has added a postscript expressing the hope that this + report may be published together with his covering letter. + + American Embassy, London, + June 14, 1915. + +The need for publication was obvious in view of the character of the +rumours circulated in this country, but, unfortunately, when published +as a Government White Paper, such a report falls into but few hands, +while newspaper extracts from the White Papers can, in general, scarcely +be described as selected without bias. + + ENCLOSURE 1. + + _Mr. Gerard to Mr. Page._ + + American Embassy, + Berlin, June 8, 1915. + + Sir,—I have the honour to transmit to you herewith a triplicate + copy of a report made by Mr. G. W. Minot upon conditions at + present existing in the British civil internment camp at + Ruhleben, Spandau. In connection with this I beg to say that the + devotion to duty and uniform kindness of all the camp + authorities has been wonderful and the relations of our Embassy + with them always most agreeable. It is impossible to conceive of + better camp commanders than Graf Schwerin and Baron Taube.—I + have, etc., + + JAMES W. GERARD. + +The last sentence is noteworthy. Commendation of the Camp Commanders +could not be more emphatic. + + ENCLOSURE 2. + + _Mr. Minot to Mr. Gerard._ + + June 3, 1915. + + Sir,—I have the honour to submit to you the following report + upon various improvements which have taken place in the civil + internment camp for British prisoners at Ruhleben-bei-Spandau + since the month of November, 1914: + + Of the 4,500 British civil prisoners interned in Germany, + approximately 4,000 are at this date held at Ruhleben, the + remaining 500 being scattered in small detachments in various + other internment camps. The German Government have arranged + that these detachments shall be absorbed by Ruhleben, so that + within a few months all the British civil prisoners interned in + Germany will be in Ruhleben. The difficulty of enlarging the + facilities of Ruhleben and the necessary precautionary measures + of quarantining have made the process of combination a long one, + but there is every reason to believe that it will soon be + completed. + + The increase in the number of prisoners at Ruhleben has + necessitated substantial additions to the barracks, most of + which were overcrowded at the beginning of the war. Eight new + barracks of one storey have been erected (four being already + occupied), affording accommodation for 120 men each. These + barracks are substantially built of wood, with well-set floors + and large windows. The roofs have been waterproofed with tarred + paper, and the walls stained to resist the rain.[22] In the four + new barracks which are now occupied a small room for the guard + has been added, but in the new barracks this has been considered + unnecessary, as it is hoped that the guards in the barracks at + night may shortly be dispensed with. The last new barracks has + been built with a special view towards housing convalescent or + delicate persons. Partitions have been erected so as to cut up + the barrack into small divisions, and two water-closets have + been installed. A new washhouse for these barracks has been + erected, with shower baths and washing troughs. + + The construction of the new barracks, the transfer of some + hundred persons to Dr. Weiler’s sanatorium, and the release of + about a hundred persons have made it possible largely to reduce + the crowded conditions of the “obens,” or lofts, of the old + barracks. Twenty per cent. of the occupants of these “obens” + have been removed, and it is estimated that when the new + barracks are fully occupied another 55 per cent. will be removed + from the obens, so that only a quarter of the original occupants + will be left there. + + The most signal improvement which has been effected in the last + two months has been the permission afforded the prisoners to use + the ground encircled by the race-track for the hours from 8 a.m. + to 12 noon and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The space thus gained is + approximately 200 yards by 150 yards, and affords a splendid + field for all kinds of games. Materials for the various sports + have been provided by the camp, including the laying out of a + football field and a small golf course. This ground has provided + a chance for every interned prisoner to take part in some form + of good out-of-door exercise or for those who so desire to move + out their chairs to the field to watch the games. Permission to + use the grandstands from 8 a.m. to 8-30 p.m. has further been + obtained. As the stands are of modern brick and cement + construction, a large enclosed hall is formed underneath the + tiers of seats. In this hall a stage has been erected and a + complete theatre installed with scenery, dressing-rooms, + orchestra, etc. Performances, varying from Shakespeare to + musical shows, are given practically every night. The betting + boxes have been boarded up to afford small rooms for study, + musical practice, etc. In other parts of this building space has + been allotted for a carpenter’s shop, a tailor’s shop, barber + and cobbler’s shop. The grandstand tiers have been turned over + to the educational department for schools and lectures, which + are systematically conducted. Black-boards and other materials + have been provided for the department. + +A favourable account of Dr. Weiler’s sanatorium follows. About this +sanatorium individual expressions of opinion have varied. + +Mr. Minot’s report next gives a list of improvements effected at +Ruhleben, under such headings as _Laundry_, _Whitewashing_, _Beds_, +_Dentist_, _Business Post_, etc. The report then proceeds: + + It can be seen from the above that very considerable + improvements have been effected at Ruhleben. Graf Schwerin, + Baron Taube, and the other camp authorities have done everything + in their power to bring about these improvements, and have been + materially helped throughout by the camp captains. + + The effect produced has been a general improvement in the + physical and moral condition of the camp. In general the health + of the prisoners can be said to be excellent, practically no + cases of contagious or infectious diseases, barring a mild + epidemic of German measles, having occurred. The improvement in + the food and the increased possibilities of the purchase of + additional nourishment from the outside, have nearly silenced + all complaints. + + The work is still constantly progressing, and it is fair to + state that the conditions are steadily, if slowly, improving. + + I am submitting to you, herewith, a plan of Ruhleben, upon which + are marked the various buildings and locations mentioned in this + report. I have further included a selection of programmes of the + various entertainments, sports, etc., which have taken place in + the camp.—I have, etc., + + G. W. MINOT. + +The following two extracts are also of some significance. The first is +from the _Times_, the second is from the _Daily Telegraph_ of June 18, +1915. The suspension of correspondence was due to some demonstration on +the part of the prisoners. + + Sir,—It may perhaps interest some of those who are feeling + anxious about the treatment of their relatives at Ruhleben to + hear that we have direct evidence of kindly action and + consideration for the prisoners on the part of the German + authorities at a date later than that at which the regular + postal communication was suspended.—I am faithfully yours, + + A PARENT OF A PRISONER. + + February 17. + + We received the following from the Press Bureau last night: + + “A statement recently appeared in a letter to an organ of the + Press to the effect that it was inadvisable to send parcels to + civilian prisoners interned at Ruhleben in view of the heavy + charges made on delivery. + + “Information has now been received from the United States + Ambassador at Berlin that no such charges have been made for the + delivery of parcels at Ruhleben, but for a short time certain + prisoners who had been temporarily released and sent to a + sanatorium were charged duty on parcels sent to them there. This + matter was, however, satisfactorily adjusted in a very short + time, and duty is no longer charged on parcels to such + prisoners.” + +In the early autumn of 1915 civilian self-government was fully +established at Ruhleben. Writing on October 16, Mr. Page remarks: “The +administration of the camp to-day is entirely in the hands of the +prisoners themselves. There are no guards in the barracks, and all +internal arrangements, including discipline, are in the hands of the +camp and barrack captains.” [Miscel. No. 3 (1916), p. 4.] + + +A CONTROVERSY. + +White Paper Miscel. No. 3 (1916) is in many ways rather important to the +student of internment. It affords some evidence of the kind of mental +friction developing in all internment camps, and it makes clear that +prisoners’ statements often need to be subjected to impartial outside +investigation. There is not space, however, to enter fully into details +here. The paper opens with a report on Ruhleben camp “compiled by a +British subject recently released,” and forwarded by Sir Edward Grey to +Mr. Gerard through Mr. Page. It is complained that the distance from the +new barracks to the wash-houses is “in some cases over 200 yards.” Mr. +Page points out by reference to a scale map that “in every case the +wash-houses are nearer than 60 yards from the barracks, and not at a +distance of 200 yards, as stated. The barracks which are not diagrammed +on this map have their own washing appliances.” Mr. Page writes further: +“The open space beneath the central tribune has not been, as stated in +the report transmitted by the British Foreign Office, used for every +conceivable purpose, but has been enclosed entirely for recreation +purposes, religious services, lectures, debates, etc.... I cannot see +how the introduction of [the] cinema show has in the least affected the +comfort of the hall.” “With regard to whitewashing, this was done in all +of the barracks at the expense of the camp fund, and not, as stated, at +the cost of those interned at the barracks. Extra whitewashing, borders, +etc., were naturally paid for at the private expense. No measures were +taken for exterminating mosquitoes for the reason that it has been found +impossible to procure petroleum in Germany for the purpose.” Three +internees who tried to escape were in consequence imprisoned, and are +stated in the report transmitted by the British Foreign Office to be +starving. Mr. Gerard writes: “I visited Messrs. Ettlinger, Ellison and +Kirkpatrick at the Stadtvogtei-Gefängnis about three weeks ago, and +heard from them that they had no complaint to make about the food. They +are now allowed to receive parcels and money from the outside, and are +no longer in solitary confinement. The limitation of exercise to half +an hour seems regrettable, but owing to their attempt to escape, I fear +that it will be impossible to obtain a change until their sentence +expires.” + +The report forwarded to Mr. Gerard says: + + It would be of material benefit to the interned if a + representative of the United States Embassy could call at the + Camp fortnightly, and receive complaints direct from prisoners, + without the inevitable presence of the captains [i.e., the + internees’ own captains] in the room. + +Mr. Gerard replies: + + A representative of this Embassy has visited the camp at + Ruhleben (with the exception of the time when the camp was first + formed) certainly on an average of more than once a fortnight, + and it has been possible for any prisoners to speak to him + without the presence of the captains. For the past few months + the camp has been visited once a week if not more often. In + addition to this Mr. Powell, sometimes accompanied by other + captains of the camp, has visited this Embassy regularly once a + week for consultation with me. + +“I wish again to reiterate,” says Mr. Page, “that Count Schwerin, Baron +Taube and the other officers in charge of the camp, are all kindly and +considerate gentlemen, who do everything within their power to help the +prisoners.” + +But the real quarrel was not with Count Schwerin or Baron Taube (of whom +all seem to speak well), but with the English captains and their +management. The financial statements and the distributions effected by +the captains are adversely criticised by the released British subject. +He adds, somewhat acidly: + + It would be a kindness to the captains and to the camp if the + Government could convey to them a message informing them that + they are public men holding important and responsible positions, + and that public men must allow criticism and seek to profit by + it. + +Here we get to the root of the matter. The original “Camp Committee” +was (to quote Mr. Gerard’s words) “disbanded by the order of the +military authorities in February last (1915), because of its refusal to +co-operate with the captains and its insistence upon publishing notices +and minutes of its meetings after it had been forbidden to do so.”[23] +This “Camp Committee” continued to object to the financial arrangement +and the general administration of Mr. Powell and the other captains, and +pressed their objections upon the Ambassador on August 23, 1915. “I +thereupon suggested that perhaps the best way would be to refer the +matter to a general election. To this the ‘Camp Committee’ demurred, and +upon my asking what suggestion they had to proffer appeared to consider +that they, a self-constituted body, should be given charge of the camp +by me. This proposition I naturally rejected, especially as the members +of this self-appointed committee were, although very estimable +gentlemen, _personæ non gratæ_ both to the majority of the prisoners and +to the military authorities.... A final decision of the question as to +whether the present government of Ruhleben is representative or not is +to be found in the election of September 15, 1915, when every one of the +captains at that time in authority was re-elected. The occasion was +caused by the decision of the military authorities to withdraw the +soldiers from the camp, and the captains therefore considered it +desirable that they should appeal to the camp for decision as to whether +it was wished that they should continue the government or not. I cannot +see that any further proof is required as to whether the captains +represent the feelings of the majority of the camp.” + +One cannot help asking oneself, was the critic a member of the +disbanded “Camp Committee”? The United States Ambassador on more than +one occasion proved himself capable of speaking very decidedly to the +German authorities of things he disapproved of. In this case, too, he +speaks (though not to the German authorities) with some decision: + + A properly heated and lighted recreation and assembling room is + certainly extremely desirable for the damp and cold winter time. + A new barrack has been sanctioned by the military authorities + for the purpose, and I will do my best to press the work. I + might venture to suggest that if so many private individuals had + not occupied necessary space by election of private clubs the + military authorities would be more willing to grant permission + for the erection of further buildings intended for public good. + Further, if the very men, such as the “camp committee” (who are + all members of the “summer house” club), had devoted some of the + energies which they expended upon the erection of the club for + their own private use to the construction of a public + sitting-room, the building might already be in use. + + The British tax-payer is paying a large sum in wages because the + Ruhleben prisoners are unwilling to do the fatigue work of the + camp. The captured British soldiers who have been fighting in + the trenches are compelled to do work in work camps, are often + not properly clothed, do not receive an allowance from the + British tax-payer of 5M. a week, cannot buy food at less than + cost price, nor go to a sanatorium (at the expense of the + British tax-payer) when sick; have not the benefit of expert + dental and optical treatment, have no public libraries, + lectures, schools, debates, or camp newspapers, have not seven + tennis courts, three football fields, athletic games, cricket, + golf and hockey, are not amused by dramas, comic operas and + cinema shows, and above all are not paid extra wages for doing + their own work to make themselves comfortable. All of these + advantages and more which the Ruhleben prisoners enjoy have been + largely the result of the effort of the camp administration + which this commentator criticises. + +These rather strong words of Mr. Gerard’s display a not unnatural +irritation against a critic whose facts prove unreliable and whose +mental attitude suggests a somewhat querulous bias, but it is only fair +to remind ourselves that after long internment all suffer from nerve +strain and many suffer very severely. Under these circumstances complete +reasonableness is probably more than any of us would be capable of. + + +SHORT RATIONS. + +At Ruhleben there are (with the exception of some negroes) English only. +The English receive many packages. The German authorities have been +tempted to rely on those packages increasingly. That is the state of +things revealed in Dr. A. E. Taylor’s report of June 14, 1916. [Miscel. +No. 21 (1916).] + + A review of the present ration of the prisoners of war indicates + that it is the aim of the ‘Kriegsernährungsamt’ to supply a + ration which shall be physiologically adequate, though + professedly containing little more than enough to cover minimal + requirements; and it is believed that the official prisoners’ + ration contains as much as the daily food of many millions of + German subjects. There is no question that the official prison + ration is an adequate ration from the standpoint of animal + nutrition. In addition to this allotted camp ration the + prisoners possess the food sent in from abroad as addenda. + + In the case of the Russian prisoners, these extra food stuffs + sent in from abroad are small in amount; in the case of the + French, moderate; in the case of the English, large. In all the + prison camps that I have visited it is the practice to prepare + food for the number of men in the camp, irrespective of + nationality, in accordance with the menu of Professor Backhaus. + As a rule, the British prisoners take little or none of the + food, and their share is eaten by prisoners of other + nationalities. In Ruhleben the state of affairs at present + existing has convinced the interned civilians that the situation + is, so to speak, reversed: that the German authorities seem to + regard the foodstuffs sent in from abroad as the regular diet of + the interned men, and the camp allotments as the addenda. + +It is not surprising that “the interned men are deeply dissatisfied with +the present state of affairs.” The German authorities, finding that at +least half the total number of the interned at Ruhleben subsist largely +upon private packages, have made a “sharp reduction in the amount of +foodstuff allotted to the camp.” I have no wish to defend this +proceeding, but it must be allowed that to the Government of a blockaded +country there is a great temptation to cut down supplies when this will +not be a danger to the prisoners themselves. + +Both reports of Dr. Taylor [Miscel. No. 18 (1916) and Miscel. No. 21 +(1916)] are important studies of the question of nutrition, and his +short discussion (No. 18, p. 4) of the psychological aspects of +monotonous diet and the nutritional effects of internment is worth +careful attention. “A diet that would be tolerated if the subject were +at liberty may become intolerable under conditions of imprisonment. +There is a large personal equation operative in this direction. The +soldier imbued with a high sense of his value to his country and of the +justice of his cause will endure a monotonous diet that would not be +endurable in the prisoner overwhelmed with disappointment and crushed +with sorrow.” These considerations are obviously of general application. + + +SOME COMPARISONS. + +Mr. Gerard, in a note of June 28, 1916 [Miscel. No. 25 (1916)], +animadverts strongly on the bad accommodation still provided at +Ruhleben. The letter is rather strikingly different in tone from his +other reports on Ruhleben. + + It is intolerable that people of education should be herded six + together in a horse’s stall, and in some of the lofts the bunks + touch one another. The light for reading is bad, and reading is + a necessity if these poor prisoners are to be detained during + another winter. In the haylofts above the stables the conditions + are even worse.[24] + +Bishop Bury’s account (“My Visit to Ruhleben,” p. 30) reads: + + I don’t know whether it was our internment at Newbury,[25] the + race-course for Reading, or our using race-courses, such as + Kempton Park, for the training of our own men, which caused + Ruhleben to be chosen in November, 1914, as a suitable place for + civilians’ internment.... Without any description of mine it may + be easily understood what they had to suffer until proper + arrangements were made.... The loose boxes are now properly + fitted with bunks, some being larger than others. The large + corridor, with its stone floor, gives air and space, the lofts + particularly being extremely well adapted now for their present + purpose. I prefer the lofts to the boxes, because they have + corridors out of which one can look, whereas the windows in the + boxes are usually far above the ground. I went to tea more + frequently in the boxes, and on one occasion we sat down sixteen + in number—rather a crowd—but we were quite comfortable. + +Bishop Bury has seen something on both sides, and his impressions are +for that reason all the more important. We must not forget, too, that he +lived a week with the prisoners at Ruhleben. It is also only fair to +remember that no one has been invited to spend a week in any camp on +this side. Bishop Bury also tells us “that when, a little time ago, the +authorities proposed to relieve the overcrowding and construct another +camp at Havilburg which could accommodate 600 men, the men at once +petitioned that this idea might not be carried out, as they preferred, +after this length of time to stay where they are.” (l.c., p. 40.) + +One caution must, however, be given to the readers of Bishop Bury’s +book. The conditions of the camp during the excitement and interest of +his visit could not be the normal conditions. The frightful monotony of +the long confinement does not obtrude itself in his book. Yet there is +no doubt, I fear, that internment everywhere (at Ruhleben, as elsewhere) +is becoming “intolerable.” To live, as at Alexandra Palace, day and +night, for _years_ in a great hall with more than a thousand others must +become almost destructive to any sensitive nature. But (to quote Dr. +Siegmund Schulze once more) “We ought not to conclude from this that we +are justified in making reproaches.... in respect of the treatment of +prisoners, but rather conclude that we should work energetically towards +the termination of the war.” + +Dr. Cimino, very, and very naturally, anti-German as he is, writes: + + The only real suffering we experienced at Ruhleben was from the + cold.... The fact is that he (Count Schwerin) was as + kind-hearted an old soldier as ever fondled an English wife, and + loved his English prisoners.... He used to take part in our + daily life as much as possible.... As to the concerts, he was + always present, _et pour cause_; he was passionately fond of + music.... at the end of the concert he would make his little + speech, and we filed out. But one night we gave him a rousing + cheer, and the whole crowd struck up, “For he’s a jolly good + fellow.” (“Behind the Prison Bars in Germany,” p. 95).[26] + +As to the food question, we must not forget that the blockade against +Germany and the pressure upon neutrals have been continually increased +in stringency. Up to October, 1915, Mr. Gerard could write as follows of +Ruhleben: + + The food material is excellent and the cooking, as I have + stated, is attended to by the prisoners themselves, those doing + the cooking receiving payment from the British fund, with the + exception of 150M. weekly allowed for cooks’ wages by the German + authorities. The prisoners are given, if they choose, a + bread-card, and are allowed to purchase extra bread—the + Kriegsbrod, which we all use in Germany and which is quite + palatable—at the price of 55 pfennige a loaf. Food also, as I + have stated, can be purchased in the canteen at prices very much + less than food can be purchased in Berlin, and at very much less + than cost.—[Miscel, No. 3 (1916)]. + +The low price at the canteen, was, however, I take it, owing to the +existence of the camp fund contributed to by the British Government. + +Lord Newton spoke in the House of Lords on February 22, 1917, on the +question of prisoners of war. The following extract is from the _Daily +Telegraph_ report: + + There was nothing to be gained by exaggerating the conditions of + prisoners in Germany or elsewhere. There was neither sense nor + truth in representing, as was constantly done, that Ruhleben was + a sort of unspeakable hell upon earth, and that a British + internment camp was a kind of paradise compared with it. He + deplored the hardship that these men underwent, but it was a + great mistake to suppose that these civilians at Ruhleben were + undergoing greater hardships than those being endured by our + military prisoners. Like anyone who ventured to state the facts, + he would no doubt be accused of being a pro-German, but + certainly the conditions at Ruhleben had greatly improved + recently. These conditions had improved, not on account of any + action on the part of the German Government, but rather on + account of their inaction. They had permitted the British there + to organise on their own lines and make the conditions + tolerable. Anyone could satisfy himself as to the conditions, + because there were men who had arrived here recently who could + give the fullest information. In addition, they were able to + form their own opinions to a certain extent from independent + testimony, for example, the visit of Bishop Bury. He could not + understand why this prelate had been subjected to so much attack + on the part of certain persons in this country. He went to + Germany by permission of the German Government. He went to + Ruhleben, lived in the camp, and was able to see what the + conditions were. He reported exactly what he saw, and was + thereupon denounced as not only being an inaccurate person but + obviously pro-German. + + +ABSENCE ON LEAVE. + +The following private testimony is also of interest: “A nephew of mine +who is interned at Ruhleben has been let out for a fortnight’s visit to +some people whose son is interned in England, and who has been +befriended here. My nephew met with the most overwhelming kindness, and +his letters are most interesting and touching.” The “reprisals of good,” +which we shall consider more fully presently, are, after all, the most +practical measures in the world. There have been several other absences +on leave, and a good many men have been released permanently. Moreover, +at Christmas, 1916, most of the British officials in the camp were given +three days leave in Berlin. + + +PRISONERS’ ACTIVITY. + +We may well be proud of the organising capacity of the British prisoners +at Ruhleben and of the resolute determination of so many to make the +very most of every slender opportunity, and to turn difficulties into a +stimulus for ingenuity. The following is from the _Manchester Guardian_, +February 23, 1916: + + A letter from Mr. Walter Butterworth, dated January 22, and + written from his internment quarters at Ruhleben, Germany, has + been received by the Chairman of the Manchester Art Gallery, Mr. + F. Todd. After a reference to newly added pictures in the + Manchester Gallery and to the death of his friend, Mr. Roger + Oldham, Mr. Butterworth continues: “You will perhaps like to + hear a little about art matters in Ruhleben. We really have some + activity in arts and crafts. A great crowd of musicians are + here, including some composers and many excellently equipped + executants. We have actors in plenty, not without a sprinkling + of professionals. Professors, journalists, and lecturers are our + nearest approximation to workers in the literary field. There is + no stint of craftsmen, who produce very clever work in wood, + metals, etc. With provision tins they make the most astonishing + things, including tackle for our physics and chemical + departments, for weighing, testing, measuring, etc. With only + tins and wire a man made an amazing electrical clock, which has + kept faultless time for over a year. Other men made a handloom + for demonstration purposes, which wove cloth before our eyes at + a meeting of Yorkshiremen, at which I presided. + + Turning to the fine arts of painting and sculpture, I did not + know we had any sculptors until this month, except one clever + young artist who models heads in clay. But this month we have + had a great deal of snow, and two men who have hitherto been + resting came forward, and, like Michael Angelo on a famous + occasion began to model in snow. But our designers and painters + are the most numerous and active (after the musicians). They + have a shed, in which art exhibitions are held periodically. + Many portraits are drawn and a few painted. One artist is just + completing a portrait of me in pastels. There is an endless + outpouring of theatre posters, caricatures, humorous drawings, + skits on the camp, etc.” + +Six students at Ruhleben passed the London University Matriculation +examination in December, 1916. One of them took the Edinburgh papers as +well later on. (_Observer_, August 26, 1917.) These are remarkable +cases, for the strain of prolonged internment seems most of all to +affect the power of concentrated attention. + +The case of another successful student is recorded in the _Daily News_ +of June 2, 1918: + + The distinction—probably unique—of graduating for the degree + of Doctor of Music of Oxford University while a prisoner in + enemy hands has been achieved by Mr. Ernest Macmillan, a young + man with Edinburgh connections. Mr. Macmillan, who is the son of + a clergyman in Toronto, was studying music in Germany when the + war broke out, and since then he has been interned as a civil + prisoner at Ruhleben. His answer to examination papers and his + “exercise” (or composition) were sent from Ruhleben to Oxford. + +That such things are possible at Ruhleben is a great tribute to English +spirit and endurance. We must also not forget that they would clearly be +wholly impossible if the Germans were actually barbarians. + + +A FRIENDLY ENEMY. + +When Bishop Bury during his visit in November, 1915, asked what he might +be allowed to say at Ruhleben, General Friedrich replied: “Please do all +you can to hearten and cheer up your fellow countrymen. Appeal to their +patriotism, speak to their manhood. You and they will have no one +between you. There will be no official of the camp; no one to listen to +you, no one to come between yourself and them. We trust you entirely +with them, and you will understand, I am sure, that we do not wish to +diminish anyone’s sense of nationality who is imprisoned or interned in +Germany.” (“My Visit to Ruhleben,” p. 21.) The words, says Bishop Bury, +“seemed to come straight from the heart of the speaker.” Some readers +will be sceptical; but at least _the words were acted on_. The Bishop +spoke about the armies and the war to the men, and told them of his own +experiences in the war area, “just as I should have told them to my own +countrymen in this country.” At his last address the British flag was +run in on a cord and “God Save the King” was sung. The Bishop had no +time to propose the omission of the second verse, but one is proud to +know that those Englishmen, even amidst their excitement, spontaneously +omitted it. The whole scene revealed what was finest on both sides. +Bishop Bury told the German Staff that at the meeting “we all sang ‘Send +him victorious.’ They smiled indulgently.” + + +WAR TERRORISM. + +A good many more things of a favourable character could be said. +Unfortunately men who speak well of their German captors are accused of +pro-Germanism, and they dare not speak. This is a rather terrible fact, +but it is a fact. As one man said to me: “I have my living to get, and +if my identity could be traced through any account I gave I should be +ruined. My work has already been very materially affected, but in +private conversation I shall continue to speak the truth, come what +may.” War prejudice indeed desires one kind of story only, and +victimises those who give it what it does not want. And so all along the +line suppression begets suppression of the truths most needed to heal +our ills. A woman teacher writes to me: “I think I have a fairly open +mind myself to recognise good deeds of the enemy; but to tell such to my +pupils is another matter, and I fear would be very impolitic seeing that +I depend on my school for my daily bread.” And again the Editor of a +provincial paper writes: “... but when one has to rely on the public +for one’s living one has to think twice before expressing one’s views.” + + +LAST DAYS AT RUHLEBEN. + +Mr. Desmond wrote of the coming of the Revolution at Dülmen (vide p. +61), Mr. Sylvester Leon has told us something of the last days at +Ruhleben (_Herald_, January 4, 1919). “The soldiers are with you,” said +Mr. Powell to the interned men. “For with the triumph of the Revolution, +that friendliness which had existed in the days of the old régime +between the interned and many an individual German soldier now became +general among the military of Ruhleben; the officers had flitted, or had +capitulated to the new order of things with more or less grace; Councils +of soldiers and workmen ruled in the towns of the Fatherland; the era of +Social Democracy was dawning upon Central Europe.... It is but fair to +admit that the Ruhleben Guard acted very loyally in the performance of +their duty. For when they were given the option of returning to their +homes they did not avail themselves of that opportunity, but volunteered +to remain at their posts until the disbandment of the camp. It is of +historic interest to note that the red flag—the symbol of the triumph +of the Revolution—which flew from the flag-pole in the camp, had +formerly done service in the cubicle of one of the interned. It was dyed +red by another of the interned, a doctor of science and a member of our +little camp school, and then given to the soldiers.... The first +impression gained on a visit outside the camp was the terrible +seriousness of the food question. No one who has once seen can ever +forget the sight of the crowds of hungry women and school children +standing outside the gates of Ruhleben, literally besieging the interned +as they passed out.” For it was only the interned who had food to spare. +The Ruhlebenites gave, they had the facts before them. And “the people +of Spandau turned out in force to wish us ‘Godspeed’ on our departure +for home; and the send-off they gave us was astonishing in its +enthusiasm, arresting in its spontaneity, and touching in its obvious +sincerity.” + + +HAVELBERG. + +At Havelberg the camp for civilians had a population of 4,500. Of these +only 372 were British subjects, being men from British India. Mr. Dresel +writes on September 17, 1916: “This camp produces an excellent +impression, the arrangements being unusually hygienic and modern.” +[Miscel. No. 7 (1917), p. 6.] + + +ON BEHALF OF THE CIVILIANS. + +Yet, however excellent the impression may be, an internment camp is a +miserable place.[27] It is, of course, especially miserable for those +whose nature is at all sensitive, and it is surely such men whom we +shall need everywhere if we are to make a less brutal world. Man after +man has gone into internment seeking to employ himself and to make the +best of it. For months, for a year, less often for nearly two years he +has succeeded. But slowly success has dwindled and turned into failure. +The monotony, the sense of oppression, the physical and mental +discomfort, the deadly uselessness of the life—even where to these +things is not added concern for those outside—have made him incapable +of fixed attention, incapable of effort, incapable of rest, alternately +nervous and torpid, fearful, despairing. The “barbed wire disease” has +him in its grip at last. “Another winter interned here,” wrote such a +one, “and I shall need a padded cell.” He had a fine nature and had +struggled hard. But “the people outside do not understand.” Certainly, +there are those who can hold out to the end. I admire and envy them. I +do not think any of us could predict with certainty that we should not +give way. + +There is only one remedy short of stopping the war, and that is the +release of all civilians. Those who wish to remain, either in Germany or +here, should certainly be allowed to do so, and if the police have no +case against them, and if they can support themselves, they should be +set free. Others should be repatriated or sent to neutral countries. The +imprisonment of civilians is against the usage of war, and it is this +fact which gave force to the claim of the German Government that there +should be complete release on both sides. + +I append extracts from a Swiss appeal to the belligerents on behalf of +the civilian prisoners. It was issued in August, 1917, and has already +appeared in _Common Sense_. + + A civilian is not a prisoner of war. + + We gladly acknowledge that the belligerent powers have + effectively lessened the sufferings of the prisoners of war with + an intelligent understanding of their duty; the military + authorities have listened favourably to the proposals of the Red + Cross, and already the soldiers have been spared many + unnecessary sufferings. Humane measures have softened the + captivity of military prisoners. + + In the name of Justice we now address this urgent appeal to the + authorities in the belligerent countries to adopt the same + attitude towards civilian prisoners. + + We have in mind all civil prisoners, for these, almost without + exception, are innocent victims of the war; both those who since + the beginning of the war have been interned, and those others in + the occupied territories who have been isolated, oppressed or + imprisoned, many of them in poor health, women, children, old + men, who are not allowed to join their families in a neutral + land. Our deep compassion and brotherly sympathy are especially + moved on behalf of non-combatants who have been carried away + like herds. + + We pray all belligerents without distinction to hearken to our + appeal; with dread we watch the approach of another war-winter, + bearing, as it must, a fresh succession of distresses, + deprivations and reprisals. Therefore we cannot keep silence.... + Numbers of civilian prisoners have been suffering since the + beginning of the war from the depressing conditions of the + concentration camps.... The civilian took no part in the war, + and in most cases did not even desire it. He should not + therefore be treated as a prisoner of war. + + Belligerent States! We call upon you to exchange all your + civilians now interned.... This exchange must naturally be + effected under certain conditions to be established. Each State + must bind itself not to employ the liberated civilians for + war-work; just as was arranged in the case of military prisoners + who have been repatriated or sent to neutral countries. With + these conditions, no belligerent should refuse to liberate the + civilians so unjustly imprisoned. + + Honour will be theirs who act upon this appeal.... + +The signatories to this appeal are G. Wagnière (Editor of the _Journal +de Genève_), Dr. A. Forel (Professor at Zurich University), Ed. Secrétan +(National Councillor), Benjamin Vallotton, Charles Baudouin (Professor +at the Institut J. J. Rousseau), Ch. Bernard, P. Seidel (Professor at +the Cantonal Technical College, Zürich), A. de Morsier, Ph. Dunant +(Lawyer of Geneva), Paul Moriand (Professor of Medicine at Geneva), and +MM. Blonde and Arcos. + +The Swiss Red Cross has also appealed for the release of all interned +civilians. + +From this side the following private appeal on behalf of all prisoners +has been addressed to the Red Cross at Cologne: + + I feel it incumbent upon me ... to draw your attention to the + acute disappointment that is being caused among the prisoners in + all the camps, and almost equally among their friends outside, + by the delay in repatriation. Every phase in the long series of + public discussions and official negotiations, every hitch, and + every hesitation, has been followed with painful anxiety by + those of us who know what it means for all these thousands of + victims languishing in confinement, and you may be sure, with + much more intensely painful anxiety by the victims themselves, + whose ears are pathetically strained to catch the feeblest echo + of any rumour from the outside world that brings them the + slightest hint of release. For months these poor fellows had + been continually alternating between hope and despair, when the + news of the Hague meeting seemed for large numbers to bring them + definitely, at long last, within measurable distance of the + reality. Knowing therefore as you do, equally well with us, the + mental condition of these men, and the terribly demoralising + effect of long internment, even under the best conditions, you + will realise the deep depression into which they are now being + plunged by all the inexplicable delays in carrying out the terms + of the convention. From every one who comes in contact with them + I gather the same impression, that unless the Gordian knot is + cut and a way is quickly found out of the present impasse, the + most serious results are to be apprehended, as numbers of + prisoners here—and the case can be no better in other + countries—are on the verge of insanity....[28] + + I would put it therefore to you in all earnestness that it is + your duty, as representing humanity, to bring without delay all + the pressure and all the influence you possess to bear upon the + authorities to consider the sufferings of the prisoners and + induce them, if possible, even at the cost of some concessions, + to facilitate from their side the carrying through of this + scheme, in which I can assure you not merely the happiness but + even the life of many men is involved. + + I speak, of course, quite unofficially, and with no other motive + than pure philanthropy, but I may venture to hope that my + representations, though only those of a private individual, will + carry more than ordinary weight, inasmuch as there is perhaps + nobody whose information and experience in these matters are + more real and vital, or entitle him to speak with more + authority. + + Nor do I stand alone, for there are many others with whom I have + worked from the beginning in the same field. All these associate + themselves with me in this appeal, and, like myself, with no + other motive than that of simple humanity. If the time, the + energy, and the money we have all spent so unstintingly to + improve the prisoners’ lot give us any title to be heard, we all + implore you, not only for the sake of the prisoners themselves, + but in the eternal interests of humanity and justice, to do, and + to do quickly whatever you can in furtherance of this object. We + quite understand, of course, that military interests must be + considered, but it is not always possible for those in high + places, with whom such decisions rest, to realise as vividly as + we do all that is at stake in a question of this sort, and that + is why we feel entitled to assume that your advice would not be + without effect, and that being the case, we submit it becomes + your solemn duty to tender it. + +The sufferings of this war are indeed vast beyond all comprehension. Is +not there danger that this very fact may lead us to add to that +suffering without need? + + +“ROTTING AWAY.” + +In a pathetic appeal to be given work the men at one internment camp +here said, “We are simply rotting away.” And others say, “The people +outside do not understand.” Loss, heartache, privation, stagnation, +friction, stupid and malicious gossip, mental and moral +deterioration—“rotting away.” This disintegration of personality, the +gradual rotting of the man’s selfhood, is perhaps, clearly envisaged, as +great a horror as war can bring. It is not the result of deliberate +cruelty, but simply of conditions most of which are inevitable if there +is to be internment at all. + + +A REPORT ON KNOCKALOE. + +The reports available on our own internment camps do not go back beyond +March, 1916.[29] It is perhaps well to remind ourselves that even by +May, 1916, there were still defects. Thus in the American Report of May +18, 1916, on Knockaloe, we read: “The huts are being put in good +weather-proof condition, and are being protected against the wind and +rain by felt and tarred paper.”[30] As to sanitation, “There have been +improvements in the sanitary arrangements since our last visit.” “In the +hospital in Camp IV. there is now being built a recreation room, where +convalescents may sit, which will give more room for the patients; also +a special sink has been provided for washing the hospital utensils, and +new latrines have been installed. They seem to be at work at this +hospital to improve its condition. As Camp IV. has the largest number of +older men interned, this hospital has more patients than others, and +seemed rather crowded at the time of our visit.” “In the isolation +hospital we found only one bath and one tap for all the patients who are +suffering from various sorts of contagious diseases. We took this matter +up with the proper authorities, who assured us that it should have their +attention. The sanitary arrangements in all the hospitals might be +improved, except possibly in Camp I.” “There were complaints about the +hospital treatment, particularly of the care of the eyes, ears and +teeth, for which the interned men claimed that there was not sufficient +opportunity for special treatment.” + +These last complaints are curiously parallel to some made at Ruhleben. +[See Miscel. No. 3 (1916) pp. 3, 15, 16.] + +“There was complaint that there were no shelters for the men while +waiting to receive parcels, nor for outside patients visiting the +doctor. This matter was taken up.” + +“In Camp III. a complaint was made about the difficulty of personal +intercourse between the representatives of the camp and the Commandant. +This had caused dissatisfaction. The men seemed to have confidence in +the new Commandant, but they told us that they had difficulty in +approaching him. We took this matter up with the proper authorities, and +were informed that they would in future have more opportunity for +personal intercourse.” + +The huts for sleeping accommodation “are sectional, being of the regular +War Office pattern, 30 feet by 15 feet, each section holding thirty +men.” This gives us a floor space of 450 square feet for each thirty +men. In that portion of the Ruhleben loft most adversely criticised by +Mr. Gerard the roof slopes from 10 feet at the ridge to a height of +4½ feet only at the sides. The floor space allowed, however, is 10.2 +metres by 12.8 metres, giving us about 1,390 square feet for 64 men, or +651 square feet for thirty men. When all allowance is made for the +lowness of the sides in the rather wide loft (it seems to be more than +30 feet wide), this worst accommodation at Ruhleben seems, as regards +space available, not inferior to that at Knockaloe. Further details +would be needed for a complete comparison. + +The report on Knockaloe is not enthusiastic, but evidently there had +been many improvements, and still more was hoped for from the new +Commandant. “The new Commandant, who has only been there some ten weeks, +seems to have gained the confidence and respect of the interned men. He +seems to be doing all in his power to better the conditions of the camp. +He finds difficulty in getting material, such as tarred paper or felt, +etc., for use on the huts. He told us that he had the matter in hand, +and was giving betterment of the conditions at the camp every +attention.... The whole tone of the camp is much better than it was at +the time of the last visit. (See report of January 8, 1916.) There were +fewer complaints, and the prisoners seemed much more contented.” + + +A BRITISH COMMANDANT. + +It is unfortunate that we cannot “see” the earlier report to which we +are directed. But it is good to know that the new Commandant, Col. F. N. +Panzera, proved to be a Christian gentleman with real sympathy for the +unfortunate men under his charge. Like many other commandants, both here +and in Germany, he did, amidst the various difficulties, what he could. +As he is, alas, now dead, we may perhaps quote the words he addressed to +the men in his care at the Christmas of 1916. It is a strange reflection +that it might have injured his position to quote this fine and simple +message during his life-time. Colonel Panzera wrote: + + I am sorry that the size of the camp prevents my seeing you all, + which I should do if it were smaller and thus possible. It would + be a mockery to wish you a “Happy Christmas,” I am afraid, but I + wish you as happy a one as is possible under the circumstances. + I most earnestly wish you a happier New Year. May the New Year + bring Peace and restore you to all dear to you. I hope that + prosperity and happiness may come to you in the future, and may + in time obliterate the memory of the present period of sadness. + + I should like to take the opportunity of saying how much I + appreciate the general good behaviour of the camps during the + past year. There have been little lapses, as there must always + be in a mixed community of 25,000 people, but on the whole the + conduct has been extremely good, which has been a great help to + those placed over you. Once more I wish you as good a Christmas + as possible and a better New Year. + + +FOOD DIFFICULTIES. + +The food question also becomes increasingly serious in the camps, as it +does in prisons. I confess I feel we ought to ration ourselves very +strictly before we cut down the supplies of our prisoners, criminal or +otherwise. “The reduced diet,” wrote Fenner Brockway of his prison +experiences, “is one of semi-starvation, and every prisoner is becoming +thin and physically weak.” (_Labour Leader_, September 6. 1917.) Those +who care to inquire of the wives of interned men will learn their side +of the case as regards the effect of changed conditions in the camps. +The sad feature is that the increasing rigour comes upon men already +weakened, both physically and mentally, by long confinement. The +original published statement of Sir Edward (now Viscount) Grey [Misc. 7 +(1915), p. 23] no longer obtains. The food is, of course, very +different, and may not be supplemented. + + +TWO KINDS OF RUMOUR AND SOME REALITY. + +I have not cared to quote adverse “unofficial information and rumours,” +either as regards our own or other detention camps. What some adverse +critics say about our own may be read in the _Woman’s Dreadnought_, Vol +III., p. 551. The rather terrible appeal of the Captains at Knockaloe is +also printed on p. 561. It is a letter which is unwise and hysterical. I +do not wonder at its hysteria, and I confess that some things in the +letter hit me rather hard. But, alas, the desperation of the interned +men on either side does not help towards wise judgment, and for that +desperation we are all, in every country, in some measure responsible. +It is best to remember instead the real sympathy that those actually in +touch with prisoners do often feel. Colonel Panzera’s message is clear +evidence of this, and from a private letter I take the following: + + The attitude of prejudice or even hatred towards enemies, + whether prisoners or not, often disappears when men are brought + face to face in the work of an internment camp, for example, and + find that they are very much like each other. An officer of a + certain camp here was taken prisoner and interned for six months + in Germany before he escaped. He says that two or three times + the officers of the camp were changed, and in each case began + with harsh treatment, either the result of official suggestion + or of the general feeling. In each case, after the lapse of a + short time, close acquaintance modified this attitude, and + finally kindly relations and treatment resulted. In the same way + the nurses in a certain hospital here refused to receive or + treat German prisoners until a company of the wounded men + arrived, when the feeling of natural humanity proved too strong, + and they were quite eager to attend to them. At the internment + camps in this country the officers generally speak of the men + under their charge with humanity and respect. + +The following is significant. “In the town near a certain internment +camp of ours much indignation was roused by the story that some of the +interned aliens had set in motion some railway trucks on a sloping +siding, with the intention of allowing them to crash into an arriving +passenger train at the bottom. An English friend of mine happened to +observe the real origin of the story. The trucks _began to move in an +accidental way, and two or three of the aliens nearly lost their own +lives, certainly risked serious accident, in endeavouring to stop the +trucks when they were already moving_.” + +Thus in the quiet neighbourhood of an internment camp a brave deed +becomes by popular passion transformed into something monstrous. What +would this popular imagination do in an invaded district? Its vagaries +must be experienced and studied by any investigator of the atrocities of +war. + +Another example of heroism amongst German prisoners I take from the +_Daily News_ of April 30, 1918. A small boat in which two men were +sailing capsized about 200 yards out from the Leasowe Embankment, +Cheshire. The men, clinging to the bottom of the boat, were being driven +out by the tide when two members of an escort of German prisoners, +Sergeant Phillips and Private Matthews, jumped into the water and with +difficulty brought one man back. One of the German prisoners, named +Bunte, volunteered to go to the rescue of the other man, who was by then +in great danger. The German swam out strongly and brought the man back. + + +AGAINST BITTERNESS. + +I fear that on both sides it is embittered men who will be released from +the civilian internment camps. People do not realise how financial ruin, +harassment, illness and death (to which the harassment may have +contributed) follow in the track of internment. A man is interned, his +wife and family are reduced to a mere pittance, the woman is, it may be, +delicate. She falls ill and dies.[31] And amid such incidents and the +mental strain of the confinement a brooding hatred gradually settles +down upon the souls of these sufferers. Personally, I do not feel one +can expect much favourable memory of the authorities on either side. +Certainly every one who has worked for prisoners is touched by their +gratitude, but the iron has entered into their souls for all that. And +perhaps it is well to remind ourselves that a far larger number of +civilians have been suffering in the internment camps on this side. Let +us not add to their bitterness by unworthy abuse or credulous malice. +Men who, after long confinement for no offence of their own, have tried +to save enemy lives, and find their efforts described as an attempt at +murder, must begin to feel hopeless of justice. Excess of generosity +would be far wiser. The world wants no more missioners of hate. Let us +try to avoiding creating such. + +In our own internment camps there was often, even early in the war, an +atmosphere of depression which one worker said “haunted him for days.” +The following extract is from the letter of an interned man who showed +quite remarkable courage and fought with considerable success against +depression till the end of 1917. “I refuse to give way to depression,” +he wrote. But in 1918 the strain of useless monotony had become too +great, he became physically ill, and how low hope had fallen the letter +itself shows: “You can’t think how good it is to hear you speak with so +much sympathy. I feel sure you understand the dreariness of this life, +the long and fruitless waiting, the nights of anguish—and all the +misery of it, the terrible discontent and the passionate heart +longings.... You don’t know how sore it is sometimes about my heart....” + +Methods that seem to many of us avoidable contribute also to increase +ill-feeling. I take the following from the _Daily News_ of September, +27, 1918: + + Among others, I had my Christmas dinner last year with a German. + At least, his name is German and he was born in Germany. He is + less interested, personally, in those facts than in these, viz., + that he is an international Socialist and a first class + electrical engineer. For four years he has done extremely + responsible work for a large engineering firm with important + contracts from the M. of M. For four years he has had his + liberty within the usual five-mile radius; for four years the + local police have not found the least fault with him. + + Now, thanks to the Northcliffe Intern-them-all-Stunt, he is shut + up in the Isle of Man, and the country has lost the services of + a man who was worth more to us than many Northcliffes. + + From a letter which he wrote recently to an English friend I + have copied the following: + + As a result of the fact that no German paper is permitted + here in the camp, not even those advocating understanding + nor those critical of the German Government, and practically + no English paper hitherto except those abounding in + Hun-talk, there is still a general feeling here towards + “England” exactly the opposite of what these restrictions + are intended to create—a bitterness and a contempt which + exist side by side with the most violent criticism of the + governing clique of Germany, and with anti-capitalistic, + revolutionary sentiment! So I am exerting myself to make + people realise that, however influential, the Northcliffe + and Allied Press is not “England,” and that the best German + papers constantly work for the abatement of hatred and for + genuine reconciliation and co-operation in a League of + Nations. + +I am sorry to say that I fear acts of kindness and fairness will be +largely forgotten by the majority of prisoners on both sides. An +Englishman writes to me of his treatment in Germany: “Consideration was +extended in even greater measure to others, yet not one has opened his +mouth to record it. It makes one loathe one’s fellow-men.” I quote this +because I am sure that neither side must expect fairness of statement +from men so long exposed to so depressing and often petty a constraint. +After all, when we see the war bias of the man who has not suffered at +all, a calm regard for both sides of the case can scarcely be expected +from those who for wasted years have been too often exposed to hardship, +petty tyranny and a kind of barbed annoyance. + + +NEUTRAL CAMPS. + +Even in neutral internment camps, though there the initial hostility is +absent, misery and bitterness may become very great. The following +cable from Rotterdam appeared in the _Daily Telegraph_ of June 13, 1918: + + Interned Britishers here are intensely interested in the + British-German Conference at the Hague, in the hope that it may + result in their repatriation. This is especially the case at + Groningen, where the men of the Royal Naval Division, who have + been interned since October, 1914, are getting desperate. The + June number of the camp magazine had two blank pages, which the + editor explains have been censored out because they contained an + account of the recent “hunger demonstration” and “a moderate + record of the general feeling of the camp.” + +It is in the internment camps everywhere, rather than in the fighting +line, that bitterness sinks into the soul. It will not be remedied by +more bitterness. But if the suffering of these men’s stagnant years +helps to strengthen a universal resolve for peace it will not have been +a useless suffering. And peace means understanding by each of the good +in the other. + + + FOOTNOTES: + + [Footnote 13: Many older men (even those over seventy) were + subsequently interned.] + + [Footnote 14: There were 35,000 Germans in Paris alone in 1870, + but though expelled from the Department of the Seine, they were + not interned.] + + [Footnote 15: This was emphasised by the German authorities. + See, for instance, Israel Cohen, “The Ruhleben Prison Camp,” pp. + 21-24.] + + [Footnote 16: Cf. pp. 216, 218, etc.] + + [Footnote 17: “In this camp, as is usual where civilians are + detained, the atmosphere is one of depression.”—Mr. Jackson on + a civilian camp at Senne, Sept. 11, 1915.] + + [Footnote 18: “Overseer” seems to be a translation of the German + “Obermann,” and represents, I think, the captain of a barrack.] + + [Footnote 19: The second list represents members of the Camp + Committee (see further p. 99).] + + [Footnote 20: “Barrack” is no doubt meant.] + + [Footnote 21: There are a large number of men interned at + Ruhleben who are technically British subjects by reason of their + having been born in British territory of naturalised British + subjects, but who have spent practically all their lives in + Germany.] + + [Footnote 22: Cf. the report on Knockaloe (May, 1916) on p. + 114.] + + [Footnote 23: The original barrack captains were chosen, as an + informant of mine writes, “in a hurry, when things were + chaotic.” Dissatisfaction was felt with their action, or + inaction, and a “Camp Committee” was formed of newly elected + representatives of the different barracks, which was, as it + were, to supervise the captains (overseers). The arrangement was + scarcely likely to work, and did not. The election, moreover, + seems to have been but partial.] + + [Footnote 24: Cf. p. 115.] + + [Footnote 25: One of the difficulties at Newbury was the absence + of light.] + + [Footnote 26: A very useful account of Ruhleben is given by + Israel Cohen in “The Ruhleben Prison Camp.” In reading such + accounts one must always, however, remember that to complete the + picture we ought to be able to read accounts written by interned + German civilians of their experiences on this side. Such a + consideration should be obvious, but in war the obvious and + reasonable are too often vehemently rejected as “unpatriotic”!] + + [Footnote 27: For the mental difference between the civilian and + the military prisoner see page 84.] + + [Footnote 28: Compare the letter written by Oscar Levy, M.D., + from Mürren, Switzerland, which appeared in the _Manchester + Guardian_ of Sept. 4, 1916: “That such grave cases exist the + letters I have been receiving from both sides prove without + doubt.” That was _two years ago_.] + + [Footnote 29: The earlier reports of the International Red Cross + covered very little of this ground. (See footnote, p. 9.)] + + [Footnote 30: Compare Report on Ruhleben, June 3, 1915 (p. 94).] + + [Footnote 31: A case is in my mind where a man lost wife and two + children thus. I shall never forget my task of trying to allay + his misery and his bitterness.] + + + + +III. + +PRISONERS IN PREVIOUS WARS. + +SOME PREVIOUS RECORDS. + + +The suffering of prisoners has been great enough, God knows, yet if we +are to help the future we must try to see even this, amongst the other +terrible facts, in its proper perspective. The imprisonment of resident +enemy nationals has certainly been a most unfortunate step +backwards—unfortunate even if we regard it as inevitable.[32] Yet we +must recognise that far more solicitude has been shown as to prisoners +than was the case in most earlier wars, and this though prisoners have +never been taken on so large a scale, and though there has probably +never been greater embitterment. It will be useful to cite a few +previous records. + + +NAPOLEONIC WARS. + +I quote once more from Dr. Spaight’s work, where much information may be +found in a condensed form. “A hundred years ago, England, while she +prayed in her national liturgy for all prisoners and captives, had no +compunction about confining the French prisoners of war in noisome hulks +and feeding them on weevily biscuits, salt junk and jury rum, which +sowed the seed for a plentiful harvest of scurvy, dysentery and typhus.” +(“War Rights on Land,” p. 265.) + + +AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. + +Here is a description of the state of things in the Confederate +internment camp at Andersonville during the American Civil War, which, +after all, did not happen so very long ago. “Over 30,000 prisoners were +cooped up in a narrow space; there was no shelter from the sun or cold +but what the men could improvise for themselves; every possible disease +was rampant; the prisoners were largely naked; the dead were pitched +into a ditch and covered with quicklime; the smell of the dreadful +stockade extended for two miles.... The state of affairs was known, or +might have been known, at Richmond, for Colonel Chandler, +inspector-general of the Confederate army, inspected the camp, and +reported upon its administration in no halting terms. ‘It is a place,’ +he said, ‘the horrors of which it is difficult to describe—it is a +disgrace to civilisation.’” + +Of the prisoners returning from the South, Whitman writes: “The sight is +worse than any sight of battlefield or any collection of wounded, even +the bloodiest. There was (as a sample) one large boat load of several +hundreds—and out of the whole number only three individuals were able +to walk from the boat. Can those be _men_—those little, livid, brown, +ash-streaked, monkey-looking dwarfs?” (_Cambridge Magazine_, August 26, +1916, Supplement “Prisoners,” p. iv.) In spite of such appalling horrors +(worse than the atrocities of rage and fear and drink) the North and +South became reconciled, and with the passing of war bitterness passed +too. The South was hard pressed, supplies often ran out, and there was +indifference at Richmond. And so the military bullies often got the +upper hand, and their appetite for bullying grew with what it fed on. +The North refused all exchanges. “The prisoners at Richmond, Belle-Isle, +and Andersonville were the pawns in a great match, and had to be +sacrificed to the rigour of the game.” (Spaight, _l.c._, p. 270.) + + +FRANCO-GERMAN WAR, 1870. + +In the Franco-German War of 1870 terrible hardships were endured by +prisoners on both sides. The winter transport to Germany in open trucks +led to scenes of indescribable misery for the French prisoners, who +arrived sometimes “frozen to the boards in their own filth.” German +prisoners at Pau had for six days only bread and water till English and +German ladies took pity on them. Faidherbe’s prisoners had no fire, no +blankets and insufficient food in a cold of sixteen degrees. Things now +are at least better than that. + + +RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR, 1904. + +The Japanese seem to have behaved remarkably well to their Russian +prisoners in the Russo-Japanese War. But even here there was a food +problem. The Japanese food did not suit the Russian soldier, and Sir Ian +Hamilton was told by Russian prisoners going South that they felt hungry +again half an hour after eating their ration of rice. The Japanese have +usually been held up as models for their treatment of prisoners, yet, +for all that, Professor Ariga admits that in Manchuria the prisoners +were _in many cases badly fed, badly housed and insufficiently clothed_. +We know that this involves great misery, suffering and mortality, yet we +are, quite rightly, very far from considering the Japanese as +barbarians. We are ready to consider their difficulties. Were we, +however, fighting Japan, we should not be so ready. + + +BOER WAR. + +There is plenty of evidence of good treatment of prisoners on both sides +during the Boer War. It is in these days strange to find the German +General Staff historian quoted in defence of the British treatment of +prisoners. They behaved, he wrote, “as perfect gentlemen towards the +prisoners.” “The testimony of a responsible writer of this kind,” says +Dr. Spaight, “is more valuable than the catch-penny stories of British +inhumanity which flooded the Press of Europe at the time of the war.” +“One is surprised to find such a writer as M. Arthur Desjardins lending +his authority to back the uninformed newspaper abuse, and ascribing the +brutality of the British Army (which he presumes) to the fact that ‘a +certain number of its soldiers, accustomed to fighting away from Europe, +have not the least notion of the laws and customs of war obtaining among +civilised nations’.” (Spaight, _l.c._, p. 275.) Dr. Spaight’s comments +on such outbursts is: “There was a popular demand [in Europe] at the +time for denunciation of England, the hotter the better, and the writers +were too good journalists not to suit their output to the popular +taste.” I will not spoil the rather rich humour of these extracts by any +remarks of my own. + +Undoubtedly the Boers usually behaved well. Undoubtedly, too, there were +some bad lapses. A Free State commandant was, for instance, convicted of +putting prisoners in the firing line and driving starving prisoners on +foot with a mounted commando. Such things, however, were very far from +being the rule. During the guerilla warfare treatment depended entirely +on the local commandants. The stripping of prisoners before they were +turned adrift was often carried out, “and there is some force in De +Wet’s contention that the seizure was justified by the British practice +of removing or burning all the clothes left in the farms and even taking +the hides out of the tanning tubs and cutting them in pieces.” In some +cases starving, unarmed and practically naked men were abandoned far +from any white settlement. What is and what is not allowable in war +seems so largely a matter of “military necessity” that the layman is +reluctant to comment, for, in the last resort, it is only the +_needlessly_ barbarous that is condemned in war. + + +CONCENTRATION CAMPS. + +On our side, we cannot, I think, contemplate the history of the +concentration camps with equanimity. Let us recall a few of the facts. +The following are amongst the death rates recorded in July, 1901: +Norval’s Pont, 218.4 (per thousand per annum); Bloemfontein, 242.4; +Springfontein, 462.0; Kronstad, 459.6. In June the _average_ death rate +was practically 200 (199.3). In the year ending February, 1902, the +official returns (which are incomplete) show more than 20,000 deaths in +camps with an average total population of about 100,000.[33] Our +accusers said the camps were instituted for the purpose of killing off +the Boer population. The truth is, the feeling against Britain, even +amongst the onlookers, was extremely bitter, and great bitterness does +not make for sane judgment. What is certain is that the camps +illustrated some of the callousness and carelessness which war always +produces. “The sites chosen for the camps were mostly chosen on purely +military grounds, and were often unsuitable; the medical and sanitary +staff was at first insufficient,” writes Dr. Spaight. But, “unsuitable +sites, and insufficient” sanitation may produce terrible results, where +human lives are concerned, and one would not convert an adverse critic +by simply quoting the “_Times_ History” to the effect that “the Boers +themselves proved to be helpless, utterly averse to cleanliness, and +ignorant of the simplest principles of health and sanitation.” The +attempt to shift the chief burden of responsibility on to the prisoners +is surely scarcely chivalrous. Carelessness and ignorance amongst the +prisoners are certain in all such cases to be contributory causes, they +are amongst the difficulties to be combatted, but to suggest that they +should have been permitted to produce such appalling results is to court +derision. Moreover, the chief authority on the subject, Lieut.-Col. +S. J. Thomson, C.I.E., I.M.S., who became Director of Burgher Camps in +February, 1902, by no means supports these charges. “Much has been +said,” he writes, “about the want of personal cleanliness among the +Boers, but it must be remembered that ablutions are apt to be less +frequent and popular when water has to be laboriously brought from +considerable distances, as is often the case with farms on the veldt. +When bathrooms were provided in the camps, they were very freely and +regularly used. Nevertheless it is a fact that the Boer’s notion of +sanitation as understood by Englishmen is very vague, and all classes +resort for purposes of nature to the open country. This custom, probably +innocuous enough under the conditions of existence on an isolated +homestead, made it extremely difficult to maintain the cleanliness of a +camp site, and it was very long before the people could be brought to +see that foul matters and dirty water could not be most satisfactorily +disposed of by the simple process of flinging them out of the tent. It +was found indeed that such proceedings had hopelessly fouled certain +camps, and the removal of the people to a fresh site was followed by the +best results. In a later chapter, the procedure which was found most +successful is described in detail.”[34] In July, 1902, the average death +rate for the Burgher Camps had sunk to 23.0, and it fell afterwards even +lower. + +Tents were, in general, the only housing allowed, and this, though “the +cold in the ‘upper veldt’ country in winter was intense.” (Thomson.) +What were known as _bona fide_ refugees were allowed meat, but those who +had their man on commando were, at first, allowed none. This was +altered, however, in March, 1901. As to the families of this class, +Major Goodwin reported in this month: “I would, therefore, beg +respectfully to here place on record my opinion that had we compelled +class 3 to decide between unprotected starvation on their farms, and at +their homes, or taking up their quarters in or behind the enemy’s lines, +we should have facilitated the work of proselytism.” Thus readily, we +observe, may the starvation of women and children be advocated by an +English Major as an aid to “proselytism.” There were other ways in which +“military necessity” showed itself. A Board of three reported on the +site of Merebank Camp in December, 1901. The President was Surgeon-Gen. +Clery, C.B., and the two members, Col. McCormack, R.A.M.C., and Mr. +Ernest Hill, Health Officer of Natal. “The Board is of opinion that the +site is by no means an ideal site, and has imperfection as regards +elevation, drainage, etc., but do not recommend that the camp should be +removed ... for the following reasons: (1) It is necessary that any camp +should be on a railway line. (2) Purely sanitary arrangements as to site +have to be held subservient to military exigencies. The latter do not +permit the camps being located in the uplands, as military and civil +traffic arrangements make it essential that the main line should not be +further congested,” ... and so on. The Camp had been condemned by the +Ladies’ Commission.[35] + +The view I have given is the view admitted gradually and reluctantly by +officials themselves. Miss Hobhouse gives a rather different account of +things. In the earlier days of the camps, she tells me, the condition of +things might be summarised thus: “Overcrowding (up to sixteen in a +bell-tent)—no water supply—no soap—no beds or bedding—no fuel +supplied—no utensils—barest rations—sanitary staff inefficient or +non-existent.” In “The Brunt of the War” Miss Hobhouse writes on page +118 of Bloemfontein Camp: “My request for soap was met with the reply, +‘Soap is a luxury.’ ... Finally it was requisitioned for, also +forage[36]—more tents—boilers to boil the drinking water—water to be +laid on from the town—and a matron for the camp. Candles, matches, and +such like I did not aspire to. It was about three weeks before the +answer to the requisition came, and in the interim I gave away soap. +Then we advanced a step. Soap was to be given, though so sparingly as to +be almost useless—forage was too precious—brick boilers might be +built—but to lay on a supply of water was negatived, as ‘the price was +prohibitive.’ Later on, after I had visited other camps, and came back +to find people being brought in by the hundred and the population +rapidly doubling, I called repeated attention to the insufficient +sanitary accommodation, and still more to the negligence of the camp +authorities in attending to the latrines. I had seen in other camps that +under proper administrative organisation all could be kept sweet and +clean. But week after week went by, and daily unemptied pails stood till +a late hour in the boiling sun, and the tent homes of the near section +of the camp were rendered unbearable by the resulting effluvia.” + +A sentence at page 120 has a bearing upon other wars and other helpers +of distressed “enemies”:—“It became clear to my astonished mind that +both the censorship and system of espionage were not merely military in +character, but political and almost personal, so that even to feel, much +more to show, sympathy to the people was to render yourself suspect.... +Everyone knows what class of men accept the work which means spying upon +neighbours, and can draw their own conclusions as to the value of such +reports.” + +As regards the food ration it has been seriously contended by others +besides Miss Hobhouse (_e.g._, T. S. Haldane, M.D., F.R.S.), that it was +totally inadequate. Dr. Haldane considered that “nothing but seething +discontent” and “an enormous death-rate” could be expected from the +dietary allowed. (_l.c._ p. 159.) But those who wish to learn more about +this and many other matters should consult Miss Hobhouse’s remarkable +book. + +The truth is, the prisoner’s lot is always hard, and all nations have at +times made it a terrible one. It is only the recognition of brotherhood +that can alter this, and the recognition of brotherhood would end war. + + + FOOTNOTES: + + [Footnote 32: See the full statement, pp. 75 ff.] + + [Footnote 33: See the summary of the official returns given by + Miss Emily Hobhouse on p. 328 of “The Brunt of the War.” The + careful Boer compilation made after the war records the death of + 26,370 women and children—more than four times the mortality + among the Boer combatants. The full details are recorded in the + archives at Pretoria, and it is to these that Miss Hobhouse + refers in the pamphlet containing her speech at the unveiling of + the National Monument at Bloemfontein on “Vrouwen-Dag,” 1913.] + + [Footnote 34: “The Transvaal Burgher Camps,” by Lieut.-Col. + S. J. Thomson.] + + [Footnote 35: The marshy site of Merebank is compared by Miss + Emily Hobhouse to that of the German camp at Wittenberg.] + + [Footnote 36: “‘Forage’ needs explanation,” writes Miss + Hobhouse. “We requisitioned for forage, because, as there was no + milk for the children, we were planning to buy some cows, _if_ + we could secure forage. However, we failed.”] + + + + +IV + +REPRISALS OF GOOD. + + +For the information contained in this chapter I am greatly indebted to +the Friends’ Emergency Committee. Most of it has already appeared in +their leaflets and reports, and in articles in _The Friend_. The +following is a reprint of a letter sent by the Bishop of Winchester to +the _Times_. It appeared in the issue of September 29, 1916: + + + GERMAN WORK FOR PRISONERS. + + Sir,—The following facts, if you can find space for them, will, + I think, be of interest and encouragement amidst all the sorrow + and misery of war. + + The word “reprisals” is often heard in diplomacy and in war; + reprisals are attempted or suggested; or reprisals of cruelty + are condemned, we rejoice to know, by the instinct and + conscience of the nation. These are all reprisals of what is + bad. Rarer, at least on the surface, are reprisals of good. But + here is such a case. + + At the outbreak of the war members of the Society of Friends and + others came together for the purpose of bringing help to those + men and women of enemy nationality in this country upon whom the + war had brought suffering. Their lot was often a pitiable one. + The pull of contrary affections, the unkindness of former + friends, the sudden loss of means of livelihood, the internment + of the men, with its enforced idleness, were some of the + troubles which would have produced despair in many cases had not + the members of this “Emergency Committee” (169, St. Stephen’s + House, Westminster)[37] come to the rescue. They have given + material help to thousands of families, and, above all, brought + the healing touch of human sympathy to the men in the camps and + their wives and children (mostly British-born) left to struggle + on alone outside. + + It was early in the war also that a group of Germans came + together in Berlin and determined to start a similar work. The + news of what was being done by the British Committee soon + reached them and made them increase their efforts. Since then + the two bodies have been in close communication, and each has + endeavoured to see that what is done for “alien enemies” in one + country is promptly repeated in the other. + + Among the recent activities of the Berlin Committee has been the + organising of travelling facilities and hospitality for wives + from other parts of Germany, who are now allowed to visit their + husbands at Ruhleben Camp; and it is now making vigorous efforts + to co-ordinate and increase the work of the various agencies in + Germany that are trying to lighten the lot of the military and + civilian prisoners of war in their camps. At the end of June, I + learn, a meeting in support of this work was held at the house + of Prince Lichnowsky, former Ambassador in London, who returned + specially from the front to preside. Many notable men and women + were present, and a collection of 8,000 marks was made. + + My reasons for writing to you with this information are two. In + the first place, because these Berlin workers are incessantly + spreading, through the German Press and otherwise, news of the + doings of the British Committee, and even in this matter there + should be reprisals. And, secondly, one cannot be too thankful + to be able to put on record instances of that common humanity + which we knew must exist in some quarters even among our + enemies, overleaping national hates and prejudices, and which in + this great work of Dr. Siegmund Schultze and his colleagues is + so active and persistent. The names of several who are diligent + in the work in Germany are those of men personally known to me + in respect and affection; and (whatever their views of war and + of Britain may be—which I do not know) I can feel as sure of + their simple sincerity and good purpose as if they were my own + countrymen. This may be, perhaps, an added excuse for troubling + you.—Yours faithfully, + + EDW. WINTON. + Farnham Castle. Surrey, + September 27. + +The German work is an offshoot of the general work undertaken by the +Enquiry and Assistance Agency for Germans abroad and foreigners in +Germany (_Auskunfts-und Hilfsstelle für Deutsche im Ausland und +Ausländer in Deutschland_). The following is a translation of the appeal +issued by the parent society: + + The war has caused great distress amongst countless Germans in + foreign countries. In helping our countrymen we have to rely + almost exclusively on the benevolence of the societies which + have been for years in co-operation with us in those countries, + especially upon our English and American co-workers in the + religious societies for international friendship. In England, + where great difficulties for German subjects might have been + expected from the exceptional conditions prevailing, a Committee + was formed directly the war broke out, whose object was to + provide support for distressed Germans and Austrians in England; + and already many Germans have told us verbally and in writing of + the valuable help given to them by this Committee. + + In consequence of many requests and complaints we have felt that + it was our duty to interest ourselves in those foreigners who + were in difficulties in Germany. At a time when the German + people, from the highest to the lowest, have joined together in + the consciousness of a stern defence against their enemies, and + are fighting out the great struggle for existence and freedom, + it may well appear to many that it is superfluous to render to + the alien enemies amongst us any more than the most necessary + services. But we have not only to think of those Germans who are + now abroad, not only to remember that those foreigners who are + in need in Germany are for the most part Germany’s best friends + and are bound to us by a thousand ties; besides all this the + task is laid upon us by our own desire to render friendly + service in these times of hatred to those who now find it so + difficult to obtain help. Even in war time, whoever needs our + help is our neighbour, and love of their enemies remains the + distinguishing mark of those who are loyal to our Lord. + + We have accordingly decided to establish a Berlin Enquiry and + Assistance Office to work with the corresponding offices at home + and abroad, especially with the above-mentioned Emergency + Committee in London, the Berne and Stuttgart Peace Bureaux, etc. + We beg for help and gifts, which may be sent to the following + address: Berliner Auskunfts- und Hilfsstelle für Deutsche im + Ausland und Ausländer in Deutschland; communications to be + addressed to Fräulein Dr. Elisabeth Rotten, Berlin No. 18, + Friedenstrasse 60. + + The signatories to this appeal were: Prof. W. Foerster, Ehrich + Gramm (Banker), Dr. Kleineidam (Provost), Eduard de Neufville, + Prof. Rade, Julius Rohrbach (Pastor), Dr. Elisabeth Rotten, Dr. + Alice Solomon, F. Siegmund-Schultze (Pastor), Dr. Spiecker, + Pastor Umfried. + +It is important to note that of the families and others helped by the +Committee, the largest percentage (49) were English. Russians made up +24 per cent, and French 9 per cent. (Dr. Elisabeth Rotten’s circular of +April, 1916.) + +The following documents explain themselves:—Extract from a letter of +Dr. Elisabeth Rotten, dated January 6, 1916. + + In spite of the fact that the numbers of permanent workers in + the office and out of it increase all the time, we have work + here from morning to night, often including holidays. But we do + it gladly, for it is a labour of love. At present our chief work + lies in taking home French children from the occupied territory + of France. In Belgium this work is now nearly discharged, and a + lady has only to go there once more, this month, to fetch the + last batch of children. The French children are not fetched by + our delegates; they travel in the larger trains for civilians, + who are brought from the occupied territory of France, through + Switzerland, back into the unoccupied[38] parts. What we now + have to do is to see that the children who had been left behind, + separated from their parents, are reunited with them as quickly + as possible. The children themselves seldom know where their + parents are, but we have the addresses through working in + conjunction with the International “Feminist” Bureau at + Lausanne. This creates a great deal of correspondence with the + respective authorities. I am glad to be able to add that the + [German] War Office has come forward with sympathy to help us in + this work. + + We have sent large consignments of warm clothing and + food—including honeycake—to the civilian prisoners’ camps at + Ruhleben and Holzminden, to be distributed among those that + received nothing from other sources. French and Russian + civilians are interned at Holzminden. + + German women workers in connection with our Committee in other + parts have also sent Christmas gifts to the camps nearest them. + I enclose extracts from letters from Fräulein Jens, of Hamburg, + and Frau Kirchhoff, of Bremen, which I put at your disposal. The + Berlin Committee of the Women’s Suffrage Union has done the same + for Döberitz, and other Committees in South and West Germany + have also carried out similar work. It is of particular interest + to note that the request that German women might remember the + prisoners of war in such a way came from a German soldier at the + front. The ladies were already planning something of the sort, + and would certainly have done it; but still, such a request, so + heartily and earnestly expressed, is remarkable. + +From Frau Senator Kirchhoff, December 28, 1915: + + The camp at Achim, near Bremen, in the province of Hanover, is + called Etelsen Moor. Frau Schmitt and I finished off everything + in one day, and early on the 23rd we drove out with two large + trunks and three cardboard boxes. Altogether we had collected + 536 marks; 190 went to Frau Feist, 100 marks cash went to the + camp at Etelsen. Our trunks contained 40 flannel shirts and 40 + pairs of pants, 40 pairs of slippers, 32 pairs of socks, + mittens, helmets, scarves, 1,000 cigars, 100 cakes of chocolate, + 25 note-books, 50 pencils, 50 blotters, drawing paper, india + rubber, calendars, etc. Three prisoners—two Belgian and one + Frenchman—came with two wheelbarrows; they were accompanied by + two German non-commissioned officers. The men were exceedingly + pleased: the German soldier said they had long been wishing to + give the men presents and were happy that we had made it + possible for them to do so. Afterwards I received two charming + letters; one from the Commandant, who thanked me very heartily. + They had been able to give every prisoner—chiefly Belgians and + French, but also Russians and one Englishman—a present. He + enclosed a touching, grateful letter from a Belgian prisoner, an + adjutant, and a programme of their Christmas theatricals. I have + seldom been so glad about anything as I am that this has been a + success. + +From Fräulein Jens, December 30, 1915. Work at Hamburg. + + We had altogether about 400 marks, and out of this fund 100 + parcels containing each about 3 marks worth of goods were + purchased and handed over with 100 marks in money—for sick and + needy prisoners—into the care of the camp chaplain. He took the + opportunity of explaining in our presence to three of the camp + “Captains,” an Englishman, a Frenchman and a Russian, the object + of the gift. They were greatly touched and most grateful. The + Englishman thanked us in the name of his country. We were only + sorry that we could not do far, far more, but if even this + little is a seed of corn which may in the future bring forth + thoughts of reconciliation between the nations we shall be + happy. Our presents were given for the New Year, as it is the + custom for English and French to make presents then.... + + +SOME THANKS ON BOTH SIDES. + +The following is from the Prisoners’ Aid Society of the German civilians +interned in Camp III., Knockaloe, Isle of Man. If the English shows +signs of effort, it is an effort of sincerity:— + + To the Emergency Committee for the Assistance of Germans, + Austrians and Hungarians in Distress. + + Dear Madam,—We do not wish to fail to remember at the beginning + of the New Year with gratitude those who, during the past + difficult year, have made it their task to alleviate, wherever + possible, the misery and the most pressing sorrows of such + families who, by their internment as prisoners of war, were + deprived of their bread-winners. When assembled in silent prayer + during the last festive season—the season of Peace and Goodwill + to all mankind—our hearts felt the particular necessity of + expressing our innermost thanks to your Committee for all the + magnanimous acts of brotherly love and relief shown and granted + to the dependents of the interned. + + Whilst we venture to ask you to see in these few lines the + unanimous vote of thanks of all the prisoners of war at + Knockaloe Camp III., and kindly bring it to the notice of those + who in a self-sacrificing manner generously assisted your work + of love, we, the undersigned, respectfully offer our heartfelt + wishes for the New Year. + + P. H. Bernhard, Chairman; Carl Glock, Deputy Chairman; C. P. + Toellner, Treasurer; B. Pflug, Hospital. + +And here we have an extract from a letter of gratitude from some Serbian +prisoners to one of the German Committees. It was despatched by the +Serbian Aid Committee at the camp Frankfurt-am-Oder, on February 22, +1917. “The hundred or so parcels for Serbian Prisoners of War mentioned +in your kind letter of December 20, 1916, came to hand in good time and +in good condition from Switzerland, and were distributed to those who +were in the weakest condition, and those who were most needy. In all +there were 94 parcels, and you have the blessing of 94 human beings, +ill, weak, and altogether deserted by the world. As our former camp +(Halbe b. Berlin) was broken up just at that time and distributed +amongst four other camps, we have only just learned who it was who had +given us such kindly and noble thoughts. We thank you therefore once +more with our whole heart for your great goodness and charity—God will +repay it to you. + +“The gifts (the many good and beautiful things) reached us here in good +time, and were divided amongst Serbians who [were in various camps] and +the remainder we distributed here on Christmas Eve in the camp. You +should have seen the joy of these poor men!... May God only grant a +speedy peace!... While thanking you heartily once again, we beg you to +think of us in the future also.... P.S.—In all the camps belonging to +our group we have a total of 30-40 sick men.” + + +“JOINING HANDS WITH THE ENEMY.” + +The spirit produced by reprisals of good is well shown in the following +extracts from an article in _The Friend_. (April 20, 1917):— + + There have been fresh evidences lately of the response from + Germany to our efforts here, and of the likeness between our + work and that of the Berlin Committee. The animating spirit is + evidently so much the same that a wife left behind in England + wrote to her repatriated husband in Germany, “Just write your + letter and send it to _St. Stephen’s House_ at Berlin, and + they’ll send it for you.” The italics are ours. + + Dr. Rotten wrote March 8: + + “Just a few lines to tell you that a second parcel from Berne + arrived to-day, containing the remainder of the reports about + your work, namely, 25 copies of your Fourth Report and 100 + copies of “A Day at St. Stephen’s House.” We are much pleased to + make these vivid descriptions of your assistance to the Germans + in England accessible to so many, as our experience has taught + us that direct information has a much greater effect than our + own full or abbreviated translations. But we try again and again + with the latter, and at the present moment two different + sketches of our endeavours in England and Germany for mutual + help have been accepted by various papers, so we may hope to be + able to send you a copy before long. Grateful as ever, with + kindest greetings in the name of all.” + + The same idea is carried further in a letter received by one of + our helpers from a personal friend in Germany: + + “Your printed report which came into my hands a few days ago + has made me very happy. I was not surprised, but it only + strengthened my belief in you and in the good of humanity. What + you have done and are still doing brings nearer the goal that + now seems so far off—everlasting peace grounded in respect and + mutual understanding.” + +From Dr. Rotten: + + THE RELATIVES OF MEN IN RUHLEBEN. + + When in April of last year, after repeated applications by us, + regular visits by the wives and children were at last permitted, + the regulations were at first rather strict. The separation of + husband and wife by a table was felt to be a special + hardship.[39] The visits taking a satisfactory course, however, + this was altered in a few weeks, and since then visitors have + been allowed in the camp itself and may walk around and converse + freely with their relatives. Permission was, indeed, soon + extended to mothers and sisters, and also fiancées of those + interned, provided the engagement had taken place before + internment. At the present time wives living in and around + Berlin are allowed to visit once a month, the time permitted + being nominally one hour, but this is fortunately not + interpreted very strictly, so that in actual practice two hours + are often allowed. Wives coming from a distance receive + permission every three months; and it was for a long time a + concern of these women and of their husbands—a concern shared + by us—that these visits had to be made in a single period of + two hours. Over and over again one found that the joy of reunion + after so long a separation was so unnerving that they could + scarcely unburden themselves on a single occasion of all the + important matters reserved for discussion, and that only + afterwards did they remember all that they had intended to say. + We repeatedly made representations on this score in the proper + quarter, appealing for a change in the regulation, and in + December last we had the joy of obtaining permission for the + wives from outside to stay in Berlin for a week and to make two + visits of two hours during this period. In special cases a third + visit might be allowed. All wives coming from a distance, at the + same time as they receive the permit, are instructed by the + Commandant to apply to us in the event of their needing any + advice in respect of accommodation in Berlin. And so we are + visited by many, whose reception in Berlin we either arrange for + at their request in advance, or who, though acquainted with + Berlin, yet come for information. They are so well satisfied + with the conditions of their visits that at the present time + there is no occasion to ask for further concessions. + + + GETTING MEN OUT OF RUHLEBEN. + + Apart from our interest in the repatriation of the “over + forty-fivers,” our principal concern for Ruhleben consists for + the present in finding work outside the camp for the younger + prisoners, for, thanks to the recent decision of the Commandant, + resulting from our repeated applications, such prisoners may + obtain leave of absence provided they find situations. It is, of + course, very difficult for those in the camp to seek situations, + and we are therefore making special efforts to find + opportunities for work, induce employers to engage an alien, and + then conduct negotiations. There are among those desiring to + exchange their forced idleness at Ruhleben for productive work + many who are concerned to remain loyal British subjects. + +The following quotation from Dr. Rotten refers to a specially +interesting intercommunication: + + We are delighted and thankful to see from your letter of January + 31 that an unnamed gentleman in America has sent you the sum of + £400 with instructions to assign half of it to our work for + foreigners in Germany, and saying that the British Government at + once gave their consent to the payment of the amount to us. It + will be a great help to our work and will be conscientiously + used for British subjects and for the subjects of nations allied + with England. For a considerable time our work has been such + that we can take advantage of the relief agencies of other + countries for the assistance of Germans abroad, and for that + reason can apply the means placed at our disposal for the + support of foreigners in Germany only. So our help is now + practically confined to “alien enemies,” because the subjects of + neutral States, should they be in need, can obtain other + assistance, and it is our uppermost wish to relieve those who, + but for us, would perhaps be utterly friendless. It is, + moreover, a great satisfaction and encouragement to us that + outside your and our spheres the community of our work is so + strongly felt that people desire to further the efforts of the + two societies simultaneously. The confidence so kindly felt in + our efforts even abroad incites us to an ever increasing + devotion to our work, to the undertaking of new tasks, and to + the fulfilling of the old ones with more and more care in every + detail. + + +THE SPECTROSCOPE STORY. + +The spectroscope story is a particularly good example of the way +reprisals of good work out. I take the following account from a leaflet +signed W.R.H., and already known to many workers in the cause of +fellowship. + + A spectroscope, I believe, is an instrument which takes a ray of + light and proceeds to spread it abroad. At all events, the + description seems to suit in this case. + + The spectroscope game was started by Bishop Bury. After his + return from his visit to Ruhleben Camp he mentioned in a lecture + that some of the science students interned there were very + anxious to obtain the use of a spectroscope. The report of this + lecture was read by one of the camp visitors of the Friends’ + Emergency Committee, who was a schoolmaster and a scientist. + Moreover, he possessed a spectroscope. So he joined in the game + and played his piece. But instead of trying to send the + instrument to Germany, he wrote to St. Stephen’s House and + suggested that inquiries should be made as to whether any of the + schools in the internment camps in England were in need of such + an apparatus. If so, he would lend his, and ask our friends of + the Berlin Committee for assisting alien enemies to try to do + the same for Ruhleben. It was soon discovered that a group of + men in Douglas Camp would welcome the spectroscope, which was at + once sent them, and the corresponding message written to Berlin. + It was not long before a reply was received telling us, as we + expected, that every effort would be made, as usual, to carry + out such a proposal for reciprocal service to prisoners. + + A little later another player came into the game in the shape of + the German War Office. (There seems to be a War Office player in + every game that takes place in these days.) The German War + Office was reluctant to permit valuable lenses to enter the + internment camp without being quite sure first of all that the + corresponding privilege had been allowed in England. Would we, + therefore, obtain and forward a written certificate from the + Commandant of the camp to say that the instrument had been + allowed. This was soon done, and we next hear that the Berlin + Committee, being unable to find a spectroscope themselves, had + collected the sum of 900 marks for the purchase of one, and has + asked permission for two of the leaders of the “University” of + Ruhleben to be allowed out of camp to inspect instruments before + purchase. This permission seems to have been readily granted, + and Dr. Higgins and Mr. Chadwick met Dr. Rotten, the secretary + of the Berlin Committee, in order to choose the most suitable + apparatus. They finally decided upon one offered by Herr H., the + head of an optical instrument firm. + + At this point the game became specially interesting. Dr. Rotten + was aware that Herr H.’s brother and his family had been closely + in touch with the Emergency Committee, and had received + considerable help in difficult and distressing circumstances. In + recognition of the assistance given to his brother, he at once + offered to lend to the camp, for the period of the war, a + spectrometer and prisms valued together at 1,650 marks. The 900 + marks collected were thus released to be used for other + enterprises. Herr H. also sent a warm message offering to + receive his brother’s children, who had lost their mother during + the war, and to welcome his brother as soon as he was free to + cross to Germany. He also offered to provide him with anything + he might desire to help him pass away the weary hours in camp. + We learnt that the brother had been studying French, and now + wish to take up Spanish, and he has therefore chosen a set of + Spanish instruction books as what he would like best. + + The game still continues. Other well-known scientific firms in + Berlin have been approached and interested in an effort to + provide material for scientific work in Ruhleben, and we have + received a request from Dr. Higgins to follow up an effort he is + making to provide similar assistance for some men at Knockaloe, + about whom he has written to various University professors and + business friends in England. Herr H. has also sent us a list of + nine firms whose principals he is acquainted with, to see if + they also will help in like manner. + + A spectroscope I believe, is an instrument which takes a ray of + light and proceeds to spread it abroad. A fine instrument! + + W.R.H. + +The ray of light is spread by reprisals of good. When the nephew of a +friend of mine was let out from Ruhleben on a fortnight’s leave, and +received “overwhelming kindness” from his German hosts, what was it that +so specially drew out their kindness? The fact that their own son, +interned in this country, has been befriended here. (P. 105.) + + +A BABY CASE VISITOR. + +Yet, in spite of all the efforts of sympathy, suffering, in camp and +out, grows ever greater as the war continues. Here are two short stories +of February, 1915, as reported to the Committee on this side. If, for a +moment we can forget our passions, the sufferings of these, our +fellows, must touch our hearts. Nearly four more years have passed and +we know that greater loneliness and sorrow must have come to these +hearts, as to so many more. + + Our first call is in a horrid little street off Tottenham Court + Road. Four knocks on a very shaky door brings Bertha, the wife + of a German, a ships’ cook, who has never been long enough on + shore to become a naturalised Englishman. Bertha was a servant + for many years before she married, and had collected many + precious possessions, and she and Friedrich had a comfortable + home with plenty of furniture and full of all the useless and + hideous knicknack which apparently make so many people happy. + Only a few remain, for nearly all have “had to go”—the term we + know so well to mean that they are now in pawn, and that it will + probably never be possible to redeem them. When first we visited + them they were living in a basement room where rats made it + difficult for them to sleep, and where, on the many unexpected + calls I paid, I never once found a fire. + + “We are not people wot feel the cold like some, Miss,” they told + me; “and the room’s so small it likely wouldn’t be ’ealthy to + have a fire all day” so the “bit of washing” used to hang on a + string for days and days before it dried, and they did their + “bit of cooking” on a small gas ring. One day I called and found + Friedrich still in bed; he was quite well, he said, “but we take + turns to stay in bed, Miss, for it’s warmer there and you don’t + seem to feel so hungry in bed as when you’re up.” + + They were trying to save something out of a weekly 12s. 6d., + after 6s. had been paid for rent, for the time when Bertha would + have to go into hospital, and to buy some clothes that her + little babe would need. Then _you sent me_, and let me tell her + you would remember her when that time came, and you sent her + flannel and wool to make the little clothes: after that a + shilling a week could be spent on coals, and each time I went + they sent you thanks and blessed you for your love. + + We say good-bye here and go north to Camden Town where we call + on Ludwig and Marie and their five children, the eldest of whom + is six. He is Austrian and she is Irish, and they live in two + rooms for which they pay 8s. 6d. a week. He was a waiter for + thirteen years in a well known London restaurant, and his master + has told him many times he would take him back if only the + public or the newspapers would let him. But _they won’t_. So + Ludwig had nothing to do, and tells me he thinks he shall go + out of his mind sitting in idleness in his miserable + surroundings. Marie has been in hospital, too, and then Ludwig + _had_ plenty to do looking after his four little children alone + for two weeks, and says it was the hardest work he ever had to + do, and is glad his lot in life is not to be a woman! + + The doctor in the hospital told Marie she must have plenty of + milk every day, and we smiled together, for we knew their weekly + income left no margin for milk for her—the children must be fed + first. So _you_ are helping, and Marie has her milk each day, + and she and her babe are growing strong and well again. + +The work done by the Friends’ Emergency Committee, Dr. K. E. Markel and +others on this side, and by Dr. Rotten, Siegmund Schulze, Prof. Stange +and their fellows on the other, is indeed as “a clear flame of truth in +a dark and haunted night.” + + +PROF. STANGE. + +To the great work of Prof. Stange, of Göttingen, I have once or twice +alluded. He directs all the instruction given in the Göttingen camp, +attends daily, gives lectures and superintends the library. He +experienced the usual difficulties of any civilian who tries to practice +Christianity in war-time. “One great German newspaper wrote with +indignation that the prisoners in the Göttingen Camp had as good a time +as if they were at a health resort.” Doubtless this paper, like some +others, contrasted the (rumoured) abominable treatment of German +prisoners by their enemies with the too great indulgence shown to +prisoners in Germany. But Prof. Stange is not abashed. “No internment +camp,” he writes, “can be compared with a ‘holiday resort.’ In spite of +everything that may be done for the prisoners, internment is and remains +always a very hard lot. In the Göttingen camp, too, many a prisoner +needs not only the exertion of his whole strength, but help as well to +make the endurance of his lot physically and spiritually possible.” +Stange is one of those who have learned to envisage the anxieties, the +loneliness, the uncertainty, the ennui of the prisoner, and the terrible +enervation of long months, and, alas, years of confinement. In this, as +in so many circumstances of the war, it is the more sensitive and +developed minds that suffer most, and are most easily destroyed, those +minds that are indispensable in the building of any worthy future. + +Prof. Stange quite frankly acknowledges to a war prejudice against the +English. But when he found their great need of help, his prejudices +melted away, and he soon engaged in helping them too with books classes, +and other means of activity. + +Prof. Stange recognises that such work for enemy prisoners helps towards +better treatment of their own prisoners abroad, but, he adds, “It must +certainly be emphatically stated that we in Göttingen never took up our +work for the prisoners with this object. What compelled us to work was +simply and entirely the great distress and need of the prisoners +themselves.” (P. 36. The extracts are from Prof. Stange’s pamphlet on +Göttingen Camp.) + + +THE LAST RESTING PLACE. + +At last, rest. To many weary hearts it must have become a pitiful +consolation that this at least is sure. “After life’s fitful fever he +sleeps well.” And in that sleep no fevered passion can even “ruffle one +corner of the folded shroud.” At last, rest; where the enmities and the +ambitions are forgotten. In the presence of this stillness of death, +even to the living their disputes seem small. If the mood could endure, +death might not be needed to bring peace. + + +I.—ENGLAND. + +“In a corner of the bonny little churchyard of Frongoch, adjoining the +extended camp, there are two solitary graves. Here, in a strange land, +the land of their captivity, two German prisoner soldiers lie at rest, +as in many a plot of ground in France and Flanders, German and British +lie together, strife hushed in the last sleep. Here there are no grim +sounds and sights of battle, but instead there is all the peace and +beauty of a lovely spring. Immediately beyond the graves a wooded bank +descends to the stream, and over and through the fresh green foliage, +amidst which the birds are happily melodious this bright April morning, +and all around can be seen the mountains of Wales, the ‘land of +freedom.’ Over the grave of one of these liberated captives is a +tombstone erected at the expense of, and engraved by, his fellow +prisoners. It marks the place where Hugo Schröter, Under-Officer of one +of the Crown Prince’s Infantry Regiments, who died on April 9, 1915, as +the result of wounds received in the cause of his country, was laid to +rest by his grateful comrades. + +“The other grave has no stone as yet, but one is being prepared. It is +that of a prisoner who died of consumption, after many months of +lingering suffering in the hospital, where every care was bestowed upon +him. It was in reference to this man that the Chief Officer wrote me: +‘To our regret died last Thursday the patient in the isolation hospital. +If only he could have seen the two beautiful bunches of violets you +sent! The funeral took place yesterday at 10-30. It was an impressive +sight but a very sad one, too.’ + +“My daughter laid a little offering of white flowers on the grave, and +then I photographed them in order to send copies to the families of the +poor men, which I hope may prove little winged messengers of sympathy +and goodwill.” + + W. WHITING. + + +II.—GERMANY. + +“A British officer, of whom one can truly say that he had not been +afraid to speak the truth about his treatment in Germany, and in the +Cologne hospital, was carried to his last resting-place yesterday. + +“It was Captain Wilfred Beckett Birt, of the East Surrey Regiment No. +31, who, on the occasion of the attack in September, 1915, had his thigh +shattered and was taken prisoner. Since January, 1916, he had been +nursed in the fortress hospital, No. 6, situated in the Empress Augusta +School. His chivalrous character and his conscientious impartiality made +him respected and popular with his French and English fellow sufferers +and the German Hospital Staff. Gratefully he acknowledged what the +surgical art of assistant-surgeon Dr. Meyer had done to lessen his +sufferings, and the loving care the German nurses, male and female, had +bestowed on him and his comrades. + +“The great affection in which he was held by friend and foe alike showed +itself in the mourning over his death, which took place a few days ago. +His wound, a short time before, had shown improvement, but the heart was +no longer equal to the terrible strain. Those of his comrades who were +not confined to bed rallied round his coffin yesterday, which had been +put upon a bier in the hospital garden surrounded by flowers and palms. + +“The principal mourners were his countrymen, who were seated on benches +at the foot of the coffin; around it were the French and Belgians, the +German doctors and hospital staff. Large lighted candles stood at the +head of the coffin, which was covered with wreaths decorated with the +English, French, Belgian, and German colours. + +“Garrison Pastor Hartmann, in a moving speech, which went straight to +the heart of the hearers, spoke about the deceased as a chivalrous +fighter for his native land, as a good Christian and a truly noble +character. It was touching to hear the parting hymn sung by the sonorous +voices of the British wounded, accompanied solemnly on the harmonium by +a British performer. All escorted the coffin to the gates. Once outside, +it was reverently lifted on to the funeral car, which German gunners +escorted to the cemetery. Four British and one French officer, as well +as the German doctors who could be spared, followed in motor cars. + +“At the gates of the cemetery, Lieutenant-General Schach, Colonel +Lindemann, as representative of the Governor of the fortress, Major +Esser, Dr. Lamberts, the chief medical officer of the garrison, +deputations of the Officers’ and Medical Corps, the Band of the Reserve +Battalion Pioneer Regiment No. 25, awaited the cortège. + +“Pastor Hartmann spoke again, and, in words which made a deep impression +on all, closed with prayer and benediction. Dr. Rademacher, the Catholic +priest of the garrison, then made a funeral oration in English, +affecting all who heard it. + +“In the name of the hospital staff, Dr. Meyer expressed his heartfelt +sorrow to the British officers present, the band played the hymn, ‘How +gently they rest, those who are with the Lord,’ and, profoundly touched, +Englishmen and Frenchmen shook hands with the clergy and the German +officers. + +“Three handfuls of earth on to the coffin of one who had found eternal +rest, and the mourners dispersed.” _Kölnische Zeitung._ + + + FOOTNOTES: + + [Footnote 37: Now at 27, Chancery Lane, W.C.2.] + + [Footnote 38: Unoccupied, that is, by the Germans.] + + [Footnote 39: Such a regulation is a hardship. It may, however, + prove unavoidable, as in some camps here. Friends of prisoners + are not always wise.] + + + + +V. + +WHAT THE GERMAN MAY BE. + +A WITNESS FROM SERBIA. + + +The following letter may not inappropriately open this section. Dr. Ella +Scarlett-Synge is the daughter of the third Baron Abinger. She has a +long medical experience, and served by Government appointment with Mrs. +Fawcett on the Concentration Camps Commission in the Boer War. Dr. +Scarlett-Synge was present in Serbia during the Austro-German invasion, +she was in Germany afterwards and visited various prisoners’ camps. On +her return she wrote the brief letter which follows. Of her _bona fides_ +there was no doubt, and she had introductions to various editors. Yet +only one daily paper (_The Manchester Guardian_) would publish her +letter. This is a small illustration of the methods of war-time. +Belligerent nations manage to convince themselves that by suppression of +disconcerting evidence one arrives at truth. It is easy to understand, +for all of us who are frank with ourselves know the difficulty of +complete fairness even in ordinary controversy. But the consequences of +arguing for mere victory are in war sometimes as grave and sad as the +consequences of fighting for mere victory. Dr. Synge tells us simply +what she saw: + + Having just returned from Serbia, via Berlin, I have one great + wish, the desire to bring home to my own country the things that + I have seen with my own eyes, and the truths that I have + personally realised. + + After the South African War, I was a doctor in Canada for ten + years and when, during the second year of this war, the call + came from Serbia for doctors, I was one of those responding, + and was stationed by the Serbian Government as Medical Officer + of Health for Batochina and district, where I was in residence + at the time of the German invasion in October, and was with my + wounded men when the German army entered northern Serbia, and + saw the whole campaign. + + Contrary to all my expectations, the conduct of the German army + was excellent in every respect. The men entered no occupied + house without the permission of the owner, they took nothing + without payment or a requisition paper. Never did I ask a German + soldier in vain for half of his bread for a wounded Serbian + soldier. Generally it was all given to me and I cut the portion + and returned half. + + After I had been for some weeks with the German Red Cross + doctors and began to realise how wrong an impression all in + England had concerning our enemies, I decided to ask permission + to go to Germany and see for myself whether equally wrong ideas + existed concerning the treatment of British prisoners in the + detention camps. This permission was accorded me, and I went to + Berlin where I waited a fortnight while the War Office decided + upon the matter. I was then given a long list of camps to choose + from and permitted to go with an officer to inspect and report + upon the same. + + In this short letter I can only say that I was justified in my + belief that all was well with our men, and, as a fine Canadian + sergeant at Giessen said to me (whose regiment I had seen march + out of Vancouver a year ago), “If a man behaves himself, he will + have nothing to complain of.” + + Now, to my sorrow, I am forced to confess that the nations do + not yet incline towards peace, and to my regret I have to state + that Germany’s resources at the present drain will last another + four or five years. Also there is no lack of food, and one may + also say of luxuries in the land. The people are united to fight + as long as England wishes to continue in the useless struggle in + which neither can win, for while we hold the sea, they are + equally powerful on land. I can see that this is going to be a + drawn war, but neither nation has yet had enough. + + The object of this letter is not to encourage a premature peace + which would be ultimately worse than war, but to plead for a + fairer treatment for our foe. Let the truth, and the truth only, + be known. “Let us fight if we must fight—but not with lies.” + + No one, in time of peace, respects the British Press more than I + do. It is the greatest power in the land. And, let me to-day + appeal to that mighty influence for weal or for woe, according + to whether it decides wisely or not, to play the game fairly and + let the same spirit prevail that we have in our great public + schools: “win if you can—but only by fair play.”—I beg to + remain, Yours faithfully, ELLA SCARLETT-SYNGE, M.D., D.P.H. + + Hyde Park Hotel, Knightsbridge. + +Dr. Scarlett-Synge was, at the outset, intensely anti-German. Her +personal experience of Germans (both military and civilian) in war-time +has profoundly modified her views. Dr. Scarlett-Synge went out from +Canada to take over a position as Medical Officer of Health in the north +of Serbia. She had twelve villages under her care, and found the +absolute lack of sanitation or sanitary knowledge in that country very +trying. At the time of the invasion, Dr. Synge was strongly urged to +leave, but decided to stop with her wounded men. Strangely enough the +only soldiers from whom she had to flee were the Serbians. The Serbian +Army in its retreat through Batochina was absolutely drunk, officers as +well as men, and while the soldiers were forcing the doors of the +priest’s house, where Dr. Synge resided, she fled with the priest’s wife +(at the latter’s terror-struck entreaty) through a back window. The +house was rifled by the soldiers, and next day the German patrol +arrived. Dr. Synge was asked by the sergeant to assure the people of +Batochina that if there was no shooting, they would be perfectly safe. +She was urged to collect any firearms, and the patrol then withdrew. The +doctor, with the help of the people, collected 17 rifles. There was, +however, one obstinate Serbian soldier who had apparently not been able +to keep up with the retreat, who threatened to retain his rifle, and +seemed quite capable of endangering the whole population. “Your thumb +needs attention, does it not?” asked the doctor. “Just let me look at +it?” The man opened his hand and she snatched his rifle away. A joyful +crowd accompanied her with the rifle to the dispensary, where it was +locked up. + +Had there been firing by the populace, there would undoubtedly have been +reprisals. Our own action in the Boer War, and the action of the +military in _every_ invasion, illustrates this fundamental rule. As it +was, there was absolutely no destruction and the soldiers were +scrupulously honest. When the owners had fled, their houses and their +cattle were certainly made use of, but whenever the owner was present +the soldiers “were not allowed to touch a single thing.” The exception +proves the rule; Dr. Scarlett-Synge’s hostess had her pig stolen, but a +German soldier caught her an unowned pig of larger size. She was very +pleased with the exchange! + +“May we use your schoolhouse for our wounded?” said the German doctors, +“it seems the best place.” Dr. Scarlett-Synge was amazed. She had +expected anything but this kind of politeness. Only _once_ in her three +months’ experience of the Germans was she treated rudely, and that was +by an extremely anti-English doctor of the Deutsche Kriegshospital No. +58, Belgrade. This particular man corresponded to a certain type of +anti-German here, and a private soldier present afterwards apologised +for his rudeness. + +The Serbians shelled Batochina, and so killed some of their own people. +While the doctor was passing through the streets, some German soldiers +beckoned her to take shelter in a café where they were. This she +ultimately did. “I could not have had more consideration shown me,” she +averred. One little incident is singularly expressive. One of the +Germans had bought a glass of brandy. Dr. Scarlett-Synge, with the +picture of drunken soldiery very vivid in her remembrance, ventured to +remonstrate. She pointed out to the man what the Serbians had become +under the influence of drink. He said nothing, but presently he got up +and threw the brandy out of the door. “There’s not much good in that +stuff, anyway,” he said. It is not surprising that after such +experiences the doctor was puzzled at the ordinary British view of the +German army. “How do you account for these lies?” she asked a Bavarian +soldier. “Ah, without lies there would be no war,” he said. + +In her travels in Germany Dr. Scarlett-Synge experienced uniform +kindness, and brought away with her a deep conviction of the +self-sacrificing patriotism of the German people. “Moreover,” she said, +“I was able to express my views to them, and they were always listened +to with tolerance and courtesy.” + +I give Dr. Scarlett-Synge’s experiences as she describes them. Of her +own honesty and accuracy there can be no question. It may be said, with +reason, that there is another side. Dr. Scarlett-Synge came across the +better German and the better Germany. The important fact is that the +better Germany exists, and that those who have been in Germany since the +war began have found that better element conspicuous. This is much to +say for a country at war. + +In case Dr. Ella Scarlett-Synge’s testimony is thought to need +confirmation, I may add the following from a private letter:—“Dr. A.P. +was interned in Serbia for some months with about thirty other doctors +and nurses. She sent to me over twelve months since saying she would +like to be of some use to German prisoners in this country, as a slight +return for the consideration and kindness shown by Germans and Austrians +whom she had to do with while in Serbia.” + + +A WITNESS FROM FRANCE. + +Madame F. L. Cyon was at Lille when it was taken by the Germans, and +spent some time there nursing during the German occupation. Madame +Cyon’s general experiences are printed in an appendix at the end of this +volume, but she has given me some further details which are worth +recording. I think they will serve to bring out the universal facts of +human nature. From her mother, Madame D—— she heard the particulars of +her father’s arrest. One of the officers who arrested M. D—— was +ungentlemanly and rough, the others were polite. The house was searched. +Later a second military search was made, the officers on that occasion +being most polite, and apologising for the trouble they caused. As he +was leaving, the chief officer said to Mme. D——, “We shall carry away +with us the memory of your house as a house of peace and quietness, and +of you as a very brave woman.” After her husband’s arrest, Madame D—— +asked for permission to take meals to him, and this was accorded without +any demur. One day later the officer just mentioned crossed the street +to speak to her. “I want to bring you some good news,” he said, “the +release of your husband is only a matter of time.” + +M. D—— was at Maubeuge at the time of his arrest. When he and others +were brought back to Maubeuge for trial they got drenched with rain on +the way, and were put for that night in the old prison, which was +dilapidated and without fire. M. D—— complained next day. The officer +to whom he complained apologised and said their imprisonment under these +conditions was entirely a mistake. During most of his imprisonment M. +D—— lived on the food provided, which he described as good, but not +plentiful. Two fellow prisoners complained, and were allowed to get food +from outside. As narrated in the appendix, M. D—— was released when it +was found that there was nothing against him. He had indeed been +indiscreet in order to meet the wishes of another, but that was all. +After his release he was engaged professionally in forwarding the +repairs at Maubeuge, and was repeatedly in touch with the German +authorities, with whom he found it quite possible to work. + +For some time Madame D——’s house had guards posted outside. There was +on one occasion an unpleasant incident with a drunken soldier who came +and demanded wine. A sergeant who came along, however, promptly collared +the man and turned him out. + +It is fair to add that the long German occupation, with its many +requisitions and high-handed interference, has embittered M. D. His +wife, however, remains quite unembittered. In spite of all the demands, +“She seemed to think that, apart from one or two exceptions, the Germans +in occupation behaved very much as any army in such circumstances would +have done. Indeed, she added that when the English arrived, some of them +were so impertinent ... that people thought that they used to get on +better with the Germans.” I have quoted part of the last clause, as it +seems fair to do so. For me it illustrates the general experience that +the _present_ discomfort tends by its vividness to seem greater than +past discomforts which were really equally great. + +One other remark of Mme. D. should be quoted: “I have seen many of the +Germans, their doctors for instance, look after the poor and the sick +with utter devotion.” I have, by request, omitted personal names, except +that of Madame Cyon herself. + +At the occupation of Lille the Germans at once set about extinguishing +fires that had broken out. In order to prevent these spreading, it was +necessary to blow up some houses, and the Germans posted bills telling +the people not to be alarmed at the explosions. When Madame Cyon +returned to England a newspaper-reporter interviewed her. She stipulated +that she must see the manuscript before the interview was published, and +as she found the tone of the manuscript was not hers, she refused to let +it be printed. A later interview with someone else was published in the +same newspaper, in which it was made to appear that the Germans had +deliberately set fire to the town. This Madame Cyon asserts is directly +contrary to the facts. A similar case of exaggeration Madame Cyon +noticed while in the occupied districts. There were all kinds of +dreadful stories as to what went on about the country, and she was told +it would never do to leave Lille. When she did leave, and made her way +to Holland, she found no confirmation of these stories. Travelling was +uncomfortable and tedious, but there was no peril of any kind. + +In the early days of the war there were Belgian refugees at Alexandra +Palace. M. Cyon was a journalist, and took his notebook with him to put +down interesting facts. He wished to confine himself to facts, however, +which not all journalists do. He found the women full of stories about +atrocities, but they were always terrible things that had happened to +_someone else_. The student of war atrocities indeed finds this to be a +very general feature of the stories told. It by no means follows that +atrocities do not occur. Certainly they do, but the number undergoes +extraordinary exaggeration in the excited minds of the people. M. Cyon, +therefore, as a serious observer, asked for one person who could speak +at first hand. One of the refugees, he was told, was a woman whose +little boy had been branded on both cheeks by the Germans. He was +directed to this woman. He asked for her experiences, but she had +nothing startling to tell. “But,” he asked, “was not your little boy +very badly treated by the Germans?” “Little boy!” she exclaimed, in +astonishment, “I have no little boy, I have no son at all.” + +Madame Cyon had various patients at Lille. Her 24 Germans, she told me, +gave her no more trouble than any ordinary patients. She had, however, +four French Moroccan soldiers to nurse, and she describes them as +extremely savage. She was sometimes afraid of them, and of one +especially. + +Madame Cyon was often overworked, and patients are not always +reasonable. One evening she brought her German patients some mutton +stew, and one of the wounded men made a dissatisfied remark about it. +Madame Cyon was feeling very tired and the remark hurt her. She remained +outside in the corridor instead of coming to the men as usual during +their meal. Presently one man who had acted as interpreter came out. +“Madame, you are cross.” “Yes, I am.” “Why are you cross?” “The men have +been well treated, I have done all I could, and now they grumble about +nothing.” The man was very sorry, he went back, and presently all who +could walk came out and apologised. How strangely alike, after all, we +human beings are! But our rulers could never lead us out in armies to +kill each other unless they persuaded us somehow that we only were +wonderfully fine chaps, and the others were brutes. Yet the appeal of +kindness and devotion tells everywhere. So when the German science +student, Albin Claus, mentioned in Madame Cyon’s account (p. 262), found +her much overworked, he said, “You go to sleep, and I will keep watch,” +and he helped in all ways to keep things right. + +“I have since written to the same science student,” writes Madame Cyon; +“before leaving the hospital he asked my address and I his. He told me +he would always be glad to help me in any way, as he knew that I had +five brothers in the French army. At the time one of my brothers was +missing. I wrote to this man, then promoted a Lieutenant, and I had two +letters from him via Switzerland. The correspondence was concerning my +brother, and Lieutenant V. R. Albin Claus did his best to help me, and +spoke in his letters of his stay in hospital 105, thanking me for my +care.” + + +ANOTHER SORT OF WITNESS. + +The soldier on both sides has been told all sorts of horrors about the +enemy. Hatred is recognised as a great weapon of destruction. The +contrast between what the soldier has seen and what he has heard is well +illustrated by a story told by Mr. John Buchan in one of his lectures. A +wounded Scot had said to him, of the Germans, “They’re a bad, black lot, +_but no the men opposite us_. They were a very respectable lot, and +grand fechters.”—_Times_, April 27, 1915. + + +WAR ZONE CHILDREN. + +Under the heading “War Zone Children,” the following paragraph appeared +in the _Westminster Gazette_ of the 30th November, 1915: + +The Society of Friends’ Emergency Committee for Aliens has just received +the following letter from Dr. Elisabeth Rotten, of Berlin (before the +war lecturer at Newnham College, Cambridge), showing that the German +committee for helping alien enemies in distress is not behind similar +committees in this country in looking after the little ones belonging to +enemy countries: + + 30/11/15. + + Before I leave Switzerland, after a short visit, I should like + to write you a few lines. + + I have been ten days in Belgium in order to get permission to + take Belgian and French children home to their parents, who had + left them in the occupied country before the outbreak of war and + were now living in France or in other foreign parts. + + I was also to bring the first little group with me myself. + Others will be fetched during the next weeks by other ladies of + our committee. We spent the night in Frankfurt in the houses of + German ladies, who are already looking forward to their future + little guests. The whole expedition will belong to one of the + pleasantest peace remembrances of the war, and it was a + particular pleasure and benefit to me to see and to experience + personally in the work of my mission, in how many directions and + with what sincerely good and noble intentions the Governor + General endeavours to mitigate personal suffering, and + particularly how he cares for the children who are separated + from their parents. + + I hope soon to write more. The children will now be taken to + their parents by Swiss ladies, and I am on the point of starting + for Frankfurt, where there are many important points to discuss + with the Committee for Advice and Aid in connection with our + common work. + +The last-named committee is a local Frankfort Emergency Committee for +Aliens. + + +A SOLDIER AND THE CHILDREN. + +Here is a German N.C.O. writing in _Vorwärts_ of some experiences in the +Russian occupied territory: + +He describes the poverty of the people, the lack of even such +necessaries of life as salt, boots, etc.; how little children are +running about in the snow with bare feet, and often with no other +garment on them than a shirt. He adds: + + On the whole, however, the children give me great joy, though + also not a little annoyance owing to their importunity. + Fortunately, during my activity in connection with the school + children’s gymnastic society at —— I have gained so much + patience that I never permit myself to lose my temper. While I + am writing this already ten or twelve children have invaded my + room asking for bread. Everyone of them got something. I am now + almost reduced to beggary myself, and whatever I can get hold of + is given to the children, so that they may enjoy themselves. I + got from a friend a few packets of ginger cakes. I gave them all + away, and I do not even know how they tasted. + + And when I show them photographs of my children’s gymnastic + society there is almost a riot. How I wish I could understand + them better! A little girl of 13, who always reminds me of my + own second daughter, has won my heart completely. Every day she + says to me a couple of German words which she has picked up + somewhere: “I don’t know,” “Potatoes without salt are no good,” + “Benzine is dangerous,” and phrases like that. I cannot realise + that these children belong to an enemy nation. I should have + dearly loved to roam about with them through forest and field, + as I used to in Berlin.—(Quoted in the _Daily News_, December + 20, 1915.)[40] + + +THE CHILD IN NO MAN’S LAND. + +The story of the child adopted by the Bedfordshires will be remembered +by many. She was found in a ditch by the men on their way to the +trenches, and was perforce for some time with them there. + + The German trenches were about 150 yards off, and the level, + open space between the two lines wasn’t healthy. No man who + valued his life would go there unnecessarily, or recklessly put + his head above the parapet. One morning, to their horror the + men, through the periscope, saw the child standing above the + trench on the German side. Cries came from the enemy, but they + were not hostile. The sight of the girl, little more than an + infant, has touched their sentimental side, and she had offers + of chocolate and invitations to go and see them. + + After that the girl went over the parapet quite often. She was + as safe in that danger zone as if she had been behind the lines. + No German would harm her, and once she went close up to their + first-line trench.—(_Daily News_, February 17, 1916). + + +AUSTRO-HUNGARIANS IN CETINJE. + +When the Austro-Hungarian troops entered Cetinje there was already +serious famine: + + The children in the streets were begging bread from the passing + soldiers, who shared their tiny brown loaves with the hungry + little children, and the military authorities at the barracks + were besieged from the morning till late in the evening by the + starving population. + + There were some fifty or sixty well-to-do better class families, + who had been in Government positions before, or prominent + business people, who suffered as terribly as their poorer + brethren. Among those who went begging for bread to headquarters + were wives of ex-Ministers and women who were ladies-in-waiting + at the Royal Court only a few weeks previously. For their + children’s sake they were all ready to beg for something to eat. + + It must be admitted that the military authorities put the + soldiers on quarter rations and distributed all the available + food among the suffering population. The bad condition of the + roads and the consequent lack of supplies in the army itself + made it impossible for them to do more.—(_Daily News_, February + 21, 1916.) + + _On quarter rations_—that is worth remembering. + + +NOT ALL BARBARIANS, NOR ALL CHIVALROUS. + +We have all of us heard many stories from our soldier friends. Many +statements and opinions we cannot in these days publish, but some are +allowable. Such as the following: “Some of our men were hung up on the +German barbed wire. We could do nothing to get at them. We saw the +Germans trying to make signs from their trenches and we couldn’t at +first make out what they meant, but presently some of them ventured out +and took in our wounded. I turned to my mate and said, ‘They tell us all +the Germans are barbarians, but that doesn’t look much like it.’ It was +difficult to keep some of our men from firing on the Germans even then.” +The last statement will surprise only those who have not been told the +truth about war. Passion gets the upper hand of humanity, and indeed +reason may support passion, for is not destruction of the enemy one of +the chief aims of war? Shall we spare the enemy when rescuing their +_own_ wounded? By war logic that would be inconceivably foolish. Hence +such incidents as the following: A lieutenant of Hussars wrote on +October 22, 1914, of his work in a loft which he had previously +loopholed. The letter is both frank and generous, and as usual with +soldiers’ letters, without any of the malicious sanctity which so besets +the civilian. The letter was published in the _Times_, November 26, +1914. “When I got up I could see crowds of Germans advancing. I think +they have learnt a lesson from us, for they didn’t advance in masses, +but in extended order like we do. They were jolly good, too.... One +fellow was jolly brave. I saw him carrying back a wounded man on his +back, and it made a very good target. Though we didn’t succeed in +hitting him, he had to drop his man.... We were having jolly good fun.” +One sentence shows how far removed are the ethics of war from the ethics +of peace: “I saw him carrying back a wounded man on his back, _and it +made a very good target_.” + +And here is a case where chivalry was remembered and forgotten. The +extract is from the _Daily News_, May 17, 1916. Most of us may get +similar information privately, but it is wisest to confine oneself to +what has already been published: + + A sergeant on active service writes in the course of a letter on + his experiences: “I got stuck in a trench up to my waist in mud, + and who do you think pulled me out?—only a German about 6ft. + 4in. One of my boys wanted to bayonet him.[41] I said: ‘Drop + that or I shoot you.’ The German said: ‘Sergeant, it is not my + fault—I am only fighting for my country as you are fighting for + yours.’” + + +A GERMAN PRIEST. + +From the _Daily News_, February 17, 1916, I take the following story of +a German priest: + + Then the word came that we were to go for the enemy’s first + line, and we did. Our artillery started the music, and we made + our effort. + + Our lads almost lost their reason for the time being, and + heedless of shells and bullets, mounted the first German + parapet. We killed many of them, but it is fair to say they + didn’t give in. They quickly had reinforcements, and we were + compelled against heavy odds to yield the trench to the enemy. + Angry fighting continued, and our game now was to lure as many + of the Germans towards our lines as possible so that we could + mow them down with our guns. On they came, many hundreds of + them, and as quickly they fell. + + Our fellows got it too, and one little party was absolutely at + the mercy of the enemy. Two of our young officers and five men + were severely wounded and their position was helpless, for it + was impossible to rescue them. Despite our tremendous fire the + Germans, with fixed bayonets, tried to reach the party and their + intention was obvious. They got within a few yards of the + wounded when one of their number sprang in front of them and + flashed a crucifix. “Stop,” he shouted, and then he knelt down + by the side of our men and blessed them. The other Germans + immediately withdrew. + + Then we managed to reach the wounded and our officer thanked the + priest for the brave way in which he had behaved in the face of + his own men. “Take me,” said the priest. “I am your prisoner.” + The officer said he would not do that, but he would see that he + returned to the German lines unharmed. The promise was kept, and + before they parted the priest, falling on his knees, thanked our + officer warmly, adding: “God bless you and good luck!” + + +MUTUAL FEARS. + +Each side fears the barbarity of the other. “Would it be good military +policy,” asked a military official, “to encourage any other idea?” “‘My +comrades were afraid,’ said this German sergeant. ‘They cried out to me +that the Indians would kill their prisoners, and that we should die if +we surrendered. But I said, ‘That is not true, comrades, and is only a +tale. Let us go forward with our hands up.’ So in that way we went, and +the Indian horsemen closed about us, and I spoke to one of them, asking +for mercy for our men, and he was very kind and a gentleman, and we +surrendered to him safely.’ He was glad to be alive, this man from +Wiesbaden. He showed me the portrait of his wife and boy, and cried a +little, saying that the German people did not make the war, but had to +fight for their country when told to fight, like other men.... He waved +his hand back to the woodlands, and remembered the terror of the place +from which he had just come. ‘Over there it was worse than death.’” Yes, +and “If any man were to draw the picture of those things or to tell them +more nakedly than I have told them, because now is not the time, nor +this the place, no man or woman would dare to speak again of war’s +‘glory,’ or of ‘the splendour of war,’ or any of those old lying phrases +which hide the dreadful truth.” (Philip Gibbs in the _Daily Chronicle_, +July 18, 1916.) + + +THE CIVILIAN’S HATE. + +Yet, appalling as modern war is, there are things which some soldiers +find worse. When I spoke to an old friend of mine about a popular print +that disseminates hatred he said, “Whenever I see that paper it makes my +blood run cold.” Yet in one of the charges which that man had faced only +about a quarter of his company came back. That charge was to him less +hideous than some newspaper malice—a malice which is so often a matter +of business. Since then my friend has given his life, and has left in +one heart a desolation that is worse than death. But in that heart there +is no hate, only sympathy for all the sorrow, both on this side and the +other. + +Mr. Frederick Niven tells us the impressions of a wounded soldier who +saw the Zeppelin burned at Cuffley. “What stuck in his mind was the +roars that occurred when the airship took fire and began to come sagging +and flaming down. ‘It reminded me of what I have read of “Thumbs down” +in the arenas of ancient Rome. It was the most terrible thing I have +heard in my life. I’ve heard some cheering at the front, but this was +different. Nothing out there had quite the same horrible sound.’” The +difference can be explained. “These men,” says Mr. Niven, “have seen the +procession of the maimed, grey propping khaki, khaki propping grey, all +trooping down to the dressing station.” (_Daily News_, October 9, 1916.) + +And here is a letter from a brave young officer, since killed. “I +drifted into the —— Parish Church last evening to hear the organ and +the singing. I was pushed into a pew up in the front, and so could not +escape until the end of the service. I could have wept when I heard the +sermon; it was a dreadful medieval picture of Heaven and Hell, and a +dreadful curse on all the German people as being ready for ‘Hell.’ ... +The whole service was as artificial as one could imagine—so heartless +and so soulless. It made me feel so very sad that, as I said before, I +could have wept openly. Do you think that the congregation, a large one, +would take in and believe all that they heard from the pulpit? It seems +too dreadful!” + + +AND CIVILIAN KINDNESS. + +Yet even civilians, even German civilians, do not always hate. + +There is a better Germany, but it is only occasionally that we are +allowed glimpses of it now, and we must go usually among unknown people, +and read unpopular or comparatively obscure publications if we seek a +wider range of vision. In December, 1914, Mrs. Jackson, wife of a golf +professional, returned from Germany to Clacton-on-Sea. Her husband had +been in the employ of the Cologne Golf Club. “Do you think,” she was +asked, “the German hatred of England is general?” “No,” replied Mrs. +Jackson. “Of course, the Germans hate England fiercely as a nation, but +I do not think they do as individuals. Everyone treated us extremely +well, although they knew our nationality, and my husband’s employers are +anxious for him to go back again to them when the war is finished.” +“Does Germany know the truth?” “I do not think so. We could not get any +British newspapers, and only heard the German side of the question. I +was quite thunderstruck when I heard England had joined in, and I am +sure the German people were, too. The Germans are confident of victory, +and so much is this so that some of my friends did not want me to go +back, saying that I should be much safer where I was.” I take this +report from the _Clacton Graphic_ of February 20, 1915. + +Of course, there has been much kindness on this side, and much gratitude +for it in Germany, but I confess that some things I have heard from the +other side have given me twinges of patriotic jealousy. I should like to +feel that my country is always first in generosity. When Chaplain +O’Rorke walked unattended and in khaki through the streets of Burg, +there was no offensive remark.[42] Three English ladies travelling in +Germany in war-time tell me that they never suffered from one unpleasant +word. Miss Littlefair tells of some anti-English demonstrations, but of +far more kindness, and when her unpopular nationality became known in a +railway carriage, there was no change in the friendliness of its +occupants.[43] Again, a Canadian Chaplain has been allowed to travel +free, and in his uniform, and to visit his men in different camps. He +seems to have had no difficulty with the populace. As regards walks on +parole, we hear from Crefeld, “There has been no trouble of any kind +with the inhabitants.”[44] + + +SOME GERMAN NEWSPAPERS AND OTHER GERMAN COMMENTS. + +The _Frankfurter Zeitung_ is one of those German newspapers which has +often at least worked for sanity in the national attitude. We may differ +from some of its conclusions, but we must admire its stand against the +flood of foolish, indiscriminate hate. On February 27, 1915, it asked: +“What sense is there in German professors declaring that they will no +longer collaborate with this or that scientific institution in +England?... Salutations such as the celebrated ‘God punish England’ are +not only fundamentally tasteless and theatrical, but are quite +ridiculous.... We are deep in war, and we have to collect all our +strength to beat our enemies, and especially to subdue our most +dangerous enemy, England; but after the war must follow a peace which +shall render possible calm and assured work. This work must be performed +in conjunction with other peoples which we cannot exterminate.” ... +(Quoted in the _Times_, March 2, 1915.) On April 11, 1915, there +appeared another telling little article, “English and German, according +to Professor Sombart.” The article is quietly ironical over Professor +Sombart, who brings us before the court on the old charge, that we are a +nation of shopkeepers. “The traders’ spirit, that is Englishdom.” I +confess that as an Englishman I have always felt there was an +uncomfortable amount of truth in this sneer. We are surely a somewhat +stodgy, money-making people with far too little receptivity for new +ideas. “I have long thought and preached,” wrote Lord Haldane in the +_Nation_ of August 7, 1915, “that the real problem in this country is +the development of thought and ideas.” Dr. Drill does not in his review +concern himself with this charge. He remarks in passing that it is quite +possible for a tradesman to be a hero and for a minister of war to be a +tradesman, and then goes on to point out the futile absurdity of all +such general charges. He cites an amusing attack on German culture by a +lecturer at Bedford College. “We smile over his attack,” says Dr. Drill. +“May we not be afraid that educated Englishmen do the same about +Professor Sombart?” The review tears the book to tatters, and the +reviewer sums up the opinion of the thoughtful by declaring that the +publication of such a piece of writing at this time of crisis is +altogether scandalous. The course of journalists during this war has so +often been down steep places that we are refreshed whenever we come, +either in England or in Germany, upon so brave a stand for a sane view +of the enemy. Karl Bleibtreu (as quoted in the _Daily News_, July 8, +1915) writes in the _Kölnische Zeitung_, “Such foolish effusions as that +of Professor Sombart’s ‘Traders and Heroes,’ revealing no conception of +the more profound movements of the soul, must be regarded as an error. +The true perception is here blurred by a confusion of the British +private character, which is worthy in every way of the highest respect, +with the State policy which is dominated by a national megalomania.” We +are told that Bleibtreu abuses France. Well, we have known rather +distinguished Englishmen abuse France, too. The _Frankfurter Zeitung_ +has spoken of “the really heroic bravery” of the Black Watch. The +_Kölnische Zeitung_ reproduced a spirited article from the Austrian +_Danzers Armee Zeitung_ in which that paper said the generous thing +about Serbian, Belgian and Russian armies alike. This article also was a +protest against the lower tone which has prevailed by no means only +amongst the newspapers printed in German. The Serbians are spoken of as +“an enemy who can hardly be surpassed in keenness and untiring energy.” +No one has any right, the article says, to abuse the Belgians who had a +right to fight and who fought very well, notwithstanding the notoriously +unmilitary character of their country. Of the Russians we are told, “We +must admit that these armies are well led, excellently equipped, and +splendidly armed.... There have been individual cases of disregard of +the Red Cross, and one hears of occasional plunderings, but, as regards +the majority, it is an honourable and chivalrous enemy that is facing +us.” The love of fair play is after all not confined to Englishmen, or +to the opponents of Germany. + +The _Daily News_ of March 26, 1918, quotes from the _Kölnische Zeitung_, +which writes of the British enemy as “defending himself with +extraordinary determination and bravery.... Our men speak in terms of +the highest praise of the attitude of the enemy. The Englishman is an +extremely brave soldier.” I confess I should be glad to read tributes of +like generosity in certain popular newspapers on this side. The +_Deutsche Tageszeitung_ is also quoted as saying that the British +defended every one of their points of support determinedly and bravely, +giving way only step by step. Again, von Ludendorff (March 27) is quoted +as saying: “The English use and distribute their machine guns very +cleverly,” and there is something out of keeping with the attributed +Ludendorff character in the remark: “The district over which the +offensive has passed is pitiable.” + +On April 4, 1918, the _Daily News_ contained the following under the +heading, “A Respectful Greeting sent per balloon by the Germans”: + + In a dispatch from the front Reuter’s special correspondent says + there is a certain sporting element in the German army, and + relates the following incident: + + During the thick of the first clash a small balloon came + floating down to where our men were making a splendid + resistance. On being captured it was found to be carrying the + following message: “Good old 51st! Sticking it still! Good + luck!” + + The 51st, which is one of the three first divisions to be named + in official communiqués for magnificently opposing the enemy + hordes, is known to be regarded by the Germans as one of our + most formidable corps. + +On April 15 we read of Armentières: “A Berlin semi-official statement +says that despite the ever-increasing pressure of the enveloping troops +the town held out extraordinarily bravely. Only when, by a flank +onslaught of the German troops, envelopment to the west of the town was +almost completed, did the remnant of the brave garrison surrender.” + +And here is a letter from an Englishwoman in Germany (_Nation_, May 15, +1915): “‘Gott strafe England’ is a ‘Spruch’ in great use here, and is to +be had on rubber stamps.... School children are taught it.... This is a +fact, but all the better-thinking people deplore it, and I wonder +whether, if it is ever recorded in history, it will also be recorded +that the Kaiser has now strictly forbidden it. It will die, but +gradually. It is the idea of some silly loud-mouthed ass, and the +people, like sheep, followed it.” Professor Wrangel, a German authority +on pedagogy, urges the avoidance of instilling hatred into the young, +and he tells us that the Bavarian Government has instructed its teachers +to avoid in their lessons all language insulting to the enemy. (_Daily +Chronicle_, June 19, 1915.) In July, 1915, the _Frankfurter Zeitung_ +published a long article on the situation in England, written by a +neutral observer. The London _Daily News_ describes it as giving “on the +whole a fair and conscientious presentation of facts.” The article +points out that the average Englishman regards the war as a war of +defence (just as the average German does). The article warmly praises +England for the way in which it won the loyalty of the Boer Republics. + +In the _Montag_ (the Monday edition of the Berlin _Lokalanzeiger_) Herr +E. Zimmermann stoutly defended actions of both neutrals and enemies that +the more biased in Germany had condemned. “Reproach levelled against +America for supplying war material to our enemies is unjust. Germany +herself, at the Hague Conference, caused the rejection of the proposal +to prohibit the supply of war material to belligerents by neutral +countries. Only the prohibition of supply of war material by the +Governments of neutral States exists, while private industry is free to +act as it likes. So far America, as a State, has supplied no war +material.” In his attitude towards America, says Herr Zimmermann, the +Imperial Chancellor “need take no notice of those ferocious heroes who +take care to keep themselves at a distance from the hail of bullets in +safe retreat....” We know something of those ferocious heroes on this +side too. + +Again, “I cannot share in the political sentimentality which represents +England’s attempt to starve us into submission as an exceedingly mean +thing. I cannot share in it because it would have been a pleasure to me +if I could apply with success the same war tactics to England. We must +not forget that it is not really a question of actually starving to +death tens of millions of men and women, but only of constraining them +to lay down their arms.” + +Sir Edwin Pears writes in the _Sunday Times_ of October 10, 1915: + + The _Frankfurter Zeitung_ has been allowed to publish a + statement which not unfairly represents the situation. It says + that the Greek crisis raises the question: “Who is the stronger? + The King with the General Staff and the great part of the Army, + or Venizelos and the Cabinet who embody the will of the country + as represented in the Chamber?” + +This is a singularly fair and frank statement of the facts of the +crisis, as they at first presented themselves. The _Frankfurter Zeitung_ +is no doubt distinguished for the reasonableness of its outlook, but I +think that anyone reading the better German newspapers must (in the days +when they were available) have felt a little prick of wounded pride when +he compared them with our own. The _Kölnische Zeitung_ is, for instance, +like all belligerent newspapers, ridiculously biased; but in the earlier +days, when I was able to see it, I did not find gross misrepresentation +or absurd hate. The “not very tasteful ‘Gott strafe England’” has given +the English a new word, one writer remarks (Sept. 21, 1915). Naturally, +American testimony favourable to Germany is exclusively quoted, just as +in this country we quoted exclusively that favourable to the Entente. +And some space was given to the utterances of such men as Sven Hedin and +Björn Björnson, who, as neutral observers, had formed a high opinion of +the way that German character was meeting the crisis. There was not, +however, so much of the curious sanctimonious malice which has +disfigured some of the well-known English papers.[45] + + +SCHOOL-BOOKS. + +If children are to be told of the war at all, the central duty of any +teacher should surely be to avoid stimulating those feelings of hatred +which might obscure the chances of future peace. On the whole, the +German school-books I have before me seem to fulfil this duty, or at +least to aim at fulfilling it.[46] There are, of course, many stories of +the achievements and the courage of the German soldiers. All peoples +have dwelt on physical courage in too primitive a way. But these books +scarcely encourage hate. A letter from France tells how German soldiers +tried to help the starving people. The writer is very obviously sincere. +“In one village near our fortifications the people were crying with +hunger. It was woeful. I gave them all the bread I had. The children +were always asking for more, and kissed our hands. That moved us all +greatly. Naturally we told the Commandant.” As a result, twelve women +were allowed to pass through the lines blindfolded to fetch food from +——. This story is not one to encourage hate, and again and again there +are stories of German sympathy with the enemy. + +A sad account of incidents of the Russian invasion begins: “Of course, +not all Russians are barbarians, most of the misdeeds are due to the +Cossacks.” (I could not help on reading this calling to mind some of the +wilder anti-German outbursts. An official in a rather responsible +position said to me that he could not see “a single redeeming feature in +any one of them.” It was a childish outburst, but childishness in a +position of authority becomes cruelty.) A story one German school-book +tells of a wounded Belgian sounds only the note of pity, and there is a +wonderful little picture of a wounded German’s suspicion of a wounded +Russian. The story is finely told, but I cannot reproduce it all here. +The Russian is in pain and thirst, the wounded German hesitates between +suspicion and pity, but pity gets the upper hand, and he crawls with his +water bottle to the Russian. Later, as he lies helpless, his fears are +aroused by seeing the Russian fumble with something in his breast. Is it +a revolver? The wounded German, overstrained with suffering, waits in +terror, but the Russian dies before his hand can bring out what it +sought. When the stretcher bearers come the German asks the leader to +look for the revolver which he feared the Russian was trying to get out. +The leader goes to look. He brings back what the Russian’s dying hand +was seeking. No revolver, but the portrait of his mother. This rebuke of +hatred and suspicion would live in a child’s mind for long. + +The effects of the anti-German outbursts can be traced even in these +books. When an officer finds the Sisters of a nunnery in want, his ready +help is accompanied by the words: “This little kindness is the act of +German barbarians, who refuse all thanks. As long as we are here, each +barbarian soldier will give up a little, so that you may have their +savings every three days, and then you will have plenty.... Enjoy it, +and be as happy as you can.” + + +BELGIUM AND WAR AIMS. + +Professor Martin-Rade of Marburg University is a Protestant Liberal +Theologian and a man well known in his own country on account of his +literary and political activities. He writes as follows in the +_Christliche Welt_, a widely-circulated magazine of which he is the +editor: “I can only deplore the manner in which the Chancellor in his +speech ... has treated the question of neutral countries, for there was +no need for him to have recourse to the proverb, ‘Necessity knows no +law.’ With that proverb I cannot convince these who behold in the +existence of neutral States a triumph of the rights of man. That is why +it is a pity—for which it is hard indeed to make reparation—that the +German Empire should not have abstained altogether, at the very outset, +from the sin ... which it has committed against Belgium. Whoever accuses +my view of being unpatriotic I challenge, by whatever test he likes, to +show that he loves his Fatherland better than I do.” (From a letter in +the _Nation_, November 28, 1914.) + +Again, as early as December, 1914, at a meeting of the Socialist Party +in the Reichstag a resolution was proposed in favour of (_a_) the +evacuation of Belgium, and (_b_) the setting up of plebiscites in +Schleswig and Alsace-Lorraine to determine the future government of +those districts. It was defeated, but twenty four members voted for it. +(_Nation_, January 23, 1915.) To estimate the full value of this we +must try to envisage the state of mind of a nation at war. This is +notoriously difficult. We cannot picture our _own_ state of mind, +because it is obviously impossible at one and the same time to be +intensely moved and to picture this emotion without emotional bias. And +our bias renders us perhaps equally incapable of envisaging the mind of +the enemy. It will be necessary therefore somewhat wilfully to +exaggerate an analogy in order to see how Germans may feel. Let us +conceive, then, twenty-four members of the House of Commons proposing +(in the midst of the war) (_a_) the raising of all blockade restrictions +against neutrals, the evacuation of all neutral territories (whether +Grecian or Persian), and (_b_) the setting up of plebiscites in Ireland, +India and Egypt, to determine the future governments of those districts. +I can imagine somewhat heated or contemptuous treatment of this +comparison. Just so: the Germans are heated too, and they no longer see +clearly. And we must never forget that they have had long training in +obedience to government. There are not wanting English politicians who +would like to see similar training introduced here. It leads however to +the hypnotic response of which Colonel Maude has written interestingly +in his “War and the World’s Life.” The Government in Germany called for +the defence of the Fatherland, the Government declared the invasion of +Belgium as unavoidable. The hypnotic response followed, but at least +twenty-four members of the national legislature woke from the trance and +_thought_. I have attempted in my comparison only to suggest how much +independence, how much cutting of bonds and attachments that thought +required. I press the analogy no further. What is noticeable is that +this thought, voiced so early and unmistakably, has been gaining wider +and wider utterance. It appears that in December, 1914, Herr Haase, +speaking in the Reichstag for the Social Democrats, declared that the +party were unanimously of opinion that the facts which had come to +light since the beginning of the war were not sufficient evidence for +them to adopt the Imperial Chancellor’s view that the violation of the +neutrality of Luxemburg and Belgium was justified by military reasons. +The party had come to the conclusion and had agreed that the violation +of Luxemburg and Belgium must be regarded as a violation of justice. The +above declaration seems to have been suppressed in the German papers. It +reached the _Labour Leader_ from Holland. + + +AGAINST ANNEXATION. + +We have all of us read the celebrated manifesto issued by the National +Executive of the German Social Democratic Party which the _Vorwärts_ was +suppressed for publishing. Let us remind ourselves of a few passages in +that document. It was issued in June, 1915. “When in recent years the +threatening clouds of war gathered on the political horizon, the German +Socialists stood with all their strength up to the last hour, for the +preservation of peace. To the misfortune of the peoples, the Socialists +in all countries were not yet strong enough to hold back the terrible +fate which has come upon Europe. The torch of war flared up sharply and +set the whole world on fire. + +“When the Cossacks of the Tsar passed over the frontiers, plundering and +burning, the German Socialists proved true to the word which their +leaders had given to the German people. They put themselves at the +service of their country and voted the means for its defence.... + +“The Parliamentary Party and the Party Executive have always unanimously +opposed the policy of conquests and of annexations. We raise once more +the sharpest protests against all attempts to secure the annexation of +foreign territories and the violation of the rights of other peoples, +particularly as they have been expressed in the demands of great +Capitalist Federations and in the speeches of leading capitalist +politicians. To make such attempts delays more than ever the peace which +is strongly desired by the whole people. _The people do not want any +annexations. The people want peace._—THE EXECUTIVE OF THE SOCIAL +DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF GERMANY. June 23, 1915, Berlin.” + +When we remember that the Social Democrats of Germany number about four +millions,[47] the importance of this manifesto becomes clearer. It is a +tremendous fact. The loud-voiced threats of crushing, boycott, etc., by +influential sections on this side have been one of the greatest +hindrances to the Social Democrats, and one of the greatest aids to +German militarists. + +We heard much in 1915 of the “annexation split” in Germany. The +Delbrück-Dernburg-Wolff Memorial represented, to my thinking, nothing +strange, or new, or abnormal, but rather the voice of natural and normal +Germany making itself heard again amidst the clamour of foolish hatred +and silly bombast in which present-day crises seem always to involve the +contending nations. “Germany did not enter the war with the idea of +annexation”—thus the Memorial opens. It is easy to scoff at this +statement, because it is always easier in a crisis to be swayed entirely +by bias. Frankly, as regards _Germany_, that is (if this word is to have +any meaning), as regards the mass of the German people, I believe this +statement to be true. Whatever the militarist and commercial schemers +may have contrived, Germany as a whole did not enter the war with the +idea of annexation, but, as the Memorial goes on, “in order to preserve +its existence, threatened by the enemy coalition against its national +unity and its progressive development. In concluding peace, Germany +cannot pursue anything that does not serve these objects.” Who were the +signatories to this Memorial? Amongst the 82 names are those of +Professor Hans Delbrück, Dr. Dernburg (the ex-Minister), Professor +Adolf von Harnack (the theologian and General Director of the Royal +Library at Berlin), Theodore Wolff (Editor of the _Berliner Tageblatt_), +Dr. Oppenheim (who holds an important position in the dye industries), +Carl Permet (Judge of the Berlin Commercial Courts), Prince von +Hatzfeld, Franz von Mendelsohn (President of the Berlin Chamber of +Commerce), Prince Donnersmarck, Count von Leyden (ex-ambassador), Dr. +August Stein (Editor of the _Frankfurter Zeitung_), Major von Parseval +(the designer of the famous airship). These are representative names. +They stand, I think, with the Social Democrats for the real Germany. + +The _Berliner Tageblatt_ has returned again and again to the charge. +Here, for instance, is an extract from an article by Herr Theodore Wolff +as given in the _Daily News_ of February 4, 1916: + + Since August 4, 1914, the Belgian question has been withdrawn + from public discussion, and only the advocates of a boundless + policy of grab are now and again impelled by their temperament + to throw off all restraint. Because these voices are alone + audible, the Paris papers and those Belgian papers which are + published in London are able constantly to din into the ears of + the war-weary Belgians and the world at large that Belgium has + only the choice between the continuation of the war and complete + destruction. In this way, by asserting that in Germany at most + only a few Socialists and pacifists without influence are + opposed to the policy of annexation, they succeed in stifling + again and again any aspiration towards peace. It is therefore + necessary and useful at least to proclaim from time to time that + this assertion, as will be demonstrated on the very first day + when free discussion is allowed, is absolutely incorrect.[48] + + +GERMANY AND CONTRACTS. + +The real German is not simply a brute, though the brute lies perdu in +every civilised man. Mr. Herbert Hoover, formerly Chairman of the +Commission of Relief in Belgium, said, “The German authorities place no +obstruction in the way of relief, and, as far as can be ascertained, not +one loaf of bread or one spoonful of salt supplied by the Relief +Commission has been taken by the Germans.” (_Times_, c. December 6, +1914). + +It has often been said in this country that according to German rules +contracts with enemy subjects are cancelled by the mere fact of war. The +_Kölnische Zeitung_ published a legal opinion disposing of this +statement. No law to this effect exists, and none has been enacted. +“Only the right of enemies to secure enforcement of contracts by means +of legal process has been curtailed. Moreover, the making of payments to +England, France or Russia has been prohibited. But these last-named +prohibitions presuppose the legal validity of the contracts themselves, +since they declare the payments due under them to be merely postponed.” +(_Daily News_, August 20, 1915.) + +An old friend of mine was in process of negotiating patent rights in +Germany for an invention of his at the time that war broke out. He was +allowed to complete the claim to the patent, and it was granted him +after Germany and Britain were at war. + + +“FRIGHTFULNESS.” + +Not every one in Germany is obsessed with a conviction of the efficacy +of “frightfulness.” This is plain from the fact that the _Frankfurter +Zeitung_ published articles from its neutral correspondent in England +which point out that each phase of frightfulness had precisely the +opposite effect of that which was intended. The bombardments of coast +towns, the use of asphyxiating gases, the sinking of the Lusitania all +led, he remarks, to increased recruiting and intensified war feeling. +Each act of frightfulness has of course been represented to the German +public in a very different light from that in which it has been +presented to us,[49] and it is therefore the more striking that so +influential a newspaper should publish such an opinion. When the +Lusitania was sunk, both the _Berliner Tageblatt_ and the _Vorwärts_ +maintained an absolute silence, and these are the two most influential +organs in Berlin. + + +THE BROTHERHOOD OF ENEMIES. + +The soldier’s attitude is often that of Captain Ball, the boy who did +such wonders in the air fight:— + + I attacked two Albatross scouts and crashed them, killing the + pilots. In the end I was brought down, but am quite O.K. Oh, it + was a good fight, and the Huns were fine sports. One tried to + ram me after he was hit, and only missed by inches. Am indeed + looked after by God, but oh! I do get tired of always living to + kill and am really beginning to feel like a murderer. Shall be + so pleased when I have finished. + +Quoted in the _Daily News_, May 7, 1918. Captain Ball has finished the +killing in the only way boys can finish the killing now, for he is dead. +The last words, _Requiescat in pace_, have a new poignancy in days when +children are growing up who have never known peace. + +Yet underneath all the wild recriminations prompted by fear and hate, +there is brotherhood. For at the worst what do all these charges mean? +That a few foolish men without vision have slipped into power and direct +the great beast-machine that kills. That Frankenstein is apt at all +times to wild, primitive cruelty. What may it be when foolish, hard +theorists are its masters? Yet, for all that, the people out of whom +Frankensteins are made are of one flesh, are all brothers, all parts of +the great Life which some call God. Now and then, amidst their fiercest +fighting, this becomes plain. It sometimes seems as if the main concern +of rulers were to prevent any permanent realisation of this truth; for +if the peoples should realise their oneness, war would cease, and there +is nothing that stops awkward questions as war does. Yet some day these +awkward questions will be asked again, I hope, and Hans and Jack and +François and Ivan may come to realise their brotherhood. Let us remind +ourselves how now and then they can realise this even in war. “Who will +not recall in this connection,” writes Prince Eugéne Troubetzky in the +_Hibbert_ (July, 1915), “the touching description of the Christmas +festival in the trenches, when the Germans, hearing the English singing +their hymns, went out to meet them and heartily shook their enemies by +the hand? Similar scenes have occurred more than once between the +Russians and the Germans. At the present moment there lies before me the +letter of a Russian soldier which refers to them: ‘What I am going to +tell you,’ he says, ‘is a true miracle.’ The ‘miracle’ which had so +appealed to his imagination was that, during an armistice, there were +‘handshakes and hearty acclamations on both sides, to which no +description could do justice.’ ... From the very heart of war there +issues this mighty protest of life against the destructive force of +death. But whenever life asserts itself, its object is always to +re-establish a living unity. The more violently unity is threatened by +war, or by the mutual hate which would tear it asunder, the more +powerful becomes the answer of this spiritual force in its effort to +re-establish the integrity of mankind. In this we have the explanation +of a fact, which at first sight seems incredible, that in time of war +the perception of the universal solidarity of mankind reaches a degree +of elevation which would hardly be possible in time of peace.” + +“On Christmas Eve,” writes a member of the London Rifle Brigade, “the +Germans burned coloured lights and candles along the top of their +trenches, and on Christmas Day a football match was played between them +and us in front of the trench. They even allowed us to bury all our dead +lying in front, and some of them, with hats in hand, brought in some of +our dead officers from behind their trench, so that we could bury them +decently. They were really magnificent in the whole thing, and jolly +good sorts. I have now a very different opinion of the German. Both +sides have started the firing, and are already enemies again. Strange it +all seems, doesn’t it?” (_Nation_, January 2, 1915.) + +“These Germans were enduring the same hardships, and the same squalor. +There was only pity for them and a sense of comradeship, as of men +forced by the cruel gods to be tortured by fate. This sense of +comradeship reached strange lengths at Christmas, and on other days. +Truces were established and men who had been engaged in trying to kill +each other came out of opposite trenches and fraternised. They took +photographs of mixed groups of Germans and English, arm-in-arm. They +exchanged cigarettes, and patted each other on the shoulder, and cursed +the war.... The war had become the most tragic farce in the world. The +frightful senselessness of it was apparent when the enemies of two +nations fighting to the death stood in the grey mist together and liked +each other. They did not want to kill each other, these Saxons of the +same race and blood, so like each other in physical appearance, and with +the same human qualities.... The monstrous absurdity of war, this +devil’s jest, stood revealed nakedly by those little groups of men +standing together in the mists of Flanders.... It became so apparent +that army orders had to be issued stopping such truces.” + +It is only by artificial stimulus, by artificially made ignorance, that +war can be kept going in these days. By which I do not mean to imply +that commanders and leaders are wilfully cruel men; but the leaders on +each side are afraid lest _their_ men should give up fighting first. To +be the first to acknowledge brotherhood seems like being the first to +give in, and actually does foreshadow serious dangers. And yet the time +will come when we shall have to face danger for the sake of brotherhood, +as we do now for the sake of self-assertion. The orders to avoid +friendship with the enemy were, even in these circumstances, not always +obeyed. “For months after German and British soldiers in neighbouring +trenches fixed up secret treaties by which they fired at fixed targets +at stated periods to keep up appearances and then strolled about in +safety, sure of each other’s loyalty.” (Gibbs, “The Soul of the War,” p. +351.) Prisoners were sent back to their own trenches, and sometimes went +with great reluctance. + + +WOUNDED. + +“He told me how on the night he had his own wound French and German +soldiers talked together by light of the moon, which shed its pale light +upon all those prostrate men, making their faces look very white. He +heard the murmurs of their voices about him, and the groans of the +dying, rising to hideous anguish as men were tortured by ghastly wounds +and broken limbs. In that night enmity was forgotten by those who had +fought like beasts and now lay together. A French soldier gave his +water-bottle to a German officer who was crying out with thirst. The +German sipped a little and then kissed the hand of the man who had been +his enemy. ‘There will be no war on the other side,’ he said. Another +Frenchman—who came from Montmartre—found lying within a yard of him a +Luxembourgeois whom he had known as his _chasseur_ in a big hotel in +Paris. The young German wept to see his old acquaintance. ‘It is +stupid,’ he said, ‘this war. You and I were happy when we were good +friends in Paris. Why should we have been made to fight with each +other?’ He died with his arms round the neck of the soldier, who told +me the story unashamed of his own tears.” (Gibbs, l.c. p. 282) “At one +spot where there had been a fierce hand-to-hand fight, there were +indications that the combatants when wounded had shared their water +bottles.” (_Sheffield Telegraph_, November 14, 1914.) + +The following letter must not be forgotten. It was found at the side of +a dead French cavalry officer: “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 is 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 endeavouring to +staunch my wound with an anti-septic 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 suffering 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 suppose the others did, why we had +fought each other at all....” (_Daily Citizen_, December 21, 1914. +Quoted in Edward Carpenter’s “The Healing of Nations,” p. 261.) + + +MORE CHRISTMAS INCIDENTS. + +Let us take one or two more of the Christmas experiences as quoted by +Mr. Edward Carpenter, in his book, “The Healing of Nations”: “Last night +(Christmas Eve) was the weirdest stunt I have ever seen. All day the +Germans had been sniping industriously, with some success, but after +sunset they started singing, and we replied with carols. Then they +shouted, ‘Happy Christmas!’ to us, and some of us replied in German. It +was a topping moonlight night, and we carried on long conversations, and +kept singing to each other and cheering. Later they asked us to send one +man out to the middle, between the trenches, with a cake, and they would +give us a bottle of wine. Hunt went out, and five of them came out and +gave him the wine, cigarettes and cigars. After that you could hear them +for a long time calling from half-way, ‘Englishman, kom hier.’ So one or +two more of our chaps went out and exchanged cigarettes, etc., and they +all seemed decent fellows.” + +Again. “We had quite a sing-song last night (Christmas Eve). The Germans +gave a song, and then our chaps gave them one in return. A German that +could speak English, and some others, came right up to our trenches, and +we gave them cigarettes and papers to read, as they never get any news, +and then we let them walk back to their own trenches. Then our chaps +went over to their trenches, and they let them come back all right. +About five o’clock on Christmas Eve one of them shouted across and told +us that if we did not fire on them they would not open fire on us, and +so the officers agreed. About twenty of them came up all at once and +started chatting away to our chaps like old chums, and neither side +attempted to shoot.” Another soldier relates how his comrades and the +Saxons opposed to them sang and shouted to each other through the night. +He goes on, “When daylight came, two of our fellows, at the invitation +of the enemy, left the trenches, met half-way and drank together. That +completed it. They said they would not fire, if we did not; so after +that we strolled about talking to each other.” + +On Christmas morning, elsewhere. “We mixed together, played +mouth-organs and took part in dances. My word! The Germans can’t half +sing part songs! We exchanged addresses and souvenirs, and when the time +came we shook hands and saluted each other, returning to our trenches. I +went up into the trenches on Christmas night. One wouldn’t have thought +there was a war going on. All day our soldiers and the Germans were +talking and singing half-way between the opposing trenches. The space +was filled with English and Germans handing one another cigars. At night +we sang carols.” Another records how souvenirs and food were exchanged, +and how jollification and football were indulged in with the Germans. +But “next day we got an order that all communication and friendly +intercourse must cease.” The Germans had said frankly they were tired of +the war, the English soldiers wished to be their friends, but far away +were a few elderly men who wanted the fighting to go on. + +Into what depths the need of exacerbating hate may lead one is shown by +the following extract from a telegram headed, “British Headquarters, +France,” which I take from the _Daily News_ of December 23, 1915: + + No doubt the Bosches will have plenty of Christmas trees, as + they did last year, but, without attaching too much credence to + the reports of an increasing difficulty in maintaining their + rations. I think it is quite safe to say that they will fare + very much more frugally than our own men. But may not their own + consciousness of the fact result in an outburst of “strafing?” + The principle that the next best thing to not getting well + served yourself is to spoil the other fellow’s enjoyment is a + good sound Hunnish axiom. There will certainly be no amenities + nor anything in the nature of a truce so far as the British are + concerned. All ranks are bidden to remember that war is war and + that the Germans invariably have some sinister motive in all + they do, especially under the guise of a gush of friendly + sentiment.—Reuter. + +The last sentences must surely, in any generous heart (if the moral +destruction of war has left us such), produce a feeling of acute shame. +In all the multitude of truces that occurred at Christmas, 1914, I have +not seen a single case of German treachery reported. What is it that is +feared in the truce? “In some places,” said a German officer, “we have +had to change our men several times. They get too damn friendly.”[50] +“If we don’t take care,” said an English officer that Christmas, “there +will be a permanent peace without generals or c.o.’s having a say in the +matter.” Is that thought really more terrible than the thought of +unnumbered shattered bodies and hopeless hearts? + +How ineffectual so far are all European attempts at democracy! Carlyle’s +satire about the thirty men of Dumdrudge called out, they know not why, +to kill thirty men from a Dumdrudge elsewhere is not referred to in +these days; but it still expresses the essential absurdity of wars. + +Here is an extract from the _Labour Leader_ of August 19, 1915: + + My friend must not be identified. But here is an incident he + told me I can safely relate. During the unauthorised Christmas + truce of eight months ago so chummy did a British officer and a + Saxon officer become that the Saxon officer gave his enemy “an + invitation to visit him in Germany at the end of the war,” and + “stay as long as you like,” he added. The British officer is + still carrying the address in his pocket in the hope that one + day he may be able to accept the invitation. + +The _Labour Leader_ is much disliked by the orthodox of England, as is +the _Vorwärts_ by the orthodox of Germany. It seems to me that both may +be rendering a fine service to the cause of humanity, and one may surely +say this without implying complete agreement with the opinions or the +policy of either. + + +WOUNDED ENEMIES. + +Writing home to his mother in Somerset, a member of the R.A.M.C. says: +“You will find inside a German button for a souvenir. It was given me +by a wounded German prisoner. After he had had his wound dressed, he +pointed to his buttons and made signs for me to cut one off. He hardly +knew how to thank us after he had finished his tea, and his eyes gleamed +with gratitude as he looked around at us.” (_Daily News_, August 26, +1915.) + +From a private letter: “The following is first hand, and of interest. +Dr. S. lectures on first aid to C.’s squad. During the course of a +lecture on the heart he referred to a visit paid to the local hospital. +In the hospital was a man who had been a prisoner in Germany. Dr. S. +asked the man about his treatment. In the course of the talk the man +said that if he had his choice he would prefer to be in a German +hospital! Dr. S. smiled when he related this. ‘This is not the kind of +statement,’ he said, ‘that is published in the newspapers!’” + +There comes into my mind the photograph of a British prisoner in a +German camp. The boy’s mother was delighted to see him looking so well. +The photograph was the more striking as the lad was wounded in the +stomach at the time he was taken prisoner. + +From a private letter: “My nephew was in the Canadians and was wounded +in the spine in a recent advance.... He was brought back to London, +where I saw him, and he died in hospital shortly after. He told me +himself all about it. He lay for several hours after being wounded, +unable of course to move. When the ambulance came up, the stretcher +bearers were Germans—prisoners of war. They saw he was cold and took +off their own coats and wrapped him up. All the while they were under +fire from the British guns.[51] One of them was wounded in the arm by +shrapnel as they were carrying him, but he kept his hold. He called to +his mate to let down the stretcher, but till it was on the ground, he +never flinched. My nephew knew what this meant, and as he thought of +what had been done for him by an ‘enemy’ his face lighted up, as he +said, ‘That man is a hero!’ And he added, ‘We don’t feel hard towards +them at the front.’” + +Again, a wounded soldier who had been prisoner in Germany says: “I could +not have been better treated, and I know ninety companions who say the +same. But this is not the sort of story the newspapers want.” People +very generally do not like to hear good of an enemy. In war-time this +very human objection may become an important cause of continued strife. +(cf., p. 108.) + +In the following, Philip Gibbs tells of a German doctor who tended +friend and foe alike. “A number of Germans ... —about 250 of +them—stayed in the dug-outs, without food and water, while our shells +made a fury above them and smashed up the ground. They had a German +doctor there, a giant of a man with a great heart, who had put his +first-aid dressing station in the second line trench, and attended to +the wounds of the men until our bombardment intensified so that no man +could live there. + +“He took the wounded down to a dug-out—those who had not been carried +back—and stayed there expecting death. But then, as he told me to-day, +at about eleven o’clock this morning the shells ceased to scream and +roar above-ground, and after a sudden silence he heard the noise of +British troops. He went up to the entrance of his dug-out and said to +some English soldiers who came up with fixed bayonets, ‘My friends, I +surrender.’ Afterwards he helped to tend our own wounded, and did very +good work for us under the fire of his own guns, which had now turned +upon this position.” (_Daily Chronicle_, July 5, 1916.) + +It must be easy to tell bad stories of every furious fight, but the +right spirit is surely that shown by Mr. Gibbs in another despatch +(_Daily Chronicle_, July 7, 1916): “The enemy behaved well, I am told, +to our wounded men at some parts of the line, and helped them over the +parapets. This makes us loth to tell other stories not so good.” + +Again, on July 21, 1916: “It was the turn of the stretcher-bearers, and +they worked with great courage. And here one must pay a tribute to the +enemy. ‘We had white men against us,’ said one of the officers, ‘and +they let us get in our wounded without hindrance as soon as the fight +was over.’” + +“‘This war!’ said a German doctor, ‘We go on killing each other to no +purpose.’” (_Daily Chronicle_, July 5, 1916.) + +And on this side: + + The wife of a petty officer described to me the arrival of the + first batch of wounded. It happened that these were chiefly + Germans. “I thought I wouldn’t care so long as I didn’t see our + poor boys carried up,” she said, “but when I saw them, Germans + or not, I couldn’t help crying.” I gathered that the sight of + the sufferers swept away every feeling but sympathy amongst the + onlookers. She told me of the funerals to the little churchyard + outside the barracks, and of the “loneliness” of the dead + Germans. She had wept by those nameless graves, thinking of + those that belonged to these strangers.—Louie Bennett in the + _Labour Leader_. + +I remember a Cockney boy of fifteen telling me how at Southend he had +gone for fun to see wounded Germans brought ashore. But the fun died out +in his heart at the reality, and he ran away. + +The little incident I will next mention has special charm because of the +beautiful spirit shown by every one concerned. A wounded German, Albert +Dill, lay in hospital here. He was asked by a visitor if there was +anything that he specially wished for. He answered. “Flowers for the +dear English nurse, more than anything else.” The flowers were sent and +his letter of gratitude is touching. There were far more than he +expected, he said, and his joy was the greater. “The pleasure of the +nurses and the doctors too was great when they saw this rich gift of +flowers (diese reiche Blumenspende).... This day will often remind me of +the good and self-sacrificing nursing that I have had here in this +hospital.” And the “dear English nurse” writes: “The flowers you sent at +the request of Albert Dill were indeed most beautiful.... I have been +nursing the German patients for a considerable time, and their gratitude +has always been most marked. We sincerely hope that while carrying out +our duties we have been able to relieve their sufferings, and have +perhaps helped them to bear the misfortunes of war a little more +patiently.” This little incident is surely the greatest of victories, +for it is a victory of the spirit. + +Nurse Kathleen Cambridge, who was near Mons at the time of the British +retreat, spoke as follows of some of her experiences (_Daily News_, +January 8, 1916): + + After the battle I was very pleased to be of assistance to the + wounded, for whom my mother and I had arranged an ambulance. It + was at four o’clock that I saw the first party of British + prisoners being marched through from Mons to Brussels. A halt + was called just outside the Chateau. The Germans were very kind + at that time and offered their prisoners cigarettes and gave + them water from their bottles. + + Two men, exhausted by terrible wounds, dropped into the ditch. + The baron went off to ask if we could be of assistance, and the + German doctor told him that he would be grateful for any help, + as he had to get on to Brussels and could not wait. The two men + were brought into the chateau. We did all we could for them, and + gradually, after some weeks, they recovered. + +Neglect and honourable conduct are both recorded in the next cutting +from the _Manchester Guardian_ (September 17, 1917). + + A Scotsman wounded at La Bassée had lain for eight days in a + German dug-out which our troops had captured and from which they + had been driven. One party of Germans peering into the darkness + had bombed him, and added one or two slight wounds to the + twenty-two he already possessed. He managed to signal to the + second bombing party some days later, and was carried away to + the field hospital, where hundreds of wounded Germans were + lying. Here he was found by a young German engineer who had + spent years in Glasgow and Liverpool. “Hullo, Jock,” the man + said kindly, “pretty bad, aren’t you? I’ll fetch a doctor for + you.” + + He did so, and the wounds were roughly dressed. Nothing more was + done for eight days, when the Scot managed to attract the + attention of some visiting officer to the fact that his wounds + were in a dreadful condition, septic and suppurating. + + “He was furious,” said the Scot: “made no end of a row about it, + and I was attended to at once. I have nothing to complain of + about my treatment when in hospital in Germany.” + +From the _Daily News_, April 16, 1918: + + Here is a story vouched for by a young soldier now in hospital + in the North of England:—“I was shot in both legs during the + recent fighting. As I lay, helpless and almost hopeless, for our + lads had been pressed back, a German officer, also wounded, + crawled up to me. He spoke English fluently, and it turned out + that he had once worked in the town from which I come. When I + told him I was the last of the family left to my widowed mother, + and that I feared it would settle her when she heard I had gone + too, he said: ‘All right, old chap; we’ll see what can be done.’ + As soon as it was quite dark he got me to pull myself on to his + back. In this way he crawled to within earshot of our outposts, + and only left me and dragged himself in the direction of his own + lines when he knew my cry had been heard.” + +From the same paper of April 11, 1918, I take the story told by a naval +prisoner exchanged through Switzerland: + + The sailor had one eye blown out and the other temporarily + damaged by a shell in a concentrated fire which sank his + destroyer in the battle of Jutland. He was picked up by an + already overcrowded British boat after swimming about for an + hour almost blind. Then a German destroyer ran alongside and + took aboard the whole boatload. + + The voice of an officer hailed from the deck: “Don’t forget the + British way, lads, wounded first.” “He spoke such good English + that I took him for a Scottie,” said my informant, “and I + thought it was a British destroyer that had picked us up. I was + hauled aboard, and I saw him look at my face and turn away. + ‘What’s the matter, Jock?’ I said. ‘I’m not a Jock,’ says he, + ‘I’m one of the Huns.’ ‘What, ain’t this a British ship?’ says + I. ‘Throw me back into the sea, and let me take the chance of + being picked up by one of ours.’ ‘It can’t be done, sonny,’ he + says. ‘You’ve got to go to Germany. But you’ll be exchanged all + right. You’re disabled.’ It seems he had a relative in London, + and knew England well. All the time British ships were chasing + us and shelling us; and he hung a lifebelt near me, and said: + ‘If the British Fleet sink us that will give you a bit of a + chance yet.’” + +The following is from _Lloyd’s News_, May 12, 1918, under the heading of +“Back from the dead”: + + Three years ago a Twickenham resident, Mrs. Maunders, received + official news from the War Office that her husband, one of “The + Old Contemptibles,” had been killed in action. + + Thrown on her own resources, and having a small family to keep, + she struggled on, and a very good offer of marriage came along + and was accepted. A few days before the wedding a letter came + from the supposed dead husband, stating that he was badly + wounded and left for dead on the battlefield, but was found by + the enemy and nursed back to health. + +The following is from a private letter: “I am happy to be able to tell +you that through the German Flying Corps dropping a message, we heard of +[my son’s] safety early in July. He writes to us and appears to be well +and comfortable.... He was shot through the neck. He has happily quite +recovered after being about four weeks in hospital. He has spoken only +of kindness and attention from doctors and nurses.” + +Again: “As you have probably heard by now, I am a wounded prisoner of +war.... I myself got my shoulder rather badly smashed up by a machine +gun which knocked me out, and I lay in a shell hole for about ten hours +while our guns strafed like hell and I expected every moment to be blown +to bits. However, I at last managed to crawl up and stagger along, and +as I was in German lines, ran into a lot of Germans. They were awfully +kind to me, gave me food and drink and bound up my wound, and then sent +me along to the dressing station. I am at present in hospital in +Belgium and expect to go to Germany almost directly. My address at the +back will find me.” What follows from the same correspondent has some +bearing on the feeding in hospitals. “You mentioned in your last letter +whether you could send me anything. Well, dear old chap, if you are +feeling an angel, plenty of good plain chocolate and other delicacies +would be awfully welcome, also some Gold Flake cigarettes.” It was only +“delicacies,” it will be observed, that were asked for. This was in the +middle of 1917. + +The next extract is from _Common Sense_, July 13, 1918: + +“The following experience of an Ullet Road boy, Private Arthur Bibby +(6th S.W.B.), who is now recovering from a severe wound, is recorded in +the Ullet Road Church _Calendar_ for July: + + The part of the line in which Private Bibby was placed was + subjected to a heavy bombardment, after which the enemy + delivered an attack. The order to retire was given “and our + section made for a road which led into a village, but about a + hundred yards up the road I received a bullet wound which passed + under the shoulder-blade and pierced a portion of the lung.” + +“Private Bibby was forced to lie down by the side of the road, and +shortly afterwards an advance party of the Germans came along delivering +their attack. The first wave swept past, but of those who followed one +stopped to give Private Bibby a cigarette, another took off his wounded +foe’s equipment and made it into a pillow for his head, and put his +water-bottle within reach, while a third made a pad out of his field +dressing with which he staunched the wound. As he turned and followed +his comrades, he assured his patient that the Red Cross would come soon. + +“A German Red Cross orderly came up shortly afterwards, and was engaged +in dressing the wound when the order came for the Germans to retire +before a British counter-attack. ‘About ten minutes after the last had +passed down the road our lads, counter-attacking, were creeping up the +road, and it was not long before the R.A.M.C. lifted me on a stretcher +and took me to the advanced dressing station.’ + +“We congratulate Private Bibby on the recovery he is making from a +severe wound, and are glad that he is able to bear this testimony of +gratitude to a company of unknown but chivalrous foes. + +“It is, of course, well known that the Northcliffe Press refuses to +print experiences of this kind.” + +“Many of our wounded have passed through the same conditions of +captivity and deliverance. They bear witness to the honourable conduct +of the German Army doctors (majors). Here, for example, is one of the +stories that I have heard: ‘I found myself in a ditch after the battle, +unable to move. A German doctor came by; he gave me bread and coffee and +promised to come back in the evening if he could, or next day. That +night and the following day passed without my seeing any one; the time +seemed long. In the evening he came: ‘I had not forgotten you,’ he said, +‘but I have had no time.’ He had me carried away and gave me careful +attention.’” (_La Guerre vue d’une Ambulance_, par L’Abbé Félix Klein, +Aumonier de l’Ambulance américaine, p. 80.) + +The writer continues: “Facts of this nature deserve to be recorded. +Amidst this setting loose of horrors and hates it would be well to lay +stress on some of those deeds which are able to soften the soul. This +morning I see that an article has been passed in one of the most widely +read French journals recommending that no prisoners should be made in +forthcoming battles, but that our enemies should be ‘struck down like +wild beasts,’ ‘butchered like swine’! Nothing, not even the sack of +Senlis, nothing justifies such outbursts of fury.” The French soldiers, +M. L’Abbé indicates, confine their denunciations to the Prussian +regulars and speak well of the reserves. “They are men like us, married +men, fathers of families, fair-minded.” But for the doctors there is +often a good word: “Le major allemand est venu, nous a soignés, nous a +donné du café, du pain.” “Le major nous a soignés et donné de la soupe.” +There was however, much plundering. The armies which do not plunder are +indeed _raræ aves_. “The animosity of the English against the enemy,” +says the Abbé, “is greater even than ours.” “In the evening,” runs one +narrative, “the soldiers of the 101st put me in the wood where were many +wounded Frenchmen and a German captain, wounded the day before. He +suffered, he too, poor man (le pauvre malheureux).” When the Germans +came, “some looked askance,” but the captain said the Frenchmen had been +kind, and when the Germans had taken him they came back and attended to +the French. It was a bad time in the retreat, but French and German +wounded shared the same fate. (l.c., p. 98.) + + +WHOSE FAULT? + +The poor soldiers, obliged to obey orders under penalty of death, +defending (as they believe) their homes from wanton attack, are surely, +in the mass, but little to blame. The blame rests elsewhere. A body of +Russian prisoners was brought into a village in East Prussia. The +sufferings of the inhabitants during the invasion had made them bitter, +and from the crowd of onlookers there was a scornful outcry. “At that +one of the prisoners bent forward, shook his head and said slowly, with +great, sad eyes, ‘It is not your fault, and it is not mine.’” (Dr. +Elisabeth Rotten in _Die Staatsbürgerin_.) Looking at it all with fresh +knowledge, after more than three years of war, I feel that this Russian +spoke for all the peoples, “It is not your fault, and it is not mine.” +Meanwhile there still goes on what my wounded friend, writing from Rouen +described as “this orgy of slaughter, this incredible and criminal +lunacy.” + + +AN ORDER AGAINST KINDNESS. + +A girl who, with others, was attending to the enemy wounded, writes: +“Doubtless we should have more consolation among our little soldiers, +since here _we are forbidden to give little kindnesses and attention;_ +but I believe that before the end we shall disobey the order, because we +put our hearts into our devotion and our pity.” (_La Guerre vue d’une +Ambulance_, p. 116.) It is a little startling to learn of orders against +kindness to enemy wounded. In a country one of whose chief newspapers +advocated slaughter of the enemy like swine, such orders seem unwise. +They can surely scarcely be made except when we wilfully blind ourselves +and imagine that our enemies do not share our humanity. + + +OUR COMMON HUMANITY. + +Here is a letter found on one of the German dead, a man with “a good +face, strong and kindly,” so wrote the _Daily Mail_ correspondent. “My +dearest Heart,” runs the letter, “when the little ones have said their +prayers and prayed for their dear father, and have gone to bed, I sit +and think of thee, my love. I think of all the old days when we were +betrothed, and I think of all our happy married life. Oh! Ludwig, +beloved of my soul, why should people fight each other? I cannot think +that God would wish it....” + + Here in this leafy place + Quiet he lies; + Cold, with his sightless face + Turned to the skies; + ’Tis but another dead: + All you can say is said. + + Carry the body hence; + Kings must have slaves; + Kings rise to eminence + Over men’s graves; + So this man’s eyes are dim. + Cast the earth over him. + + What was that white you touched, + There by his side? + Paper his hand had clutched + Tight ere he died? + Message or wish, maybe? + Smooth out its folds and see. + + * * * + + Ah! That beside the dead + Slumbered the pain! + Ah! That the hearts that bled + Slept with the slain! + That the grief died. But no! + Death will not have it so. + +These words of Austin Dobson were written of a French sergeant in an +earlier war, yet they serve equally well for the German soldier in this. +Strange that we leave it to the dead to prove their brotherhood and +ours. + +Philip Gibbs tells us how in a German dug-out he picked up some letters. +“They were all written to ‘dear brother Wilhelm,’ from sisters and +brothers, sending him their loving greetings, praying that his health +might be good, promising to send him gifts of food and yearning for his +home-coming.” They were anxious, for here had been no news for some +time. “Every time the postman comes we hope for a little note from you.” +Can any generous heart think of that anxious waiting unmoved? Shall we +children of one Life wait till we have wholly darkened each other’s +homes, and then call our handiwork peace? + +But by that time, by the judgment of God, our eyes will be opened. + + We who are bound by the same grief for ever, + When all our sons are dead may talk together, + Each asking pardon of the other one, + For her dead son.[52] + +It is we at home who seem to yield only to this dread proof. With the +fighters it is often different, as we have seen, and though the stories +savour of repetition, the repetition is surely worth while. I have aimed +here at no literary production, but simply at a collection of facts that +may reach the heart. “We sing,” said a soldier from Baden, “to the +accompaniment of the piano—especially during the interval for dinner. +We have indeed entered into a tacit agreement with the French to stop +all fire between 12 and 1 o’clock, so that they and we might not be +disturbed when we feed.” (_Zeitung am Mittag_, as quoted in the _Daily +Chronicle_, November 10, 1914.) “One of our teachers, a lieutenant in +the R.F.A., who has been out most of the time, had a few days’ leave +some weeks ago. He said to the school, assembled to do him honour, +‘Boys, do not believe the stories you read about the Germans in the +newspapers. Whatever they may have done at the beginning of the war, the +German is a brave and noble soldier, and after the war we must be +friends.’” (From a private letter.) A soldier writes that a diary he +kept was blown to bits by a shell. He gave what remained of it to a +wounded German who pleaded for it. He had met many German Socialists in +the fighting. “It is a blessing to meet such men and amid all the +slaughter brought about by our present system, it seems heaven upon +earth.” (_Labour Leader_, June 24, 1915.) + + +ARE WE ALWAYS CHIVALROUS? + +It will only be making the _amende honorable_ if we do our best now to +spread reports of good deeds of the enemy, for in the early stages of +the war we deliberately deleted them from messages, and we have +certainly done a great deal to conceal them ever since. Writing to the +_Times_ in October, 1914, Mr. Herbert Corey, the American correspondent, +said: “The _Times_ leader quotes the _Post_ as charging that I ‘flatly +made the charge that dispatches had been altered for the purpose of +hiding the truth and blackening the German character.’ I do not +recollect this phrase. I did charge that dispatches of German +atrocities were permitted to go through unaltered, and that sentences in +other dispatches in which credit was given the Germans for courtesy and +kindness were deleted. I abide by that statement.” + +There have been many angry references to unfair German attempts to +influence neutral opinion. A letter such as Mr. Corey’s makes me able to +understand why some neutrals have accused England of the very same +unfairness. There is other testimony to the same effect. Mr. Edward +Price Bell, London Correspondent of the _Chicago Daily News_, has, in a +pamphlet published by Fisher Unwin, indicted the British censorship in +the following terms: + + I call the censorship chaotic because of the chaos in its + administration. I call it political because it has changed or + suppressed political cables. I call it discriminatory because + there are flagrant instances of its not holding the scales + evenly between correspondents and newspapers. I call it + unchivalrous because it has been known to elide eulogies of + enemy decency and enemy valour. I call it destructive because + its function is to destroy; it has no constructive function + whatever. I call it in effect anti-British and pro-German + because its tendency—one means, of course, its unconscious + tendency—often is to elevate the German name for veracity and + for courage above the British. I call it ludicrous, because it + has censored such matter as Kipling’s “Recessional” and + Browning’s poetry. I call it incompetent because one can + perceive no sort of collective efficiency in its work. And + because of the sum of these things I give it the final + descriptive—“incredible.”—_Daily News_, January 7, 1916. + +There is no doubt that people often _fear_ to tell of German good deeds. +An acquaintance of mine told me that his boy got decorated for bringing +in a badly wounded comrade from near the German trenches. A little +shamefacedly my informant went on: “I don’t mind telling _you_, but I +_shouldn’t like it to be known generally here_, that I know the Germans +act well sometimes. My boy wrote he would have had no chance, but he +heard the Germans give the order to cease fire.” My informant evidently +feared the neighbours would call him pro-German if he told this to them, +but he thought he might venture to tell a pacifist.[53] + +One notices this fear sometimes in rather amusing ways. In a railway +compartment with me were a loud-mouthed patriotic woman “war-worker” and +a mere soldier back from the front. I’m afraid I got a little at +loggerheads with the war-worker, who adopted in argument a kind of +furious grin which revealed a formidable row of teeth that in my +mind-picture of her have become symbolically almost gigantic. I turned +for relief to the mere soldier, and while the train was moving we had a +pleasant dip into soldier philosophy. “I’ve come to the conclusion that +there’s good and bad everywhere,” he said. “I’ve known bad Germans, and +I’ve known Germans to look after our wounded as well as a British Tommy +could look after his chum.” There was more to this effect, but whenever +the train stopped and our voices became audible to others, we were +silent. The fear of that row of teeth was, I think in both our hearts, +and I could see the mere soldier looking timid before them. + +Fair play to the enemy’s character is a concession not quite so easy to +the average Englishman as he supposes. “The Anglo-Saxon race has never +been remarkable for magnanimity towards a fallen foe.” Just now, when we +are inclined to be almost afraid of the excess of chivalry which +possesses us, there may be useful corrective in these words of +Lieutenant-General Sir William Butler, K.C.B. There has been much +searching of old history books of late to find out what was said in the +days of Tacitus against the Germans.[54] (What Tacitus said in their +favour is not considered.) Perhaps on the other side there are +investigators searching their history books for ancient opinions of the +English. “Strike well these English,” said Duke William to his Normans, +“show no weakness towards these English, for they will have no pity for +you. Neither the coward for running well, nor the bold man for fighting +well will be better liked by the English, nor will any be more spared on +either account.” Butler approved this verdict. We shall not readily +agree with him. Yet he did not speak without cause: he had known an +English general kick the dead body of an African King, who “was a +soldier every inch of him,” and he had known the colonists spit upon an +African chief brought bound and helpless through Natal. (“Far Out,” p. +131.) I believe myself there is a great and ready generosity in the +hearts of the English people, but he must surely be a man invariably on +the “correct” side who has not more than once come across the official +Englishman who could be a bully to those in his power. + + +SOME BRITISH OPINIONS. + +“I am disgusted by the accounts I see in the papers of the inferiority +of Germans as soldiers. Don’t believe one word of it. They are quite +splendid in every way. Their courage, efficiency, organisation, +equipment and leading are all of the very best, and never surpassed by +any troops ever raised. They come on in masses against our trenches and +machine guns, and come time after time, and they are never quiescent, +but always on the offensive. I am full of admiration for them, and so +are all who know anything about them. It is a pity that such fine +soldiers should have behaved so badly in Belgium and here; they have +behaved badly, there is no doubt about it, but nothing like what is said +of them—any way in parts I have been through.” These words from a +General Officer commanding a brigade occur in a letter published in the +_Times_ of November 19, 1914. Yet these “quite splendid” fighters are +the men of whom a learned professor appointed by the Government has +written that they are “rotten to the core.” There is some discrepancy +here. “They are great workers, these Germans,” wrote Philip Gibbs +(_Daily Chronicle_, July 5, 1916), “and wonderful soldiers.” + +“An officer of the _Sydney_ gave a quite enthusiastic account of the +officers of the _Emden_. ‘Vitthoef, the torpedo lieutenant, was a +thoroughly nice fellow. Lieutenant Schal was also a good fellow and half +English. It quite shook them when they found that the captain had asked +that there be no cheering on entering Colombo, but we certainly did not +want cheering with rows of badly wounded men (almost all German) laid +out in cots on the quarter deck. Captain von Müller is a very fine +fellow.... The day he was leaving the ship at Colombo, he came up to me +on the quarter-deck and thanked me in connection with the rescue of the +wounded, shook hands and saluted, which was very nice and polite of +him.... Prince Hohenzollern was a decent enough fellow. In fact, we +seemed to agree that it was our job to knock one another out, but there +was no malice in it.’ This is the ideal fighting, ‘with no malice in +it.’ It has been achieved by many English and Germans, and that gives +hope for the future. Let us make the most, not the least, of what points +towards a better understanding.... At the beginning of November +‘Eye-Witness’ records how English prisoners had been sheltered by the +Germans in cellars to protect them from the bombardment of their own +side. An Anglo-Indian tells of a wounded havildar who was noticed by a +German officer. ‘The German officer spoke to him in Hindustani, asking +him the number of his regiment, and where he came from. He bound up his +wounds, gave him a drink, and brought him a bundle of straw to support +his head. This will be remembered to the credit side of our German +account.’ + +“A wounded officer addressed some students at one of our universities. +He protested humorously that he was not a ‘pro-German,’ and then spoke +up for a fair view of the enemy. When he was being carried into +hospital, he noticed an anti-aircraft gun just outside the hospital. +This struck him as, to say the least, unwise. He expected the hospital +to be shelled, and this occurred. He did not blame the Germans. On +another occasion a farm near the firing line was used for first aid. It +was not obviously a hospital and was fired on. The Commanding Officer +sent a note to Von Kluck to explain matters, and the farm was never +after exposed to fire.[55] He had seen a church damaged by German shell +fire, but this was one which he had himself seen used by the French for +observation purposes.[56] The same officer uttered a warning against +believing all that was in the ‘Tommies’ letters. At one time when he was +censoring letters, one passed through his hands from a Tommy only just +arrived in France, and never in the firing line. He described an immense +battle in which the English did wonders and he himself had marvellous +duties to perform. As far as the military situation was concerned the +letter was quite harmless, so it was allowed to go through. It was +something like the intelligence to the publication of which the Press +Bureau ‘does not object.’”[57][58] + +In her book, “My War Experiences on Two Continents,” Miss Macnaughten +writes of the Germans: “Individually, I always like them, and it is +useless to say I don’t. They are all polite and grateful, and I thought +to-day, when the prisoners were surrounded by a gaping crowd, that they +bore themselves very well.” (p. 127). Again, “I found one young German +with both hands smashed. He was not ill enough to have a bed, of course, +but sat with his head fallen forward trying to sleep on a chair. I fed +him with porridge and milk out of a little bowl, and when he had +finished half of it he said, ‘I won’t have any more. I am afraid there +will be none for the others.’” (p. 37.) Unfortunately, Miss Macnaughten +too readily accepted war stories. She writes of “country houses” where +he heard German prisoners here lived in luxury, “and they say girls are +allowed to come and play lawn tennis with them.” The humour of this will +be apparent to any who have visited internment camps. Lawn tennis was, +however, possible at some camps, both here and in Germany—there were +seven courts at Ruhleben. Some of the atrocity stories many of us will +recognise as not so reliable as Miss Macnaughten supposed. It is her +personal experiences which are important, and, like the Scotchman[59] +(whom she quotes) she has, not hatred, but respect, for the Germans whom +she herself meets. + + +THE EASE OF ACCUSATION. + +Again and again, everywhere, we find readiness to accept stories against +the enemy on very slender evidence. At the time of the loss of our three +cruisers I saw in one of the better newspapers a large heading, “German +Treachery. Fighting under the Dutch Flag.” I looked down the columns for +evidence. No mention of such a circumstance in the official report, none +in the letter from the chief correspondent; but at last I found that +some one at Harwich had “heard of” such an incident. We must remember +that only cool and clear intellects are likely at such a time to give +an accurate account of facts. Between others mutual recrimination may +readily arise. An officer on H.M.A.S. _Sydney_ wrote after the attack on +the _Emden_: “It was very interesting talking to some of the German +officers afterwards. On the first day they were on board one said to me, +‘You fire on the white flag.’ I at once took the matter up, and the +torpedo-lieutenant and an engineer (of the _Emden_) both said +emphatically, ‘No, that is not so; you did not fire on the white flag.’ +But we did not leave it at that. One of us went to the captain, and he +got from Captain von Müller an assurance that we had done nothing of the +kind, and that he intended to assemble his officers and tell them so.” +Note how readily on the other side, amongst those less responsible or +less cool-headed, a tale may grow up against _us_. Let us observe in +considering tales against them the same caution that we should wish them +to exercise in considering tales against us.[60] + + +TROOPS IN OCCUPATION. + +Witnesses from Brussels and from Ghent have spoken well of the personal +behaviour of both soldiers and officers. A neutral correspondent writes +in the _Times_ of January 28, 1915: + + “On the whole it cannot be said that the behaviour of the German + officers and soldiers towards the population of Ghent is bad. + When the German troops entered the city, strict injunctions were + given them to refrain from pillaging, and to pay for everything + they bought in the shops, very much to the disgust of many....” + +Mr. Gabriel Mourey has written an account of his custody of the Palais +de Compiègne during the invasion. The _Times_ review of this book is so +interesting that I propose to give some extracts from it: + + First the palace served as the general headquarters of the + British Army during the last stage of the strategic retreat to + the Marne; and in the closing days of August, M. Mourey looked + out of his window to see Generals French and Joffre walking up + and down the terrace in consultation, while in the park English + soldiers were shaving themselves calmly before little pieces of + broken mirror. In a night they had left Compiègne, blowing up + the Louis XV. bridge (“utterly improved,” and therefore no great + loss). On the next day came the Uhlans, by no means so terrible + as they had been painted.... Von Kluck was to make his + headquarters there for a day, and the first announcement of the + doubtful honour was brought by an engineer lieutenant, who came + to make a wireless installation on the palace roof. He was very + quick, but he found time to inform the conservator that his name + was Maurin, that it was a French name. He repeated it many + times, “C’est un nom français,” and he was plainly proud of it. + Then came Von Kluck himself, asking in polite and excellent + French that he might be shown over the palace. Of him M. Mourey + draws a by no means unattractive picture, urbane yet reserved, + with real admiration for the treasures of the Palace, discreetly + murmuring “Je sais” at the close of every explanation, not + offensively, but as though some long forgotten memory had + returned to him, making his frequent “Kolossal” sound in his + conductor’s ears as gently as the continual “Very nice” of the + British Officer, and, his visit over, promising that respect + should be paid to the monument of Imperial France. + + But Von Kluck could not stay. He was followed by Von Marwitz, no + less polite, no less sympathetic to M. Mourey’s natural fears, + and generous enough to write and sign a proclamation forbidding + his troops to lay their hand upon the palace. He, too, went his + way. Von Kluck’s Quartermaster-General seized the opportunity of + making a private levy of 5,000f. upon the town before he sped + like Gehazi after his master’s chariot. Then ensued the brief + reign of lesser men, stupid, brutal, blustering, bullying, + insulting, because they feared a civilisation which they could + not understand. + +I think we know such men, and many privates know such men, elsewhere +than in the German army. Germany may have cultivated them in greater +numbers—that is highly probable—but they are rife everywhere, and +under favourable circumstances they thrive exceedingly. + + Their insolent arrogance culminated in a certain aide-de-camp, + who arrived post-haste to say that the Palace must be instantly + made ready to receive an Excellence _par excellence_. A man of + imagination this aide-de-camp, for when at his command M. Mourey + showed him over the palace and pointed out the gaps in the + collections made by the soldiers’ pilfery, he said with an + all-explanatory air, “But why didn’t you get souvenirs ready for + the officers?” The Excellence whom this right Brandenburger + heralded was no less than the Kaiser himself, and M. Mourey is + convinced that it is to the Imperial intention that the safety + of Compiègne is owing. It may be: but we prefer to think that + honourable foes such as Von Kluck and Von Marwitz had their + share in the unusual consummation.[61] + +“The Irish Nuns at Ypres” gives an account of their experiences by a +member of the Community. In a review (May 27, 1915), the _Times_ +Literary Supplement says: + + For us in England it is hard to realise the feeling of sickening + anxiety with which, on October 7, these defenceless ladies + witnessed the arrival in Ypres of the devastators of Belgium. On + this occasion, apart from a certain amount of looting, the + Germans behaved “pretty civilly,” and the Abbey had nothing to + complain of but want of bread. + +Another French account of the invaders in Northern France is given by +Gabriele and Margerita Yerta, “Six Women and the Invasion.” Their +experiences were variable. “It is clear,” writes a reviewer in the +_Nation_, “that Herr Major, and ‘Barlu,’ and ‘Crafleux’ and the two +‘model Prussians,’ who replenished the house with coal and provisions, +and offered the ladies game they had shot, only sinned by their +over-gallantry. But things changed for the worse with the coming of a +hundred Death’s Head Hussars and Lieutenant von Bernhausen.... Nothing +very outrageous is recorded, but there was dragooning, inquisition, +drunkenness. Bernhausen’s reign lasted two months.” As to outrages on +women, Madame Yerta writes: “To be sure there were rapes, but, thanks be +to God, these were few, and they took place at the beginning of the +invasion.... I must confess that many a woman was the victim of her own +imprudence.” The book is, naturally, fiercely anti-German, its facts +are, however, those of any war story. + +Again, “On the whole the Germans behaved well at St. Quentin. Their rule +was stern but just, and although the civil population had been put on +rations of black bread, they got enough, and it was not, after all, so +bad.” This testimony is the more noteworthy because, “as one of the most +important bases of the German Army in France the town was continually +filled with troops of every regiment, who stayed a little while and then +passed on.” (Philip Gibbs, “The Soul of the War,” p. 152.) It is a +little startling to read some more that Mr. Gibbs has to say. +French-women were ready to sell themselves to German soldiers, and “such +outrageous scenes took place that the German order to close some of the +cafés was hailed as a boon by the decent citizens, who saw the women +expelled by order of the German commandant with enormous thankfulness.” +I am not so surprised at this now as when I first read it. An English +soldier has since told me that the “silliness” (as he called it) of +women for soldiers leads them, in more cases than he could have +imagined, to bestow themselves on either friend or enemy. Women with +child had said to him quite proudly that it was by a German soldier! + +From a private letter: “One of the party is a French officer who tells +the tale. After the Marne retreat he was crossing over the territory +evacuated by the Germans, and made inquiry of the villagers who had +housed the enemy, how they had been treated, what barbarities had been +committed, and so forth. The villagers were surprised. The Germans had +behaved like gentlemen, had paid for what they used, and had treated +them with perfect courtesy. What, no looting? On the contrary, the +German officer had a soldier shot for a very small act of pillage.... +‘We’re soldiers, not robbers,’ he said.” I cannot vouch for this story, +but it gives just the same impression as the account given by Dr. +Scarlett-Synge (see pp. 149ff). It is also remarkably similar to +experiences recounted by C. A. Winn (Baron Headley) who was with the +Prussians in 1870. (“What I saw of the War,” p. 44.) When he himself had +taken some vegetables from a garden, he was told by his officer friends +that any sort of pillage was the “greatest offence a friend of the +Prussians could be guilty of.” And Mr. Winn speaks of “the many +instances of the remarkable efforts of the authorities of the Prussian +army to prevent plunders by their soldiers.” It must be remembered that +deliberate destruction for military reasons, or as punishment (carried +out by all armies) is very different from theft. I do not for a moment +suppose that this standard is always reached by the German armies. That +it has often been aimed at is something to remember. + +I may add here a rather interesting quotation from Colonel F. N. Maude’s +book, “War and the World’s Life.” On page 11 he writes: “I do not +suggest that life in the Prussian army has at any time been ideal, but I +do assert, from personal knowledge, that relatively to their respective +stages of civilisation the treatment of the Prussian soldier, since +1815, has at all times been fairer and more humane than in any other +army. The fact is proved by the very high standard of discipline +maintained, together with the extraordinary absence of military crime +which has so long distinguished it.” + +I am reminded, too, of one of the first experiences of a friend of mine +in France. He reached a village through which the Uhlans had passed. Had +the inhabitants any complaints of their behaviour? None whatever.[62] +Their only indignation was directed against some English soldiers who +(if their story be correct) had behaved abominably. It was a curious +shock of reality for my friend. He realised that sometimes the enemy +might behave well, and sometimes bad stories of English soldiers might +be circulated (even amongst Allies). I am quite sure that no soldiers in +the world would, in general, have more natural humanity than the +British, and perhaps none would have as much. I contend only against the +belief that one side is impeccable, and the other hopelessly barbarian. + + +FROM THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW; A COMMON MEMORIAL. + +Here are a few extracts from the _International Review_, a periodical +published at Zürich, and with co-operators in Russia, Denmark, Germany, +Austria, Italy, America, Great Britain. “The yearning of human beings +towards mutual understanding needs to-day a new organ for its +expression.” Hence this review—a review naturally pronounced pro-German +by our Junker Press, since it presents, amongst other things, moderate +statements of the German standpoint. The only internationalism which +this Press can recognise is one that is exclusively English. So exactly, +_mutatis mutandis_, do German and English chauvinism coincide. The +extracts which follow are taken from the first number of the review. +“Under the title, ‘German-French Chivalry,’ the _Volksstimme_, of +Frankfurt a.M. (June 19, 1915), describes the dedication of a memorial +to three thousand dead at Sedan on June 12. The leaders of the German +army were present, and the French authorities officially shared in the +proceedings. The short inscriptions on the simple monuments are in both +French and German. They refer alike to the seventeen hundred French and +the thirteen hundred Germans who fell on August 27 during the battle on +the heights of Noyers.” + + +A STORY FROM FRANCE. + +From _L’Action Française_, Paris (June 12, 1915), is cited a description +of the poignancy of war, of which the following is a translation: + + There had been a fierce fight in front of a fortress. Many dead + lay on the ground, and a few wounded who were dying. In the + night we heard weak cries, ‘Kamerad, Kamerad!’ We answered, + thinking it was a German who wished to give himself up. The + cries were repeated. We thought of treachery, and each took his + stand in readiness. Suddenly, there came in pure French: + ‘Camerades Français!’ ‘What is it?’ ‘A wounded man lies near + you.’ ‘No.’ ‘Yes, in front of the trench.’ ‘We have just made a + round, and found only dead.’ ‘Yes, but there _is_ a wounded man + there who is calling. Can you not look for him?’ ‘No.’ And then + in the silence we hear again, ‘Kamerad, Kamerad!’ The German + officer speaks again, very politely: ‘French comrades, may we go + to look for the wounded man?’ An inflexible ‘No’ is the answer. + Is not some trick concealed under his apparent humanity and his + persistence? ‘Well, then,’ calls the German again, ‘go yourself + and look; we shall not shoot.’ Can we trust a German’s word, + after all that they have done? But there is no long delay. A man + from Lille springs forward: ‘All right, I will go to fetch him,’ + he says. ‘I will go with him,’ I say to the Lieutenant. The + leader of my squadron brings some others. The wounded man calls: + ‘Kamerad! Do not kill me!’ We reassure him as to our intentions, + and as he has a shattered hip we carry him to our lines, and on + the way in spite of his suffering, he keeps on repeating with + every kind of modulation, ‘Good comrade.’ He was a young man, + scarcely eighteen years old, of the 205th Infantry. + + I call to the enemy trenches: ‘We have brought in one wounded + man, are there any others there?’ ‘Yes. 20 metres further to the + right.’ We look round. ‘There are none there, only dead.’ ‘Wait, + we will give you some light.’ A few words in German which we + cannot understand. Will they simply shoot us down? Suddenly two + splendid rockets go up: we can see as if it were midday. We are + half a dozen marines and are standing twenty metres from the + German trenches. On the other side of the wire entanglements an + officer and men, behind the breastwork pointed helmets and caps. + All remains quiet. We look round carefully. ‘Nothing. There are + only corpses here. We are going back, you go back, too.’ ‘Merci, + camerades français!’ calls the officer, and his men repeat the + greeting of their superior. As soon as we are behind our + breastwork our Lieutenant gives a command loud enough to be + heard at sixty metres. ‘In the air—Fire!’ From over there once + more, ‘Thank you, comrades,’ as answer to our salvo, and all + falls back once more into the silence of the night; the work of + death can go on again. But for this one night not a shot was + heard around us. + +How much sanity is there in a world that sets such men to kill each +other, and eggs them on to hate? + + +GERMAN HELP OF “ALIEN ENEMIES.” + +In Germany (as already mentioned in Chap. IV.) is a ‘Committee for +advice and help to natives and foreigners in State and international +affairs.’ It deals with those of all nationalities, and one branch of it +corresponds in many ways to the similar Emergency Committee in England +for assistance of Germans, Austrians and Hungarians in distress. + +What, however, is most striking is the number of cases of individual +kindness shown by Germans to “alien enemies.” The minds of many might be +cleared on this subject if they would read a charming and unpretentious +little book, “An English Girl’s Adventures in Hostile Germany,” by Mary +Littlefair, published by John Long, Ltd. The authoress saw and heard +absurd Press charges on the other side, and something, too, of the +irrational hatred of war-time, but the little book is a record of almost +nothing but kindness, and gives fresh hope to those who had begun to +despair of human nature.[63] Here are two cases of singular beauty from +Nauheim. A postman “happened to know of a poor English lady whose funds +had come to an end, and who had in consequence offered to wash up the +crockery at her pension in return for her board and lodging, and he told +her one morning that he had forty pounds saved up which she should have, +and welcome, if she was in need.” The case of the bath-chair woman was +not less touching and generous, for she and her husband, a +crossing-sweeper, also put their savings at the disposal of an invalid +lady his wife used to wheel out every day, telling her that, though +their cottage was only small, they did possess a tiny spare room, and +they would be so glad if she would come to them as their honoured guest, +supposing—as at present seemed likely—the English would have to spend +the winter in Nauheim; they would indeed do their best to make her happy +and comfortable.[64] + +On more than one occasion in the railway trains the “enemy” character of +Miss Littlefair and those who were with her was revealed, but no +unkindness was shown. The last occasion was in October, 1914. “‘Shall +you have to travel farther, or does your journey end in Munich,’ ‘No,’ I +said, ‘we hope to go on to Switzerland to-morrow.’ ‘O, how delightful! +You are lucky. It is such a beautiful country. Tell me, are you +foreigners by any chance—American, or perhaps English?’ she queried. +‘English,’ I replied. The truth was out, and I looked to see a change of +feeling reflected in her pleasant, winsome face; but her expression +remained as kind and as interested as before, and her manner as cordial, +so I told her more about ourselves, as there was no longer any need of +reserve, and she had told me so much of their affairs.” There was, of +course, the usual patriotic bias, but it was expressed with real good +feeling. “‘Of course, we don’t hold the English people personally +responsible for the war,’ she said, ‘but we think that England[65] has +behaved very shabbily. It is very grieving, though, that the two +countries should be at war.’ She had two or three English friends, and +told me about them till our arrival in Munich, where our confidences +were necessarily cut short, and we took an affectionate leave of one +another.” (p. 123.) + +The following incident also shows simple folk made clear-sighted by +kindness of heart: “On another occasion Christine and one of the ladies +in our hotel went into a shop to buy some beautiful lace which was being +sold at half-price. ‘We have to sell it cheaply because of the war,’ +explained the assistant: ‘ach! it is terrible! We never wanted this war, +and I am sure you did not either. You and I are not enemies, it is +ridiculous. Let us shake hands to show we are friends. Yes!’ And they +did.”[66] Good! That handshake, let us hope, will outweigh many a +hysterical outburst on both sides. + +An English schoolmaster was, with his wife and family, in Germany at the +outbreak of war. He testifies to the quite wonderful kindness he +received. Almost daily he was taken by his hosts to other houses, and at +the _Kaffeeklatsch_ which ensued there was never anything but a finely +chivalrous courtesy. So grateful did the schoolmaster feel that (just as +with Germans befriended here) he felt he must make some sort of return +to the “enemy.” He explained the situation, and obtained permission to +take two interned enemy nationals into his house. They in their turn +felt that movement of gratitude which the preachers of hate refuse to +believe in. They wanted to make some return to the schoolmaster, for +schoolmasters are usually poor men. “If you do that,” he said, “I shall +feel I am doing nothing.” There was a dispute of kindness, and in the +end a _modus vivendi_ of gratitude was arrived at. How strange the +methods of force seem by comparison. The two men are now interned once +more—surely a sorry end to a story of such fine humanity. + +From Mrs. K. Warmington: “There are two little instances that stand out +in my mind very clearly, and I think speak for themselves. The first +relates to an English lady, her husband, and her son, with whom I made +acquaintance at the English Consul’s office. Later on I met the same +lady at the American Consul’s office; she was in deep distress, as her +husband and son had been arrested and put into prison. Through the +influence of an American that we met at an hotel, we got a permit to go +and see a military commandant at the barracks to see if anything could +be done for them. When we arrived, he treated us most courteously, and +listened patiently to what we had to say. He rang a doctor up on the +telephone, and, as far as we could make out, told the doctor to examine +these men, and to pronounce them ill. He then turned to us, and told us +to return in the afternoon, when he would fetch them in his own +motor-car, which he did. He also gave us a paper asking the civil +authorities to do all they could to aid us to get away, shook hands, and +wished us a safe journey. + +“The other instance relates more to myself. We were at Nüremberg, +Bavaria. We had permission to leave for Lindau, on the borders of Lake +Constance, on our way to Romanshorn in Switzerland. The journey was a +rather expensive one for me, as I had very little money, little more +indeed than a cheque, which was valueless. A young German, who was +shortly going into the Navy, whom I had known only about a month, +hearing of my case came to me, and gave me £9 in English gold to enable +me to travel more comfortably. + +“My father was German, my mother English, and my husband English. I was +in Germany in 1914 from July 26 to August 26. As my son was of military +age, and I did not want him interned, I got what influence I could to +get him away. He was finally released at the end of August, and we were +allowed to go on to Switzerland.” + +In the course of 1915 an English born woman returned to her husband in +Munich. Her sister wrote to me of the extreme kindness with which this +lady was received by her German friends. Many English wives of interned +men have gone to Germany to their husband’s families, and one hears the +same account of extreme kindness. In Offenbach alone there are twenty +English wives with forty English born children. _Special classes have +been opened for them._ After all, there are some German methods which +are worthy of imitation. There seems at times a danger of our imitating +what is _worst_ in our enemies, partly as a result of a desire to ignore +what is better. + +The letter which follows appeared in the _Times_ of September 2, 1914: + + Sir,—Various rumours are finding their way into the German + papers respecting the harsh treatment which certain Germans are + said to have received in England. We British subjects who are + being kindly and hospitably treated by Germans earnestly hope + that these reports are, at any rate, much exaggerated. + + It is well that the British public should understand the + position of their fellow countrymen here. At the outbreak of the + war British subjects in out-of-the-way places were given safe + conducts to suitable centres, such as Baden-Baden, and there + allowed to choose places of abode according to their tastes and + means. Such restrictions as are put upon their movements are in + their own interests. The authorities have exhorted the + inhabitants publicly as well as by house to house visitations to + treat foreigners with respect and courtesy, taking pride in thus + proving their claim to a truly high standard of civilisation, + and the people have responded nobly to this appeal. Not only + have hotel and pension-keepers done everything in their power to + accommodate their visitors, at the most reduced prices, giving + credit in many instances, but several cases have come to our + notice in which Germans have housed and fed English women and + children, who were perfect strangers to them, out of pure + humanity and good feeling. + + You, sir, can imagine how galling it must be to these people + when they read in their papers of the very different treatment + alleged to have been shown to Germans in England, and how + painful and humiliating a position is thereby created for us + here. England has hitherto enjoyed such a high reputation for + chivalry and hospitality that tales to the contrary cause + Germans a half incredulous shock. It it not too late for + England to prove that she is living up to her old standard and + that she refuses to be outdone in magnanimity towards the + stranger within her gates.... + + (A paragraph follows as to the means by which money can be sent + to Britons _via_ neutral countries.) + + (Signed) DOROTHY ACTON (Lady). + F. BULLOCK-WEBSTER, M.A., Oxon, Resident Chaplain of + Baden-Baden. + WM. MACINTOSH, Dr. Ph., Resident English Chaplain, + Freiburg, i.B. + + Baden-Baden, + August 20, 1914. + +Some account may be given of a party of 190 Englishwomen and 14 children +who landed at Queenborough on September 22, 1914. (_Times_, September +23, 1914.) “... With one accord they spoke in terms of praise, both of +their treatment in Germany and of the kindness shown to them on the +journey.... ‘We have received kindness everywhere,’ said one of a party +from Dantzig. ‘The Germans have been absolutely stunning to us.... I +have not heard of one English person being molested anywhere in +Germany.’” The Englishwomen did noble work on their part, especially for +the fugitives from East Prussia. “One Sunday we fed and clothed 290 who +had come in without a rag to their backs.” + +“I was arrested in Berlin as a Russian spy, because a bomb had been +found in the house next to mine, and because a woman in the street said +that she had seen me putting bombs in my hat-box, and that she had seen +me with a Russian. I did, as a matter of fact, know a Russian student, +but he was not the man she meant. I was taken to the police station and +searched twice in the same day. They kept me in prison for two days and +nights, giving me very bad food, and then they released me because they +had no real evidence against me. When I came out, strangely enough it +was German people who gave me hospitality until I was able to leave +Berlin.” + +Again, “The German women are crazy over our Scottish troops and their +kilts. Some of them used to go out and give the prisoners cigarettes, +chocolates and flowers, but that has been forbidden now.” + +A party of 178 who landed at Folkestone had varying stories to tell. +“Nothing could possibly be better than the treatment we have received,” +said one, “everybody—official, police and public—treated us with the +greatest kindness and the utmost courtesy.” “The Germans are brutes, +absolute brutes,” said another. Probably a third, who described both +statements as exaggerations, came nearer the average truth. One of this +same party described the kilts referred to above as causing matronly +indignation in Berlin.[67] + +In the _Times_ of September 24, 1914, appeared a letter on the subject +of English exiles in Berlin: + + I have read with interest and approval the statements of + Englishwomen who have returned from Germany, as reported in the + _Times_ to-day, with regard to the conduct of the German people. + As one of the party which arrived at Queensborough by the + special boat, I wish publicly to express my warm appreciation + not only of the considerate treatment which the people of Berlin + showed towards English people there, but particularly to the + splendid services rendered to us by the American Embassy, which + made all the arrangements for our return, and by the Consular + and municipal authorities in Holland, who supplied us with food + during our journey through that country. + + May I add that I went about in Berlin as freely as I can now in + London, and that at no time since the outbreak of the war have I + seen a single British subject molested. + + (Signed) L. TYRWHITT DRAKE. + + Ladies’ Imperial Club, + September 23. + +Here also is a fact that should give us pause. In a prisoner camp at +Frankfurt a-Oder is a large building erected as a place of entertainment +and general meeting hall. It is used by Russian prisoners, and _a +considerable contribution towards its erection was collected by +house-to-house visitation in Frankfurt._ To appreciate this fact at its +true significance we must remember that Germany suffered from direct +invasion by Russia immediately on the outbreak of the war, and that all +the stories of atrocities and devastation that we heard of Belgium were +also told of East Prussia. + +“An old friend of our family,” a correspondent writes, “has been +residing in Bavaria over forty years. He is an artist, and married a +Bavarian lady. His eldest son is a doctor in London, and two of his +daughters are married in London, but the father has no difficulty in +getting permits to paint in the Austrian and German mountains, and still +finds a sale for his pictures in Germany.” + +Forty years is, I know, a long time, but not by any means always +sufficient to prevent persecution in the present war. On my writing +table is a little ivory elephant. It was carved by a German who had been +forty years in the service of one British firm. He was dismissed (a man +over seventy) because of the war. This is not a unique case. “N.S., +clock-maker, who had been here thirty-nine years, and P.W., baker, fifty +years. (He had two sons at the front, and ‘the longer he thought the +more the number of his English grandchildren grew.’)” (See the Third +Report of the Emergency Committee for these and other cases). + +I do not in the least wish to suggest that there has been little +kindness on this side and much on the other. I am simply trying to +restore the balance. So far (as is usual in war-time) the game of hatred +has been played with loaded dice. Let us welcome kindness everywhere. +Here, then, is a different kind of story from one of the Friends’ +reports: + + A young man, smart and erect three months ago when he was in + employment, intelligent, speaks and writes four languages, with + excellent references, now but a sad wreck, wants to go to South + Africa, where he has friends, but, alas! the permit is + refused—has written abroad to his father, who is in a good + position, for money, but it takes so long to get a reply. His + English landlady, though poor, “has been so kind,” he had his + last dinner three days ago from her. We give temporary help, but + if this money does not come before January 1 he will have to go + into camp. Quite willing to do so, “but can we not give his poor + landlady something?” + +The kind landladies and other kind hearts exist, thank God, on both +sides.[68] To enquire on which side there are most would (even if we +could do so without bias) probably be profitless. The important point is +that the kind hearts on the other side are there, and that a brotherhood +of blessing will help the world more than a brotherhood of revenge—if, +indeed, this last could be any brotherhood at all. + +Miss G. H. writes: “I am particularly anxious to do something for +interned Germans. For four months of the war I was in Germany with my +mother, sister, nephew and niece, and we were all most kindly treated +and helped in every possible way both by friends, by my lawyer, my +banker and the neighbouring peasants. Also by all the guards and waiters +along our journey on November 21. Friends, peasants, and my lawyer are +still looking after my property in Germany, and I have left everything +in the hands of a neighbouring peasant, who sends me accounts of it. I +would like to be able to do some kind acts here in return, and for the +furtherance of better relationships later on.” Yet it can never be +pleasant to be in an “enemy” country. Miss H. writes further: “In spite +of having such unspeakable sympathy, really understanding sympathy, +shown me by not only friends, but the common people—though I hardly +like using this term, as no one with so much fellow feeling could really +be termed common—in spite of this kindness, I know so well how one can +suffer. Over there _we_ are looked upon in the same way that Germans are +looked upon here, as quite outside the pale of common morality. Fully +realising what this must mean for me, these kindly Germans would go off +into a day dream of wonderment as to how _they_ might feel in a similar +plight, and one ended up with the reflection, ‘Ja, es ist halt jetzt die +Zeit der Märtyrer’ (it is indeed the time of the martyrs once more).” +Surely there is something strangely poignant about the convinced and +steadfast martyrdom and self-sacrifice of both sides. Surely the peoples +who can thus offer themselves in destroying each other must both have +noble gifts to give together one day in a nobler cause. + +The following is from the _Nation_ (Jan. 19, 1918): + + A clergyman sends me the following. I think it best to publish + the story as it stands:— + + “Some years before the outbreak of war there lived in a certain + German town, now frequently raided by air squadrons, an old + Englishwoman. She was a semi-invalid; difficult and + cantankerous. Subject to illusions, she imagined that the good + nuns, who received her as an unremunerative paying guest, were + in league against her mangy, but beloved dog. Yet both she and + her dog continued to receive the half-humorous tolerance of + their benefactors. + + “Then came the 4th of August, 1914, and Miss X. passed into the + mists of war. + + “A year later she emerged from the mists. + + “A letter came, forwarded through a neutral in Switzerland; but + the letter was not from the pen of Miss X. It had been dictated. + Briefly, it said: ‘I am bed-ridden and almost blind. I have + hardly anything to live upon; and the Germans will not let me + go.’ + + “Certain details were added which clearly established identity + to the recipient of the letter. There followed, on the same + sheet of paper, and in the same handwriting, a postscript: ‘Sir, + I have taken this poor Englishwoman into my house. How can she + live on 10 marks a month? + + Yours, Fräulein ...’ + + “Intervened the British Foreign Office and the American + Embassy. Then came another letter: ‘Sir, your efforts have not + been in vain.... + + Fräulein ...’ + + “But that is not the end of this incident of war. ‘Hate.’ had + still its ‘uses.’ + + “‘Sir. I thank you for your good letter and your very kind + question. All is paid, hospital and funeral. There were 30 marks + left to have the grave a little arranged. + + Fräulein ...’” + + My correspondent adds the following comment: “I was an enemy, + and ye took me in.” + +In Vienna newspapers there were in 1915 many advertisements in which +French, English, and Russian natives offer their services as teachers, +thus: + + London Lady (Diploma) gives lessons.—L. Balman, VI Bez. + Gumpendorferstrasse 5, Th. 14. + + Frenchman and Frenchwoman give instruction in French.—VIII, + Lerchengasse 10. + + An Irishwoman, brought up in England, gives lessons.—Letters to + Miss Morris. + +Such advertisements, we learn from the _International Review_ of July, +1915, appear daily in Vienna. + +From _Die Hilfe_, June 22, 1915: “in a weekly concert in Noyon the +collaborators were Prof. Rivière, Sergeant Bonhoff, and Director Günzel. +The performance of the Frenchman from an organ composition of his own +was most effective.” There are, of course, also exhibitions of +narrow-mindedness. In Halle the police forbade a performance because one +of those who took part was an “enemy alien.” (_Vorwärts_, June 1, 1915.) +On the other hand, when some Italian musicians complained of unjust +dismissal, the court awarded them damages of 700 marks. The +_Volksstimme_, of Frankfurt a.M., June 8, 1915, writing of Italy, +deprecates any hatred of Italians. As soon as the responsible +authorities had decided on war, obedience was the duty of each Italian +citizen, just as of each German.[69] This outspoken deference to +“responsible authority” is characteristically German, but the doctrine +is here applied with great fairness. Some of our militarists apply it +less fairly. And, alas, when the Italian _Avanti_ published an article +“Against the Blunders of International Hate,” the wisdom of the Censor +caused it to be largely blanked out. The Censors seem to have strict +orders to keep us hating each other.[70] + + +BROTHERHOOD AGAIN. + +And yet—“We picked up scrappily the hint, however, that ‘some of the +Germans were all right.’” This from an article in the _Times_ on a +homecomer from the front. With unconscious self-revelation the writer +adds: “That somehow sounds depressing. One has heard the opposite.” Just +so, it is disconcerting and depressing to have it suggested that the +enemy is a man very much like ourselves; it injures our feeling of +superiority. We “confess” any favourable impression of him as if it were +a fault of our own. A correspondent of the _Petit Parisien_ tells of the +capture of a German officer of Hussars, near Arras. “I confess,” he +says, “that the impression he produced was rather favourable than +otherwise.” (_Daily Telegraph_, June 11, 1915.) + +With others the confession is less reluctant. + + There’s one spot in Ploegsteert Wood that German shells ought + never to reach. It’s a grave with a carefully made wooden cross + on it, and the lettering says: + + “Here lie two gallant German officers.” + + “That’s rather unexpected,” said a civilian who was with us. + + “But they were brave,” said the major. “The Germans aren’t + always so bad. Five officers from my regiment were missing one + time, and we never even expected to find their bodies. But when + we drove the Germans back we found a grave on which was marked: + ‘Here lie five brave English officers.’ We identified them all, + and their bodies were taken back to England.” + + We followed another sidewalk and came to a huge mound covered + with yellow flowers, which had been planted by the English + soldiers. On a neatly made cross at the head of the mound an + English soldier had patiently printed the words: “Here lie + seventeen German soldiers.” + + There wasn’t an English grave in Ploegsteert Wood that was + better tended or more heavily beflowered than these mounds of + fallen Germans.—Mr. W. G. SHEPHERD, Special Correspondent of + the United Press. + + _Daily News_, June 1, 1915. + + + If all the episodes of this action were recorded they would make + a long as well as a grim narrative revealing the ghastliness, + the wild passion, the self-sacrifice, and the cool cunning of + such an hour or two of modern war. + + Some of the tales of the men would have been incredible except + that I heard them from soldiers who told the truth that lives on + the lips of men who have seen very close into the face of death. + + It is, for instance, difficult to believe—yet true—that amidst + all this tumult and terror of noise one German prisoner was + taken as he sat very calmly in his dug-out reading a book of + religious meditations through gold-rimmed spectacles. Perhaps it + was the man—I only guess—in whose pocket-book was found a + letter to his wife saying, “The position here is hellish, and + death is certain. I only pray that it may come soon.” + + _Daily Telegraph_, August 16, 1915. + +From Belfort in September came the report: “A German aviator this +morning flew over Belfort, dropping a wreath on the spot where Pégoud +was killed. The following inscription was placed on the wreath: ‘To +Pégoud, who dies a hero. (Signed) His Adversary.’” + +The following is from the _Daily News_ of October 9, 1915: + + The parents of a Lance-Corporal in a Highland regiment who was + killed in the recent fighting have received particulars about + their son’s death from a German lady in Frankfurt-on-Main. + + The lady’s eldest brother was killed last year near Ypres and + she knows, she says, how glad they were to receive any details + of his death. Another brother, who is an officer in the German + army, had written from the front, begging her to inform the dead + soldier’s relatives of his fate. + + In her letter the lady says: “Although we are enemies, pain and + mourning unite us. So thought my brother, too, for he wrote + everything about your son he could find out. I am sure my + brother and his comrades did all honour to their enemies.” + +The next extract is from the _Nation_ of November 13. 1915: + + Soldiers are not reluctant to speak well of their foes. The + officer son of a friend of mine relates that beyond his line of + trenches is a German commemoration of a British advance in the + shape of a carefully wrought cross, bearing the inscription: + “Sacred to the memory of Lieutenants A—— and B—— of the + Staffordshire Regiment, who died like heroes.” + +From a private letter: “What impresses one most are the graveyards. All +these are beautifully kept, all the graves have been cared for, and no +distinction has been drawn between German, English, and French, who lie +side by side. ‘Hier ruht ein tapferer Engländer, gefallen im Luftkampf’ +(Here lies a brave Englishman, fallen in the air fight), etc., etc.” + +The _Daily News_ of March 10, 1919, has the following: + + From a staff sergeant in Germany: “Here, in Germany, an English + officer with the ’flu was nursed by his landlady, who, when her + patient was better, succumbed to its ravages. Her daughter + caught it from the mother, and is now lying at death’s door. But + merely ‘Huns,’ I suppose.” + +The roll of honour in the chapel at New College, Oxford, includes the +names of three Germans, and the words of charity: _Pro patria—Memento +fratres in Christo_. + + +THE WAY OF NEW RUSSIA. + +In reprisals of good we may learn something from the new Russia. When +the German prisoners were set to work Kerensky said, “Prisoners or not, +they shall be paid at the same rate as other men,” and they were. What +was the result? Again the movement of gratitude, which is so potent a +force, if only we would believe it. _The German prisoners presented half +their wages to the Russian Red Cross._ I have to rely on private +information for this. + + +THOUGHTS FROM THE OTHER SIDE. + +The thoughts of the others are much like our own—that is the difficult +truth we have to learn. It is a truth that is absolutely essential to +any peace that is to be more than an armistice of fools. + + The war has produced in the public opinion of the nations a + state of mind which formerly would not have been regarded as + possible in our age of internationalism and intellectuality. + National egotism and the effort to assert one’s own national + interests by all and every means are dominating so exclusively + each belligerent group that it forms for itself a closed circle + of ideas, and under its influence conclusions are drawn which + are so contradictory that one is almost inclined to think that + logic and common sense have been entirely eliminated from the + thinking capacity of the warring nations.... + + We Germans, among the others, are subject to this + war-suggestion. We do not wish to say, after the manner of the + Pharisees, beating their breasts: “We thank Thee, Lord, that we + are not like these publicans.” We know that we, too, are + prisoners of our circle of ideas, and must remain so, for we, + too, are ruled by our national egotism and by our desire to win + the war.—_Kölnische Zeitung_, as quoted by the _Daily News_, + September 3, 1915. + +Ideas imprisoned, narrowed (beschränkt, as the Germans say), become +putrescent through lack of free air. It is in this putrescence that the +gospel of hate is bred. Here is a German officer’s protest against the +infamy of this gospel. It is quoted from the _Kölnische Zeitung_ by Mr. +A. G. Gardiner in his book, “The War Lords”: + + Perhaps you will be so good as to assist, by the publication of + these lines, in freeing our troops from an evil which they feel + very strongly. I have on many occasions, when distributing among + the men the postal packets, observed among them postcards on + which the defeated French, English and Russians were derided in + a tasteless fashion. The impression made by these postcards on + our men is highly noteworthy. Scarcely anybody is pleased with + these postcards; on the contrary, every one expresses his + displeasure. + + This is quite natural when one considers the position. We know + how victories are won. We also know by what tremendous + sacrifices they are obtained. We see with our own eyes the + unspeakable misery of the battlefield. We rejoice over our + victories, but our joy is damped by the recollection of the sad + pictures which we observe almost daily. + + And our enemies have, in an overwhelming majority of cases, + truly not deserved to be derided in such a way. Had they not + fought bravely we should not have had to register such losses. + + Insipid, therefore, as these postcards are in themselves, their + effect here on the battlefields, in face of our dead and + wounded, is only calculated to cause disgust. Such postcards are + as much out of place on the battlefield as a clown is at a + funeral. Perhaps these lines may prove instrumental in + decreasing the number of such postcards sent to our troops. + +Personally, I believe this to express the soul of the real Germany and +the soul of the real England. The soul of any people is the _best_ that +is in it. + +The following is from a lecture delivered by Prof. H. Gomperz in Vienna, +early in 1915: + + “Ladies and gentlemen, in our day all sorts of speakers and + writers feel called upon to preach to us the doctrine of hate, + in prose and even in verse, more especially against one of the + countries opposing us. I do them the honour of assuming that + even they do not mean that we are to translate this feeling into + action; rather, even they do not dream of doing the slightest + harm to any individual Englishman in so far as it is not + necessary or inevitable for the purposes of victory. What then + does this preaching of hatred mean, if indeed it means anything + at all, and is not the mere empty clamour of some people anxious + to attract attention without rendering useful service? Do they + mean us to nurse and cherish the feeling of hate? Truly a + strange demand after nearly two thousand years of training in + the teaching of the gospel! And besides, whom are we to hate? + The individual doing his duty in the service of his country, + just as we are? Or the responsible governors of the destinies of + that country, and the irresponsible leaders of its public + opinion?” Hatred of the individual serving his country and + governed by others Prof. Gomperz does not stop to discuss. It + can obviously be the product only of what with etymological + correctness we may term _insanity_. The governors and leaders + imagined an irreconcilable antagonism. If they were right their + case is justified; if they are wrong we must no more hate them + than we should hate a patient suffering temporarily from + delusion.—_International Review_, August, 1915. + +Magnus Schwantje spoke very plainly at a meeting of the Schopenhauer +Society at Düsseldorf in June, 1915. He allows that the state has a +right to wage a war of defence, but _not to force anyone to serve in the +army_. Schopenhauer, he tells us, “esteems sympathy with all that lives +and suffers more highly than love for the Fatherland.... During a war a +noble man desires such an issue as may be most beneficial to the whole +world.... With all our readiness to recognise the merit of patriotic +self-denial, we, the admirers of Schopenhauer, have to warn our +compatriots, especially during a war, of the danger of patriotism +degenerating into injustice, or even hatred and malicious joy at the +misfortune of other nations.... Not one of the European peoples can be +suppressed without heavy loss to the whole world, and not one has the +right to force its special character on the others.” (_International +Review_, September, 1915.) + + +WAR LITERATURE. + +It is the elderly gentlemen on both sides who exude vitriol. It is a +pity that they are so much in evidence. But even some of them retain +their sanity. The following is from the _Cambridge Magazine_ of May 15, +1915: + + Those who, at the beginning of the war, were induced by the + Press to wonder whether any elderly German professor had + retained his mental equilibrium will now be disposed to wonder + whether the proportion of serious cases is after all larger + there than here. At any rate the Schopenhauer Society is a very + important learned body, and Prof. Deussen, of Kiel, is one of + the most distinguished of German scholars. And this is how he + writes in the fourth year book of the Schopenhauer + Society—apparently in terms of contempt for a loquacious + minority (the translation is taken from the April number of the + _Open Court_, and the italics are ours, especially the + concluding shot at the Lady Patriot): + + “‘Not to my contemporaries,’ says Schopenhauer, ‘not to my + countrymen, but to humanity do I commit my work which is now + completed, in the confidence that it will not be without value + to the race. Science, and more than every other science, + philosophy is international.’ ... Foolish, very foolish, + therefore is the conduct of _certain German professors_ who have + renounced their foreign honours and titles. And what shall we + say of a member of our society who demanded that citizens of + those states which are at war with us should be excluded from + the Schopenhauer Society, and who, when it was pointed out that + our foreign members certainly condemned this infamous war as + much as we Germans, protested that she could not belong to an + association in which Frenchmen, Englishmen and Russians took + part, and announced her withdrawal from our society, indeed, + even published her brave resolution in the columns of a local + paper in her provincial town. _We shall not shed any tears_ for + her having gone.”[71] + +Romain Rolland bears out the idea that “in all countries the extremest +views have been expressed by writers already past middle age.” So it is +in Germany, Rolland tells us. Dehmel, the enemy of war, has enlisted at +51; Gerhart Hauptmann, “the poet of brotherly love,” cries out for +slaughter. But Fritz von Unruh has, from the battlefield, written “Das +Lamm”: “Lamb of God, I have seen Thy look of suffering; lead us back to +the heaven of love.” Rudolf Leonhard, who was caught up in the storm, +wrote afterwards on the front page of his poems: “These were written +during the madness of the first weeks. That madness has spent itself, +and only our strength is left. We shall again win control over ourselves +and love one another.” + + “Menschen in Not ... + Brüder dir tot ... + Krieg ist im Land ...” + +No “glory” of war is in these simple, poignant words of Ludwig +Marck—simply a dire evil that we have not the sanity to avoid. “Whether +you gaze trembling into the eyes of the beloved, or mark down your enemy +with pitiless glance, think of the eye that will grow dim, of the +failing breath, the parched lips and clenched hands, the final solitude, +and the brow that grows moist in the last pangs.... Be kind.... +Tenderness is wisdom. Kindness is reason.... We are strangers all upon +this earth, and die but to be reunited.” Thus Franz Werfel. Since these +words cannot be called barbaric, they will perhaps be called +sentimental. It is true that to those of us who have loved our comrades, +of whatever nation, the sentiment of brotherhood does just now make a +somewhat tragic appeal. If that appeal, in these days of decimated +ideals, be at times strained and feverish, it scarcely lies in the +mouths of the apostles of hate to deride us. The sentimentality of +hatred is uglier and more fatuous than the sentimentality of +brotherhood. + +Hermann Hesse is living at Berne. He has implored the writers of all +nations not to join with their pens in destroying the future of Europe. +From a poem of later date come these words: “All possessed it, but no +one prized it. Like a cool spring it has refreshed us all. What a sound +the word peace has for us now. Distant it sounds, and fearful, and heavy +with tears. No one knows or can name the day for which all sigh with +such longing.” + +Do not let us forget that almost everything that is most militarist is +_old_. It is only the old who affect still to glory in war—the old +newspapers, the old reviews, the old statesmen, and some, perhaps, of +the old soldiers—it is to what is newest, youngest, most creative, most +living that we look not in vain for an unshaken belief in brotherhood, +for a clear acknowledgment that any other belief would throw us back +into the ape and tiger struggle of world beginnings, but with the ape +ten thousand times more cunning and the tiger ten thousand times more +cruel. To some German publications the war is a stupid eruption of +barbarism into a workshop where work was being done. _Die Aktion_ scoffs +mercilessly at the Chauvinists and at Lissauer with his Hymn of +Hate.[72] Even Lissauer, be it remarked, has published his repentance, +and, personally, I respect him for it. The man who can say that he spoke +too strongly is always worth knowing. The man who insists elaborately on +his consistency (as the politicians do) is usually singularly devoid of +any appreciation of truth. _Die Aktion_ (1915) goes on steadily with its +appreciation of French artists, as if no war were in progress. There may +be some affectation in this attitude, but it is to be preferred, I +think, to the complete ostracism of work of the enemy called for by a +noisy but, I believe, small section on this side. _Die Weissen Blätter_ +appeared in January, 1915, with the following announcement: + + It seems good to us to begin the work of reconstruction in the + midst of the war. The community of Europe is at present + apparently destroyed. Is it not the duty of all of us who are + not bearing arms to live from to-day onwards according to the + dictates of our conscience, as it will be the duty of every + German when once the war is over? + +Evidently the editor has in his mind a contrast between the dictates of +conscience and the dictates of officialism. He was born in Alsace, so he +may well know this contrast. We are learning it here. In the February +number the _Krieg mit dem Maul_ (war with the mouth) was most vigorously +condemned: + + If journalists hope to inspire courage by insulting the enemy, + they are mistaken—we refuse such stimulants. We dare to + maintain our opinion that the humblest volunteer of the enemy, + who, from an unreasoned but exalted sentiment of patriotism, + fires upon us from an ambush, knowing well what he risks, is + much superior to those journalists who profit by the public + feeling of the day, and under cover of high-sounding words of + patriotism do not fight the enemy, but spit on him. + +I am reminded of words used by one of my Swiss friends: “As soon as +soldiers must get their fighting force from suggestions of puerile +besmirching of the enemy, then war indeed becomes intolerably base.” + +Annette Kolb, daughter of a German father and a French mother, had the +courage to proclaim openly in a public lecture at Dresden that _she was +faithful to both sides_, and to express her regret that Germany should +fail to understand France. After all, German intolerance must have its +limits for such a bold speech to be possible. + +Wilhelm Herzog in the Munich _Forum_ has attacked the intellectual +fire-eaters, the patriots who insult other peoples and the Chauvinists +generally. He defends France, the French army and French civilisation, +against the brilliant novelist, Thomas Mann. Above all does he condemn +the intellectual babble: “The wrong that these privy councillors and +professors have done us with their ‘Aufklärungsarbeit’ can hardly be +measured. They have isolated themselves from humanity by their inability +to realise the feelings of others.” + +Mr. Lowes Dickinson has called attention in the _Hibbert_ of October, +1915, to a pamphlet by Dr. Friedrich Wilhelm Förster, entitled +“Deutschlands Jugend und der Weltkrieg.” The same pamphlet is quoted in +_The Ethical Movement_ of the same date. Here are some extracts: + + “Hate disorganises, love disciplines. Fill yourselves with + deepest sympathy for all who suffer in war, whose hearts are + crushed, whose bodies are broken, whose homes are burned ... + and win a peace which shall make the recurrence of such things + for ever impossible. Such a purification from the passion of + hate is often easier on the field than at home. Those who remain + behind have an abstract enemy in view. The soldier sees living + men who suffer and die like himself.” It will startle the + English reader to find Dr. Förster pleading earnestly that the + English soldier is not responsible for the ways of his + government or of his leaders. The Germans are to remain true to + themselves whatever the others may do. Each side, observe, + accuses the other of barbarous methods, and impartiality is + impossible. The most that one can expect of the ardent partisan + is perhaps that he should, like Dr. Förster, urge those on his + side to remain true to their ideals, whatever the enemy may do. + “England has given us also the Salvation Army, and invaluable + higher points of view for the treatment of Labour questions and + social work. She has taught our revolutionary spirits and + moderated our party passions. Let us always remember this, and + in that remembrance grasp again in the future the proffered + hand.” For Dr. Förster it is for this better England that + Germany now fights, just as for many an Englishman it is for the + better Germany that England is fighting. “And it is better for + us to fight for that better England than to rage and spit upon + ... Grey and his followers. In sleepless nights kindle the + eternal light of Christ in your souls and try to love your + enemies. Think of that great William Booth and of all the + English greatness and goodness embodied in him; of Florence + Nightingale, the heroine and saint, whose pioneer work is still + binding up to-day unnumbered wounds; and think of Carlyle, + Ruskin, and Toynbee and of those mighty forces of conscience + which spoke in their words and gave to us Germans, and will give + us yet, so much that is great.” + +Again: + + “Christ stands against war and above war. He who loses sight of + this truth slays that deep conscience of civilisation which is + meant to goad us unceasingly on to allay this fury of war. We + know well that if we were Christians there would be no war.” + Förster denounces the bawling haters “who must open their mouths + 42 centimetres wide,” and think that he who does not do it is no + patriot. + + “To conquer and silence them must be your first task, young men + of the new Germany; you who have been purified by sacrifice and + suffering. For what would it profit our people if it gained the + whole world and lost its own soul?” May we not, _mutatis + mutandis_, take this appeal to heart ourselves? + +Again: + + “The essence and foundation of the State is precisely the + opposite of power, viz., law, treaty, fellowship between opposed + interests, and the whole outer strength of a State rests upon + the depth and firmness of these, its inner conditions and links. + Therefore the first commandment of life for the State is not to + create for itself might but to care for the ethical unity of its + members, for the supremacy of the conscience and the sense of + law above rude self-interest.”—(Quoted in the _Ethical + Movement_, October, 1915.) + +Granted that voices such as those of Herzog, Förster, Schücking, +Schwantje are a minority, it is yet plain that they represent more than +themselves. The existence of such reviews and utterances implies the +existence of at least many thousands who have not been deluded by their +governors. Of those who have been deluded into enmity, but who have +never dreamed of world dominance, there are, I am convinced, many +millions. Bernhardi was introduced to Germany by England. There were +four million Social Democrats. They have defended their country, but +they have never dreamed of aggression. The time will come to claim the +help of these men and the many others of the wiser Germany. That wiser +Germany will yet live to be, not an army of destruction, but an army of +progress. + +Henrietta Thomas, of Baltimore, Maryland, went early in 1915 with a +message of fellowship from English people to German people. There was +some surprise, some tendency to view the message as Utopian, but always +a cordial acknowledgment and a real goodwill. Dr. Siegmund Schulze was +most heartily in sympathy. “He feels that the ultimate hope of peace +lies in the increasing use of arbitration.” “One very sweet-spirited +elderly gentleman in Berlin said that when he prayed things looked +different—he seemed to see things through God’s eyes—but as a man he +had to fight.” “At Stuttgart and Frankfurt I found the peace people more +thoroughgoing in their sentiments.” The secretary of the Stuttgart +Peace Society said: “The armed peace of Europe is an exploded idea. As +long as we have armies we shall use them. We must educate the people to +realise this, and to work for disarmament.” + +_Lichtstrahlen_ was originally founded as an independent monthly +periodical by a Socialist, Julian Borchardt. The periodical was +unofficial and had a difficult struggle for existence. This was before +the war. When the war broke out the editor took as strong a line against +it as the censor allowed. The circulation rose so much that Borchardt +was able to convert the monthly into a weekly. Rosa Luxembourg and Frank +Mehring, greatly daring, started the _Internationale_ with the object of +rebuilding the International Labour and Socialist movement during the +war. The review was instantly suppressed, but was reprinted afterwards +at Berne. Among the contributors is the well-known Clara Zetkin. She +refers enthusiastically to the Christmas message sent by British women +to the women of Germany and other belligerent countries. (_Labour +Leader_, June 17, 1915.) Marie Engelmann, of Dresden, has protested with +equal strength. + + +FROM AN AMERICAN LADY. + +The following is an extract from a valuable letter by Madeline G. Doty, +an American, which appeared in the _Nation_ of June 12, 1915: + + My most revolutionary talk was with a gray-haired mother of + grown children, in a secluded corner of a quiet restaurant. A + burning flame this woman. Her face stamped with world suffering, + her eyes the tragic eyes of a Jane Addams. In a whisper she + uttered the great heresy: ‘German salvation lies in Germany’s + defeat. If Germany wins when so many of her progressive young + men have been slain, the people will be utterly crushed in the + grip of the mailed fist.’ + + With this companion I discussed the collapse of the Social + Democrats in the hour of crisis, the triumph of nationalism + over internationalism. She attributes it to military training. + During the period of service a man becomes a thing. + Automatically, he acquires habits of obedience, is reduced to an + unquestioning machine. Mechanically, when the call came, the + Social Democrats, with the others, fell into line. But with time + has come thought. Also knowledge—knowledge that, in the first + instance, Germany’s war was not one of self-defence. But it is + too late to rebel. Most of the Social Democrats are at the + front. From month to month they have put off protest as unwise. + Only Liebknecht has made himself heard. Now he has been caught + up in the iron hand, and sent to battle. But women are not bound + by the spell of militarism. While the Government rejoiced at the + submission of its Socialist men, the women grew active. + Organising a party of their own, they fought bravely. Last fall + Rosa Luxembourg dashed into the street and addressed a regiment + of soldiers. ‘Don’t go to war, don’t shoot your brothers,’ she + cried. For this offence she was sent to prison for a year. + To-day she lies in solitary confinement. But her suffering only + inspires the others. In March 750 women walked to the Reichstag. + At the entrance they halted. As the members entered they + shouted, ‘We will have no more war; we will have peace.’ Quickly + the police dispersed them, and the order went forth that no + newspaper should print one word of the protest. Still the women + work on. On April 8, an International Socialist Woman’s Congress + was held at Berne, Switzerland. Ten nations were represented, + including all the belligerents. + + The task of peace propaganda in Germany is gigantic. Neither by + letter nor by Press can news be spread. Both are censored. The + work must be carried on by spoken word passed from mouth to + mouth. The courage of the little band of women I had met was + stupendous. Through them I learned to love Germany. So my life + in Berlin became a double one. I ate and slept, and was + unregenerate in one part of the town, and only really lived when + I escaped from respectability and, strange contradiction of + terms, became a criminal fighting for peace. + + But wherever I was, one fact grew omnipresent. Germany was + magnificently organised. Here lay the country’s power and her + weakness. Her power because it made Germany a unit. There were + no weak links in the chain. Her weakness, because it robbed her + people of individuality, made them cogs in a machine. + +“Germany no longer cares whom she hurts,” runs another passage in this +letter; “like an unloved child at bay she means, to smash and kill. The +pity of it! Never was there a more generous, soft-hearted, kindly +people. Germany, the land of the Christmas tree and folk songs, and +hearthsides and gay childish laughter, turned into a relentless fighting +machine! But each individual is a cog firmly fixed in the machine, which +will go ever on as long as the ruling power turns the crank.”[73] + + +TWO SOLDIERS’ LETTERS. + +“If I were not firmly convinced that even this war will help to +establish the Kingdom of God I could hardly endure it. But I believe +that after passing through this hell humanity will come to itself and +learn to believe in the reign of human brotherhood.... I cannot tell you +the moral suffering I go through. These butcheries are utter madness. I +cannot forget for a moment that our enemies are men, and consequently +our brothers.” So wrote a young German soldier student quoted by Mr. +Jerome K. Jerome. + +The following letter is from the _Vossische Zeitung_. A soldier’s young +sister had written asking him to “kill a lot of Russians” and “to gain a +new victory in order to cheer us up.” “‘Kill a lot of Russians.’ You +have not seen them lying about—those poor dead, with their singularly +solemn faces.... You have not seen the battle which preceded, and the +bad wounds which so many of my friends got in trying to kill a lot of +them. You do not think of the fact that those dead men had parents, +brothers, and sisters whom they loved. And you have not seen the +harrowing destruction of the villages and towns—how the poor, +hunted-down population is running away, leaving everything they had +behind them to be consumed by the flames.... And then, remember, we are +not fighting in order to cheer you up—we are not lying about in the +open-air day and night, starved and suffering from wounds and +homesickness, in order that you at home may be cheerful at the tea or +beer table. We are fighting and bearing this terrible wretchedness in +order that you may he spared the horrors of war, and that Germany’s +future may be bright.” That is, I believe, what the enormous majority of +Germany’s soldiers are fighting for. Soldiers on both sides have similar +and quite reconcilable aims; but government is too complex to express +the simple will of the people. In every country, it seems to me, +anti-militarist opinion only needs its chance. I was struck by the +frequency with which such an opinion cropped up when I was travelling a +few weeks in Germany not long before the war. On the top of the Belchen +I encountered it in talking to a native of Würtemberg. Again in a walk +with a young German to the Feldberg; again in a book-shop at Freiburg; +again in chance railway talk with a very well-educated German on my way +to Berlin. In Berlin itself a giant Westphalian accosted me, as he +wanted to make the acquaintance of “one of these terrible fellows who +mean to smash up Germany.” His political ideal consisted in the belief +that England and Germany, understanding each other, could keep the peace +of the world. + + +ALBERT KLEIN. + +Dr. Albert Klein, of Giessen, who was killed in the Champagne in +February, felt compelled to side with his Government, as so many do in +times of crisis. To that extent his was a biased judgment. It is a bias +that one has seen possessing almost everywhere the noblest souls. But +Klein could write thus: + + When I read all this inflated stuff in the papers—written by + men guiltily conscious of being very safe in their offices at + home—to the effect that every soldier is a hero, I feel + positively disgusted. Heroism is far too rare to form a basis + for a national army. What is needed to make and keep that a + coherent whole is that men must respect their leaders and fear + them more than the enemy, and that leaders must be + conscientious, true to their duty, well informed, resourceful + and self-controlled. Thank God, there is plenty of the good old + discipline yet. But these fine fellows come along, concoct a + mess of New Year reflections and Centenary speeches and boldly + declaim about the German spirit that is to heal mankind. They + pick up all the filth of the foreign Press and fling it back + with threefold interest. It is just because I am so passionately + devoted to all that the noblest Germans have done for the + civilisation of the world that I do not desire to see us + burdened with a task we cannot accomplish. + + If Germany’s contribution to the world’s civilisation is the + highest we can strive for, we must seek afresh to live in peace + and concord with the other nations. Then we shall cease calling + every Englishman a hypocrite and every Frenchman empty-headed, + quite apart from the daily proofs we get of their military + ability. Oh, my dear friends, believe me, the man on the spot + who sees and experiences all this, does not talk so complacently + of death and sacrifice and victory, as those who, far from the + front, ring the bells, make fine speeches and write the papers. + He resigns himself to the bitter necessity of suffering and + death when the hour comes, and he knows and sees how many, too + many sacrifices have already been made, knows it is time, high + time that all this devastation ceased, not only on our side, but + on the other side, too. + + It is just in seeing all this suffering that we feel a new bond + of sympathy (and you, my dear ones, would feel just the same, + yes, I know, you feel it already) uniting us with the enemy. + + If, as I hardly dare to hope, I return from this murderous war, + it will be one of my most welcome duties to steep my mind in the + culture of those that now oppose us. I mean to build up on a + broader basis the aim and purpose of my life, namely, historical + and philosophical meditation on culture in its highest form. + + Last night I was strangely moved, having an opportunity of + seeing a convoy of prisoners and speaking to one of them, a + colleague, a classical philologist from Vigeac. Such a frank, + intelligent man, with an excellent military training, as indeed + were all the company with him! He told me how terrible it had + been to endure the firing of our machine-guns (démoralisant, he + called it)—and showed me clearly the utter senselessness of + war. How we should like to be friends with people so like us in + education, habits of life, thought and interest. + + We soon got into conversation about a book on Rousseau and + began a regular argument, like two old philologists. He saw the + ribbon in my button-hole and when he heard it was the Iron Cross + he said: “Félicitations!” His sparkling interest in the striped + ribbon seemed to me so characteristic of a Southern Frenchman + and very touching. + + How alike we are in worth and merit! How untrue all these tales + told by our papers of the French being broken and spent! Just as + untrue as all that the _Temps_ writes about us. And all he said, + this French colleague of mine, betrayed so much independent + thought and respect for German mind and character. Why should + we, fated to be friends, always be divided? I was deeply + troubled, and sat there for a long time lost in thought, but all + my brooding brought me no solution. + + And the end not in sight yet, the end of this war, that for six + months has been gorging itself with human life and prosperity + and happiness! The same feeling amongst us and amongst them! + Always the same picture! We are so much alike, we achieve the + same, we suffer the same, just because we happen to be such + bitter enemies.—(From the _International Review_.) + +The following is another extract given by M. Romain Rolland. It is taken +from the letter of a German soldier to a Swiss professor: + + The longing for peace is intense with us. At least with all + those who are at the front, forced to kill and to be killed. The + newspapers say that it is not possible to stem the war-like + passion of the soldiers. They lie, knowingly or unknowingly. Our + pastors deny that this passion is abating. You cannot think how + indignant we are at such nonsense. Let them hold their tongues + and not speak of things they do not understand. Or, rather, let + them come here, not as chaplains in the rear, but in the line of + fire, with arms in their hands. Perhaps then they will perceive + the inner change which is going on in thousands of us. In the + eyes of these parsons a man who has no passion for war is + unworthy of his age. But it seems to me that we who are + faithfully doing our duty without enthusiasm for the war, and + hating it from the bottom of our souls, are finer heroes than + the others. They speak of a Holy War. I know of no Holy War. I + only know one war, and that is the sum of everything that is + inhuman, impious, and beastly in man, a visitation of God and a + call to repentance to the people who rushed into it, or allowed + themselves to be drawn into it. God has plunged men into this + Hell in order to teach them to love Heaven. As for the German + people, the war seems to be a chastisement and a call to + contrition—addressed first of all to our German Church. + + +GERMANY IN PEACE TIME. + +Enough has been cited to give a glimpse of the better Germany in the +time of this war. Let us remember, too, what she has been in peace. +“After all, in our saner moments we all of us know that the Germans are +a great people, with a great part in the world to play. Their boasts +about their ‘culture’ are not idle boasts, and, when one comes to think +of it, it is rather important to have in our midst a people that _cares_ +to boast about its culture. The Englishman is more given to complaining +than boasting, and when he does boast it is certainly not about culture. +As it seems to me, the Germans excel in two things—simple tenderness of +sentiment and the work of patient observation. I am aware that it has +for a considerable time been the mode in England to slight German +literature. Personally, I consider this one of those temporary poses to +which superior persons are liable. Leave out all the great names if you +will—Goethe, Schiller, Heine, and the rest—and we still have the +folk-songs. A nation that can produce those folk-songs has got unusual +gifts for the world. And, of course, we envy the Germans their music. Of +all the contemptible utterances that this war has produced (and it has +produced a good many) none has been worse than the silly blathering +against German music just because it is German. What have Beethoven, +Bach, Schubert, Schumann, Wagner got to do with the politics of the +present war? Leaving the arts aside, it is quite certain that in any +region where careful observation and painstaking thought are required, +no one can afford to neglect Germany. Recently I was looking through +May’s ‘Guide to the Roman Pottery in the York Museum.’ Among the names +of those dealing with the subject of Roman pottery I suppose the best +known are those of Déchelette and Dragendorff—the one French, the other +German. Among the other references I found fourteen to German +publications and four to English, one of the latter being merely a +museum catalogue. No one can study philosophy without continual +reference to German thought. Even in a subject so English as the study +of Shakespeare the work of Gervinus is fundamental, and from the time of +Lessing to that of Ten Brink there has been a succession of German +commentators. Those of us who have worked at all at science know only +too well what we owe to Germany there. It has, indeed, been at times +painful to compare the mass of the German output with the comparatively +thin stream of English work. Of course, there has been splendid English +research, but as a people we are not lovers of knowledge, and we are +specially loath to apply it. Again and again our scientific papers have +been filled with diatribes against our English neglect of science, and +the diatribes were needed. I remember asking a British firm of repute to +construct for me a resistance ‘bridge’ of a simple kind. I explained the +whole purpose of the apparatus, but when it came back to me the +resistance wire was soldered down in two places to broad bands of brass. +This, of course, altered the resistance and rendered the apparatus +useless. A rudimentary knowledge of electricity would have made such a +mistake impossible. Contrast this with the following: When I was a +student a lecturer wished to prepare a rather rare compound for some +work of his. We both tried for long to prepare a specimen, but failed, +probably because the temperature of our furnace was not high enough. We +then sent to a German firm of manufacturing chemists, and they prepared +it for us at once. I remarked recently to an English scientific chemist, +‘No English firm would have done that.’ ‘Well, if you had pressed them,’ +he replied, ‘they would have sent over to —— (a German firm) and then +put their own label on the bottle.’ A ‘chemist’ in too many of our works +has too often been a lad who has picked up some routine knowledge, but +who has no more scientific equipment than a farm labourer. Contrast this +with the state of things at the _Badische Anilin und Soda Fabrik_, where +as many as _sixty_ trained chemists are employed. + +“I have often thought of these things when I have heard manufacturers +bewailing German competition. The war has produced many strange +intellectual somersaults, and it is curious to notice how many Free +Traders are now eager for the destruction, not temporarily, but +permanently, of German trade. A few months ago they would have preached +in season and out on the advantage to England of receiving cheap goods, +they would have extolled German scientific methods, and they would (with +every right) have pointed out that a customer who buys forty million +pounds’ worth of our goods is scarcely one whom we should wish to +destroy. All these facts remain absolutely unaltered by the war. All +that has happened is that a half-ashamed jealousy is no longer ashamed, +and is masquerading as patriotism so successful as to have misled the +majority of our countrymen—for a time. The day of reckoning will come, +and we shall not then find it any better than previously to buy dear +goods to please the manufacturers. Moreover, our men of business will +not have learned scientific methods by the end of the war. A publisher’s +circular that I recently received appealed, on patriotic grounds, for +the purchase of a book on applied science. I am not very cynical, but I +confess that I distrust these trade appeals to patriotism. The true +patriot does not advertise his patriotism in order to make money. In +this case the work was well known and important, but it was interesting +to observe that almost every one of the contributors was German, and +that the rest were German-Swiss. Surely, in spite of its horror, there +are many things in this contest to make the gods laugh.”[74] + + +BRITISH RECOGNITION. + +It is pleasant to find recognition of Germany’s commercial deserts among +British commercial men. The annual conference of the United Kingdom +Commercial Travellers’ Association was opened at the Town Hall, +Manchester, on May 24, 1915. Sir William Mather, who was unanimously +elected president, referred to Germany as follows: + + The position of Germany in the world of commerce had been + attained as the result of years of patient and persistent + organisation, of close application to business, of exhaustive + and careful research work, and full appreciation of the + requirements and necessities of the markets for which she was + catering, and a determination to meet those requirements in + strict accordance with the wishes and needs of her potential + customers. Behind all the efforts had been lavish financial + support by the German Government, and the pledging of national + credit for individual and private enterprise. + + The position secured by Germany as a result of her persistent + application of these methods was not to be seriously challenged, + nor would she be deprived of her hold upon it by anything other + than the use by Englishmen of the same skill, the same + elasticity, the same persistence, and the same efficiency in + every branch of commerce. + + Commercial travellers, as one of the most important parts of the + mechanism, must, if the desired result be obtained, make + themselves fully efficient for their part in the work. They had + been perhaps, as vocal as any section of the community as to the + necessity and possibility of extending English trade, but it was + much to be regretted that when opportunities were given and + facilities provided, more particularly for the younger men to + equip themselves for the work which had to be done in extending + British commerce abroad, the response was extremely + inadequate.—(_Daily Telegraph_, May 25, 1915.) + +As regards chemical research there also fortunately remain those who +still ungrudgingly admit our enormous indebtedness to Germany. In March, +1915, Professor Percy Frankland, F.R.S., addressed the Birmingham +Section of the Society of Chemical Industry on “The Chemical Industries +of Germany.” With true and chivalrous courtesy, Professor Frankland, in +a footnote to his printed address, writes: “The author has much pleasure +in acknowledging the assistance he has received from the valuable +compilation by Professor Lepsius of Berlin, ‘Deutschlands Chem. +Industrie, 1888-1913,’ and from that by Dr. Duisberg, of Elberfeld, +‘Wissenschaft und Technik,’ 1911.” I believe such courtesy is more +characteristically British than the lack of it sometimes shown by +others. The following quotations from Professor Frankland’s address are +of interest: + + +INDUSTRIES DEPENDENT ON SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. + + ... During the major part of the [past] 60 years the great bulk + of the discoveries in this domain have been made in Germany. + Organic chemistry is, perhaps, the branch of science which more + perfectly suits the German mind and temperament. It involves the + possession of those qualities in which Germans are so + pre-eminent—the capacity for taking an infinitude of pains, the + capacity to anticipate difficulties and organise means to + circumvent them.... It is in the possession of such schools of + research, both in the universities and in the chemical + factories, that Germany has by two generations the lead of all + other countries in the world.... The chemical manufacturers in + this country have, with some notable exceptions, failed to + establish anything worthy of the name of research laboratories + in connection with their works.... Whereas the artificial colour + industry started in England, that of artificial drugs is + entirely of German origin, and may be said to begin with the + discovery by Liebig of chloroform in 1831, and of chloral + hydrate in 1832.... The composition of the personnel who carry + on these German colour works is at the bottom of their success. + Take the works of Messrs. Meister, Lucius, und Brüning as an + example. In 1913, the composition was as follows: Workmen, + 7,680; managers, 374; expert chemists, 307; technologists, 74; + commercial staff, 611. Contrast with the above the fact that the + six English factories now producing dyestuffs employ altogether + only 35 chemists, whilst evidence of their relative activities + is again furnished by the circumstance that between 1886 and + 1900 the English firms took out only 86 patents, whereas the six + principal German firms were responsible for 948 during the same + period. Having shown that these German coal-tar colour + manufacturers are without rivals from the commercial point of + view, I feel it to be my duty to point out also that their + industry is carried on under conditions of labour which are + highly creditable to the management. + +Professor Frankland goes on to urge that we should at least pay heed to +“the warnings repeated _ad nauseam_ by the chemical profession during a +whole generation.” Those warnings told us of the stupidity and peril of +neglecting science. It is not mere commercialism but science that is +needed. The help of science, it may be added, will never be gained +unless devotion is paid to it for its own sake, and not simply as a +means to money. That reward is too far off for mere commercialism. Adolf +Baeyer synthesised indigo in 1880, but it cost 17 years of laborious +investigation and the investment of nearly £1,000,000 of capital before +that synthesis could be made a commercial success. So long a chase is +not carried out by those who are thinking only of the prize. The hunt +itself must interest them. That, I personally fear, is where we in +Britain (and especially in England) are somewhat lacking. + +Two other points in Professor Frankland’s address I would draw attention +to. In emphasising the need of scientific men on the directorates he +asks: “What does not the firm of Messrs. Brunner, Mond and Co., for +example, owe to the late Dr. Ludwig Mond, F.R.S.?” Just so. Dr. Ludwig +Mond was a German. He came to this country and brought with him his +energy, enterprise, and his very exceptional scientific endowments. With +Mr. J. J. Brunner he was thus able to found what became the largest +alkali works in the kingdom, and undoubtedly one of the most scientific +and enterprising works we have. Incidentally it is worth mentioning that +the firm of Brunner, Mond and Co. was one of the first to introduce the +eight hours day. There are people about (a few of whom ought to know +better) asking for the exclusion of the German in the future. I would +venture to suggest that we might well exchange very many English people +of such limited brain capacity for one Ludwig Mond. To shut the door to +men is to shut the doors to talent, and talent produces its best by +cross-fertilisation. + +I may at this point insert an illustration communicated to me privately. +My informant said: “When I was a very young man I determined to try to +save a business which was falling in ruin. My project was strongly +opposed by my friends, but I determined to carry it out. The works which +I took over were then employing 150 men. There was a great lack of +scientific training, and _this_ I saw was the chief cause of disaster. +So I began sending my men to Germany to be trained. The Germans have +always, at their State-supported universities, welcomed the foreigner +and given him their best knowledge. My men brought that knowledge back +to England. The result was that by the time I withdrew from active work +we were employing about three thousand men. The Germans had thus given +work to nearly three thousand Englishmen. People should remember facts +of this kind when they talk of Germans coming here and ‘taking the bread +out of our mouths.’” + +The wife of an interned man struggled to keep his business. She was, +however, ruined. “Serve you right,” she was told, “coming here and +taking the bread out of our people’s mouths.” What a strange idea of +humanity! What are “our people”? If a Scotsman settles in London is he +“taking the bread out of our people’s mouths’”? We forget that the +foreigner is very often an enormous accession to a State. The Norman +conquerors who organised us, the Flemings who improved our weaving, the +Huguenots who gave new ideas to our commerce, the Germans who brought +us scientific method have all been amongst the makers of England. +Exclusiveness is a constricting cord that strangles progress. Exchange +of commodities is, we know, the life of trade, and exchange of men and +ideas is the life of more than trade. + +The last quotation I shall make from Professor Frankland’s address has, +I venture to think, very considerable bearing on the possibilities of +future friendship: + + Notwithstanding the absence of material inducements, I venture + to say without fear of contradiction that there is more original + investigation being prosecuted in this country by chemists than + by any other body of British men of science, and this I + attribute to the fact that such a large proportion of our number + have either been at German universities or are the pupils of + those who have been at these centres of research. Nor are any of + us, I am sure, even during this unfortunate crisis, unmindful of + the hospitality and inspiration which we have received in the + schools of the enemy. + +One has met with so much pettiness and folly masquerading as patriotism +that it is delightful to welcome such a truly noble utterance. + +The allusion to the conditions of labour in Professor Frankland’s +address is also important. Most of us regard the German labourer as far +too controlled and regulated, but everyone knows that Germany was to the +fore in care for the health and well-being of the workman: “As to the +factory legislation in general, not only do they afford to children and +juveniles a greater measure of protection in regard to hours and other +conditions of work than is enforced by the English Factory Acts, but +many of their provisions for ensuring the health, comfort, and safety of +all workers go beyond the limits which are thought sufficient in this +country.” (W. H. Dawson, “The Evolution of Modern Germany,” p. 332.) + +Insurance against sickness and old age were measures that we learned +from Germany. They were intended to increase British efficiency and +well-being, and our statesmen received every courtesy and help in +studying German methods. It will be said by many that we shall not study +those methods again. Perhaps not. They may prefer an English method as +propounded by Lord Headley when speaking at a luncheon in connection +with the Bakery and Confectionery Trades Exhibition held at Islington. +The report is from the _Glasgow Herald_ as reproduced in the _Labour +Leader_ (October 21, 1915): + + In regard to many industries, the plain fact was that the + foreigner lived much more cheaply than the British workman and + charged far less for his labour. Where labour, and not + machinery, formed a small part of the cost of production we + should be able to compete with the foreigner, and that should be + the case in high class confectionery more than in anything else. + If we were to defeat the foreigner in other industries after the + war, it seemed to him that the British workman would have to + consent to work for lower wages than hitherto. At any rate, he + hoped so, in order that the country might supply itself with + necessities without having to go abroad for them. + +It seems to me that in this way we should “defeat” not only the +foreigner, but the Englishman as well—except the privileged few who +could get workmen at low wages without lowering their profits. I +remember saying to a Colonial lady that we had gained much from the +science of German settlers in this country. “Damn German science,” was +her reply. A certain type of employer desires two protections—protection +against the knowledge of the foreigner, and protection against the +aspirations of the worker. Both the knowledge and the aspirations of +others are a disturbance of repose. + +At a Nottingham meeting of the Society of Chemical Industry the +unscientific character of British methods was again emphasised. So, too, +at the Edinburgh meeting in December, 1914. + +Principal A. P. Laurie, speaking of paints and colours, said: “There +were very few cases among those he had inquired into of a chemical, a +colour product, or a pigment which was being made both in Germany and in +England in which the German product was not better than that made in +this country.... Again, it was admitted that German barytes was better +ground than English. Yet an extensive literature on barytes and barytes +mining had been published by the Germans, showing exactly how German +barytes was ground. They had not found a barytes miner in England who +owned a microscope.... The English manufacturer did not believe in or +use the man of science. + +“Mr. Tatlock, speaking from the laboratory glass apparatus makers’ point +of view, said that British manufacturers were finding it exceedingly +difficult to replace German and Austrian products.... Professor +Henderson had referred to the possibility of people buying more readily +goods of British manufacture. They did not find that to be the case. The +goods had to be cheaper or better; they would certainly never be bought +purely because they were British, and he did not altogether think that +they should be bought for that reason.” + +It is surely clear that the only wise world policy is one in which each +nation brings its own particular contribution to the common stock and in +no way tries to shut others out. + + +THE POLICY OF BOYCOTTING THOUGHT. + +We find it impossible to shut out German music. “Germany, it must be +said to its credit,” I read in the daily Press, “is not boycotting +foreign art.” In the autumn of 1915 the Royal Theatres of Berlin +announced Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” and “Antony and Cleopatra,” and +Scribe’s “Glass of Water.” “Shakespeare, one hears,” writes a reviewer +in the _Daily News_, of December 4, 1915, “is still being played in the +German theatres. If you go to a theatre in London you are more likely to +see a performance with a title like ‘I _don’t_ Think!’ or ‘Pass the +Mustard, Please!’ Shakespeare, to tell the truth, is in England left +largely to professors and schoolboys.” + +A silly crusade was started in this country against German thought in +general, a crusade so petty that it made some of us wince for shame. The +upholders of creeds joined in hastily, for German investigators had +given our beliefs many uncomfortable shocks. We remember how it came +about that the President of the Training College in Mark Rutherford’s +Autobiography could with such satisfaction to himself destroy the +“infidel.” “The President’s task was all the easier because he knew +nothing of German literature; and, indeed, the word ‘German’ was a term +of reproach signifying something very awful, although nobody knew +exactly what it was.” The obscurantist and opponent of free thought has +shown signs of hope that the German’s reputation for awfulness may turn +us from his evil companionship into the restful paths of British piety. +The Englishman (especially, I believe, the Saxon element) has too often +been prone to make a stronghold of ignorance. This stronghold has +certainly in industry proved to be a house of cards, and I think it has +proved to be equally a house of cards in religion. It would, indeed, be +a disastrous outcome of the war if it led us still more to emphasise our +insularity. Unless we are readier after the war to learn from everyone, +we shall, as a nation, be mentally moribund. It matters not in the least +whether the thought be German, French, Austrian, Swiss, Russian, or any +other. Miss Petre, in her “Reflections of a Non-Combatant,” has finely +stated the wider view: + + Thought and learning, art and music, may bear certain + characteristics of the country in which they are begotten; but + they are also the products of humanity itself, or they would + make no appeal to the world at large. The monuments of the + German mind are no more robbed of their intellectual value by + the national crime of this war than German mountains are robbed + of their natural grandeur, German forests of their solemnity, or + German rivers of their width and volume. + +Any other attitude is extremely likely to degenerate into a petty +jealousy that is bred of fear. This is how Mr. H. G. Wells wrote of our +attitude towards Germany years ago: + + We in Great Britain are now intensely jealous of Germany. We are + intensely jealous of Germany, not only because the Germans + outnumber us, and have a much larger and more diversified + country than ours, and lie in the very heart and body of Europe, + but because in the last hundred years, while we have fed on + platitudes and vanity, they have had the energy and humility to + develop a splendid system of national education, to toil at + science and art and literature, to develop social organisation, + to master and better our methods of business and industry, and + to clamber above us in the scale of civilisation. This has + humiliated and irritated rather than chastened us. + +Such jealousy is a strangely short-sighted mistake. No valuable or +lasting peace will come till jealousy is exorcised. There are ominous +signs of the possible triumph of a deadly Saxon insularity, but there +are other signs that give us hope. When so ardent a combatant as Mr. +Lloyd George can speak well of the services of Germany to the world, all +is not lost. It is pleasant to be able to quote these passages from an +interview reported in the _Daily News_ of January 25, 1916: + +“Mr. Lloyd George is not among those who imagine they are doing their +country a service by decrying everything German. ‘I think,’ he said, +‘that America and all of us should realise that there were two Germanies +before the war. On the one hand, there was the industrial, the +commercial, and the intellectual Germany, and in a most remarkable way +she had blended the three elements. That Germany was rendering a great +service to civilisation. It was conquering the world by the success of +its methods and of its example, and that conquest would have proved a +very genuine blessing. It would have been the means of saving some of +the terrible waste from which most of the social evils of humanity +spring. As an ardent social reformer, I freely confess that I myself was +learning a good deal from that side of Germany, particularly in the +direction of municipal and national organisation.’” Mr. Lloyd George +goes on to say that the other Germany, the military Germany, had +overthrown the Germany from which he had drawn inspiration. Our task +then surely is to help to reduce military dominance everywhere and to +help to set free that Germany whose peaceful conquest of the world +“would have proved a very genuine blessing.” + +That Germany was, and still is, a Germany of simple hearts, of men and +women who can love well. I have talked to many British-born wives of +interned men. Over and over again I have heard the same story. “I could +not have had a better husband, and the children could not have had a +better father.” That is why many English wives have already gone to +Germany to their husband’s families. + +It is time we got rid of grotesque caricatures of the German people. +Such caricatures always represent the outlook of war-time, but they do +not make for a lasting peace. There is a great German people, and that +people and ours should find each other’s hearts. I am not so much +concerned as to the Germany of brilliant science and industrious +commerce. That is good, but there is something better: It is the Germany +of loving husbands and true comrades, of true wives and devoted mothers. +It is the heart that rules the world, and we need the true hearts in +Germany, England, France, and over all the world to recognise each +other. The one prayer for us all in every land in these days surely is, +“Lord, that our eyes may be opened!” When we can pray that prayer, we +shall begin to see the war to a peace of the heart—the only peace that +will not be a “patched-up peace.” + + + FOOTNOTES: + + [Footnote 40: Lieut. Dr. Kutscher writes with obvious pleasure + of the _grande loterie de Noël_ shared out by the officers to + the children of C. in France. The children’s parties went on, + too, in the New Year. (_Int. Review_, 10th Aug., 1915).] + + [Footnote 41: Cf. p. 161. These are simply examples of the wild + passions war engenders, and there is not always the sergeant at + hand who says “Drop that or I shoot you.” One side may be + decidedly worse than the other (as seems, _e.g._, to have been + the case in the American Civil War), but this does not alter the + character of what war does for human nature.] + + [Footnote 42: See p. 36.] + + [Footnote 43: “An English Girl’s Adventures in Hostile Germany,” + pp. 58 and 124. For other incidents see p. 212.] + + [Footnote 44: See above, p. 55. For further examples of civilian + kindness see pp. 212 ff.] + + [Footnote 45: It is disconcerting to one’s pride to learn that + while the sale of German newspapers in England was entirely + “verboten” in 1916, English newspapers may still be readily + obtained in Germany in the autumn of 1918. Why are we so afraid + of the other side being known?] + + [Footnote 46: Cf. p. 169.] + + [Footnote 47: The war has greatly increased that number.] + + [Footnote 48: My aim is not political, and I do not, therefore, + touch upon the many later utterances. The protests, for example, + against the unfairness of the Brest-Litovsk Peace have in + Reichstag and Press been numerous and emphatic. For such facts + the reader should consult the “Cambridge Magazine.”] + + [Footnote 49: We were allowed to suppose that the Lusitania + carried no munitions, the Germans were encouraged to believe + that she carried mounted guns. Both views were incorrect. The + _New York Evening Post_ (quoted by the _Labour Leader_) + published the “manifest” of the number of cases of ammunition + carried.] + + [Footnote 50: Ernest Poole in “Cassell’s Magazine,” No. 42.] + + [Footnote 51: This seems unavoidable. “At last things quieted + down a bit, but many wounded had to be brought in between the + firing lines—dangerous work, as both sides are liable to fire + if they are seen.”—An R.A.M.C. Officer in the _Times_.] + + [Footnote 52: From “The Pageant of War,” by Lady Margaret + Sackville.] + + [Footnote 53: Cf. too p. 108.] + + [Footnote 54: “There is no reason to suppose that he had seen + Germany.” wrote Mr. George Long in Sir William Smith’s + “Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology.”] + + [Footnote 55: Further, we must remember that “The Red Cross on a + white field is not a magic mantle that can ward off shells fired + by an artillerist at a target which he cannot see, nor against + flyers dropping bombs from thousands of feet in the air. + ‘Bomb-dropping flyers are the terror of the doctors and wounded + behind the lines,’ remarked a doctor to me.”—Karl von Wiegand, + in the _New York World_, August 17, 1916. (“Cambridge Magazine,” + _Oct_. 7, 1916.)] + + [Footnote 56: “Church towers in a flat country are the only + observation points, and so they are used, and so they are + shelled.”—Ernest Poole, in “Cassell’s Magazine,” No. 42, p. + 27.] + + [Footnote 57: From “Is It To Be Hate?” (Allen and Unwin), a + pamphlet which I wrote in 1915. On many points there dealt with + my second thoughts are different, as are those of many others. + We have learned much since then.] + + [Footnote 58: The public is extraordinarily innocent as regards + this kind of information. It would form an interesting subject + for post-war analysis.] + + [Footnote 59: Cf. p. 157.] + + [Footnote 60: From “Is It To Be Hate?” by the Author.] + + [Footnote 61: _La guerre devant Le Palais._ Par Gabriel Mourey. + Paris. Ollendorff 2f.—_Times_ Literary Supplement, Aug. 19, + 1915.] + + [Footnote 62: Cf. M. Mourey on the Uhlans at Compiègne, p. 206.] + + [Footnote 63: See also p. 104.] + + [Footnote 64: p. 90.] + + [Footnote 65: “England,” “Germany,” “France,” etc., in these + connections actually stand for a very small group of diplomats + controlling foreign policy. The association of the names + unfortunately makes us think of the countries as a whole, a word + fallacy that leads to illimitable disaster.] + + [Footnote 66: p. 91.] + + [Footnote 67: The variability of war stories may be observed + also in the columns of the _Times_ during the Crimean War. The + truth is, no doubt, that great local differences of treatment + occur, and that stories to the discredit of an enemy are more + welcomed than stories in his favour.] + + [Footnote 68: In the _International Review_ of August 10, 1915, + an Austrian lady, Charlotte Frankl, gives an account of the + warm-hearted help she received in France, and the even greater + kindness she and others received in England: “Not one of us had + had unhappy experiences in England.”] + + [Footnote 69: War was declared upon Austria May 23, 1915, and + though formal declaration of war against Germany was delayed for + more than a year, the obvious fact was that Italy had taken + sides with the enemy.] + + [Footnote 70: Cf. p. 199.] + + [Footnote 71: The British Chemical Society expelled its honorary + German and Austrian Fellows, men who had worked for the whole of + humanity. The German Chemical Society was asked by some of its + members to expel an English Honorary Fellow who had attacked + German men of science with exceptional virulence. The Society + adopted the dignified course of taking no action amidst the + passions of war.] + + [Footnote 72: “Whatever Mr. Ernest Lissauer and his fellows may + have set before themselves in their Tyrtæan poems of hate, in + any case it can be said of them that they knew not what they + did.... They did not know, though they should have known ... + that the solidarity of the nations ... has to-day already become + such that no great nation can aim at the very conditions of + existence of another without damaging itself at the same + time.”—Ed. Bernstein in _Das Forum_ Jan., 1915.] + + [Footnote 73: This is one view. Others who have seen German life + during the war report a real solidarity of the people, a + solidarity which later developments and revelations of Entente + proposals has certainly not diminished.] + + [Footnote 74: From “Is It To Be Hate?” by Harold Picton (Allen + and Unwin). See footnote p. 203.] + + + + +APPENDIX + + +Mme. F. L. Cyon had some rather important experiences at Lille at the +time of the German attack and during the German occupation. She is a +woman of singularly cool mentality, and her evidence may be compared +with that of Dr. Ella Scarlett-Synge in a widely distant war area. + +Mme. Cyon has very kindly placed her notes of her experiences at my +disposal. As the notes record also a point of view as to war in general, +it has seemed more fitting to print them as an appendix. No statement of +this kind is unbiased, for the pacifist has his own bias. Yet I am quite +certain that everything set down by Mme. Cyon has been set down in +complete sincerity and with unusual absence of mental distortion. The +record is that made by a quiet worker amidst circumstances where few +people remained sane. + + +THE MENTAL HAVOC WROUGHT BY THE WAR. + +BY FRANÇOISE LAFITTE CYON. + +During the months of September, October, November, and December, 1914, I +undertook a journey in Northern France; going first to Lille, thence to +Maubeuge, and returning to England via Brussels, Malines, Antwerp, and +Holland. + +I was at Lille on October 13, 1914, when the Germans took the town. +During the first three months of my stay in France I was engaged in +nursing work at the military hospital 105 at Lille. In the early part of +December I travelled as well as I could, sometimes tramping and +sometimes making use of peasants’ carts and local tramways, until I +eventually reached Holland. + +It is not, however, my intention to speak much of my adventures or of +the war itself, but rather to depict, to the best of my ability, the +effect which the dreadful events of our doings have had on the minds of +the men and women I have met with over there; be they French, Belgian, +or German. This article will be an attempt to give a series of short +studies in psychology, rather than a dramatic account of a perilous +journey. + +I wish my readers to bear in mind at the outset that after October 13 I +was in German territory, where, from that date onwards, I met with two +kinds of people. On the one hand, the oppressors or Germans; on the +other hand, the oppressed, namely, the French, Belgian, and a few +English. + +For a psychological study to be of value, such a distinction is useful +to begin with, for one seldom finds the same frame of mind in the victor +and the vanquished, in the oppressor and the oppressed. + +Whilst endeavouring to give facts, I must distinguish between three +types of people whom I met during my journey. First, civilians, French +and Belgian; secondly, the hospital staff, doctors and nurses, mostly +French, with the exception of two German doctors; thirdly, the military, +officers and men, French and German, with a few British. I am obliged to +make this division in order to make myself clear, as the events of the +war do not seem to affect the people of these three divisions in the +same way. + +In what follows I shall for the most part depict types. + +I met first with the civilian population. When I reached Lille, I found +life there much as usual, excepting that all appeared very quiet. But a +few days after my arrival Lille began to show an extraordinary and sad +animation. The town, which had already given shelter to many refugees +from Valenciennes and villages thereabouts, was suddenly crowded by the +exodus of the inhabitants of Orchies; the latter town, it was reported, +had been completely burnt to the ground by the Germans, only thirty +houses having been left standing. + +Life in Lille became horrible. In the streets one met long processions +of miserable creatures, looking haggard and exhausted. Here was a woman +with three tiny children, two of them in a dilapidated perambulator, the +other she carried in her arms. She looked grey with the dust of the +road: I followed her. She was going to the office of some local paper, +whence these poor refugees were directed where to go to find food and +shelter. Waiting at the door of the office were such numbers of these +worn-out human beings that many of them, too tired to stand any longer, +were sitting on the pavement whilst the children were eating pieces of +bread. + +One morning I followed the crowd going to get bread at the town hall. I +saw a little boy of four standing at his mother’s side while she talked +with another woman. The mother’s basket had been put down on the +pavement and a round loaf of bread was partly coming out of it. The +little mite kneeled down on the ground and, going at it with all his +might, he began to eat off the loaf in a way which told a long, sad +tale. + +But what one met with amongst one’s friends was often more horrible than +the sights in the streets. The tale of the destruction of Orchies had +been believed almost everywhere before any explanation had been +forthcoming, and in these days hatred began to rear its head when people +talked of the Germans. + +“If they had burned Orchies,” said one of my acquaintances, “it is +because we are too tolerant with them. To brutes we must speak only the +language of brutes. We treat their prisoners like guests; let us put +them all against the wall and shoot them and their wounded, too.” + +When I replied that we should have little right to complain of German +atrocities if we did what they are reported to do, I was looked at as +too soft and as if I were a woman without patriotic feeling. My friend +told me this as politely as his temper allowed. + +I left him and went into the street to try to find some distraction from +his hatred. I chanced to meet a woman of Orchies and inquired what had +happened there. I give her tale as told to me, though I have not been +able to verify it. + +“The Germans,” said she, “behaved quite well the first time they came +into our town. They were kind to the children and even gave them sweets +and toys, but on their second visit they found that some of their +wounded had had their ears cut off and they ordered that Orchies should +be set on fire.” + +“It was monstrous,” she added, “but I know that an African soldier was +found with a necklace of sixty ears, which he had certainly taken +somewhere. This, too, was monstrous. I do not excuse the Germans for +their crime—I have lost everything myself—but if we allow their +wounded to be mutilated at such times, what can we expect? Who can say +which side is the more barbarous? I must tell you that the officer +ordered to set fire to Orchies was also told to arrest the mayor and +some other men and to have them shot. However, he gave them timely +warning to evacuate Orchies and to make good their escape, so no one was +hurt.” + +How far this story was true I never knew, but the effect of it on my +fellow creatures I had seen too well, and I went away bearing on my +heart the words of the woman of Orchies: “Who can say which side is the +more barbarous?” + +On October 7 we heard that the Germans were outside the city and in many +quarters fear was added to the anguish already overburdening the hearts +of so many. Yet one woman, hearing the Germans were near, exclaimed, +“Say what you like, these men are just like our French men. War is war; +you cannot expect it to be anything but cruel and barbarous. The Germans +are no enemies of mine.” + +Her words made a bad impression on the listeners, and it was well that +the kind-hearted soul had three brothers in the French Army or she would +have been regarded with much suspicion. + +An old lady of my acquaintance almost lost her head with fright. “How +dare they,” she said, speaking of the French, “let the Germans take +Lille?” + +“What then,” said I, “of Rheims?” + +“Yes, Rheims, I know it was horrible! But Lille, the most beautiful town +of the North, it is a crime to make it suffer.” + +Whilst discussing with me the doings of the French Army the old lady had +often argued that Rheims and Arras had had to suffer because this was +necessary to the success of the French operations. Recalling her own +words, I asked: “But what could you say if for the good of the common +cause Lille must suffer as did Rheims and Arras?” + +But in her terror, forgetful of what she had said previously, she only +exclaimed: “Lille! It is a crime. What shall we do? How shall we live?” + +And I could see fear in her eyes, fear for her belongings as well as for +her life, fear which made her forget for a moment the “good cause of +this war” as she had often put it to me, fear which made her heart give +out a note of real selfishness. + +So far as I can remember it was on October 8 that all the gates of the +city were closed, and that there was fighting on the Grand Boulevard, +the great wide thoroughfare which connects Lille with its sister-cities +of Roubaix and Tourcoing. There was also fighting near one of the gates. + +On the following day, on returning from my work in Hospital 105, the +people with whom I was living told me of the terrible spectacle they had +witnessed when they had gone to get news of some relations living near +the gate where the fight had taken place. One woman said: + +“The fight was on the bridge, which was covered in the evening with the +dead bodies of Germans, amongst them two wounded men whom the Germans +had left behind. By the bridge there is an inn, and we have been told +that five men, civilians, who were there, killed the two ‘Boches’ by +strangling them. This makes two less of them!” + +I looked at her in horror, thinking that fright had turned her brain. I +could find no words to reply. I turned to go to my own room, when she +added: + +“In any case, the ‘Boches’ won’t know of it for the bodies are buried +under a heap of stones.” + +I left her with the words of the woman of Orchies echoing through my +brain: “Who can tell which side is the more barbarous?” + +Some of these people I had known before the war to be peaceful, quiet +citizens; they now appeared to me to have suddenly turned into devils. +Fear and danger had made them crazy with hatred. Everywhere one went it +was the same. If I tried to escape it, and took refuge in the street, I +seemed to feel hatred rising from the very ground. + +Amongst the fugitives one saw, many had run away before even seeing a +German helmet, but all were full of atrocious tales, all were mad with +hatred and revenge. + +Not until the actual shelling of the town began did I fully realise the +havoc that fear and hatred can work! To feel helpless while shells go +whirling over one’s head at the rate of sixty a minute, while houses are +burning on either side of one, is a horrible experience. To have to bear +all these horrors without being able to put a stop to them, is +maddening. At such moments one feels like a mouse caught in a trap. One +would have to be more than human not to feel terror. + +We all felt this at Lille, the great majority were so panic-stricken +that they made for the gates, quite oblivious of the fact that the gates +were closed and that fighting was going on there. + +It is usually in these moments of supreme fear that the lurking hatred +in the soul takes full possession of it, distorting the imagination, +bringing back the most atavistic moral ideas, giving birth to falsehoods +of every description, and widening the gulf of misunderstanding which +seems to part the nations. + +I have always known that hatred is the offspring of war. I am well aware +that ever since the beginning of the present crisis the newspapers and +the warmongers have been daily adding fuel to the fire of hatred for +fear that if the fire died out the war would do the same. But over +there, at Lille, I felt that hatred had fallen on the hearts of many +people like a fatal malediction with which they are to be cursed all +their life long and which they will transmit to their descendants. + +These people whom fear has driven, like cattle, from their burning +houses, who have suddenly been left without a roof over their heads or +food to eat, are not likely easily to give up their hatred when this +passion of war is a thing of the past. Deep in their hearts will be +written the word “revenge” even though France does not lose a second +Alsace-Lorraine. + +This same overpowering feeling of hatred I found amongst most of the +staff of the hospital where I was working, and I was able to note at +first hand the effect it had in the dealings of the nursing staff with +the German wounded. + +After October 13, 1914, the Germans took control of all the hospitals at +Lille, and soon they were crowded with German wounded, while, little by +little, as soon as they were able to travel, the French and British were +evacuated and taken to Germany as prisoners of war. + +At Hospital 105 the French staff were asked if they would agree to +remain under the German authorities, and most of the doctors and nurses +elected to remain at their post. The hospital was controlled by the +“Société des femmes de France,” who financed it and managed the entire +establishment. Many of these women were society ladies and, with the +exception of two or three, most incompetent. Before the German +occupation their activities had mostly been of a showy character. They +were all dainty, smart, and useless, and so they remained under German +rule—those, at least, who did not run away. They avoided nursing +Germans with great skill, and overcrowded the French and English wards. +They were very diplomatic in their dealings with the enemy, as silly and +pitiful in their hatred of the German and their cautious dealings with +him as they were in their other activities. Their hatred was of the +emptyheaded kind, but all the more dangerous for being based on +frivolity of heart and crass ignorance. + +Side by side with them were a few intellectual women, professors and +teachers. Most of them followed in the wake of their sisters and behaved +in a similar manner. One of them, a woman I had known before, had spent +many years of her life in Germany and had taught the German language for +nearly twenty years. Before the war she had often told me how lovable +she had found the German people, what good friends she had in Germany +and how she always enjoyed a holiday there, so that when some of my +German patients asked me for books, I thought she would be the very +person to whom to apply for some. + +To my astonishment she flew into a passion when she heard my request. + +“Want books, do they? They will soon ask for chickens and lobsters.” + +Walking into my ward, she exclaimed haughtily: “So you are asking for +books! As you set fire to everything, there are no books left for you!” + +Very little of the nursing was done by these women, however, who, +instead of being a real help for the most part, put spokes in the wheels +of the more useful helpers. The hardships of overwork, of long hours, of +day and night duties in succession, fell all the more heavily on the +shoulders of a few willing women, the other part of the female element +proving so unreliable. + +These women, whose devotion never flagged, comprised three trained +nurses and nine or ten women clerks or teachers, of quite another type +to those mentioned above. It is true they were not all free from hatred, +but, if I may so express it, theirs was almost a hopeful hatred compared +with the blind stupidity of those others. + +Amongst the three professional nurses I remember a tall, handsome girl +of 22 or thereabouts. Hers was an ardent soul, one of those souls which +keep young in spite of advancing years. Whatever task this girl sets +herself to do she will carry it through with skill and earnestness. +Whichever cause she champions she will do so in no light spirit, and it +was thus that she hated the Germans with the strongest hatred and yet +nursed them with utter devotion, for she was as earnest a nurse as she +was keen a patriot. There was almost a kind of healthiness about her +hatred, based as it was on deep-rooted feelings, knowing no caution and +no fear. One might hope more for her who, fearless of consequences, +could wave the French flag and shout “Vive la France” when French +prisoners were led away, than for all the fine ladies whose little souls +were filled with great fear and ignorant hatred. + +I remember also a small, fair nurse, silent for the most part, but up at +all times of the night as well as working hard all day. She sometimes +opened her heart to me and I found there, as deep-rooted as her +colleague’s hatred, a great and sincere love for all men and women, an +unflinching hope that in the long run “brotherhood” will be the +watchword of all humanity. + +Amongst these hard-working women many were of this silent type, going +about with sealed lips, but with treasures of unconscious kindliness and +love hidden in their hearts, known only to God. + +My daily intercourse with the men on our hospital staff was on the whole +never sufficiently intimate to allow me to speak here of their mental +attitude towards “the enemy.” The French doctors I never saw except when +I was on duty, and I had little or no opportunity of speaking with them, +being only an assistant nurse, but I recollect one little incident +connected with Professor L——, a man of acknowledged skill in France. +At the time of which I speak, I had been transferred to a German ward, +and one day, finding myself short of boiled water for the men to drink, +I went to the chemist to ask for some. There I met Professor L——, who +said: + +“So you want boiled water for your friends the Germans? What would you +say if I were to put in it a few microbes of cholera morbus?” + +“I would hardly believe it of you!” + +“Of course, you would not, for I am told that you are surprisingly good +to these Germans. But believe me, if it were not for the fear of +spreading the disease far and wide, this would be the best thing to do.” + +I have, however, no means of ascertaining that this incident is typical +of the attitude of the average Frenchman on the male staff towards the +Germans. As a matter of fact, they had very little to do with the German +wounded, as these were left entirely in the hands of the German doctors, +aided by the French nurses. + +After my transfer to the German wards, where we were very short of +nurses, I soon found myself in sole charge of from 16 to 26 wounded, a +burden which I felt rather too heavy for me, as I had had but little +experience in nursing previous to the war. But it was during this time, +when my duties involved greater responsibility, that I came into closer +contact with doctors, but they were German doctors, of course. + +I remember one of them, a small man, somewhat round, whom we had +nicknamed “pupuce” (little flea). Pupuce always appeared to me to be +kindness itself: intent on his work, good to his men and fair to his +helpers. His position as head of a hospital where most of the men were +French, was not an easy one. He was disliked by the majority of the +nurses, mostly those who had not been willing to work under him; yet I +never saw him manifest anything but the greatest tolerance and courtesy +towards all. + +But where one felt the smallest amount of hatred existing on either side +was amongst the men who had fought and been wounded. + +Being left so much alone with my German patients I got to know them +well. I never had to complain of my “Boches.” They were so much like our +own men; yes, so much like them! They were grateful for what was done +for them just in the same way. They showed me photographs of their dear +ones and told me stories of them which made my heart beat ever so +quickly. + +But some of them were very funny. They ate, ate, so that one marvelled. +They showed me plainly that I was to heap potatoes and other food on +their plates. It was never too thick or too much for them. These men +were of the peasant type, heavy in features and in general appearance. I +found but few like them amongst our French men. They seemed to feel +kindly towards me. Some of them used to pat me on the back heavily and +call me: “Goode Petite Madam.” But their kindness was cow-like, so to +speak, and reminded me of the animals when they have been well fed. + +But, of course, all were not like that. I remember many handsome and +intelligent faces of men who seemed to have been born for better things +than butchery. Here was a young man, a student of science, as gentle as +a woman. He seemed to be the soul of all his comrades, so great was his +influence for good over them. Day and night he was ready to help and to +go to the assistance of his fellows, so far as his own wounds would +allow him to do so. + +There were many of this type, and many others who seemed like children, +and who could hardly be expected to realise how they got into such a +scrape. One, a young mechanic, a lad with a bright rosy face, discovered +that I was a Socialist, and, with finger on lip, he told me that he also +was one. He whispered the great names of Jaurés, Keir Hardie, and +Liebknecht; I could read in his eyes the hope these names roused in him, +but I could also see that he was scarcely old enough to know his own +mind, and that he might be brutally killed ere he had lived long enough +to strengthen his hopes and to see his goal clearly through the maze of +his youthful dreams. + +There were types on the French side corresponding more or less closely +to these. + +It is true that the French peasant drinks wine in the place of beer, +eats less than the German, is lighter in build and in wits, but apart +from these superficial differences there is much similarity. Under an +outside show of brains, both are often of dull and shallow intelligence. +The German cracks heavy jokes and the French cynical ones: it is +difficult to choose between them as both show little culture and an +inherent commonplaceness of mind. + +Men of greater sensibility, of refined culture, I have found on either +side, and be they French or German, I have nearly always found their +behaviour correspond to that which I have here tried to delineate. + +Most of these men had seen many ghastly things, the horrors of which +often remained impressed in their eyes for days and days after their +arrival in hospital. It is often said that the trade of war, the heavy +slaughter in which they have participated, is bound to brutalise them. I +readily believe this to be so in the case of the most vulgar types on +either side, though, even on these, the brutalising and demoralising +effect of the war seems less to be feared than amongst their +corresponding types among the civilians. + +It is amongst the soldiers and officers of the fighting ranks that I +have found the greater readiness to fraternise with the enemy, to +acknowledge the good points of the other side. + +The men in my ward one day having sent coffee to their French comrades, +the latter replied by sending cigarettes, and soon both sides were +conversing together. The men who have stood face to face in the fight, +who have seen their enemies falling as bravely as they themselves have +done, have little hatred left in their hearts; but those who have +suffered all the horrors of war and who have not found either in work, +or even in participation in the war itself, a means to cool their +overheated feelings, are those who constitute the real danger for the +future work of the pacifists, as, after all, the brutalising effect of +war is not due so much to the use of physical force as to the hatred +which such physical force, bent on destruction, brings in its wake. + +What I say here of the men does not, however, apply to the professional +officers. Amongst the Germans these are mostly of the aristocracy. Their +haughty, scarred faces were always repellent to me. Luckily I was not +told off to nurse them. They had a special room of their own. + +Once only, at lunch time, when their usual nurse was away at her lunch, +one of them beckoned to me as I was passing their door. Thinking that he +wanted something, I went up to him, but he received me by putting out +his tongue and taking a “sight” at me, to the amusement of all his +friends. This young scamp was no other than Lieutenant von W——, the +son of General von W——. We all knew that he was a cad and Pupuce +himself seemed to find him rather a handful. + +I met very few French officers during my stay at Lille, but my knowledge +of the professional military man in time of peace, leads me to believe +that the type I have described, is far from uncommon in France. He is +the embodiment of militarism anywhere, and neither in Germany nor +elsewhere will these men’s brutal instincts be checked through war, or +even through defeat. + +After leaving Lille, and during my subsequent journey through Northern +France and Belgium, I had the opportunity to note the dealings of the +Germans with the population of these invaded lands. + +After the numerous accounts of monstrous atrocities which were +perpetrated over there, I hardly dare to mention here that personally I +did not meet with any of these. I do not mean to imply by this that +atrocities have not happened, but simply that it has been my good +fortune not to come across any. + +At Lille itself, the Germans behaved decently when once in occupation. +Posters were put on the walls of the town inviting the population to +keep quiet. It is true that a few days later fresh bills appeared, +worded in very peremptory fashion, warning the inhabitants to keep away +from the bridges, railways, and so forth, under penalty of death for +disobedience. However, to my knowledge, no disturbances occurred. There, +as elsewhere, the Germans tried to reorganise ordinary life as quickly +as possible; they helped to put out fires and to restore quiet and order +amongst the civilians. + +At Maubeuge I met with a similar state of affairs, though I came to this +town to find that my father, one of the citizens, had only the day +before come out of prison, where the Germans had kept him for 28 days; +on a false charge of trying to incite the inhabitants of Maubeuge +against the Germans, he and two other men had been arrested. According +to their own account the three of them were given a very fair trial and +were acquitted. My father did not in any way complain of the treatment +he had met with. + +I must admit, however, that the three prisoners did not all speak of +their adventure in the same spirit. My father, always quiet and +cool-headed by nature, resolved to make the best of a bad job, and +having obtained paper and ink, wrote about half of a book whilst in +prison. He found the food wholesome, though not always plentiful, and +asked my mother after his release, to make him a pea soup like that he +had had in his cell. The other two, however, one a mere lad, the other +an old-maidish man of 50, complained bitterly of the food and other +things. While narrating his part of the story the middle-aged man turned +to me exclaiming: “Why, your father, no one would believe that he is a +good bit over 60. He took it all so quietly, just as if he were still a +young man!” + +I could not but infer from this that in times of such great crisis and +passion a man over there in the invaded parts is often treated by “the +enemy” according to the way in which he himself behaves towards the +so-called “enemy.” Coolness of head and courtesy on the one side more +often than not met with the same qualities on the other side. + +I suspect it was this, that, after the trial of the three, caused the +President of the Court to apologise to my father, who had proved himself +a man, but not to think of doing so to the two other prisoners, who had +been more sheepish than human. + +On the average, the relations between the Germans and the inhabitants, +from stories I have heard and facts I have witnessed, might roughly be +summed up in the following statement: + +Arrogance, temper, haughtiness on the one side, provoke arrogance, +temper and haughtiness on the other; while quietness and coolness of one +party inspire the other with the same quietness and moderation. Provided +we bear in mind that it takes less to provoke the victor than to provoke +the vanquished, that it is more easy for the former to indulge in his +temper without fear of consequences. I do not think that the atrocities +perpetrated by the Germans in Belgium, the true ones as they came to my +knowledge, and not the false ones which have been spread by the Press, +have proved in any way that the Germans have passed the bounds of all +that has been known in previous wars, and have deserved to be banned and +thrust outside the pale of humanity. + +In this article I have endeavoured to give a fair account of my journey +and to relate facts I have witnessed as they have impressed themselves +upon my mind. I have done so not to pass judgment upon some of my +fellow-creatures at such times of overheated passions, but merely in +order to present to Socialists and Pacifists the enormity of their task +after the war, such as I have felt it over there. + +It is in the hearts of the people that we shall have to work, to bring +to them seeds of love and fraternal goodwill in the place of the weeds +of hatred and ignorance which years of war and horrors will have left in +the souls of many. Everywhere, but mostly in the countries which have +been devastated by the war, be it in France, Belgium, Serbia, Poland or +East Prussia and Galicia, it is in the hearts of the majority of the +civilian population that we shall meet with the hardest task, but we +must work so that our faith be so great as really to move mountains. + + + + +INDEX + +_Where there are several references and one is of chief importance, that +one is printed in heavy figures._ + + +PAGE. + +Accusation, Ease of, 204-5 + +Achim, 136 + +_Aktion, Die_, 231 + +Alexandra Palace, Internment at, 103 + +Altdamm, 8 + +American Civil War, Prisoners in, 123-4 + +Anderson, Chandler, 79 + +Annexation + —Delbrück-Dernburg-Wolff Memorial Against, 176 + —German Socialist Party Manifesto Against, 175 + +Assistance Agency, German, for Prisoners, 12, =133-142= + +Assistance to British Subjects in Germany, 212-21 + +Atrocities + —and Credulity, 31, 38 + —German, 264, 265 + —Unfounded Story of, 156 + +_Auskunfts- und Hilfsstelle für Deutsche im Ausland und Ausländer in + Deutschland_, 133-4 + +Austin, L. J., 33, =37= + +Austria, a Prisoner in, 26 + +_Avanti_, 223 + + +Bad Blenhorst, 48, 57 + +Baden, Prisoners in, 60, 61 + +_Basler Nachrichten_, 66 + +Bathing Facilities + —in British Camps, 65 + —in German Camps, 11, 13, 15, 48, 50 + +Bath-Chair Woman and English Lady, 213 + +Batochina, 150-2 + +Bayreuth, 55 + +Belgian Relief Commission, Germany’s Attitude to, 177-8 + +Belgium, German Protests Against Annexation of, 173-177 + +Bell, Mr. E. P., on the Censorship, 199 + +Belle-Ile, 43 + +Beresford, Lord, 29 + +_Berliner Tageblatt_, 177, 179 + +Bernhardi, 234 + +Bernstein, Ed., 231 + +Berry, Dr. F. M. Dickinson, 72 + +Bibby, Private A., 193 + +Birt, Capt. W. B., 146 + +Bischofswerda, 45-6, 49 + +Bishop of Winchester, 12, =132-3= + +Björnson, Björn, 171 + +Blankenberg-i-Mark, 51 + +Blankenburg, =19=, 52 + +Blue Book on Prisoners in Germany, 24 + +Boer War + —Concentration Camps, 126-31 + —Prisoners in, 125 + +Bogen, Col., 11 + +Borchardt, Julian, 235 + +Bouvigny, 38 + +Boxing in Prison Camps, 51 + +Brandenburg, 56 + +British Subjects in Germany, Kindness to, 212-21 + +Brunner, Mond & Co., 246 + +Bryan, Mr., 6 + +Buchan, John, 157 + +Bulgaria, British Prisoners in, 73 + +Burg, 34-37 + +Burg-bei-Magdeburg, 10 + +Bury, Bishop, 28, =102-3=, 107-8 + +Butler, Lt.-Gen. Sir W., quoted, 200, 201 + + +_Cambridge Magazine_, 30, 73, 124, 228 + +Carpenter, Edward, 183 + +Cassabianda, 44 + +Catering, Self-management in, 22 + +Celle, 57 + +Censor Fined by Prisoner, 35 + +Censorship, E. P. Bell on the, 199 + +Cetinje, Starvation in, 160 + +Chemical Society, + —British, 229 + —German, 229 + +Chemistry, Germany and, 245_ff_ + +Child in No-Man’s-Land, 159 + +Children in Russia, 159 + +Children Taken Home from Occupied Territory, 135, 158 + +_Christliche Welt_, 173 + +Christmas Truces, 180-2, 183-6 + +Cimino, Dr., 84, =104= + +Civilian Hate, 163-4 + +Civilians, Resident Enemy, Treatment of, 75 + +_Clacton Graphic_, 165 + +Clausthal, 49 + +Clothes, British Prisoners and, 23 + +Cohen, Israel, 79, =104= + +Colenso, Miss, 4 + +Cologne + —Hospitals at, 12 + —Military Prison at, 54 + +Commandants, Good German, 56 + +_Common Cause_, 66 + +_Common Sense_, 111, 193 + +Compiègne, Palais de, 205-7 + +Complaints by Prisoners, 73 + +Concentration Camps, Boer War, 126-31 + +Contracts, Germany and, 177-8 + +Corey, Mr. Herbert, and the _Times_, 198 + +Correspondence, Complaints about, 6-8 + +Cottbus, 57 + +Coulston, Capt., 52 + +Credulity and Atrocities, 31, 38 + +Crefeld, 2, =13=, 55, 65 + +Cüstrin, 49 + +Cyon, Madame F. L., 153-7, 255_ff_ + + +_Daily Chronicle_, 83, 163, 168, 188, 189, 198, 202 + +_Daily Citizen_, 183 + +_Daily Mail_, 6, 196 + +_Daily News_, 4, 7, 26, 28, 45, 59, 60, 61, 68, 71, 107, 119, 120, 159, + 160, 161, 162, 164, 168, 169, 177, 178, 179, 185, 187, 190, 191, 199, + 224, 225, 226, 251, 252 + +_Daily Telegraph_, 96, 105, 122, 223, 224, 244 + +Damm, Mr., 8 + +Dartford Prisoners of War Hospital, 64 + +Dawson, W. H., 248 + +Dehmel, 229 + +Delbrück-Dernburg-Wolff Memorial, 176 + +Dernburg, Dr., 176-7 + +Desmond, G. G., =61= + +Deussen, Prof., Against Hate, 228-9 + +_Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, 73 + +_Deutsche Tageszeitung_, 168 + +Dickinson, Lowes, 232 + +Döberitz, 5, =9=, 25, 30, 135 + +Dobson, Austin, quoted, 196-7 + +Dogs in German Prison Camps, =33=, 39 + +Donington Hall and Luxury, 64 + +Dorchester Camp, 9, =64= + +Doty, Madeline, 235 + +Douglas, 25 + +Dresel, Mr., 33, 110 + +Drill, Dr., 167 + +Dülmen, 61, 62 + +Dyffry Camp, 9 + +Dyffryn Aled Camp, 64 + +Dyrötz, 52 + + +East Africa, German Women Prisoners from, 69 + +Elswick, 7 + +_Emden_, 202, 205 + +England, Military Prisoners in, 63_ff_ + +_English Girl’s Adventures in Hostile Germany_, 212-14 + +_Englishman, Kamerad_, 8 + +Erfurt, 22 + +Erzberger, 73 + +Escape, Attempts to, 48 + +_Ethical Movement_, 232, 234 + +Ethics of War, 161-2 + +Eugster, Nat. Councillor A., =40-2=, 45, 67 + +_Evolution of Modern Germany_, 248 + +Ey-Steinecke, Gen. von, 56 + + +Families of Germans in England, 143-4 + +_Far Out_, 201 + +Farm Work + —Prisoners in Germany and, 21 + —German Prisoners and, 68, 69 + +Food + —at Ruhleben, 90, 91, 101-2, 104 + —During Transport of Prisoners, 46 + —German Prisoners and, 30, 69-70 + —In Boer War Concentration Camps, 131 + —In English Camps, 9, 27, 117 + —In French Camps, 43, 44 + —In German Camps, 3, 5, 10, 14, 15, 18, 20, 23, =27-31=, 34, 40, + 50, 51 + —Problem in Germany, 99 + +Fougères, 44 + +Foerster, Prof. W., 134 + +Förster, Dr. F. W., 232 + +Fort Friedrichshafen, 50 + +_Forum, Das_, 231, 232 + +Franco-German War, Prisoners in, 124 + +Frankfort, Freedom of English in, 83 + +Frankfurt-am-Oder, 137, 218 + +_Frankfurter Zeitung_, 166, 169, 170, 177, 178 + +Frankland, Prof., 245 + +Frentz, Gen. Raitz von, 56 + +Friedberg, 23, 48, 65 + +Friedrichsfeld, 46 + +_Friend, The_, 132, 138 + +Friends’ Emergency Committee, 87, 132, =137-144=, 158 + +“Frightfulness” Condemned by German Newspapers, 178 + +Frongoch, 145 + +Funeral of an English Officer in Germany, 146-8 + + +Gardelegen, 15 + +Gardens, Prisoners’, 23, 49 + +Gardiner, A. G., 226 + +Gerard, Mr., 23, 25, 45, 47, 50, 53, 81, 82, 93, 97-8, 100, 102, 104 + +German + —Feeling Towards England, 165 + —Heroism at the Front, 161-2 + —Newspaper Comments, 166_ff_ + —Officers, Professional, 263-4 + —Officers and Privates, Familiarity Between, 38 + —Soldier, British Opinions of the, 201-3 + —Soldiers, French Women and, 208 + —School-books and the War, 171-3 + —Tribute to Pégoud, 224 + —Troops in Occupation, 205_ff_ + +Germany + —and Commerce, 244 + —Conditions of Labour in, 248 + —In Peace Time, 241_ff_ + +Germersheim Hospitals, 55 + +George, Lieut., =36= + +Gibbs, Philip, 163, 182, 183, 188, 189, 197, 202, 208 + +Giessen, 48, 53, 150 + +Gilliland, Lieut., 73 + +_Glasgow Herald_, 249 + +Glass Apparatus, Germany and, 250 + +Gmelin, Prof., 53 + +“God Punish England,” 166, 169, 171 + +Gomperz, Prof. H., 227 + +Görlitz, 49 + +“Gott Strafe England,” 166, 169, 171 + +Göttingen, =11=, 27, 53, 67, 144 + +Graaf, Excellenz de, and English Civilians, 82 + +Grey, Sir Edward, 8, 24, 50, 77, 78, 80, 92, 97 + +Güstrow i/Mecklenburg, =16=, 52, 53, 57 + + +Haase, Herr, on Belgian Neutrality, 174 + +Hakenmoor, 51 + +Hale, Chandler, 25 + +Hall: _International Law_, 76 + +Halle a/d Saale, 10 + +Halle, 49 + +Hamilton, Sir Ian, 7 + +Harnack, Prof., 177 + +Harris, H. W., 82 + +Harte, A. C., 11 + +Harvey, Lieut.-Observer J. E. P., 3 + +Hate + —Civilian, 163-4 + —Hymn of, 231 + —Prof. Deussen Condemns, 228 + —Prof. Gomperz Condemns, 227 + +Hauptmann, Gerhart, 229 + +Havelberg, 110 + +Hay, the Hon. Ivan, 36 + +Headley, Lord, 249 + +_Healing of Nations_, 183 + +Hedin, Sven, 171 + +_Herald_, 109 + +Heroism of German Prisoners, 119 + +Herzog, Wilhelm, 232 + +Hesse, Hermann, 230 + +_Hibbert Journal_, 180, 232 + +_Hilfe, Die_, 222 + +Hobhouse, Miss Emily, 127-31 + +Holderness, 26 + +Holyport Camp, 9, 64 + +Holzminden, 135 + +Hoover, Herbert, 177 + +Hope, James, 71 + +Horrors of War, 163 + +Hospital at Lille, 156-7, 258_ff_ + +Hospital Treatment, Prisoners in Germany, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23, 47, 48, + 55, =57-8= + +“Hymn of Hate,” 231 + + +_In the Hands of the Enemy_, 31 + +Indian Prisoners at Wünsdorf, 55 + +Indian Prisoners, Wounded, 13 + +International Red Cross—see under Red Cross + +_International Review_, 210, 220, 222, 228, 240 + +Internment Camps, Neutral, 121 + +Internment + —Effects of, 6, =83-7=, 110, 114, 120 + —Origin of, 76_ff_ + +_Is it to be Hate?_ 203, 205, 244 + +Isighem, 47 + +Isle of Man, 9 + + +Jackson, Mr., 9, 10, 16, 19, 25, 27, 29, 49, 51, 52, 56, 57 + +Jealousy, English, of Germany, 252 + +Jens, Fräulein, 136 + +Johnson, Capt. Benjamin, 13 + +Journalists Condemned, 232, 238 + + +Kaiser, 207 + +Kerensky, 225 + +Kindness, Order Against, 196 + +Kirchhoff, Frau, 136 + +Klein, Albert, 238 + +Klein, L’Abbé Félix, 194 + +Kluck, General von, 203, =206-7= + +Knockaloe Camp, 114-17 + —Accommodation at, Compared with Ruhleben, 115-16; + —Prisoners’ Aid Society, 136-7 + +Kolb, Annette, 232 + +_Kölnische Zeitung_, 148, 167, 168, 171, 178, 226 + +Königsbrück, 49 + +Kothe, Oberst, 56 + + +_La Guerre vue d’une Ambulance_, 194, 196 + +_Labour Leader_, 117, 175, 186, 189, 198, 235, 249 + +_L’Action Française_, 211 + +Landrecies, 31 + +Langen Halbach b/Haiger, 54 + +Laurie, Principal, 250 + +Leonhard, Rudolf, 229 + +Letters, German Soldiers’, 237_ff_ + +Lichnowsky, Prince, 12, 133 + +_Lichtstrahlen_, 235 + +Liebknecht, 236 + +Lille, 153-7, 255_ff_ + —Hospital at, 156-7, 258_ff_ + +Limbau, 57 + +Limburg, 21 + +Lissauer, 231 + +Literature, German War, 228-34 + +Littlefair, Mary, 165, =212-14= + +Lloyd George, Mr., on the Two Germanies, 252 + +_Lloyd’s News_, 192 + +_Lokalanzeiger_, 170 + +Lorient, 43 + +Ludendorff, 168 + +_Lusitania_, Sinking of, 178-9 + +Luxembourg, Rosa, 235, 236 + + +Macnaughten, Miss, 203-4 + +Maffe, 37 + +Magdeburg, =10=, 33, 46 + +Mainz, =20=, 36 + +Malcolm, Ian, 6 + +_Manchester Guardian_, 26, 74, 106, 149, 190 + +Mann, Thomas, 232 + +Marck, Ludwig, 230 + +Markel, Dr. K. E., 144 + +Martin-Rade, Prof., 173 + +Marval, Dr. de, 41, 45 + +Marwitz, von, 206-7 + +Mather, Sir William, 244 + +Maubeuge, =154=, 255, =264= + +Maude, Col. F. N., on the Prussian Army, 209 + +Mehring, Frank, 235 + +Merseberg, 23 + +Merseburg, =4=, 51 + +Michelson, Mr., 12, 46 + +Minot, Mr., 93-5 + +Mond, Ludwig, 246 + +Monotony of Camp Life, 6—See also under Internment, Effects of + +Morgan, Mr., American Consul at Hamburg, 47 + +_Morning Post_, 29 + +Mourey, Gabriel, 205-7 + +MS. Returned, 37 + +Müller, Capt. von, 202, 205 + +Münden, 23 + +Munich, 3 + +Münster, =17=, 28, =56= + +_My Experiences as Prisoner in Germany_, 33, =37= + +Motor-cycles, German Privates Ride Officers’, 38 + + +Namur, 37 + +Napier, Col., 26 + +Napoleonic Wars, Prisoners in, 123 + +_Nation_, 72, 167, 169, 173, 207, 221, 225, 235 + +Neubrandenburg, 48 + +New College, Oxford, 225 + +_News of the World_, 4 + +Newspaper + —Advertisements in Vienna, 222 + —Comments, German, 166_ff_ + —Reports, Inaccurate, 53-4, 82 + +Newton, Lord, on Prisoners in Germany, 26, 28, 105 + +Nies, Archdeacon W. E., 55 + +Nobbs, Capt. Gilbert, 7, 8 + +Nurses, French, 260-1 + + +_Observer_, 107 + +Occupation, German Troops in, 205_ff_ + +Officers + —German, and Privates, Familiarity Between, 38 + —German, at Lille Hospital, 263-4 + +Ohnesorg, Dr., 12, 15, 18, 20, 33, 47, 48 + +Ohrdruf, 22 + +O’Rorke, Chaplain Benjamin, 31-37, 165 + +Orchies, Burning of, 257 + +Osborne, Lithgow, 1, 10, 19, 25, 50, 53 + +O’Sullivan, Private, 1 + +Ozendaal, 39 + + +Packages, Complaints About, =6-8=, 43, 50, 67, 96 + +Paderborn, Lazarets, 47 + +Padwick, Mr. H., 68 + +Page, Mr., 9, 11, 24, 77, 78, 81, 92, 97 + +Paillet, Léon, 11 + +Panzera, Col. F. N., 116 + +Parchim, 56 + +Paris, Enemy Nationals in, in 1870, 76-7 + +Pearce, Second-Lieut. F. Phillips, 2 + +Pégoud, German Tribute to, 224 + +Petre, Miss, 251 + +Portsmouth Camp, 9 + +Postman’s Help to English Lady, 212 + +Prince Heinrich of Reuss, 38 + +Princess Friedrich Leopold of Prussia, 52 + +Prison, Military, at Cologne, 54 + +Prisoner in Austria, A, 26 + +Prisoner’s Life, Monotony of the, 6 + (See also under Internment, Effects of) + +Prisoners + —British, Alleged Bad Treatment of, 16, 24, 53, 60 + —British, and Clothes, 23 + —Civilian and Military, Compared, 83-7 + —False Statements by, 66 + —Food During Transport of, 46 + —Friction Between, 5-6, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 52 + —German Army and, 190 + —German, Heroism of, 118-19 + —German Populace and, 32, 36 + —Harsh Treatment of, During Transport, in France, 43 + —Harsh Treatment of, During Transport, in Germany, 16, 45-6 + —in American Civil War, 123-4 + —in Boer War, 125 + —in France, 43-5 + —in Franco-German War, 124 + —in Germany, Lord Newton on, 26, 28, 105 + —in Germany, Officers’ Rooms, 23 + —in Hospital, Germany, 12, 18, 20, 21, 23, 47, 48, 55, =57-8= + —in Napoleonic Wars, 123 + —in Russo-Japanese War, 125 + —in Russia, 125 + —Indian, at Wünsdorf, 53 + —Indian, Wounded, 13 + —Military, in Germany: General Conclusions, 62 + —on Farm Work, 21, 68, 69 + —“Reprisal,” 36, 71 + —Tact in Treatment of, 42 + + +Queensferry Camp, 9 + + +Railway Trucks and Interned Prisoners, 118 + +Rastatt, 60 + +Reciprocity in Good Treatment, 47 + +Red Cross, International + —and English Prison Camps, 9 + —Committee of the, 71 + —Reports of the, 39-45 + +Release of Civilian Prisoners, Appeals for, 111_ff_ + +Repatriations + —of Civilian Prisoners, 109 + —of Prisoners of War, =58=_ff_ + +“Reprisal Prisoners,” 36, 71 + +“Reprisals of Good,” 24, 105, =132=_ff_ + +Reuss, Prince Heinrich of, 38 + +Rolland, Romain, 229, 240 + +Rotten, Dr. Elizabeth, 65, 85, 134, =138-40=, 144, 158, 195 + +Roubaix, 258 + +Ruhleben, 84, 133, 135 + —Reports on, =87=_ff_ + +Ruhleben, + —Accommodation at, 102 + —Accommodation at, Compared with Knockaloe, 115-16 + —Camp Committee, 99-100 + —Leave of Absence from, 140 + —Mr. Jackson on, 86 + —Overcrowding at, 102-3 + —Prisoners’ Activities at, 106-7 + —Relatives’ Visits to Men at, 139 + +_Ruhleben, My Visit to_, 102, 107-8 + +_Ruhleben Prison Camp, The_, 79, =104= + +Rumours, 66, 156, 157 + —Sir E. Grey on, 9, 24 + +Russell, Mr., 51 + +Russia, Prisoners in, 73 + +Russo-Japanese War, Prisoners in, 125 + + +Sackville, Lady Margaret, quoted, 197 + +Salzwedel, 15 + +Scarlett-Synge, Dr. Ella, 50, =149-153=, 209 + +Scheuen, near Celle, 17 + +Schloss Celle, 49 + +School-books, German, and the War, 171-3 + +Schopenhauer Society, 228-9 + +Schulze, Dr. Siegmund, =85-7=, 103, 133, 144, 234 + +Schwantje, Magnus, 228 + +Schwerin, Graf, 95, 98, 104 + +Scotswood, 7 + +Senne, =19=, =29=, 41 + +Serbia + —Austro-German Conduct in, 150-3 + —Austro-German Prisoners in, 72 + +Serbian Prisoners and German Assistance Agency, 137 + +Shakespeare, Germany and, 242, 250 + +_Sheffield Telegraph_, 183 + +Soltau, 17 + +Sombart, Prof., 166-7 + +_Soul of the War_, 182, 208 + +Southend Camp, 9 + +Spaight, Dr. J. M., =75-6=, 123, 125-6 + +Spandau, 52 + +Spectroscope Story, 140-2 + +St. Quentin, Germans at, 208 + +_Staatsbürgerin_, 195 + +Stange, Prof., 11, 12, 27, 30, 53, =144= + +Stargard, 8 + +Steen, M. T. E., on German Prison Camps, 62 + +Stendal, 50 + +Stettin, 68 + +Stobs Camp, 65 + +_Stobsiad_, 65 + +Stücklen, Herr, 30 + +_Sunday Times_, 170 + +Swiss and Red Cross, 39 + +_Sydney_, 202, 205 + +Sympathetic Ink, 66 + + +Taylor, Dr. A. E., 56, 101-2 + +Taube, Baron von, 88_ff_, 98 + +Tennant, Mr., 67 + +Tennis-court, Officer Prisoners’, 48 + +_Times_, 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 53, 64, 96, 132, 158, 161, 166, 178, 198, 201, + 205, 216, 217, 218 + +_Times Literary Supplement_, 207 + +Torgau, 23, 24, 32, 33 + +Treatment of Prisoners—See under Prisoners. + +Tourcoing, 258 + +Turkey, Prisoners in, 71 + + +Uhlans, 37, 206, 209 + +Unruh, Fritz von, 229 + + +Vermin in Camps, =41=, 43 + +Vienna Newspapers, Advertisements in, 222 + +Visits Outside Camp, 35, =52=, 55, 57, 105, 142 + +Vitré, 43 + +_Volksstimme_, 210, 222 + +_Vorwärts_, 159, 175, 179, 186, 222 + +_Vossische Zeitung_, 237 + + +Wahn, 18 + +_War and the World’s Life_, 209 + +Warmington, Mrs. K., 214 + +Webster, J. P., 56 + +_Weissen Blätter_, 231 + +Wells, H. G., 252 + +Werfel, Franz, 230 + +Wesel, Lazarets, 48 + +_Westminster Gazette_, 158 + +Wilson, Capt. A. Stanley, 26 + +Winchester, Bishop of, 12, =132-3= + +Wittenberg, 1, 50, 62, 129 + +Wolff, Theodore, 176-7 + +_Woman’s Dreadnought_, 117 + +Women, French, and German Soldiers, 208 + +Working Camps, 48, 51 + +Wounded + —Brotherhood Among, 182-3; + —German, at Orchies, 257; + —German, at Lille Hospital, 262-3; + —German, Killed, 258; + —Treatment of, by Germans, =187-195=, 211 + +Wünsdorf, 55 + + +Y.M.C.A. at Göttingen Camp, 11 + +_Ypres, The Irish Nuns at_, 207 + + +Zetkin, Clara, 235 + +Zimmermann, Herr E., 170 + +Zossen, 23, 41, 66 + +Züder Zollhaus, 18 + +Zwickau, 49 + + + The National Labour Press, Ltd., + Manchester and London. + 28375 + + + +[Transriber’s Note: The table below lists all corrections applied to the +original text. + +p. vii: par L’Abbé Felix Klein -> Félix +p. 002: lights out at 10-45 -> 10.45 +p. 009: [normalized] visited camps at Hollyport -> Holyport +p. 014: [removed extra comma] insufficient, light -> insufficient light +p. 016: [added opening quotes] “Clothing is furnished when required +p. 026: his intercourse wth the German delegates -> with +p. 040: [added closing quotes] cereals is impossible.” +p. 044: [normalized] Of Casabianda -> Cassabianda +p. 053: the occurence mentioned -> occurrence +p. 058: it seems very probable that -> It +p. 074: most trivial beaches of discipline -> breaches +p. 095: contsantly progressing -> constantly +p. 100: recreation and asembling room -> assembling +p. 107: [added closing quotes] skits on the camp, etc.” +p. 112: [added closing brace] (Editor of the Journal de Genève) +p. 112: official negotiaions -> negotiations +p. 121: Even in neutral interment camps -> internment +p. 128: [added period] by no means supports these charges. +p. 139: so well satified -> satisfied +p. 144: No interment camp -> internment +p. 154: delapidated and without fire -> dilapidated +p. 155: sme of them were so impertinent -> some +p. 157: [added closing quotes] thanking me for my care.” +p. 159: grande loterie de Noel -> Noël +p. 160: troops entered Centinje -> Cetinje +p. 163: [added closing quote] go forward with our hands up.’ +p. 161: [added comma] from the Daily News, May 17 +p. 167: herioc bravery-> heroic +p. 170: bullets in safe reatreat -> retreat +p. 170: This is a singuarly fair -> singularly +p. 194: par L’Abée Félix Klein -> L’Abbé +p. 198: [added period] to conceal them ever since. +p. 205: [added opening quotes] “On the whole it cannot be said +p. 207: imagination this aid-de-camp -> aide-de-camp +p. 207: [added opening quotes] reviewer in the Nation, “that Herr Major +p. 232: Deutschlands Jugend und der Weltkreig -> Weltkrieg +p. 255: Francoise Lafitte Cyon -> Françoise +p. 269: Güstrow î-Mecklenburg -> Güstrow i/Mecklenburg +p. 269: Klein, L’Abée Félix -> L’Abbé +p. 271: Turcoing, 258 -> Tourcoing ] + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's The Better Germany in War Time, by Harold Picton + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BETTER GERMANY IN WAR TIME *** + +***** This file should be named 24810-0.txt or 24810-0.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/4/8/1/24810/ + +Produced by Irma Spehar, Markus Brenner and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries) + + +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. Special rules, +set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to +copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to +protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project +Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you +charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you +do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the +rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose +such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and +research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do +practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is +subject to the trademark license, especially commercial +redistribution. + + + +*** START: FULL LICENSE *** + +THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE +PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK + +To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free +distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work +(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project +Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project +Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at +http://gutenberg.org/license). + + +Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic works + +1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to +and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property +(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all +the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy +all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. +If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the +terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or +entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. + +1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be +used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who +agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few +things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works +even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See +paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement +and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. See paragraph 1.E below. + +1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" +or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the +collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an +individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are +located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from +copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative +works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg +are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project +Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by +freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of +this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with +the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by +keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project +Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. + +1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern +what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in +a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check +the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement +before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or +creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project +Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning +the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United +States. + +1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: + +1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate +access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently +whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the +phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project +Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, +copied or distributed: + +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 + +1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived +from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is +posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied +and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees +or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work +with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the +work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 +through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the +Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or +1.E.9. + +1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted +with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution +must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional +terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked +to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the +permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. + +1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this +work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. + +1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this +electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without +prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with +active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project +Gutenberg-tm License. + +1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, +compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any +word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or +distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than +"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version +posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), +you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a +copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon +request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other +form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm +License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. + +1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, +performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works +unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. + +1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing +access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided +that + +- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from + the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method + you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is + owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he + has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the + Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments + must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you + prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax + returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and + sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the + address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to + the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies + you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he + does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm + License. You must require such a user to return or + destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium + and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of + Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any + money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the + electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days + of receipt of the work. + +- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free + distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. + +1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm +electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set +forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from +both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael +Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the +Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. + +1.F. + +1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable +effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread +public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm +collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain +"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual +property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a +computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by +your equipment. + +1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right +of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project +Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project +Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all +liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal +fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT +LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE +PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE +TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE +LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR +INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH +DAMAGE. + +1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a +defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can +receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a +written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you +received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with +your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with +the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a +refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity +providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to +receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy +is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further +opportunities to fix the problem. + +1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth +in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO +WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. + +1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied +warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. +If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the +law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be +interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by +the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any +provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. + +1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the +trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone +providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance +with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, +promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, +harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, +that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do +or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm +work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any +Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. + + +Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm + +Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of +electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers +including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists +because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from +people in all walks of life. + +Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the +assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's +goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will +remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project +Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure +and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. +To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 +and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org. + + +Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive +Foundation + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit +501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the +state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal +Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification +number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at +http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent +permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. + +The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. +Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered +throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at +809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email +business@pglaf.org. Email contact links and up to date contact +information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official +page at http://pglaf.org + +For additional contact information: + Dr. Gregory B. Newby + Chief Executive and Director + gbnewby@pglaf.org + + +Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg +Literary Archive Foundation + +Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide +spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of +increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be +freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest +array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations +($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt +status with the IRS. + +The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating +charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United +States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a +considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up +with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations +where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To +SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any +particular state visit http://pglaf.org + +While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we +have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition +against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who +approach us with offers to donate. + +International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make +any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from +outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. + +Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation +methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other +ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. +To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate + + +Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic +works. + +Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm +concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared +with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project +Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. + + +Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |