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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e1bda74 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51716 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51716) diff --git a/old/51716-8.txt b/old/51716-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 053c072..0000000 --- a/old/51716-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13438 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Belgians Under the German Eagle, by Jean -Massart, Translated by Bernard Miall - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Belgians Under the German Eagle - - -Author: Jean Massart - - - -Release Date: April 10, 2016 [eBook #51716] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE*** - - -E-text prepared by Brian Coe, Moti Ben-Ari, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/toronto) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - https://archive.org/details/2belgiansunderge00massuoft - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - - A carat character is used to denote superscription. A - single character following the carat is superscripted - (example: XX^e). Multiple superscripted characters are - enclosed by curly brackets (example: R^{do}). - - - - - -BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE - -by - -JEAN MASSART - -Vice-Director of the Class of Sciences in the Royal Academy of Belgium - -Translated by Bernard Miall - - - - - - - -London -T. Fisher Unwin Ltd. -Adelphi Terrace - -First published June 1916 - -(All rights reserved) - - - - -PREFACE - - -These pages were written in Belgium between the 4th August, 1914, and -the 15th August, 1915. - -I employed in this work only those books and periodicals which -entered the country, whether secretly or openly, and which every one, -therefore, can procure. - -But to drive conviction into the reader's mind I have observed a rule -of selection in using these documents: I have used those exclusively -which are of German origin, or which are censored by the Germans. - -They are-- - - (A) German posters exposed in Belgium. - - (B) Books and newspapers coming from Germany. - - (C) Newspapers published in Belgium under the German censorship. - - (D) The _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_, the only foreign newspaper - which has been authorized in Belgium since the beginning of the - occupation. As for the Belgian _Grey Books_, the Reports of the - Commission of Inquiry, and books published in Belgium, of these I - used only those which were known to us in Belgium before the 15th - August, 1915. - -In short, since I crossed the frontier I have not inserted a single -idea into this book: it therefore precisely reflects the state of mind -of a Belgian who has lived a year under the German domination. - -I have forced myself to remain as far as possible objective, in order -to give my work the scientific rigour which characterizes the Reports -of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry. I have simply transferred, to a -domain which is new to me, the methods of my customary occupations. - - * * * * * - -Here is a list of my principal sources, with the abbreviations which -denote them in the text:-- - - _N.R.C._ _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant._ From this journal - (with two exceptions) I have taken only those - articles which were not stopped by the German - censorship. - _K.Z._ _Kölnische Zeitung._ - _K.Vz._ _Kölnische Volkszeitung._ - _D.G.A._ _Düsseldorfer General-Anzeiger._ - _F.Z._ _Frankfurter Zeitung._ - _N.A.Z._ _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung._ - 1st to 12th Report. _Reports of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry._ - 1st and 2nd Belgian. _Grey Books_. - _Belg. All._ Davignon, _La Belgigue et l'Allemagne_. - -The English edition is not a complete translation of the French text. -To save space, many facts, and above all, many quotations, have been -suppressed. - - J. M. - - ANTIBES, VILLA THURET, - _October, 1915_. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - =Preface= 1 - - =Introduction= 9 - - INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN BELGIUM 12 - - Prohibition of Newspapers and Verbal Communication--The - German Censorship--Authorized German Newspapers--Authorized - Dutch Newspapers--Newspapers - introduced Surreptitiously--Secret Propagation of News--Secret - Newspapers--German Placards--Regulations as to - Correspondence--Railway Journeys. - - - CHAPTER I - - =The Violation of Neutrality= 27 - - A. THE PRELIMINARIES 27 - - The Belgians' Distrust of Germany lulled--German - Duplicity on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of August, 1914--The - Ultimatum--The Speech of the Chancellor in the Reichstag. - - B. JUSTIFICATION OF THE ENTRY INTO BELGIUM 31 - - C. GERMAN ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BELGIUM 36 - - Necessity of influencing Neutrals--Absurdity of the First - Accusations--A Change of Tactics--The Revelations of the - _N.A.Z._--1. The Report of M. le Baron Griendl, some time - Belgian Minister in Berlin--2. The Reports of Generals - Ducarne and Jungbluth--The Attitude of the Belgians - toward the German Falsifications--Neutral Opinion--The - Falsification of M. de l'Escaille's Letter. - - D. THE DECLARATION OF WAR AND THE FIRST HOSTILITIES 50 - - The three successive Proposals of Wilhelm II to - Belgium--Hostilities preceding the Declaration of War--The - Pacific Character of Belgium--German Espionage in - Belgium--The Mentality of the German Soldiers at the - beginning of the Campaign--Letters from German - Prisoners of War--German Lies respecting the Occupation - of Liége--The sudden attack upon France is checked--The - Disinterested Behaviour of Belgium. - - - CHAPTER II - - =Violations of the Hague Convention= 63 - - A. THE "REPRISALS AGAINST FRANCS-TIREURS" 63 - - Murders Committed by the Germans from the Outset--Were - there any "Francs-tireurs?"--The Obsession of - the "Francs-tireurs" in the German Army--The Obsession - of the "Francs-tireurs" in the Literature of the - War--The Obsession of the "Francs-tireurs" in Literature - and Art--Responsibility of the Leaders--Animosity - toward the Clergy--Animosity toward Churches--Intentional - Insufficiency of Preliminary Inquiries--A - "Show" Inquiry--Mentality of an Officer charged with - the Repression of "Francs-tireurs"--Drunkenness in the - German Army--Cruelties necessary according to German - Theories--Terrorization: "Reprisals" as a "Preventive" - Incendiary Material--The two great Periods of Massacre--Protective - Inscriptions--Accusations against the Belgian - Government--Treatment of Civil Prisoners--The Return - of Civil Prisoners--German Admission of the Innocence - of the Civil Prisoners. - - B. THE "BELGIAN ATROCITIES" 98 - - The Pretended Cruelty of Belgian Civilians toward the - German Army--Some Accusations--The Pretended - Massacres of German Civilians--Preventive and Repressive - Measures taken by the Belgian Authorities. - - C. VIOLATIONS OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION 111 - - Military Employment of Belgians by the Germans--Measures - of Coercion taken by the Germans--Living - Shields--A German Admission--Belgians placed before the - Troops at Charleroi--Belgians placed before the Troops at - Lebbeke, Tirlemont, Mons--Belgian Women placed before - the Troops at Anseremme--Belgians forcibly detained at - Ostend and Middelkerke--Bombardment of the Cathedral - at Malines--The Pretended Observation-post on Notre-Dame - of Antwerp--German Observation-posts admitted - by the Germans--Pillage--Thefts of Stamps--Illegal - Taxation--Fines for Telegraphic Interruptions--Fines - for Attacks by "Francs-tireurs"--Hostages--Contributions - and Requisitions--Contributions demanded from the - Cities--Exactions of a Non-commissioned Officer--Requisitions - of Raw Materials and Machinery--Conclusions--The - Famine in Belgium--The Flight of the Belgians--The - Causes of the Famine--Creation of Temporary - Shelters--The National Relief Committee--Belgium's - Gratitude to America. - - - CHAPTER III - - =The German Mind, Self-depicted= 179 - - A. PRIDE 179 - - Some Manifestations of Pride and the Spirit of Boasting--1. - Militarism--Might comes before Right--2. Disdain - of Others--Some Inept Proclamations, etc.--Lies Concerning - the Situation in Belgium--Lies concerning - "Francs-tireurs"--3. Cynicism--Photographs and - Picture-postcards--Alfred Heymel on the Battle of - Charleroi--Surrender of the Critical Spirit. Refusal to - Examine the Accusations of Cruelty--The Abolition of Free - Discussion in Germany--German Credulity--Voluntary Blindness - of the "Intellectuals"--The Manifesto of the - "Ninety-three"--The Manifesto of the 3,125 Professors--The - Protestant Pastors--The Catholic Priests and Rabbis. - - B. UNTRUTHFULNESS 217 - - 1. A Few Lies--Written Lies--A French Dirigible - Captured by the Germans--The Transportation of the - German Dead--Some Lying Placards--M. Max's Denial--How - the Officers Lie to their Men--2. Perseverance in - Falsehood--The German treatment of Mgr. Merrier--3. - The Organization of Propaganda--(_a_) Propagandist - Bureaux Operating in Germany--(_b_) Propagandist Matter - issued by the Publishing Houses--(_c_) Propagandist - Bureaux operating Abroad--Sincerity of the Censored - Newspapers--Persecution of Uncensored Newspapers--(_d_) - Various Propaganda--4. The Violation of Engagements--The - Independence of Belgium--The Promise - to respect the Patriotism of the Belgians--The Forced - Striking of the Flag--The Belgian Colours forbidden - in the Provinces--Prohibition of the Belgian Colours - in Brussels--The "Te Deum" on the Patron Saints' Day - of the King--The Portraits of the Royal Family--Obligation - to Employ the German Language--The Belgian - Army is our Enemy!--The "Brabançonne" Prohibited--The - National Anniversary of July 21st--The Anniversary - of the 4th August--School Inspection by the Germans. - - C. INCITEMENTS TO DISUNION 282 - - Incitements to Disloyalty--The Walloons incited against - the Flemings--Inciting the People against the Belgian - Government--Inciting the Belgians against the English. - - D. A FEW DETAILS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF BELGIUM 295 - - (_a_) Present Prosperity in Belgium--Assertions of the - German Authorities--The Parasitical Exploitation of - Belgium admitted by Germany--The Tenfold Tax on - Absentees--Railway Traffic in Belgium--Trouble with the - Artisans of Luttre--Traffic suppressed at Malines--(_b_) - The Germans' Talent for Organization--Conflict between - Authorities--Supression of the Bureau of Free Assessment--The - Belgian Red Cross Committee Suppressed--(_c_) - The Belgian Attitude toward the Germans--(_d_) Behaviour - of the German Administration--The Appeal to - Informers--German Espionage--Agents-Provocateurs or - "Traps." - - E. FEROCITY 333 - - 1. Aggravations--Treatment inflicted upon Belgian Ladies--Filthy - Amusements--2. Physical Tortures--The Fate - of the Valkenaers Family--3. Moral Tortures--Moral - Torture before Execution. - - - =Index= 361 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -Bismarck was given to quoting, with approval, a saying which has often -been attributed to him, but which was, in reality, first made in his -presence by a hero of the American Civil War--General Sheridan. It was, -that the people of a country occupied by a conquering army should be -left nothing--save eyes to weep with! - -And we Belgians, truly, are weeping: weeping for our native country, -invaded, in contempt of the most solemn conventions, by one of the -signatories of those treaties; weeping for our villages, which -are levelled to the ground, and our cities, which are burned; our -monuments, which are broken by shell-fire, and our treasures of art -and science, which are for ever destroyed. We mourn to think of those -hundreds of thousands of our countrymen who have wandered without -shelter along the highways of Europe; of Belgium, lately so proud -of her prosperity, but now taxed and crushed and exhausted by war -requisitions and contributions, and reduced to holding out her hand for -public charity. - -Who could help but weep when, in Flanders, our soldiers are defending -the very last corner of our territory; when, in our villages, men, old -folks, women, and children have been, and are yet, shot down without -pity in reprisal for imaginary crimes; when thousands of civilians -are imprisoned in Germany as hostages; when the burgomaster of the -capital, for daring to defend the rights of his constituents, is -confined in a Silesian prison;[1] when our rural clergy is decimated, -to such a point that divine service has necessarily been suspended -in entire cantons; when a scholar like Van Gehuchten dies in exile, -after seeing his manuscripts and his drawings, the fruit of ten years' -labours, disappear in the flames of Louvain? - - * * * * * - -Our sobs are mingled with tears of gratitude for the compassionate -intervention of Holland, America, Spain, the Scandinavian countries, -Switzerland, and Italy ... not forgetting our Allies. It is this -generosity that has prevented us from dying of hunger and want; a -million of our refugees have found in Holland a fraternal succour which -has never for a moment been relaxed; the United States, thanks to the -influence and the incomparable activity of their Minister in Brussels, -Mr. Brand Whitlock, supply us with our daily bread. - -Belgium will never forget the exactions of those who have reduced to -famine one of the richest and most fertile countries in the world, nor -the unequalled charity of the nations which have enabled us to live to -this day, and have saved us from death by starvation. - - * * * * * - -We are weeping! But we do not surrender ourselves to despair, for we -have kept intact our faith in the future, and the firm resolve to leave -no stone unturned that we may for ever be spared such another trial. -Above all, we refuse to bow our heads beneath the yoke. In vain have -the Germans afflicted us with increasingly unjust and unjustifiable -and vexatious demands; they will never daunt us. Let them proscribe -the Belgian flag as a seditious emblem; we have no need to unfurl it -to remain faithful to it; they are welcome to forbid the _Te Deum_ -on the day of the King's patron saint; since the King and the Queen -are valiantly sharing, on the Yser, in the efforts and the sufferings -of our brothers and our sons, royalty has no firmer supporters among -us than the leaders of Socialism. No, we assuredly are not ready to -abandon ourselves to despair. And nothing can sustain us more than the -international sympathies by which we feel ourselves surrounded in this -our unmerited misfortune. - - * * * * * - -The time has not yet come to judge the events which have delivered -Europe to fire and blood. Yet we hold that it is the duty of all those -who believe themselves in a position usefully to intervene to make -themselves heard. For Germany possesses so perfect an organization for -the diffusion of her propaganda in foreign countries, that the public -opinion of neutral States, hearing but one side of the question, would -finally come to believe our enemies. - -It would be useless and ineffectual to accumulate, as did the -ninety-three German "intellectuals," among others, a number of denials -and affirmations, without supporting them by a single definite fact. We -do not wish to put forward anything which we cannot immediately support -by easily verified proofs. This rule which we have compelled ourselves -to observe, has forced us narrowly to limit our field of investigation. -We shall speak only of actions and intellectual manifestations which -are immediately connected with the present war; and as the field -would be too vast even when so circumscribed, we shall say nothing of -military operations properly so-called, nor of all that has happened -beyond the Belgian frontiers. We do not propose to write a history. We -leave to those more competent the task of extricating the truth as to -present events; we shall content ourselves with taking indisputable -documents, which are nearly always cuttings from German books, or -German newspapers, or German posters, and with analysing their mental -significance; and, further, with showing how the Belgians react against -the actions recorded. - -In the following pages we shall first of all examine the _violation -of Belgian neutrality by Germany_, then the _infractions of the Hague -Convention of 18th October, 1907_. We shall be careful to invoke only -_precise and unquestionable facts_; but for that matter the number of -German infractions of the law of nations in Belgium is so enormous -that we have been able provisionally to exclude all those which are -not established in the most positive manner. At the same time we -shall endeavour to derive from these facts a few indications as to -our enemies' manner of thinking. This last will be studied in further -detail in a third chapter: _German Mentality Self-depicted_. - - -INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN BELGIUM. - -A few words as to the documents utilized. - -As the Germans occupied our country they took pains to isolate us from -the rest of the world. They immediately suppressed all our journals, -as these naturally refused to submit to their censorship. At the same -time the Germans forced certain journals to reappear; notably _L'Ami de -l'Ordre_, at Namur, and _Le Bien Public_, at Gand. The first of these -journals took care frankly to inform its readers that the military -authorities were forcing it to continue publication. - -As for foreign newspapers, their introduction was forbidden under heavy -penalties. - - -_Prohibition of Newspapers and Verbal Communications._[2] - - OFFICIAL NOTICE. - - Although the District Commandant[3] is continually causing - authentic news of the military operations to be published, the - foreign newspapers are intentionally publishing false news. - - It is brought to the knowledge of the public that it is therefore - strictly forbidden to any one whomsoever to introduce into Spa and - the surrounding district newspapers other than German, without the - previous authorization of the District Commandant. - - Offenders will be punished according to the laws of war. - - The same penalties will be applied to those who have verbally - spread false news. - - THE DISTRICT COMMANDANT, - ASKE, _Colonel_. - - SPA, _22nd September, 1914_. - (_Placard posted at Spa._) - - NOTICE. - - I call the attention of the population of Belgium to the fact that - the sale and distribution of newspapers and of all news reproduced - by letterpress or in any other manner which is not expressly - authorized by the German censorship is strictly prohibited. Every - offender will be immediately arrested and punished by a long term - of imprisonment. - - THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _Field-Marshal_. - - BRUSSELS, _4th November, 1914_. - (_Posted in Brussels._) - - - MILITARY COURT. - - In pursuance of 18, 2 of the Imperial decree of 28th December 1899, - the following persons have been punished:-- - - (_a_) The coal-merchant Jules Pousseur, of Jambes, with 2 months' - imprisonment and a fine of 100 marks, or 20 days' additional - imprisonment. - - (_b_) His daughter, Camille Pousseur, with 2 months' imprisonment, - because they frequently bought foreign newspapers and articles - from newspapers whose sale is prohibited; and further because the - daughter copied and collected, with the knowledge and permission - of her father, poems and articles hostile to Germany, containing, - for the most part, vulgar and obscene insults in respect of the - Emperor, the Confederate Princes, and the German Army; and because - she further, as one may fully realize from the careful manner in - which the numerous copies were made, communicated the originals to - others, and finally because Jules Pousseur admits that he has for - some time been engaged in forwarding letters, which is forbidden. - -The terms of imprisonment will run from the first day of detention. The -copies and other writings will be retained. - -_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, _4th April, 1915_. - - -_The German Censorship._ - -After the 20th August the eastern half of Belgium was thus deprived of -all intellectual communication with the outside world. For a fortnight -we were left absolutely without news. Then, from the 5th September, -the German Government permitted the publication of journals which were -carefully expurgated, and falsified by a rigorous censorship:[4] _Le -Quotidien_, _Le Bruxellois_, _L'Écho de Bruxelles_, _Les Dernières -Nouvelles_; and later _Le Belge_, _La Belgique_, _La Patrie_, etc., in -Brussels, _L'Avenir_ in Antwerp, and many more. Although submitted to -the censorship, the appearance of these newspapers was only provisional -and uncertain. _Le Bien Public_ reminds its readers of the fact in its -issue for the 13th December, 1914. All these journals were on occasion -suspended; for example, _Le Quotidien_, from the 9th to the 11th -December, 1914, without any reason being given; _L'Ami de l'Ordre_, -from the 2nd to the 7th September, 1914, for having printed an acrostic -regarded as insulting; and _Le Bien Public_, during the whole of May, -1915. - -The illustrated journals were as much subject to the censorship as -the ordinary newspapers. Numbers 1 to 3 of _1914 Illustré_, published -before the arrival of the Germans, could no longer be exposed for -sale: No. 1 containing portraits of King Albert, Nicholas II, M. -Poincaré, and King George V; No. 2 the portrait of General Leman, and -No. 3 that of M. Max. From November onwards the issues were severely -edited, so that they contained, for example, scarcely any more -photographs of towns burned by the German army. The other illustrated -papers--_Actualité Illustré_, _Le Temps Présent_, etc., also had none -but anodyne photographs, such as portraits of the new masters, military -and civil. - -In some degree to replace the newspapers, the printers conceived the -idea of publishing little booklets relating to the war, but giving -no direct news of the military operations. These publications were -naturally subjected to the censorship, and many of those which were -published before the decree of the 13th October, 1914, were prohibited; -it was thus with the very interesting brochure, _M. Adolphe Max, -bourgmestre de Bruxelles, son administration du 20th août au 26th -septembre, 1914_, and the Nos. 1 to 10 of the booklets issued by Mr. -Brian Hill. Illustrated postcards also were censored; the series in -course of publication, representing the ruins of Louvain, Dinant, -Charleroi, Liége, etc., had to be interrupted. Music even had to -receive the official approbation (_see_ the placard of 27th March, -1915, p. 274). - -In short, it will be seen that our public life already very closely -approached the German ideal: _Alles ist verboten_. To think that -Belgium, so justly proud of her constitutional liberties, is now -crushed, breathless, under the heavy Prussian jack-boot! - - -_Authorized German Newspapers._ - -As a compensation for those which the German Administration felt -obliged to suppress, it allowed us, about the 10th September, -to receive some German newspapers--the _Kölnische Zeitung_, -_Kölnische Volkszeitung_, _Düsseldorfer Tageblatt_, _Düsseldorfer -General-Anzieger_, and also a few illustrated papers, notably the -_Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung_, _Die Wochenschau_, _Du Kriegs-Echo_. -At a later date other newspapers were tolerated: _Vossissche Zeitung_, -_Berliner Tageblatt_, _Frankfurter Zeitung_, _Berliner Zeitung am -Mittag_, _L'Ami du Peuple_ (a special edition, for Belgium, in French -and German, of _Der Volksfreund_, of Aix-la-Chapelle), and also some -new illustrated papers, for example, _Kriegsbilder_, _Zeit im Bild_, -and above all the _Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier_, published in German, -Flemish, French, and English,[5] whose sixteen pages, all covered -with illustrations, cost only 15 centimes: evidently an instrument of -propaganda, subsidized by the Central Administration. We shall have -occasion later on to insist on its veracity, if one may call it that. -For a long time none of these journals reached us regularly. - -We had also access to two journals published by the Government -itself: (1) the _Deutsche Soldatenpost_ (_Herausgegeben von der -Zivil-Vorwaltung des General-Gouverneurs in Belgiën_), originally -reserved for soldiers, but which was also sold to civilians--in a very -intermittent fashion, it is true--from September 1914 to the beginning -of December 1914; (2) _Le Réveil_ (_Écho de la Presse, Journal officiel -du Bureau allemand à Düsseldorf pour la publication de nouvelles -authentiques à l'étranger_), the latter being published simultaneously -in French and German. Forty-nine numbers were published. It felt such -an insurmountable disgust for untruth that having announced in the -introductory article of its first number that Belgium was entirely -in the hands of the Germans, it spoke, in a neighbouring column, of -battles in Western Flanders between the Germans and the Allies. Let -us say at once that from the point of view of sincerity and liberty -of opinion all the newspapers of the Trans-Rhenian world are of equal -worth: official or otherwise, they only publish that which is allowed, -or rather, inspired, by the Government. - - -_Authorized Dutch Newspapers._ - -One newspaper not subject to the Imperial censorship, one only, has -found grace with the authorities--the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_. -Its tendencies, clearly favourable to Germany, enable it to penetrate -into Belgium; but not equally all over the country. At Gand one may -subscribe to it; but its sale in single numbers is prohibited. In -Antwerp it was proscribed for several months from the 7th December. - -At Louvain and Brussels it may be sold in the street, and also supplied -to subscribers. But it must not be supposed that the paper is anywhere -regularly distributed; the edition of the morning of the 10th November, -1914, was forwarded on the 27th November to a few subscribers who -were particularly persistent in their demands; it is true that this -number contains the article on the letters of prisoners of war made -by the Belgians (pp. 104-5), and that these letters annihilate not a -few accusations made by the Germans, while they throw a singular light -on their lies and acts of pillage. As for the issues for the 6th, -7th, and 8th December, 1914, they were never distributed; an official -announcement, which appeared in _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ of the 9th and 10th -December states that these numbers contain "inadmissible communications -as to the dislocation of troops." The issues of the 24th, 25th, and -26th December were also withheld. Since January 1915 some ten numbers -have been prohibited each month. - -From the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_ we have copied only the -articles by contributors and correspondents of the journal itself; it -has seemed to us that to reproduce articles extracted from Belgian -newspapers was a proceeding which, while quite usual among the Germans, -is not entirely honest. - -Another Dutch journal, the _Algemeen Handelsblad_ of Amsterdam, arrived -in Brussels at the beginning of November; but its licence was withdrawn -at the end of a week. - -From February 1915 its sale was again authorized in Belgium. At -the same time the introduction of a few other Dutch journals was -permitted, their pro-German character being indubitable: such were _Het -Vaterland_, _De Maasbode_, _De Nieuwe Courant_. - - -_Newspapers introduced surreptitiously._ - -Let us say at once that despite all prohibitions and all the sentences -pronounced, prohibited newspapers continue to trickle into the occupied -portion of the country. These newspapers were at first those which were -normally appearing in the towns not yet subject to German authority. -Thus _La Métropole_ and _Le Matin_ of Antwerp, _Le Bien Public_ and -_La Flandre Libérale_ of Gand were very soon carried as contraband and -secretly sold in Brussels. Again, in the regions not yet invaded, some -of the newspapers of the towns already occupied were printed: thus -_L'Indépendance Belge_ of Brussels appeared at Ostend until the arrival -of the Germans in that town. - -The agents who sold these newspapers had also foreign papers, -especially French and English. Later, when all Belgium, save a corner -of Flanders, was subjected to the Germans, a number of Belgian papers -were printed abroad: _La Métropole_ and _L'Indépendance Belge_ in -London and _Le XX^e Siècle_ at Havre. - -We also used to receive from time to time occasional newspapers -published by Belgian refugees abroad. Of these we may cite: _L'Écho -Belge_, of Amsterdam, _La Belgique_, of Rotterdam, _Les Nouvelles_, and -_Le Courrier de la Meuse_, of Maastricht. - -It will be understood that prohibited journals are rare. On certain -days, when the hunt for the vendors is particularly fruitful, people -will offer fifty francs, or even two hundred, for a copy of the -_Times_. As it is chiefly across the Dutch frontier that the smuggling -of the English "dailies" is carried on, the authorities have enacted -measures which grow more and more Draconian relating to the traffic -across this frontier. By the end of 1914 it had become practically -impossible to enter Belgium from Holland by the ordinary route (_see_ -the _Düsseldorfer General-Anzeiger_ of the 20th December, 1915). The -smugglers of journals are therefore obliged to insinuate themselves in -secret, and their trade is not without danger; only in the suburbs of -Putte (province of Antwerp) the German sentinels killed two of them in -December 1914. - -Since the spring of 1915 the frontier has been guarded with barbed wire -and wires traversed by high-tension electric currents; the crossing has -naturally become more difficult. But "difficult" is not "impossible." - - -_Secret Propagation of News._ - -So that a greater number of readers may profit by the newspapers -smuggled into the country, the important passages, especially those -relating to military operations, are copied by means of the typewriter. -These extracts are searched after as much as the originals, but none -the less there are those who continue to prepare and to distribute -them in secret. In Brussels alone there are fifteen of these secret -sheets, each of which has its public of subscribers; many of them are -gratuitous. From time to time our oppressors scent out one of these -typewriting establishments, but some other devoted person immediately -continues the business. - -In certain well-known establishments one could, for a time, obtain -the use of a newspaper for ten minutes for one or two francs; but the -secret was finally betrayed, thanks to one or other of the innumerable -spies supported by the Government. - - -_Secret Newspapers._ - -Finally, not a few persons, possessing a typewriting machine or other -means of reproducing writing, copy and sell clandestinely, for the -profit of some charitable undertaking, articles from foreign newspapers -or reviews, which bear upon the current political situation. Many -documents have reached us in this form. - -Lastly, courageous Belgians have undertaken to print, in the midst of -the occupied territory, and in spite of all the German prohibitions, -newspapers which reach a circulation of many thousands. The two most -important are _La Libre Belgique_ and _La Vérité_. In vain have our -persecutors promised the most enticing rewards to those who should -denounce the authors of these sheets; they continue imperturbably to -appear. Which proves, be it said in passing, that the Germans lie most -horribly when they state that numbers of Belgians send them anonymous -information. - - -_German Placards._ - -Our intellectual pasture also includes placards. In the first place, -the _Notices_, _Orders_, and _Proclamations_ of all kinds. Then the -_News published by the German Government_, placards usually written in -three languages, in the principal towns. In Brussels, where they are -known as _Lustige Blätter_, they are particularly numerous. At Louvain, -Vilverde, and Mons they are in manuscript, and usually written in -German only. - -Two important sources of documentation are completely closed: -photography and correspondence by post. The taking and reproduction of -photographs is strictly prohibited, above all in the towns ruined by -the Germans. - - NOTICE. - - Whosoever produces, without authorization, representations of - destruction caused by the war, or who displays, offers for sale, - sells, or otherwise distributes, by means of postcards, illustrated - reviews, daily newspapers, or other periodicals containing such - representations, above all of buildings or localities burned or - devastated by the war, will be punished by a fine not exceeding - 5,000 marks or a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year. - The seizure of formes and plates which shall have served for - the reproduction of these representations, as well as their - destruction, may also be ordered. - - THE IMPERIAL GOVERNOR, - FREIHERR VON HUENE, - _General of Infantry_. - - ANTWERP, _1st December, 1914_. - (_Posted at Antwerp._) - - -_Regulations as to Correspondence._ - -The sending of letters by carrier is prohibited. Until about the -middle of December correspondence was carried from town to town by -the carriers who undertake the goods traffic since the suspension of -the railways; one could still, therefore, easily enough obtain news. -But, as a souvenir of his joyous entry, the Herr Baron von Bissing, -who succeeded the Herr Baron von der Goltz as Governor-General in -Belgium, suppressed this little supplementary vocation of the carriers. -Thus Senator Speyer was condemned to pay a fine of 1,000 marks and to -undergo 10 days' imprisonment for the conveyance of letters. We have -no longer the resource of sending letters by carrier pigeons, as these -are closely scrutinized by the Germans. Finally, two remaining methods -of transmitting letters were taken from us: the use of a bow and arrow -(_N.R.C._, 1st January, 1915), and enclosure in a loaf baked in Holland -and sold in Belgium. So it is needless to say that we have neither -telegraph nor telephone. - -There is nothing to be done but to go in search of information oneself, -after finding out the hours (highly variable) during which one is -allowed to "circulate" in the localities through which one has to pass. - -Since then it has become very difficult to obtain precise information -as to an event which has occurred in another locality, for obviously -one cannot trust a missive of this kind to the German post, which -accepts only open letters, and passes them through a _cabinet noir_; -moreover, it does not guarantee communication with all points. - - BY ORDER OF THE GERMAN AUTHORITY. - - After 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Belgian) there must be no lights in the - windows of the houses of the town of Herve. - - The patrol has orders to fire into every window lit up, giving upon - the street. - - AD. CAJOT, _Sheriff_. - F. DE FRANCQUEX, _Judge_. - - (_Posted at Herve._) - -It must also be explained what administrative formalities one -had to fulfil in order to obtain a lodging. Thus, from January -1915 no one could obtain a lodging in Gand, whether in an hotel, -or a boarding-house, or apartments, without first obtaining the -authorization of the _Kommandantur_. - - -_Railway Journeys._ - -Once furnished with a proper passport, one has only to set out. By -suitably arranging one's route, one can often take advantage of -the local tramways. All other means of communication are extremely -precarious. The automobile is forbidden. Horses have been requisitioned -by the military authorities. - - _November 1914._ - - OFFICIAL RAILWAY TIME-TABLE - - _of railways at present operating in Belgium under the - administration of the German Government_. With details of journeys. - Price, 0 _fr._ 10. - - GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS. - - A certain number of trains have during the last few days been run - over the Belgian railways by the German Government. - - These are:-- - - 1. Brussels--Aix-la-Chapelle. - 2. Brussels--Lille. - 3. Brussels--Namur. - 4. Brussels--Charleroi. - 5. Louvain--Charleroi. - 6. Brussels--Antwerp. - 7. Brussels--Courtrai. - - Owing to the defective state of the lines and the telegraphic and - signalling apparatus, these trains can as yet travel only at a - moderate pace, and the duration of the journey is not guaranteed. - For this reason it is prudent to provide oneself on departure with - the necessary provisions for the journey. - - * * * * * - -The time-table of the railways is often made up in such a way that the -Belgian cannot make use of the trains. Thus the only train leaving -Brussels for Mons in November 1914 reached Mons at 9 p.m. But after -9 p.m. it is forbidden to walk through the streets of Mons. The only -train leaving Mons for Brussels leaves at 12.14 a.m., but one may not -"circulate" in the streets of Mons earlier than 4 a.m. - -We see to what extremities the Belgian population is reduced. Well, -well!--despite all these difficulties, we have procured documents of -great importance. We cannot, unfortunately, publish them all at this -juncture; for they would result in the identification of those who -conveyed them to us, and expose them to reprisals; and we have learned, -to our cost, all that this term signifies according to the ideas of our -present rulers. - - * * * * * - -This work, then, will necessarily be incomplete. We publish it only -because we think it useful to demonstrate that in spite of all the -annoyances which they receive at the hands of the Germans, the Belgians -do not allow themselves to be intimidated. Moreover, whatever may be -the provisional lacunæ (mostly intentional) of our documentation, we -cannot in any case be reproached with falsification. This, whatever our -enemies may think, is a point of capital importance. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Since this was written, M. Max is reported to have been released, -and to be living in Switzerland. - -[2] These documents are as far as possible translated literally, any -inelegancies of diction may probably be attributed to the German -authors, whose syntax is often peculiar.--(TRANS.) - -[3] _Commandant de Place._--(TRANS.) - -[4] We give examples of this censorship later (pp. 256-60). - -[5] The English text was soon discontinued. - - - - -BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE - - - - -CHAPTER I -THE VIOLATION OF NEUTRALITY - - -A.--The Preliminaries. - -We were too confiding. - -With the exception of the military and a few statesmen, the Belgians -were convinced that nations, just as individuals, were bound by -their engagements, and that as long as we remained faithful to our -international obligations, the signatories of the Treaty of London -(19th April, 1839), which set forth the conditions of the neutrality, -or rather of the neutralization, of Belgium (_Belg. All._, p. 3), would -equally observe their obligations towards us. - -However, in 1911, during the "Agadir crisis," our calm was a little -shaken by a series of articles in _Le Soir_. According to this journal, -all the German military writers held the invasion of Belgium to be -inevitable in the event of a war between France and Germany. - - -_The Belgians' Distrust of Germany lulled._ - -But our faith in international conventions--just a trifle ingenuous, it -may be--very soon regained its comforting influence. Had not Wilhelm -II, "the Emperor of Peace," assured the Belgian mission, which was -sent to greet him at Aix-la-Chapelle, that Belgium had nothing to fear -on the part of Germany (see _L'Étoile Belge_, 19th October, 1911). In -September 1912 the Emperor made a fresh reassuring statement. Being -present at the Swiss manoeuvres, he congratulated M. Forster, President -of the Swiss Confederation, and told him how glad he was to find that -the Swiss Army would effectually defend the integrity of her frontier -against a French attack. "What a pity," he added, "that the Belgian -Army is not as well prepared, and is incapable of resisting French -aggression." This evidently meant that Belgium ran no risk from the -side of Prussia. - -It was not only the Emperor who assured us of his profound respect for -international statutes. The German Ministers made similar declarations -in the Reichstag (_Belg. All._, p. 7). - -In Belgium itself the Germans profited by every occasion to celebrate -their friendship for us and their respect for treaties. In 1905, at -the time of the seventy-fifth anniversary of Belgian independence, -Herr Graf von Wallwitz stated at an official reception: "And as for -us Germans, the maintenance of the treaty of warranty concluded at -the birth of modern Belgium is a sort of political axiom which, to -our thinking, no one could violate without committing the gravest of -faults" (_see_ p. 185 of the _Annales parlementaires belges, Senate, -1906_). - -In 1913, at the time of the joyous entry of the King and Queen into -Liége, General von Emmich, the same who was entrusted with the -bombardment of the city in August 1914, came to salute our sovereigns -in the name of the Emperor. He spoke incessantly of the German -sympathies for the Belgians and their country. - -In August 1913 Herr Erzberger gave his word of honour, as Catholic -deputy to the Reichstag, that there had never been any question of -invading Belgium, and that Belgium might always count on the party of -the Centre to cause international engagements to be respected. This is -the very party that is now heaping up manifest falsehoods in order to -justify the aggression of Germany. - - -_German Duplicity on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of August, 1914._ - -Let us consider the days immediately preceding the war. The German -newspapers were announcing that the troops occupying, at normal times, -the camps near the Belgian frontiers had been directed upon Alsace and -Lorraine; and these articles, reproduced in Belgium, had succeeded in -finally lulling our suspicions. - -In the currents of thought which were then clashing in Belgium, it was -confidence that carried the day. Many of us who were present on the 1st -of August at a session of the Royal Academy of Belgium, were speaking, -before the session was opened, of the serious events which were -approaching, the war already declared between Austria and Serbia, and -the conflict which appeared imminent between Germany, France, Russia, -and England. Yet no one imagined that Belgium could be drawn into the -conflagration. That very morning, it was related, France had officially -renewed, through her Minister in Brussels, the assurance that she -would faithfully abstain from violating the neutrality of Belgium (1st -_Grey Book_, No. 15); and there was no reason to doubt his words. A -few days earlier the German Minister in Brussels had affirmed that his -country had too much respect for international conventions to permit -herself to transgress them; and we believed him too! Oh, simplicity! -We still believed him, on the following day, when he repeated the -same declaration (1st _Grey Book_, No. 19; _Belg. All._, p. 7). And -on the evening of that Sunday, the 2nd of August, he presented to our -Government the ultimatum of Germany (1st _Grey Book_, No. 20). - - -_The Ultimatum._ - -The telegram of the 2nd of August, by which Herr von Jagow sent the -ultimatum to the German Minister in Brussels, declared: "Please -forward this Note to the Belgian Government, in a strictly official -communication, at eight o'clock this evening, and demand therefrom -a definite reply in the course of twelve hours, that is, at eight -o'clock to-morrow morning" (_Lüttich_, p. 4). Never, since Belgium's -birth, had a problem so breathless been placed before her Government. -And Germany left her twelve hours to solve it: twelve hours of the -night! She was not willing that our Government should have time to -reflect at leisure; she hoped that in a crisis of distraction Belgium, -taken at a disadvantage and forgetful of her dignity, would accept the -inacceptable. - - * * * * * - -However, the German Minister in Brussels continued to offer us -explanations which were as perfidious as they were confused and -obscure, and to assure us up to the last of the friendly intentions -of his Government. The Germany fashioned by Bismarck has assuredly -nothing about it to remind us of the Germany of Goethe and Fichte. We -might have guessed as much, for that matter, when we saw the Germans -glorifying the man who _boasted_ of having falsified the famous Ems -telegram in order to make the war of 1870 inevitable, and who succeeded -in making his countrymen accept, as a guiding principle, that "might -comes before right." - - -_The Speech of the Chancellor in the Reichstag._ - -However, we may suppose that some slight scruples lingered in the -recesses of the German conscience, since on the very day when the -Chancellor of the Empire told the British Ambassador in Berlin that -an international convention is merely "a scrap of paper,"[6] and -that neutrality is only a word, he recognized, in his speech to the -Reichstag, that the invasion of Belgium constituted an injustice; -but he immediately excused this violation of the law of nations by -strategic necessities. - - -B.--Justification of the Entry into Belgium. - -"Strategic necessities!" said the German Chancellor. These necessities -are expounded in the ultimatum, and may be summed up thus: "Germany -knows that France is preparing to attack her through Belgium." - -The first question which occurs to us is: Was France really preparing -to cross our territory, and had she massed troops near our frontier? -There is assuredly no one outside Germany who would admit this. Indeed, -if important bodies of troops had been massed in the north of France -they could effectually have opposed the advance of the Germans through -Belgium. Now in all the battles which the French fought in our country -their numbers were much too small to resist the Germans. Let us also -remark that these attempts on the part of the French were made on -the 15th August at Dinant, the 19th August at Perwez, and the 23rd -August at Semois. How then can any one believe that the French were -massed close to our frontier as early as 3rd August? Moreover, the map -published in the _N.R.C._ of the 16th December, 1914, confirms the -untruthfulness of the German allegations. - -This "strategic reason" was again invoked by the Chancellor of the -Empire on the 4th August. But owing to the irrefutable manner in which -the tardiness of the French movements disproved this assertion the -latter is no longer uttered, save in an evasive manner. The German no -longer says: "France was ready to cross into Belgium," but "France -would not have failed to enter Belgium, and we simply outstripped her." -It is thus that Count Bernstoff, the German ambassador to Washington, -expressed himself in the interview published by _L'Indépendant_ in -September 1914, while the same assertion is found in the manifesto of -the ninety-three German "Intellectuals" and the letter addressed by -Herr Max Bewer to M. Maeterlinck (in the _D.G.A._ of October 1914 and -the _Soldatenpost_ of the 14th October, 1914). - -Let us now ask if Germany had such suspicions of France as amounted to -a semi-certitude? In other words, was she sincere in declaring that -she knew that France was on the point of invading Belgium? We do not -hesitate to assert that she was lying: for if she had really believed -that France was ready to violate our neutrality it would have been -enormously to her advantage to wait until the violation was committed. -For Belgium has always asserted that in case of war between France and -Germany she would resist by arms the first invader and immediately join -herself to the other Power. Now Germany, however profound her political -perversity may be, had no reason to suspect the sincerity of Belgium; -she knew then--and this time she _did_ know--that by allowing the -French to enter our country she would assure herself of the assistance -of our army against her enemy. And scanty as was her esteem for the -Belgian soldiers--perhaps she has since had occasion to change her -mind!--it was none the less obviously to her interest to avoid having -them as her adversaries. - -For the rest, we may boldly assert that the very terms of the German -ultimatum prove, without possible doubt, that she did not believe -in the danger of a French irruption into Belgium. For if she had -entertained this conviction she would have said to Belgium: "I warn you -that if you do not take the necessary measures to resist the entrance -of the French I shall be fully authorized to invade your territory in -my turn, in order to defend myself." In acting thus she would have had -the right on her side ... and the German diplomatists of the day are -certainly capable of distinguishing justice from injustice in cases -where the distinction is so easy. - -We say, therefore, that the imminence of a French attack upon Belgium -was only a pretext and a bugbear; a pretext to justify the violation -of Belgium in the eyes of other nations; a bugbear to catch votes of -credit in the Reichstag without previous discussion. "We were not able -to wait for this session before commencing hostilities and invading -Luxemburg, perhaps even Belgium," declared the Chancellor. Observe -how clumsy is this "perhaps"; the German troops entered Belgium on -the night of the 3rd of August (1st _Grey Book_, No. 35), and on the -afternoon of the 4th, at the session of the Reichstag, the Chancellor -had no knowledge of it! We thought the official telegraph service -worked better than that in Germany! - - * * * * * - -What, then, were the real reasons for invading our country? They were -strategic reasons, it is true, but not those which the Chancellor -indicated in his speech! They had been known for a long time; the -German staff had always regarded a sudden attack upon France as an -unavoidable necessity, and for that it was necessary at all costs -to cross Belgium. Moreover, on the very day when the Chancellor was -still invoking the French preparations in the Reichstag, the Secretary -of State, von Jagow, openly avowed the true motive for violating -Belgium. The pamphlet of propaganda, _Die Wahrheit über den Krieg_, -after invoking, without insisting on, the danger of a French attack, -described at length the German plan of campaign; a sudden attack upon -France, delivered by passing through Belgium; then, immediately after -victory, a change of front, and the crushing of the Russian Army. The -same idea is expounded in an infinity of articles and pamphlets. - -There can, therefore, be no remaining doubt as to the determining -motives of Germany: she wished to pass through Belgium in order -to fall upon France before the latter was ready. Germany had been -preparing for war for several days, for she knew that she had made the -war inevitable, while France, deceived by her adversary's peaceful -professions of faith, and, moreover, anxious to preserve the peace, -which she still believed to be possible, had hardly commenced her -mobilization. Let us recall the comparison drawn by Mr. Lloyd George in -his speech at the City Temple on the 11th November, 1914. "Imagine," he -said, "that your right-hand neighbour came and made you the following -proposal: 'See, my friend, I've got to cut the throat of your left-hand -neighbour. Only as his door is barred I can't catch him unawares, and -so I shall lose my advantage over him. So you will do me a little -service; nothing that isn't entirely reasonable, as you will see. You -will just let me come through your garden; if I trample down your -borders a little I'll have them raked and put in good order again; and -if by ill-luck I damage or kill one of your children I promise you a -nice little indemnity.'" - -And it is because we would not help Germany in this task that she has -spattered us with insults. The Germans cannot understand how we could -have rejected her "well-intentioned" proposal, as the Emperor calls it -in his declaration of war. Evidently they have ideas of honour which -differ from ours. We can regard this proposal only as an insult to the -Belgian people. - - -C.--German Accusations against Belgium. - -There is one circumstance which aggravates the evil deed which has -soiled the German name. It is the insistence with which the Press and -the politicians of Germany seek to cast the blame on Belgium herself. -For if we are to believe them it was Belgium who began. - - -_Necessity of influencing Neutrals._ - -When the German rulers discovered, to their utter stupefaction, real or -feigned, that America and the other neutral States did not benevolently -accept the strategical excuse for the violation of Belgian neutrality, -their attitude underwent a sudden modification. Since the whole world, -in a spontaneous impulse of indignation, branded the conduct of -Germany, the traitor and perjurer, in assailing a nation which she was -actually under an obligation to protect, the German Government adopted -the classic procedure of evildoers, which consists in reversing the -rôles, and posing as an innocent victim, driven into a corner by an -adversary who does not abide by legitimate methods of defence. What was -to be done in such a case? The German Government must seem to believe, -and then claim to have proved, that Belgium had already violated her -own neutrality before the German invasion; for then Germany could no -longer be blamed for her attitude. - - -_Absurdity of the first Accusations._ - -Immediately the German newspapers invented stories of French troops -disentraining in Belgium from the 30th July, 1914, and of French -officers teaching us how to handle Krupp guns!--of French airmen -flying over Belgium, of French and Belgian soldiers attacking the -Landwehr at Aix-la-Chapelle on the 2nd August, 1914. These pitiful -accusations were demolished by M. Waxweiler in _La Belge Neutre et -Loyale_. We will content ourselves with remarking that all these -infractions of neutrality are anterior to the 4th of August. If they -had really been committed the innumerable spies scattered about Belgium -would have warned the German Minister in Brussels, who would have -telegraphed to the Chancellor, and the latter would have taken good -care to make them the basis of a serious complaint against Belgium in -his speech to the Reichstag. What weight would not these revelations -have lent to his arguments? If he did not do thus it was because he was -not informed, and if he was not informed it was because the facts were -non-existent. They were invented--very clumsily, moreover--after the -event. - -If now we cast a glance at the tales which the Germans have imagined -to extenuate their crime against justice, we shall say, with a certain -professor of Utrecht (_K.Z._, 4th November, first morning edition), -that one might with difficulty have pardoned the German rulers for -violating Belgian neutrality if it had been proved that imperious -strategic necessities compelled them to it, but that they should have -stuck to their original declarations, "for," he adds, "we have been -painfully impressed by all the offences which have been alleged after -the event to demonstrate that Germany had the right to act as she did." - -To insult and calumniate an innocent person in order to excuse oneself -is an attitude little worthy of a self-respecting nation. - - -_A Change of Tactics. The Revelations of the_ N.A.Z. - -Week by week the German journals add an item to the indictment of -Belgium. One would say that their method of reasoning must be as -follows: "Since we cannot bring forward a single convincing proof, let -us accumulate as many as possible of any degree of value; we shall -end by crushing Belgium with the weight of evidence." In order that -we might judge of the efficacy of this procedure, Germany ought, of -course, to tell us how many bad arguments are to her thinking worth one -good one. - -Yet it was extremely important that Germany should be able to bring -forward proof of the crime of Belgium; for directly the neutrals, and -in particular America, began to doubt our political honesty they would -withdraw their sympathies and leave our executioners full liberty of -action. At the same time Germany would be able to pretend that she knew -of Belgium's intrigues, and that by invading our territory in spite of -treaties she was not, properly speaking, committing a treacherous act. - -There are reasons for supposing that Germany herself was conscious of -the insufficiency of these accusations. Hence the change of tactics -which we observe after the month of October 1914. - -The Government itself entered into the lists. In its official organ, -the _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, it commented upon the documents -discovered in the Ministries of Brussels. - -To judge of the relevance of this collection of documents we must keep -in mind the two following points: (1) That England played the part -of protector of Belgian neutrality; (2) the probability of a German -invasion in case of war between France and Germany. Let us rapidly -examine these. - -1. _England as the Guarantor of Belgian Neutrality._--Every one knows -that for centuries England has been interested, more than any other -nation, in ensuring that Belgium should not be annexed either to France -or to Prussia. - -As far back as 1677, says Sorel (_L'Europe et la Révolution française_, -vol. i. p. 338), a French agent in London wrote to Louvois: "It has -been voted unanimously by the Lower Chamber that the English will -sell their very shirts (this is the phrase they use) to make war on -France for the preservation of the Low Countries." During the French -Revolution, and later, under the Empire, the struggle between England -and France was largely provoked by the desire to turn France out of -Belgium. - -The Treaty of London (1839) makes no distinction between the five -guarantors of our neutrality: Austria, France, Great Britain, -Prussia, and Russia; but it is none the less unanimously admitted -that England has the most immediate interest in the preservation of -our independence, as it matters greatly to England that Antwerp--that -loaded pistol aimed at the heart of England, as Napoleon used to -say--should become neither French nor German. - -Therefore, as soon as Belgium was threatened by an armed invasion, the -traditional policy of England was at once invoked. - -It was in virtue of this policy that Great Britain, in 1870, demanded -of France and Germany whether they engaged themselves to maintain -the neutrality of Belgium. The two belligerents gave and kept their -promise. France, driven up against the Belgium frontier at Sedan, did -not even then consider that she had the right to break her word; she -preferred to allow herself to be crushed. If ever there were "strategic -reasons" which would excuse the breaking of a promise, it was then! - -All this being so, no one was surprised when in August 1914 the -newspapers announced that England had put the usual question to France -and Germany. This time again France made the reply inspired by her -sense of honour; Germany refused to commit herself. - -The historical facts which we have recalled suffice to show that the -protective rôle of England was not invented for the needs of the -moment, as Germany would have the world believe. The Chancellor cannot -be ignorant of these facts; they are known to all. Why then does he -persist in asserting that England would not have intervened had France -been the country to violate our neutrality? - -2. _The danger of a German Invasion._--For several years German -generals have been agreed in admitting the necessity of marching the -German army across Belgium in case of war with France.[7] In military -circles this was a _secret de polichinelle_, as the _N.R.C._ remarked -on the 22nd December, 1914 (evening edition). - -Moreover, the Germans themselves held that the Belgians could not -have been ignorant of the threat of a German invasion; this idea is -expounded, notably, in a booklet of official aspect, entitled _La_ -_part de la culpabilité de l'Angleterre dans la guerre mondiale_. - -Belgium therefore had serious reasons for expecting a German attack. -There was evidently only one thing for her to do: to demand assistance -of the country which had constituted itself the protector of her -neutrality, and on which she had always been accustomed to rely with -unshakable confidence. - - -1. THE REPORT OF M. LE BARON GREINDL, SOMETIME BELGIAN MINISTER IN -BERLIN. - -_Falsification of the Greindl Report._ - -On the 14th October, 1914, the German Government posted on the walls of -Brussels a placard entitled: _England and Belgium_ (_Documents found at -the headquarters of the Belgian Staff_). A reproduction of this placard -was distributed gratuitously, thousands of copies being issued the same -day. This document contains, first, a rapid summary of a report on the -relations which existed in 1906 between the Belgian Chief of Staff -and the British military attaché. Then the placard reproduces, "word -for word," a portion of a report made by M. Greindl, dated the 23rd -December, 1911. In this report M. Greindl warns the Belgian Government -of the possibility of a French attack. - -Whosoever will attentively read the exhibited portion of this report -will at once remark that its phrases lack connection and logical -sequence. Thus, there is certainly a hiatus between the opening phrases -and those that begin with: "When it became evident that we should not -allow ourselves to be alarmed by the pretended danger of closing the -Scheldt, the plan was not abandoned, but modified, in the sense that -the English army of assistance would not be disembarked on the Belgian -coast, but in the nearer French ports." Now what is meant by this -"pretended danger"? Pretended by whom? And then "we should not allow -ourselves to be alarmed." Who is "we?" Remark that a few lines farther -on the report speaks of the eventuality of a battle between the Belgian -army and the British army; Belgium, which was just now the ally of the -British, is now their adversary, although nothing indicates how she -passed from the first attitude to the second. In the same sentence -the closing of the Scheldt is spoken of with an English landing on -the _Belgian coast_; yet we cannot imagine M. Greindl placing Antwerp -on the Belgian coast. Can we doubt after this that phrases have been -suppressed in this portion of the document? Evidently not; for it is -radically impossible to realize the bearing and the meaning of the -report by reading the portion published. What, then, is the conclusion -forced upon us? It is that the German Government has "cooked" the -text; omitting to copy certain passages which would not tally with the -deductions which it wished to draw from it, and that it has perhaps -even twisted the meaning of certain phrases. - -The publication of the complete report was demanded by the Belgian -Government (see _K.Z._, 24th October, first morning edition). But -Germany refused; the report was too long, it replied, by the medium of -the _N.A.Z._ (25th November, 1914). All that could be obtained was the -publication in facsimile, in the same issue of the _N.A.Z._, of the -heading and the two first lines. Since the German Government did not -publish the rest, we have the right to conclude that this was because -it had subjected the document to falsifications such as were introduced -in that we are now about to consider. In any case, the report as it -was published means nothing. One feels that it was intentionally made -confusing. By whom? - - -2. THE REPORTS OF GENERALS DUCARNE AND JUNGBLUTH. - -The falsifications inserted in these documents by the German -diplomatists have already been lucidly exposed (for example, by E. -Brunets, _Calomnies Allemandes_); so there would be no need to return -to the subject, had not the German Government thought fit to attempt to -use these documents in order to demoralize the Belgians. - -At the end of December 1914, and in January 1915, Germany distributed -hundreds of thousands of copies of a pamphlet containing several -documents, among which were translations (into Flemish and French) and -facsimiles of the Ducarne and Jungbluth reports. The famous words of -the "reference" are replaced in their natural position in the middle -of the fourth paragraph,[8] but--and this was a wholly unexpected -discovery--they were also found in the commentary. According to the -copy in the text, one reads: "The document bears on the margin: 'The -entrance of the English into Belgium would take place only after the -violation of our neutrality by Germany.'" - -Disconcerting fecundity of Kultur! The Germans have reason to be proud -of their chemical industry. Thanks to a special fertilizer prepared in -the offices of Wilhelmstrasse, the famous phrase, which occurs only -once in the original document, is promptly multiplied and is able to -appear twice over. - - -_The Attitude of the Belgians toward the German Falsifications._ - -Note that to give more weight to their explanations the Germans were -careful to have them printed in Flemish and in French, on the paper -and with the type habitually employed by the _Moniteur belge_. It is -then, in the last resort, the Belgian public which has paid the cost of -printing this falsification of a public document. Well, well! they have -mistaken our psychology, for despite these "revelations" our conviction -is unshaken. Not a Belgian has criticized the actions of his Government -in respect of the defensive agreement with England. It would be like -blaming a man whose house was destroyed by fire for having insured it -with a reliable insurance company. - -Confronted by the failure of their endeavours to discourage the -Belgians and to embroil them with their legitimate Government, Germany -returned to the charge. A placard dated 10th March, 1915, posted in -Brussels, stated that the Belgian statesmen replied to the publication -of the Ducarne and Jungbluth reports only after the lapse of three -months. The placard evidently alludes to the Belgian Note of the 13th -January, 1915 (_see_ the 2nd _Grey Book_, No. 101). Now the first -sentence of this Note states that the Belgians had already replied on -the 4th December, 1914. Germany could not have been unaware of this -reply; let us add that we ourselves knew of it on the 10th December, -thanks to the issue for the 7th of _L'Indépendance Belge_ (appearing in -London), which was smuggled into Brussels. - -The third document contained in the pamphlet of the German Government -related to the _military geographical manuals_.[9] It shows that a -final collaboration (after the violation of her engagements by Germany) -was carefully devised by the British and Belgian staffs. Truly it ill -becomes the Germans, so proud of the introduction of their scientific -method into the art of war, which leaves nothing unthought of, to -reproach others for acting in the same way, and for making meticulous -preparations at an opportune time! In two places the article insists -on the fact that the preparations of these manuals was effected in -"time of peace." But come! should the Belgians and the British have -waited until the Germans were in Belgium before thinking of measures of -defence? - -Finally, the pamphlet contains _Fresh and Serious Proofs demonstrating -the complicity of Belgium and England_. Documents were found on the -escritoire of the British Legation in Brussels relating to the Belgian -mobilization, the defence of Antwerp, and the French mobilization. The -accusation is this: these documents were found in the British Legation, -a proof that the Belgian Government had no military secrets from the -British Government, and that they had a close military understanding. - -Once again: was Belgium, aware of the Germanic peril, to deliver -herself bound hand and foot to the invader, who, not content with -forgetting his international obligations, was about to run precisely -counter to them? It would evidently have been more agreeable to Germany -to have found in Belgium a lamb all ready to allow itself to be -sacrificed on the altar of _Kultur_. Unhappily for _Kultur_, Belgium -behaved like an enraged ram, determined to sell its life dearly. - - * * * * * - -Whatever aspect of the question of Belgian neutrality we may consider, -we always come back to this fact: Germany violated this neutrality on -the 4th August, although Belgium had given her no plausible excuse for -doing so. Since then the Germans have undertaken a campaign for the -purpose of justifying their "injustice," as their Chancellor termed -it. But none of the accusations invented after the event can in the -slightest degree extenuate this injustice; their only effect has been -to render still more execrable the treachery of the perjured protector. - - -_Neutral Opinion._ - -It is pleasant, in this connection, to cite here the opinion of four -writers belonging to countries which have not taken part in the war. - -A Dutch writer published in _De Amsterdammer_ an interesting article -which was translated into French, but of which the sale in Belgium was -immediately prohibited by the Germans. - -In a lecture which has achieved a very great celebrity, Herr Karl -Spitteler, a well-known literary man of German-speaking Switzerland, -also took the part of Belgium. We know of this lecture only by the -slashing which it received in the _K.Z._ on the 30th December, in the -first morning edition. - -Here is a passage which particularly infuriated the German paper:-- - -"I consider that to take the documents from the pockets of the gasping -victim (Belgium) is, as to the spirit which inspired the act, a gross -fault of taste. It would have been quite enough to throttle the -victim; to blacken him afterwards is too much. As for Switzerland, if -it associated itself with these calumnies against Belgium, it would -commit not merely an infamy, but a mistake; for on the day when another -Power grudges us our national existence, the same accusations might be -employed against us: do not let us forget that malice is now counted -among the munitions of war." - -Another Swiss writer, M. Philippe Godet, expresses his opinions with no -less energy in the _Journal de Genève_ (8th September, 1914). - - -_The Falsification of M. de l'Escaille's Letter._ - -In the preceding pages we have dealt only with matters relating to -Belgium. Do not let our attitude be misunderstood. We have not the -presumption to suppose that Belgium has ever occupied the foreground -in the negotiations described; on the contrary, we are perfectly -well aware of the diplomatic insignificance of our country in the -discordant "Concert of Europe" which has ended in the present war. -Our sole object is to show that Belgium has not played the unavowable -rôle which the Germans attributed to her. As to the origin of this -war, and the responsibility which the German rulers seek to foist -upon Great Britain, in order that their own country, and, above all, -their ally, Austria, may evade it, this is a discussion into which we -do not wish to enter, for it lies outside the programme which we have -set ourselves. We ought, however, to speak a word as to the placards -which the German authorities had posted up in Belgium during the month -of September 1914. The first is dated the 16th September; it gives -the résumé of a letter written by M. B. de l'Escaille to the Belgian -Minister of Foreign Affairs. - -Ten days later a new placard appeared: this time the complete text of -the letter was given, and it was explained how it came to fall into the -hands of the Germans. - -Let us leave this last point: it concerns the criminal law, not -diplomacy. Let us examine only the summary which was published and the -conclusions which the Germans drew from it. - -Was the summary honest? To discover this let us take the essential -sentence, printed in heavier type: "They possess even the definite -assurance that England will come to the assistance of France"; and let -us compare this with the corresponding passage of the text: "To-day -they are strongly convinced in St. Petersburg, they even have the -assurance, that England will support France." The term "assistance" -(_secouer_) in the summary can apply only to military assistance, while -the text speaks only of "support" (_soutien_), which means diplomatic -action. So the second conclusion also is false--"that England did -not intervene in the war on account of Belgium, but because she had -promised France to give her assistance." - -Let us now look at the first conclusion. It is "that Germany was -actuated by pacific intentions, and sought by all means to avoid war." -In reality the text, like the summary, states only that Germany sought -to avoid a general conflict, which means that she wished to localize -the war between Austria and Serbia; in other words, Germany wished -Europe to give Austria a free hand to crush Serbia. Nowhere does the -text say that Germany did anything to avoid "the war": the only war -which was declared on the 30th July, that of Austria against Serbia. In -short, this conclusion is falsified. - -There remains the phrase which introduces the two conclusions: "By -this report of the diplomatic representative of Belgium at the Court -of St. Petersburg it is proved".... Was M. de l'Escaille really the -diplomatic representative of Belgium in St. Petersburg? Open an -administrative almanack, and you will see that _the_ representative was -M. le Comte Conrad de Buisseret-Steenbecque de Blarenghien. As for M. -de l'Escaille, he was Secretary of Legation. - -The conclusions concluding here, there is no room for further -falsifications. - - * * * * * - -It is not our intention to make an exhaustive examination of the -diplomatic documents relating to the war; the more so as this -examination has been conducted in masterly fashion by MM. Dürckheim and -Denis, by M. Waxweiler, and by the author of _J'Accuse_. It is enough -for us to prove that Germany has intentionally falsified documents, -since this simple proof disposes of all her attempts to befoul Belgium; -for he who has a good argument at his disposal is not so foolish as to -spoil it and deprive it of all real value by means of falsifications. - - -D.--The Declaration of War and the first Hostilities. - -_The three Successive Proposals of Wilhelm II to Belgium._ - -Under its dry, cold, diplomatic phrasing the reply to the ultimatum -(1st _Grey Book_, No. 22) scarcely conceals the indignation which -thrilled the heart of Belgium when Wilhelm II offered her the chance -of associating herself with his crime against loyalty. But the -German Government did not understand this indignation, neither was -it conscious of its own infamy. Otherwise how could it have repeated -the same offer a few days later--an offer at once contemptible and -full of contempt, as was so well said by M. Jules Destrée before the -meeting of the Federation of Advocates, on the 3rd August, 1914. Two -remarks on the subject of this fresh proposal (1st _Grey Book_, No. -60). In the first place the United States Minister in Belgium, who was -entrusted with the German interests, refused to transmit it; as for the -Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, he accepted the mission "without -enthusiasm." In the second place, when the Emperor affirmed, on the -9th August, that the fortress of Liége had been taken by assault, he -must have known that the fortress was still resisting; for although the -_city_ of Liége was occupied by the Germans from the 7th, the _forts_ -were intact. Let us remember that the first fort which fell was that -of Barchon, on the 8th August, 1914; that of Évegnée fell on the 11th, -that of Fléron on the 14th, that of Loncin, commanded by General Leman, -fell only at 5 p.m. on the 15th: and several forts were at that time -still holding out. - -German diplomacy naturally received a fresh indignant refusal (1st -_Grey Book_, No. 23). - -Even then official Germany, dazzled by the brilliance of its _Kultur_, -had not yet grasped the full baseness of its crime, since on the 10th -September it posted up in Brussels its new proposal and Belgium's reply. - -Could candour in perfidy go any farther? Yes! for the German -Government, during the siege of Antwerp, made proposals of peace -for the third time. This offer was secret. The terms have not been -published; even the Germanic Press sought to deny that it had been -made; but the avowal appeared in a Viennese newspaper, the _Neue Freie -Presse_, and was reproduced by order of the German authorities in _La -Belgique_ (Brussels, 13th January, 1915). - - -_Hostilities preceding the Declaration of War._ - -So the Emperor Wilhelm II did not succeed in making us his accomplices. -Needless to say, we did not tremble before the two bogies which are -given so large a place in his harangues: his store of dry powder and -his newly-whetted sabre. - -And so the sovereign of the formidable German Empire declared war upon -tiny Belgium. "He would find himself, to his keenest regret, obliged -to execute, if need be by force of arms, the measures of security set -forth as indispensable," as the declaration of war expressed it (1st -_Grey Book_, No. 27). This declaration reached Brussels at 7 a.m. on -the 4th of August. But, apparently unknown to the Emperor, the German -troops, before the telegram had reached Belgium, had crossed the -frontier during the night of the 3rd. - -We have just seen that the declaration of war reached Brussels on the -4th August, at seven o'clock in the morning. This, at least, is what -we learn from the official documents published by Belgium. What does -official Germany say upon this point? Nothing. Nowhere is any mention -made of the declaration of war, and it is this intentional vagueness -which allows the Germans to declare, without blushing, that the German -troops entered Belgium on the night of the 3rd August. They let it be -supposed that the state of war existed from the moment when Belgium, on -the 3rd, refused the German ultimatum. Thus the _Chronik des Deutschen -Krieges_ (p. 33) gives the text of the ultimatum; then, in two lines, -a summary of the reply. The first document which follows relating to -Belgium is the proclamation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of -the Meuse (_6th Report_, I). - -This is very vague as to the political relations between the two -countries: are they at war, or are they not? No one could say. Of the -declaration of war, which should have found a place here, not a word; -there is no further question of Belgium before the telegrams of the 7th -August (p. 84). - -When we say that the declaration of war is not mentioned in any German -publication, we are going too far. _Die Wahrheit über den Krieg_ -("die Wahrheit!") speaks of the declaration of war; but only to say -that Belgium declared war (p. 40): _Belgiën antwortete darauf mit der -Kriegserklärung_.[10] - -The same publication appends some documents; No. 41 (p. 160) is a -reproduction of the ultimatum. One would naturally expect that No. -42 would be either Belgium's reply or the declaration of war. By no -means; these two documents are not given. Any one who reads the text -and hopes thereby to learn "die Wahrheit" concerning the war will be -no better informed by the documents. Let us in passing remark that -the German Government, in the _White Book_ published for the session -of the Reichstag of the 4th August, had also, by its own admission, -made a selection among the documents which it submitted to the members -of Parliament. This procedure is no doubt a logical consequence of -_Kultur_. - - -_The Pacific Character of Belgium._ - -Nearly all the nations of Europe cherish national animosities, racial -hatreds handed down from century to century, the heritage of conflicts -never pacified, which a mere nothing suffices to renew; or the survival -of oppressions and spoliations suffered of old by men's forbears, whose -abhorred memory is transmitted like a sacred trust from generation -to generation. And in all these countries, moreover, there is a -chauvinist, a jingo party, which urges a "war of revenge against the -hereditary enemy." In Belgium, as Mr. Asquith stated in his speech in -Dublin, there was nothing of the kind. We had no spite against any one, -and our people, laborious and peaceful, only asked to be allowed to -live in friendship with its neighbours. Never had there been in Belgium -any manifestation against a foreign country; never had a political -party inscribed in its programme any sort of hostility towards another -people. Who, then, will be persuaded that "the Belgian Government had -for a long time been carefully preparing for this war,"[11] as the -Emperor Wilhelm II asserted in his telegram to the President of the -United States (in which he also stated that his heart was bleeding!)? -No, there is no possible doubt on this point: Belgium brought into the -conflict no racial enmity,[12] and if she has found herself thrown into -the furnace, despite her constant love of peace, it is solely because -her haughty neighbour confronted her with this dilemma: either peace -with dishonour, or honour with war. The choice was not in doubt. - - -_German Espionage in Belgium._ - -It is idle to insist on the accusation of premeditation, for it is -unhappily too certain that Belgium was is no way ready for war. But -it is also incontestable that Germany had "for a long time carefully -prepared for" the invasion of Belgium. We cannot as yet reveal in -detail the facts as to German espionage, with its often odious methods, -for in most cases these revelations would expose those who have -informed us to reprisals. We must for the present be intentionally -vague, reserving preciser details for a later date. - -When the occupation comes to an end we shall report in detail the case -of a German engineer, who, in returning to us with the rank of officer, -presided over the systematic destruction by fire of the workshop -which he had managed; and the case of another engineer, who commanded -the gang ordered to set fire to the quarter adjoining the factory in -which he had been employed. Thanks to his knowledge of the locality, -he was able in a few seconds to set fire to the richest streets of -the neighbourhood. We shall be able to mark on a map the foundations -of reinforced concrete for the great German guns, constructed long -in advance, in the localities most favourable to bombardment; we -shall also point to the store of timber intended to serve for the -construction of a bridge over the Scheldt, which was found in a factory -established by Germans on the banks of the river. As for the store of -Mauser rifles discovered at Liége, our newspapers spoke of that at the -time. - -Here is a fact which can be related without danger. A German officer -dropped from his pocket--we shall state later on in what locality--a -detailed plan of the town of Soignies, in which his troops had lodged a -few days earlier. This plan gives, besides the details of streets, and -even houses, information concerning the occupants of certain buildings: -pharmacies, breweries, tanneries, the Communal treasury, the bank, and -other establishments where the army might need to make requisitions. -The large buildings are coloured blue. It was there that the troops -were lodged. This plan, drawn in Chinese ink and coloured, dates from -fifteen years back according to the indications which it contains. -But it has quite recently been revised and completed, for the latest -alterations in the town have been added in pencil; improvement of the -Senne, creation of a public square, etc. - -The case related by the _N.R.C._ of 19th August (evening) is -particularly instructive. When the Germans occupied Liége and Seraing -the Cockerill workshops naturally refused to work for them, since the -Germans wished them to make munitions for them. The German Colonel -Keppel then assumed the direction of the works, promising the workers -an increased salary of 50 per cent. And this officer did not blush to -sign his proclamation: "Attaché of the German Government at the Liége -Exposition." He had consequently profited by his privileged situation -in Belgium in order to make himself familiar with the organization of -the Cockerill works. But it must be supposed that matters were too -difficult for him, for Herren Koester and Noske (_Kriegsfahrten_, p. -21) assert that he had to abandon the position. - - -_The Mentality of the German Soldiers at the beginning of the Campaign._ - -Until the very last moment our enemies deluded themselves as to the -loyalty of the Belgians: they still hoped that the latter would -only resist as a matter of form. This idea is openly expressed in -the Chancellor's speech of the 2nd December; it is also implicitly -contained in the proclamation of General von Emmich (see _6th Report_, -I). The officers and soldiers who crossed the frontier at the beginning -of the war were quite bewildered by the unforeseen resistance of the -Belgian Army; this is what the German prisoners interned at Bruges tell -their relatives; they even go so far as to deplore having to fight a -neutral country. - - -LETTERS FROM GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR. - -We hear from Belgium:-- - -The correspondence of the German prisoners of war (to the number of -about two thousand) who, at the beginning of the war, were interned in -the barracks of the Bruges Lancers, has passed almost entirely through -our hands. - -All say they are well treated. Some even hope that the Belgian -prisoners in Germany will be as well treated as they. One wounded -soldier in a Bruges hospital relates that the Belgians treat the German -wounded like brothers; another speaks only of his "Belgian comrades"! -The good food served to them seems to make a great impression. Most -of them say, "We have enough to eat"; or even, "We have food in -abundance." Only one complains of "beer without flavour and bad wine"; -but another says with much simplicity: "The people here are very -kind to us, for we have enough to eat and drink." The word _for_ is -amusing.... - -The letters of the officers are quite different. No more joy because -their lives are safe. The war absorbs them entirely. They are warriors -at heart and the struggle interests them passionately. They know -nothing of what is happening, or rather they are not told what is -happening, and they want to know ... to know, and it is painful to hear -in each letter the same question: what news? The forced inactivity -becomes a torture. Boredom presses on them: they are discouraged and -greatly disillusioned; they had hoped to pass very rapidly across -Belgium (it must be remembered that at this time the war was only -beginning, that Brussels was not yet occupied, and that the letters -date from this period). - -The attack upon Belgium does not seem to please a great many of them. -"We have attacked a neutral country," says a medical officer, "and we -shall now have to suffer the eventual consequences." - -"When we got out of the train," says another, "we received the order -to fight against Belgium, a thing which is to me and to all highly -antipathetic. But what is commanded has to be executed." - -"The attack on Belgium was from the first a shameful thing." - -"We violated Belgium before any declaration of war had been made"! - -All the letters show how little the resistance of Liége was expected. -Many say: "Of all our company, of our battalion, of our regiment, -there are left only so many or so many men." One relates how in a -few minutes his colonel, his major, the captains, and nearly all the -lieutenants were mown down by the balls. "We are all mightily deluded," -admits another; "we were too confident; we thought the Belgians were -disheartened"! "The Belgians fight like lions," says another. - - -_German Lies respecting the Occupation of Liége._ - -It is the truth, although the news is partly from a German source, that -the Germans entered Belgium on the night of the 3rd of August; they -crossed the frontier near Gemmenich at two o'clock in the morning, and -the following night (of the 4th of August) they were already attempting -an attack upon Liége. But the official telegrams from Berlin have never -mentioned this date. To make it believed that the capture of Liége -was extremely rapid and that the German army had met with no serious -resistance, the staff pruned the siege of Liége at both ends; it made -the operation commence on the 5th August instead of the 4th, and -declared that it was already completed by the 7th August. - -We could not give a more precise idea of the manner in which the -Government and its "reptile Press" deceives public opinion than by -reproducing two telegrams relating to the fall of Liége. On the 7th of -August, having reported the entrance of the troops into Belgium on the -previous day, the telegrams announced the capture of the fortress of -Liége.[13] Note this: the capture of the _fortress_ (Festung). Now the -Germans had merely occupied the town of Liége, a town absolutely open, -without ramparts or defences of any kind. They themselves were forced -to own, on the 10th, that the forts had not been captured; but they -added that the guns were no longer firing, which was false (p. 50). - - BERLIN, _7th August_.--Our advance guard entered Belgium the day - before yesterday, along the whole frontier. A small division - attempted, with great valour, a surprise attack upon Liége. A few - cavalrymen pushed on into the city, and attempted to seize the - commandant, who was only able to escape by flight. The surprise - attack against the fortress, constructed according to modern - principles, did not succeed. Our troops are before the fortress, - in contact with the enemy. Naturally the whole enemy Press will - describe this enterprise as a defeat; but it has no influence on - the great operations; for us it is only an isolated fact in the - history of the war, and a proof of the aggressive courage of our - troops. - - (_Kr. D. des K. Z._, p. 9.) - - BERLIN, _7th August_. Official. (_Wolff Agency._)--The fortress of - Liége is taken. After the divisions, which had attempted a surprise - attack upon Liége, had been reinforced, the attack was pushed to a - successful termination. This morning at 8 o'clock the fortress was - in the power of Germany. - - (_Kr. D. des K. Z._, p. 11.) - -However, it was necessary to prevent the bad effect which would be -produced on the population by foreign communiqués announcing that the -German army was continuing to besiege Liége after taking it. After the -complete success announced on the 7th the task was, in fact, rather -difficult. How was it to be effected? - -(_a_) Discredit might be thrown on news coming from abroad, for -example, by "demonstrating" its untruthfulness. _Der Lügenfeldzug_ -gives on p. 19 the announcement of the taking of Liége, and on the -_following_ page the Havas telegram stating that Liége is not taken. -What will the superficial reader conclude if he does not take the -trouble to dissect the telegrams? That the Allies are shameless liars, -going to the length of denying the obvious. But examine the dates: -Liége was taken, according to the Germans, on the 7th August, at 8 -a.m., while the Allies declare that Liége is not taken--on the 6th! -And to think that the book which perpetrates this trickery is entitled -_Der Lügenfeldzug unserer Feinde_ ("Our Enemies' Campaign of Lies")! -and that it undertakes the mission of calling attention to the lies and -calumnies of the enemy in order to correct them! - -(_b_) To establish confusion between the city and the fortress. As -early as the 7th August the false newsmongers were rejoicing over -the taking of the fortress, intentionally confusing the city and the -fortified place, so that the reader of these communiqués no longer -knows what to think, and naturally accepts the official news of his own -country. - - -_The sudden Attack upon France is checked._ - -To understand how completely it was in Germany's interest to create the -belief that Liége was taken in two days by a small body of troops, we -must remember that the object of the Germans was to traverse Belgium -as rapidly as possible, in order to crush the French and capture -Paris. The author of _J'accuse_ reports the remark of old Marshal -von Haeseler, who proposed to celebrate in Paris the anniversary of -Sedan--on the 2nd September, 1914. We ourselves copied a charcoal -inscription written on the front of a house burned down at Battice, -making an appointment in Paris for the 2nd September with a certain -regiment of artillery. - -Now this sudden march was completely spoiled and the German plan of -campaign undone by the unexpected resistance of the Belgians, first at -Liége, then at Hesbays. This loss of a few days was fatal to Germany, -and Germany bears us malice on that account. - - -_The Disinterested Behaviour of Belgium._ - -One last point as to the violation of our neutrality. - -The Germans now pretend to pity the poor Belgians, who allowed -themselves to be fooled by England as much as by their King and -Government, and who, by their credulity, brought the war upon -themselves. But what am I saying?--the German Government assures the -world that we ourselves desired the war. Official Germany has become -incapable of conceiving that a people should remain faithful to its -international obligations, and if need be sacrifice itself for them. - -"Why," our adversaries ask us, "did you not accept the proposals of -Germany? You would have profited by them." And indeed our eastern -neighbours offered us £200,000 as the price of our complicity (F. -Bettix, _Der Krieg_). - -It would be very interesting to know on what data Germany calculates -the value of a nation's honour; in any case, we may assure her that no -one in the world would be so simple as to offer so great a sum for hers. - - * * * * * - -For the rest, as far as we Belgians are concerned our interest has -never entered into our calculations. It was not in order to profit -by it that we resisted Germany; it was because we judged that such -was our obligation as an honest nation. And yet, as the Minister, M. -Carton de Wiart, remarked, at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, on the 20th -December, 1914, we had, even then, the vision of our country ravaged -by the Prussian hordes; but even to-day, after suffering such terrible -atrocities, there is not a Belgian "who would change his poverty for -the profits of a bandit." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[6] The Germans do not like one to quote these words of Herr -Bethmann-Hollweg. A series of pamphlets, _Histoire de la guerre de -1914_, which has appeared in Brussels during the occupation, reports -the last conversation of the Chancellor with the British Ambassador on -the 4th of August, 1914 (p. 206), but the "scrap of paper" does not -figure therein: the censorship suppressed this too compromising passage. - -[7] See, for example, Bernhardi's _How Germany makes War_, pp. 190, -191, 192. On the 4th of March, 1882, the _Nord. Allg. Zeit._ declared: -"Germany has no political motive for violating Belgian neutrality, but -the military advantage which might result forces her thereto." Emile -Bauning, _La Belgique au point de vue Militaire et International_, -Brussels, 1906, p. 58. - -[8] Apparently such unusual honesty cannot long survive in the mind of -a German diplomatist. The phrase is in its proper place in the French -text, but it is lacking in the Flemish text, which is printed facing it. - -[9] _K.Z._, 2nd December, 1st edition, morning, published the same -revelations. This article is more complete than that printed in -Brussels. We hasten to correct a numerical error which renders the -opening of the second paragraph incomprehensible: it states that five -years had elapsed between 1905 and 1914. According to the _K.Z._ one -should read 1909 instead of 1905. - -[10] The same lie figures in _Lüttich_, p. 5. - -[11] The French text here quoted is that which was posted up. The -German text, also posted, states that Belgium had long ago carefully -armed the civil population (see p. 208). - -[12] An article on "Flemings and Walloons" in _K.Z._ for 13th March -(noon edition), declares that Belgium knew nothing of chauvinism, nor -even, adds the writer, of nationalism. - -[13] These lies die hard. Herren Koester and Noske, in the introduction -of their book, _Kreigsfahrten durch Belgiën und Nordfrankreich_, -literally state: "The German troops entered Belgium on the 6th of -August; on the following day the fortress of Liége had been taken by -assault." - - - - -CHAPTER II - -VIOLATIONS OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION - - -A.--The "Reprisals against Francs-tireurs." - -Under the pretext that France was making ready to attack her, Germany -hastened to invade Belgium and Luxemburg. But France was not preparing -to invade the Rhine provinces of Prussia, and this pretended threat of -aggression was merely a trick, intended to frighten Parliament, and -to obtain a vote approving the actions of the Ministry and giving it -_carte blanche_. The manoeuvre completely succeeded; the Government -received a unanimous vote, in spite of the Chancellor's admission: "We -are committing an injustice, and we are violating the law of nations; -but when one is driven into a corner as we are, all means are good." - -We discovered immediately, alas! what these words meant. Hardly had -the German soldiers crossed the frontier, when they began to burn and -massacre. - - -_Murders committed by the Germans from the outset._ - -On the very day of the invasion--the 4th August--a motor-car carrying -four German officers arrived at Herve, and then pulled up. One of the -officers demanded information of a youth of sixteen, one Dechêne; the -latter did not understand, or perhaps refused to reply (which was his -right, and even his duty towards his country); we do not know, but in -any case the officer shot him with his revolver. - -On the 4th of August, too, the Germans shot peaceful citizens at Visé, -when the 2nd battalion of the 12th regiment of the line, under Major -Collyns, had the audacity to resist them. Of course they pretended that -the civilians took part in the fighting. A few days later they burned -the church and the greater part of the town. - -One sees plainly from these, and too many other examples, what -was the object of our enemies: (_a_) They wished to terrorize the -population, in order to make them more amenable to requisitions and -demands of all kinds; (_b_) they wished to make their own troops -believe that in fighting the Belgians--which they at first did with -great unwillingness--they were merely defending themselves against -treacherous attacks; (_c_) they wished to multiply opportunities of -pillage; (_d_) finally, perhaps, they reckoned that by displaying to -the Belgian Government the horrors to which its first refusal had -exposed the country, they would induce it to reconsider its position -and could obtain from it a free passage. - - -_Were there any "Francs-tireurs"?_ - -It would be impossible at this moment to state that the Belgians never, -at any point of the frontier, fired upon the invaders. Let us remark, -moreover, that if they did they would have been, from the purely human -point of view, perfectly excusable.[14] What! here is Germany, who, -pretending to be in a state of legitimate defence, falls unawares -upon an inoffensive third party! And this third party had no right to -oppose force to violence! In all logic, was it not Belgium that was in -a state of legitimate defence; was it not for Belgium that all means -were good? And notice, please, that it was not against an imagined and -imaginary menace that we were defending ourselves: the Germans had -most undeniably invaded Belgium. Would it have been astonishing if -the Belgians, exasperated by this unspeakable aggression, had seized -their rifles? In sane justice, one could not regard such action as -a grievance; on the contrary. Does this mean that we believe in the -story of civilians attacking the German army? Most certainly not; -because we know from reliable sources that in _every_ case where it -has been possible to hold an inquiry, this inquiry has shown that the -"francs-tireurs" were merely the pretext; the real motive for all the -devastation and massacre was the desire to terrorize the population. -It is, therefore, in a fashion entirely theoretical, and with the -most express reserves, that we admit, in default of opportunity to -investigate, in each case, the affirmations of our enemies, that in -some cases, certainly extremely rare, isolated civilians, or small -groups of civilians, may have been taken with arms in their hands. But -our enemies will please admit also that the attitude of these civilians -would have been amply excused by the more than brutal fashion in which -the Germans behaved from the very first moments of the war. Let us -add that when one erects terror into a system, as the Germans do, one -should understand the defensive reflexes of the victims. - -What were the rights of our enemies in these exceptional cases? They -could, as they themselves proclaim, have shot the individual offenders, -and, for once in a way, have burned their houses. But nothing in -the world could justify the executions _en masse_ and the wholesale -burnings to which the Germans surrendered themselves. - - -_The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in the German Army._ - -One point at first remained obscure to us in the German "reprisals": -how did the German officers induce their men to commit this horrible -carnage? Very simply: their minds were worked upon beforehand; they -were crammed with legends of francs-tireurs dating from the war of -1870-71, and were made to believe that the Belgian population was -revoltingly brutal. So as soon as they set foot on our territory they -expected to be attacked by civilians, and, very naturally, prepared to -sell their lives dearly. - -Nothing is more typical in this respect than the collection of -soldiers' letters published for the edification of the German nation -in _Der Deutsche Krieg in Feldpostbriefen_.--_I. Lüttich, Namur, -Antwerpen._ In more than half is there mention of "francs-tireurs"; but -scarcely ever does the writer speak of having himself seen them. Read, -for example, the first letter (that is No. 2 in the volume, for Letter -No. 1 is not a soldier's letter). The writer, an officer, asserts that -during the attack on the forts of Liége, on the night of the 6th of -August, the night was so dark that it was impossible to distinguish -friends from enemies, and that the Germans were firing on one another. -Nevertheless, as they were fired on, and as they saw three men running, -they immediately shot them as "francs-tireurs." During this same night -their baggage-column having been surprised (he does not say by whom), -a village was burned and the inhabitants were shot. - -The whole mentality of the German soldier in respect of civilians is -reflected in this letter; it is so dark that the Germans fire on one -another, but that does not prevent them from recognizing that those -attacking them are "francs-tireurs," even though their men are "falling -_en masse_," which excludes all idea of francs-tireurs. - -Francs-tireurs! From the very first days of the war it is a fixed idea, -an obsession, engendered by previous reading and conversation, and -carefully nourished by the leaders. - - -_The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in the Literature of the War._ - -Francs-tireurs! This idea invades the whole of their contemporary -literature. All the books on the campaign in Belgium and France swarm -with tales of this kind. Let us add that the authors do not assert that -they themselves have seen the attacks of the "francs-tireurs." But they -have been told of them, and they hasten to repeat the story without the -slightest means of verification. - -Thus, in _Kriegsfahrten_, by Herren Koester and Noske, there is mention -of "francs-tireurs" on pages 10, 12, 13, 20, and 22; and they return to -the subject in the last chapter (p. 113). - -Herr Fedor von Zobeltitz, in _Kriegsfahrten eines Johanniters_, also -constantly heard mention of attacks by Belgian civilians: at Tirlemont -(p. 39), at Louvain (pp. 39, 53, 54, 91), at Malines (p. 49), at -Eppeghem (p. 86), and in Antwerp (p. 154). - -The volume entitled _Die Eroberung Belgiëns_ is full of stories of the -same sort. Thus, of thirty-eight illustrations, which are neither maps -nor portraits, ten are devoted to the attacks of Belgian civilians. - -It is interesting to compare the tales of people who have not been -present in the battles fought in Belgium, and who speak only from -hearsay, with the narrative of Herr Otto von Gottberg, _Als Adjutant -durch Frankreich und Belgiën_. He took part in September in the -battles which accompanied the siege of Antwerp. Nowhere did he see -francs-tireurs. Yet he by no means loves the Belgian civilians, and -he certainly would have been tremendously pleased to shoot down a -few. Read, for example, what he says of the provocative attitude of -the people of Brussels, and above all of the women of Brussels (p. -55), and of passing through the streets of Lebbeke (near Termonde), -where his soldiers proposed to fall upon the inhabitants who scowled -at them (p. 65). However, he says, he did not burn a single house (p. -67). We may remark that Herr Gottberg's companions showed themselves -less amiable, or at least equitable, than he, for the "reprisals" -against Lebbeke were particularly atrocious (see _9th Report_). It is, -however, highly improbable that the inhabitants would have deprived -themselves of the pleasure of firing on the little patrol led by Herr -Gottberg, afterwards to take up arms against troops which were much -more numerous. However it may be, the legend of the "francs-tireurs" -of Lebbeke was willingly accepted by Herren Koester and Noske -(_Kriegsfahrten_). - - -_The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in Literature and Art._ - -The obsession of the "franc-tireur" is also found outside the limits of -military literature properly so-called. Herr Bredt has just published -a book on _Le caractère du peuple belge révélé par l'art belge_. The -illegal attacks of the Belgian population upon the regular German -troops, he says, were not in the least surprising to those who were -acquainted with the productions of Belgian art. - -It would be difficult to surpass, in this respect, an article which -appeared in the January number of _Kunst und Künstler_. It gives the -reproduction of an engraving by Callot: a camp in which musketeers -are putting to death condemned men bound to stakes. "Execution of -francs-tireurs," says the legend in German. That there should be a -question of "francs-tireurs" in the time of Callot, who died in 1635, -may in itself seem somewhat strange. But the engraver has taken care -to inscribe, under his work, some lines describing the scene which it -represents, which may be translated as follows:-- - - "Those who to give their evil nature sway, - Failing in duty, take the tyrant's way, - Infringing right, delighting but in ill, - Whose acts are full of treason and self-will, - Cause in the camp full many a bloody brawl, - So die this death, the end of traitors all." - -It is enough to read this legend to realize that they are traitors who -are being punished; but the German mind of to-day is so steeped in -the idea of "francs-tireurs" that the artists no longer understand -what their predecessors wrote, and, like the soldiers, they see -francs-tireurs everywhere. - - -_Responsibility of the Leaders._ - -But it is above all the great massacres of Andenne, Tamines, Dinant, -Termonde, Aerschot, Louvain, and Luxemburg, which are for ever -inexcusable, and will remain, an eternal disgrace, as a stain upon the -German flag. Their appetite whetted by the atrocities committed during -the first days of the invasion, the soldiers themselves invented or -simulated attacks of "francs-tireurs," in order to have the pleasure -of afterwards repressing them, killing, pillaging, and burning entire -cities. Let us say, to be just, that not the soldiers but their leaders -will bear, before the bar of history, the responsibility of this -revival of the monstrosities of barbarism. Is it not obvious that in an -army as highly disciplined as the German, an army in which the officers -drive their men into battle under the threat of their revolvers, and in -which the soldiers obey such injunctions, such deliberately prepared -tragedies as that of Louvain are possible only with the complicity -of the officers, or rather by their orders? How else can we conceive -that soldiers would post themselves in a garden and thence fire their -rifles into the streets? (_N.R.C._, 10th September, 1914, evening -edition). And it is not the subaltern officers that we have to call -to account for these butcheries, but the generals, such as Baron von -Bissing, since become Governor-General of Belgium, who counsels the -soldiery to show themselves pitiless, and not to allow themselves to be -swayed by any humanitarian consideration, for compassion would be an -act of treason (_compare_ p. 336). The soldiers are advised that it -is permissible for them "to make the innocent suffer with the guilty" -(p. 84); that they may hang, without further ceremony, those who have -committed the crime of being found present, for whatever reason, in a -house where munitions or arms have been found (p. 335); and also those -who have attempted to escape while they were being held as hostages (p. -151). The previous Governor-General of Belgium announced that soldiers -need not be sure whether suspects are accessories or not, but that "if -any hostility is displayed towards them they may raze a city to the -ground." Such is the fate that General von Bülow promised the city of -Brussels. The same general thought it incumbent upon him officially -to inform the people of Brussels, Liége, and Namur that it was with -his consent that the town of Andenne was burned, and about one hundred -persons shot (_6th Report_, IV). - -By these proclamations and others equally sanguinary the military -authorities wished to influence both the Germans and the Belgians. -The former were absolved beforehand of the horrors they committed, -and were assured of impunity for all the "reprisals" they might be -pleased to undertake. Moreover, they were kept in perpetual horror of -"francs-tireurs." Are they assailed unexpectedly by soldiers of the -enemy's army? They fall back without assuring themselves of what has -really happened, and return with the main body of the army to expend -their rage against the "francs-tireurs." This is what took place at -Tamines where more than four hundred citizens were shot down by rifle -or machine-gun fire, and also in a dozen villages of Bas-Luxembourg, -which were razed to the ground, and in which a thousand inhabitants -were shot. - - -_Animosity toward the Clergy._ - -The military chiefs bear an especial grudge against the clergy. In -the manifestoes against "francs-tireurs" the priests are specially -mentioned, which amounts to recommending them quite specially to the -savagery of the troops. The latter are convinced that the priests -incite their flocks from the pulpit, and that they place machine-guns -in the belfries. So, in the sack of a village, the worst treatment is -always reserved for the priests and the churches. - -The pastoral letter of His Excellency Cardinal Mercier gives a list of -forty-three priests shot or executed.[15] - -There is no ignominy the troops have not inflicted on the priests. A -few examples among hundreds will suffice. - -They forced members of the Louvain clergy to lie naked in the dung of -a pig-sty. - -The curé of Pont-Brûlé was beaten, by order of the German soldiery, by -his own parishioners. - -The January number of _Kunst und Künstler_ gives a drawing representing -a curé hanging from a tree. - -At Cortemarck it was the priests who were punished because an -inhabitant was in communication with the enemy (read, "the Belgians"). - -On the 30th August, 1914, the Germans arrested the dean and vicar of -a village in Brabant, under the pretext that they had made luminous -signals from the church tower. Now the priests had been prisoners -since 2.0 o'clock of the afternoon; how then could they have ascended -the tower at 5.30 p.m.? Despite their protestations they were taken -to Louvain, whence a so-called Council of War sent them to Germany. -Arriving in a prisoners' camp, they were accommodated in the latrines, -which consisted of a trench and a plank perforated with holes. Each -time a German soldier had to satisfy his need, he took the opportunity -of insulting the priests in the most filthy manner. A German major sent -for them and informed them that they were about to be shot. The vicar -asked that he might confess. "No," he was told, "hell is good enough -for you." They were led away to die ... but were sent to a seminary, -where they remained prisoners until January 1915. - - -_Animosity toward Churches._ - -Against the churches their rage was unloosed with even greater fury. -In the part of Brabant that lies north of Vilvorde there is hardly -a belfry left erect: Beyghem, Capelle-au-Bois, Haecht, Humbeek, -Pont-Brûlé, Sempst, Eppeghem, Houtem, Weerde, Hofstade, Elewijt, -Werchter, Boortmeerbeek, etc., are all burned. - -At Termonde all the churches have been either burned or profaned. But -in the midst of this city, where twelve hundred houses were burned out -of fourteen hundred, the Béguinage remained intact, an oasis of calm -isolated amid the calcined ruins. On the grassy plain that surrounds -the bright little houses of the béguines stood the chapel. This did -not find favour with the Germans, and its blackened walls attest that -Kultur has passed that way. Were the béguines perhaps "francs-tireurs"? - -We have already stated that the peculiar irritation of the Germans -against the clergy and their sanctuaries was due to the fact that they -regarded the curés as the leaders of the "francs-tireurs." The falsity -of this allegation was recognized by Dr. Julius Bachem, the editor -of the _Kölnische Volkszeitung_, one of the most prominent Catholic -newspapers in Germany. Dr. Bachem published, in the issue for April -1915 of the _Süddeutsche Monatshefte_, which was principally devoted -to Belgium, an article on the religious problem in Belgium. He based -his proofs on the authority of Baron von Bissing, Commandant of the -7th Army Corps, at present Governor-General in Belgium, and also on -the special inquiry undertaken by the Union of the Catholic Priests of -the Rhine, _Pax_. This inquiry, mostly conducted with the aid of the -present military authorities in Belgium, proved that the clergy was -absolutely innocent, and that all the accusations brought against it -were purely imaginary.[16] - -The Emperor did not wait for the confirmation of the crimes attributed -to the priests before making violent accusations against them in his -telegram to the President of the United States. He has not retracted -these. - - -_Intentional Insufficiency of Preliminary Inquiries._ - -Never was there the least justification for reprisals. Read the Reports -of the Commission of Inquiry, and the narratives of ocular witnesses, -and you will find that the most horrible things are continually done -without any pains being taken to verify the facts. Soldiers greedy for -pillage say, without justification, _Die Civilisten haben geschossen_; -and that is enough. The order is given to kill the men and reduce -the neighbourhood to ashes. Or shots have really been fired on the -Germans; the civilians are suddenly accused, and without listening to -the unhappy prisoners, who offer to prove that the shots were fired by -Belgian or Allied soldiers, the Germans proceed to execution. - -A very typical case is that of Charleroi. We knew that French troops -were still occupying the town when the Germans entered. But these last -immediately accused the civilians, since, they said, shots were fired -from the interior of the houses, as though their adversaries had not -the right, quite as much as they, to take cover in the buildings. -Moreover, when they later were confronted with the proof that the -French were there, they merely remarked that the latter's mission was -to organize and to discipline the civic guards and "francs-tireurs"[17] -(_see_ Heymel's article, p. 196). Could one imagine a finer example of -preconceived opinion? - -M. Waxwieler insists emphatically on the unspeakable frivolity with -which the Germans carry out "reprisals." He cites notably the case of -Linsmeau (p. 256) and that of Francorchamps (p. 270). As this is an -essential point, I may perhaps be permitted to relate a few more cases. - -On entering Wépion on the 23rd August the Germans pretended that the -citizens had fired on them, and they shot, then and there, six of them, -among whom were the two younger Bouchats. Now those who had fired -were Belgian soldiers armed with machine-guns, who were covering the -retreat of the Belgian troops. A moment's reflection would have enabled -the Germans to realize their error, since civilians obviously had no -machine-guns at their disposal. While they were being led to their -death, one of the Bouchats begged a glass of water of their mother. But -the Germans refused to allow it to be given him: "It's not worth the -trouble now," they said. - -In August 1914 a French patrol and a German patrol came into collision -at Sibret (Belgian Luxembourg) and exchanged shots; they then retired, -leaving a wounded German on the ground. Two inhabitants of Sibret -carried the wounded man toward an ambulance; the clerk to the _Justice -de Paix_ of Bouillon, M. Rozier, accompanied them. He was carrying the -rifle slung over his shoulder and the soldier's knapsack in his hand. A -German patrol came up and questioned M. Rozier, telling him, no doubt, -to raise his hands or throw down his rifle. As neither M. Rozier nor -any of his companions understood German, and were unable to comply with -the order, the Germans fired on M. Rozier, killing him. - -Every time it has been possible to obtain any kind of inquiry from the -Germans it has resulted in their confusion; at Huy the bullets found in -the bodies of Germans were German bullets; the General was forced to -stop the burning of the village; he even admitted that a mistake had -been made. - -An example of another kind, also taken from the _N.R.C._, is equally -characteristic. During the night a German soldier fired a rifle-shot, -no one knew why, in a village of Western Flanders. Great alarm -immediately. "The village is going to be burned!" But before they -had time to get to work an important piece of evidence, the empty -cartridge-case, proved that it was really a German soldier who fired. -However, if by chance this blessed cartridge-case had not come to hand -the village would have burned. Too often, alas! the German army does -not trouble to postpone the reprisals awhile ... and the houses are in -ashes before the falsity of the accusations has been proved. It is to -be remarked, indeed, that it is never the Germans who prove the truth -of their allegations, but the Belgians who have to prove the Germans in -error. It is justice reversed. - -It is easy to understand that a _non-lieu_ does not please the German -authorities. In fact, their object is not to render justice but to -terrorize the population; and if it were necessary to examine the -_bona-fides_ of their accusations they would not be able to exercise -"reprisals," which would not suit them at all! - -If the accusations had really been justified by the attacks of -"francs-tireurs" the Germans would have taken care to establish their -existence irrefutably. For we must not forget that according to Article -3 of the Hague Convention they ought to indemnify us for all the -burnings and massacres commanded by them. - - -_A "Show" Inquiry._ - -They know, however, how contrary these summary executions are to the -spirit of justice, and they sometimes attempt to lay a false trail. -Read, for example, the chapter devoted by Dr. Sven Hedin to the -"francs-tireurs." The great Swedish geographer, of whose wonderful -Asiatic journeys every one has heard, made a tour along the Western -front. He therefore visited the occupied portion of France and -Belgium, and wrote an enthusiastic book on the German Army, _Ein -Volk in Waffen_. In the course of this work, he describes the manner -in which an inquiry is held into the circumstances of an attack by -"francs-tireurs." Everything is done as regularly as possible, and -the affair ends in an acquittal. Was the tribunal authentic, or was -it merely a parody?[18] It matters little; the essential thing for us -is that it was desired to prove to Dr. Hedin that the Germans are not -barbarians, and that they observe the forms of justice even while on -campaign. - - -_Mentality of an Officer charged with the Repression of -"Francs-tireurs."_ - -Let us now compare with the account of Dr. Hedin that of a German -officer entrusted with the repression of "francs-tireurs." Captain Paul -Oskar Höcker gives a few curious details in his interesting book, _An -der Spitze meiner Kompagnie_. He had to clear of "francs-tireurs" a -portion of the territory comprised between the German frontier and the -Meuse. His mission consisted in this: to present himself at houses, -to ask if there were arms, and in case of a reply in the negative, to -search the house; if arms were discovered the householder was shot on -the spot; in case of resistance the house was burned (p. 83). The first -farm he visits is Jungbush, near Moresnet; the inhabitants assure him -they have no arms. They are told that if they are hiding one rifle -they will be punished with death; they repeat that they have none. And -now the soldiers bring up a boy of fifteen who was hiding under the -straw with a Belgian rifle and five cartridges. He is shot without -further inquiry (p. 26). It is permissible to ask whether it would -not have been juster and more humane to have looked into the matter a -little more closely. The remainder of the book instructs us as to the -psychology of Captain Höcker. At the house of the vicar of Thimister, -where he passed the first night in Belgium, his bedroom door did not -lock, and this was enough to make him shake with fear (p. 29). On the -following morning he had a pigeon shot, which he suspected of being a -carrier of despatches to "francs-tireurs"; "and in truth," he says, -"the pigeon bore a stamp on the left wing" (p. 30). This proof is -perhaps somewhat slender in a country where all pigeons which take part -in matches have a mark of this kind. He confiscates all the small-arms -and parts of arms in the establishments of the innumerable armourers of -the district, and smashes everything in their workshops. On one such -occasion he burns a house whose owner does not consent with good grace -to the destruction of his plant (p. 30). On the same day he finds that -all the houses from which shots were fired have been burned; in his -satisfaction he does not even ask himself whether those who fired were -soldiers or civilians (p. 31). Neither has he a word of reprobation -for the fury which the Germans display against Belgium: Belgium, -forced to take the side of the Allies when her territory was violated -by Germany. He reaches Visé at the moment of its burning; he accepts -immediately the legend according to which the bridge has been destroyed -by "francs-tireurs" (p. 34). According to him, the Belgians of good -society do not become soldiers; he is convinced that substitution -is still in force with us, and that for 1,600 francs (£64) one can -escape from one's military obligations (p. 39). To him, therefore, all -civilians appear cowards, and he is not surprised to see them become -"sneaking francs-tireurs." When he passes through the streets of -Louvain he listens to the story that Germans have that very day been -fired upon (p. 47). Further on he admits without hesitation that the -German soldiers taken prisoners before Liége must have expected to be -shot by the Belgians (p. 71). - -We do not question the sincerity of Captain Höcker. But why was so -credulous and so suggestible a person selected to search out and punish -"francs-tireurs"? Assuredly because it was desired that "reprisals" -should be carried out without previous discussion, and by some one -whose conscience should, nevertheless, be at rest. - - -_Drunkenness in the German Army._ - -We have just seen that massacres very frequently took place without any -pretext having been brought forward to excuse them. In nearly all cases -alcoholism was the cause of these, for the German soldiers, and above -all the officers, are scandalously addicted to drink. - -The first thing requisitioned by the officers is always wine, by -hundreds of bottles at a time. - -Turn over a collection of German illustrated papers: every time a -meeting of officers is photographed there are bottles and glasses on -the table. At the ambulance installed in the Palais de Justice of -Brussels the military surgeons have not been ashamed to steal the -wine of the wounded men, wine offered by the citizens of Brussels. The -general and his staff who installed themselves on the 21st August, -1914, in the Palais Royal of Laeken levied such vast contributions on -the cellars of the Palais that on the following morning an officer was -found, in the costume of Adam, dead-drunk in front of a bath which he -had not had the strength to enter. When they left the Palais they took -with them many hampers of wine, and a few days later they had a search -made for further hampers of the vintages which were their preference. -The cellars were soon empty. - -They were drunken soldiers who provoked the burning of Huy, the -assassinations at Canne (_N.R.C._, 23rd August, 1914, morning edition), -and in part at least the massacres of Louvain. When they occupied Gand -the police had to collect them, dead-drunk, on the very first morning; -they had already begun to fire revolver-shots. - -It was after a tavern brawl between drunken soldiers that the burning -of a portion of Tongres was decreed (_N.R.C._, 22nd August, 1914, -morning edition). In Brussels, on the 28th September, 1914, some -drunken soldiers in a German cabaret situated in the Rue de la Grande -Ile, were firing rifle-shots to amuse themselves; bullets lodged in the -house-fronts opposite. The officer whom some one went to fetch that -he might witness this misbehaviour believed that an attack was being -delivered by "francs-tireurs," and, trembling like a leaf, refused to -go thither. The _N.R.C._, 28th January, 1915 (morning edition) states -that a young girl of Eelen was arrested as a "franc-tireur" because -rifle-shots had been fired by drunken soldiers. - -Let us add that drunkenness might have had harmless consequences if -the authorities had not exerted themselves to make the troops believe -that every unexpected shot is necessarily fired by a "franc-tireur," -and that so black a crime can only be paid for by a general massacre -accompanied by the burning of the village concerned. - - * * * * * - -There is only one fashion of explaining the horrors committed by the -Germans: it is to admit that they are modelled beforehand according to -a carefully devised system of intimidation: the systematic inhumanity -of their treatment of the enemy population being intended to facilitate -other military operations. - - -_Cruelties necessary according to German Theories._ - -Compare, for example, the laws of war according to the German Great -General Staff[19] with the stipulations of the Hague Convention. As -the last is based on humanitarian considerations and seeks to lighten -the scourge of war for non-combatants, so the Germans systematically -refuse to make war less cruel; on the contrary, they start with the -principle that the more terrible the war the more swiftly and surely -will its object be attained. Read the chapter, "The Object of War," -and you will be edified. Even jurists like Baer, blinded by warlike -passions, dare to maintain that all must yield to military necessities, -including--what blasphemy!--the law of nations. The characteristic -theory that war should be "absolute" and barbarous is the idea -underlying the manifesto of von Bissing which has already been cited -(p. 70). In fewer words Hindenburg says the same thing[20] (p. 206). -So that Belgium might realize the fate that awaited her the German -authorities made haste to advertise their opinion. It is true that they -have since then posted up reassuring phrases as to the humanitarian -sentiments of the German Army for the moment. Had our butchers -renounced their attempts at terrorization? - - -_Terrorization: "Reprisals" as a "Preventive."_ - -According to this hypothesis, that the great "reprisals" undertaken at -the outset of the war would serve as examples, the Germans wished to -instil terror into the very marrow of our bones, so that they might -then be able to rule us with a small garrison of Landsturm. Reflect, -for example, that Brussels, an agglomeration of 700,000 souls, has -never had a garrison of more than 5,000 men, and has often had only -1,000. - -Such a calculation is so abominable, so fundamentally inhuman, that we -shrank from the harshness of this supposition, and accepted it with -all manner of reservations.[21] Well, our hesitation was futile. In an -article whose frankness is calculated to make one's hair stand on end, -Captain Walter Blöm, adjutant to the Governor-General, published in the -officially-inspired _Kölnische Zeitung_ of the 10th February, 1915, the -confirmation of that which we hardly dared to imagine. Here are his -exact words:-- - -"The principle according to which the whole community must be punished -for the fault of a single individual is justified by the _theory of -terrorization_. The innocent must suffer with the guilty; if the latter -are unknown the innocent must even be punished in their place; and -note that the punishment is applied not _because_ a misdeed has been -committed, but _in order that_ no more shall be committed. To burn a -neighbourhood, shoot hostages, decimate a population which has taken -up arms against the army--all this is far less a reprisal than the -sounding of a _note of warning_ for the territory not yet occupied. Do -not doubt it: it was as a note of warning that Battice, Herve, Louvain, -and Dinant were burned. The burnings and bloodshed of the opening of -the war showed the great cities of Belgium how perilous it was for them -to attack the small garrisons which we were able to leave there. No -one will believe that Brussels, where we are to-day as though in our -own home, would have allowed us to do as we liked if the inhabitants -had not trembled before our vengeance, and if they did not continue to -tremble. War is not a social diversion." - -Any commentary would weaken the force of these declarations. - - -_Incendiary Material._ - -We are not in the confidence of the German Staff, and we can only form -hypotheses as to its mentality. But here are two facts, easy to verify -and interpret, which show that the atrocities were committed with -premeditation. - -Firstly, the existence of various incendiary materials. When a town -is condemned to be burned the execution of the command is confided to -a special company of the engineers. (The _carnet_ of an officer of an -"incendiary company" was picked up in a commune of Hainaut.) Generally -a first squad breaks the windows and shutters; a second pours naphtha -into the houses by means of special pumps, "incendiary pumps"; then -comes the third squad, which throws the "incendiary bombs." These last -are of many different kinds. Those most commonly employed in Brabant -and Hainaut include discs of gelatinous nitro-cellulose, which jump -in all directions. Thanks to the inflammable vapours which fill the -houses, the latter catch fire on all their floors simultaneously. It -took only half an hour to set fire to the Boulevard Audent at Charleroi. - -No one can suppose that so perfect an organization was improvised -during the campaign. Moreover, where and how could the discs of -fulminating cotton have been procured? - -At Termonde the Germans probably employed cylinders of naphtha. At all -events one can still see, in houses which did not catch fire, holes -made in the ceilings and floors, into which holes long strips of linen -are introduced to serve as wicks. The Germans sprinkled them with -naphtha, and it was enough to put a match to such a wick in order to -set fire to the joists of the floor overhead. At Termonde 1,200 houses -were burned in a single day. - - -_The Two Great Periods of Massacre._ - -We discover, then, that the great destructive operations were conducted -according to a general plan. Let us place in chronological order the -most important of the massacres and the conflagrations, that is, those -which could not have been carried out except by order of the officers, -omitting, therefore, the killings in detail and the burning of farms -and isolated houses, attributable, no doubt, to soldiers acting on -their own initiative, or to small bands greedy for pillage. What do -we see? That apart from the atrocities which marked the outset of the -campaign, the majority of the great killings and burnings, in France -as well as in Belgium, were ordered during two periods: one from the -19th to the 27th August, and one from the 2nd to the 12th September, -1914. Now it is quite certain that in a country already occupied, -and deprived of means of communication, the "francs-tireurs" could -not possibly have agreed among themselves as to the moment of their -attacks. The only people who could transmit an order were the Germans; -and the legitimate conclusion which one forms from this lamentable list -is that the pretended attacks of francs-tireurs were elaborated in -Berlin, whence they were ordered by telegraph to break out on a given -date. - -Another interesting fact revealed by a chronological list is that -the so-called attacks of "francs-tireurs" very often do not coincide -with the entrance of the Germans into a given locality, but break -out a few days later. One might at a pinch understand that poachers, -or impulsive individuals, might fire a rifle at a patrol; but it is -wholly improbable that they would make their attempt at a moment when -they were already impressed by the formidable warlike equipment of our -enemies. This is so contrary to common sense that the Germans try to -get out of it by lying. Let us cite a case. They assert that on Tuesday -the 25th August, 1914, there was in Louvain only a weak garrison of -Landsturm, and that the civil population profited by this circumstance -to attempt an attack, which could only be repressed by incendiarism and -massacre. Now the people of Louvain had been warned that very morning -that 10,000 men were to arrive during the day, and that many houses -which had not yet billeted soldiers would do so the following night. -And, indeed, that afternoon several fresh regiments were seen to enter, -notably the 53rd, 72nd, and 7th Hussars. - -When, by exception, the Germans assert that the "francs-tireurs" have -attacked a column on the march, one almost always remarks the three -following points: (1) the attack takes place while a village is being -traversed; (2) it happens when a great part of the column has already -passed, so that the "francs-tireurs" are caught between two fires; (3) -the "francs-tireurs" are concealed in the houses. A moment's reflection -suffices to show that these are precisely the most unfavourable -circumstances which civilians could choose for their attack. - - -_Protective Inscriptions._ - -All this shows that we have not to deal with acts of indiscipline, -which are, God knows, the inevitable accompaniment of any war, yet -which are almost excusable. We have here a maturely considered system, -prepared at the Great General Headquarters, and then frigidly applied. -In other words, the "reprisals against francs-tireurs" form part of -the plan of campaign of the German army. If additional proof were -needed that they are disciplined cruelties, as the Minister of State, -M. Emile Vandervelde, remarks, it would be found in the inscriptions -and placards placed upon property which is to be respected. - -Besides the inscription which says simply that the house must not be -burned save with the authorization of the _Kommandantur_ (at Louvain, -after the great fires of the 25th and 27th August, nearly all the -houses which were spared received one of these placards), there are -others giving the reasons for the protection accorded to the building. -Here are some of these reasons: the inhabitants are respectable -(_gute_) people; they have German sympathies; they have already given -the troops all they possessed; they are protected by the Legation; an -officer knows them personally. The fact that with very few exceptions -these houses escaped disaster well demonstrates the strength of German -discipline. It is by no means astonishing, therefore, that in the -localities which are still intact the inhabitants should have taken -precautions; thus, there have been houses in Brussels which were -provided with a protective inscription. Other buildings have been -marked on a plan (_N.R.C._, 14th September, 1914, evening edition). -This reminds one of the tenth plague of Egypt and the sign which the -Jews had to place upon the lintel of their dwelling, that the Lord -might recognize it. When the Lord passed, He spared the marked houses -(Exodus xii. 7, 22). In the German plague which has settled upon our -poor country, the Destroying Angel has the aspect of an officer with a -single eye-glass. - - -_Accusations against the Belgian Government._ - -What makes the German accusations against the "francs-tireurs" -particularly serious is, firstly, the terrifying, infernal nature of -the punishments which follow these accusations; and secondly, the -fact that they involve our constituted authorities.[22] "The Belgian -Government has openly[23] encouraged the civil population to take part -in this war," says one whose word has weight in Germany, for he is -none other than the Emperor in person. And he did not content himself -with telegraphing this to America; he spread this impudent assertion -over the walls of our cities (p. 208). Had he at least the excuse of -believing what he said? Most certainly not; for years he had been -informed by his spies of the details of our military organization; he -knew, then, perfectly, what Belgium was or was not doing. - -At the time the first accusations of this kind were made the Belgian -authorities had informed Germany that, conformably with the laws of -war, they were fighting only with their regular troops (2nd _Grey -Book_, Nos. 68, 69, 71). And they posted everywhere proclamations -recommending the people to keep calm, forbidding civilians to take part -in the fighting, and counselling the citizens to deliver their arms to -the communal administrations (2nd _Grey Book_, No. 71). At the same -time the principal daily papers repeated, day by day, on the first page -and in large type, the text of these placards. - -These appeals were heard, and our compatriots, if they owned rifles, -immediately took their arms to the _maisons communales_. Would you -believe it, this measure of precaution was exploited against us! For -later, when the Germans occupied our _hôtels de ville_, and discovered -the presence of rifles, each ticketed with its owner's name, they -pretended to have brought to light a proof of premeditation (_N.R.C._, -4th September, 1914, evening edition): "Look!--say the officers--with -what care the Belgian authorities have prepared for the guerilla war! -Each citizen has his rifle ready to hand at the _hôtel de ville_!" -The soldiers must indeed have been ridden by the "fixed idea" of the -"franc-tireur," or they must have realized the poltroonery of such -suggestions! - -But the Germans made assertions much more extravagant than this. In -Belgium repairs to buildings are effected with the assistance of -scaffoldings suspended against the outer walls; and at the time of -building the house openings are left immediately under the cornice, -in which the cross-beams supporting the scaffolding are fixed when -required. These openings are closed outwardly by some sort of -decorative motive. Now, a German captain gives a detailed description -of these arrangements, and arrives at the conclusion that these are -_loopholes for francs-tireurs_! - -What a mentality for an officer! So fantastic an explanation evidently -will not bear a moment's reflection; but that matters nothing; it is -none the less reprinted by the work _Die Wahrheit über den Krieg_, to -be served to the Germans remaining in the country. The authors of the -statement know that their compatriots have lost the critical sense and -that they are ready to accept, their eyes closed, and their minds also, -anything that is told them. - -This example shows that while inciting the soldiers in order to bring -them to the required pitch of irritation, the rulers of Germany are -equally concerned to create a violent current of hatred in their own -country. It was necessary, in fact, since there was nothing with which -the Belgian nation could be reproached, and since nevertheless they -were making war upon it, to invent a few serious motives of animosity. - -In a preceding chapter we examined the wretched diplomatic accusations -which the Germans have forged in an attempt to compromise our political -circles. We shall presently deal with the abominable accusations of -cruelty brought against the Belgians. Here we will content ourselves -with citing yet one more fact relating to the "francs-tireurs." - -When the civil population of a locality was accused--or convicted, as -the butchers said--of having borne arms against the German troops, -the procedure was generally as follows: The houses were fired, and -the inhabitants driven towards a public square, or into the church. -They were divided into two groups: one of men, the others of women, -children, and old folk. Then a certain number of men were shot; -often, too, a few of the women, children, and old people. After the -execution, which took place in the presence of the whole village, the -women, children, and old people were set free to wander amid the -smoking ruins. The officers used to make it their duty to be present -at these operations, as much to encourage and, at need, to assist the -executioners, as to enjoy the spectacle. At Tamines they sat at table -in the open, drinking champagne, while the victims were being buried. -The Germans themselves realized what disgust such behaviour excited; -they tried to deny the facts, but these were proved. - - -_Treatment of Civil Prisoners._ - -What was done with the men not killed? They were sent into Germany -in order to show the "francs-tireurs" to the people. One can easily -imagine what the journey was like: in cattle-trucks, where they -remained packed together for several days, without even having room -to sit down; tortured by hunger and thirst to the point of losing -their reason--which meant being shot there and then. The stoppages in -the railway stations, when the population came to insult them, making -gestures of cutting their throats ... one can picture it all. Then the -life in camp, where they are even less well treated than the soldiers, -for at least these latter are regarded as prisoners of war, and, in -that quality, as being protected, up to a certain point, by the Hague -Convention; while the "francs-tireurs" are criminals in common law, -who are given, for food, scarcely anything but soup made of beet, -fish-heads, and slaughter-house offal. - -It is extremely difficult to obtain information as to their sojourn -in Germany from those who have returned. Before leaving, it seems, -they were forced to make a promise to reveal nothing, under penalty -of being sent back to Germany. We know, however, that certain of -these prisoners, coming from an agricultural district, were forced -to go down the coal-pits of Essen (_N.R.C._, 10th October, 1914, -evening edition), while others were made to gather in the harvest in -Westphalia. When they refused to go to work they were beaten with -sticks; a young man on the outskirts of Brussels still bears the marks -of such treatment. - -This is a revival of the deeds of antiquity. The ancients also reduced -the able-bodied inhabitants to slavery, employing them in agriculture -or the mines. It only remains for the Germans to sell us at auction, -as Julius Cæsar did in the case of the 53,000 Belgians captured at -Atuatuca (_De Bello Gallico_, ii. 33). - -They sent not only "francs-tireurs" into Germany. They made prisoners -also in localities where nothing had happened. Thus they took all -the inhabitants of the non-active civic guard of Tervueren. The list -bore 135 names; as many of the men had left the commune, the Germans -completed the number by taking the first civilians who came to hand; -for they had to have 135 prisoners from Tervueren to exhibit in Germany. - -On several occasions it happened, during the period of the great -massacres, from the 20th to the 27th August, that bands of prisoners -taken into Germany were not accepted and were sent back to Belgium. -Such was the case with numerous prisoners from Louvain, who were taken -back to Brussels, then taken to near Malines, and there left in the -open country; the same was done with several hundreds of men, women, -children, and old folk from Rotselaer, Wesemael, and Gelrode. Here, in -a few words, is their Odyssey. To begin with, they were expelled from -their houses, that these might be burned, on the 25th and 26th August. -Then they were driven by the troops as far as Louvain, and there -crammed by force into cattle-trucks, which in two days conveyed them -to Germany. There they were witnesses of a violent dispute of which -they were the object, and finally, after they had been given a little -food in the railway station, they were put back into their trucks. -They reached Brussels on the 31st August, where they were restored to -liberty; that is, they were told: "Get out of here, and be off with -you." And there were these unhappy folk, turned out of the railway -station, dejected, bewildered, their glances vacant, almost dead with -drowsiness and fatigue, the men supporting the old people, the women -carrying the children. The people of Brussels who saw this lamentable -procession go by will never as long as they live forget the impression -of misery which they received. Assistance was organized immediately, -and our poor compatriots were given shelter in the various public -establishments of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. They remained there several -weeks before daring to return "home." - -How many civil prisoners were there in the various camps of Germany: -Celle, Gutersloh, Magdeburg, Münster, Salzwedel, Cassel, Senne, Soltau, -etc.? The lists which have been published in _Le Bruxellois_ are -very incomplete. On the other hand, persons who were believed to be -prisoners in Germany have in reality been shot. Thus, in the little -garden facing the railway station of Louvain a trench was opened on -the 14th and 15th January, 1915, in which were found a Belgian soldier -of the 6th line regiment and twenty-six civilians of Louvain, who were -believed for the most part to be in Germany; among them were two women -and the curé of Herent. - -Many of the people of Tintigny, Rossignol, and other localities, who -had been taken away as civil prisoners, were shot by the roadside. -Those of Musson escaped only because the order had come from Germany -not to kill any more prisoners: by July 1915 they were not as yet -repatriated. - - -_The Return of Civil Prisoners._ - -In November and December there returned to their "homes" (we mean to -their native towns, not to their houses, which were burned) about 450 -inhabitants of Dinant, more than 400 of Aerschot, and several hundred -people of Louvain, of the 1,200 which had been taken away. - -Many of them bore, painted in white oil paint on the back of their -waistcoats the words: _Kriegsgefangene-Münsterlager_. Until March 1915 -those living at Dinant had to present themselves regularly before the -military authorities. - -On the occasion of their return the communal administration of Dinant -was compelled publicly to thank the Germans. - - - CITY OF DINANT. - - On the occasion of the return of a portion of our civil prisoners, - I believe it my duty to invite the whole population to observe the - most absolute calm. Any demonstration might be severely repressed. - - The return of a portion of our fellow-citizens, held in captivity - for nearly three months, constitutes an act of benevolence, an act - of generous humanity on the part of the military authorities, to - whom we offer the thanks of the administration and those of the - people of Dinant. By its tranquillity the latter will endeavour to - manifest its gratitude. - - I also beg the returning prisoners immediately to resume their - labours. This measure is necessary, as much in the interest of - their families as in the interest of society. - - For the Burgomaster, absent, - E. TAZIAUX, - _Communal Councillor_. - DINANT, _the 18th November, 1914_. - -At the end of January 1915 about 2,500 inhabitants of Brabant were sent -back in a body. They had left the camps on Sunday, the 24th January, -and they reached Louvain on Friday the 29th, and Brussels and Vilvorde -on Saturday the 30th. During this five days' journey they had not been -allowed to leave the trucks into which they were crammed; for all -nourishment they received some black bread and water, and on occasion -a turnip or a beet. The Louvain prisoners had the greatest trouble -in the world to walk as far as the ruins of their houses. Those from -beyond Assche were set down at the Gare du Nord in Brussels; they -had to be carried as far as the tram for Berchem; their swollen feet -refused all service. These unhappy people were still wearing the light -clothes which they were wearing in August, when they were dragged from -their villages, and since then they had never had a fire. Those from -Tervueren were taken from the trucks at Schaerbeek; they were driven -home in carts. - - -_German Admission of the Innocence of the Civil Prisoners._ - -What crime had these unhappy folk committed to be treated in so -terrible a fashion? None. The Germans themselves admit it; none (2nd -_Grey Book_, No. 87). The German authorities communicated the following -note to the Belgian newspapers--we copy it from the _Écho de la presse -internationale_ of the 30th January, 1915:-- - - The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army has authorized the return - to Belgium of the Belgian civilian prisoners: (1) against whom no - inquiry of any military tribunal is in progress; (2) who have not - to undergo any penalty of any kind. Consequently all the women (17) - and 2,577 men will be able to re-enter the country. - -The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army is the Emperor. It was he, -then, who recognized the innocence of the civil prisoners. - -No charge, therefore, could be brought against them; these prisoners -were recognized as being completely innocent; the authorities admitted -that it was without any motive that they were kept five months in -Germany, without care, without fire, almost without food, herded -together like beasts, in perpetual fear of being shot, knowing nothing -of their families--for they were unable for many weeks either to write -or receive news. Some of them succumbed under their privations; others -were shot; many have become insane; all were so aged and enfeebled by -ill-treatment, methodically applied, that their neighbours hesitated to -recognize them. Will they ever recover from such an experience? - -No doubt the German authorities knew long ago that the deportation -of these civilians was a judicial error; or rather that they were -sent into Germany to give the people there the occasion to torment -and insult the "francs-tireurs captured alive." And yet they were not -repatriated until the moment when the fear of famine forced Germany to -organize the seizure of foodstuffs and to ration her population. It -was not at all because of a spirit of justice that the civil prisoners -from Belgium were sent home (and also part of those from France); -it was only a measure of economy; the authorities merely wished to -prevent their eating German bread, which had become too precious; they -preferred to place them in the care of the American charities. - -And when they were at last sent home, how were they treated? Did the -Germans at least show the consideration which the slave-dealers used to -show for their black cargo? No; for the slave-dealers had a pecuniary -interest in preserving the market value of their flock, while for -German militarism the Belgian civilians do not count: _Es ist Krieg_. - - -B.--The "Belgian Atrocities." - - -_The Pretended Cruelty of Belgian Civilians toward the German Army._ - -In order to organize the massacres by means of which it expected to -terrorize our country, the Great General Staff had to have at its -disposal troops on which it could count without reserve, which would -not shrink before the bloodiest task, and to which no repressive -measures would seem excessive. The Staff had to be certain it would be -obeyed without hesitation when it ordered, as at Dinant, the death of -seven hundred men, women, and children. To obtain soldiers who would -undertake such barbarous operations, and operations so contrary to the -military spirit, the obsession of the "franc-tireur" would perhaps be -insufficient; for there are soldiers even among such troops who are -brave and who do not tremble at bogy-stories; there might be honest -men among them to whom theft would be repugnant by whatever name one -adorned it, and who would not be tempted by the bait of pillage; all -were not so imbued with Kultur as that officer who proposed not to kill -the "francs-tireurs" outright, but to wound them mortally, afterwards -to leave them to die slowly, in agony, untended (p. 342). - -But these soldiers, even the more gentle, would regard it as a sacred -duty to avenge crimes committed against innocent persons. Let them be -led to believe that the Belgians have tortured peaceable tradesmen, or -have mutilated wounded soldiers incapable of defending themselves, or -that they employ dum-dum bullets, producing frightful wounds from which -recovery is almost impossible ... and immediately these soldiers will -have only one thought: to make the first Belgian encountered expiate -the crime of which his fellow-countrymen have been guilty. Before their -thirst for vengeance all distinctions disappear: children, old people, -men and women, all equally deserve to be punished. From that moment -it will be needless to order reprisals, for the army will be only too -ready to show itself pitiless, and to call for an eye for an eye and a -tooth for a tooth, in order to make all the Belgians indifferently pay -for the offences committed upon inoffensive Germans. - - -_Some Accusations._ - -It is precisely this psychology which the rulers of Germany have -exploited. Immediately after the opening of the campaign their -newspapers began to publish articles describing the horrors committed -by the Belgians; articles which make one's flesh creep. Belgian women -pour petrol over the wounded and set fire to it; they throw out of -the windows the wounded confided to their care in the hospitals; they -pour boiling oil over the troops, and thereby put two thousand out of -action; they handle the rifle and revolver as well as the men; they cut -the throats of soldiers and stone them; they cut off their ears and -gouge out their eyes; they offer them cigarettes containing powder, -whose explosion blinds them. Even the little girls ten years of age -indulge in these horrors. The men are no better; to begin with, they -are all "francs-tireurs," even when they assume the appearance of -respectable schoolmasters; besides which they crawl under motor-cars to -kill the chauffeurs; they kill peaceable drinkers with a stab in the -belly; they foully shoot an officer who is reading them a proclamation; -they saw off the legs of soldiers; they finish off the wounded on the -field of battle; they cut off their fingers to steal their rings; they -fill letters with narcotics in order to poison those who open them; -they set traps for soldiers in order to torture them at leisure; even -the humanitarian symbol of the Red Cross does not stay their homicidal -hands; they fire on doctors, on ambulance men, on motor-cars removing -the wounded. - -That the soldiers leaving for Belgium were made to believe that their -adversaries were horrible barbarians, and that the troops were inspired -with an ardent desire to avenge the innocent victims of the Belgians, -is amply proved by all the tales dating from the beginning of the war. -See, for instance, in the story of _La journée de Charleroi_ (p. 195) -the impatience with which the author awaits the moment of entering -Belgium to take part in the reprisals, and his delight when he at last -sees houses burned to ashes and a curé hung from a tree. - -Let us note in passing that the Austrians also, desirous of declaring -war upon us, resorted to the invention of "Belgian atrocities." In -its reply to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war, our Government -protested against this defamation (1st _Grey Book_, Nos. 77, 78). - - * * * * * - -All these stories appeared, in the first place, in the newspapers. -We must not be surprised if in time of war, when men's minds are -over-excited, the journalists willingly publish articles containing -statements of the kind we have cited, without troubling to verify -their authenticity. But it is unpardonable that they should have been -reprinted in cold blood, when their falsity had become so obvious that -it must have struck even the most prejudiced. We know of two pamphlets -devoted entirely to atrocities committed by the Belgians: _Die -Belgischen Greueltaten_ and _Belgische Kriegsgreuel_. The work already -cited, _Die Wahrheit über den Krieg_, also deals at length with these -atrocities. Finally, there is no lack of information concerning them in -the pamphlets _Lüttich_ and _Die Eroberung Belgiëns_. - -One remark occurs to us immediately. The narratives are based on -details given by witnesses "worthy of credence." Now all verification -is impossible, for we are never given a hint as to the date; moreover, -the locality is very rarely mentioned; in _Die Wahrheit_ there are only -three place-names: Gemmenich, Tavigny, and Demenis. - -Demenis does not exist, and we have in vain sought to discover what -locality is meant. And what did really happen in the other two -communes mentioned? At Tavigny the Germans never had occasion to -commit any reprisals; not a man was killed, not a house burned; the -troops merely proceeded systematically to loot the place. Nor did -anything more happen in any neighbouring commune which the narrator -might have confused with Tavigny. Nor was there any confusion of names -with Tintigny; in the latter village the Germans behaved in the most -atrocious fashion, but the mode of operation was quite different. As -for Gemmenich, we have no information as to what passed there, But we -can assert that not a single house was burned there. Now it is very -certain that if the Belgians had committed the atrocities of which the -Germans tell, the latter would have set fire to the village; it is -therefore highly probable that nothing happened there. In short, of the -only three place-names given all three are incorrect. - -We cannot be expected to refute all these allegations. Many are -utterly ridiculous: for example, the story of the narcotics at the -Liége Post Office; that of the fingers cut off the dead and wounded -and then carefully preserved in a bag (one may well ask why); that of -the boiling oil is no better: try to imagine the incredible store of -oil that must have been possessed by the women who killed and wounded -therewith 2,000 Germans; moreover, either the German army does not -march down the middle of the street, or else the women had special -apparatus to throw jets of boiling liquid to a distance without danger -to themselves. - -Let us confine ourselves to examining the legend of the gouged-out -eyes. It is that which crops up most frequently under the pens of -the German publicists, so well calculated is it to arouse horror and -indignation in the readers. Well! its falsity appears from an inquiry -made by the Germans themselves. Not only have their newspapers--notably -the _Kölnische Volkszeitung_ and _Vorwärts_--on several occasions done -justice upon this lie, but an official commission, instituted by the -German Government, has also admitted that there is not _a single case_ -in which a wounded German soldier has been intentionally blinded (see -_Belgian Grey Books_, Nos. 107, 108). - -The Germans themselves admit that the accusation is unfounded. Has -their Press for that reason ceased to make use of it? We little know -the Germans if we imagine that it has. The entire Press continues -imperturbably to spread these abominable calumnies. The _Kölnische -Zeitung_ of the 15th February (four o'clock edition), referring to an -article by Étienne Girau, pastor of the Walloon community of Amsterdam, -once more declares that the Belgians have ill-treated the German -wounded. It is enough to make one ask whether the Belgians have not -_morally_ blinded all the "intellectuals" of Germany. - -Another example. In February 1915--that is, when no honest German could -any longer believe in the legend of the gouged-out eyes--_Vorwärts_ -protested against a little work by a Pastor Conrad, of which -150,000 examples were printed and sold at 8 pfennigs per copy to -school-children, in which the Belgians were still accused of having -blinded their prisoners (_N.R.C._, 12th February, morning edition). - -The Berlin Government also acts as though it was ignorant of the -conclusions of its own commissions of inquiry. Wishing to refuse -General Leman, a prisoner in Germany, the privilege of receiving a -visit from his daughter, it based its refusal on the atrocities of -which German soldiers have been the victims in Belgium, and on the -inhuman fashion in which the Belgians have treated the wounded and -prisoners in their hands. The second accusation is as ill-founded as -the first. The German soldiers taken prisoner by the Belgians were -interned in Bruges; they made no complaints, far from it (pp. 56-8); as -for the wounded in our hospitals, here are precise facts. - -Let us quote, first of all, from the correspondence published in the -_Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_, giving a few details from letters -written by the German wounded under treatment in Antwerp. - - -_How the Belgians treat their German Prisoners._ - - A private correspondent writes to us from Antwerp:-- - - The fact of knowing that the prisoners of war of the belligerent - States are treated as well as possible should also touch the hearts - of the Dutch.... I give you here some extracts from the letters of - wounded Germans under treatment in the hospitals of Antwerp. - - I am in a very good Belgian hospital and they treat me very well. - - KARL HINTZMAN, Military Hospital, Antwerp. - - I am very well looked after and have very good food. - - GEORG STORCK. - - They treat us very well in Belgium. What the German papers said in - the summer about the Belgians is utterly untrue. The Germans could - not look after us better. Moreover, the nation is highly developed. - - FRANZ CRAUWERSKI. - - A number of comrades are here. We are extraordinarily well looked - after. Everybody is very kind to us. - - RICHARD KUSTERMANN. - - Several comrades of my company are here. I am very well looked - after. One could not look after us better in Germany. - - PETERS. - - We could not hope for better care. - - WALTER SCHUMANN. - - The medical treatment is very good. We are sounded every day, and - our wounds are dressed daily. The doctors are very capable here. We - have food in abundance; all is excellent. - - HOSSBACH, - SÖLLIGER (Braunschweig). - - It must not be forgotten that the majority of these prisoners fell - into the hands of the Belgians at Aerschot, where the Germans had - imprisoned several hundreds of civilians in the church, at the - time of the investment of the town. I can speak from experience. - The German prisoners are treated with fully as much kindness in - other parts of the country. At the house of the commandant of the - _service de garde_ in Bruges I saw an assortment of German books - and card games which had been sent by Mme. E. Vandervelde, who had - visited the prisoners a few days earlier in the company of her - husband, Minister of State and the Socialist leader of Belgium. The - latter wished to make sure that the prisoners lacked for nothing. - - We can say that Belgium does not seek to avenge her unheard-of - sufferings by maltreating the German victims of the war. Suffering - evokes pity in a sane mind. I can only express the hope that these - proofs may fall into the hands of German readers. - - (_N.R.C._, 8th October, 1914, morning edition.) - -But we have something better than these documents of a private nature. -The German authorities exhibited, at Spa, a statement that the German -wounded there were perfectly well cared for. At the moment when the -Germans dispensed with the collaboration of the clinical staff of the -Red Cross in Brussels, they did homage to its devotion and competence. - - SPA, _18th August, 1914_. - - _To the Burgomaster of Spa._ - - The Commander-General of the 10th Army Corps thanks the Burgomaster - of Spa for the good reception accorded to his troops by the city - of Spa on the 11th and 12th August, 1914. Thanks to his care and - efforts, he recognizes that the wounded in the hospitals of Spa are - particularly well cared for. - - HOFFMANN, - _Lieutenant-General_. - - FREDERIC-AUGUST, - _Grand Duke of Oldenburg_. - - (_Les Nouvelles_, published under control of the German military - authority, 22nd September, 1914.) - - GERMAN GOVERNMENT, - _Headquarters, Medical Service_. - - BRUSSELS, _31st August, 1914_. - - _To MM. the President and Members of the Red Cross of Belgium, Rue - de l'Association, 24._ - - GENTLEMEN, - - The German Government assures you of the expression of its grateful - sentiments for the devoted care which you have given to all the - wounded collected in the capital. - - Ambulances have been organized in great numbers, and the necessity - of a concentration henceforth indispensable compels us immediately - to take the following measures.... - - In bringing these measures to your knowledge and in begging you to - assist us to realize them promptly, we again express to you the - thanks which we address to all the members of your association and - especially to the ladies of the Red Cross, whose complete devotion - we have appreciated. - - I beg you to accept, Gentlemen, the assurance of my high - consideration. - - Prof. Dr. STUERTZ, - _Oberstabarzt_. - -It is useful to observe that these declarations have been made -spontaneously, since it is obvious that we were powerless to exert any -pressure on the Germans. They have, therefore, nothing in common with -those which the Germans have forced the Belgian wounded or prisoners to -sign. - - -_The Pretended Massacres of German Civilians._ - -There remain the famous massacres of Germans in Brussels, Antwerp, -Liége, etc. According to witnesses "worthy of credence," inoffensive -Germans, even women and children, were killed and martyred in various -Belgian cities. At Liége alone more than 150 persons, of whom -three-fourths were women and children, were said to have lost their -lives. - -As to Liége, we have inquired of inhabitants of the city, several of -whom are closely connected with the administration of justice; no -one had any knowledge of any such occurrences. They have therefore -been invented, lock, stock, and barrel, by the "witnesses worthy of -credence," and we defy the Germans to mention the name of a single one -of these 150 "victims." - -At Antwerp we can oppose, to the testimony of those who were "present" -on the occasion of murders and serious assaults upon German women, -the official report, which admits that shops were broken into by -the populace, but which at the same time attests that no German was -wounded. Let us add that the German Weber was _not_ assassinated, but -is quietly living in Antwerp. - -Let us proceed to the doings in Brussels; and let us quote, from -_Greueltaten_, the most serious occurrences there mentioned. We have a -story, based on hearsay, which tells, of course, of gouged-out eyes, -as well as three reports of ocular witnesses. The first is that of a -witness "worthy of credence" who saw a child thrown from a window and a -woman dragged by the hair until she was insensible; he also witnessed -the murder of a German druggist, one Frankenberg, who was betrayed by -his own wife, a Belgian. The second witness is the correspondent of -the Wolff Agency. He saw only what the people of Brussels themselves -witnessed: that is, that the populace pillaged the German shops and -cafés on the 4th and 5th August. But he had not been able to discover -any acts of violence against the person; those he mentions, in a couple -of words, without insisting on them, had been related to him; but he -does not even add that the witnesses were "worthy of credence." - -Finally we have a priest, who complains that he was arrested as a spy -and beaten by the gendarmes. Perhaps he was a spy; in any case, not a -few German spies disguised as priests have been discovered in Belgium. - -If we confine ourselves to the really serious occurrences, to the -cases in which Germans have been killed by the populace, we find that -as against some 155 anonymous cases, which cannot be verified, there -are only two in which names are mentioned. These names are Weber and -Frankenberg. Now these two cases are apocryphal. Herr Weber has quietly -reopened his hotel in Antwerp; Herr Frankenberg continues to breathe -the air at Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels. Compare with these two -cases the three names of places mentioned in _Die Wahrheit_ (p. 101). - - * * * * * - - -_Preventive and Repressive Measures taken by the Belgian Authorities._ - -The truth is that in the various cities of Belgium there was, quite -at the beginning of hostilities, an intense popular effervescence, -by which evildoers profited to pillage the German shops. These -disturbances were so unexpected and assumed, with such rapidity, such -large proportions, that the police were at first powerless to restrain -them. - -Moreover, it must be remembered that the police had just been reduced, -a large proportion of the police agents and gendarmes having left for -the front. - -But measures were promptly taken, and by the 7th August there was -no longer anywhere the least disorder of this kind. As for the "spy -mania," it raged in Belgium as in all countries affected by the -war.[24] But the newspapers, and the official measures taken, got the -better of this fresh cause of disturbance. - -The newspapers of the neutral countries, for example the _Nieuwe -Rotterdamsche Courant_, also reported material damage, but they do not -relate more serious occurrences in any part of Belgium. - -We can consequently assert, in the most categorical fashion, basing our -statement on the official data furnished by the courts, that no serious -offence against the person has been proved either in Brussels or -elsewhere. Does this mean that we excuse the fishers in troubled waters -who sacked the German shops? Obviously not; but it must be owned that -there are bad elements in all agglomerations, and that the populace of -Berlin behaved no better than that of Brussels: witness the remarks -of the British Ambassador in Berlin, and the excuses put forward by -the German authorities when his windows were broken as the result of -an article in the _Berliner Tageblatt_. Here we immediately perceive -a contrast of mentalities: the German newspapers incite their readers -against foreigners, while ours, on the contrary, do their utmost to -calm popular manifestations. - -A detail which we regard as symptomatic, and particularly revolting, -in the German publications, is the fact that in these cases, as in -the matter of the "francs-tireurs," our enemies seek to involve the -legal administration of our country. Now, not only did our authorities -immediately intervene to repress the disturbances and to provide a -military guard for the _Deutsche Bank_ and the _Deutscher Verein_ in -Brussels, but they did more than their strict duty in protecting German -families, and enabling them to return to their own country. Nothing -is more characteristic in this respect than that which happened in -Brussels on the nights of the 8th, 9th and 10th of August, at the time -of the Germans' departure from the city. The latter assembled at night -in a building belonging to the city; in the trams which took them -thither every one hastened to render them every imaginable service; at -the place of assembly the Civic Guards prepared hot drinks for them; -then, during the short journey to the Gare du Nord, the same Civic -Guards helped them to carry their children and their luggage. Mr. Brand -Whitlock, United States Minister in Brussels, who was looking after the -interests of Germany, was present in that quality at the departure of -the German families, and he expressed his gratitude to the Belgians in -a letter made public at the time. - - - THE UNITED STATES MINISTER DOES HONOUR TO THE HEROISM AND THE - KINDNESS OF THE BELGIANS. - - The German Minister, before leaving Brussels, requested the United - States Minister, Mr. Brand Whitlock, kindly to take over the - interests of Germany in Belgium. - - The United States Minister consented to protect the archives of the - German Legation. - - It was in this capacity that Mr. Brand Whitlock was the witness, - two days ago, of the goodness of the people of Brussels, who, with - Mme. Carton de Wiart, the wife of the Minister of Justice, and our - brave Chasseurs of the mounted Civic Guard at their head, provided - hot drinks and refreshments for the four thousand Germans leaving - Belgium who were assembled at the Royal Circus. - - The spectacle profoundly affected the eminent diplomatist. - Thanking the Belgian Government, His Excellency, Mr. Brand - Whitlock, writes to the Minister of Justice:-- - - "The Belgians display a heroism in dying on the field of battle - which is equalled by their humanity to non-combatants." - - (_Le Soir_, 11th August, 1914.) - -In Germany the United States Ambassador, Mr. Gerard, had also occasion -to intervene; but there it was to protect the British Ambassador from -the fury of the populace. - -These examples will suffice, we think, to show that the Belgians -were as thoughtful in their behaviour towards their non-combatant -adversaries as the Germans were violent and brutal. And what was the -result of our courtesy? Our enemies picked a groundless quarrel with us -in order to inflame the minds of their soldiers against us. - - -C.--Violations of the Hague Convention. - -Nothing would be easier than to show that our enemies have not -respected a single one of the articles of the Hague Convention. But it -is not our intention to draw up this inventory. We prefer to confine -ourselves to a few facts which no one can dream of contesting, so -patent are they and so well known to every one in Belgium. And we -shall refer only to those which will enable us to compare the two -mentalities: that of the German, crafty and tyrannical, and that of the -Belgian population, refusing to bow the head to military despotism. We -exclude from our list those data which have already been recorded in -other publications: Belgian _Grey Books_, _Reports of the Commission -of Inquiry_, _La Belgique et L'Allemagne_, etc. Lastly, we shall deal -only with what has happened in Belgium itself, so that we shall speak -neither of prisoners of war nor of the wounded. - -These eliminations lead us to omit the whole of Section I: _The -Belligerents_. The three first articles apply to "francs-tireurs," -Articles 4 to 21 relate to prisoners, the wounded, etc. - - - ARTICLE 22. - - _Belligerents have not an unlimited choice of means of injuring the - enemy._ - - - ARTICLE 23. - - _Besides the prohibitions established by special conventions, it is - notably forbidden_:-- - - (_a_) _To employ poison or poisoned weapons;_ - - (_b_) _To kill or wound by treachery individuals belonging to the - hostile nation or army;_ - - (_c_) _To kill or wound an enemy who, having laid down his arms, or - no longer having means of defence, has surrendered at discretion;_ - - (_d_) _To declare that no quarter will be given;_ - - (_e_) _To employ arms, projectiles, or material calculated to cause - unnecessary suffering;_ - - (_f_) _To make improper use of a flag of truce, of the national - flag, or of the military insignia or uniform of the enemy, as well - as of the distinctive signs of the Geneva Convention;_ - - (_g_) _To destroy or seize enemy property, unless such destruction - or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war;_ - - (_h_) _To declare abolished, suspended, or inadmissible the - right of the subjects of the hostile party to institute legal - proceedings._ - - _A belligerent is likewise forbidden to compel the subjects of - the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed - against their own country, even if they were in the service of the - belligerent before the commencement of the war._ - -The violations of this Article are numerous. The Germans themselves -cannot deny that the employment of toxic gases, such as those which -were used in the attack upon Ypres on the 22nd April, falls under the -condemnation of paragraph (_a_). We shall recur to this matter further -on. Let us remark for the moment that we are not speaking of gas -released by the bursting of shells, but of clouds of gas intentionally -produced. - -As to paragraph (_e_), the _7th Report_ speaks in a precise manner of -the employment of dum-dum bullets. After the German occupation we shall -be able to mention other irrefutable cases, of which it would now be -too dangerous to speak. - -The prescriptions of paragraph (_f_) have often been violated. At the -fort of Boncelles, on the 7th August, and at Landelies, near Charleroi, -on the 22nd, our enemies abused the white flag. At Ougrée and at -Grez-Doiceau they wore Belgian uniforms to deceive their enemies. This -action was repeated during the siege of Antwerp; but this time the -Belgians were warned of the German mimicry, so that the "asses clad in -lions' skins" were nearly all left on the battle-field. - -We shall deal later on, when speaking of pillage, with the infractions -of paragraph (_g_). - - -_Military Employment of Belgians by the Germans._ - -The last paragraph of Article 23 forbids belligerents to compel their -adversaries to take part in operations of war directed against their -own country. Let us see how the Germans respect this principle where -civilians are concerned. At Liége (_N.R.C._, 23rd August, evening), at -Vilvorde (_N.R.C._, 27th August, morning), at Anderlecht (_N.R.C._, -28th August, evening), at Dilbeek (N.R.C., 31st August, evening), at -Eppeghem (_see_ photograph in _1914 Illustré_, No. 5), at Soignies, and -at Neder-Over-Heembeek, the inhabitants were compelled to dig trenches -for the Germans. A Dutchman (an extreme Germanophile, however), saw -peasants from the outskirts of Spa compelled to perform the same task. - - SPA, _15th August, 1914_. - - ... The man, who had to return home (it was about noon), - accompanied us, and, while conversing, he pointed to the road to - Creppe, parallel to that which we were following, and at some - ten minutes' distance from the latter. They were working hard at - entrenchments there, about a quarter of an hour from the city. - There were some 150 Belgian workmen there, excavating the soil - under the threat of the rifles of German soldiers placed behind - them. - - (_N.R.C._, 22nd August, 1914, evening edition.) - -At Bagimont, on the 24th August, 1914, the inhabitants were forced -to prepare the ground for the landing of German aeroplanes. The same -villagers were forced to build huts for their enemies. - -We have the names (at the disposal of a commission of inquiry) of -twenty-nine inhabitants of a village of Brabant, who were forced, -with horses and carts, to follow the German troops for several weeks, -transporting munitions and baggage. The Germans had the right to -requisition horses and vehicles, but not to compel our countrymen to -accompany their teams. - -Let us remark, while dealing with these violations of Article 23 of the -Hague Convention, that Germany signed this Convention. But on her part -this was merely a comedy, for it is a rule with her rulers that they -cease to follow its prescriptions as soon as they are in opposition to -the _Usages of War_, according to the Great General Staff. Now among -the duties which the occupier may impose on the inhabitants--according -to Germany--is the supply of transport and the digging of trenches. -In other words, Germany, though she readily approved of the Hague -Conference, makes war according to her own principles, which are far -less humane; but she none the less demands that her adversaries should -observe the rules of the Convention. - - * * * * * - - -_Measures of Coercion taken by the Germans._ - -On several occasions our enemies have sought to force the Belgian -population to manufacture explosives and munitions for them. But the -Belgians have always refused, even when their resistance inevitably -condemned them to starvation. The workers of the explosives factory of -Caulille, in the north of Limburg, resumed their tasks only under the -most terrible threats (_K.Z._, 21st December, morning edition). - -The case of Caulille, announced to its readers by a German newspaper, -shows the cynicism with which our enemies violate the Hague Convention, -which is in part their own work. - -The same effrontery appears in the placard of the 19th November, 1914; -this threatens severe penalties against Belgians who dissuade their -compatriots from working for Germany. One could understand that the -Germans might punish those who used force or threats to prevent any -one from working for them; but to punish those who "attempt" to act by -simple persuasion! - -This was a mere timid beginning. On the 19th June, 1915, our enemies -posted about Gand a placard stating that severe measures were about to -be applied to factories which, "relying on the Hague Convention, had -refused to work for the German Army." - -The Communal Administration of Gand has supplied us with the following -notice:-- - - NOTICE. - - By order of His Excellency the Inspector de l'Étape,[25] I call the - attention of the commune to the following:-- - - "The attitude of certain factories which, under pretext of - patriotism and relying on the Hague Convention, have refused to - work for the German Army, proves that there are, in the midst of - the population, tendencies whose object is to place difficulties in - the way of the administration of the German Army. - - "In this connection I make it known that I shall repress, by all - the means at my disposal, such behaviour, which can only disturb - the good understanding hitherto existing between the administration - of the German Army and the population. - - "In the first place I hold the Communal authorities responsible for - the spread of such tendencies, and I call attention to the fact - that the population will itself be responsible if the liberties - hitherto accorded in the most ample measure are withdrawn and - replaced by the restrictive measures necessitated by its own fault." - - LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GRAF VON WESTARP, - _Commandant de l'Étape_. - - GAND, _10th June, 1913_. - -Here, then, they declare that they are on the point of intentionally -violating the Hague Convention. - -Certain articles which appeared in _Het Volk_, a Christian-Democratic -journal of Gand, on the 15th, 17th, 19th, and 22nd June, 1915, tell us -what these measures are. - -The workers of the Bekaert factory at Sweveghem having refused to -make barbed wire for the Germans, the latter began by arresting three -notables, of whom two were promptly released. Then, to force the men -to resume work, they decided that the commune should be placed under a -ban; it was forbidden to ride a bicycle or to use a wheeled vehicle, -and the introduction of foodstuffs was prohibited. The men still -persisted in refusing to make the barbed wire on which their sons and -brothers were to be caught in the battles of the Yser. Sixty-one men -were sent to prison. The rest hastened to leave the village. What did -the Germans do then? They seized the wives of the fugitives, shut them -up in two great waggons, and took them to Courtrai; at the same time -they posted up the names of those who had fled, and enjoined them to -return. Before the threat of seeing their wives remain in prison until -their children perished in their empty homes, the workers, with death -in their hearts, had to resume their fratricidal task. Truly _Kultur_ -is a fine thing! - -In Brabant they went a different way to work. They had requested M. -Cousin to make barbed wire for them in his factory at Ruysbroeck (in -the south of Brussels). He refused. They offered to buy his factory. He -refused. They requisitioned his works. He was forced to submit. They -installed themselves in the factory and tried to begin making barbed -wire. But the machinery was worked by electricity, and the electricity -was provided by a central station situated in Oisquercq. Naturally -the Oisquercq works refused to supply current. The Germans arrested -M. Lucien Beckers, the managing director of the company, and kept him -several weeks in prison. - - * * * * * - - -_Living Shields._ - -It remains to examine a final violation of Article 23; a violation so -revolting that neither those present at the Hague Conference nor the -Germans themselves in their _Kriegsbrauch_ had been willing to consider -it. We are referring to the use of "living shields" (_7th Report_). - - * * * * * - - -_A German Admission._ - -_Belgians placed before the Troops at Charleroi._ - -Our enemies are aware of the abomination of which they are guilty in -placing, in front of their troops, Belgians intended to serve as a -shield. They are eager to deny such acts. Unfortunately for them one of -their own officers has described a case of the kind (p. 196). His first -care on reaching the suburbs of Charleroi was to capture civilians -in order to force them to walk in front of and among the cavalry. He -waxes indignant over the lamentations uttered by the wives of these -unfortunates. "If nothing happens to us," he told them, "nothing will -happen to the civilians either." Could one more cynically express the -idea that the Germans made use of these hostages in order to prevent -their adversaries from firing on their troops? At the first volley -fired by the French, who were posted behind a barricade, some of the -hostages were killed. The Germans promptly replaced them by others, -notably by priests. - -At Nimy and Mons, the same method was employed. The burgomaster of -Mons, M. Lescart, was himself placed before the German troops. - -At Tirlemont, on the 18th August, 1914, during their march on Louvain, -they seized upon certain "notables," including the burgomaster, M. -Donny, and pushed them before them in order to obtain shelter from the -Belgian bullets. They did not release them until the following day, at -Cumptich. - - * * * * * - - -_Belgians placed before the Troops at Lebbeke, Tirlemont, Mons._ - -More significant still was their conduct at Lebbeke, near Termonde, on -the 4th September, 1914. Scarcely had they entered the village, in the -early morning, when they seized as many civilians as possible--about -300--and forced them to march before them. On passing through St. -Gilles-lez-Termonde they requisitioned more men to serve as "living -shields." When the Belgians attacked the German troops ten civilians -were killed; many were wounded (_9th_ and _10th Reports_). - -The same evening the survivors were sent into Germany as -"francs-tireurs." - - -_Belgian Women placed before the Troops at Anseremme._ - -At Anseremme it was behind women that the Germans took refuge. They -had committed the blunder of sending all the men to Germany, as civil -prisoners, on the 23rd and 24th August, so that only the women were -left. They placed these in a line along the river-wall on the bank of -the Meuse, and prudently hidden behind their skirts they rested their -rifles on the women's shoulders in order to fire at the French on the -opposite bank. - -The French ceased fire as soon as they saw that they were firing on -women. At night the Germans herded the unhappy women, with their -children, in a field; but on the following morning they brought them -out again to serve as a protective screen along the river. - -Such is German heroism! As we at present understand the real sense of -the words _Den Heldentod Gestorben_ (died a hero's death), which the -Germans inscribe on the tombs of their soldiers, they mean that these -soldiers were unable to avoid the bullets, although they heroically hid -themselves behind Belgian women. - -As far as we know one must go back to Cambyses, in the sixth century -B.C., to find another example of the "living shield." At the time of -his expedition into Egypt this prince, who was, the historians tell -us, famed for his cruelty, conceived the idea of placing cats, which -animals were worshipped by the Egyptians, in front of his troops. -Thanks to his stratagem he prevented the Egyptians from attacking his -soldiers. Neither Attila, nor Ghenghis Khan, nor Tamerlane made use of -this method; it was left for the Germans of the twentieth century once -more to put it into practice, with the increased ferocity suggested by -_Kultur_. - - -_Belgians forcibly detained at Ostend and Middelkerke._ - -There are other circumstances also under which the Germans have made a -rampart of the Belgians. From the middle of October 1914 they occupied -that portion of the Belgian coast comprised between Lombartzyde and the -Zeeland frontier. From time to time the British ships and aeroplanes -bombarded the coast; they would undoubtedly have continued to do so -if the Germans had not taken pains forcibly to retain numbers of -Belgians in these localities. According to the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche -Courant_ of the 1st November they forbade the people of Middelkerke -and Ostend to leave those towns. Obviously the British were as far as -possible sparing Ostend and Middelkerke, and directing their fire by -preference on the road joining these two places, and on that running -from Middelkerke to Westende. The Germans were perfectly aware of -this, and had precisely for this reason forbidden any Belgian to leave -Ostend or Middelkerke. An officer at the _Kommandantur_, from whom our -informant tried to obtain some favour for a couple of Belgians, replied -as follows: "If we allowed the population to leave these places the -English would hasten to bombard the two towns, and we should be the -sufferers" (_N.R.C._, 1st November, 1914). - -However, at the end of December they expelled all the men from -Middelkerke, with the exception of four. But the means of transport -placed at the disposal of the expelled inhabitants were insufficient -to enable them to take their families with them, so that they had to -leave many of their wives and children behind. Every time the British -drop shells on the coast the Germans hasten to post up the news in -Brussels, adding that the bombardment has resulted in fatalities among -the Belgians. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GENERAL GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BOMBARDMENT OF COAST. - - BERLIN, 24th _November_ (official, noon to-day).--British vessels - arrived yesterday off the French coast and bombarded Lombartzyde - and Zeebrugge. Among our troops they caused only very slight - damage. A certain number of Belgian citizens, on the other hand, - were killed and wounded. - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, 28th _December_ (official telegram, noon to-day).--Near - Nieuport the enemy renewed his attempted attacks without success. - In these he was supported by firing from the sea, which however did - us no harm, but killed or wounded some inhabitants. - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, 26th _January_ (official telegram, noon to-day).--The - enemy yesterday fired as usual on Middelkerke and Westende. A - considerable number of inhabitants were killed or wounded by - this fire, among them the burgomaster of Middelkerke. Our losses - yesterday were very insignificant. - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, 13th _February_ (official telegram).--Along the coast enemy - aviators yesterday again dropped bombs, which did very considerable - damage among the civil population, while we suffered no appreciable - damage from a military point of view. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - BERLIN, 8th _March_ (official telegram, noon to-day).--Enemy - aviators dropped bombs on Ostend, which killed three Belgians. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - -They therefore fully appreciate the advantage to be derived from -retaining on the coast a population which serves as a living buckler. - - -_Belgians imprisoned in the Lofts of the Ministries._ - -At Brussels they behaved in a similar fashion in order to prevent the -Allied aviators from bombarding the premises which they occupy in the -Ministries. Inhabitants of Brussels are sent to the _Kommandantur_ on -the most impossible pretexts. They first remain for several days shut -up in the lofts of the Ministries. Then, after trial--and, obviously, -sentence--they are again confined in the lofts until there is room for -them in the ordinary prisons. Every one in Brussels knows this, and of -course the Allied aviators are aware of it. - - ARTICLE 25. - - _The attack or bombardment, by any means whatever, of undefended - towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings is forbidden._ - - -_Bombardment of Open Towns._ - -Many violations of this Article have been discovered by the Commission -of Inquiry (_7th Report_). Here again clearly appears the contradiction -between the fashion in which the Germans make war and that which they -require of their enemies. When their dirigibles drop bombs on open, -undefended districts--as they did on the night of the 26th September, -at Deynze, when they wounded an old man in the hospital of the Sisters -of St. Vincent de Paule--their newspapers related this prowess -exultingly (_Düsseldorfer Tageblatt_, 29th September; _Düsseldorfer -Zeitung_, 29th September, 1914). They may do such things, but no one -else. When the Allied aviators bombarded Freibourg in Brisgau on -the 10th December, 1914, the Germans denounced them amid universal -indignation. One can only agree with the writer in the _Times_ who -said: "If we want to know what conduct we should observe in this war it -is useless to consult the laws; we must simply ask the Germans if our -conduct is agreeable to them or not." - - ARTICLE 26. - - _The officer in command of an attacking force must do all in his - power to warn the authorities before commencing a bombardment, - except in case of assault._ - -General von Beseler followed the prescription of this Article -during the siege of Antwerp; he announced on the 8th October that -the bombardment of the city would commence at midnight (_K.Z._, 9th -October, first morning edition). Everywhere else the Germans have -thrown their shells without previous warning. This was notably so in -the attack upon Antwerp by a dirigible on the night of 24th August; -the bombs found twenty victims. It is true that Herr Bernstorff has -declared that previous advice is not necessary. In this he is in -agreement with the laws of warfare according to the Germans. - - ARTICLE 27. - - _In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps must be taken - to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to public - worship, art, science, or charitable purposes, historic monuments, - hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, - provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes._ - -Not content with setting fire to our monuments, as they did at Louvain, -Dinant, Termonde, and a host of villages, the Germans never hesitate to -bombard those they cannot otherwise reach. - -The most characteristic example is that of the Cathedral of Reims.[26] -On Tuesday, the 22nd September, we learned of the bombardment from -a placard. The telegram, dated Monday, the 21st, asserted that the -monument would as far as possible be spared. That was enough; we knew -then that it was destroyed. And sure enough, the French newspapers -smuggled through to us on the following day--Wednesday--stated that the -cathedral had been burning since Saturday, the 19th. - -Little by little the information received grew more precise. The French -certified that they had not placed any military post of observation on -the towers; neither were there batteries near the cathedral. Moreover, -they declared that the cathedral should have been doubly respected, -since an ambulance had found asylum there--which, be it said in -passing, is denounced as an infamy by the German newspapers (_K.Z._, -4th January, morning edition; _Niederrheinische Volkszeitung_, 4th -January). - -The Wolff Agency reported the bombardment of Reims Cathedral as quite -a natural thing, a commonplace operation. But before the indignation -of the entire civilized world (_N.R.C._, 22nd September, 1914, evening -edition) the Germans were forced to display a hypocritical regret and -to justify their aggression. - -Then official telegrams were posted up the same day; two reflected -German opinion, the third professed to express the opinion of a -Frenchman who had favoured the _Times_ with his confidences (placard -dated 23rd September, 1914).[27] The conclusion, naturally, was that -the Germans had nothing to reproach themselves with: their conscience -was clear as on the first day; they bombarded the Cathedral of Reims -because they were forced to do so, despite their admiration for this -marvel of Gothic architecture ... but the presence of a military -observation-post on the towers had left them no alternative. - -Three weeks later, a fresh bombardment (placard dated 15th October). -Then, after two weeks' quiet, they once more began to throw shells -on what still remained standing (placard of 30th October). On the -following day they announced that they had protested to the Roman -Curia. A few days later they applied themselves to the destruction of -the Cathedral of Soissons, but once again because the French forced -them to do so. - -What respect for the Hague Convention! How touching the solicitude -displayed toward monuments of art and religion! Only in the very -last extremity do the Germans resolve to smash them to bits; still -protesting, of course, against the violence done to their æsthetic -feelings! Still more touching is their sincerity. On the 10th -November they announce that the Vicar-General of Reims has admitted -that the towers have been used for military operations, and that -the Chancellor has communicated this avowal to the Vatican (_Le -Réveil_, 11th November, 1914); on the 17th they are forced to note the -Vicar-General's denial, but they maintain their accusations. - -To estimate at their true value the German declarations concerning -Reims Cathedral, it is enough to compare one of the three placards of -the 23rd September with the "official communiqué" which they forced -upon _L'Ami de l'Ordre_. Here are these two documents: - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _23rd September_ (official telegram, yesterday - evening).--In spite of these facts we have been able to verify the - presence on the tower of a post of observation, which explains the - excellent effect of the fire of the enemy's infantry opposing our - infantry.... - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - - MILITARY OPERATIONS IN FRANCE. - - (_Official Communiqué._) - - ANTWERP, _27th September_ (communicated by the French - Legation).--The French Minister has received from M. Delcassé the - following telegrams.... - - II. The German Government having officially declared to various - Governments that the bombardment of the Cathedral of Reims - was undertaken only because of the establishment of a post - of observation on the basilica, General Joffre asserts, in a - telegram communicated by the Ministry of War, that no French - observation-post was placed on this building. - - P.S.--The German Government did not invoke the presence of an - observation-post on the cathedral, but the presence of pieces of - artillery behind this church, so that it was impossible to reach - these guns without firing in the direction of the cathedral and - hitting the latter. - - This was necessary to dislodge the French artillery. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 29th September, 1914.) - - -On the 23rd September they pretended that there was an observation-post -on the tower. On the 27th they declared that they had never made any -such statement. German sincerity! - -On the 7th July they placarded Brussels with a document in which they -made a display of their artistic feeling. We asked ourselves what fresh -crime they were about to commit. Next day our curiosity was satisfied; -the newspapers informed us that the German army had set fire to the -cathedral at Arras. - - * * * * * - - -_Bombardment of the Cathedral at Malines._ - -Let us now consider how they behaved in Belgium. The commander of -the army besieging Antwerp three times bombarded Malines without any -strategical excuse, for the town was absolutely empty of Belgian -troops. He had informed the Belgian authorities that his troops would -not fire upon monuments so long as these latter were not serving any -military purpose (_N.R.C._ 13th September, 1914, evening edition). -Better still, he published, in the German newspapers, a statement that -he could not bombard Malines for fear of touching the Cathedral of -Saint-Rombaut, but that the Belgians had not the same scruples. What -truth was there in the last assertion? None, of course; if the Belgians -dropped shells on the outskirts of the town it was while the German -troops were there, a fact which our enemies themselves recognized. -For the rest, it is easy to discover whether the damage done to the -cathedral was the work of Germans or Belgians. The Belgians were to -the north and west of the town; the Germans to the south and east. Now -all the damage done to the cathedral is without exception on the south -and east faces. The reader may draw his own conclusion. Here we have -a reappearance of the usual German system, which consists in blaming -others for their own misdeeds. At Dinant, too, they pretended that the -collegiate church was destroyed not by them but by the French. - - -_The Pretended Observation-post on Notre-Dame of Antwerp._ - -Of course they accused the Belgians of using their belfries as -observation-posts. The accusation is false. We may cite Malines as an -example (_N.R.C._, 25th November, evening edition), and Courcelles -(_Die Wochenschau_, No. 46, 1914); but the most typical case is that -of Antwerp. They reproduced in their illustrated journals (_Die -Wochenschau_, No. 48, 1914; _Kriegs-Kurier_, No. 7) a photograph--or -properly speaking, a drawing--published by an American newspaper -(New York _Tribune_, 22nd October, 1914) representing a military -observation-post on the tower of Notre-Dame. - -Even if we grant the picture a documentary value which it does not -possess, it proves nothing, for according to the American journalist -(_N.R.C._, 15th November, evening edition), the military post existed -on the tower at a period when Antwerp was not besieged, nor even in -danger of being so; the city had then to defend itself only against -dirigibles, which on two occasions paid it nocturnal visits, with the -accompaniment of bombs. It will be understood that the _Wochenschau_ -does not inform us of this; it pretends that the soldiers were on the -tower to observe the German troops and their heavy artillery during the -siege. - - -_German Observation-posts admitted by the Germans._ - -Let us now see whether our enemies have abstained from employing -monuments for military operations. The _Algemeen Handelsblad_ -(Amsterdam) of the 3rd January states that machine-guns are placed -on the belfry of Bruges and on other towers of the city. This fact -is confirmed by M. Domela Nieuwenhuys Nyegaard, a pastor of Gand, a -convinced Germanophile, who witnessed an attack by British aviators, -upon whom the machine-guns installed on the tower of the Halles opened -a violent but ineffectual fire (_Uit mijn Oorlogsdagboek_, p. 319, in -_De Tijdspiegel_, 1st April, 1915). - -Perhaps the Germans will contest this statement. Here is another. Those -who require of their adversaries so scrupulous a respect for Article 27 -of the Hague Convention placed an observation-post on the tower of St. -Rombaut, during the siege of Antwerp, in order to control their fire -upon the Waelhem fort. And this at least is indisputable, for in their -cynicism or lack of conscience (let them choose whichever they please) -they published a photograph of this infraction of the Hague Convention -in the _Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung_ (No. 44, 1914, p. 752). - -This is not the only case admitted by them. _Zeit im Bild_ (No. 43, -1914) reproduces on its cover a photograph of a "military post on the -tower of an Hôtel de Ville." In this we see German soldiers armed with -rifles, watching an imaginary enemy. This photograph was taken at -the Palais de Justice in Brussels, as is proved, without possibility -of error, by the church of La Chapelle, whose very characteristic -tower rises in the distance. The Germans were so delighted with this -violation of the Hague Convention that they reproduced the photograph -in the illustrated supplement of the _Hamburger Fremdensblatt_. And -what is most curious in this affair is that they boasted of an offence -which they knew they had not committed. For, firstly, the soldiers were -not posted "on an Hôtel de Ville"; secondly, they were not even posted -_on_ the Palais de Justice, but to one side of it, as may easily be -determined on the spot; thirdly, German soldiers have never been placed -there to overlook an enemy! - -Since mid-October of 1914 it is in Western Flanders that the fighting -has taken place. Did the Germans eventually, before the universal -reprobation which greeted their exploits at Louvain, Reims, and so -forth, determine to respect the international agreement to which they -are parties? By no means. They are far too contemptuous of conventions, -as is proved by the photographs of monuments bombarded in the region of -the Yser, which are published in the illustrated newspapers, notably -in _Panorama_, a Dutch illustrated paper which surreptitiously enters -Belgium. - - Ypres: _Panorama_, 23_b_, 25_a_. - - Dixmude: _Panorama_, 23_a_, 23_b_; _Berl. Ill. Zeit._, Nos. 2 and - 3, 1915; _Kriegs-Echo_, Nos. 22, 24; _Zeit. im Bild_, No. 3, 1915. - - Pervyse: _Panorama_, 21_a_, 21_b_, 23_a_. - - Nieuport: _Panorama_, 22_a_. - - Ramscapelle: _Panorama_, 23_b_. - -Among the monuments destroyed artists especially deplore the marvellous -Halles of Ypres, and the churches of Nieuport, Ypres, and Dixmude. This -last contained a very remarkable Gothic rood-screen, of which Herr -Stübben, one of the most eminent architects of modern Germany, stated -that its loss would be irreparable. It escaped the shells, but not the -German soldiery, who destroyed it with the butts of their rifles, after -the capture of the town. Always _Kultur_! - - -_Pillage._ - - ARTICLE 28. - - _The giving over to pillage of a town or place, even when taken by - assault, is forbidden._ - - ARTICLE 46. - - _Family honour and rights, individual life, and private property as - well as religious convictions and worship, must be respected._ - - ARTICLE 47 - - _Pillage is expressly forbidden._ - -"Family honour and rights!" The cases of rape prove the respect of the -German army for these prescriptions! - -"Individual life!" By the end of September 1914 the Germans had killed -more civilians than soldiers. This simple statement says more than -could a long exposition. - -"Private property!" Theft and pillage are phenomena so commonplace -that the inhabitants no longer insist upon them; if they mention the -subject it is to say: "The Germans behaved well here; they only took -all we had." We shall therefore confine ourselves to citing a few cases -particularly typical of the German mentality. - -It is indisputable that the conflagrations started under the pretext -of chastising "francs-tireurs" were in reality designed to conceal the -pillage committed by the German army. This was certainly the case at -Aerschot (_4th Report_) and at Louvain. The officers who gave orders -to start these fires were therefore accomplices of the pillaging -soldiery. For that matter, how could they have disavowed the thefts -of their men, seeing that they themselves largely took part in the -scramble? Whole trains left Brussels, Louvain, Malines, and Verviers -for Germany, loaded with "war booty for officers." During their -journey to Belgium, Herren Koester and Noske, on the 23rd September, -at Hubesthal, saw numerous trains passing which were laden with war -booty (_Kriegsfahrten_, p. 8); there were at that time no serious -battles either in France or in Belgium, so that there was no capture -of war booty in the Western sense of the term.[28] The trains observed -by the Socialist authors could only have been carrying the fruits of -pillage; they came probably from Malines, which the Germans at this -time were scrupulously emptying, as well as the numerous châteaux of -the neighbourhood. - -Not a district has been visited by the Germans that has not been -totally despoiled. Of course, the silver was taken first. One -officer, after plundering the entire store of silver of a villa at -Francorchamps, confided to a neighbour that he was going to have it -melted down in Germany, with the exception of one spoon, which he would -keep as a "souvenir." Is it not typical and delightful, this German -cult of the "souvenir" as a veneer of sentimentality on a basis of -rapacity? According to the definition given by the Kaiser, this officer -displayed his civilization but not his _Kultur_. - -Another "requisition" of plate. In the railway station of Mons, towards -the middle of February 1915, a merchant unloading a truck-load of -merchandise had his attention attracted by a coffin which was being -removed from a neighbouring van; suddenly he heard a metallic clink: -the bottom of the coffin had given way, and an avalanche of spoons, -forks, napkin-rings, and other articles of silver tumbled out! - -Nothing is sacred to the Huns. They smash the tabernacles, treasuries, -and poor-boxes of the churches as readily as the coffers of the -People's Banks (_Maisons du Peuple_). At Auvelois they seized upon -43,000 frs. in the Maison du Peuple, this being the entire capital of -the Socialist Young Guard, the Freethinkers, the newspaper _En Avant_, -the Miners' Union (_syndicat_), and other mutual aid societies. - -At Beyghem, near Grimberghen, before setting fire to the church, they -broke open the safe in the sacristy. Being unable to perforate it, they -demolished the wall dividing the church from the sacristy, in which it -was imbedded, so that they were able to attack it from behind. - -In most of the churches which were burned in the north of Brabant (p. -73) the strong-box and the tabernacle were broken open. It was the same -in the province of Namur. - -As soon as the approach of the Germans was signalled, many people -hastened to pack up their furniture and valuables, in order more -readily to transport them in case of evacuation. This foresight almost -always failed in its object, owing to the impossibility of finding a -horse and cart at the moment of departure. These packing-cases and -hampers, all ready corded, presented an insurmountable temptation; the -officers were never able to resist it, and the goods were sent straight -to the railway station. - -We are informed that at the beginning of the German occupation officers -were frequently mistaken as to the actual value of the articles which -they removed; so that they sent their families worthless rubbish "made -in Germany." To avoid these unpleasant misconceptions, they made their -inspections in the company of experts who directed their choice. - -Need we add that the wine-cellars were always methodically exploited? -The bottles which could not be drunk on the spot were packed for later -consumption, or to be sent to Germany. In a château near Charleroi the -officers had the doors--which were beautiful examples of joinery--taken -off their hinges, and used to make packing-cases for the bottles. - -We must not forget that drunkenness has played an important part in the -atrocities committed by the German army. - -The Germans were not content with making a clean sweep of the private -houses and châteaux; they also stripped the Governmental offices which -they occupied in Brussels of their furniture. In the Ministry of Public -Works a portion of the maps of bridges, buildings, etc., was burned, -and a portion sent to Germany. - - -_Thefts of Stamps._ - -As to those who despoiled the Ministries, we will give them the credit -of supposing that they acted by order and in the interest of their -Government; but we cannot thus excuse the conduct of one officer who, -having possessed himself, goodness knows how, of a number of Belgian -stamps, attempted, in a stationer's shop, to pay for 80 frs.' worth -of goods by means of these stamps. Meeting with a refusal from the -shopkeeper, he had to content himself with paying for only a portion -of his purchases in this manner. In a neighbouring watchmaker's he -did better, for he was able to get rid of 100 frs. in stamps; at a -discount, of course.[29] He informed the watchmaker that he possessed -4,000 frs.' worth of Belgian stamps. The latter was not so indiscreet -as to ask how he obtained them. - -Better still: the Germans do not conceal the fact that they are -thieves. The _Matin_ (Paris, 9th June, 1915) reproduced the photograph -of an announcement published by a Swiss newspaper. - -"It informs us that a thief of the German army, desiring to realize -the 'war booty' which he collected in Antwerp, offers for sale unused -stamps of values between 10 centimes and 10 frs. In his 'stock' of -booty are 19 different stamps of a total value of 29 frs. 70 (oh, -that 70 centimes of pillage!) which he offers for 3 frs. 50.--All -Germany--philosophical, political, military, and commercial--is -contained in this little advertisement." - -At Tamines, having burned about 250 houses, on the 21st and 22nd -August, 1914, and having forced the living to bury the 416 unhappy -people shot on the evening of the 22nd, they sent all the survivors -to Velaines-sur-Sambre. There they were given their liberty, and told -that they might go to Namur or to Düsseldorf, but not to Tamines. Why -not to Tamines? They understood a few days later, when they were bold -enough to return despite the prohibition. The Germans had completely -emptied all the shops and all the private houses in the place. It is -evident that this operation can be effected in a more methodical and -comfortable manner when there are no children running between your -legs, or women begging you to leave them some souvenir for which they -have a particular affection. - -At Louvain they acted in the same manner; they proceeded to wholesale -pillage only after the 27th, when they had sent all the inhabitants -away. - -Sometimes the love of pillage got the better of discipline. At Jumet, -on the road from Brussels to Charleroi, on the 22nd August, 1914, the -troops were ordered to burn all the houses, because the French of the -110th Infantry had dared to attack them with machine-guns. But some -soldiers who had entered a tobacconist's amused themselves by stealing -cigars and cigarettes, and were so absorbed that they forgot to set -fire to the shop, so that it has remained intact in the midst of a long -row of burned-out buildings. - -What disgusts us most in all this pillage is not that the German -troops should have marked our unhappy country for pillage; it is the -indisputable complicity of the leaders of the army. Nothing more -clearly proves the benevolent intervention of the military and civil -authorities in the operations of brigandage than the regular transport -of "war booty" into Germany. The officers make no secret of sending -to their homes such things as pianos, pictures, jewels, furniture, -glass, etc. They do it openly, with the obvious complicity of the -railway officials. The latter are entrusted with the organization of -the rapid transportation to the Fatherland of mountains of cases, -containing the results of the methodical exploration of our houses -and châteaux and shops and warehouses. It is a vast organization of -brigandage, hierarchically regulated, in which every one steals without -hiding the fact from his fellows. Who knows whether the coffin full of -silver-plate which burst in the Mons railway station did not belong -to some officer who had swindled his accomplices? We in Belgium have -witnessed the regular working of a system of "co-operative brigandage -under the august protection of the authorities." - -Let us note, finally, that theft and pillage are expressly forbidden by -the German _Usages of War_. Articles 57, 58, 60, 61, and 62 prohibit -all destruction of private property. But we must suppose that their -_Usages of War_ are applicable only in times of peace, since from the -very first days of the war the German army began to pillage the regions -which it occupied. This spoliation has been pursued with the systematic -spirit which characterizes _Kultur_. - - -_Illegal Taxation._ - - ARTICLE 43. - - _The authority of the power of the State having passed de facto - into the hands of the occupant, the latter shall do all in his - power to restore, and shall ensure, as far as possible, public - order and safety, respecting at the same time, unless absolutely - prevented, the laws in force in the country._ - - ARTICLE 48. - - _If, in the territory occupied, the occupant collects the taxes, - dues, and tolls payable to the State, he shall do so, as far as - is possible, in accordance with the legal basis and assessment in - force at the time and shall in consequence be bound to defray the - expenses of the administration of the occupied territory to the - same extent as the national Government had been so bound._ - - ARTICLE 49. - - _If, in addition to the taxes mentioned in the above Article, - the occupant levies other money contributions in the occupied - territory, they shall only be applied to the needs of the army or - of the administration of the territory in question._ - -Two placards exhibited in Brussels on the evening of the 12th December -(Saturday) attracted general attention. - -They first convoked the Provincial Councils for the 19th December, -and imposed upon them, not simply a general "order of the day," but -an imperative mandate to vote a war-tax. The second gave details of -this tax: 480,000,000 frs. was to be paid in monthly instalments of -40,000,000 (£19,200,000 in twelve payments of £1,600,000) (see _Belg. -Allem._, p. 120). - -Baron von Bissing thus advertised, seven days in advance, the decisions -to be taken by the Provincial Councils. Doubtless he was made to -understand that the proceeding was a little extreme, and contrary -both to the law and to common sense; for on the following morning the -second placard was covered with a blank sheet of paper. Better still, -the "Official Bulletin of Laws and Decrees for the occupied Belgian -Territory" gave in its issue of the 19th the text of the two decrees; -but this number was suppressed, and in its place another placard, -numbered 19, was distributed, which included only the first decree. - -On the 19th December our nine Provincial Councils assembled. They -could not do otherwise than vote the crushing tax of 480 millions; but -several of them protested eloquently against the illegality of this -proceeding. - - - _Speech delivered by M. François André at the meeting of the - Provincial Council of Hainaut, on the 19th December, 1914, in the - presence of the German Governor and Dr. Daniest, President._ - - ... We have met by order of the German authorities to vote a - war-tax; to make one word of many, we have met to furnish arms - to the formidable invader of our country, to be used against our - heroic little Belgian army.... - - We are thus assembled to vote, _by order_, a war-tax. - - I wish to protest--against both the form and the substance of this - tax. - - As to the form, I regard this extraordinary session as absolutely - illegal; the Provincial Councillors are not qualified to vote - war-taxes affecting the whole country; moreover, the councillors of - the various provinces, in concerting as to the measures to be taken - in common, so to speak, which are matters beyond the scope of their - jurisdiction, are committing an offence in Belgian law, which law - no German decree has abrogated. As to the substance: Admitting that - the German authorities have the right to levy taxes on the whole - country, while our 120,000 soldiers are still in occupation of our - territory, it is very certain that according to the terms of the - Hague Convention no tax may be levied except for the needs of the - army of occupation. - - What is an army of occupation? - - It is that which, finding itself in a conquered territory, - undertakes the policing and safeguards the security of that - territory. - - This is why it may appear legitimate for the army to force the - occupied territory to support it. - - But our country--as Field-Marshal von der Goltz has declared, - and as is perfectly obvious--our country has become the basis - of military operations against the Allies. According to the - spirit of the Hague Convention, there is no army of occupation, - properly speaking, in our country, and in any case the 35,000 - men concentrated in Namur and the artillery assembled at Liége - cannot in any respects be regarded as making part of an army of - occupation. - - It is, therefore, contrary to law and contrary to reason that these - 480,000,000 frs. are demanded from the country. - - Are we then going to vote this formidable war-tax? - - Assuredly if we listened only to our hearts we should reply: No, - no; 480,000,000 times no. - - For our hearts would tell us: - - We were a small nation, happy to live by its labour; we were an - honest little nation, having faith in treaties and believing in - honour; we were a confident little nation, and unarmed, when - suddenly, violently, Germany hurled two million men upon our - frontier, the greatest army that the world has ever seen, and she - told us: "Betray your given word; let our armies pass that I may - crush France, and I will give you gold." But Belgium replied: "Keep - your gold; I would rather die than live without honour." - - History will one day reveal the greatness of the action which - forever magnifies us in the eyes of the future. For nothing in the - annals of the past equals the sacrifice of this people, which, - having nothing to gain and all to lose, preferred to lose all in - order that honour should be saved, and deliberately cast herself - into an abyss of distress, but also of glory. - - The German army thus invaded the country in violation of solemn - treaties. - - "It is an injustice," said the Chancellor of the Empire; "the - destinies of the Empire forced us to commit it; but we shall repair - the wrong done to Belgium by the passage of our armies...." - - This, then, is how they mean to repair that wrong: - - Germany will pay---- - - But no! Belgium will pay Germany 480,000,000 frs.! Vote this money! - -As a matter of penal legislation, the Germans have systematically -ignored Article 48, as is proved by the eloquent protest of the -President of the Bar of Brussels. - -Yet another typical instance of the manner in which Germany disregards -our laws. At Aerschot the Germans provisionally invested a German, Herr -Ronnewinkel, who had inhabited the district for several years, with the -functions of Burgomaster. On the 6th November, 1914, they proclaimed -him permanently burgomaster. - -Here was a German appointed burgomaster by the will of the district -commander, although by the terms of the law only a Belgian appointed -by the Government could be burgomaster. Moreover, they did the same at -Andenne. The communal autonomy of which Belgium was so proud was thus -trampled underfoot. - -We see, then, that in despite of Articles 43 and 48 of the Hague -Convention and Article 67 of their own _Usages of War_ the Germans have -shown no respect whatever for the legislation in force. We cite here -only the most flagrant of these illegalities, those which any person of -common sense can understand and judge. - - ARTICLE 44. - - _A belligerent is forbidden to compel the inhabitants of territory - occupied by it to furnish information about the army of the other - belligerent, or about its means of defence._ - -This article was not accepted by Germany; she remains faithful to her -_Usages of War_: Article 53, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs, and applies -their principles with extreme severity. - -Nothing better illustrates the severity with which the Germans -act than the little manual of conversation which terminates the -_Tornisterwörterbuch_, published by the Mentor publishing house in -Schöneberg, Berlin. It is a small dictionary, costing 60 pfennigs, -and intended, as the title indicates, to be carried in the soldier's -knapsack. The French dictionary and the English are conceived according -to the same method; after information concerning the country in -question they give a summary of the rules of grammar; then comes the -dictionary properly so-called, with phonetic pronunciation; finally, -a few common phrases, which to us are the most interesting part of -the book, since their choice naturally reflects the requirements of -those expected to employ them. Here are a few passages from paragraph -4: _Service of Outposts and Patrols_. In each passage we copy all the -phrases without exception, so as to avoid misrepresenting the spirit of -the work; and this spirit, as will be seen, is ferocious. The volume is -not dated; but the 42nd edition, from which we quote, describes (p. 44) -the French campaigning uniform of 1912. These phrases were therefore -printed at least five years after the second Hague Conference (18th -October, 1907). They show clearly that the acts of cruelty committed -by the patrols against those who refused to betray their country were -not improvised by the cavalry taking part in these reconnaissances, but -were systematically premeditated. - - P. 175-- - - Silence! Speak only when I question you! - You seem to me a suspicious person. - Where is your pocket-book? - I must search it. - Remain here for the moment. - At the first attempt at flight you will be shot. - Sir, where does this road lead? - - P. 176-- - - Is this village occupied by the French? - When did the troops arrive there? - What is roughly their composition? - Roughly? Two or three companies? - How many officers, roughly speaking? - Have they any artillery? - How many guns? - Have you seen cavalry too? - Tell us the truth. The least lie might cost you your life! - - P. 177-- - - Has the village been placed in a state of defence? - Are there no cross-roads leading to the windmill? - Remain by my horse. - On the first attempt at flight, or if you try to mislead - me, I shall send a bullet after you. - Stop here! I will call the miller myself. - Hey! Miller! - Have any French troops passed this way? - You lie! Here are visible traces, and quite fresh ones. - -A little manual of conversation costing 20 -pfennigs--_Deutsch-Französischer-Soldaten-Sprachführer_, by Captain S. -Th. Hoasmann, is conceived on the same lines. Here are a few examples. -The soldier, making a reconnaissance, declares: "Speak the truth or you -will be killed!" In the chapter on "Posts and Telegraphs" we find the -phrase: "It is forbidden (on pain of death) to send telegrams." And the -sentinel should be able to say: "If you lie you will be shot," etc. - - ARTICLE 50. - - _No collective penalty, pecuniary or otherwise, shall be inflicted - upon the population on account of the acts of individuals for which - it cannot be regarded as collectively responsible._ - -This article proclaims the principle that in no case must the innocent -suffer with the guilty, nor in their place. We have already seen that -our enemies oppose this idea; they maintain that the innocent should -suffer with the guilty, and even that if one cannot lay hands on the -guilty one may punish the innocent in their place (p. 84). It was by -the application of this German principle of collective punishment that -Louvain, Dinant, Termonde, and other towns were burned. - -The placard of 1st October, 1914, clearly displays the German -mentality; it states that villages will be punished without mercy, -whether guilty or not. - - NOTICE. - - On the evening of the 25th September the railway and telegraph - lines were destroyed between Lovenjoul and Vestryck. In consequence - of which the two localities mentioned were, on the morning of the - 30th September, called to account and forced to supply hostages. - - In future the localities nearest the spot at which such acts have - been committed--no matter whether they are guilty of complicity - or not--will be punished without pity. To this end hostages have - been taken from all localities adjacent to railway lines threatened - by such attacks, and at the first attempt to destroy the railway - lines, or telegraph or telephone wires, they will immediately be - shot. - - Moreover, all troops charged with the protection of railways have - received orders to shoot any person approaching railway lines or - telephone or telegraph wires in a suspicious manner. - - THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _General Field-Marshal_. - - BRUSSELS, _1st October, 1914_. - -Fully to appreciate the horrible nature of this placard we must recall -the fact that during the siege of Antwerp (which terminated only on -the 9th) Belgium patrols were penetrating into the midst of the German -troops, venturing thirty-five miles and more from Antwerp, their -mission being to harass the enemy's communications and to destroy the -railways and the telegraph and telephone line. It was one of these -bodies of Belgian cyclists which cut the railway and telegraph line -between Louvain and Tirlemont on 25th September, 1914. Von der Goltz -was evidently aware that this destruction was a perfectly legitimate -military operation, so that his placard was intended simply to -embarrass our military authorities by showing them that in defiance -of all justice Germany intended to hold the Belgian civilians -responsible for the activity of our army. In short, instead of saying -"no matter whether these localities are guilty of complicity or not," -von der Goltz would have given a greater proof of sincerity had he -said, "although I know that these localities are in no way guilty of -complicity." - -Here are two other placards, printed in Germany, which show plainly -that it is according to a system that our oppressors hold the entire -community responsible for the act committed by a single person; or -rather, as we shall see, for the acts of the Belgian army. - - PLACARD PRINTED IN GERMAN, FRENCH, RUSSIAN, AND POLISH, SURROUNDED - BY A BORDER OF THE GERMAN COLOURS. - - NOTICE. - - Any person who shall have damaged a military telephone or telegraph - will be shot. - - Any person removing this notice will also receive the severest - punishment. If the guilty person is not found, the severest - measures will be taken against the commune in which the damage has - been caused or the present notice removed. - - THE GENERAL COMMANDING THE ARMY CORPS. - - (_Posted at Bieghem, copy made 22nd October, 1914._) - - NOTICE. - - All damage done to the Telegraph, Telephone, or Railway lines will - be punished by the Military Court. According to the circumstances, - the guilty person will be condemned to death. - - If the guilty person is not seized the severest measures will be - taken against the commune in which the damage has been done, - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - Printed by H. A. Heymann, Berlin, S.W. - - (_Posted at Tervueren, copy made 15th April, 1915._) - -Very frequently the penalties with which the community is threatened -are not specified in these placards. One may suppose that it would -consist of a fine; this is indeed the punishment most frequently -applied, doubtless because it is the most productive. Here are some -examples, for cutting the telegraph wires, various localities in -Flanders were forced to pay fines in December 1914. - -The military chest does not lack for money; for in a garrison command a -fine may be inflicted more readily than elsewhere. Here is an example. -An officer was choosing some music in a shop; and found, amidst a heap -of pieces of music, a copy of the _Marseillaise_. Now it has never -been stated that one must not possess the _Marseillaise_. Result: the -shopkeeper was condemned to pay a fine of 500 marks or to twenty days' -imprisonment. "I prefer the imprisonment," said the unfortunate man. -"But, my good fellow, you can avoid going to prison! Pay the fine!" "I -know, but I have not got 500 marks. I could only scrape together 150 -frs. at most." "All right, give them to me!" - - * * * * * - - -_Fines for Telegraphic Interruptions._ - -The military chest is also replenished by the fines paid because the -telegraph and telephone do not work properly. Now it has often happened -during the last six weeks that communication has been obstructed in -Flanders. The smallest communes have been forced to pay fines. - -Here is a brief list of such fines: - - Gand 100,000 marks - Ledebourg 5,000 " - Destelbergen 30,000 " - Schellebelle 50,000 " - Sweveghem 4,900 " - Winckel Sainte-Croix 3,000 " - Wachtebeke 3,000 " - - _(N.R.C._, 30th January, 1915, evening edition.) - - -_Fines for "Attacks by Francs-tireurs."_ - -We may observe, in passing, that in September 1914 the accusation--the -accusation, we say, not the offence--of having allowed a telegraph -wire to deteriorate was punished, in Brussels, by a stoppage of the -telephone service; but in December the Germans preferred to fill -their treasury. The same observation is true of Mons and Bilsen; the -accusation of "francs-tireurs," which in September 1914 would have -ended in a massacre of the inhabitants and the burning of the town, -was in October the motive for a tax of 100,000 frs. At that time it no -longer seemed essential to terrorize; the Germans no longer required -blood, but money. - - ON BEHALF OF THE GERMAN MILITARY AUTHORITIES. - - WARNING. - - The City of Mons has been forced to pay a tax of 100,000 frs. - because a private person fired upon a German soldier. - - (_Posted at Louvain._) - -And indeed it is money that is demanded everywhere--5,000 frs. from the -commune of Grenbergen, near Termonde, because an inhabitant allowed -his pigeons to fly. 5,000,000 frs. was required of Brussels because -a police agent maltreated a German spy (p. 157). It was with a money -fine that Mons was threatened should an Englishman be discovered on its -soil (placard posted at Mons, 6th November, 1914), and the city of Mons -and the province of Hainaut if any inhabitant retained for his own use -any benzine or a motor-bicycle (placard posted at Mons, 6th October, -1914). At Seraing, in February 1915, it was again money that was -demanded, because a bomb had burst within the limits of the commune. -The more surely to obtain the sum, a few hostages were imprisoned, with -the promise that they would be sent to a fortress in Germany if the -communal treasury did not pay their ransom; but the hostages themselves -advised the commune to refuse. The Germans, fearing to be left in the -lurch, reduced their demands by half; finally, having obtained nothing, -they released the hostages. Singular justice, to regulate its penalties -not by the gravity of the offence, but according to the temper of the -victims! We are waiting for the German newspapers to publish a schedule -of penalties as affected by the docility of the victims and the season. - -Here is an amusing instance of a penalty which was inflicted upon -Antwerp. When the Germans posted up a statement that they had captured -52,000 Russians and 400 guns in Eastern Prussia, a playful citizen -replaced the first letter of _Russians_ in the Flemish text by an M -and concealed the two first letters of _canonen_. The new version -announced that the Germans had captured 52,000 sparrows and 400 nuns. -The Germans were annoyed and imposed a fine of 25,000 frs. on the city. -At Tirlemont, where the same pleasantry was perpetrated, the Germans -contented themselves with making vague threats. - -The adventure of Eppeghem also deserves to be told in a few words. - -In November 1914 a German soldier walking in the country fired at a -hare or a pigeon. An officer turned up and questioned the soldier. As -all sport is reserved for officers, the soldier, to avoid punishment, -threw the blame on to the peasants. The matter was referred to -Brussels, and on the following day officers arrived with forty Uhlans. -A fine of 10,000 frs. was inflicted on the commune. - -Some women living in a house which had by chance remained standing, -near the field in which the soldier had fired, asserted that no -inhabitant had fired a shot, but that they had seen the soldier fire. -No one listened to them. "We must have 10,000 frs., and at once." But -in this village, ruined from end to end, where scarcely a house was -habitable, from which all the men had been deported into Germany, -there was no means of collecting such a sum of money. "Since that is -so, hostages will be taken," said the officers. The Uhlans organized a -hunt, and seized the curé and three laymen, the only ones they could -find; and even of these one was an inhabitant of Vilverde, who had -obligingly been acting as a citizen policeman at Eppeghem. They were -taken to Brussels, but on passing through Vilverde the inhabitant of -that place was released, owing to the protests of his fellow-citizens. -After ten days' imprisonment Baron von der Goltz, finding that there -was nothing to be extracted from the communal treasury of Eppeghem, -and that the curé and his two parishioners were being kept and fed at -a loss, set them at liberty. - - -_Hostages_ - -The taking of hostages is also in flagrant opposition to the provisions -of Article 50, but in conformity with the German _Usages of War_. The -hostage guarantees with his own life that his fellow-citizens, with -whom he has no influence, shall faithfully execute the orders of the -German authorities. - -The first care of enemy troops arriving in any locality is always to -demand the provision of hostages; these are usually the curé, the -burgomaster, the notary, the schoolmaster, and a few other notables. -We may recall Liége, where the bishop, Mgr. Rutten, was taken hostage; -Spa, Louvain, Charleroi, Gand, and Mons. In Brussels they demanded the -delivery of 100 hostages, but afterwards withdrew the demand. - -As to the fate which awaits the hostages if the German army is -attacked, it is plainly stipulated in the proclamations: they will be -shot, "without previous judicial formalities." Thus, it would have been -enough for a Belgian patrol to renew its usual activities near Forest, -and two hostages would have immediately been shot "without previous -judicial formalities." - - GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - TO THE PEOPLE OF FOREST. - - Despite my repeated warnings attacks have again been made during - the last few days by the civil population of the neighbourhood - against German troops, and also upon the railway between Brussels - and Mons. - - By the order of the Military Governor-General of Brussels each - locality must consequently provide hostages. - - Thus at Forest the following are arrested: - - (1) M. Vanderkindere, Communal Councillor. - (2) M. le curé François. - - I proclaim that these hostages will immediately be shot without - previous judicial formalities if any attack occurs on the part of - the population upon our troops or the railway lines occupied by us, - and that moreover the most severe reprisals will be carried out - against the commune of Forest. - - I request the population to keep calm and to refrain from all - violence; in this case it will not suffer the slightest harm. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE LANDSTURM, - HALBERSTADT BATTALION, - VON LESSEL. - - FOREST, _26th September, 1914_. - -If hostages try to escape they will be hanged and their village burned. - - WARNING. - - As fresh attempts at assassination have been made upon persons - forming part of the German army I have had persons from many - localities arrested as hostages. These will guarantee with their - lives that no inhabitant will again dare to commit a malevolent - action against German soldiers or attempt to damage the railway, - telegraph or telephone line, or other objects useful to the - operations of our army. - - Persons not belonging to the army surprised in committing such - actions will be shot or hanged. The hostages of the surrounding - localities will suffer the same fate. I shall then have the - neighbourhood burned to the last house, even if important towns - are in question. If the hostages attempt to escape the locality to - which they belong will be burned, and if captured the hostages will - be hanged. - - All inhabitants who give proof of their goodwill toward our troops - are assured of the safety of their lives and property. - - THE COMMANDANT ENTRUSTED WITH THE - PROTECTION OF THE RAILWAYS, - FREIHERR VON MALZAHN. - - (_Posted at Spa, Aywaille, Châtelineau.... 17th August, 1914._) - -We do not know if hostages were shot or hanged in Belgium. But in the -north of France, according to a military correspondent of the _K.Z._, -at least one hostage was killed; this assassination was the more -criminal in that it punished not a hostile act of the inhabitants, but -a perfectly normal and regular operation of war: a bombardment. - - A WAR PICTURE. - - ... A château stands beside the highway, at the back of a courtyard - protected by a French spear-headed railing. It is intact, and - shelters the staff of an infantry regiment. Facing it is the ruined - façade of an incredibly pretentious building on whose pediment - sprawls in letters of gold the one word, "Bank." Beside it is a - wholesale corn-chandler's and a wholesale wine-merchant's. All - this belonged to a single man. It was necessary to shoot him as - hostage, because the French were persisting, despite all warnings, - in throwing shells into the neighbourhood. In the wine-cellars - stores of unexpected importance were found; according to the - estimates there are more than half a million litres of red and - white wine of very good quality. A great part of the wine was - pumped out of the tanks and received, like an old acquaintance, by - the comrades far and near. - - The rich man of this quarter of the town had a companion who was - more lucky, who in due time sought safety in flight. - - (_K.Z._, 21st February, 1915.) - -A very curious case of the punishment of innocent people in the case -of "guilty" ones is the following: On the 7th October, 1914, the -Germans posted statements that the militia-men of the occupied regions -could not rejoin the Belgian army, and that in case of disobedience -the young men would expose themselves to the risk of being sent into -Germany as prisoners of war. So far, nothing illegal. But the placard -then declared that in case of the departure of any militia-man his -family would be held responsible. Now, how are the parents guilty, -if their son intends at all costs to fulfil his obligations to his -native country? On the 30th December, 1914, there was an aggravation of -this measure: the burgomasters also were to be punished. On the 28th -January, 1915, a new notice appeared: all Belgians between the ages -of sixteen and forty years were to be regarded as capable of military -service. So when a man of forty goes to join the Belgian army the -members of his family will be punished! Truly the notice might have -stated whether children would be punished for not preventing their -father's departure! - -Have there been cases of repression? The _N.R.C._ states that at -Hasselt the Germans actually arrested the fathers and mothers of the -young men who escaped. - -The _Tijd_ learns from Ruremonde: - - At Hasselt and in the neighbourhood the Germans have hunted down - the fathers of those young men who, liable to be called to the - colours, have been able, in spite of strict prohibition and active - supervision, to enter Holland, there to pass through England and - France with the intention of eventually joining the army. - - But as soon as they heard that the fathers were being arrested, - these latter also crossed the frontier, and the Germans found that - a great many birds had flown. - - They did not stop then: the mothers were arrested in their place. - - At the same time the Germans made it known that all these people - would be transferred to the well-known camp at Münster, and - warned the women to provide themselves with as much body-linen as - possible. The whole of the little town was in consternation. Later - arrived a telegram from General von Bissing, announcing that the - departure for Münster was postponed for a week, and the prisoners - were taken to Tongres. - - (_N.R.C._, 3rd February, 1915.) - -A last example of punishment inflicted upon the innocent, when the -"guilty" person had already suffered punishment. A Belgian, having made -signals to the enemy (that is, to the Belgian army), was killed while -being arrested. Immediately the curé and the vicar were sent to Germany -as being responsible for the members of their parish. - - IMPORTANT NOTICE. - - Alidor Vandamme, inhabitant of Cortemarck, committed espionage by - making signals to the enemy. Resisting arrest, he was killed by a - rifle-bullet. - - The German authority has taken the following measures of coercion - in consequence of the crime committed by Vandamme: - - 1. The curé Blancke and the vicar Barra, responsible for the - members of their parish, will be deported as prisoners of war to - Germany. - - 2. The commune of Cortemarck must pay a fine of five thousand marks - (5,000 M.). - - (_Posted at Thielt_, _Termonde_, _etc._) - -This iniquity was not enough for the German authorities: they -advertised it all through Flanders (we copied it at Thielt and -Termonde), and forced _Le Bien Public_ to give it publicity. Through -lack of conscience or insolence? - - -_Contributions and Requisitions._ - - ARTICLE 51. - - _No contribution shall be collected except under a written order, - and on the responsibility of a General in command._ - - _The collection of the said contribution shall only be effected - in accordance, as far as is possible, with the legal basis and - assessment of taxes in force at the time._ - - _For every contribution a receipt shall be given to the - contributories._ - - ARTICLE 52. - - _Requisitions in kind and services shall not be demanded from local - authorities or inhabitants except for the needs of the army of - occupation. They shall be in proportion to the resources of the - country, and of such a nature as not to involve the inhabitants in - the obligation of taking part in military operations against their - own country. Such requisitions and services shall only be demanded - on the authority of the commander in the locality occupied._ - - _Contributions in kind shall as far as possible be paid for in - ready money: if not, a receipt shall be given and the payment of - the amount due shall be made as soon as possible._ - -The last paragraph of Article 23, already cited, in reality presupposes -that passage in Article 52 which forbids the occupant to force the -inhabitants to do work which would assist operations directed against -their country (p. 112). - -Among the forms of contribution included in Article 49 we must -give first place to that which fixes the value of the mark. The -_Düsseldorfer Zeitung_ of the 4th September announces that the military -commander of the occupied portion of Belgium and France fixed the value -of 100 marks at 130 frs. And indeed placards posted at Charleroi, -Saint-Trond, Namur, and Liége required the Belgians to accept German -marks at this exaggerated tariff, which has caused certain of our -merchants to lose considerable sums. - - PROCLAMATION. - - The circulation of German money having given rise to perplexities, - _the value of the German mark has been fixed at 130 centimes_. - - The attention of the public is called to the fact that all German - paper money must be accepted in financial transactions at the same - rate as German coin. - - THE GOVERNOR. - _The 25th August, 1914._ - - (_Posted at Liége._) - -The fraudulent intention in this measure was only too evident. A month -later Baron von der Goltz made it known that until further notice the -mark was to be valued at the lowest at 1 fr. 25 (placard of the 3rd -October, 1914). In reality the mark was worth only 1 fr. 08 to 1 fr. -15, so that the Belgians naturally endeavoured to refuse German notes; -whereupon fresh placards were exhibited, compelling their acceptance -(placards of the 4th and 15th November, 1914). We must mention an -unhappy phrase in a placard posted at Mons; it states that the mark -must be accepted _at the actual value of the coin_, and further on -fixes this value at 1 fr. 25, which is obviously incorrect. - - -_Contributions demanded from the Cities._ - -Let us now consider the pecuniary contributions demanded from the -cities. The most important were: Liége, 20 million frs.; Namur, 32 -millions; Antwerp, 40 millions; Brussels, 45 millions. The discussions -excited by this last contribution are extremely instructive; they -have been reported by the _N.R.C._ We learn how the Germans violated, -successively, all the different agreements which they concluded with -the city; finally they imposed a fine of 5 millions, which enabled -them, in spite of everything, to complete the sum of 50 millions which -they had promised themselves they would extort from the capital. - - CONTRIBUTION IMPOSED UPON BRUSSELS. - - FROM ONE OF OUR WAR CORRESPONDENTS - - ... In the course of this journey I once more heard people speaking - of the reasons which resulted in the city of Brussels being fined - the sum of fifty millions of francs, as every one knows. What I - relate here I had from one of the most eminent members of the - magistracy:-- - - At the time of their entry here, the Germans demanded fifty - millions from the city, and--don't cry out at this--450 millions - from the province of Brabant. The communal council of Brussels - tried to demonstrate that the city could not pay this tax, and that - the tax imposed on the province was utterly exorbitant, seeing - that Brabant, which draws on the budget for an annual sum of five - to six millions, employed this money before it was paid, and could - not, therefore, pay a fine, since the province had first to provide - for its expenditure.... Having discussed the matter at great - length, the Germans finally released Brabant from this war-tax, - and at the same time gave the communal council a week to find the - fifty millions, during which period they would suspend all other - requisitions. - - Burgomaster Max then had posted the well-known placard announcing - that for the coming week no requisitions whatever would be made by - the German authorities. - - But on the following day the burgomaster was called upon to justify - his action, and although he produced the written convention before - the new Governor of the city, the latter gave him to understand - that his predecessor might possibly have granted such a delay, - but that he, being of superior rank, did not recognize the clause - at issue. Fresh negotiations were commenced, and it was at last - arranged that twenty millions should be paid in five instalments of - four millions each. Four of these instalments were punctually paid, - and the fifth was about to be paid, when Max was summoned by the - Governor, who asked him what his arrangements were concerning the - remaining thirty millions. - - Max did not conceal his extreme surprise, stating that he fully - understood that the remainder of the tax had been remitted, and - that the twenty millions constituted the whole amount. - - The German Governor was by no means of this opinion, and demanded - the remaining thirty millions. Thereupon Max immediately sent an - order to the bank to suspend payment of the last four millions, - which were ready for payment, until he was certain that the Germans - would accept them as the final instalment. There was then on either - side an equal degree of obstinacy. The Governor maintained that Max - was breaking his engagements; Max, on the other hand, maintained - that the Germans had failed to keep their word. The result was - that the burgomaster was arrested, and he is at the present moment - imprisoned in a fortress at Glatz in Silesia. - - The communal council was then warned that it would be deprived - of its functions, and that the Germans would take over the - administration of the city if the war-tax was not paid. - - There were again interminable negotiations, and it was arranged - that in all forty-five millions should be paid. - - The sum was paid. Still the Germans wanted to get hold of the five - remaining millions, so a police agent who had shown lack of respect - for an officer was condemned to five years' imprisonment, while - Brussels was fined five million francs. - - One might ask whether, if the Germans continue to act in this - fashion, the city of Brussels will be forced to pay a fine each - time one of its functionaries is guilty of offence: for it is - impossible that the city can control all its employés. - - In this case the German officer who was insulted was in civilian - clothes. Now to a complaint of the communal council the Governor - had replied, some time previously, that there were no secret agents - at work in civilian clothing; so that the police agent could not - have known that he was dealing with an officer, since the latter - was not in uniform. - - It may be imagined that lively protests were made, but once more - the Germans threatened to assume the direction of the commune - if the sum was not paid by the 10th November at latest; so, - although the council presented a memorandum on the affair, it was - nevertheless forced to pay in order to pursue its mission in peace. - - (_N.R.C._, 9th November, 1914.) - - -_Exactions of a Non-commissioned Officer._ - -Fines without rhyme and reason, and exorbitant war contributions have -become so normal and so customary that the Germans have finally learned -to exploit the situation. The _N.R.C._ for the 21st May, 1915, reported -that the Council of War in Coblenz had condemned to eighteen months' -imprisonment the non-commissioned officer Garternich, who had demanded -from several occupied Belgian communes a war contribution of 3 frs. -per head, and had thus acquired, for his own personal profit, a sum of -27,393 frs. Does not this simple fact reveal the habitual squeezing to -which our poor country is subjected? Eighteen months' imprisonment for -having emptied the communal treasuries already officially despoiled by -the authorities--that truly is not much; especially when we compare -this sentence with those pronounced upon the communes when a telegraph -wire breaks down: the threat of burning a whole neighbourhood or a -formidable fine. - - -_Requisitions of Raw Materials and Machinery._ - -_Requisitions may only be demanded_, says Article 52, _for the needs -of the army of occupation_. Now our enemies have removed from Belgium -enormous quantities of raw material, and machinery which evidently -cannot be of use to the army of occupation (see _Belg. Allem._, pp. -113, 116, 117). What can the army do with raw cotton, wools, spun -cotton, nickel, jute, etc.? It can be of use only to the industries of -Germany, paralysed by the suppression of the mercantile marine. Among -these requisitions are included machine-tools for the manufacture of -shells (notably those removed from the national arsenal at Herstal and -the royal cannon foundry at Liége), and metals, such as copper, which -are indispensable to the manufacture of munitions; so that the articles -which have been taken from us, contrary to Article 52 of the Hague -Convention, subscribed to by Germany, are thus directly employed in -fighting against us. - -The Germans cannot pretend that these requisitions of machinery -were made by over-zealous officers ignorant of the laws, for Baron -von Bissing himself, in his quality of Governor-General, signed -the proclamation of the 17th February ordering the despatch of our -machine-tools to Germany. Moreover, in Berlin even people are perfectly -aware of these requisitions, and of their destination (_N.R.C._, 22nd -February, 1915, morning edition). - -We must insist on the fact that all these raw materials of industry, -all this machinery, etc., is not bought, but requisitioned. There is -here no case of a commercial transaction, nor even an expropriation; -for we have no redress against the decision arrived at in Berlin as to -the prices which will be paid after the war. It is a theft, to express -the matter in a word. - -_Requisitions in kind and in services ... shall be in proportion to the -resources of the country_, says Article 52; which evidently means that -requisitions must not exhaust the country to the point of jeopardizing -the lives of the inhabitants. If this stipulation had been respected -we should not have to deplore the famine which is ravaging our country, -and to which we shall return later on. - -We shall confine ourselves--in order to give some idea of the excessive -and inhuman manner in which requisitions have been made--to referring -the reader to certain articles written by eye-witnesses, particularly -those who have seen what has happened near the frontier, and at Gand. -It will at once be recognized that the requisitions made exceed that -which the inhabitants can reasonably provide (see _N.R.C._, 10th -January, 1915, morning; 23rd January, 1915, morning; 16th January, -1915, evening; 30th January, 1915, evening; 12th January, 1915, -morning; 22nd December, 1914, evening). - -The Germans have always taken good care to demand wine. They demanded -enormous quantities in the little villages of the Campine of Limburg -(_N.R.C._, 15th January, 1915). Elsewhere they took for their own use -all the cellars of the wine-merchants and the inhabitants, without -allowing the latter to make use of them (see _Belg. Allem._, p. 118). - -A last point as to requisitions. They shall _as far as possible be paid -for in ready money; if not, a receipt shall be given_. - -Very often no receipt has been given to the owners of property taken. -Elsewhere the receipts are fantastical and valueless. - -It is the truth that those who do receive vouchers are requested -to satisfy themselves of their accuracy, but this prescription is -obviously a dead letter. Imagine, on the one hand, a peasant, Fleming -or Walloon, terrorized into a condition of helplessness, and incapable -of reading a voucher scrawled in German; and on the other, soldiers -whose customary arguments are shooting and burning. - - ARTICLE 53. - - _An army of occupation shall only take possession of cash, funds, - and realizable securities which are strictly the property of the - State, depôts of arms, means of transport, stores and supplies, - and, generally, all movable property belonging to the State which - may be used for military operations...._ - -From the very first days of the occupation the Germans, in defiance -of law and justice, seized upon the communal treasuries and the funds -deposited in the branch establishments of the National Bank, the -post offices, etc. They were obliged to recognize the justice of the -protests made by the Belgian Government; but their love of pillage is -incorrigible; on entering Gand, on Monday, the 12th October, their -first care was to lay hands on the 1,800,000 (£72,000) contained in the -communal treasury. - -According to Article 55 the Germans had no right to remove the -furniture of the Ministries of Brussels (p. 134), since this property -was not of a kind to be useful in military operations. - - ARTICLE 55. - - _The occupying State shall be regarded only as administrator and - usufructuary of public buildings, landed property, forests, and - agricultural undertakings belonging to the hostile State, and - situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the capital of - such properties and administer them in accordance with the rules of - usufruct._ - -The German respect for legality did not restrain them from violating -this Article. From the very first days of the war they employed the -churches which they consented to leave standing as stables; on reaching -Liége they took possession of the Palais de Justice and made a -barracks of it. Why did they expel Justice? Herren Koester and Noske -tell us (p. 30), it was simply because the position is central and easy -to defend (see a photograph facing p. 32). They did not take account -of the fact that such employment of the building is doubly contrary -to the Hague Convention, since they did not respect the nature of the -monument, and exposed it to bombardment by Allied aviators on the -look-out for the German garrison. - -It was the same with the Palais de Justice of Brussels, which also -serves as a German barracks. To adapt it to its novel use, the soldiers -have destroyed a great part of the magnificent furnishings which -adorned the halls; the immediate surroundings have been fortified, -and the cupola serves by night as a station for signalling to -dirigibles. In short, all preparations have been made with a view to -the bombardment of Poelaert's masterpiece by the Allies. - -It is obviously with the idea of preventing their adversaries from -attacking them that they take up their quarters in our monuments; these -are to serve them as artistic bucklers, just as our compatriots are -employed as living bucklers. - -The violations of Article 55 are past counting. We will confine -ourselves to mentioning a few in Brussels; they will give us some idea -of the diversity of the transformations which our property has suffered -at German hands. The offices of the Ministries are transformed into -bedrooms for officers. The Palais des Académies has become a military -hospital; God knows in what condition we shall find its libraries. -In the Parc Royal of Brussels, in the centre of the city, they have -installed an automobile depôt, a riding-track, and a rifle range; on -the 28th October a shot fired from this range wounded a lady through -the windows of the Schlobach _magasin_ in the Rue Royale. - - ARTICLE 56. - - _The property of local authorities, as well as that of institutions - dedicated to public worship, charity, education, and to science - and art, even when State property, shall be treated as private - property._ - - _Any seizure or destruction of, or wilful damage to, institutions - of this character, historic monuments and works of science and art, - is forbidden, and should be made the subject of legal proceedings._ - -The first paragraph of this Article has been scrupulously observed; -the property of the communes, etc., has indeed been treated as private -property has been treated: the latter has everywhere been sacked and -looted, and the Germans have done the same to collective property. - -As to the intentional character of these acts of vandalism, it is -indubitable. How otherwise explain the fact that in numerous villages -the church has been the prey of the flames, in many cases even when -the surrounding houses have remained intact? A few examples will -suffice. The village of Haecht was occupied on the 19th and 20th -August. On the 24th the Belgians in Antwerp made a sortie which was -repulsed. The Germans, infuriated, shot 17 civilians and pillaged all -the houses, particularly remembering the wine in the cellars. Then the -inhabitants were expelled. A fresh sortie of the Belgians took place -from the 9th to the 13th September; at noon on the last day our troops -fell back; in the afternoon the Germans set fire to the church and 41 -houses. The strong-box of the church was broken open after the fire. -The destruction of the monument did not strike them as sufficient, -and they dynamited the whole on the 16th (or 17th) September. In -the neighbouring village of Werchter, after the battle of the 25th -and 26th August, they shot 6 civilians and burned 267 houses out of -the 513 which formed the village. After the second fight, on the -15th September, they burned the church. In both villages most of the -houses round the churches were spared; it will therefore be difficult -for the Germans to pretend, as at Louvain, that the burning of these -churches was an accident (_Brandunglück_) due to burning fragments -carried by the wind (p. 220). We have already (p. 73) noted another -more significant case, that of the chapel of the Béguinage of Termonde, -which was alone burned, in the centre of the Béguinage, not a dwelling -of which was touched. - - -_Conclusions--The Famine in Belgium._ - -Germany had need, in the conflict with France, of all the men who -passed through Belgium; also she could leave in Belgium only weak -garrisons of the Landsturm. To safeguard them against possible attack -on the part of the Belgian population, it was necessary to terrorize -the latter to such a point that it no longer dared to stir. Such was -the object of the carnage and incendiarism which marked the beginning -of the campaign, as was frankly admitted by Herr Walter Blöm, adjutant -to the Governor-General in Belgium (p. 84). No doubt the massacres of -Louvain, Andenne, Tamines, and Dinant, committed to order between the -19th and the 26th August, appeared insufficient, for a new series was -organized between the 4th and 13th September. - -At the news of this butchery a resounding cry of horror and indignation -went up from all the nations of the earth. That the Belgian Army, -on the field of battle, should have paid large tribute to the war -unloosed upon us by Germany--that was to be expected, but no one -would have dared to suppose that Germany, after participating in the -second Hague Conference, would display towards our civil population -such an implacable cruelty, such exterminating fury, as history has -never recorded since the Thirty Years' War. But facts are facts; one -must needs submit to the evidence; the German Army has destroyed our -treasures of art and science, has shot down in cold blood, often by -machine-gun fire, hosts of men, women, even old people and children; -it has ordered the burning of thousands of houses; it has turned whole -districts into deserts. - -Still, some semblance of motive was necessary; with a mathematical -regularity the pretext of "francs-tireurs" was alleged. "_Man hat -geschossen_"--that was enough; immediately the neighbourhood was given -over to massacre, pillage, and fire. Never was any inquiry made, no -matter how summary. Yet when it was desired to show a foreigner of -note--for example, Dr. Sven Hedin--how they proceeded in the matter of -punishing "francs-tireurs," a regular Council of War was constituted -... which brought in a verdict of _non-lieu_ (p. 78). We defy the -Germans to cite a single case in which a tribunal of this kind has sat -_before_ reprisals. In the few rare cases when witnesses, etc., have -been questioned the examination has taken place _after_ the firing of -houses and the shooting of inhabitants. This is why we declare without -the slightest reservation that _not one single attack by civilians_ has -been established by any kind of proof. - - -_The Flight of the Belgians._ - -The inhabitants of our towns and our countryside soon realized to -what they were exposing themselves if they awaited the arrival of -the Germans in their own homes. So, as the Germans advanced, a void -appeared before them. After the taking of Antwerp, the majority of -the peasants of the "Campine" of Antwerp fled in all haste toward -Holland. If to them we add the people of Antwerp, who had been driven -out by the bombardment, and above all the innumerable villages of -Brabant, Limburg, and the provinces of Liége and Antwerp, whose homes -had been pillaged and reduced to ashes, we shall not be astonished to -find that in October there were more than a million Belgian refugees -in Holland.[30] To our northern neighbours we owe our profoundest -gratitude for the fraternal manner in which they welcomed our -unfortunate compatriots. - - -_The Causes of the Famine._ - -The horror provoked by the butchery at Dinant, Aerschot, etc., -relegated to the background the purely material crimes. But these--the -pillage, methodically conducted, of our towns, villages, farms, -and châteaux--the outrageous requisitions of provisions and of the -raw material of industries--the formidable taxes which drain us -of coin--the fines which rain upon the communal administrations -and on private persons--and many other infractions of the Hague -Convention--have exercised on our economical life an extremely -depressing effect, but have produced no echo abroad: doubtless because -only those can understand the whole extent of our misery who daily rub -shoulders with the thousands of starving and unemployed people who drag -themselves from one end of the town to the other in quest of work that -is not to be found, or who mingle with the interminable files of women -who go in search of rations of bread and soup for their families. - -Let us briefly consider the principal causes of famine which prevails -in Belgium. - -1. Exaggerated requisitions, out of all proportion to the resources of -the country. They are of two kinds:-- - -Firstly, those which have emptied the country of grain, cattle, forage, -and other foodstuffs. - -Then the requisitions of the raw materials intended for the factories, -which have completely paralysed industry, especially in the Flanders. -One example will suffice. All the workshops of Termonde were burned -save one--the Escaut-Dendre establishment, which makes boots and shoes. -But the Germans sent into Germany both the leather and the shoes which -were in the warehouse. The factory is thus condemned to stand idle for -lack of raw material, and also for lack of funds. Those industries of -which the machinery has been removed are also, of course, doomed to -paralysis. The German authorities threaten to despoil our factories of -all the copper forming part of the machinery, which would reduce them -one and all to impotence. It is an ironical fact that this measure was -announced by a propagandist leaflet addressed to the Belgians. - -2. Having made a clean sweep of the greater portion of all that was -indispensable to us, the Germans have been careful to take our money -from us. Under every imaginable pretext, and often without any pretext -at all, they have imposed crushing taxes upon us. The regular payment -of these taxes showing that the public coffers were not yet quite -empty, the Germans hastened to impose fines upon us, which vary from 5 -frs. to 5 millions. The private banks, too, are threatened every moment -with the removal of a portion of their funds. - -3. It is needless to insist on a third cause, which reduces our -working-class families to idleness and poverty: the destruction of an -enormous number of factories--some bombarded, but most of them burned -of set purpose. - -4. We have already seen that many factories which remained intact are -condemned to inactivity by the lack of raw material, or because they -have been deprived of their machinery. The others are equally paralysed. - -The stoppage of traffic on the railway lines, the impediments of all -kinds placed in the way of inland navigation, the absence of maritime -navigation, are causes more than sufficient to prevent the importation -of raw materials and the exportation of manufactured products. Of all -these obstacles the most important is assuredly the suppression of -goods traffic on the railways. "Why," say the Germans, "do not Belgian -employés return to their work, since our military trains would in any -case be run by our own men?" Hypocrites! The slowness and irregularity -of the trains is highly inconvenient to the German army, and it would -much like to see them resume their normal speed; but for this it -requires the assistance of the Belgian staff. Is it not obvious that -if our railway-men resumed their labours they would at the same time -facilitate the transport of German troops and munitions? - -Let us again cite the prohibition of "circulation" between 8 or 9 -o'clock and 6 o'clock, which is an obstacle to night work, which is -quite indispensable to the large industries; and the suppression of the -special trains by which the workers travelled. - -5. Commerce has suffered no less than industry. There is no telegraph, -no telephone, no posting of closed letters; that is, no means of -sending or receiving orders. No railway, no horses, no motor-cars to -deliver goods or to supply customers. And, to cap all, the slightest -journey necessitates all sorts of exaggerated expenses: there is the -acquisition of a passport, the train journey at the rate of 10 cm. -per kilometre, hotel expenses, etc. The expenditure might be a minor -matter, but what of the waste of time? Before 1st July, 1915, any one -going from Liége to Brussels for business purposes had first of all to -waste one or two days in procuring his passport; the journey occupied -at least half a day; and after interviewing his client he would find -that there was no train back to Liége on the same day. In short, he -would have to allow four days for a journey which in normal times took -half a day. - - * * * * * - -Other causes of famine are: - -The scarcity and high cost of provisions. - -The financial difficulties in which the public powers are involved. - -The paralysis of industry and commerce, resulting in unemployment--that -is, in suppression of wages. - -In short, a diminution of resources, accompanied by an increase of -expenditure; so that the public coffers are almost powerless to come to -the aid of private distress. - -That is how we stand in Belgium. - -It is not our intention to depict the poignant distress which has -overwhelmed our country. We shall merely explain briefly how we try to -cope with it; this will suffice to give some idea of it. - - -_Creation of Temporary Shelters._ - -Let us first of all consider the country districts. Even when a few -houses only of a village have escaped incendiarism the inhabitants have -returned thither and have resumed their customary labours. Must they -not plough and sow, under penalty of preparing for themselves another -year of wretchedness? Where houses exist no longer they live in a -cellar, or an outhouse to which some kind of roof has been improvised; -families passed the winter of 1914-15 in a potato-silo,[31] under -the shelter of a few mats of straw. In the ruined villages the first -anxiety of the public powers and the relief committees was therefore to -provide provisional shelter. - -In the towns and industrial districts the most urgent necessities are -of another kind. What is lacking most particularly is employment. The -administrations have therefore set themselves to provide the unemployed -with paid occupations which do not demand apprenticeship--the clearing -of ruins, the levelling of soil, the digging of reservoirs, etc. -The communal coffers being empty, communal vouchers are issued. -_L'Événement Illustré_, in its fourth issue, gives reproductions of -some of these vouchers, of which, it states, there are more than -500. In the communes near Louvain, where the poverty is particularly -poignant, it has been necessary to create vouchers for 2 centimes (at -Wilsele) and 5 centimes (at Herent). - -From the outset stringent measures were taken to make up for the -insufficiency of provisions and to prevent speculators from obtaining -possession of existing stocks. The most important of these regulations -are the following:-- - - (_a_) Fixing of maximum prices. - - (_b_) Prohibition of the exportation of provisions from the commune. - - (_c_) It is forbidden to give animals provisions intended for human - beings. - - (_d_) Collective exploitation. Many communes have set up in - business as bakers, butchers, restaurant-keepers, coal merchants, - dealers in colonial produce, etc. They prepare bread and soup - daily, and these are provided gratuitously to the poorest, or - sold at a low price to those who still have a few savings. In the - Brussels district there had been distributed by the 31st January, - 1915, to adults, 30,060,608 rations, comprising soup and bread, - and to the children 932,838 rations, consisting chiefly of milk, - phosphatine, and powdered milk. - -Certain communes also sell meat; others have installed communal stores -for the sale of all kinds of provisions, especially preserved foods, -dried vegetables, salt, potatoes, etc.; almost everywhere coal is sold -retail; petroleum was sold as long as it could be obtained. Moreover, -the collectivities are distributing enormous quantities of clothes; in -the Brussels district alone by the end of January 660,865 frs. worth of -clothing and footwear had been given to the necessitous. Abuses have -as far as possible been guarded against, (1) by the "household card," -the _Carte de ménage_, which indicates the number of persons composing -each family; and (2) by the limitation of the quantity of each kind of -goods which the household can obtain during the week. - -The basis of alimentation is bread. Therefore particularly Draconian -rules have been elaborated for the bakeries. - - -_The National Relief Committee._ - -Many problems presented themselves simultaneously, and with an -extreme urgency. In all communes local committees have been set up, -entrusted with the equitable distribution of provisions among all the -inhabitants. We say "all the inhabitants," for the reader must not -form any illusions as to our condition: there is not a single Belgian -family which, if left to itself, could obtain its daily bread; the -general rationing to which the whole population is subjected makes rich -and poor equally dependent on the National Committee of Relief and -Alimentation. - -To organize the feeding of the public would have been a task above our -strength if Belgium, in her present distress, had been abandoned to -her own resources. But the misfortunes which have come upon us because -we could not consent to comply with the orders of a tyrannical and -perjured neighbour--the poverty which cripples us more completely day -by day, as requisitions, pillage, taxes, and fines deprive us of our -last resources--the massacres and the incendiarism which have turned -into deserts the most fertile and most densely peopled provinces -of Europe--the molestations and annoyances which have reduced to -unemployment a working population whose activity is proverbial--in -short, the unmerited misfortune which _Kultur_ has inflicted upon -us--all this has awakened, in all the civilized nations, a current of -sympathy and solidarity with poor Belgium. - -By Germany our country was condemned to perish of starvation. The -miracle which alone could save us has been effected by the charity -of Spain, Scandinavia, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand, -Australia, Canada, the Argentine Republic, Brazil, and, above all, -the United States. Since the month of November 1914 vessels laden -with provisions have been regularly leaving the American ports for -Rotterdam, whence the food is despatched, principally by means of -barges, into Belgium, and distributed, in the smallest villages even, -by the care of the National Committee of Relief and Alimentation. This -Committee is an extension throughout the whole country of a commission -which was formed early in September 1914 to succour the Brussels -district; it is under the patronage of their Excellencies the Marquis -of Villalobar, the Spanish Minister, and Mr. Brand Whitlock, the -United States Minister. In January and February 1915 the Committee was -induced to concern itself also with the country round Maubeuge, and the -Givet--Furnay--Sedan district. - -The mission of the National Committee is equitably to distribute relief -and provisions. But it does not itself collect these resources; as -they derive more particularly from the United States it is an American -Committee, the "Commission for Relief in Belgium," which undertakes -to collect and administer funds. It is the American Committee which -despatches to Rotterdam, from American ports, the steamers carrying -food and clothing. In each province the American Commission has a -delegate who supervises the distribution of provisions and relief; he -assures himself that nothing is diverted to the use of the German army. -The Commission for Relief in Belgium sits in London, its chairman being -Mr. Herbert Hoover. - - * * * * * - -A serious difficulty cropped up immediately. Foreign beneficence was -eager to aid the Belgians, but not, obviously, the butchers who occupy -our country. It was therefore necessary at all costs to prevent the -German army from seizing the provisions and subsidies despatched by -America. - -On the 16th October, 1914, the German authorities undertook to -exempt from all requisitions the provisions imported by the National -Committee. But this promise was promptly violated. The Germans, it is -true, did not requisition the wheat, but they did requisition the bread -made from that wheat. Moreover, they pretended that their engagement of -the 16th October, 1914, general as it was, did not affect Flanders, a -_territoire d'étape_ not subject to the Governor-General. This is the -effect of their letter of the 21st November, 1914. Up to the present -it has been impossible to get them to keep the engagements to which -they subscribed on the 16th October; for although they have extended to -cattle-foods the promise that nothing should be requisitioned by the -troops placed under the orders of the Governor-General--the _territoire -d'étape_ being thus excluded--they have, on the other hand, forced -the communes of Flanders to open grain markets, in which they make -purchases, thus continuing to impoverish the food-stores of the country. - -While they exclude Flanders from the region exempted from requisitions, -they take care not to breathe a word of this exemption in their own -newspapers. The _K.Z._, on the 4th January, and _Der Volksfreund_ -on the 5th declared that requisitions of foodstuffs were suspended -throughout Belgium. - -Despite the difficulties raised by the Germans, the National Committee -of Relief and Alimentation has rendered our country inestimable -services, which only those who have visited our towns and rural -districts and have seen the work of the local Committees can form any -conception. - -We borrow from the report of the Executive Committee for the month of -January 1915 (published in Brussels 15th February, 1915) a few figures -(_see_ table, p. 176) as to the distribution of relief during the month -of January. - -But the National Committee extends its beneficent action over many -departments which are not mentioned in this table. - -Here, according to the same report, is the list of these departments:-- - - I. Department of Alimentation (Foodstuffs). - II. Agricultural Section of the National Committee. - III. Relief Department: - 1. Subsidies to Provincial Committees. - 2. Construction of Refuges (100,000 frs. for Luxemburg) - 3. Organizations patronized: - A. Central Refugee Committee. - B. Assistance and support of families of officers and - under-officers deprived of their means of sustenance - by the war (first subvention 50,000 frs.). - C. Assistance and support of Belgian physicians and - druggists ruined by the war (first subsidy of - 10,000 frs.). - D. Assistance and support of artists (first subsidy - 10,000 frs.). - E. Assistance and support of infantile charities. - F. Assistance and support of destitute persons. - G. Assistance and support of the homeless (Accommodation - section). - H. Assistance and support of destitute churches (two - subsidies of 5,000 frs. each). - I. Assistance and protection of the unemployed. - J. Assistance and protection of lace-makers (subsidy - of 129,749 frs.). - K. Union of Belgian Towns and Communes. - L. Belgian Intelligence Agency for Prisoners of War - and Persons Interned (monthly subvention of - 3,000 frs.). - 4. Co-operative Society for Loans and Advances. - 5. Advances to Provinces and Communes. - 6. Clothing. - - -DISTRIBUTION OF FOODSTUFFS, CLOTHING, AND SUBSIDIES IN MONEY, IN THE -PROVINCES - -NATURE OF MERCHANDISE. - -_Quantities in Tons._ - -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- -Despatched|Wheat | Flour|Rice|Peas | Salt|Po- |Ba-|Maize|Sun-|Cloth- |Subsi- - or | | | |and | |ta- |con| |dry | ing | dies to -Remitted | | | |Beans| |toes| | | | (value|Provin - to-- | | | | | | | | | | in | cial - | | | | | | | | | |Francs)|Commit- - | | | | | | | | | | | tees (in - | | | | | | | | | | | France) -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- -Province | | | | | | | | | | | - of | | | | | | | | | | | - Antwerp | 3,525| 1,247| --| 126| --| 2| --| 713| --|100,880| 300,000 -Brussels | | | | | | | | | | | - and | | | | | | | | | | | - District | 3,371| 1,329| 13| 247| 6| --| --| 90| 82|379,058| 300,000 -Brabant | 2,962| 1,486| --| 31| 116| 4| 24| 548| 57|101,916| -- -Western | | | | | | | | | | | - Flanders | 542| 519| 59| 48| 20| --| --| --| 23| 41,059| 170,000 -Eastern | | | | | | | | | | | - Flanders | 4,419| 1,982| 37| 46| 4| --| 3|1,120| 14| --| 300,000 -Hainaut | 5,602| 3,739| 258| 350| --| 74| --| 181| 293| 81,493| 550,000 -Liége | 3,356| 1,242| --| 5| --| --| --| 200| 80| 4,860| 280,000 -Limburg | 1,539| 1,466| 11| --| --| 22| --| 200| 35| 41,477| 160,000 -Luxemburg | 209| 853| 1| 58| --| --| --| --| --| 16,656| 160,000 -Namur | 1,011| 346| --| 60| --| --| --| 150| 89| 95,307| 203,000 - General | | | | | | | | | | | - Stock, | | | | | | | | | | | - Brussels | 446| 119| --| 8|2,268| 38| --| --| 239| --| -- -Various | | | | | | | | | | | - Charities| --| --| --| --| --| --| --| --| --| 9,687| -- -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- -Totals |27,476|14,338| 359| 979|2,414| 140| 27|3,202| 912|822,379|2,423,000 -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- - -Since the month of January 1915 the National Committee has not ceased -to extend its activities. But it is impossible to give more precise -data. The German authorities no longer permit the Committee to publish -its reports. In their dry, official manner they show us only too -clearly what we are to think of the present "prosperity" of Belgium and -the "normal state of the situation." - - * * * * * - -It will be seen that the activities of the National Committee are -fruitful and extensive. But more and more money is required, as savings -are exhausted and as the public coffers are emptied by the Germans. - -In January 1915 the Sovereign Pontiff surrendered the Belgian -contribution to Peter's Pence. - -As 40 million frs. per month (£1,600,000) is being paid to the Germans, -poverty is rapidly increasing. The number of Belgians deprived of -all resources and obliged to live entirely on charity had risen by -February to 1,500,000. It was estimated that by June it would be -2,500,000, or more than one-third of the total population. In February -the nourishment of this famishing host already demanded 10 million frs. -(£400,000) per month; soon it will demand 12 to 13 millions. In this -conjuncture Mr. Hoover, the President of the American Commission, went -begging to the British Government, which promised £100,000 per month -provided Germany would cease to make requisitions in Flanders and levy -the tax of 40 millions. Germany refused. How will it end? - - -_Belgium's Gratitude to America._ - -Belgium knows that she owes her relief to the United States. Without -American charity our country would perish in the distress into which -the German exactions have plunged her. No one in Belgium will ever -forget this, and it is in the name of the whole nation that King Albert -has publicly thanked America. - -It was in sign of homage, and also of gratitude, that on the 22nd -February, 1915, on the anniversary of American Independence, the -Belgians wore in their buttonholes a medallion of the Stars and -Stripes, while thousands of the citizens of Brussels left their cards -at the hotel of His Excellency Mr. Brand H. Whitlock. Baron von Bissing -spoke of this as childishness; at Liége German officers even snatched -the American colours from women and young girls. Massacre and arson are -more familiar to _Kultur_ than gratitude. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[14] And also justified by the laws of warfare as affecting invasion. -Moreover: "The rules which affect a _levée en masse_ (a general rising -of the people to repel invaders, without organization) should be -generously interpreted. The first duty of a citizen is to defend his -country, and provided he does so loyally he should not be treated as a -marauder or criminal." The Germans could not at the outset know that -there was no _levée en masse_.--(TRANS.) - -[15] The Germans have tried to persuade Rome that these priests were -not assassinated but killed in battle. - -[16] To give an idea of these accusations, it was said that in the -cellars of a Louvain convent the corpses of fifty German soldiers were -discovered, murdered by the monks. - -[17] If organized and disciplined, the civic guards and francs-tireurs -would have formed part of the Belgian forces, provided they wore a -recognizable sign and bore arms openly.--(TRANS.) - -[18] We shall see later (p. 221) that at Louvain Dr. Hedin was -shamefully deceived by the military authorities who were guiding him -through the city. It is this which makes us fear that there may also -have been deceit in the case of the villagers tried as "francs-tireurs." - -[19] _Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege._ Professor J. H. Morgan has published -a translation, with an introduction (John Murray). For a comparison -between German, French, and English usages see _Frightfulness in Theory -and Practice_, by Charles Andler, ed. Bernard Miall (T. Fisher Unwin). - -[20] They are all, with a truly German lack of originality, with -the genuine intellectual slavishness of the "blonde beast," simply -repeating the words of Clausewitz, as all German military philosophers -have done for the best part of a century.--(TRANS.) - -[21] A perusal of Clausewitz, von Hartmann, and the _Kriegsbrauch_ -would have dispelled all doubt. None of these theories is new: how -often does a German develop a _new_ theory? This peculiarly bloodless, -mechanically ferocious barbarism is nearly a century old. The French -had seen it in action before.--(TRANS.) - -[22] The Germans even accuse the Belgian Government of paying its -"francs-tireurs" "by the piece"; that is, so much per German killed. - -[23] If it had _openly_ encouraged the civil population it would -merely have ordered the _levée en masse_, which it had a perfect right -to do: as Germany did in 1813. But it is interesting to note that in -1813 the German francs-tireurs were required _not_ to wear distinctive -uniforms or badges, and were allowed to use any weapons and any means -of injuring the enemy. Germany invented the franc-tireur, and now -expects Belgium to do what she would do in a like case. _The bogy so -feared by the German soldier is, indeed, his own shadow._ Actually, of -course, the Belgian Government called upon civilians to keep quiet and -to surrender arms.--(TRANS.) - -[24] Thus _Der Grosse Krieg_, pp. 51 and 52, published a Wolff telegram -on the 3rd August, 1914, saying that many spies had already been shot -in Germany, but that the public should none the less be careful to -report suspects, particularly those who spoke a foreign language. - -[25] _Étape_ (_etappen_, Germ.), stores, rations, or a -halting-place.--(TRANS.) - -[26] If we mention Reims it is because the Germans have on eight -occasions posted placards in Belgium bearing declarations relating to -this crime against civilization. - -[27] We have not been able to verify the authenticity of the quotation -from the _Times_. - -[28] In Germany the phrase has a meaning _sui generis_. - -[29] Names will be published later. - -[30] See photographs in _Panorama_, 9B (26th August, 1914), 17A (16th -October, 1914), 18A (16th October, 1914). - -[31] A pit for storing potatoes in good condition. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE GERMAN MIND, SELF-DEPICTED - - -In those chapters in which we have dealt with the violations of -international treaties, and of the Hague Convention, we have often -been led to comment on the mode of thought displayed by those who -committed these crimes. But hitherto we have touched upon the subject -of German mentality only in an incidental fashion; it will doubtless be -interesting to consider it more closely. - -We shall utilize, by preference, documents of German origin. In cases -where these are lacking, for example, in the case of the cruelties -committed, we shall have recourse to observations which we ourselves -have collected, and whose authenticity is indisputable. - -In place of passing in review all the peculiarities of the modern -German mind, which would occupy too much space, we shall confine -ourselves to those from which Belgium has suffered most cruelly; but -we shall not speak--it would be superfluous--of the obscene spirit of -rape, and rapacity, and drunkenness. The three psychological elements -which we shall consider are pride, duplicity, and spitefulness. - - -A.--Pride. - -_Some Manifestations of Pride and the Spirit of Boasting._ - -"The German nation is the Chosen People, and God is with us." That is -the prevailing idea of the speeches and proclamations of the Kaiser. -In his Speech from the Throne on the 4th August, 1914, he declared: -"It is not the spirit of conquest which urges us forward; but we are -animated by the inflexible determination to retain the position in -which God has set us, for ourselves and for all the generations to -come." - -In her pride Germany is unanimous. No German is permitted to doubt -the indisputable superiority of his nation over all other nations. As -soon as he learns to lisp his first words, his brain is steeped in the -conviction that no people is comparable to his own, even remotely. - -This longing to exalt his own country is accompanied by a corresponding -desire to abase all others. Hardly is a discovery of any kind made in a -neighbouring country than a German appropriates it in order to give it -a new trade-mark. One example will suffice. - -All the world knows that Louis Pasteur was the founder of the science -of bacteriology, a science whose consequences, in the spheres of -hygiene and medicine, are incalculable. Germany ignores Pasteur and has -heard only of Koch. A Belgian, who attended the Berlin celebrations -in honour of Koch, returned disgusted with the fact that the name -of Pasteur was systematically suppressed throughout the ceremonies. -In an obituary notice devoted to Koch a Belgian bacteriologist, M. -Jules Bordet, remarked with great justice, in speaking of the German -biographies of the scientist who had just died:-- - -"They made Koch the absolute creator of modern medicine: all other -glory pales before his; he is the founder of bacteriology. Their -obituary articles, emanating, for the most part, from disciples of -the master, and which are, one feels, steeped in pious gratitude, -and also, perhaps, to a certain extent, in a somewhat exclusive -patriotism, attribute to him the honour of having shown the organic -origin of contagious diseases." "It would be," said Herr Pfeiffer, -the distinguished Breslau bacteriologist, "a real act of justice were -posterity to divide the history of medicine into two periods, one -before Koch and the other after him." - -Reading such notices it would almost seem as though Pasteur had never -lived! - -We think M. Bordet shows himself far too indulgent toward the German -biographers when he says, in conclusion: "And one could not take it -amiss of these disciples if, in their filial solicitude, they left on -the tomb of their Master a few leaves from the laurels of Pasteur." - -Here is another example of boasting, interesting principally by reason -of the _charlatanesque_ manner in which it was published. Every one -has heard of the Cooper-Hewitt mercury-vapour lamp, with its strange -blue-violet light, so rich in ultra-violet rays. The most summary -treatises on physics explain that quartz will allow the ultra-violet -rays to pass, and that the Cooper-Hewitt quartz lamp is in constant -employment in the laboratories. But if you read the communication which -the Germans imposed upon _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ on the 27th December, 1914, -you will see that the Germans invented the whole affair. - -If you want to be initiated into the perfections of the German, Herr -Momme Nissen, in _Der Krieg und die Deutsche Kunst_, will enumerate -them for you. "The qualities of the German," he says, "integrity and -courage, profundity of mind and fidelity, insight and the sense of -inwardness, modesty and piety, are also the ornaments of our art." - - -_The Germans compare themselves with their Allies._ - -Here is a last point to be considered. The Germans do not merely -consider themselves to be superior to their adversaries; they are -equally modest on behalf of their allies. To their minds, and in their -writings, the present war is "the German war." The most complete -chronological compilation which has appeared hitherto is entitled -_Chronik des Deutschen Krieges_. The official publications deliberately -ignore the Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Croats, Turks, etc. The first -of the pamphlets of propaganda distributed by the Germans (_Journal -de la Guerre_) begins thus: "The name this war will one day bear in -history is already determined; it can only be the _German War_, for it -is a war destined to establish the position of the German nation in the -world." By what name shall we call the German's sense of superiority -over all other nations: is it pride, presumption, or impudence? - -Herr Paul Rohrbach, who is generally more moderate in his expressions, -has written a pamphlet entitled _Warum es der Deutsche Krieg ist_ ("Why -this is the German War"). - -It would be useless to insist on the general aspects of the question. -Let us consider only a few of the immediate consequences of this frame -of mind: militarism, disdain for others, cynicism, and absence of the -critical spirit. - - -1. MILITARISM. - -_Might comes before Right._ - -Bismarck has given us a precise formula of the cult of brute force, -"Might comes before right!" Nietzsche has gone further, "Might creates -right." "You say that a good cause sanctifies even war? I tell you that -a good war sanctifies any cause!" (_Thus Spake Zarathustra_). - -Herr Maximilian Harden, the well-known polemical writer, expressed -the same idea in a lecture delivered at Duisbourg and reproduced in -_K.Z._ (8th December, 1914). It is expressed with equal lucidity in an -article published in _Zeit im Bild_ (19th November, 1914), and signed -_Vitus Bug_; the author, after inquiring into the reasons which make -Germany hated, adds: "Let us be victorious, and people will immediately -discover that we were in the right!" - -It is, consequently, towards the army that the essential aspirations -of the German nation converge; everything must give way to the -military interest; the moment this is in question there is no longer -any room for morality, says Professor Rein, of the University of Jena -(_N.R.C._, 22nd January, 1915, morning), nor for humanity, says Herr -Erzberger (_N.R.C._, 6th February, 1915, evening), nor even for the -law of nations, declares Professor Beer, of the University of Leipzig -(_Völkerrecht und Krieg_). In other countries people have remained -simple enough to believe that it is precisely in time of war that the -prescriptions of international law should be most strictly respected. -Nothing of the sort, say the Germans; the moment war breaks out -everyday justice can only efface itself. On the slightest accusation, -the least pretext, or even without any, they begin to shoot and to -burn. If by accident those put to death are innocent, or if there was -in truth no complaint to be made against the inhabitants of the houses -burned to ashes, it is obviously regrettable; but such commonplace -considerations will not prevent the German army from inflicting on the -nearest village a punishment any less exemplary. _Es ist Krieg_: in -this phrase is contained the whole psychology of the German soldier in -war-time. "Do you suppose," said a German at Louvain, "that we've got -time to make inquiries?" (_N.R.C._, 9th September, 1914, morning). "You -understand clearly," said an officer at Francorchamps, "that we cannot -stop the German army to inquire if this man has really fired on us; he -was accused of doing so; isn't that sufficient reason for shooting him?" - - * * * * * - -Before leaving the subject of militarism, we will cite one -insignificant fact which, however trifling, clearly reveals the -importance which the military idea has assumed in the conceptions of -the German people. According to the _N.R.C._ of the 6th February, 1915 -(evening), _Vorwärts_ has protested against the following measure: The -German wife whose husband is under arms cannot be expelled from her -dwelling for non-payment of rent; but if her husband should be killed -in the war the landlord immediately recovers the right to turn her out. - - -2. DISDAIN OF OTHERS. - -We have seen that the Germans are seeking by all possible means to -accentuate their superiority over their neighbours. An elementary -procedure for increasing the vertical distance between them and their -rivals consists in depreciating the latter. Germany has so often, in -every tone of voice, proclaimed the irremediable inferiority of all -the other peoples inhabiting our planet, that she has at last come to -believe it herself, and has begun to act in conformity with her belief. - - -_Some Inept Proclamations, etc._ - -Thus, to speak only of our own experience, they assuredly -under-estimated our national integrity when they believed us capable -of becoming accomplices in the violation of an international treaty. -They also greatly under-estimated our army's powers of resistance, or -they would have taken good care not to lose a fortnight in Belgium, -a delay which spoiled their sudden attack upon France. Finally, they -show us every day, by their placards, that they do not think much of -our intelligence. Some of those entitled "News published by the German -General Government" are really inimitable. - -Imagine our laughter when the authorities to whom we are forced to -submit officially announced that a German squadron had captured fifteen -fishing-boats; or that the Serbians had taken Semlin in order to obtain -food; or that the star of Paschitsch was growing pale; or that the -Austrians had evacuated Lemberg for strategic and humanitarian reasons; -or that the British Army is so ill-equipped that the soldiers are -without writing-paper and shoelaces; or that the river of the "gifts of -love" continues to flow; or that General Joffre (in a French that could -only have come from a German pen) informs his troops that "the moment -is come to profit by the weakness which offers itself to us, after we -have reinforced ourselves in men and material." In the last days of -September 1914, when a citizen of Brussels met a fair-haired comrade, -he hastened to measure him, to make sure that he was not Charles-Alice -Yate, "being about 5 ft. 9 in. in height." - -Here are some of these placards:-- - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _6th September, 1914_.--The Austria-Hungarian Ambassador - publishes the following dispatch which has been forwarded to him by - the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vienna:-- - - "The Russian news on the subject of the battle of Lemberg and - the triumphant capture of the city is a lie. The open town of - Lemberg was evacuated by us without a battle for strategical and - humanitarian reasons." - - THE GENERAL GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - LONDON, _8th September, 1914_ (Reuter's Agency).--A German - squadron, composed of two cruisers and four torpedo-boats, has - captured fifteen English fishing-boats in the North Sea, and has - brought numerous prisoners to Wilhelmshaven. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _22nd September, 1914_.--On the night of the 19th September - Major Charles-Alice Yate, of the regiment of the Yorkshire Light - Infantry, escaped from Torgau, where he was prisoner of war. Yate - is that English officer of superior rank concerning whom it was - announced the other day that he did not deny, upon inquiry, that - the English troops have been supplied with dum-dum bullets; in the - course of this interrogatory he declared that the soldier must - obviously use the ammunition which is furnished to him by the - Government. - - The fugitive is about 5 ft. 9 in. in height; he is slender, - fair-haired, and speaks German well. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - VIENNA, _29th September, 1914_.--The _Reichspost_ announces from - Sofia: The correspondent of the _Volja_, the organ of Ghenadjev, - writes from Nish: The Austrian offensive has serious consequences - for Serbia; rebellion is muttering in the country and the army, and - every day may see the outbreak of the revolution. During the last - few days several regiments of artillery have revolted. A certain - number of guns have been demolished.... - - King Peter has returned; he is completely apathetic, and the Crown - Prince Alexander does not know what to do. The star of Paschitsch - is paling, and it is feared there may soon be victims in his - entourage. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - -L ONDON, _6th October, 1914_.--The _Daily Chronicle_ announces that - at Aldershot, in round figures, 135,000 militia belonging to all - arms should be prepared to depart for the army as soon as they - are ready. However, the training, despite the most brilliant - efforts, could not give satisfactory results, the troops being - insufficiently equipped. The newspaper appeals for the assistance - of the public, and remarks that, for example, no officer of Lord - Kitchener's first army possesses field-glasses. They also lack - socks, handkerchiefs, shoelaces, writing-paper and materials, and - drums and fifes for the Scottish regiments. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - -What is even more strange than their insistence in offering us their -sophisticated views, is their virtuous indignation when they discover -that we are not receptive of this kind of truth. Thus the people of -Liége, who would not believe the German placards and preferred their -secret newspapers, were warned by Lieut.-General von Kolewe that they -were in danger of appearing ridiculous in the eyes of intelligent -people. - - TO THE POPULATION OF LIÉGE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. - - Considering the continual successes of the German troops, it is - impossible to understand why the people of Liége are still so - credulous as to believe the absurd and frivolous news spread by - the manufactories of falsehoods installed in Liége. Those who busy - themselves in propagating such news are risking severe punishment. - They are playing a dangerous game in abusing the credulity of their - fellow-citizens and in inciting them to reckless actions. The - reasonable population of Liége will resist all temptations of the - kind. - - Otherwise it is exposing itself not merely to the gravest - disappointment, but also to appearing ridiculous in the eyes of - intelligent people. - - KOLEWE, - - _Lieut.-General and German Governor of the - Fortress of Liége_. - - _It is forbidden to tear down this placard or to paste another over - it._ - - -_Lies concerning the Situation in Belgium._ - -Before other placards the shrugging of shoulders gave way to disgust. -Baron von der Goltz, at Sofia, boasted of having rendered "the -situation in Belgium entirely normal." What of it? We were so glad -to be rid of him that we were ready to overlook any ineptitudes. But -when his successor, Baron von Bissing, after levying a contribution of -480 million frs. (£19,200,000), had the audacity to declare that he -hoped "to do much for the economic situation," and would especially -apply himself "to doing everything to assist the weak in Belgium, and -to encourage them," he passed the bounds of cynicism and presumption. -However, two months later, on the 18th February, 1915, after having -despoiled us of 120 million francs, he found occasion to go still -farther, affirming his "solicitude for the welfare and prosperity of -the population." - - -_Lies concerning "Francs-tireurs."_ - -What shall we say of the accusations made against Belgian civilians? -From August, at the time of the first sortie of our troops from -Antwerp, the Germans posted up statements in Brussels that the Belgian -population was again taking part in the conflict. - - OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY THE COMMANDANT OF THE GERMAN ARMY. - - BRUSSELS, _28th August, 1914_.--On the 26th and 27th August several - Belgian divisions made a sortie from Antwerp in order to attack - our lines of communication, but they were repulsed by those of our - troops left behind to invest the city. Five Belgian guns fell into - our hands.... - - The Belgian population almost everywhere took part in the fighting. - It became necessary to take the most drastic measures to repress - the bands of francs-tireurs.... - -Now certain of these battles took place at a distance of only six miles -from Brussels; peasants were shot at Houtem (a hamlet of Vilvorde) and -at Eppeghem: that is, in villages whence people went into the city -every morning with vegetables, milk, etc., so that the inhabitants -of the capital were perfectly informed as to the behaviour of the -German troops toward the Belgian civilians. They knew, too, that these -pretended attacks of "francs-tireurs" had been delivered by detachments -of the Belgian army (_see_ E. Waxweiler in _La Belgique neutre et -loyale_, p. 219). The keen indignation against the German liars was -still further aggravated when, three weeks later, the Kaiser repeated -these calumnies. The fact of their having placarded the walls of -Brussels with these obviously false accusations shows once more in what -low esteem the Germans hold the mental faculties of their victims. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BRUSSELS, _7th October_.--From the leader of a troop of cyclists - near Hennuyères written instructions were taken, intended for the - leaders of the so-called "destructive detachment," in which they - are told, among other things: "Spread false news: landing of the - English at Antwerp, Russians at Calais." - -That the Germans should seek to deceive their own compatriots as to the -situation is natural enough--they are quite content with official news. -But in Belgium we still, in spite of all obstacles, continue to receive -foreign newspapers, which keep us informed of the military operations. -Why, then, did the Germans try to impose on us over the battle of the -Marne, when nothing was easier than to learn the truth from the _Times_ -and the French Press? - -A still more curious case was that of the battle of Ypres. During a -whole fortnight the official placards daily informed the Belgians -of the latest German success ... and at the end of three weeks the -army was still as far from Ypres. The whole of this Yser campaign -is interesting as throwing a light upon the German mentality. From -the outset the Germans tried to establish a confusion between the -"canalized" Yser and the "canalized" Yperlée, that is, the canal -running from Ypres to the Yser. What they call "the canal of the Yser" -in their placard of the 22nd October is the canalized Yser between -Dixmude and Nieuport. In the placard of the 2nd November they spoke -of the "canal from the Yser to Ypres, near Nieuport," an absolutely -fantastic description. Finally, on the 4th April, when they claimed to -have crossed "the Yser canal" to occupy Driegrachten, it was really -the Yperlée that was in question, and not the Yser at all. This is, as -will be seen, on a par with the intentional confusion which they sought -to create between the city of Liége and its forts (pp. 50, 58). Such -confusions may deceive the Germans, but the Belgians, familiar with the -geography of their country, naturally laugh at them. - -Another point relating to this astonishing campaign on the Yser: On -the 2nd November the Germans announced that operations were rendered -difficult by the inundation. On the following day, having expressed -their pity for the Belgians "whose fields were devastated for a long -time to come," they added that the water was in parts deeper than a -man's height, but that they had lost neither man, nor horse, nor gun. -How can they impose such idle stuff on people who know the _polders_ -of the coast region, with their innumerable canals and ditches, and -who know, moreover, than an inundation there renders all retreat -impossible? - - -3. CYNICISM. - -They must require a good stock of effrontery to put before us such -assertions as that of the Kaiser, whose falsity is obvious at sight. -They cannot be ignorant of the fact that these impostures are instantly -exposed. But this consideration does not give them pause; German -superiority appears to them so indisputable that they have no need -to trouble about the opinion of other people; if they occasionally -indicate the reasons for their actions, it is to reassure their own -conscience, not to justify themselves to their victims. They are, in -short, in the situation of the sportsman who brings down the game -passing within gunshot, but is not required to render an account of -it to the rabbits and partridges. To the sportsman's way of thinking -there is no cynicism in so acting: between the hunter and the game -there is too great a difference to make such a justification necessary. -Similarly, the Germans occupy, in the scale of _Kultur_, so exalted -a position as compared with the Belgians, that they believe in good -faith that all is permitted to them in dealing with this horde, and -that they need not justify their actions. They behave toward us as the -Conquistadores toward the Aztecs. - -More, they actually advertise their contempt for the rules of justice. -We have already mentioned the placard posted at Gand, according -to which they openly placed themselves in conflict with the Hague -Convention. They have gone yet farther in this direction. What are we -to say, for example, of the placard posted at Menin, in July 1915, by -order of Commandant Schmidt, in which it is ordained that the families -of those "who do not work regularly on the military works" shall be -allowed to die of starvation? - - ORDER. - - From to-day the town can no longer grant relief--of whatever kind, - even for families, women and children--save only to those workmen - who are working regularly on the military works and on other works - prescribed. - - All other workmen and their families cannot henceforth be assisted - in any way whatever. - -And this is not the gem of the collection. At Roubaix and the vicinity -(in French Flanders, close against the Belgian frontier) they -advertised their decision to prevent all sales of comestibles if work -were not resumed by the 7th July, and they even threatened completely -to suppress "circulation," which would have resulted in the lingering -death of the whole population. - -And this is not the worst. In a neighbouring town, Halluin, Commandant -Schranck caused a declaration to be read to the assembled notables -which stated that he denied their right to invoke the Hague Convention, -since the German military authorities had determined to enforce the -fulfilment of all their demands, "even if a city of 15,000 inhabitants -had to perish." - - (_Read at Halluin, on the 30th June, at 11.30 p.m., to the - Municipal Council and notables of the Town of Halluin._) - - GENTLEMEN, - - What is happening is known to all these gentlemen. It is the - conception and interpretation of Article 52 of the Hague Convention - which has created difficulties between you and the German military - authority. On which side is the right? It is not for us to discuss - that, for we are not competent, and we shall never arrive at - an understanding on this point. It will be the business of the - diplomatists and the representatives of the various States after - the war. - - To-day it is exclusively the interpretation of German military - authority which is valid, and for that reason we intend that all - that we shall need for the maintenance of our troops shall be made - by the workers of the territory occupied. I can assure you that - the German authority will not under any circumstances desist from - demanding its rights, even if a town of 15,000 inhabitants should - have to perish. The measures introduced up to the present are only - a beginning, and every day severe measures will be taken until our - object is obtained. - - This is the last word, and it is good advice I give you to-night. - Return to reason, and arrange for the workers to resume work - without delay; otherwise you will expose your town, your families, - and your persons to the greatest misfortunes. - - To-day, and perhaps for a long time yet, there is for Halluin - neither a prefecture nor a French Government. There is only one - will, and that is the will of German authority. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE TOWN, - SCHRANCK. - -Do you not agree that a cynicism so shameless is a sign of perplexity -and an admission of impotence? The Germans realize that they are driven -to the worst expedients! - -A host of similar facts might be cited, but it would mean useless -repetition. Let us rather examine some examples of graphic cynicisms. - - -_Photographs and Picture Postcards._ - -The Germans have published, in their newspapers, photographs -representing the population of a village, consisting principally of -women, being driven away as prisoners (_Berl. Ill. Zeit._, No. 36, 6th -September, 1914); a military observation-post installed by them on the -tower of Malines Cathedral during the siege of Antwerp (_Berl. Ill. -Zeit_., No. 44, 1st November, 1914); doctors detained as prisoners in -Germany, contrary to the Geneva Convention (_Berl. Ill. Zeit._, No. 15, -11th April, 1915); soldiers taken prisoners, whom they are forcing, -despite Article 6 of the Hague Convention, to do work directed against -their country (_Die Wochenschau_, No. 44, 1914). - -We find the same effrontery in respect of the conflagrations started -by their troops: Scharr and Dathe, of Trèves, have edited and placed -on sale, in Belgium itself, a series of fifty picture postcards, -representing localities which the German army has destroyed by fire. -We may mention Dinant, Namur, Louvain, Aerschot, Termonde; and in -Belgium, Luxemburg, Barranzy, Etalles, Èthe, Izel, Jamoigne, Musson, -Eossignol, Tintigny. Let us add that these photographs commonly show -German soldiers and officers striking triumphant attitudes amid the -ruins. The most instructive card of this kind which we have seen is one -representing General Beeger amid the ruins of Dinant. To understand -the full significance of this card, one must remember that it was this -officer who ordered 1,200 of the houses of Dinant to be burned and 700 -of the inhabitants to be massacred. It is surprising that he did not -have a few corpses of "francs-tireurs" arranged about him when the -photograph was taken--preferably selected from the old men, women, and -children at the breast. - -After the torpedoing of the _Lusitania_ they sold in Belgium a series -of cards entitled _Kriegs-Errinerungs-Karte_, edited by Dr. Trenkler -& Co., of Leipzig, which pictured the operations of submarines. Card -No. 2, of Series XXXIII, represents--very inaccurately, by the way--a -German submarine stopping the _Lusitania_. It is as well to recall the -fact that in this disaster more than 1,500 non-combatants perished, -among them Mme. Antoine Depage, the wife of the well-known Belgian -surgeon. - -Nothing ought to surprise us on the part of those who prove that every -means is good provided it is efficacious. Here is what a newspaper, -much respected in Germany, the _Hamburger Fremdenblatt_, has to say in -its weekly illustrated supplement for the 16th May, 1915:-- - - "In the situation in which Germany now finds herself, attacked on - three sides at once with all the means that cruelty and perfidy - can invent, we must not ask ourselves whether a means of defence - is permitted or prohibited; but whether it is effectual. All that - facilitates the defence must be employed; this is especially true - of the submarine war, and consequently of the destruction of the - _Lusitania_." - - -_Alfred Heymel on the Battle of Charleroi._ - -We have already spoken of the articles of Alfred Heymel and Walter -Blöm. Here are some extracts from an article by the former:-- - - THE BATTLE OF CHARLEROI. - - One regiment of cavalry was detrained near the enemy frontier. For - a little while it halted on a manoeuvring ground where the division - to which we were to be attached as scouts was to assemble. - - Already many of us were impatient at having to wait longer before - marching to the front; we heard the growling thunder of the - howitzers of the great fortress near the frontier, around which - there had been violent fighting these last few days; we were told - of cruelties that made our hair stand on end, committed, in its - fury, by a people which had for years been excited against us deeds - of cruelty committed against our compatriots, soldiers, civilians, - women and children, because of our violation of a neutrality which - it had itself violated a thousand times over in advance. On our - side we were boiling inwardly to avenge these infamies.... We - breathed more freely only when, in our march beyond the frontier, - we saw the first houses burned in reprisal; a curé, who had - revolted, was hanging from a tree in a neighbouring thicket, - swinging at the will of the wind, when at last the noise of battle - grew plainer.... - - (They arrive near Charleroi.) - - The head of one regiment, led by my friend Lieutenant S----, - trotted forward again, and seized as hostages what civilians it - could catch; some 12 to 16 persons, old and young, fat and thin, - had to march before or between the lancers; more, this portion of - the regiment had received the order from its comrades not to ride - too far ahead. - - Something that alarmed me quite particularly, giving me a - presentiment of misfortune, was the fact that the wives of these - civilians burst into weeping: one red-headed woman, frantic, threw - herself down in the road and gave vent to wild screams; others, - behind us, their emaciated arms stretched in the air, threatened - us, although they were several times assured that so long as - nothing was done to us nothing would happen to their husbands, - sons, friends, and lovers. All these significant scenes took place - in the side streets.... - - (A volley is fired from a barricade--or a railway crossing the - street; it is not clear which.) - - I saw two or three cavalrymen fall back in front, and with them - the hostages fell to the ground; my friend was standing, near his - horse. A violent and rapid fire alternated with volleys; we could - not escape on either side; naturally we immediately faced about and - returned in the direction whence we had come; there was a furious - pursuit along the uneven road, with the balls whistling at our - backs. The horses fell, one after another.... - - Thus from the advance-guard we had become the rear-guard. We had - to consider how we could regain the main body of the troop. In the - first place hostages were taken, some curés among them; the cavalry - and artillery were no longer marching alone and unprotected, but - flanked by the infantry and pioneers; one soon learns when once - one has been caught. With great difficulty we again penetrated - the streets in the smoke and heat, in the midst of the flames - we ourselves had lit; now we continually heard the popping of - cartridges, bursting harmlessly, piled up in the houses, and - betraying the friendly intention of the ex-inmates![32]... - - We learned later, when we had found the uniforms, that two - battalions of crack French infantry were distributed everywhere, - in order to organize and discipline the fire of the Belgian - civic guard and the francs-tireurs. The rumour (of marksmen on - the neighbouring heights) spread.... I thought I perceived--this - chilled my heart, and I still hope I was mistaken--that my - cavalrymen, otherwise so brave, did not really feel inclined to - go forward; their gait became slower and slower; they continually - observed more minutiæ and took a longer time in seizing civilians; - in short, I saw the necessity of intervening, at need, against my - own troops, the most heart-breaking thing that can happen to you in - war. In any case I prepared myself, with a heart full of pain, to - face even the abyss of this prospect.... - - _Kunst und Künstler_, January 1915 (Amm. xiii, part 4). - -We must not overlook an article by Captain Walter Blöm, adjutant to -General von Bissing. Herr Blöm, who is greatly admired in Germany, -and whose novels may be seen at this moment on the shelves of the -travellers' libraries installed in our railway stations, does not -hesitate to declare that the conflagrations at Battice and Dinant -were not intended to punish the population, but to terrorize them (p. -84). The article already mentioned, which incidentally describes the -shooting of a French hostage, is highly typical. One sees that the -death of this man--shot because the French army does not consent to -cease its bombardment--does not in the least affect the writer, who -finds the conduct of his countrymen quite natural. - -Referring to the systematic pillage effected by the German army, -we have already mentioned (p. 132) the fact that "war booty" was -despatched openly. In this respect, effrontery and impudence have -surely nowhere been carried to greater lengths than in the valley of -the Meuse. All the villas were as a matter of course emptied by the -officers; when they were situated close to the banks of the river -the furniture, etc., was transported on a little steamer, one of -those tourist boats which in summer run between Namur and Dinant. The -boat would stop before each villa, and--without the least attempt to -conceal the nature of the proceedings--the pianos, beautiful pieces -of furniture, clocks, pictures, etc., were piled on the deck. To cite -one case among hundreds, it was thus that the villa of Mme. Wodon, at -Davos, was emptied. - -Cynicism and impudence often lend one another mutual support. Let us -recall, for example, the question of asphyxiating gases. Article 23 of -the Hague Convention forbids the employment of poisons. Even in the -siege of Liége our enemies were making use of shells which discharged -poisonous gases at the moment of explosion; it was one of them that -all but poisoned General Leman. It might, however, be supposed that -these toxic vapours were the inevitable result of the detonation of -the explosives with which the shells were loaded. But in April 1915 -the Germans suddenly began to accuse their adversaries of the use of -asphyxiating shells (see the German official communiqués of the 9th, -12th, 14th, and 21st April). At the same time they made it known that -their chemists, far abler than those of France or England, were about -to combine substances whose detonation would liberate products far more -toxic than those of the enemy's shells. And on the 22nd April they -preceded their attack on the trenches to the north of Ypres by a cloud -of smoke of a yellowish-green colour, which asphyxiated the French and -Canadians (see _N.R.C._, 29th April, 1914, morning). Now the falsity -of their bragging allegations is obvious. They will not persuade any -one to believe that between the 8th of April and the 22nd May they had -had time to invent the combination of substances capable of giving -off toxic vapours, to manufacture them in sufficient quantities, and -finally to forward the cylinders to the field of battle. - -Let us add, moreover, that we knew before the end of March--that is, -before the accusations made against the French--that the Germans were -making experiments on a large scale in the aviation camp at Kiewit, -near Hasselt. They were asphyxiating dogs. It may be supposed that -they presently realized that they had gone a little too far in their -cynicism, for in its issue of the 3rd May, 1915, _Die Wochenschau_, -commenting on the affair of the 22nd April, stated that the attack had -been "ably seconded by technical means." - -Still, the palm for cynicism goes to the high authorities. What are we -to think of Baron von der Goltz, whose proclamations state that the -innocent and guilty will be punished without distinction? (p. 144). -Here we begin to see into the mentality of the Germans; swollen with -pride, they consider that all things are permitted to them as against -a people so uncivilized as the Belgians. - -Well, incredible as it may seem, the Germans have surpassed themselves -in this department. The same action, accordingly as it is performed -by them or against them, is denounced as a crime or highly approved. -We have already seen this in connection with the bombardment of towns -by aeroplanes and dirigibles. What shall we say of the action of the -German cavalryman, who, surprised by superior forces, surrendered; but, -as he was giving up his arms thought better of it, broke the head of -one of his adversaries, and fled. If a Belgian or a Frenchman had been -guilty of such treachery the Germans could not have found sufficient -terms of abuse to heap upon his head; but as he was a German his action -became _ein kühnes Reiterstückchen_ (a "Bold exploit of a Cavalryman"). -More--this incident is reported in the first number of the pamphlets -of propaganda distributed by order of the German authorities--the -_Journal de la Guerre_. Not only do they find no cause for blame in a -soldier who has committed so vile an action; they are proud of him, and -take pains to celebrate his glory in neutral countries. - -Here are two other examples, bearing on matters of much greater -importance. On the 4th August, 1914, the very day on which they were -violating the neutrality of Belgium, and were commencing to punish -us, at Visé, for having dared to resist them, they expressed their -satisfaction in the fact that Switzerland was scrupulously remaining -neutral. M. Waxweiler (p. 52) calls our attention to this contradiction -in their attitude toward the two neutral countries--Belgium and -Switzerland. Moreover, they had the impudence to placard their -satisfaction in the neutrality of Switzerland about the streets of -Brussels. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - BERNE, _7th February_.--The representative of the Bund has been - received in Berlin by Herr von Jagow, Secretary of State for - Foreign Affairs, who spoke of Switzerland in the most friendly - manner. Herr von Jagow says: The strictly neutral attitude of - Switzerland has produced the most favourable impression in Germany. - We take a very keen interest in a neutral, independent, and - powerful Switzerland. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - -While in Belgium they burn houses and torture civilians, on the pretext -that the latter have fired on them, they congratulate the Hungarian -peasants who took up arms to defend their country against the Russian -invader. The contrast here is so obvious that it even struck one -German--Herr Maximilian Harden. In an article in _Jingoism, a Disease -of the Mind_, he reproaches his compatriots with having two weights -and two measures (published in _Vorwärts_, August 1914). - -They push their effrontery to the point of photographing their own -francs-tireurs, so that no doubt may be left in our minds. The _Berl. -Ill. Zeit._ of the 16th March, 1915 (p. 261), gives a photograph "from -the theatre of the war in the Carpathians"--"Ruthenian Peasant employed -in the Austro-Hungarian Army to guard roads and telegraph-lines." The -peasant, without uniform, carries a rifle. - -Lastly, let us cite a case in which cynicism is allied to pedantry. On -the calcined walls of the Hôtel de Ville of Dinant (burned on the 23rd -and 24th August, 1914) is a chronogram. The letters are cut in a slab -of marble let into the wall facing the Meuse. The fire had rendered the -inscription illegible, but the commandant of the town, in March 1915, -had the slab re-painted black and the letters re-gilt. This is the -inscription:-- - - PAX ET SALVS - NEVTRA LITATEM - SERVANT IBVS DETVR. - - ("May peace and security be granted to those who preserve - neutrality.") - - (1637.) - -Herr Otto Eduard Schmidt, returning from the French front by way -of Dinant, was struck by this inscription. "I could not learn for -certain," he says, "by questioning passing soldiers of the Landsturm, -whether the inscription had lately been placed there or had merely -been re-gilt. But in any case, I should regard it an insult to German -authority, and I am astonished that this insult should be tolerated" -(O. E. Schmidt, _Eine Fahrt zu den Sachsen an die Front_, p. 131). What -would Herr Schmidt say if he knew that it was his own countrymen who, -in a fit of shameless cynicism, caused this inscription to be renovated? - - -_Surrender of the Critical Spirit. Refusal to Examine the Accusations -of Cruelty._ - -Painfully moved by the horrors committed in Belgium, M. Charles Magnet, -the National Grand Master of Belgian Freemasonry, wrote on the 9th -September to nine German lodges, requesting them to institute, by -common consent, an inquiry into the facts. Since the Germans denied the -atrocities of which their troops were accused, and, on the other hand, -were accusing the Belgians of maltreating the wounded, such an inquiry -could only have a happy result. Two lodges only replied. "The request -is superfluous; this inquiry would be an insult to our army," replied -the Darmstadt lodge. "Our troops are not ill-conducted; it would even -be dangerous to recommend them to display sensibility and kindness," -replied the Bayreuth lodge. - -The argument may be summarized thus: "We know, as Germans, that we -possess the truth; it is useless, therefore, to go in search of it with -the help of an impartial commission." In a second letter M. Magnet -commented on these evasions, as contrary to the spirit of brotherhood -as to the scientific spirit. - -Let it not be supposed that the refusal to examine, objectively and -impartially, the German and the Belgian accusations, is peculiar to -Freemasonry. On the 24th January, 1915, Cardinal Mercier requested the -German authorities in Belgium to set up a commission comprising both -Germans and Belgians, under the presidency of a representative of a -neutral country. His request was accorded no reply. - -Thus the Germans refuse to allow any light to be thrown on their -actions and those of the Belgians. Why this opposition to a faithful -search for the truth? They fear, perhaps, that the truth will be -unfavourable to them. That is undoubtedly one of their reasons; but we -do not think it can be the only reason; and the principal reason for -their refusal is without doubt the voluntary blindness to which they -have one and all subjected themselves since the outbreak of the war. - -They have decided, one would imagine, to accept, without any -discussion, whatever is decreed by authority, which they invest with -the absolute truth; every German calmly receives that portion of the -truth which the Government thinks fit to dispense to its faithful, and -no German permits himself to ask for more. _Magister dixit_: the Staff -has spoken! - -Since the month of August a strict censorship has been exercised over -the Press. _Vorwärts_ and other Socialist sheets have several times -been suspended. The _Kölnischer Volkszeitung_ was suspended on the 11th -September, 1914, for having published articles disposing of at least a -part of the so-called Belgian atrocities.... And then, apparently, it -proceeded to take them for granted; for afterwards it even aggravated -the accusations brought against the Belgians. - -The _Vossische Zeitung_ itself, official as it is, had its issue of the -1st December, 1914, seized on account of an article on a commission of -the Reichstag (_N.R.C._, 3rd December, 1914, evening). At the same time -the Government was careful to stop all foreign books and newspapers. -This prohibition is so strict that Dutch working-men going to work -in Germany are not allowed to wrap their sandwiches in newspaper -(_N.R.C._, 10th December, 1914, evening). - -In Germany even people are beginning to find the censorship a little -too strict. Before the Budget Commission of the Reichstag Herr -Scheidemann, the Socialist deputy, complained that in the district -of Rüstringen certain of the German official communiqués even were -prohibited. The newspapers may not leave blank the spaces caused by the -censorship, as the latter must not appear. At Strasburg the censorship -prohibited the publication of articles dealing with the increased price -of milk. At Dortmund the Socialist newspapers were subjected to a -preventive censorship for having inserted an article by the sociologist -Lujo Brentano, one of the "Ninety-three," professor at the University -of Münich (_N.R.C._, 16th May, 1913, morning). - -Does the German public, knowing that the newspapers publish none but -articles inspired by authority, or at least controlled thereby, accept -this sophisticated mental pabulum in good part? Or does it make an -effort to procure foreign publications? One must believe that it does -not, for in that case the "intellectuals," better informed, would cease -to blindly accept the official declarations. - -"But," it will perhaps be said, "since the Government forbids the -introduction of foreign newspapers, it is radically impossible to -obtain them." We do not know just how the Germans could obtain -pamphlets and newspapers, but we do know that in Belgium we read -prohibited literature every day--French, Dutch, and English. Any one -who does not intend to resign himself to living in an oubliette will -succeed, in spite of everything, in opening some chink that the light -may shine through; and this light, when we have received it, we hasten -to share. It is forbidden, under the severest penalties, including the -capital, to introduce newspapers into Belgium; it is forbidden, under -the same penalties, to publish and distribute "false news," as our -masters call it. It makes little difference to us; not an article or -book of importance appears abroad but it reaches us, and two days later -it is secretly distributed in thousands of copies. There will be a -curious book for some one to write when the war is over, on the subject -of the strange and ingenious means employed by the Belgians, prisoners -in their own country since August 1914, to obtain and distribute -prohibited letterpress. - -There is accordingly no doubt that if the Germans really wished it -they could without great difficulty obtain reliable "documentation." -But they do not wish it. They, of late so proud of their critical -spirit, who made it their rule, so they professed--and their glory, -as was thought--to accept only that which their reason commanded them -to believe! They have abdicated their critical faculty; they have -sacrificed it to the militarist Moloch. And to-day, with eyes closed, -they swallow all that the Government and its reptile Press presents to -them. - - -_The Abolition of Free Discussion in Germany._ - -What am I saying? Not only are they ready to swallow all the lies -offered to them; they have even abolished liberty of speech among -themselves. A striking example of this fact was given by the _N.R.C._ -(of the 16th November, 1914, morning edition). Dr. Wekberg, one of the -three editors of a German periodical, the _Revue des Volksrechts_, -retired from his editorship because his colleagues refused to insert an -article in which he declared that Germany's attitude towards Belgium -was perhaps disputable. It would be difficult to push intolerance of -criticism much farther. - -In the same connection we may recall the sessions of the Reichstag -of the 4th August, 1914, the 2nd December, 1914, and the 20th March, -1915. At the first session not a voice protested against the war. At -the second, the Socialist deputy, Dr. Karl Liebknecht, asked leave -to present some objections, which indeed were timid enough; he was -at once disowned by his party. On the 20th March the deputy Ledebour -permitted himself to criticize the proclamation of Marshal von -Hindenburg, prescribing the burning of three Russian villages for any -German village burned by the Russians. Both these deputies expressed -the opinion that it is iniquitous to punish the innocent in the place -of the guilty. Immediately the whole assembly, Socialists included, -copiously abused and insulted the two speakers. We may remark that Herr -Ledebour was discussing not a strategical measure, but a prescription -that was merely inhuman (see _K.Z._, 20th March, 1915, evening). - -These few examples are enough to show that the Socialists lend -themselves to militarist domestication with the same docility as the -"bourgeois" parties. As for the Catholic remnant in the Reichstag, its -docility surpasses even that of the Socialists. - -In short, all the political parties, without exception, have abdicated -their liberty of thought, to accept, obsequiously and without the -slightest attempt at discussion, the ready-made opinions provided by -authority. Such, in Germany, is the power of discipline, that all -have submitted without protest--one might almost say wantonly--to -the voluntary extirpation of the critical spirit. But the inevitable -results of this servility were not long in showing themselves; having -renounced the employment of reason, the Germans now accept the most -extravagant lies. - - -_German Credulity._ - -We have remarked that one day a curious book may be written as to the -expedients invented by the Belgians to obtain news from abroad and to -distribute it throughout the country. Equally interesting--but how -discouraging, from the standpoint of the progressive evolution of -the human mind--will be the book containing the amazing examples of -credulity afforded by the Germans during this war. When speaking of -the German accusations against the Belgians we cited the case of the -rifles collected in the Hôtel de Ville, which were exhibited to the -German soldiers as the irrefutable proof of the official premeditation -of the "franc-tireur" campaign (p. 90). Not only were the soldiers -thus deluded. A well-known novelist, Herr Fedor von Zobeltitz, -visiting in Antwerp a museum of arms, which contained war weapons of -the Middle Ages, cried: "See how Belgium made ready for the war!" Was -he sincere? It is difficult to say, for artists often allow their -sensibility to run away with them. One may say the same of the Kaiser, -who also declared that Belgium had long been preparing for the "war -of francs-tireurs"; and even, perhaps, of Herr Bethmann-Hollweg, who -spoke, in his manifesto to the American newspapers, of gouged-out -eyes and other atrocities whose falsity he could very easily have -ascertained. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _10th September_.--The _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_ - publishes the following telegram addressed by the Emperor to - President Wilson of the United States:-- - - "I consider it my duty, Mr. President, to inform you, in your - quality of a most distinguished representative of humanitarian - principles, of the fact that my troops discovered, after the - capture of the French fortress of Longwy, in that fortress, - thousands of dum-dum bullets made in special workshops by the - Government. Bullets of the same kind have been found on dead - soldiers, or wounded or prisoners, of English nationality. You know - what horrible wounds and sufferings are caused by these balls, and - that their employment is forbidden by the recognized principles of - international law. I therefore raise a solemn protest against such - a mode of making war, which has become, thanks to the methods of - our adversaries, one of the most barbarous of history. - - "Not only have they themselves employed this cruel weapon, but - the Belgian Government has openly encouraged the civil population - to take part in this war, which it had carefully for a long time - prepared. The cruelties inflicted, in the course of this guerilla - war, by women and even by priests, upon wounded soldiers, doctors, - and hospital nurses (doctors have been killed and hospitals fired - on) have been such that my generals have finally found themselves - obliged to resort to the most rigorous means to chastise the guilty - and to prevent the bloodthirsty population from continuing these - abominable, criminal, and hateful acts. Many villages, and even - the city of Louvain, have had to be demolished (except the very - beautiful Hôtel de Ville) in the interest of our defence and the - protection of our troops. My heart bleeds when I see that such - measures have been rendered inevitable, and when I think of the - innumerable innocent persons who have lost their homes and their - belongings as a result of the deeds of the criminals in question. - - "WILHELM I.R." - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - DECLARATION OF THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EMPIRE TO THE ASSOCIATED AND - UNITED PRESS, NEW YORK. - - ... In this way England will tell your compatriots that the German - troops have burned and sacked Belgian towns and villages, but - she will carefully conceal the fact that young Belgian girls have - gouged out the eyes of wounded men stretched defenceless on the - field of battle, that the functionaries of Belgian towns have - invited German officers to dinner and have treacherously shot - them dead at table. Contrary to international law, the whole - civil population of Belgium has been called to arms[33] and has - treacherously risen against our troops with concealed arms and a - perfidy incredible after having first of all feigned a friendly - welcome. Belgian women have cut the throats of German soldiers - quartered on them while they slept.... - - _Journal de la Guerre_ (an organ of German propaganda). - -We will suppose, for the time being--to be extremely generous to the -Kaiser and his Chancellor--that they accepted, in good faith, the -accusations of cruelty brought against the Belgians, and that they -carefully refrained from investigating them, so that they should not be -forced to recognize their imbecility. - - -_Voluntary Blindness of the "Intellectual._" - -Perhaps it will be objected that the examples hitherto cited emanate -chiefly from politicians and literary men, who are not accustomed to -exercise their judgment. But there are also the manifestoes of the -professorial body, that is, those whose essential mission consists in -passing facts and ideas through the sieve of criticism, to isolate the -true from the false, and to extract from error the fragment of truth -which may have fallen into it. For what is the effect of teaching, of -whatever degree, if it is not the constant alertness of the critical -spirit, which seeks, in all things and at every moment, to separate -that which is true and which should therefore be communicated to the -disciple from the medley of false and useless things which may with -impunity be abandoned to oblivion? And when the teacher is also a -seeker, has he not once more unceasingly to exercise his critical -spirit, that he may recognize in the host of ideas which present -themselves to him those which may lead him to the desired end--and, -once this is attained, those which he may use as a touchstone to test -experimentally the validity of these deductions? In short, for the -professor and the scientific worker there is no intellectual faculty -more indispensable than the critical spirit. - -Now among those who have dashed into the lists to champion, with their -pens, the rights of Germany, and to crush her adversaries, we must -make a quite special mention of the professors and schoolmasters. Let -us begin with the latter. Their principal argument in denial of the -barbarous conduct of which the German troops have been accused, is -that it would be incompatible with the flourishing condition of the -educational institutions of Germany. As though elementary education -was capable of eliminating from humanity the profound imprints of its -intimate mentality! Instruction may hide them, as under a veneer, but -it can never cause their disappearance. - -The Germans, after Sadowa and the war of 1870-1, declared that the -whole honour of their victories was due to their primary education. -"The French campaign is the triumph of the German schoolmaster." Those -who in Belgium have seen the villages devastated by fire and the graves -of the civilians shot, and above all the pillaged homes, with furniture -and crockery broken into small fragments, and the filthy beds, will -carry away the impression that "the Belgian campaign is the bankruptcy -of the German schoolmaster." - - -_The Manifesto of the "Ninety-three."_ - -The famous manifesto of the "ninety-three Intellectuals" to the -civilized world is only too well known, and has already been so -universally execrated, that there is no need to discuss it at length. -The reading of this document, which ought to be carefully preserved -for the edification of future generations, might almost make us doubt -the sanity of the signatories. How could they have imagined that "the -civilized world" would accept their affirmations and their denials? -Both are equally devoid of proof. To cite only one proposition--what -are we to think of the amazing declaration that not a single Belgian -citizen has lost his life or his property--except in the case of -the bitterest necessity? Have they never seen the train-loads of -"war-booty" entering Germany? It would certainly be interesting to -hear them explain what is the "bitter necessity," under whose empire -pianos and pictures have to be carried off from Belgium, or that which -compels the Germans to force the collecting-boxes in the churches, or -that which made them shoot Father Dupierreux for writing in his diary -impressions unfavourable to the Germans! - -It would be cruel to insist. The "Ninety-three" have already earned, -as the first penalty of their evil action, the disgust of the whole -world. Further dissection of their libel inevitably leads us to the -conclusion that the signatories display therein either their lack -of intelligence or their servility; and that their only plausible -excuse is that they allowed themselves to be carried away by their -German pride, the most incommensurable, intolerant, and insupportable -which the world has ever known. We will confine ourselves to -referring the reader to the principal replies which were made to the -manifesto of the "Ninety-three." They are those of M. Seippel, Mr. -Church, the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of -Inscriptions and Belles Lettres, the French Academy of Medicine, the -French Universities, the Zoological Society of France, the English -"intellectuals," M. Ruyssen, M. Vandervelde, and _Simplicissimus_. - -There is yet one point to be mentioned. The declaration of the German -"intellectuals" was first made known to us by an article in the _Kriegs -Echo_ of the 16th October, 1914, entitled _Es ist Nicht Wahr_, and -giving the whole manifesto, excepting the signatures and the paragraph -referring to Louvain. Well! when we had read this tissue of flagrant -lies we attributed it to some journalist who dared not even sign his -name to his lucubrations. And when, later, we were told that the -authors--or more exactly the signatories--comprised some of the most -celebrated writers in Germany, we believed the whole thing must be a -hoax. But we had to admit the evidence. It was for many of us a very -painful moment when our illusions as to the stability of science in -Germany were thus dispelled. - - -_The Manifesto of the 3,125 Professors._ - -Did the Government consider that the representatives of science and -art were not yet sufficiently compromised, and that they had not yet -sufficiently involved the fate of the Universities with that of -Militarism? In any case, only a few days after the publication of the -manifesto of the "Ninety-three" a fresh declaration appeared, devoted -entirely to the promotion of the solidarity of superior education -with the army, and signed by 3,125 names, or those of almost all the -professors of Germany. - -The mentality of the masters pales before that of the disciples. -The Brussels correspondent of the _N.R.C._ relates (_N.R.C._, 11th -November, 1914, morning), that of the innumerable soldiers whom he -has seen passing, the only ones whose attitude was insolent were -young university students of Berlin. Moreover, the German Socialists -who visited our _Maison du Peuple_ avowed that the troops who burned -Louvain were principally composed of "intellectuals"! - -Besides the intellectuals of the teaching profession and the arts, -those "barbarian scholars," as M. Emile Boutroux calls them, there -is another category, which has likewise been mobilized to defend the -militarist spirit and the Hohenzollern dynasty. This is the clergy: -Protestant pastors, Catholic priests, Israelitish rabbis; all without -distinction have been touched by the militarist grace and have entered -the campaign for the good cause. - - -_The Protestant Pastors._ - -Honour where honour is due! Herr O. Dryander, first preacher to the -Court of Berlin, published a collective letter, drafted by himself, -Herr Lahusen, and Herr Axenfeld, in reply to M. Babut's appeal for a -declaration from the Christians of the belligerent countries, demanding -that the war should be conducted conformably with Christian principles -and the laws of humanity.[34] Herr Dryander and his acolytes refuse -to entertain the idea that "a step of this nature could be necessary -in Germany in order that the war shall be conducted conformably with -Christian ideas and the claims of the most elementary humanity." -Without cross-examination, without any sort of discussion, they adopt -the accusations made against the armies of the Allies, and they deny -the actions of which the Germans are accused. This is, as will be seen, -the same method as that of the German Freemasons in an analogous case. -Then they naturally sing the old refrain: "The war has been forced upon -Germany" (they do not say "by Belgium"). In short, there is no need to -throw any light on the subject, as there is already light within their -minds, and the German mind is of course the only mind one must take -into account. - -The same theologian has published several pamphlets of sermons; -_Evangelische Reden in Schwerer Zeit_. The general theme remains -the same. "We have been compelled to accept war" (1, p. 5); "We are -fighting for our _Kultur_ against the absence of _Kultur_--for German -morality against barbarism--for the free German personality, attached -to God, against the instincts of the disorderly masses" (1, p. 7). "If -God be for us, who can be against us?"[35] "Now if ever there was a -just cause assuredly it is ours" (1, p. 9). "War is a duty only when -it is undertaken for legitimate defence.... Let us thank God that in -the present war our state of legitimate defence is so secure and so -evident, and that it is almost every day stayed up by fresh proofs; -also we have unshakable confidence in our right and in the purity of -our conscience" (2, pp. 38-9). - -Here is a sermon of a somewhat peculiar kind. Herr Busch, having -explained that Germany is like a peaceful stroller who suddenly finds -himself attacked by two assassins, and then by a third (p. 5), declares -that "in spite of all the German soldiers love their enemies." "God -be thanked," he says, "we have already read of most touching examples -in the newspapers. A German sergeant-major, who had been obliged to -have a man and woman shot, in Belgium, after a council of war, adopted -their only child, a little girl of two or three years; for he was -himself without children; as his regiment soon afterwards left for -Eastern Prussia, and was passing through his own town, he took the -child to give it to his wife" (p. 9). Pray God--we might add, whose -civilization is only Belgian--that there are not too many married men -without children among the soldiers of the Kaiser, for they have a way -of making orphans in order to adopt them which would cost our country -dear. - -Herr Correvon, pastor of the Reformed Church (French-speaking) in -Frankfort-on-Main, preached a sermon on the 9th August, 1914, on the -text: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" His arguments amount -to this: Germany, having the right on her side, will have God on her -side also. He naturally speaks of "the firm and admirable speech of the -Chancellor, a man whom I can only compare with a Duplessis-Mornay, the -minister of Henri IV" (p. 11). Then, having summarized the Emperor's -speech, he cried: "To solve the alarming problem of these social -questions ... it needed only the potent gesture with which the God who -is always the strong city, the '_feste Burg_' of Germany, the God of -Luther, the God of Paul Gerhard and Sebastian Bach, has pronounced the -terrible and perhaps the liberating word: 'You wish for war, you shall -have it'!" - -We see that from the very first days of the war, before any one could -have verified the statements of the Chancellor, the Protestant pastors -of Germany, even those of foreign origin, unhesitatingly accepted the -official assertions. Is it as pastors that they stand forth as the -stern defenders of the rights of truth? Are they not rather spiritless -courtiers, we might almost say like the sheep of Panurge? - - -_The Catholic Priests and Rabbis._ - -The Catholic priests have given proofs of equal docility. Mgr. the -Cardinal Felix von Hartmann, Archbishop of Cologne, says in _The Divine -Providence_, a pastoral letter read on the 25th of January, 1915:-- - - "Our warriors have gone forth to the bloody conflict, with God, for - King and Country! With God, in the conflict which has been forced - upon us, the fight for the salvation and the liberty of our dear - German land; with God, in the war for the sacred possessions of - Christianity and its beneficent civilization. And what exploits - have not our warriors accomplished, under the protection of God, - under the leadership of their wonderful chiefs, the Emperor and - the German Princes, exploits whose glory shall shine in times to - come! And more, what precious treasures of devotion, of love for - one's neighbour, and of nobility, has not this war revealed, in our - country as on the field of battle!" - -The curate August Ritzl, however, falls into the sin of pride. - - "Kultur has received an unheard-of impulse in Germany; the human - spirit has subjected the most diverse forces of nature.... A - glance at the map shows us the German Empire as the centre of - Europe. On all sides, near and far, enemies are intent on the ruin - of our country. To the east the giant empire of Russia threatens - us--to the west, violent France, still strong despite her moral - decay--allied with English perfidy and Belgian cruelty; Japan, - Serbia, and Egypt have also declared war upon us" (pp. 26-27). - -Well, reverend sir, before proclaiming the cruelty of the Belgians, -before asserting, from the vantage of the pulpit of Truth, that Serbia -and Egypt have declared war on Germany, a little circumspection and -critical sense would not have been out of place! - -Let us also cite the sermon preached on the 9th August, in the -synagogue of Schwerin, by Dr. S. Silberstein, rabbi of the Grand Duchy -of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. "They have forced us to put our hand to the -sword; we execrate the perfidy with which our enemies are fighting us; -we wish to ward off the danger that threatens us in honourable combat." -So the Jewish rabbis knew as early as the 9th August that it was -Germany that had been attacked, and that the other nations were forgers! - -Useless to prolong the series.... We should be only repeating -ourselves; for all the preachers, of whatever confession, repeat the -same lesson, almost in the same words: "The war which has been forced -upon us ... our treacherous enemies ... our loyal allies ... the cruel -Belgians ... our excellent soldiers, allying goodness to bravery ... -our heroic leaders...." - - -B.--Untruthfulness. - -To describe frankly and completely the attitude of the Germans in -Belgium during the present war, without speaking of their duplicity, -would be an impossible task; so that the reader must not be surprised -that on every page of our record we have pinned down at least one -lie. We must not forget that modern Germany follows the examples of -Bismarck, and that Bismarck himself proclaimed that he had caused the -outbreak of the war of 1870 by a skilful falsification of a Government -despatch. At the time of the centenary of the Iron Chancellor's -birth--the 1st April, 1915--the German newspapers gave their lyric -enthusiasm a loose rein; but none of the endless dithyrambics -consecrated to the glorification of the Great Man contained a single -word of blame for the forgery itself--abominable as it was--nor for the -ostentatious impudence with which its author confessed it. - -What honesty can we expect in a people which praises to the skies a -forger because he was a forger, and a forger proud of his skill! - - -1. A FEW LIES. - -Number 50 of _Die Wochenschau_ (1914, p. 1588) contains a photograph -in which we see sailors loading a gun installed among sand-hills. The -inscription underneath (translated from the German) reads: "Belgian -gun, captured and served by German sailors on the coast of the -Channel." The Channel! The Germans have never been there: they did set -out, full of enthusiasm, for Calais, and then the shore of the Channel, -and then London. But in that direction they never got farther than -Lombartzyde, on the right bank of the Yser. But they prefer to let it -be believed that they command the Channel, so they have chosen the -Channel coast for the site of their gun--on paper. Then this "Belgian -gun" is of a curious type for a piece of Belgian artillery; our guns -have a rectangular shield, while the shield of the German guns is -round--just like that in the photograph! Finally, one may ask what the -gunners are aiming at on this seashore, with their small gun? Certainly -not one of the English vessels bombarding the Belgian coast, for these -lie much too far out to sea; perhaps the Germans are amusing themselves -by firing shells at the shrimpers, to repeat their memorable exploit of -the 8th September, 1914? Well, that makes three flagrant lies to one -single photograph! - -Number 15 of _Die Wochenschau_ (1915) gives on page 463 a view of -the interior of the Palais de Justice in Brussels. Here is the -description--a French translation is given: "German soldiers in the -hall of the Assize Court in the Palais de Justice of Brussels. Brussels -having become the seat of the German General Government for Belgium, -has naturally a strong garrison and a very animated military life. The -famous Palais de Justice on the Place Poelaert also houses a great -number of soldiers. Nothing is more singular than the picture presented -by this imposing and luxurious building with the new inmates in -'campaigning grey' who are installed there. A thousand precautions are -taken so that nothing shall be spoiled; and while wherever the enemy -has trodden on German soil it will be necessary to work for a long time -rebuilding the buildings he has destroyed, no one will perceive, who -sees the superb halls of the Palais de Justice in Brussels, that the -German soldiers are billeted there." - -To understand the full beauty of this pleasantry one has only to look -at the picture. One sees there the linen which these soldiers are -drying on clotheslines stretched across the "luxurious hall"; this, -apparently, is one of the "thousand precautions" taken in order that -nothing may be spoiled. - -It was desired to prove that England had already been forced to send -marines into France. No. 27 of the _Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier_, -a semi-official, subsidized organ, represents "President Poincaré -visiting the British forces in France. One sees him reviewing the -artillery of the Royal Marines." And we do see President Poincaré -passing in front of two ranks of British soldiers armed with rifles. -But was it in France that this review took place, during the present -war? Consult the July number of the French illustrated periodical, -_Lectures pour tous_, for 1913. On page 1245 you will find a -photograph entitled "The Consecration of the Entente Cordiale. M. -Poincaré, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, reviewing his guard of -honour on his arrival at Portsmouth (24th June, 1913)." Now the same -personages and the same soldiers figure in the two photographs; and the -surroundings are the same. The only difference is that one photograph -was taken a moment later than the other. - -It seems that trickery of this kind is believed not to be a German -speciality. Our neighbours accuse the Russians and the English of the -same fault. But a kind of lie of which Germany may boldly claim the -paternity and the exclusive monopoly is that which consists in denying, -or at least in considerably diminishing, the extent of their acts of -vandalism. On the other hand, they try to deceive their readers as to -the causes of the destruction of Belgian towns. - -Thus they are now trying to make people believe that Louvain was not -intentionally burned, but that the town suffered a bombardment. This -is the legend which they related to Dr. Sven Hedin, while calling his -attention to the accuracy of their fire:-- - - "Eleven miles to Louvain. Once in the town one goes a good way - before coming to the first ruins. By no means all Louvain has - been destroyed by the bombardment, as is imagined. Hardly a fifth - of the town is destroyed. It is true that this fifth included - many precious buildings, which cannot be replaced; particularly - regrettable is the loss of the library. In the midst of this - destruction, however, like a rock in the midst of the sea, rises - the Hôtel de Ville, the proud jewel of the period of 1450, with its - six slender open towers. I went right round the Hôtel de Ville, and - I could not with the best will in the world discover a scratch on - these walls, with their prodigal richness of ornamentation. Perhaps - there may somewhere be a scratch from a shell-splinter which - escaped my eyes. Thanks to the excellence of the German fire not a - single moulding of the six towers has been damaged. The reason for - the bombardment of Louvain is known. The civil population fired - from the windows on the German troops at the time of their entering - the town, and as this crime could not be punished otherwise, the - houses were burned by bombardment. When the German soldiers sought - to extinguish the flames in the houses adjacent to the Hôtel de - Ville the francs-tireurs again fired on them with their carbines. - _Any other army in the world would have done the same_, and the - Germans have themselves profoundly regretted that they were forced - against their will to resort to such means." - - (SVEN HEDIN, _Ein Volk in Waffen_, p. 149.) - -They told the same story at Termonde to Herren Koester and Noske: "It -is certain," say these gentlemen, "that Termonde was not intentionally -burned." - -On the other hand, the Germans try to dissemble the extent of the -damage inflicted. In the October issue of the official and propagandist -_Journal de la Guerre_ they give a plan of Louvain on which the parts -destroyed are shown by shading. Now this plan is falsified in two -ways. In the first place, no distinction is made between the portion -built on and that occupied by market gardeners, which is considerable; -so that the ratio of the part destroyed to the part left intact is -distorted. Secondly, this portion is absolutely diminished; many -quarters burned are shown as intact; to mention only one example, the -Old Market, where only the College of the Josephites and a few adjacent -houses have been left standing, is marked as untouched by fire. - -There is yet another kind of graphic lie which is peculiar to the -Germans. They are experts at displaying sentimentality to order; a -sentimentality, by the way, which goes ill with their incontestable -cruelty. Thus they have several times published photographs -representing German soldiers sharing their bread or soup with French -and Belgian women or children. One is particularly inclined to let -oneself be touched by the kindliness of these German warriors, -who, after having been so treacherously attacked by the terrible -"francs-tireurs," now take the bread from their own mouths to feed -the starving population.... What these public demonstrations of -German generosity and magnanimity are worth one may judge from the -photograph published in No. 16 of the _Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier_. (It -is interesting to note that it is always the _Kurier_, semi-official -and subsidized, which bears the palm for sincerity.) The illustration -shows that "the soldiers of the German Landsturm share their bread with -French children." Now, this little scene, otherwise very convincing, -is not laid in France but in Belgium, in the railway station at -Buysinghen, near Hal. It is wholly "faked." - -This is not the only instance in which the Germans have built up -scenes to be photographed or cinematographed. Here is another. On the -20th October, 1914, a military band had been playing on the terrace -of the Botanical Gardens of Brussels, and some German officers were -strolling round the musicians. At the same time a cinematographic -camera was set up in the Rue Royale. It was naturally hoped that large -numbers of the public would gather near the band, so that a nice -film could be obtained, showing a crowd of Belgian citizens present -at a military concert, and fraternizing with the German officers. -Alas, the Germans had counted without the hatred which the people -of Brussels entertain for anything which concerns our oppressors! -At the first thumps of the big drum the promenaders rapidly melted -away, and the disappointed officers were left alone. The scheme -had failed! A fresh attempt was made on the 26th, on the Boulevard -Anspach, near the Bourse; that is, at the busiest spot in Brussels. -The number of passers-by there is always so great that it is easy to -give the impression of a crowd. Yet those who had occasion to preside -over the unwinding of the film discovered that not a few people were -ostentatiously turning their backs upon the musicians. This, by the -way, is the favourite attitude of the people of Brussels when, at -about eleven o'clock each morning, the military band--a true barbarian -orchestra--passes down the Rue Royale and along the Park. - -No. 31 of this semi-official journal shows "the band of the German -Marines which plays every Sunday at Zeebrugge." Now a street like that -represented, with tall contiguous houses and large shops, does not -exist in Zeebrugge. - -No. 3 of the same paper (it must certainly justify the Government -subsidy) shows us, in these photographs, the entry of the German -Marines into Antwerp. Only the photographs were taken in Brussels, at -the corner of the Rue de la Loi and the Rue Ducale. - -The same number contains two photographs of the Hôtel de Ville, -Louvain: "Before and after the Bombardment"(!) - -Naturally our Washingtonian enemies do not miss their opportunities -of falsifying picture postcards. In January 1915 they were selling in -Belgium a card entitled _Kriegsoperationskarte als Feld-Postbrief_ -(published by Forkel, Stuttgart), according to which they were -occupying, in Flanders, a region considerably to the west of the Yser; -their front reaching to Oost-Dunkerke and Poperinghe. Another card, -showing the country round Verdun, is even more flagrantly untruthful. - - -_Written Lies._ - -Let us pass on to the written lies. - -The reader will remember the innumerable lies told by the German Press -respecting the attitude of the Belgian population toward the German -residents in our towns (p. 106), the German wounded (p. 99), and the -German troops passing through or billeted in them. We shall not return -to these again, save to refer to other inventions which the Germans -employed to excite their troops against ours. - -Not content with accusing us of the most unspeakable crimes against -their army, the Germans have even accused us of odious crimes against -our own countrymen. In this way they seek to prove the bestially -ferocious character of the Belgians. - -In the booklet entitled _Sturmnacht in Loewen_ (A Night of Alarm in -Louvain) Herr Robert Heymann, after reminding his readers of the -cruelties of which the Belgians were guilty in Antwerp, Brussels, etc., -adds that these savage deeds were by no means surprising on the part of -a people which does not even respect its own fellow-citizens. Then (p. -8) he relates the "Brutalities committed against a Convent." This is -too interesting an effort to suffer a word of suppression. - - BRUTAL ATTACK ON A CONVENT. - - Let us hear one of those concerned relate his tribulations. The - story constitutes an important document, testifying to the high - level of Germany as regards morality and _Kultur_: Germany, who has - something better to do in this war than to commit any bloodthirsty - action. - - A great mission has fallen to Germany, and the day is no longer - distant when all the neutral nations will realize this. - - This is the "story of the Brothers of Silence." - - The convent of the Jesuits is situated quite close to Liége, on a - hill about 600 yards from the southern fort (_a_). I had been a - brother of the convent for two years. We brothers do not read the - newspapers, and by reason of our vow of silence (_b_) we do not - speak either, so that we knew nothing about the war. - - On Tuesday, the 6th August, I, simultaneously with seven other - brothers, took the watch from noon to midnight. In the night, at - 11.15, I suddenly heard a sound completely unknown to me. I went - out into the courtyard, whence, to one side, I could see Liége and - its forts. I saw, at some distance, in the sky, a little light; - this told me that the thing was in the air. I intended to pursue my - rounds, but the snoring sound which was approaching, although the - life of the world has no interest for me, made me halt. The light - came nearer and nearer; the noise had ceased. The idea occurred - to me that this might be a dirigible; but no, all of a sudden a - blinding light illumined the earth. It is the star of the Magi, - announcing something, I thought; I will follow it with my eyes. - In the radiance down below I saw everything plainly--portions of - the fortress and other things. Then, lit up by reflection from the - illuminated earth, I saw that there really was a powerful dirigible - there (_c_). I felt inclined to shout for joy; I had never yet - seen a dirigible. The light lasted only a few seconds, but to me - it seemed a long time. My eyes were not yet accustomed to the - darkness of the night, when I heard a crash. I looked up to the - sky; I saw nothing; the little light was quietly moving away; but - down below there was plenty to see--fire, and smoke! In the light I - could easily see everything. I also heard the echo. I had not had - time to recover from my great alarm when a second light appeared - on the earth, rather close to me. This time I could see still more - clearly that it was a dirigible. It seemed to me that at the end of - a long cable was suspended, very low down, a metal car, in which - stood a man. I saw him distinctly with his two hands throwing an - object into the illumined part. Immediately afterwards the light - on the ground disappeared. I continued, however, to gaze at the - same spot. A mighty sheaf of fire gushed up, while great blocks - were thrown into the air on every side. What a terrible crash! My - ear-drums seemed broken; I was as though deaf. The earth trembled - so violently underfoot that I staggered. Greatly alarmed, I still - watched the same place. The blinding sheaf of fire had turned - into a dense mass of smoke, which was rising slowly into the air. - Little by little it grew lighter, like a white vapour. Finally the - vicinity lit up as though on fire. - - I tried to note whether the fire was spreading, when I was - shaken by a fresh crash. This terrible spectacle repeated itself - continually, but was gradually moving away. From 11.15 to - midnight 12 bombs were thrown on the forts. In the interval of - the explosions one heard the snoring of the motors. After the - last explosion the dirigible rose, moved off, and disappeared. I - remained with my eyes fixed in the same direction; the clock of the - convent struck midnight. - - The seven brothers who had been keeping the watch and I myself - remained in the courtyard with those who came to relieve us. No - one could think of sleep. The other brothers and the fathers (we - were 500) remained indoors, watching the burning fortress from the - windows. - - As I was no longer on guard I went to seek a ladder, and in order - to see better I climbed a wall situated a little farther down, and - some 10 feet high. I remained there until four o'clock. About two - o'clock there began, down below in the city, a sound of isolated - rifle-shots, and shouts which soon grew louder and louder. - - At last an infernal uproar reached my ears, and numerous fires - broke out in that part of the city neighbouring on the convent. - - At four o'clock the bell called us to the church. It was an - extraordinary thing: despite our alarm we all remained obedient - to our vow of silence. We must not speak! But it became a real - torment, for our devotions lasted for two long hours. - - By the shock of the explosions the beautiful stained-glass windows - were bent inwards like sails swollen by the wind. The walls of - stone, nearly 3 feet in thickness, which surrounded the courtyard, - showed long, deep fissures. When at 6 a.m. we left the church the - shots and the shouting were still more terrible, and the fires more - numerous and farther towards the interior of the town. - - As usual, the porter opened the gate at six. How alarming! Hundreds - of Belgians from the neighbourhood rushed into the courtyard. As - we feared the convent might be sacked (_f_), the porter attempted - at first to drive them back. A brother said: "Go! you shall have - all you want!" The misguided populace immediately seized knives and - killed 20 of our brothers and one father. I myself rushed to the - bell in the courtyard and rang the alarm. Armed with pitchforks - and manure-forks and spades (_g_), the brothers rushed into the - courtyard and drove out the mob. Two brothers, who during the fight - were carried away in the crowd, were discovered hacked to pieces, - mangled as though by wild beasts. Their bodies were a dreadful - sight. A Belgian brother, hearing the alarm, seized a fork, and - so armed he rushed towards the gate, thinking to fight German - soldiers. When he saw that his assailants were his compatriots he - turned his arms against us, his brothers, shouting like a madman: - "You are mad, you are mad!" After a brief struggle the fork was - torn away from him. He was seized and thrown over the wall. He had - turned his arms against his brothers; but above all he had broken - his vow of silence. - - The fight had lasted barely a quarter of an hour. After the gate - was closed--at 6.15, our usual breakfast hour--we assembled in the - refectory for our meal. - - Despite these extraordinary events I was extremely hungry. We - now felt safe. But when, after the twenty minutes which our meal - lasted, we returned to the courtyard, we saw that the Belgian - brutes had in two places set fire to the convent. They had dragged - our corn and hay under the wood-shed which stood not far from the - convent; they had also pushed carts loaded with corn in the shock - against the buildings and outhouses (_g_), and had set fire to the - whole. The flames were already reaching the gable. It was no use - dreaming of saving anything, for all the buildings were connected - with one another. This was a sore trial. But it could not break our - vow of silence, and, doubly mute, we watched the flames. Our sorrow - found vent in tears when we saw our Superior burst into sobs. He - came into our midst; as all the fathers may speak, he said aloud: - "Go and save what you can!" and we carried out his orders. - - Rapidly we telephoned to the Belgian authorities at Liége to obtain - help and protection. But to our great alarm _German soldiers_ - appeared at this moment. As Germany does not allow us Jesuits - within her frontiers, we were extremely anxious. On account of the - presence of the German troops we wanted to carry back into the - convent the precious treasures already brought into the court; but - the leader of the German troops explained to our Superior that - this portion of Liége was already in the hands of the Germans. We - therefore placed ourselves under their protection. We had no reason - to regret it. The German escort came with eight automobiles, which - bore our inestimable treasures into Germany; paintings, which in - our haste we cut from their frames and rolled like paper; our - sacred golden vessels, and our fathers (_h_). In great haste we had - dug a huge ditch, in which, without religious ceremony and without - words, we buried our 20 assassinated brothers and the father who - was killed. While the fire continued to burn the hundreds of - brothers remaining ran hither and thither in unspeakable disorder, - seeking their clothes and shoes. I had wooden shoes on and could - not find shoes to fit me; but I saw, to my great amazement, four - pairs of shoes in my box. Everything was stuffed into the boxes and - forced down with the feet, in all haste. - - So, on Saturday (_i_), at dawn, 350 brothers left the still - smoking convent to cross the German frontier. For three hours each - painfully dragged along what modest belongings he had saved. One - old brother of eighty years remained behind; he declared, when - abandoned: "I wish to die here." Although the German soldiers - protected us as we proceeded, the Belgian people still attacked us - frequently. I received violent kicks, blows on the legs, and all - over my body. For two nights none of us slept, and in addition we - were greatly perturbed and in terrible trouble. - - When, after unheard-of exertions, we dragged ourselves across the - frontier, we let ourselves fall exhausted in a meadow, where we - slept, a leaden slumber, protected and watched by the Germans, from - morning to sunset. - - (ROBERT HEYMANN, _Sturmnacht in Loewen_, pp. 8-13.) - -As will be seen, this is a story to make the flesh creep. Still, it -seems to us to present certain difficulties. - -(_a_) There is no convent of Jesuits near Liége about 600 yards from -one of the southern forts (Boncelles, Embourg, and Chaudfontaine). - -(_b_) The Jesuit brothers are _not_ compelled to keep silence. No -doubt the author chose the Jesuits because the order is excluded from -Germany, so that he would expect his compatriots to know nothing of the -rule of the Jesuit communities. - -(_c_) How did these brothers, who read no newspapers and never spoke, -know of the existence of dirigibles? - -But apart from all this, the facts are incorrect. At no time did a -dirigible fly over Liége during the siege. - -The people of Liége saw a German dirigible for the first time on the -1st September, 1914, at 10 p.m. On the following day, at 6 p.m., they -saw another. - -(_d_) Therefore fires could not have been lit by the bombs from these -dirigibles. - -(_e_) Where have stained-glass windows ever been seen to bulge like -sails under the shock of an explosion capable of cracking walls over 30 -inches in thickness? - -(_f_) Nothing had happened so far to give any one the idea that the -convent was about to be pillaged. - -(_g_) Since when have the Jesuit convents owned farms, etc., or been -equipped with hay-forks, manure-forks, spades, hay-carts, etc.? - -(_h_) It is delightful to note that in enumerating the precious -possessions of the convent the Jesuit fathers occupy the very last -place, after the pictures and the gold plate! But this impertinence is -more apparent than real; for the narrator has just stated that the 150 -Jesuit fathers were packed, together with the pictures and the sacred -vessels, in _eight_ motor-cars! Evidently they were very tiny Jesuits. -It must have been their minuteness that saved them; for the author -has reminded us that Jesuits (of ordinary size) are not admitted into -Germany; but these, happily, passed unperceived. - -(_i_) It was not Saturday, but Friday. - -It is by such inventions--presented as the narratives of eye-witnesses, -and not as romances--that the Germans excite against us both their -troops and their home population. The method has given excellent -results; nothing gives better proof of its efficiency than the first -paragraph of the story of _The Battle of Charleroi_, in which we read -that at the beginning of August many trucks passed through Belgium -which bore the inscription:-- - - _Gegen Frankreich mit Mut, - Gegen Belgiën mit Wut._ - - (Against France with courage; against Belgium with rage.) - -Which shows to what a pitch the minds of the German troops had been -excited against us. - - -_A "French Dirigible" Captured by the Germans._ - -Other inscriptions on the railway carriages and vans are not -uninteresting to the student of _Kultur_. - -On the 5th March, 1915, we learned from ocular witnesses that a German -dirigible was lost, on the 4th, at Overhespen, near Tirlemont. _La -Belgique_ of the 6th March contained a few details. - - BRUSSELS, _5th March_ (Official).--The Zeppelin dirigible L8, - returning yesterday from a fruitful voyage of exploration, came - to earth in the darkness near Tirlemont, and, during the process - of landing, struck against some trees. It was rather seriously - damaged, so that it seemed preferable to dismantle it. The - operation was completed very rapidly by the soldiers of the - aviation department of Brussels, who were despatched to the spot. - The dismantled parts will be transported to Germany, there to be - rebuilt. - -In reality the "rather serious damage" meant that the balloon was -completely destroyed, and that twenty of the twenty-eight occupants -of the cars were killed. So far we would not describe the report as -a lie, as it does not exceed the habitual limits of our enemies' -official telegrams. But this goes a little too far: At Tirlemont the -report was spread that the dirigible in question was French, and that -it was skilfully captured by German troops; and on the trucks which -bore the metallic remains of the Zeppelin to Germany was written, in -large letters: _Erobertes Französisches Luftschiff_ (Captured French -Airship). This is no longer a manipulated truth, but a downright lie. - - -_The Transportation of the German Dead._ - -Here is another fraud of the same kind. When the number of the German -dead is too great for burial on the field of battle they evacuate the -surplus into other districts. The bodies are usually transported in -closed vans. But sometimes these are lacking, and the bodies have to -be packed into goods wagons. Nothing outside indicates the contents of -these wagons; it may be supposed that the authorities have no desire -to publish the extent of their losses. For this reason the corpses are -always hidden under something else; one sees passing, for example, what -appears to be a trainload of sugar-beet, but in reality the bodies -of soldiers are being transported. A biologist might call this an -interesting case of protective mimicry. - - -_Some Lying Placards._ - -The German authorities have no scruples about posting up false news. -For several weeks one might read, on the walls of the Hôtel de Ville at -Vilvorde, the following placard:-- - - NOTICE. - - Antwerp surrendered to-day with its army. - - THE DISTRICT COMMANDANT. - (Signature illegible.) - - VILVORDE, _9th October, 1914_. - -With its army! When the Germans were all crestfallen at having laid -hands on an empty nest! - -This is merely grotesque; but here are three placards which belong to -the system of intimidation _à outrance_. - -We have already stated (p. 147) that placards exhibited in Louvain -stated that the town of Mons was forced to pay a fine because a -civilian had fired on the German army. Now the fact was wholly -imaginary; never did any civilian of Mons fire on the Germans; never -did they accuse one of having done so; so that they never had occasion -to fine the town on that account. All is false here, from the first -word to the last. - -While at Louvain they were posting up the placard relating to Mons, -they were exhibiting at Mons a notice according to which certain -inhabitants of Soignies had fired on the German troops. This also was -a sheer falsehood. No such action was imputed to any inhabitant of -Soignies. At Charleroi they advertised the statement that they had -inflicted a penalty on Anderlues for a similar offence. Here, once -more, both accusation and penalty were pure inventions. - -Here is an equally untruthful placard. It was posted up at Cugnon -(Luxemburg) early in October, 1914, between the fall of the first forts -at Antwerp and the taking of the city. It announces the destruction of -the line of forts between Verdun and Toul, and the march on Paris (a -month after the battle of the Marne!). Its principal interest lies in -the signature: the burgomaster did not know of the placard until it -was posted; the military authorities had simply forged his name. This -did not prevent them from forcing the commune of Cugnon to pay for the -printing of these lies. - - -_M. Max's Denial._ - -The most interesting example of lying by placard is undoubtedly that -which was revealed by the burgomaster of Brussels. On the 30th August -one might read, on the walls of the capital, a notice in which M. Max -gave the lie to a placard posted at Liége. This is it:-- - - CITY OF BRUSSELS. - - The German governor of the city of Liége, Lieutenant-General von - Kolewe, yesterday had the following notice exposed:-- - - _To the Inhabitants of the City of Liége._ - - "The burgomaster of Brussels has informed the German commandant - that the French Government has declared to the Belgian Government - the impossibility of assisting it offensively in any way, as it is - itself forced to assume the defensive." - - _To this assertion I oppose the most positive denial._ - - THE BURGOMASTER, - ADOLPHE MAX. - - BRUSSELS, _30th August, 1914_. - -Since their burgomaster declared the assertion to be false, no doubt -could remain in the minds of the people of Brussels. But, curiously -enough, beside M. Max's placard there remained a German placard, which -had been posted two days earlier, and in which it was stated:-- - - On the 25th inst. the official French newspapers published a - communication from the French Government stating that the French - armies being forced to assume the defensive would no longer be in a - position to assist Belgium in the matter of a military offensive. - - BRUSSELS, _23rd August, 1914_. - -The only serious difference between the two texts was that at Liége -the burgomaster of Brussels guaranteed the truth of the _communiqué_. -So the impression was given that it was Herr von Kolewe who had the -idea of bringing M. Max's name into this ridiculous statement, in -the hope of giving it some weight. But no! Von Kolewe was innocent -of the forgery; it was the work of the German General Staff, and -was distributed by the Wolff Agency, as we learned a little later. -The Liége _communiqué_ is precisely the official German telegram as -published everywhere--for example, in _Les Nouvelles_, "published by -the authorization of the German Military Authority," at Spa, on the -30th August, 1914; by the _N.R.C._, on the 28th August; by the _K.Z._ -(see _Kriegs-Depeschen_, p. 41); and by the _Frankfurter Zeitung_ (see -_Der Grosse Krieg_, p. 172). - -What, then, is the meaning of the first telegram posted in -Brussels--that of the 25th August, in which no mention of the -burgomaster occurs? Simply this: the German Government was announcing -to the whole world an item of "news" whose improbability required to -be supported by the word of an honest man, such as the burgomaster of -Brussels. A lie so gross and flagrant might be published at Liége, but -not in Brussels itself. Unfortunately the Germans had not succeeded in -cutting off communication between Liége and Brussels; on the day after -its appearance the Liége placard had reached M. Max, and he was able to -issue his famous denial. The effect was tremendous. From that moment -the people of Brussels no longer believed any "official news."[36] Did -the Germans make any attempt to reply to the denial? None: why attempt -the impossible? But they prohibited, with their usual heaviness, the -publication of any placards, even by the municipality. - - - IMPORTANT NOTICE. - - The publication of placards, unless they have received my special - permission, is strictly prohibited, those of the municipality of - the city being included. - - (_Signed_) VON LÜTTWITZ, _General_. - -Translated into the vulgar tongue this means: "When we Germans lie we -do not wish attention called to the fact." - - -_How the Officers Lie to their Men._ - -Hitherto we have considered only those German lies which were addressed -to the Belgians. But there are better lies than these: they lie -to their own troops. At the outset of the invasion of Belgium the -German soldiers were led to believe that they were already in France, -quite close to Paris, even in October and November 1914. Germans in -cantonments near Roulers, in Flanders, believed that they were only -eight miles from Paris, and they used to ask the correspondent of the -_Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_ to show them "a place they could see the -Eiffel Tower from." This, it may be said, proves that in all armies -there are soldiers of small intelligence, even in the German Army. No: -it proves that in this latter army the officers lie with method. You -may judge. The soldiers tended in the hospital of the Palais de Justice -in Brussels used to date their letters "Paris"; and it was by order of -their superior officers that they deceived their families. The official -journal, _Deutsche Soldatenpost_, in its issue for the 16th October, -1914, contains a little poem entitled "Hindenburg," whose third stanza -commences: - - _Vor Paris aber steht das deutsche Heer..._ - (But the German host stands before Paris.) - -This, be it noted, on the 16th October, more than a month after the -battle of the Marne. About the same time a soldier in Antwerp learned -from his officers that if the German army had not yet entered Paris it -was merely to avoid the plague, which was raging there (_N.R.C._, 20th -October, 1914, morning). - -After that, who can doubt that systematic lying forms part of the -duties of an officer towards his men? - - -2. PERSEVERANCE IN FALSEHOOD. - -Nothing is left to chance in the campaign of lies any more than in the -military campaign proper. The Great General Staff organizes everything -with the same care--the attacks of "francs-tireurs," the benzine -syringes, the pastilles of fulminating cotton employed in the rapid -starting of conflagrations--just as it organizes the manoeuvres of the -Press intended to direct the mentality of the troops towards a policy -of pitiless repression. - -They even try to educate (which means, to pervert the minds of) the -prisoners of war in their concentration camps. Thus in No. 5 of _La -Guerre_, a journal especially intended for prisoners of war (published -the 10th March, 1915), a passage is reproduced from the "Records of the -War," by Houston Stewart Chamberlain. Here is an extract: "Finally, -one should read the notices on the detestable attitude of the civil -population of Belgium, of both sexes, in the present war: notices -officially confirmed and attested in writing by several priests: -according to which the populace, behaving a hundred times worse than -ferocious beasts, have horribly mutilated and gouged out the eyes -of poor wounded German soldiers, afterwards slowly stifling them by -pouring sawdust into their nose and mouth." - -It will perhaps be objected that those who write of such things are -blinded by the militarist spirit; that they have, like everybody in -Germany, abolished in themselves the critical faculty; and that they do -not even dream of disputing the statements of the official journals; -in short, that they do not, properly speaking, lie, because they are -sincere. But can they really be sincere? Could they, on the 10th March, -pretend that they still believed that the Belgians gouge out the eyes -of wounded men and choke them to death with sawdust when _Vorwärts_ -had succeeded in getting at the truth, and had been protesting against -these lies since the month of January? Besides, the Germans know their -own "reptile" Press, and they ought to realize that their newspapers do -not merit credence, least of all in time of war. - -But even if we absolve these writers of the crime of lying, to accuse -them of nothing worse than inconceivable credulity, we cannot on any -pretext extend the same indulgence to those who are incontestably in -a position to know the truth. To cite only one example--is it not -shameful that Baron von Bissing the younger should publish _in April -1915_, in the _Süddeutsche Monatshefte_, an article on Belgium in which -he repeats the accusations against the "francs-tireurs," and the tales -of Belgians mutilating the German wounded? And what are we to say of -the reply made by the German Minister of War to Mlle. Leman according -to which the German troops have never ill-treated priests (p. 72), nor -touched the property of the Church? A visit to Bueken (near Louvain) -gives the reply to this twofold assertion. In May 1915 one could still -see, in the sacristy, the muniment chest which had contained the sacred -vessels; it had been broken open by the Germans with the aid of a -bell-clapper. As for the curé, M. De Clerck, we know what he suffered; -he was shot after his ears and nose were cut off. With the curé his -assistant was killed: Father Vincentius Sombroek, a conventual, born at -Zaandam, in Holland.[37] - -The picture-postcard has, of course, not been forgotten. The Germans -had on sale in Brussels, for their soldiers, a coloured card of -_The Uhlans_ _before Paris_. It shows groups of German cavalrymen -contemplating Paris and the Eiffel Tower. This card is published by R. -and K., and bears the number 500. - -This same firm fabricated some remarkable cards relating to the -military operations in Belgium. No. 507 represents the bombardment of -Antwerp. It shows the city in flames, seen from the Tête de Flandre, -and it also shows guns installed in the same locality. Now the Germans -never had guns on the left bank of the Scheldt. No. 502 shows the -bombardment of Namur by means of guns firing from Jambes, which again -is incorrect. These cards, it should be noted, were still being sold -in June 1915; that is, when every one knew that these pictures were -"faked." - - -_The Germans' Treatment of Mgr. Mercier._ - -There are other examples of continuity of falsehood than those relating -to violations of the Hague Convention and the Treaty of London (1839). -For example, a long series of lies was directed against one single -individual--Mgr. Mercier, Cardinal-Archbishop of Malines, Primate of -Belgium. - -The facts are so well known that there is no need of lengthy comment. - -1. Mgr. Mercier went to Rome for the Conclave. We learned in Belgium, -by a placard dated the 8th September, that the Cardinal was returning -to his country "with a safe-conduct, passing through the German lines." - -_A lie._--The Cardinal never had any German safe-conduct. He returned -to Belgium by way of Lyons, Paris, Havre (where he delivered a speech), -London, and Holland. - -2. During his stay in Rome the Cardinal made declarations very -unfavourable to the Germans. A placard of the 12th September, 1914, -assured us that he protested against the interview in the _Corriere -della Sera_. - -_A lie._--The _Corriere della Sera_ is a neutral journal (in the sense -that the Belgian _Le Soir_ is neutral), and the Germans wished to -produce the impression that the Cardinal had been interviewed by a -correspondent of this newspaper. Now he was interviewed by the editor -of the Catholic journal, the _Corriere d'Italia_. This is merely one of -the "errors" of Cardinal von Hartmann's rectification. The whole is in -keeping with this; but it is too long to consider in detail. - -3. Baron von der Goltz, at the moment of leaving Belgium, of which he -had been Governor-General, thought fit to assert that he had come to an -agreement with Mgr. Mercier as to the reopening of the courses in the -University of Louvain (_Le Réveil_, 1st December, 1914). - -_A lie._--There was never any question of resuming these courses. - -4. The Cardinal published his famous Pastoral Letter, which was sent -to all the churches of his diocese, to be read from the pulpit. It -recalled the present sufferings of the country, and adjured Belgians to -"remain faithful to their king and their laws." - -Directly the Germans, informed by their spies, knew of the existence -of this pastoral letter they withdrew Cardinal Mercier's authorization -to visit the other bishops in his motor-car. At the same time they -forbade the curés to make the letter known to their parishioners; they -even proceeded to seize the pamphlet in the presbyteries. Naturally -the priests refused to obey the German injunctions, and the beginning -of the _mandamus_ was read from the pulpit on Sunday, the 3rd January, -1915. The Germans were furious, and forbade the curés to continue -the reading of the letter; and, the more readily to obtain their -submission, showed them a German declaration, signed by von Bissing, of -which this is the translation:-- - - BRUSSELS, _7th January, 1915_. - - TO THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF MALINES. - - As a result of my remarks, Cardinal Mercier of Malines has declared - to me verbally and in writing that he had no intention of exciting - or alarming the population by his pastoral letter, and he had not - expected any such effect. That he had particularly insisted on the - necessity of obedience on the part of the population towards the - occupier, even if a patriot should inwardly feel in a state of - opposition. - - In case I should nevertheless fear an exciting effect, the Cardinal - did not insist on requiring of his clergy the repeated reading of - the pastoral letter on the succeeding Sundays, provided for in the - conclusion of the letter, nor the distribution of the letter. - - My hypothesis has proved correct. - - I therefore repeat my prohibition of the 2nd January of this year, - concerning the reading and the diffusion of the pastoral letter. - I draw the attention of the clergy to this point--that they will - be acting in contradiction to the written declaration of their - Cardinal in disobeying his prohibition. - - BARON VON BISSING, - _Colonel-General_. - _Governor-General in Belgium._ - -_A lie._--This declaration is false. Mgr. Evrard, Dean of St. Gudule -in Brussels, went to see Mgr. Mercier at Malines, and obtained proof -of the falsehood. He at once warned all the curés of Brussels and the -district of the manoeuvre, and on Sunday, the 10th January, the reading -of the letter was resumed. - - BRUSSELS, _9th January, 1915_. - - MONSIEUR LE CURÉ,-- - - I have returned from Malines. - - Despite the written prohibition received yesterday, His Eminence - the Cardinal wishes his letter to be read. This written prohibition - is cunning and spurious. - - "Neither verbally, nor in writing, have I withdrawn anything, - nor do I now withdraw anything of my previous instructions, and - I protest against the violence done against the liberty of my - pastoral ministry." - - That is what the Cardinal dictated to me. - - He added: "They have done everything to make me sign mitigations - of my letter; I have not signed them. Now they seek to separate my - clergy from me, by forbidding them to read it. - - "I have done my duty; my clergy know if they will do theirs." - - Accept, M. le Curé, the homage of all my respect. - - (_Signed_) E. EVRARD, _Dean_. - -5. Baron von Bissing published in the newspapers a _communiqué_ stating -"that no hindrance of any kind had been put in the way of the exercise -of the pastoral duties of the Cardinal-Archbishop." - -_A lie._--The Cardinal contradicted this assertion in a Latin letter -addressed to his clergy. - - MECHLINIAE, - _Dominica infra Octavam Epiphaniae_. - - REVERENDI ADMODUM DOMINI ET COOPERATORES DILECTISSIMI,-- - - Habuistis, ut puto, prae oculis nuntium a Gubernio Generali - Bruxellensi publicis ephemeridibus propalatum, quo declarabatur - "Cardinalem Archiepiscopum Mechliniensem a munere suo ecclesiastico - libere adimplendo nullatenus fuisse impeditum." Quod quam a - veritate alienum sit, e factis elucet. - - Milites enim, vespere diei primae Januarii - necnon per totam noctem insequentem, domus presbyterales - invaserunt, Litteras Pastorales e manibus parochorum vel - arripuerunt vel arripere conati sunt frustra, easque ne populo - fideli praelegeratis, etiam sub poenis gravissimis, vobis metipsis - aut parochiae vestrae infligendis, auctoritate episcopali despecta, - prohibuerunt. - - Nec dignitati nostrae pepercere, Die namque secunda Januarii - orto nondum sole, hora scilicet sexta, jusserunt me, die eadem - matutina, coram Gubernatore Generali, epistolae meae ad clerum et - populum rationem reddere; die autem postero, Laudibus Vespertinis - in Ecclesia cathedrali Antverpiensi praeesse me vetuerunt; tandem, - ne alios Belgii episcopos libere adeam, prohibent. - - Jura vestra, Cooperatores dilectissimi, et mea, violata fuisse, - civis, animarum pastor et Sacri Cardinalium Collegii sodalis, - protestor. - - Quidquid praedixerint alii, experientia nunc compertum est nullum - ex epistola illa pastorali enatum esse seditionis periculum, sed - eam potius animarum paci et publicae tranquillitati haud parum - adjumento fuisse. - - Vobis de officio fortiter et suaviter impleto gratulor, cui animo - virili et pacifico, fideles estote memores verborum illorum quibus - mentem meam plane et integre jam expressi: "Soyes à la fois et - les meilleurs gardiens du patriotisme, et les soutiens de l'ordre - public." - - Caeterum, "Spiritu sitis ferventes, Domino servientes, spe - gaudentes, in tribulatione patientes, orationi instantes, - necessitatibus sanctorum communicantes."[38] - - Ne mei, quaeso, obliviscamini in observationibus vestris, nec - vestrum obliviscar; arcto fraternitatis vinculo conjuncti, - unanimes Antistitem, clerum et populum fidelem commendemus Domino, - "ut et quae agenda sunt, videant, et ad implenda quae viderint, - convalescant."[39] - - Vobis in Christo addictissimus, - D. J. CARD. MERCIER, - _Archiepisc. Mechl._ - - Expostulatur à R^{do} admodum D^o Decano relatio de iis quae in - parochiis decanatus evenerunt. - - N.B.--Non desunt in dioecesi clerici qui vestibus laïcis ad tempus - usi sunt. Jam nunc habitum clericalem resumant omnes. - - (_S._) D. J. - -[_Translation._] - - MALINES, - _The Sunday of the Octave of the Epiphany_. - - VERY REVEREND GENTLEMEN AND WELL-BELOVED COLLEAGUES,-- - - You have, I think, had sight of the message from the General - Government of Brussels, published in the newspapers, in which it - is declared that "the Cardinal Archbishop of Malines has in no - manner been prevented in the free performance of his ecclesiastical - office." - - The facts will show that this assertion is contrary to the truth. - As a matter of fact, on the evening of the 1st January, and during - the whole of the night, soldiers entered the presbyteries and took - from the priests, or vainly endeavoured to take, the pastoral - letter, and, in contempt of episcopal authority, forbade you to - read it to the assembled faithful, under the threat of extremely - severe punishment which would be inflicted on yourselves or on your - parish. - - Even our dignity was not respected. For on the 2nd of January, - before sunrise even, that is, at six o'clock, I was ordered - to present myself on the morning of that same day before the - Governor-General, to justify my letter to the clergy and the - people; on the following day I was forbidden to preside at - Benediction in the Cathedral of Antwerp; lastly, I was forbidden to - visit the other Belgian bishops. - - As a citizen, a pastor of souls, and a member of the Sacred College - of Cardinals I protest that your rights, well-beloved brothers, and - my own, have been infringed. - - Whatever has been pretended, experience has proved that no danger - of sedition has resulted from this pastoral letter, but rather that - it contributed greatly to the peace and tranquillity of the public. - - I congratulate you with having accomplished your duty firmly and - harmoniously. Remain devoted to it with a manly and peaceable - heart, recalling those words in which I have already fully and - entirely expressed my thought: "Be at once the best guardians of - patriotism and the supporters of public order." - - Moreover: "Be fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing - in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; - distributing to the necessities of the saints."[40] - - Do not forget me, I beg you, in your supplications; neither - will I forget you. All together, closely united by the bond of - brotherhood, let us recommend the bishop, the clergy, and the - faithful "that they may behold their duty and be strong to fulfil - it."[41] - - Yours very faithfully in Christ, - D. J. CARDINAL MERCIER, - _Archbishop of Malines_. - - The Very Rev. the Deans are begged to report what has happened in - the parishes of their Deanery. - - N.B.--Members of the clergy have for a time worn civil clothing. - Let all now resume their ecclesiastical clothing. - -6. On Sunday, the 3rd January, 1915, the Cardinal did not go -to Antwerp, as he had intended. The Germans announced in the -newspapers--in _L'Avenir_ (Antwerp), for example--that the Cardinal's -absence was voluntary. - -_A lie._--They had forbidden Mgr. Mercier to leave Malines. - - * * * * * - -We have mentioned that while these things were happening the clergy -continued to make the pastoral letter known in all the churches, -except in those cases where the Germans had succeeded in subtracting -the copies of the letter. But even there the reading of the letter was -resumed after a brief interval, when fresh impressions of the letter -had been printed and distributed all over the country. This propaganda -was, of course, secret; an official _communiqué_ published at Namur, on -the 12th January, 1915, leaves no doubt as to that. It threatens the -infliction of severe punishment on those who should distribute this -document. To give some idea of the activity with which the pastoral -letter was distributed throughout Belgium, we may mention that we know -of twelve different editions in French and two in Flemish; there are, -moreover, at least two typewritten editions. Each impression numbered -thousands of copies; of one single edition the Germans seized 35,000 -copies! We may add that a German translation also has appeared, but -this is _ad usum Germanorum_. The interesting passages are suppressed. - -The pastoral letter was not without results in Rome. The Belgian colony -there organized a mass for the priests put to death in Belgium, a list -of whom was given by the Cardinal. The organ of the Vatican, the -_Osservatore Romano_, translated "put to death" by _caduti_, "fallen." -This vague term might allow it to be supposed that the priests had -fallen on the field of battle, not that they were assassinated by the -German troops. The German newspapers were jubilant. The _Kölnische -Volkszeitung_, one of the leading Catholic organs in Germany, edited -by Herr Julius Bachem, published an article to show that the Holy See -had not been duped by the tricks of the Belgians, and refused to credit -the tale of priests put to death by the Germans (see _Het Vaderland_, -31st March, 1915, 2nd sheet, evening). The _Düsseldorfer Anzeiger_ -also contained a long and far-fetched article in its issue of the 29th -January. - - -3. THE ORGANIZATION OF PROPAGANDA. - -With the methodical spirit which they boast of possessing, the Germans -have from the outset of the war created bureaux for the propagation of -the "German idea" throughout the world. Some of these organizations of -propaganda have for their province the neutral countries, among which, -in the first rank, are the United States, the Scandinavian countries, -Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. Others deal with the occupied -countries, or enemy countries, through the intermediary of prisoners -of war and civil prisoners. Finally, there are those that deal with -Germany and her allies. If we add to the bureaux of propaganda situated -in Germany, and operating thence, those established and operating -in foreign countries, we shall begin to understand the power of -expansion and penetration possessed by such instruments in the hands of -unscrupulous people. - -Again, we must reckon not only with the official or semi-official -propaganda, devoid of the mercenary spirit, whose only object is the -triumph of Germany. There are a number of publishing concerns which -pursue the same objects. - -Besides her printed propaganda, Germany makes use of other means, -apparently accessory and occasional, but whose effects may become -very appreciable; visits of German scholars and German politicians, -especially socialist politicians; letters written by Germans to friends -or relations abroad; inquiries addressed to the scholars of neutral -countries; promises made to notable persons, in the hope of obtaining -their co-operation. - -One word before examining the working of these organizations. Should we -really classify them under the heading of "falsehoods"? After what we -have said of the methods of the German Press, and the mentality of the -German rulers, no one will hesitate, we fancy, as to the place which -falsehood must be accorded in this propaganda. But so that no doubt -shall remain in the reader's mind, we will give a few quotations from -the propagandist literature relating to Belgium. - - -(_a_) _Propagandist Bureaux operating in Germany._ - -The most important of the propagandist pamphlets appearing in Germany -is a monthly publication. It is known, in French, as the _Journal de -la Guerre_. We know it also in German and in Dutch; probably it is -translated into yet other languages. Each number consists of 40 to -72 pages, and contains general information, a chronicle of the war, -photographs and drawings, tales of the battles, etc. ... in short, -everything that can influence the public opinion of neutral countries. -In almost every number is an article tending to prove that Germany was -forced, for reasons of self-defence, to invade Belgium; that Belgium, -moreover, had violated her own neutrality in advance; that the Belgians -amply deserve their fate, on account of their wicked treatment of -wounded men (gouging out their eyes, etc.). We have already mentioned -the _Journal de la Guerre_ with reference to a "faked" map of Louvain. - - * * * * * - -The _Journal de la Guerre_ published an article by Herr Helfferich on -a journey through Belgium, undertaken in September 1914. It is teeming -with inaccuracies, but it would be waste of time to refute them all. -We will confine ourselves to the first sentence, which states that -the burgomaster of Battice has been shot. Now, this is untrue: the -burgomaster of Battice, M. Rosette, who has filled his office for many -years, is in excellent health, and is still living in Battice. - -Another publication--_La Guerre--Journal périodique paraissant durant -la guerre de 1914-15_--is intended for prisoners of war. - -The best method of impressing the prisoners is assuredly to show them -that in their own country people are already beginning to realize -the indisputable superiority of Germany. So _La Guerre_ frequently -publishes articles reprinted from _La Gazette des Ardennes_; only -it forgets to mention that _La Gazette des Ardennes_ is a newspaper -established, edited, and printed exclusively by Germans, since -the occupation. Shall we take another example of duplicity? For -the Belgians, naturally, what their priests tell them has great -weight with them. No. 14 of _La Guerre_ reproduces a passage from an -article (which is mentioned on p. 129) originally published by "the -priest Domela Nieuwenhuis, of Gand." Here is a falsehood: M. Domela -Nieuwenhuis is not a priest; he is a Protestant pastor in Gand. In -the quotation M. Nieuwenhuis says: "If we Flemings had been properly -informed...." (_La Guerre_, No. 14, p. 217). - -"We Flemings," M. Nieuwenhuis is supposed to have said ... and he is a -Dutchman. This is curious. Let us compare this with the original text -in _De Tijdspiegel_, p. 316, 1st April, 1915. There we find: "_Indien -wij hier in Vlaanderen ... zouden zign voorgelicht...._" ("If we, here -in Flanders, had been informed....") The German forgers have been at -work, and by a little tinkering at the text, they have made a Dutch -pastor pass for a Flemish priest! To what are they not reduced! - - * * * * * - -The pamphlet _Die Wahrheit über den Krieg_ speaks on p. 93 of an -international propagandist organisation established in Berlin: the -_Commission for the publication of impartial news abroad_ (we translate -from the Dutch version). This Commission publishes _Correspondence for -Neutrals_, which aims solely at "distributing positive news concerning -the working of social, juridicial, economic, and moral institutions -and general culture in Germany." Its articles are especially intended -for use by the Press. It appears two or three times a week, in ten -different languages, and will continue to do so during the war. It -asserts that its expenses are covered entirely by private subscriptions. - -At the Superior Technical College of Stuttgart is established the -_Süddeutsche Nachrichtenstelle für die Neutralen_ (South German News -Bureau for the Neutrals). It publishes propagandist leaflets at -irregular intervals and of various dimensions, which are intended to -furnish "the verifiable truth as to the origin, course, and results of -the war." - -The professors of the University of Leipzig sent abroad a special -number of the _Leipziger Neueste Nachrichte_ of the 25th August, 1914, -which gave, in chronological order, "the truth about the causes of the -war and the German successes." The truth! Its capital falsehoods are -too numerous for examination here. - -At Düsseldorf is the _Büro zur Verbreitung deutscher Nachrichten im -Auslande_ (the German Bureau for distributing German news abroad). The -French version of this title is _Bureau allemand pour la publication -de nouvelles authentiques à l'Etranger_. Observe, in passing, that -_Deutsche Nachrichten_ is translated as "authentic news," which will -not fail to surprise the reader. This Bureau used to publish _Le -Réveil_, a remarkable journal sold in Belgium and the occupied parts of -France. - -The _Deutscher Überseedienst_ (German Overseas Service) busies itself -particularly with the falsification of public opinion abroad. Its -publications are usually distributed gratis. - -For Americans living in Europe, Germany provides _The Continental -Times, Special War Edition and Journal for Americans in Europe_, edited -at the Hôtel Adon in Berlin. To judge of the veracity of this journal, -it is enough to read, in the issue for the 8th February, the article by -Herr J. E. Noegerath, devoted to his journey through Belgium. In this -we learn that "Malines was bombarded simultaneously by the Belgians and -the Germans; the cathedral, somewhat seriously damaged, is about to be -repaired by the Germans." St. Rombaut repaired by the Germans! This -exceeds even the German limits! Well, the Americans in Europe have a -chance of obtaining positive information. - -_The League of German Scientists and Artists for the Defence of -Civilization_ (in French they make it _La Ligue pour la défense de la -civilisation_--for the _prevention_--which is just what it is!) is -installed in the Palace of the Academy of Science in Berlin, Unter den -Linden, 38. It publishes pamphlets; for example, that of Herr Riesser, -on _The Success of the German War Loan_. As far as we know it has -published nothing about Belgium. - - * * * * * - -A very interesting method of propaganda is that which consists in -attaching to business letters leaflets printed on very thin paper, -giving "authentic" news in the language of the recipient. _The -Hamburger Fremdenblatt_ has published many of these, at 10 pfennigs for -10 copies. They include, notably, _Appeals to Christians_; _An Appeal -to the Catholic Missions_, in German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, -French, and Italian; _An Appeal to the Protestant Missions_, in German, -English, and Portuguese. - -Another series of leaflets to be inserted in letters is published by -the _Bureau des Deutschen Handelstages, Berlin_ (Bureau of the German -Commercial Conference of Berlin). Nine different leaflets appeared. No. -10 and the succeeding leaflets are of different origin; these leaflets -are now published by the _Kriegs-Auschuss der Deutschen Industrie, -Berlin_ (Military Commission of German Industry). No. 10 reproduces a -proclamation by Dr. Schroedter, threatening to strip the Belgians of -all their copper, "down to the last door-handle." - -In Germany also are published leaflets bearing no indication of their -origin. One of these, entitled _What is the Cause of the Severity of -the War?_ is curious for more reasons than one. - - -(_b_) _Propagandist Matter issued by the Publishing Houses._ - -There are, to begin with, the numerous low-priced pamphlets which carry -the gospel to the soldiers in the trenches, and enlighten the home -population. The most voluminous and the most perfidious of these books -is that of Major Viktor von Strantz: _Die Eroberung Belgiëns_. - -Several publishing houses issue series of booklets, under some general -title. We may mention:-- - - _Krieg und Sieg, 1914, nach Berichten der Zeitgenossen_ (War and - Victory, 1914, according to the Accounts of Eye-witnesses). - - _Der Deutschen Volkes Kriegstagebuch_ (The German People's Diary of - the War). - - _Der Weltkrieg, 1914_ (The World-war of 1914), at 20 pfennigs. - -Besides these works, which are intended rather for the masses, we must -mention others, intended for a more intellectual public. - -Such are:-- - - _Reden aus der Kriegzeit_; _Deutsche Vortrage Hamburgischer - Professoren_; _Zwischen Krieg und Frieden_; _Der Deutsche Krieg_; - _Kriegsberichte aus den Grossen Hauptquartier._ - -To these we may add works appearing in small isolated volumes at a low -price, containing more especially diplomatic documents:-- - - _Deutschland in der Notwehr_ (Carl Schüsemann, Bremen); _Das - Volkerringen, 1914_, F. M. Kireheisen (Universal Bibliothek, - Leipzig). - - _Urkunden, Depeschen und Berichte der Frankfurter Zeitung. Der - Grosse Krieg. Eine Chronich von Tag zu Tag_ (Frankfurt, 1914-15). - -We must not overlook the numerous illustrated publications, among -which we may mention the _Album de la Grande Guerre_, published by -the _Deutscher Überseedienst_, with explanations in German, English, -Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. This collection contains a -number of illustrations relating to Belgium: for example, in No. 2 we -have "A Zeppelin bombarding Liége," which never happened (p. 229): and -No. 3 gives us a view of the Place des Bailles at Malines, "a quarter -where the houses were destroyed by Belgian artillery" (whereas the -Belgian artillery destroyed nothing in Malines, and the Place des -Bailles was not bombarded but burned). - - -(_c_) _Propangandist Bureaux operating Abroad._ - -Not content with flooding neutrals with literature fabricated in -Germany itself, to such an extent that the former complained of the -German importunity, the Germans have also set up bureaux of propaganda -in foreign countries. The most important of these, without doubt, is -that which has been operating in the United States, under the direction -of Herr Bernhard Dernburg, ex-Minister of the Empire. Herr Dernburg -has neglected no means of action, and has not feared to mount into the -breach himself in his efforts to ensure the triumph of his cause. - -In Belgium the propaganda was of a multiple nature. In the first -place, the Germans were careful to inform us, daily, by means of -placards, as to the "actual" results of the military operations, and -they distributed tens of thousands of copies of circulars relating to -the "Anglo-Belgian Conventions" (p. 43), the Griendl report (p. 41), -the retirement of Italy from the Triple Alliance, etc. As these might -not have enlightened us sufficiently, the German authorities took the -Press in hand, the result being such journals as _Le Réveil_ and the -_Deutsche Soldatenpost_. They then censored the Belgian papers in -various manners. - -(1) The Germans wished to compel various papers to appear under their -control. All those in the capital refused; but in the provinces certain -newspapers, such as _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ (at Namur) and _Le Bien Public_ -(at Gand), accepted the German conditions. _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ was -really and truly forced to appear; as it admitted, in a covert fashion, -in its issues of the 20th and 27th August, and explicitly in those of -the 7th October and the 6th November. - -(2) The German authorities forced these journals, and others which have -since been established, to publish propagandist articles, imposing -penalties in case of failure. Thus _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ (it was suggested -that it might be called _L'Ami de par Ordre!_) was obliged to publish -stories of "francs-tireurs" which it knew were inventions; and after -the burning of the Grand' Place at Namur (concerning which it knew very -well what to think) it published, in large letters, on the 28th August, -1914, a protest against francs-tireurs. On the 1st September followed -an article describing the punishment of Louvain after an attack by -civilians. On the following day was further mention of the "leaders" -who brought such terrible reprisals on their fellow-citizens. In -order to make these flagrant lies "go down," the journal is compelled -from time to time to repeat that it prints nothing but the truth (for -example, on the 7th September). - -Incontestably imposed, also, are the articles which basely flatter -the Germans; notably its excuses after its suspension (7th and 8th -December) and its thanks to the Military Government of Namur when -the latter ceased to take hostages (on the 29th September). In this -last issue is an equally characteristic article on the subject of the -Cathedral of Reims; in this the German Government pretends that it did -not allege the presence of an observation-post on the Cathedral. But -one has only to read the official communiqués of the 23rd September in -order to prove that _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ has been forced to lie to its -readers. - -Of course the Germans deny that they demand the insertion of these -articles (see _Le Bien Public_, 1st November, 1914); otherwise their -readers would cease to give any credence to these "Belgian" papers. - -(3) The principal mission of the censorship consists in suppressing -all that displeases it and all that it regards as compromising. Thus, -for two months _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ did not publish a single communiqué -from the armies of the Allies, although it pretended the contrary in -its issue of the 7th October. It was only on the 26th that it began -to publish them; but it then borrowed them from the German papers, -which was not perhaps a guarantee of exactitude. At the same time _Le -Bruxellois_ stated that there were scarcely any French communiqués. -As for _Le Bien Public_, it was suspended during the whole of May -1915, because the censorship would no longer allow it to publish the -communiqués of the Allies. - -The censorship had promised the journals whose publication it permitted -(or demanded) that it would not mutilate articles, but would suppress -them entirely (_Le Bien Public_, 1st November, 1914). Of course, it -did not keep its engagements; for what engagement did our enemies ever -keep? To realize how the censorship mutilates, curtails, and falsifies -one has only to compare the official telegrams contained in the French -newspapers with those which are vouchsafed us by the expurgated -journals. Here are a few examples; it will be seen that the censorship -suppresses not only sentences and parts of sentences, but single words, -and even parts of words. We will confess that this last procedure was -totally unexpected, even on the part of Germany, although her scholars -have certainly acquired a habit of splitting hairs. - -The words in italics are those suppressed by the censorship:-- - - _La Belgique_, Tuesday, 26th January, 1913,--PETROGRAD, _23rd - January_. (Official telegram from the Great General Staff).... - German attempts to pass to the offensive in various places have - been _easily_ defeated _by our artillery_.... On the 21st January - enemy troops, in strength about a division of infantry, and - supported by artillery, attacked our front in the Kirlibaba region, - _but they were repulsed_. Up to the morning of the 21st January our - troops had maintained themselves in their positions. _We have made - 200 prisoners._ - - _La Belgique_, Monday, 1st February, 1913.--PARIS, _29th January_. - (Official, 3 p.m.)--In Belgium, in the Nieuport sector, our - infantry has gained a footing on the great dune which was mentioned - on the 27th. _A German aeroplane was brought down by our guns._ In - the sectors of Ypres and Lens, as in the sector of Arras, there - have been, intermittently, artillery duels of some violence, and - some attacks of infantry were attempted but immediately _thrown - back by our fire_. Nothing fresh to report in the Soissons, - Craonne, or Reims districts. _It is confirmed that the attack - repulsed by us at Fontaine-Madame on the night of the 27th cost - the Germans dearly...._ PARIS, _the 29th January_ (_official, 11 - p.m._).... _This morning, the 29th, a German aeroplane was forced - to the ground east of Gerbeviller. Its passengers, an officer and - an under-officer, are prisoners._ - - _La Belgique_, Thursday, 4th February, 1915.--PARIS, _1st - February_. (Official telegram, 3 p.m.).... To the south-east of - Ypres the Germans have attempted an attack upon our trenches to the - north of the canal, an attack which was _immediately_ checked by - our artillery fire.... In the Argonne, _where the Germans appear - to have suffered greatly in the recent fighting_, the day has been - comparatively quiet.... - - PARIS, _1st February_. (Official telegram, 11 p.m.).... On the - morning of the 1st February the enemy violently attacked our - trenches to the north, Béthune--La Bassée. He was thrown back - _and left numerous dead on the ground_. At Beaumont-Hamel, to the - north of Arras, the German infantry attempted to carry one of our - trenches by surprise, but was forced to retreat, _abandoning on the - spot the explosives with which it was provided_.... - - _La Belgique_, Friday, 12th February, 1915.--PARIS, _9th February_. - (Official telegram, 3 p.m.).... Along the road from Béthune to - La Bassée we have reoccupied a windmill in which the enemy had - succeeded in establishing himself. Soissons was bombarded _with - incendiary shells_. - - _La Belgique_, Saturday, 13th February, 1915.--PARIS, _10th - February_. (Official, 11 p.m.).... In Lorraine our outposts - _easily_ repulsed a German attack on the eastern edge and to the - north of the Forest of Purvy. - - _La Patrie_ (Brussels).--COPENHAGEN, _2nd March_.--According to a - communication from London in the _Berlingske Tidende_ the Swedish - painter, Johnson, who was arrested as a spy, because he was making - pretended luminous signals to German ships of war, is _said to have - been_ acquitted for lack of evidence. - -To appreciate at its full value the mutilation of the official -communiqués by the German censorship, it must be recalled (1) that -it had undertaken to leave the official communiqués untouched, and -(2) that the subservient portion of the press continued to call them -"official telegrams." - - -_Sincerity of the Censored Newspapers._ - -At the outset the censorship used to allow newspapers to leave a blank -space in the place of an article, phrase, or words deleted. But this -procedure was too frank for the Germans, and the readers were aware -of it; so the German authorities forced the newspapers to fill up the -blanks; and in order to facilitate their task they published a special -typewritten journal, appearing in French and in Flemish, _Le Courrier -Belge_, in which "all the articles had passed the censorship." Editors, -therefore, had only to select an article of the desired length in order -to fill the gaps left by the official scissors. - -We may add that by the terms of a decision given in the Court of -First Instance in Brussels, the journals at present appearing in -Germany under the German censorship may not claim the title of Belgian -newspapers. - -It may readily be imagined what the censored journals have become under -this delightful system. But a story which is told in Belgium will -perhaps give the reader a better idea of their vicissitudes. The soul -of a soldier presents itself at the gate of Paradise. "Who are you?" -says St. Peter. After a long hesitating pause (for no one cares to -make such a painful confession) the soul replies: "I am the soul of a -German soldier." "You are an impudent liar!" cries St. Peter. "I read -the Belgian newspapers with the greatest care, and they have not yet -announced the death of a single German soldier!" - -On the 7th June, 1915, the Germans had a unique opportunity of proving -that the German journals in Belgian clothes, such as _L'Ami de -l'Ordre_, _La Belgique_, _Le Bien Public_, etc., were still capable on -occasion of speaking the truth. But they allowed the opportunity to -slip. However, here are the facts:-- - -On the night of Sunday, the 6th June, 1915, towards 2.30 a.m., we were -awakened by a furious cannonade and the explosion of bombs: Allied -aviators were bombarding the shed of the dirigible at Evere, to which -they set fire, destroying both shed and balloon. On the same day we -learned that a second German dirigible had just been destroyed at -Mont St.-Amand, near Gand, by a British aviator. We awaited the next -day's papers with curiosity. Would they report the two incidents, -making as little of them as possible, or would they keep silence? -They merely stated that the German air-fleet had raided the English -coast on the night of the 7th. Of what happened on its return, not a -word. In the _Kölnische Zeitung_, again, there was nothing said as to -the disasters at Evere and Mont St.-Amand. So the muzzled Press of -Belgium and Germany may speak of German successes (we are supposing, -of course, that the bombardment of open towns _is_ a success), but as -to the failures they are dumb. These are two facts which are known -to hundreds of thousands of persons, and are therefore impossible of -concealment. To keep silence, therefore, could have only one result, -namely, to prove that the German communiqués are "faked," and that -the Belgian journals are muzzled: in short, that all news which comes -from Germany is adulterated. If our oppressors had published a short -paragraph dealing with these two "accidents," then a few Belgians, more -credulous than their fellows, might have continued to believe that the -word "German" can still on occasion be spoken in the same breath as -the word "sincerity." But in their incomparable stupidity the censors -(who are doubtless diplomatists out of a job) failed to realize that by -preserving silence as to the raids of the British aviators they were -for ever destroying the value of their newspapers. They rendered us a -similar service, on this occasion, to that which they rendered when -they forbade M. Max to publish the statement that they were liars (p. -233). We were well aware that the German was a shocking psychologist, -but we hardly realized how shocking!... The incident is, as will be -seen, the pendant of the story of the Liége Zeppelin. This dirigible -raided Liége on the night of the 6th August, and the raid was described -in the German newspapers and even illustrated. Unfortunately the raid -never took place! - -A few days later the Germans plunged even deeper into the mire. On the -night of the 16th June the people of Brussels once again heard the -sound of guns, this time from Berchem; but no one saw an aeroplane. -Next day the papers contained a paragraph stating that an attack by -enemy aviators had been repulsed. Did the raid really take place? It is -doubtful; and in any case it does not matter. The essential point is -that on this occasion the newspapers were allowed to speak. - -The Governor-General, who has a keen sense of the fitting opportunity, -chose this moment to inform us that a mischievous Press was circulating -in Belgium (see _La Belgique_, 14th January, 1915). Nothing could be -truer, as the reader has just seen. - - -_Persecution of Uncensored Newspapers._ - -Naturally, the desire to obtain foreign newspapers became keener than -ever in Belgium as the untruthfulness of the censored journals became -more apparent. To the notices published by the Germans forbidding the -distribution of "false news" (p. 187) we may add an official communiqué -which was reproduced in _L'ami de l'Ordre_ on the 17th October:-- - - "Any person who shall spread similar false reports, or cause them - to be distributed, will be shot without mercy." - - -(_d_) _Various Propaganda._ - -Lastly, let us mention--without insistence, as they are already -sufficiently familiar--various methods of propaganda which are -individual, and apparently spontaneous, but from which the Germans -expect very happy results. - -All those Belgians who have friends or relations in Germany, and all -those who are themselves of German origin, have incessantly been -receiving, since correspondence between the two countries has been -permitted, letters in which they are told that Germany is sure of -victory, that the Belgians have been deceived by England and by their -king, that the Germans do no harm to any one, etc. These assertions -are repeated with such regularity and monotony that they produce -the impression of a lesson that has been learned; so, to avoid this -unfortunate impression, the correspondents are careful to declare that -they are only expressing their personal opinion. - -Next, we may mention the foreign visits of German scholars; for -example, that of Herr Ostwald (one of the Ninety-three) to Sweden, and -that of Herr Lamprecht (another of the Ninety-three) to Belgium. Herr -Ostwald's lectures have evoked a great sensation, but it was perhaps -hardly the sensation Germany had hoped for; moreover, the University -of Leipzig declared that it did not subscribe to the ideas of its -sometime professor. The effort of Herr Lamprecht was more discreet; it -was preceded by a written effort, but letter and visit had the same -negative result. - -More insidious are the visits made to Belgium by prominent German -socialists: Wendel, Liebknecht, Noske, Koester, etc. They, too, hoped -easily to convince us of the rights and, above all, of the superiority -of Germany. They went back with an empty bag; one may even venture to -assert that they were rather shaken, since Herr Liebknecht complains, -in a conversation with an editor of the _Social-Demokraten_, a -Norwegian organ, of the part which the Socialist missionaries were made -to play (_N.R.C._, 28th December, 1914, evening). - -The _Vossische Zeitung_ has discovered another means of propaganda. -This journal sent a paper of questions to Dutch and Scandinavian -scholars, asking them what their science owes to Germany. A shallow -trick, this; every nation has naturally produced men of mark, to whom -science has cause for gratitude. - - -4. THE VIOLATION OF ENGAGEMENTS. - -The war began by the violation of a solemn treaty, to which Germany -subscribed in 1839. The entire conduct of the war has been, as -far as Germany is concerned, a long series of violations of the -Hague Convention of 1907. Germany alleges, in her own defence, that -circumstances have altered since the period when these pacts were -signed; that she was obliged to forestall France; that in case of -absolute necessity, such as that in which she stood, she has the right -to use all means of injuring the enemy, permitted or not (p. 83); -and moreover, that the torpedoing of the _Lusitania_ (p. 194), the -employment of living shields (p. 117), the use of toxic gases (p. 198), -and terrorization by fire and assassination (p. 164), having proved -efficacious, it is in her interests not to neglect them out of mere -humanity, or a simple and childish respect for her own signature. - -It is hopeless to discuss the matter; it would be wasted pains, Germany -having decided to let her conduct be shaped by the impulse of the -moment, without hampering herself with any anterior promises. She -is fighting for her life, her publicists and statesmen never cease -repeating, and she is free to throw all her engagements to the wind. -"_Not kennt kein Gebot_," declared the Chancellor, on the 9th August, -and this convenient maxim has lost nothing of its popularity. - -But there are other engagements, engagements which Germany has entered -into with Belgium since the beginning of the war, and which she has -broken with the same ease: a promise to restore Belgium's independence; -a promise to respect our patriotism, a promise to pay cash for all -requisitions once the tribute of 480 millions frs. was paid, etc. Our -enemies can invoke no extenuating circumstances to mitigate these -breaches of faith, for no change had occurred between the dates of -making these engagements and their violation. - - -_The Independence of Belgium._ - -On the 4th August, 1914, the very day on which our country was invaded, -the Imperial Government made one last effort to extort from England a -promise of neutrality. It gave an assurance that even in the case of an -armed conflict with Belgium, Germany would not on any pretext annex her -territory (_Livre Bleu_, No. 74). On that very day the Kaiser and the -Chancellor made similar declarations: "We shall repair the injustice -which we are committing towards Belgium," said the Chancellor. Directly -they had a newspaper at their disposal in Belgium our invaders -published an article assuring the Belgians of their respect for -whatever engagements they had entered into (see _L'Ami de l'Ordre_, -29th and 30th August, 1914). - -Words, idle words! - -Hardly were the Germans, in boasting mood, able to style themselves -conquerors, than they hastened to trample their promises underfoot. Are -the engagements of the Berlin Government anything more than so many -scraps of paper, which may with impunity be declared null and void? -Such men as Erzberger, Losch, Dernburg, Maximilian Harden, etc., all -partaking in the public life of their country, found nothing was more -urgent than to disregard whatever the Emperor and the Chancellor might -have said, no matter how solemn the circumstances, and to make plans -for the future in which Belgium would remain wholly or in part annexed. - - -_The Promise to respect the Patriotism of the Belgians._ - -"I ask no one to renounce his patriotic sentiments," said Baron von der -Goltz in the first of the somewhat extraordinary declarations with -which he gratified us during his stay in our midst in his quality of -Governor-General (placard of 2nd September, 1914). - - -_The Forced Striking of the Flag._ - -Every one was anxiously asking himself what was really the thought -at the back of the Baron's head; for we already knew the Germans -sufficiently to realize that so honeyed a phrase concealed some peril. -But what? Two weeks later the riddle was solved; it meant that the -Belgian national flag was "regarded as a provocation by the German -troops" (placard of 16th September, 1914). A provocation of what or -whom? Of their national sentiment? Well, and what of ours, which the -Governor-General was not asking us to renounce? It is true that after -the appearance of this placard the Military Governor announced that -he had "by no means the intention of wounding the dignity or the -feelings of the inhabitants by this measure; its sole purpose is to -preserve the citizens from any annoyance." In short, it was for our -good that we were forced to haul down our flag. What was to be done? -To resist would be to give the scoundrels who were oppressing us an -occasion for exercising their murderous and incendiary talents on -Brussels. By a very dignified and very moderate notice, M. Max, the -burgomaster, counselled his fellow-citizens to yield. This placard, -which was not subjected to the censorship, despite the order given by -the Germans, displeased them to the point of having it immediately -covered with blank sheets of paper. But these were torn away by the -people of Brussels, or else they were rendered transparent by means of -petroleum: in a word, every one could read the burgomaster's protest. -But as it was expected, with a good show of reason, that the Germans -would soon cause it to disappear completely, many persons copied the -placard, or even photographed it; and for a long time numbers of the -inhabitants of Brussels carried upon their persons, like a precious -relic, a copy or a photograph of M. Max's famous placard. - - -_The Belgian Colours forbidden in the Provinces._ - -While the withdrawal of the Belgian flag was demanded, in the provinces -a hunt was conducted for the Belgian colours used in the decoration of -shop-windows. The German police would enter the shops and demand the -immediate removal of all tricolour ribbons decorating the windows. - - MILITARY COURT. - - Henry Dargette, of Namur, Place Arthur Borlée, 32, was punished - with a fine of 10 marks, or 2 days' subsidiary detention, in - accordance with § 13 of the Imperial decree of the 28th December, - 1893, for having disregarded the communiqué of the Imperial - Government of Namur of the 22nd April, 1915. He had exposed in his - shop-window boxes of tin-plate with the French, British, Russian, - and Belgian colours. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 3-6 July, 1915.) - -In Brussels it was a long time before they decided to take measures -against the wearing of the tricolour rosettes which so many people -carried in their buttonholes; in the streets, at least two persons -in three displayed our colours. This persistence on the part of -the Belgians in publicly displaying their patriotic sentiments is -extremely annoying to the Germans. For proof we need only turn to the -letter from Brussels published in the weekly illustrated supplement -of the _Hamburger Fremdenblatt_ for the 18th April, 1915: "One does -not see a schoolboy, not a schoolgirl, not a lady, not a gentleman, -who does not wear, in an obvious fashion, the Belgian cockade." In -certain towns--for example Lessines, Gand, and Dinant--this kind of -manifestation is prohibited. At Namur the fine may amount to 500 frs.; -the placard which threatens this penalty is conceived in the involved -and nauseating style which we encounter every time the Germans inflict -on us a particularly disgusting piece of hypocrisy. In particular it -is stated that it is forbidden "_publicly_ to display the Belgian -colours." No doubt it is permissible to have them floating about in -one's pocket, or to decorate the interior of one's chest of drawers -with them. This is how the Teuton Tartuffe "asks no one to renounce his -patriotic sentiments":-- - - - GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUÉS. - - One may observe, of late, in a great proportion of the inhabitants - of the town, as well as in the young school-children, a tendency to - manifest their patriotic feelings by wearing, in an open manner, - the Belgian colours, under different forms. - - I am far from wishing to offend their feelings; on the contrary, I - esteem and respect them. - - But, on the other hand, I cannot but perceive, in this form - [of display], that it is desired thereby PUBLICLY to express a - demonstration against the present state of affairs and against the - German authority, which I expressly forbid. - - I consequently direct: - - It is strictly forbidden to place in view, publicly, the Belgian - colours, either on oneself, or on any objects whatever, in no - matter what circumstances. - - Contraventions will be punished by a fine which may amount to - 500 frs., unless, according to the gravity of the case, the - contravention is punished by imprisonment. - - This regulation does not at any time prevent the wearing of - official decorations by those who have the right to do so. - - LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BARON VON HIRSCHBERG, - _Military Governor of the Fortified Position of Namur_. - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 15th November, 1914.) - - -_Prohibition of the Belgian Colours in Brussels._ - -Suddenly, without any pretext, the sight of the little tricolour -decorations worn by the people of Brussels began to offend the Germans, -and the national emblem was prohibited from the 1st July, 1915. The -prohibition was posted only on the 30th of June. It made a distinction -between the Belgian colours, the wearing of which was tolerated if it -was not provocative, and the colours of our Allies, the display of -which, even if not provocative, was absolutely prohibited. How were -our German bumpkins going to make this much too subtle distinction -between provocative and non-provocative display? This evidently left -the door open to all sorts of arbitrary actions. So the people of -Brussels judged it prudent to renounce their badges entirely. A few, -however, replaced the rosette by an ivy-leaf, the emblem of fidelity -in the language of flowers. What were the Germans to do now? Prohibit -the wearing of the ivy-leaf, perhaps, for by the 5th July they had -forbidden the manufacture and sale of artificial ivy-leaves, whether of -cloth or paper. But they did not persist in this course. For the first -time since we had been subject to them they conceived a witty idea. -They themselves began to display the ivy-leaf; from that moment this -emblem could not decently be worn by any of us. It would be interesting -to know who inspired them with this ingenious idea. - - -_The "Te Deum" on the Patron Saint's Day of the King._ - -Let us note the date of _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ which contained Baron von -Hirschberg's announcement: the 15th November, the patron saint's -day of the King. The same copy of the paper reproduced an article -from _Düsseldorfer General Anzeiger_, which doubtless had escaped -the censor, doing homage to the valour of the King and Queen. On -the following day _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ had to announce that the usual -_Te Deum_ would not be performed. Why was the ceremony suppressed? -The paper did not say; but we can easily guess; the superior German -authorities had decided otherwise. - -In Brussels also the _Te Deum_ of the 15th November was prohibited. It -was decided to replace it by a mass which would be sung at 11 o'clock -in the church of St. Gudule. By 10.30 the church was overflowing with -people; but towards 11.0 a priest passed quietly through the ranks -of the faithful, announcing that the singing of the Mass had been -prohibited by the Germans, and that it would be replaced by a Low Mass. -After this some hundreds of persons repaired to the Palais Royal, to -the gate in the Rue Bréderode; they expected that a book would be -there, as usual, to receive their signatures. The register had been -there, but the German authorities had removed it. The callers then -decided merely to leave their cards; but a Palace servant came to -inform them that the Germans, after removing the register, had also -forbidden the formation of assemblies near the Palace, and had even -made some arrests; he therefore begged the public to disperse. More -respect for patriotic sentiments! - - -_The Portraits of the Royal Family._ - -Since then it has been forbidden to sell portraits of the Royal -Family published since the outbreak of the war. In particular those -picture-postcards are prohibited which represent the King as a -soldier, the King with his Staff, the King in the trenches, the King -on the dunes, the King with General Joffre, the King at Furnes, the -Queen as a nurse, Prince Leopold as a trooper, etc. The prohibition is -applied with an incoherence which accords ill with the wonderful spirit -of organization with which our persecutors are credited. In certain -parts of Brussels the vendors have never been disturbed; in others, -they may sell the cards in the shops, but may not expose them in the -windows; elsewhere it is a crime even to have the cards in stock. In -short, all is left to the caprice of the police. These make the round -of the stationers' shops, seizing all prohibited cards, and very often, -too, seizing other cards on their own initiative and for their own use. -To a stationer who was privily selling us some prohibited cards, we put -the question, whether the police did not often enter his shop, in order -to seize whatever displeased them. "What displeases them?" he replied. -"No, no; they seize more particularly whatever pleases them!" Another -merchant, who was summoned to attend at the German police bureau in -the Rue de l'Hôtel des Monnaies, was assured by the commissioner that -the police had the right to take "everything that might excite the -patriotism of the Belgians." This official put his own interpretation -on Baron von der Goltz's regulations with regard to patriotism. - -Not far away, at St. Gilles, on Sunday the 14th February, an -under-officer brutally snatched away the national flag which covered -the coffin of a Belgian soldier. Here is another example of individual -ideas as to the respect to be paid to patriotism and piety. - -While in Brussels the Germans prohibited only the more recent -Royal portraits, at Gand, in February 1915, the commandant of the -Magazine,[42] in order to show his zeal, forbade the sale of any -portraits of the Royal Family, of whatever date or nature. - - The Burgomaster of Gand has received the following letter, the - communal administration sending us a translation of the same:-- - - 2. mob. Etappen Kommandantur. - Reference No. 1095. - - GAND, _4th February, 1915_. - - To the Burgomaster of the City,-- - - I beg you again to draw the attention of all the booksellers, - stationers' shops, etc., by hand-bill or by means of the - newspapers, that they are forbidden under any circumstances to - display the portraits of the Royal Family of Belgium, either in the - windows or in the interior of the shops. - - Those who act otherwise will be severely punished. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE MAGAZINE, - P.O. - - (_Signed_) HENZ. - - (_Le Bien Public_, 13th February, 1915.) - -The German persecutions were resumed with renewed vigour on the -approach of the 8th April, the King's birthday. At Antwerp the Germans -took care to forbid, in advance, anything that might have passed for -a royalist manifestation; but the inhabitants succeeded, none the -less, under their enemies' noses, in celebrating their Sovereign's -anniversary. - -Elsewhere the Germans, in their incorrigible meanness, had a different -inspiration. They suddenly had an intuition that the communal -administrations of Brabant were going to dismiss the schools in honour -of the King. Immediately circulars were distributed, forbidding the -closing of the schools on that day. But these ineffable blunderers -had forgotten one thing: namely, that the 8th of April fell in the -middle of the Easter holidays! Certain communes permitted themselves -the malicious delight of inquiring of the Germans whether they must -recall the pupils for the 8th of April? The Germans, of course, missed -the irony of the situation, and replied that it would not be necessary -to resume the classes. Their second letter contains a particularly -delightful sentence: "My will is merely that instruction shall not be -specially interrupted in honour of the anniversary of H.M. the King -of the Belgians." Another example of the unshakable determination to -respect the Belgians' patriotism! - - -_Obligation to Employ the German Language._ - -These letters are written in German. For that matter, it has become -a rule with our enemies to write only in their own tongue, and often -even in German characters. Better still: at Liége and Namur (_L'Ami de -l'Ordre_, 31st August, 1914) they required the Belgians also to write -in German. Yet another way of respecting our patriotism! - - -_The Belgian Army is our Enemy!_ - -Far from making an effort to respect our feelings, one would even -imagine that they must make it a point of honour (German honour) to -wound our loyalty. Thus, when they punish any one for rendering service -to the Belgians, instead of expressing the matter simply, as we have -done, they announce that the Belgian is convicted of relations with the -enemy. They are speaking of their enemies. But "the enemy" implies that -the Belgian Government or the Belgian army is the enemy of the Belgian -people. - -Better still: they inform us, by means of placards, that to aid the -Belgian army is "treason." The Belgian becomes a traitor by rendering -a service to his country! What a singular conception of honour! - - WARNING. - - The military tribunals have lately been compelled to condemn to - hard labour for attempted treason a large number of Belgians, who - had assisted their compatriots subject to military service in their - attempt to join the enemy army. - - I again warn [the public] against committing such crimes against - the German troops, in view of the severe penalties which they will - incur. - - THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, - GENERAL VON BISSING, - _Colonel-General_. - - BRUSSELS, _3rd March, 1915_. - - -_The "Brabançonne" Prohibited._ - -At Namur the _Brabançonne_ was declared seditious on the 23rd March, -1915. But a month later the execution of the _first four verses_ was -declared to be permissible. What did the Germans mean by that? Let us -remember that none of the known versions of our national song (the two -versions of Jenneval and that of Rogier) consists of more than four -verses. Which, then, are those that our persecutors forbid? In their -rage for prohibition they have prohibited something that does not -exist!--unless they were speaking of the verse invented by _La Libre -Belgique_, and published in its tenth issue. It would be amusing if -the German authorities had fallen into a snare set by a prohibited -newspaper! - -In Brussels the Germans had not dared openly to interdict the -_Brabançonne_, as they did another national anthem which had, -so to speak, the freedom of the city of Brussels: we mean the -_Marseillaise_ (placard of the 27th March, 1915). Never did one -hear the _Marseillaise_ so often as after the Germans forbade us to -sing or play it; only it was now whistled. So, as might have been -expected, whistling the _Marseillaise_ was made a crime. As for the -_Brabançonne_, it was prohibited in an underhand sort of way. It used -to be sung every day in a school in Brussels; but two German soldiers -of the Landsturm, who were guarding a neighbouring railway, heard -it, and felt offended. Hence a letter to the communal authorities, -demanding that the national anthem should be sung or played with more -discretion. It is now seldom played save in the churches: at High Mass -on Sunday and the funeral services for soldiers. - - -_The National Anniversary of July 21st._ - -In July 1915 the people of Brussels hit on a new method of celebrating -the national anniversary of the 21st July. Since our tyrants would -obviously forbid us to fly our flag at half-mast, in token of our being -for the time in mourning for our country, a number of shopkeepers -announced, by means of a small printed notice, that "the shop would -be closed on Wednesday, the 21st July." The Germans were displeased; -moreover, they issued a decree forbidding all demonstrations. - - 21ST JULY. - - _Order of the Governor of Brussels dated 18th July, 1915._ - - I warn the public that on the 21st July, 1915, demonstrations of - all kinds are expressly and severely prohibited. - - Meetings, processions, and the decoration of public and private - buildings also come under the application of the above prohibition. - - Offenders will be punished by a term of imprisonment not exceeding - three months and a fine which may amount to as much as 10,000 - marks, or by one of these penalties to the exclusion of the other. - -They also announced, by means of the newspapers in their pay, _Le -Bruxellois_ and _La Belgique_, that the closing of the shops might be -regarded as a demonstration. Their pains were wasted. On the morning -of the 21st the shops and cafés remained closed; in private houses -the shutters were not opened. In all Brussels only a few taverns were -open--taverns frequented by the Germans, which a Belgian would never -compromise himself by entering. All that day it was a comforting and -impressive spectacle to see the crowd, in its Sunday clothes, grave -and deeply affected, with never one uplifted voice, passing along the -streets of closed houses. Never had the like been seen in Brussels. -No one would have dared to hope for such unanimity of feeling after -eleven months of occupation. The Germans were raging. They brought out -troops, who, with bayonet and cannon, occupied the principal public -squares; they ran an armoured motor-car up and down the most frequented -streets; they dragged artillery along the avenues surrounding the city. -But they did not succeed in fomenting the slightest disturbance; the -Brussels public was too firmly determined to preserve its dignity and -its tranquillity. - -In all the churches the _Te Deum_ was replaced by a High Mass, followed -by the playing of the _Brabançonne_; the latter was sung in chorus by -the congregation, who were moved to tears. - -The comic note was struck by the Germans. Suddenly, in the afternoon, -motor-cars began to hustle the crowds that had gathered; they bore -red placards, which were immediately pasted up, announcing that the -cafés, cinema-halls, etc., were to be closed at 8 p.m. Now all these -establishments had been closed since the morning. The Germans must have -lost their heads to make so grotesque an exhibition of themselves. - -As a sort of reprisal, the authorities suspended the two newspapers -which had not appeared on the 21st July: _Le Quotidien_ and _L'Écho de -la Presse_. Immediately _La Belgique_, which had appeared, suspended -itself, in order to produce a belief that it was not German! As for the -_Bruxellois_, it said not a word of the striking demonstration of the -21st. - -In other Belgian towns the shops were closed. In Antwerp more than the -shops were closed; the bureau of German passports, in the Place Verte, -announced, by means of two written notices, in German and Flemish, that -it was closed for the 21st July. The Germans were trying to repeat the -trick of the ivy-leaf. In vain, however, since the 21st was to occur -only once! - -At Gand the Germans forbade the closing of the shops. And the latter -were all open. But in many windows one saw, instead of the usual -display of goods, a group of articles which comprised a bucket of -water, a scrubbing-brush, and a chamois leather, with an inscription: -"Cleaning To-day." - - -_The Anniversary of the 4th August._ - -We must suppose that the unanimity with which the houses of Brussels -were kept shut up touched the Germans in a sore place, for they -prohibited the repetition of their manifestation on the 4th August, -the anniversary of their entrance into Belgium. - - NOTICE. - - I warn the population of the Brussels district that on the 4th - August any demonstration, including the decoration of houses by - means of flags and the wearing of emblems as a demonstration is - strictly prohibited. - - All gatherings will be dispersed regardless by the armed forces. - - Also I order that on the 4th August all the shops, as well - as cafés, restaurants, taverns, theatres, cinemas, and other - establishments of the same kind shall be closed after 8 o'clock in - the evening (German time). After 9 o'clock in the evening (German - time) only persons having a special written authorization emanating - from a German authority may remain in or enter the streets. - - Persons contravening these orders will be punished by a maximum - imprisonment of five years and a fine which may amount to 10,000 - marks, or one of these penalties to the exclusion of the other. - - The shops and establishments beforementioned which, as a - demonstration, shall close during the day of the 4th August will - remain closed for a considerable period of time. - - THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT, - VON KRAEWEL. - - _1st August, 1915._ - -The placard announcing these prohibitions forbade us to deck our houses -with flags! Flags, good God! Who then would have dreamed of flying -flags in commemoration of the rupture of an international pact! At the -most the people of Brussels had intended to wear in the buttonhole a -little "scrap of paper." But the wearing of emblems was forbidden. - -What the Germans did not think of forbidding was the little -demonstration of sympathy which they received on the evening of the -4th. In conformity with the order, all doors were closed at 20 hours -(9 o'clock German time). But in several of the popular quarters of -Brussels the inhabitants were no sooner indoors than the upper windows -were thrown open, and a deafening concert issued forth, in which -phonographs, alarm clocks, and saucepan-lids were predominant. The -patrols demanded the closing of the windows; but the people climbed on -the roofs to continue their _charivari_ there. The military commandant -was not pleased. It took him only five days to think of an appropriate -punishment. - - OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION. - - M. Maurice Lemonnier, acting burgomaster of the City of Brussels, - has just had posted the following communication:-- - - "_To the Inhabitants of the Rue de l'Escalier and the Rue du Dam_: - - "I place before you the translation of an extract from a letter - which I have just received from the German authorities. - - "I call your attention to the penalties announced against those - who shall contravene the measures ordained by the German Military - Government." - - BRUSSELS, _9th August, 1915_. - - _At the Sheriff's College, Brussels._ - - ... Even if I am willing to recognize that the Administration - of the City endeavoured, by means of its organs, to obtain the - application of the prescribed measures on the 4th of this month, - there yet remains the fact that in two streets isolated individuals - were guilty, in a demonstrative manner, of gross misconduct toward - the German patrols. - - It is to be regretted that it has not been possible to discover the - persons individually guilty; consequently nothing is left me to do - but to take measures against the streets in which the offences were - committed. - - Consequently I order the following as regards the two streets, Rue - de l'Escalier and Rue du Dam: - - From Monday, the 9th of this month, and for the space of fourteen - days, that is to say, until the 23rd of this month inclusively: - - A. All business houses and cafés will be closed after 7 o'clock in - the evening (German time). - - B. After 9 o'clock in the evening (German time) no one must be - found out of doors, in the street. After that time all windows - giving on the street must be closed. - - It is incumbent on the city to communicate the foregoing to the - inhabitants of these streets, to apply the aforementioned measures, - and to exercise a strict supervision in order that they may be - observed. - - Also I beg you to see that these streets are sufficiently lighted, - until 11 o'clock at night (German time). - - Moreover, I shall have these streets inspected by German patrols. - If on this occasion fresh offences are committed against the German - patrols, these latter will make use of their weapons. - - With my utmost consideration (Avec haute considération distingué), - - (_Signed_) VON KRAEWEL, - _Governor of Brussels_. - -Our tyrants appeared greatly to fear popular demonstrations. The people -of Liége had planned to honour, on the 6th August, in the cemetery, -the soldiers who died for their country during the defence of the city -in August 1914. Immediately the Germans made public their restrictive -measures. - - CITY OF LIÉGE. - - _To the Population._ - - Colonel von Soden, Commandant of the Fortress of Liége, has just - addressed to me the following letter (in translation):-- - - "In the course of the morning of Friday, the 6th August, - commemorative ceremonies will take place at the tombs of the - soldiers killed in combat. - - "I beg you to bring the foregoing to the notice of the population. - - "I particularly insist that, during the visit to the tombs, or in - case of participation in the military ceremonies, no demonstrative - manifestation of any kind must occur." - - LIÉGE, _the 2nd August, 1915_. - - THE BURGOMASTER, - G. KLEYER. - - (_Posted at Liége._) - -The people of Liége retorted by putting their shops in mourning, and on -the 6th August it was an impressive spectacle to see the shop-windows -throughout the centre of Liége hung with deep violet. - - -_School Inspection by the Germans._ - -In the schools the children were for a long time able to sing _La -Brabançonne_ on the sly; but this was not to last. The German -authorities passed a decree against Germanophobe demonstrations in the -schools. - - ORDER. - - _Article First._ - - The members of the teaching staff, school managers and inspectors, - who, during the occupation, tolerate, favour, provoke, or organize - Germanophobe manifestations or secret practices will be punished by - imprisonment for a maximum term of one year. - - _Article Second._ - - The German authorities have the right to enter all classes and - rooms of all schools existing in Belgium, and to supervise the - teaching and all the manifestations of school life with a view to - preventing secret practices and intrigues directed against Germany. - - _Article Third._ - - Whosoever shall seek to oppose or prevent verifications and - inquiries relating to infractions mentioned in Article 1, or the - measures of supervision ordained by Article 2, is liable to a fine - of 10 to 1,500 marks or to a maximum imprisonment of six months. - - _Article Fourth._ - - The infractions provided against in Articles 1 and 3 shall be tried - by the military courts. - - BRUSSELS, _26th June, 1915_. - - DER GENERAL GOUVERNEUR IN BELGIËN, - FREIHERR VON BISSING, - _Generaloberst_. - -Our children will have to unlearn the national anthem, which, in the -present circumstances, is evidently Germanophobe; and the teachers of -history, too, must keep a watch upon their words. During the French -lesson there must be no more recitations of Andrieux' _Le Meunier -de Sans-Souci_. It may even be necessary to make deletions in the -Latin classics; for one can see the military tribunals inflicting -severe penalties on Tacitus, for even in his days _Gallos certare pro -libertate, Batavos, pro gloria, Germanos ad prædam_ (The Gauls fight -for liberty, the Batavians for glory, the Germans for pillage). Another -Latin author who would certainly be proscribed is Velleius Paterculus; -he states in his Roman History: _At illi_ (_Germani_), _quod nisi -expertus vix credat, in summa feritate versutissimi natumque mendacio -genus_ (The Germans ally an extreme ferocity to the greatest knavery; -they are a race born to lie; and one must have mingled with them to -believe this). Velleius Paterculus was a good observer. - - * * * * * - -The morality--or immorality--of this long series of broken engagements, -which might be indefinitely prolonged, has had the result that no one -can any longer put his trust in Germany. None the less does Germany -continue to make promises, and is even annoyed and irritated when one -doubts her word. Thus the Chancellor said, in a speech delivered to the -Reichstag on the 23rd May, 1915, at the time of the negotiations with -Italy:-- - -"Germany had given her word that the concessions offered [by Germany] -should be actually accorded [by Austria][43]; consequently there could -no longer be any reason for distrust." Italy, strong in the experience -acquired by Belgium, decided, on the other hand, that there was reason -for distrust from the moment Germany pledged her word; and accordingly -she broke off negotiations in order to declare war. - - -C.--Incitements to Disunion. - -_Divide et impera_ ("Divide in order to rule") is a maxim which has -largely inspired the Germans in their relations with the Belgians. They -therefore do their utmost to divide the nation from its King, to excite -the Belgians one against another, and finally to kindle discord between -our Allies and ourselves. - -We have just seen by what unjustifiable methods, after promising to -respect our patriotism, they proceeded systematically (as they do -all things) to thwart our sentiments of fidelity to our King and our -nationality. Not content with opposing--sometimes openly, sometimes -with hypocrisy--all our loyalist manifestations, they endeavour to -embroil us with our Sovereigns. - - -_Incitements to Disloyalty._ - -While they accuse the Belgian nation of having sold itself to the -Triple Entente, they hold the King personally responsible for this -"conspiracy." Having become the "valet" or the "slave" of England, the -Sovereign could not accept the friendly hand which the Kaiser tendered -him on two occasions--the 2nd and the 9th of August, 1914. - -At Antwerp the Germans alone appear to have heard the absurd -declaration, that he vowed to "die in the city with his last -soldiers." Then he betrays his army and "takes to flight, amid the -maledictions of his subjects," deserting them for those that seduced -him. - -Then we have him on the Yser, the melancholy king "abandoned by God." -He would ask nothing better than to conclude peace. But England holds -him still in her toils, and prevents him from accomplishing this -wise project. It is _Le Réveil_, that peculiarly truthful newspaper -of Düsseldorf, which reveals this sinister exploit of Albion. The -_Hamburger Nachrichten_ receives the same report from Brussels. - - KING ALBERT WISHES TO MAKE PEACE. - - HAMBURG, _14th November, 1914_. - - From Brussels the _Hamburger Nachrichten_ hears from a very - reliable source that the report is confirmed which states that - serious differences exist between Belgium and England--that is, - that all personal relations are interrupted between King Albert and - the British Staff. - - The King desires an understanding with Germany, which Great Britain - is endeavouring by all means to prevent. - - (_Vossische Zeitung_, 15th November, 1914.) - -The propagandist pamphlet _Lüttich_ is less severe to our Sovereign, -since it invokes, as an extenuating circumstance, his "blindness, -which verges on stupidity." Incommensurable pride or imbecility--such -are the characteristics of King Albert! Do these paladins of tact and -delicacy show any greater respect for our Queen? Be sure they do not! -An article on King Albert and the Triple Entente, in the _Deutsche -Soldatenpost_ of the 10th October, 1914, a newspaper intended both for -the troops and the Belgian public, states: "From the outset the Queen -was initiated into the King's plans. She has not uttered a single word -of reproach for the horrible brutalities of which the principal victims -were innocent young German girls in Brussels and Antwerp." - -Well, we know that none of these "proofs" have shaken our fidelity. -Despite all prohibitions, despite all the fines imposed, thousands of -copies of the portraits of the King in the midst of his troops, and of -the Queen, our dear little Queen, tending the wounded, are sold every -day of the year. The patriotism of the Belgians is certainly incurable! - - -_The Walloons incited against the Flemings._ - -So the Germans sought a new device. As they could not cause disunion -between the people and the Sovereign, they tried to sow dissension -between the citizens themselves, by envenoming the problem of language -and reviving political rancour. - -At first they exploited, in the most virulent manner, the -Flemish-Walloon conflict. As in all countries in which several tongues -are spoken, there is naturally in Belgium a struggle between the -Flemings, who speak a Germanic language, and occupy the northern -portion of the country, and the Walloons, who speak a Latin tongue, -and occupy the southern provinces. But this conflict, however lively -it may have been, has never touched the foundations of our national -conscience, and we have always felt ourselves Belgians before -everything. - -At the outset, confesses Herr Kurd von Strantz, the Germans did not -realize what profit they might derive from the antagonism of races in -Belgium: an antagonism which they believed to be profound, but which -was only skin-deep. Since the month of August, however, they have been -trying to make up for lost time; they no longer lose a single occasion -to excite the Flemings against the Walloons, and in particular they -seek to make the latter believe that the Flemings already entertain -feelings of sympathy towards their executioners. - -Only two months after the occupation of the capital the Germans, -organizing their conquest, attempted to win over the Flemings -by feigning to espouse their grievances and by exploiting their -racial relationship, in order to divide them from their Walloon -fellow-citizens. Suddenly, in the official communiqués, Flemish took -the place until then occupied by French, and the German newspapers -began to display a touching sympathy for their "Flemish brothers," -and for their country and their art. We did not even need to read the -article published by the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_ on the 11th -December (which was seen by M. Paul Hymans), in order to divine, at the -root of these sudden and simultaneous manifestations, the orders issued -by the German official circles. - -For it was not thus during the first weeks of the occupation. Then -correspondence was permissible only in French and German: Flemish was -not tolerated. The official notices were printed in French and German -only. Then, on the 25th August, the Government placards appeared in -German, French, and Flemish. Finally, on the 1st October, Flemish had -the advantage of French. Although from the standpoint of Belgian law -the latter measure was legal in the Brussels district, the by-law -ordering the cinema-houses to publish their programmes in Flemish -as well as French was not so; very often the manager is innocent of -Flemish, and the Flemish programme is spelt in the most fantastic -manner. Absolutely illegal, too, is the by-law compelling shopkeepers -in Bruges and Ostend to replace their French shop-signs by signs -written in Flemish. Still more galling was the outcome of a certain -trial at Tongres. Some young men, Flemings and Walloons, were accused -of the same offence. They were inscribed on separate lists, according -to their origin. The Walloons were condemned to severer penalties than -those inflicted on the Flemings. One sees the double object here: to -mollify the Flemings and to make the Walloons suspicious of them. We -may compare this with the fact that the majority of the Flemish civil -prisoners have been repatriated, while the Walloons are still in -Germany. - -However, the daily task of insinuation and persuasion is undertaken -by the German press. In the first place it lays stress on the great -affinity of character, historical past, origin, and language between -the Germans and the Flemings (_Düss. Gen. Anz._, 4th December, 1914). -The Germans must humour the Flemings and make friends with them. One -reason why it would not do to treat Belgium more harshly (as had been -demanded) is that there is a racial relationship between a portion -of the population and that of Germany. There is no Belgian people -(_Voss. Zeit._, 1st March, 1915). Much is made of the distant echoes -of the linguistic quarrel (_Voss. Zeit._, 1st March, 1915; _K.Z._, -18th March, 1915; _Frankf. Zeit._, 24th March, 1915; Osswald, _Zur -Belgischen Frage_).--The ill-feeling of the Flemings toward the "purely -Walloon" Belgian Government must be fomented (_Frankf. Zeit._, 24th -March, 1915), and also their dislike of the Belgian press printed in -the French tongue, both Government and press having been long ago -won over to France and the hatred of Germany (_K.Z._, 15th November, -1915). _La Croix Rouge_ is published in three languages, Flemish -preceding even German, and the French occupying only the extreme right -of the sheet; each number contains only one _feuilleton_, and that is -a novel in Flemish. A little Flemish conversation manual--_Vlamischer -Sprachführer_--is published in Düsseldorf for the use of Germans, -and of soldiers in particular. In order to compromise the Flemish, -the Germans pretend that well-known Flemings are already working -hand-in-hand with the German administration. It is even stated that a -pro-German group of young Flemings exists (_K.Z._, 18th March, 1915). -In verse translations, the _Dietsch_ or _duitsch_ of the Flemish poets -is rendered by "German," whereas these words signify simply the Flemish -or Dutch language (_Lüttich_, p. 127; _Köln. Volksz._, 25th January, -1915). Herr Karl Lamprecht, the well-known historian, who knew that his -translation was dishonest, was one of those who translated _dietsch_ -by "German" (_Die Woche_, No. 12, 1915). Better still, in the same -article Herr Lamprecht feigns to believe that by the expression _Noord -en Zuid_ Emmanuel Hiel intended to denote the Germans and the Flemings; -whereas he is speaking--and no confusion is possible--of the Dutch -(Noord-Nederlanders), and the Flemings (Zuid-Nederlanders). - -A short story by M. Maurice Sabbe was published in the _Berliner -Tageblatt_ on the 25th December, 1914, with an introduction which was -peculiarly compromising to the author's patriotic sentiments. His -extremely plain reply was as follows:-- - - HOW FRÄULEIN DÄMCHEN WAS BURIED. - - (_Reproduction prohibited._) - - By MAURICE SABBE, - - Professor of Germanic Languages at the Malines Athenæum. - - (The sketch was preceded by a brief introduction, which we quote.) - - The sketch we publish here deserves particular attention. Maurice - Sabbe is a scholar and a Flemish writer of repute, who, during the - bombardment of Malines, fled into Holland. Sabbe knows Germany, - thanks to a long residence at Weimar, and the military situation - has not succeeded in destroying his feeling, which is exempt from - prejudice, for Germany and Germanism. He expresses his opinion with - sympathy in the lectures which he is delivering in Holland, and, - in the same spirit, he has addressed, through his translator, to - a German journal, the _Berliner Tageblatt_, this short story of - life in Malines, which describes an episode of the war: the first - contribution which, coming from Belgium and written by a Belgian - during the war, has been destined to find publication in Germany. - - THE EDITOR. - (_Berliner Tageblatt_, 25th December, 1914.) - - BUSSUM, _28th December, 1914_. - - SIR, - - I beg your hospitality for the following lines:-- - - In the November number (1914) of the review _Onze Eeuw_ I published - a literary version of an episode of the bombardment of Malines. - A Dutch writer, M. E. Meier, requested my permission for the - publication of a translation of this sketch in a German newspaper. - I granted it him without hesitation and even with a certain - pleasure. My narrative emphasized the kindness and magnanimity of - my countrymen towards their enemies, and, at a moment when the - German press was accusing every Belgian of being a franc-tireur, - I thought myself fortunate to be able to place a contrary example - beneath the eyes of the German public. - - I left the choice of newspaper to my translator, and the - translation appeared in the Christmas number of the _Berliner - Tageblatt_. - - But here the plot thickens. Unknown to me, the editors of the - _Berliner Tageblatt_ prefaced my story with a notice highly - compromising to me. It asserts, in short, that I have German - sympathies which the war has not succeeded in shaking, that I am - giving lectures in Holland in order to express these feelings, and - that I wrote my short story especially to be published in Germany! - - The last assertion is already contradicted by the fact that the - sketch in question is a translation of the text which appeared in - a French review two months ago. As for my sentiments, they are - what they have always been, those of a Belgian unshakably attached - to his unhappy country and his noble King. These, and no others, - are the feelings I have expressed in my lectures in Holland. My - numerous auditors can testify to this. - - You will give me a sensible pleasure, sir, by inserting this - letter, thus assisting me to avoid any misunderstanding. - - Accept, etc., - MAURICE SABBE. - -This is only a detail in the conflict we are sustaining against -invading Germany, but it is a very instructive detail, because it shows -that before accepting any assertion on the part of our oppressors we -must always ask ourselves how much of it is a lie. The same question -arises _à propos_ of a letter written by a Fleming living at Liége -and speaking "in the name of the Flemish population of Liége," which -aspires to live under the German domination. By the singularities of -his syntax and his orthography this Fleming from Liége can only be of -German origin (_Düss. Gen. Anz._, 11th February, 1915). - -Once there was even a kind word spoken for the Walloons, vindicating -the dignity of their dialects, which are by no means dependent on -the French. (It is true this bold assertion comes from Herr Kurd von -Strantz.) - - -_Inciting the People against the Belgian Government._ - -On the other hand, they hope to detach the Belgian people from its -Government. Especially during the siege of Antwerp did they heap -effort on effort of this kind. It was then greatly to their interest -to send as many troops as possible to the Western front (so says -Lieutenant-General Imhoff, in his introduction to Delbrück's _Der -Deutsche Krieg in Feldpostbriefen_, pp. 11 to 13). Now hundreds -of thousands of their men were delayed in Belgium by the siege of -Antwerp. At all costs these had to be liberated in order to lengthen -the battle-front towards the north-west and the sea. Towards the -middle of September they did not hesitate for the third time to make -peace proposals to the Government--proposals which were rejected with -disdain, as were the previous ones (pp. 50-1). After this repeated -diplomatic failure they attempted trickery, a speciality in which -they shine to more advantage. As they could not succeed in directly -influencing the leaders of Belgian politics, they endeavoured to act -on them indirectly through the people. A newspaper was established, -_L'Écho de Bruxelles_, "for the general welfare," to which a certain -"Aristide" contributed. He professed to be an occasional correspondent, -although his articles were really the pretext for issuing the paper. - -In the first number he published a detestable letter in which he -called upon the Belgian Government at all costs to make peace with -Germany. This proceeding was so improper that the _N.R.C._ even, while -reprinting the letter, could not refrain from criticizing it harshly. -In No. 4, which appeared on the 4th October, 1914, and which was -entirely devoted to an attempt to cause mental anxiety in the people -of Brussels, he condemned as unpatriotic "the man who does not rise -up to cry to the people of Antwerp that they must cease from this -sanguinary, disastrous, and useless struggle for a cause which is not -ours." The same accusation was made against "those divisional Generals -whom the laurels of General Leman will not allow to sleep." "The -laurels of General Leman, great God!" he adds, and thereupon he moves -heaven and earth to prove the notorious insufficiency of the valiant -defender of Liége. No, he says, "the true and only heroes of this -melancholy war in Belgium are those who ... have proposed to treat with -Germany. These, Ministers and generals, have given proof of courage -and wisdom, exposing themselves to the vengeance of a mob over-excited -by a system of lies and delusions.... And the public will kick out -these French journalists and these hawkers of French journals who for -years have whispered hatred of neighbour against neighbour, the latter -being the best customer Belgium possessed." We have cited only the -more scandalous portions of this article, ignoring the merely ignoble -passages. - -While "Aristide" was endeavouring to influence the civil population, -aeroplanes were distributing to the Belgian troops in Antwerp -circulars, printed in French, and in another language which had a -certain resemblance to Flemish; and these strange handbills informed -the Belgian soldiers that they had been deceived by their officers and -by the authorities; that the Belgian army was fighting for the British -and the Russians, etc. - - DECLARATION. - - BRUSSELS, _1st October, 1914_. - - BELGIAN SOLDIERS, - - Your blood and your whole salvation, you are not giving them at - all to your beloved country; you are only serving the interest - of Russia, a country which desires only to increase its already - enormous power, and, above all, the interest of England, whose - perfidious avarice has given birth to this cruel and unheard-of - war. From the commencement your newspapers, paid from French and - English sources, have never ceased to deceive you, telling you - nothing but lies as to the causes of the war and the battles which - have followed, and this is still done every day. Consider one of - your army orders which affords fresh proof of this. This is what it - contains: - - "You have been told that your comrades who are prisoners in Germany - have been forced to march against Russia beside our soldiers." Yet - your common sense must tell you that this would be a measure quite - impossible to execute. When the day comes when your comrades who - are prisoners return from our country and tell you with how much - benevolence they have been treated, their words will make you blush - for what your newspapers, and your officers, have dared to tell - you, in order to deceive you in so incredible a manner. Every day - of resistance makes you sustain irreparable losses, while with the - capitulation of Antwerp you will be free from all anxiety. Belgian - soldiers, you have fought enough for the interests of the princes - of Russia, for those of the capitalists of perfidious Albion. Your - situation is one to despair of. Germany, who is fighting only for - her life, has destroyed two Russian armies. To-day no Russian is to - be found in our country. In France our troops are about to overcome - the last resistance. If you wish to rejoin your wives and children, - if you wish to return to your work, in a word, if you wish for - peace, put an end to this useless struggle, which is ending only - in your ruin. Then you will quickly enjoy all the benefits of a - favourable and perfect peace. - - VON BESELER, - _Commander-in-Chief of the Besieging Army_. - -When examples of this circular were brought to us in Brabant, we at -first thought it was a hoax. But we had to submit to the evidence; the -idea of this proclamation had really been conceived and executed by the -Germans. - -After the fall of Antwerp the campaign continued. Was it not necessary -to prevent the Belgians from going to join the Allies in the direction -of Flanders? With this end in view, the Germans attempted to throw -suspicion on the conduct of the Belgian military authorities at the -time of the taking of Antwerp. It was again the _Écho de Bruxelles_ -which was entrusted with the publication of the first false news. -Shortly after the accomplishment of this pleasant task, the _Écho de -Bruxelles_ disappeared for ever: doubtless it was no longer required. - -As for the defamatory libels which were uttered in November and -December, in order to incriminate the conduct of the civil authorities -of Antwerp, it is not yet known by whom they were instigated, worded, -and distributed; but we have a reasonable conviction that the Germans -were not unaware of them. In any case they did what they could to -profit by this disagreement, and they also did their best--in vain--to -revive the question when the Belgians, by common accord, had settled -their differences. - -But the Germans had not yet given up the idea of fomenting conflicts -among us. In an article entitled _Belgische Umstimmigkeiten_ (Change -of Temper in Belgium) the _Kölnische Zeitung_ of the 22nd November, -1914 (2nd morning edition) referred to a telegram from Berlin which -stated that news received from Breda (according to the _Berliner -Lokal-Anzeiger_) asserted that seven Belgian officers had deserted -and had there been interned. To verify this was very difficult, the -more so as in November 1914 no postal or telegraphic communication was -permitted between Belgium and Holland. The rest of the article informed -us that on the 5th November--a fortnight before their desertion--these -officers had received from King Albert the Cross of the Order of -Leopold: they had thus waited to desert until they had been made the -object of special distinction, which is at least peculiar. And then, -setting out from the Yser, they crossed the German lines to be interned -at Breda, in Northern Brabant. Strange! strange! And all this in order -to inform us that these officers, disheartened by the servile and -treacherous attitude of the King, refused again to send their men into -battle, for the sake of the English. - - -_Inciting the Belgians against the English._ - -It will be remarked that the English always receive a good share of the -venomous slime which the Germans, as M. Spitteler says, spit upon the -King, the Government, and the Belgian authorities. "England--there is -the enemy!" says the _Hassgesang Gegen England_--i.e. _Song of Hatred -of England_, the work of Herr Ernst Lissauer. - - _We love but with a single love, - We hate but with a single hate; - We have one foe, and one alone-- - England!_ - -It would be tedious to mention all the innumerable articles intended -to arouse in us a hatred of England. We may mention the opinion of -Dr. Hedin, reproduced on the placard of the 9th November, 1914; -the proclamation of Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, inserted, for -our edification, in _Le Réveil_ (29th October), as well as the -declaration imputed to the Flemish "poet" Cyrid Buysse (placard of -12th December, 1914). But these lovers of truth forgot to announce, -a few days later, that M. Buysse denied the truth of the German -declaration. A mere instance of forgetfulness, no doubt, unless the -Amsterdam-Copenhagen-Berlin-Brussels route, which was covered by the -so-called declaration, had suddenly grown too long for truth to travel -by. - - -D.--A Few Details of the Administration of Belgium. - -The preceding chapter has informed us how the Germans bore themselves -towards the inhabitants of the territory occupied in conformity -with--or rather in contravention of--Articles 42-56 of the Hague -Convention. Treachery and untruthfulness are the chief weapons -employed by our enemies. We need not return to the subject. We desire -now merely to refer to some details relating to the administration. -Details, we said; and in truth we shall consider neither the financial -administration of the country, nor its judicial administration, nor -its political administration, nor any of the other great cog-wheels -essential to the life of a nation. We shall confine ourselves to very -simple facts which any one can remark and understand. - - -(_a_) _Present Prosperity in Belgium._ - -There is nothing of which the Germans are more proud than their -talent--real or illusory--for organization. Accordingly they professed -their intention of re-establishing the normal state of affairs in -Belgium, in spite of the war, and they are always informing the whole -world that everything has resumed its regular course in our country. - - -_Assertions of the German Authorities._ - -Even in his inaugural proclamation (2nd September, 1914), von der -Goltz took the trouble of informing us that work was to be resumed. -But the Germans had placed such impediments in the way of inter-urban -relations that all activities were necessarily suspended. In October -he accorded "facilities of communication," as we were informed by -the announcement of the 15th, which meant that "circulation" was no -longer absolutely prohibited, and that he who had the means to obtain -a passport, and could spend a day or two in procuring it, would -thereafter be authorized to travel from Louvain to Malines, or from -Namur to Liége. As these measures, though so full of solicitude for the -general welfare, did not produce all the results that were expected of -them, the communal authorities were advised to refuse relief to the -unemployed (6th November, 1914). Nothing came of that advice! - -To the numerous obstacles already mentioned we must add one other: the -railway-workers and the artisans employed in many of the foundries -and workshops of Belgium were perfectly well aware that their labours -would principally benefit the Germans, so that by returning to their -workshops they would be committing an unpatriotic action. To overcome -this passive resistance the Germans multiplied their proclamations in -the industrial centres. It was wasted effort. - -In the meantime the Governor-General, in the vain hope of galvanizing -the labour organizations, sent to Germany for well-known Socialists, -who, under the pretext of having a chat with the leaders of the trades -unions, were really to inculcate the idea that it was their duty to -urge a resumption of work. The visits of the German Socialists have -been described by M. Dewinne, of Brussels, a militant worker, in the -Parisian journal _L'Humanité_. - -Infatuated as the Germans might be, they could hardly delude themselves -as to the failure of their attempts at subornation. This did not -prevent Baron von Bissing from issuing declarations dealing with the -situation which were truly touching in their sincerity. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - NORMAL SITUATION IN BELGIUM. - - VIENNA, _19th December_.--The Sofia correspondent of the _Neue - Freie Presse_ has had an interview with Field-Marshal von der - Goltz, who declared: "The situation in Belgium is entirely normal. - The Belgian population is acquiring the conviction that the Germans - are anything but cruel." - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - BERLIN, _15th December_.--To the correspondent of the _Hamburger - Korrespondent_, the new Governor-General in Belgium, General - Baron von Bissing, has made the following declarations: I wish to - maintain order and tranquillity in this country, which has become - the base of operations for our troops. Our army must know that - order prevails behind it, so that it may always give its attention - freely only to what lies before it. I hope also that I shall - succeed, hand in hand with the civil administration, in doing a - great deal for the economic situation. When the Emperor appointed - me Governor-General he charged me, with particular insistence, to - do everything to assist the weak in Belgium, and to encourage them. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - -_The Parasitical Exploitation of Belgium admitted by Germany._ - -But, you may ask, had not Germany other than military reasons for -wishing to revive the economic life of Belgium? A semi-official -article in the _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, which was brought -to our cognizance by the _Düsseldorfer General-Anzeiger_ of the 30th -December, 1914, informs us upon this point. The article emanates -from Governmental circles in Brussels, probably from the immediate -_entourage_ of the Governor-General. Its object is to reply to the -complaints formulated in Germany, according to which the authorities -deal too gently with the Belgians. Instead of trying to revive Belgian -industry, it would be better, say the critics, to crush it completely, -in order to suppress future competition: on the other hand, it is -claimed that the contribution of 480 million frs. is insufficient to -reduce us to impotence, and that we ought to have been more severely -"squeezed." The German Government in Belgium defends itself briskly -against the reproach of sentimentality; it asserts that it has never -allowed itself to be guided by an exaggerated mildness (and we are -ready to declare that on this point at least its assertions maybe -credited!). It would surely not be very intelligent, it protests, to -strangle outright a country so ill-directed. Would it not be preferable -to exploit Belgium scientifically, so as to make her yield as much as -possible? The argument amounts to this: do not let us kill the goose -that lays the golden eggs; but of course it is understood, although one -need not express it explicitly, that when it is no longer in condition -to lay, we shall not hesitate to cut its throat. - - -_The Tenfold Tax on Absentees._ - -Many Belgians have left the country. That is easily understood. Those -who were present at the massacres of Visé, Louvain, Dinant, Termonde -... hastened, in their terror, to abandon those haunts of horror. -Those who lived in the towns left intact, such as Brussels and Gand, -but who heard people talk of the massacres and the burnings, had also -only one idea: to fly before the arrival of the Germans. Even those -Belgians who did not leave at the outset eventually grew weary of the -insupportable vexations inflicted on us by the authorities. Others took -flight because they knew themselves to be threatened with imprisonment. -Moreover, many of those who had means had prudently retired to foreign -countries, to the great fury of the Germans; there was no way of -getting at these "bad patriots," as it seems a German-Swiss journal -called them (_K.Z._, 11th February, 1915); no way of forcing them -to pay war-taxes. Moreover, it was these _émigrés_ who should have -kept alive the industries _de luxe_; finally, they were conspiring -together abroad, and rendering services to the Belgian Government at -Havre. If only they could be forced to return! Our enemies accepted -with enthusiasm an unlucky proposal--made by certain communal -administrations and immediately withdrawn by them--that the absent -persons should be subjected to a special tax, equal to ten times the -personal tax. The communal councils which conceived the idea of this -tax immediately realized its illegality, but Baron von Bissing seized -the occasion which this afforded him of persecuting the _émigrés_. He -published, on the 16th January, a special decree on the subject of -the "additional extraordinary tax upon absentees" (_Belg. All._). It -may be remarked that the tax touches only those who possess a certain -competence. - -Here are two facts which show how far life was normal in Belgium in the -spring of 1915, and how far the Belgian workers were delighted to place -themselves at the service of Germany. - - -_Railway Traffic in Belgium._ - -(_a_) An article in the _Düsseldorfer General-Anzeiger_ of the 19th -April, 1915 (morning), asserts that the traffic on the Belgian railways -is beginning to revive; indeed, says the writer, there are thirty-eight -trains daily leaving the Gare du Nord in Brussels. He exaggerates -slightly. Six weeks later, when traffic had become more active, a -table, dated the 30th May, 1915, which appeared in the "Belgian" -newspaper _L'Information_, gave the movements of trains in the Gare du -Nord and Gare du Midi of Brussels for the month of June. We find that -only thirty-four departures are given for the two stations. Thirty-four -trains in June 1915--and in June 1914 there were 292. Compare the -figures. - - -_Trouble with the Artisans of Luttre._ - -(_b_) The insufficiency of the number of trains is in reality one of -the things that most embarrasses the German authorities (see _Frank. -Zeit._, 16th January, 1915, first morning edition). In and about the -railway workshops, for example, on the sidings at Luttre, there are -hundreds of locomotives out of repair and waiting for attention. But -the workers employed in these shops do not intend to work for the -Germans. In vain do the latter protest that engines repaired by the -Belgians shall be employed only for Belgian traffic. What guarantee -have they that the locomotives will not serve to transport German -troops, or munitions intended to kill our brothers? Is it not a matter -of public notoriety that a contract is merely a scrap of paper? - -To enable the workers to resist the solicitations of the Germans the -necessary relief has been distributed for the maintenance of their -families. The Germans know very well that it is this money which -prevents them from subduing the workers to their will. They therefore -proceed with the utmost severity against the persons whose duty it is -to distribute the relief. Early in April 1915 they imprisoned thirty -of the notables of Luttre, Nivelles, and the neighbourhood, whom -they accused of assisting the working staff of the Luttre workshops. -A German official declared that the prisoners had been arrested -neither by the civil authority nor the military, and that they would -not proceed to trial. At the same time the administrations of the -communes neighbouring upon Luttre were forced to display a proclamation -requiring the men to resume work. Among the promises made to those who -should resume work was one that the prisoners should be liberated. -So thirty notables were thrown into prison, and kept there, in order -to force Belgian artisans to work for the Germans! When it was found -that in spite of everything the men would not return to the shops, the -prisoners were sentenced to undergo various punishments, the maximum -term of imprisonment being three months. As for the recalcitrant -workers, many were sent to Germany, where they were treated in the most -inhuman fashion. - - -_Traffic Suppressed at Malines._ - -At the construction shops of Malines the Germans went a different way -to work. There again workers were needed to repair railway material. -Three hundred were called for. As they did not present themselves their -addresses were obtained, and one fine morning soldiers called at their -houses and _manu militari_ led them to the shops. But there the men -folded their arms and persisted in doing nothing. The Germans had to -let them go. - -How to obtain their submission? The Germans threatened to suppress -all traffic in Malines. A singular fashion of punishing workless men -who refuse to betray their country, especially after declaring that -the only "guilty" persons were those who had organized the collective -refusal to work! (_La Belgique_, 9th June, 1915). But, in accordance -with the juridical principle that "the innocent must suffer with the -guilty," our enemies punished the market-gardeners of the Malines -district and prevented them from sending their cabbages and rhubarb and -peas and asparagus to market. - -After the lapse of some days the Governor-General removed the -prohibition. But he did not wish it to seem that he had repented of his -decision, however unreasonable the latter might be, so to keep himself -in countenance he posted up a statement that a sufficient number of -workers had resumed work (placard of 10th June, 1915). However, the -Baron von Bissing cannot have been ignorant of the fact that none of -the strikers of the Malines workshops had returned; the only workers -whom the Germans had been able to recruit were some unemployed persons -from Lierre, Boom, and Duffel, who had never set foot in the shops -before. As they could not be employed in the manufacture of railway -material, they were made to dig trenches in the direction of Wavre-Ste -Catherine and Duffel. - -The workers whom the soldiers led to the shops by force related that -their escort begged them not to resume work, because they would then -be obliged to leave Malines and to go to the Yser, a prospect which -inspired them with the keenest terror. - - -(_b_) _The Germans' Talent for Organization._ - -"The industrial and commercial prosperity" which Belgium is at present -enjoying is, of course, due to the Germans' incontestable spirit of -organization. "This sense of discipline and order, which the foreigner -calls militarism" (_Voss. Zeit._, 12th February, 1915, morning), has -enabled the officers of the reserve to accomplish such wonderful things -that Herr Oswald F. Schütte, correspondent of the _Chicago Daily News_ -(see _K.Z._, 6th May, 1915, first morning edition) can scarcely find -the words to describe them. "We understand," adds the same journalist, -"that the Government at Havre does not look with a favourable eye upon -the success with which the German administration has once more made -life worth living in Belgium." - -They are certainly something to be wondered at, the officers who are -administering our country. Would you have proof? The Belgian officials -of the Bridges and Highways Department refused to obey the Germans, -so that the latter appointed their engineer officers to direct the -work of repairing roads. But the work was naturally carried out by -Belgian contractors. On macadamized roads the breaking of stones, which -formerly cost from 18 to 22 centimes per square metre (about 2d. per -square yard), now costs 60 to 65 centimes. Good business, you will say, -for the contractors and their men. But no!--the difference goes into -the pockets of the officers. - - -_Conflict between Authorities._ - -This method of procedure naturally results in conflicts between the -various administrations. We have already related (p. 157) that the -city of Brussels was condemned to pay a fine of half a million francs -because the civilians and the soldiers were in disagreement. Muddles -of this kind testify to something quite different from a brilliant -talent for organization, which the Germans would have us believe is the -distinguishing mark of their administration. - - -_Suppression of the Bureau of Free Assessment._ - -In order to give the impression that they alone are capable of -re-starting the economic machine in Belgium, the Germans begin by -dislocating the existing machinery. Thus, a group of advocates and -surveyors created a bureau for the gratuitous assessment of the damage -caused by the war to real estate. This body was working to the general -satisfaction, when suddenly, in March 1915, the Germans decided to -take its place. Now observe their methods. The applicant who wishes -the damage suffered by his property to be estimated has to begin by -paying a provisional deposit, after which he finds that the costs of -the assessment have to be paid out of his own pocket. What this really -comes to is this: the Germans, having burned a house and reduced its -owner to poverty, demand that the latter shall pay in advance for the -evaluation of the damage done. - - -_The Belgian Red Cross Committee Suppressed._ - -Another example of the suppression of a body working in a normal -manner. As soon as they occupied Brussels the Germans began to meddle -in the doings of the Directing Committee of the Red Cross Society, -and appointed a delegate to the Society. They then tried to force -the Red Cross to exceed its duties, which were clearly specified -by the international convention known as the _Convention for the -Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the -Field_. Neither in the text of the Convention of 1869, nor in that -of the Convention of 1906, is there any question of other patients -than soldiers wounded during hostilities. Doubtless it is a matter -for praise if the Red Cross of each country should extend its action -to needs existing in time of peace; in Belgium, for example, the Red -Cross has organized ambulances in the International Exhibitions. But -it is none the less true that its essential mission, and the only -mission foreseen by the International Convention, is to ameliorate the -condition of soldiers who are victims of warfare. It was therefore an -abuse of the Red Cross to impose other aims upon it; to compel it, -for example, to organize "the relief and support of women by means -of labour." The Red Cross of Belgium decided, with abundant reason, -that it could not in time of war assume novel functions, nor, above -all, could it set apart for the same sums of money which were largely -derived from private subscriptions entrusted to it for the succour of -the wounded; it therefore refused to involve itself. After lengthy -negotiations the Governor-General suspended the Belgian managing -committee from its functions, and seized the funds. - -We should mention that the Central Administration of the Red Cross, -sitting in Geneva, decided that the Brussels Committee was in the right. - -Attempting to justify their illegal attitude, the German authorities -established a special journal, _La Croix Rouge, Bulletin officiel de la -Croix Rouge de Belgique_, printed in Flemish, French, and German. This -journal continues to pretend that the Belgian Committee was legally -dissolved, as it would not "assist the people in the present melancholy -situation." - -In vain did the Germans endeavour to put the world off the scent -as to their intentions. They knew perfectly well that the National -Committee of Relief and Alimentation patronized and subsidized -without distinction all the benevolent undertakings which applied to -it (p. 176). The real aim of our enemies is to supplant the National -Committee. This committee is a private institution in which they have -no voice, which greatly annoys them; at most they can endeavour to -make it believed that the revictualling of Belgium is effected with -their assistance. But this, as may be supposed, is not enough for them; -their real aim, their unavowed object, is to obtain entire control of -the National Committee, in order to exercise there also their talent -for organization--or, more precisely, their talent for peculation. -The 40,000,000 frs. per month does not sate their appetite. What an -indefinite perspective of fleshpots could they only lay hands on the -revictualling of Belgium! - -The whole affair of the Red Cross was conducted with annoying -duplicity--annoying even to us, who nevertheless were beginning to -grow accustomed to their campaign of lies. For months there were -negotiations between the Belgium Managing Committee and the German -authorities, represented by the Graf von Hatzfeld-Trachenberg. At each -interview the latter brought forth fresh demands on the part of the -Governor-General, but he always added that he was acting reluctantly, -and that in his opinion the demands were unjustified; only, of course, -he had to obey. (This is, by the way, the classic procedure. Whenever a -German commits a dirty action he entrenches himself behind discipline.) -These lame discussions lasted until the 16th April, 1915; upon a final -refusal on the part of the Belgian Committee to exceed its proper -functions, Graf von Hatzfeld-Trachenberg gave orders for the decree of -dissolution to be read. - - -(_c_) _The Belgian Attitude toward the Germans._ - -Our enemies spread the report that the relations between occupants and -inhabitants were greatly improving, and that the Belgians had abandoned -their provocative attitude, which was so unpleasant at the outset of -the war. They also asserted that by the end of October the people -at Antwerp had ceased to display any antipathy towards them (_Köln. -Volksz._, 30th October, 1914, morning edition).[44] But, in truth, they -flattered themselves when they stated that the Belgium people regarded -them with glances full of hatred. Hatred? No; merely glances full of -disdain, when by chance one could not do otherwise than gaze at them; -but, as a rule, the Belgians turn their eyes away, as they turn their -backs upon German music. - -At Liége, in Brussels and Antwerp, and at Malines, when an officer -addresses a Belgian the latter pretends not to hear (_N.R.C._, 20th -October, 1914, morning edition), or simply states that he has not -time to speak to the other; or he replies in Flemish; or else, having -affected to listen to him with all the marks of the most exquisite -politeness, he leaves the German standing still without replying a -word. The ladies more often reply, but it is only to beg the Germans -not to speak to them. The officer who asks his way is almost certain to -be sent in a contrary direction; while he who climbs on the platform of -a tram finds that all the passengers immediately turn their backs upon -him; and this rotation is executed with the regularity and precision -of a reflex movement. The officer who begs a a passer-by to lend him -his cigar that he may obtain a light, sees the other disgustedly -throw away the cigar which an enemy has touched. The child whom an -officer condescends to caress pushes away his hand with an indignant -expression, and makes the ugliest grimace he knows of. In short, they -are the objects of universal detestation. - -Perhaps it will be said that this attitude is peculiar to the towns -which have been little or not at all affected by the war. But no! In -localities which were largely burned down, such as Aerschot, Eppeghem, -Dinant, and Louvain, the population behaves in a manner even more -characteristic. At Dinant the children sing at the tops of their voices -a _Marseillaise_ with new words, expressly anti-German, in which a good -deal is said about pigs. At Louvain some officers who used to amuse -themselves with a phonograph which reproduced the record of the song -_Gloria, Vittoria_, had to give up using it in June 1915, because the -passers-by accompanied the refrains with other words: _Gloria, Italia_. -At Eppeghem and Aerschot the children play at soldiers, with Belgian -police bonnets on their heads, yelling _La Brabançonne_. One would say -the sight of those calcined ruins, far from intimidating the Belgians, -as the butchers had hoped, only whets their rebellious spirits, and -that the certainty of final success has completely effaced, in the soul -of the people, the memory of the terrors experienced at the time of the -burnings and killings. - -Not only is the Belgian population far from fraternizing with them, -as they try to make the world believe, but it neglects no opportunity -of proving that it is animated by very different feelings. It must be -confessed that when we openly wear the Belgian or American colours it -is with a double object: to advertise our attachment to our country, -or our gratitude to America, and also to make the Germans furious. The -little celluloid portraits of the King and Queen which one wears in the -buttonhole serve the same purposes. After the Germans had imprisoned -M. Max in a German prison many people displayed his portrait. This was -extremely disagreeable to our enemies (_Köln. Volksz._, 30th September, -1914, morning edition); but precisely for that reason people persisted -in wearing the little medallion until the German police demanded its -forcible removal. - -When the Governor-General, in the interviews which he granted the -correspondents of the _N.A.Z._ and the _Berliner Tageblatt_, pretended -to regard the wearing of the Belgian or American colours as a piece of -childish mischief, he was simply trying to put them off the scent, for -he of all people had no illusions as to the significance of the ribbons -which the Belgians are wearing in their buttonholes. This significance -was as follows: The Germans pretend (1) that their armies are -victorious and will remain so; (2) that they will be able to dictate -their terms, and will annex Belgium; (3) that this will be easy, as -the Belgians are already abandoning their provocative attitude, and -are beginning to fraternize with their persecutors. For the moment we -cannot reply publicly to lies 1 and 2; as to 3, any Belgian who wears -a little rosette tacitly proclaims that he does not wish to be taken -for a craven, and that his anti-German feelings have lost none of their -keenness. - -Other Germans try to deceive their compatriots as to the feeling of the -Belgians for their oppressors. Here is what Herr Walter Nissen says, -the Bruxelles correspondent of the _Düss. Gen.-Anz._ (23rd July, 1915): - - "Opinion in Belgium is daily becoming more conciliatory. Belgium - may, for the moment, be compared with a woman who is beginning to - love despite herself, and who, through pride and vexation, says - 'No!' as loudly as possible, for fear anyone should see what is - happening to her. But one does see it, despite the ribbons of the - national colours--indeed precisely on that account." - -Is this incurable blindness? Is it an ineradicable spirit of falsehood? -Does Herr Nissen really doubt the sincerity of our anti-German -manifestations? During the months he has lived in our midst he must -have discovered that we do, systematically, everything we can to -displease the Germans, until they issue decrees of prohibition. - -Here is a last trait which can leave no one in doubt as to the feelings -of the Belgians. In March 1915 the German authorities organized a -concert in the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. There were only three -known Belgians present, among them a professor of the University of -Brussels. The University showed its disapproval by sending him to -Coventry. - - -(_d_) _Behaviour of the German Administration._ - -The preceding pages have already informed the reader that the Germans -have not accustomed us to look for either gentleness or sincerity. But -hitherto we have not insisted on their administrative procedure, which -nevertheless deserves examination. - -But first let us picture to ourselves the mental condition of the -Belgians since August 1914. Cut off from all intellectual relations -with foreign countries, we receive independent newspapers only in -secret, at the peril of our liberty, or even of our lives. Every -day, on the other hand, the newspapers, mutilated by the censorship, -printing only the news--often false--which is favourable to the -Germans, are instilling their slow poison into our brains. No -matter: the people still repulse all attempts to foment disunion and -demoralization; they pull their belts a little tighter rather than -go to work for the enemy; they continue, to the last, to display our -colours; in short, they have retained, unshaken and unshakable, their -faith in our just cause and the final victory. - -The German newspapers are full of admiring articles describing the -firmness of mind evinced by the German people, for they, too, consent -to certain privations to ensure the success of their arms. Wonderful! -The German people are unfailingly encouraged by their newspapers, -their pastors and priests, their schoolmasters and professors, and by -lectures and innumerable pamphlets. Everything that might cause their -resolution to falter is carefully concealed from them. They are, -moreover, accustomed to hold no other opinions than those which are -officially presented to them. To falter, under these circumstances, -would be almost incomprehensible. But in our country, on the other -hand, everything is done to exhaust us, to dishearten us. The least -success of the German arms becomes the "final crushing" of the enemy; -the executions of Belgians who have aided their country are immediately -advertised on every hand; and, finally, we are prevented, by every -imaginable means, from spreading good news or preaching confidence. -That in spite of all the Belgian should retain his tranquillity of mind -and even his good humour is almost unbelievable, but it is true. - -Here, then, is a population which is systematically refused the -least item of comforting information, but which, on the other hand, -is treated prodigally to everything of a nature to demoralize it; -a population which, in order not to sink into despair, has to -make an effort every moment of the day; a country in which it is -strictly forbidden to do anything to encourage those who may suffer -from a temporary depression, or to sustain and reassure those who -feel themselves threatened. Is it not obvious that such pitiful -psychologists as the Germans will resort to intimidation to reduce this -population to their mercy? Everything is magnified into an offence, -and all offences are punished by the heaviest penalties; the Germans -even going so far as to threaten with death him who spreads "false -news"--that is to say, who communicates news to his fellow-citizens -which is displeasing to the Germans. - - -_The Appeal to Informers._ - -The placards already cited show amply the diversity of the offences -which may be committed, and the punishments which may be inflicted. But -we must not forget those notices which order the inhabitants, often on -pain of death, to inform against those persons who possess arms; to -denounce those who are _believed_ to be strangers to the commune; and -those _suspected_ of acting in a manner contrary to the orders of the -German authorities. - -Here are some of these notices: - - DETENTION OF ARMS. - - The communal administration forwards the following document:-- - - _Important Warning._ - - It has come to my knowledge that the inhabitants of the country are - still hiding arms and munitions in their houses. - - Those who still have arms in their possession (whether firearms, - bows, cross-bows, arquebuses, or knives and swords of any - description) will not be punished in any way if the arms and - munitions are deposited by the 15th December (noon precisely German - time) at the house of the burgomaster of the commune, to be handed - over to the military commandant. - - After the date indicated all persons found in possession of arms - or munitions will be shot. An account also will be demanded of the - burgomasters concerned, and also of all the inhabitants of the - houses or farms in which arms or munitions are found, as well as - the neighbours of the guilty persons. - - The death penalty will be imposed on all who learn of the existence - of arms or munitions without warning the burgomaster of their - commune, who must warn the military commandant. - - The present decree forms the last appeal to the population to - surrender their arms, and once the 15th December is past the - severest action will be taken. - - The burgomasters are personally responsible for ensuring that this - warning receives the widest publication. - - They are required to deposit with the nearest military authority - not later than the 15th December (at six o'clock in the evening, - German time) the arms and munitions that shall be delivered to them. - - THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. - - THIELT, 5/xii/14. - - (_Le Bien Public, 11th December, 1914._) - - BY ORDER OF THE MILITARY AUTHORITY. - - The inhabitants of Dieghem are strictly forbidden to assemble in - groups. - - Moreover, the inhabitants are required to bring to the Secretariat, - Chaussée d'Haecht 48, those persons whom they believe to be - strangers to the commune, in order to verify their identity. - - THE BURGOMASTER, - G. DE CONNICK. - - (_Posted at Dieghem, October 1914._) - - ON THE ORDER OF THE GERMAN MILITARY AUTHORITY. - - The Commissary of the Arrondissement of Verviers calls the - attention of the communal administrations and the inhabitants of - his jurisdiction to the following regulations:-- - - The severest penalties will be inflicted upon offenders: whosoever - shall damage the roads, telephones, or telegraphs will be HANGED. - The same penalty will be inflicted on every person in whose house - arms, ammunitions, and explosives shall be found. The house in - which these objects are discovered will be destroyed by fire, and - all the men encountered on the premises will be HANGED. - - Rigorous penalties will be inflicted on localities in which roads, - telephones, and telegraphs shall be damaged. - -For their own safety the inhabitants of communes are invited to make -known to the commandants of _étapes_ those persons suspected of -disobeying the present order or of opposing the measures taken. - -On the other hand, those communes which remain tranquil, and in which -this order is strictly obeyed, will enjoy the full protection of the -German Government. - - VON ROSENBERG, - _Colonel commanding the 29th Brigade_. - - VERVIERS, _22nd August, 1914_. - -Those who are _believed_ to be strangers; those who are _suspected_ of -acting contrary to orders ... it is a régime of organized suspicion, -a reign of terror, informing erected into a governmental process. - -The most abominable thing which the Germans have conceived in this -respect is that they encourage the denunciation of militia-men by -their fathers, mothers, wives, or sisters. It is a principle admitted -by all civilized nations--and also, no doubt, by Germany--that the -Courts definitely abstain from evoking a conflict between the paternal -and maternal instinct and the duty owed to justice. It is considered -that it would be revoltingly inhuman to force a father or mother -to bear witness against a son. Sophocles, in the _Antigone_, ranks -this prejudice among "the immutable laws, unwritten, which are from -all eternity." Now, in Belgium, when a young man leaves his family -to rejoin the Belgian army, the German authorities enjoin upon his -parents, his brother, or his sister, the duty of denouncing the absent -man; in other words, his father or his mother--yes, we said his -mother--must deliver up the son because he is doing his duty toward -his country (notice of the 9th April, 1915). And the Germans are not -content with threats. If the Germans forget their promises, at least -they scrupulously carry their threats into execution. At Hasselt they -imprisoned a woman whose son had rejoined the Belgian army (p. 152). At -Namur they have on many occasions punished the parents of soldiers who -had not committed the crime of denouncing them. And not content with -inflicting these disgraceful penalties--disgraceful to those who impose -them--they have forced _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ to give publicity to these -sentences, to the number of ten or more. Here are the details of one -sentence: - - According to § 3, No. 2, of the Imperial decree of the 28th - December, 1893, concerning the extraordinary proceedings of the - Council of War for foreigners, the Governor of the fortified - position and the province of Namur has pronounced a deprivation of - liberty against the following Belgian subjects: the farmer, Félix - Duquet, of Jemeppe, two months; his wife, Victoire Duquet, _née_ - Swain, one month. They had harboured their son, Clement Duquet, - Belgian soldier, who had lost his regiment, for several months, - instead of notifying him to the German authority; by so doing they - acted in contravention of the proclamation of the Government of - Namur, dated 19th September, 1914. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 8-9th July, 1915.) - -Assuredly for the Germans the word "humanity" is void of meaning; they -have replaced it by "Germanity." No doubt they regard maternal love -among the Belgians as being of an essence so inferior that they need -not take it into account. Yet in order not to wound the sensibilities -of their own soldiers, nor those of their "brothers by race," the -Flemings, they omitted any mention of mothers in the German and Flemish -texts of their notice of the 4th April. As we have already stated, -they feel that they need not observe towards the feelings of the -Belgians--and above all of the Walloons--the same consideration as is -shown towards those of the Germans. - - -_German Espionage._ - -Informing cannot exist without espionage. Now we know that the -Germans are past masters in this art. Every one of our towns has -been favoured by a swarm of spies, male and female. In the streets, -on the promenades, in the cafés, in the trams[45]--everywhere one is -conscious of the invisible inspection of secret agents. Woe to him who -utters aloud an opinion unfavourable to Germany, or complains of a too -outrageous placard or announcement, or criticizes a passing officer or -any one connected with Germany, or abuses the German army: immediately -a lady or gentleman hails a German soldier, and the offender is taken -to the _Kommandantur_. And when a Belgian enters the _Kommandantur_ -he does not know when he will come out again; there he awaits, -sometimes for several days, his turn to be interrogated; and after that -imprisonment is certain. Not, of course, that he is always condemned; -it sometimes happens that the offence has not been proved; but even -so, "his hash is settled," for while he has been waiting his turn his -house has been searched, and where is the house that does not contain -some letter from a son or a brother who is a soldier? Prohibited -correspondence! Sentenced! - - -_Agents-provocateurs or "Traps."_ - -A close espionage surrounds those who undertake the carrying of -letters or the introduction of newspapers. In this case the spies -work principally by means of "traps"--_agents-provocateurs_. A -spy introduces himself to the person suspected of dealing with -correspondence; he pretends he has a letter to send or receive. If the -suspect listens to him, a picket of soldiers and policemen arrives -on the following day to make a search. Other spies will speak in the -street to a seller of newspapers; they will ask for a French or English -journal, and scarcely has the vendor taken the forbidden journal from -his pocket than a hand falls upon his collar. - -It is also by means of "traps" that the Germans catch those who enable -our militia to escape from the country. A young man, of the proper age, -goes in search of the suspected person, and by means of false papers -passes himself off for a patriot who wants to take his place at the -front. Arrangements being made, the spy departs; but a skilfully set -trap enables him to catch a whole group of young fellows. It matters -little to our cause, however, since for every one arrested hundreds -cross into Holland every week. Many Belgians devote themselves to this -patriotic task, though they well know that in case of failure they -will be sent into Germany or shot. It should be said that their most -active helpers are the soldiers of the Landsturm, the guardians of -the frontiers, who, according to an established tariff, for the sake -of alcohol or money, close their eyes as our militia-men cross the -frontier. - -One step further along the path of the informer, the spy, and the -"trap," and we come to means whose ignominy is such that even the -Germans themselves are forced to admit their dishonesty. - -Thus, at Liége most of the letter-boxes on the house-doors are closed -by means of nails. Why? At the end of 1914 many citizens of Liége used -to receive _Le Courrier de la Meuse_, a newspaper edited and printed at -Maestricht by Belgian refugees. There was no great mystery about its -distribution; the paper was simply slipped into the letter-box. But -the German agents spied on the vendors, and having done so, searched -the houses at which the newspaper was delivered. The subscriber, of -course, was condemned to pay a fine. Did part of this go to the spy? -It is probable; in any case it was not long before the spies were -importing _Le Courrier de la Meuse_ in order themselves to place it in -the letter-boxes of well-to-do houses. A search conducted immediately -revealed the prohibited article, and, in spite of the indignant -denials of the victim, the fine was inflicted. - -At Ferrières, near Jemelle, worse than this was done. A German priest -pretended that the curé of Ferrières had repeated, before a witness, -a private conversation held some hours earlier. Moreover, he wanted -to garble the conversation. The abbé's action was repugnant in such a -degree that even Baron von Bissing himself was a little uneasy about -the matter, and revoked the punishment awarded to the Belgian. - -While the mission of the spies and _agents-provocateurs_--including -the _abbés-provocateurs_ or ecclesiastical "traps"--was to procure the -condemnation to various penalties of as many Belgians as possible, -other "agents" in the pay of Germany commenced a vast inquiry, in -order to prove, in the face of the evidence itself, the crimes of the -"francs-tireurs." Well!--in spite of all the manoeuvres of spies and -_provocateurs_ and the inquirers themselves, in spite of the personal -rancour which impelled a few rare Belgians to become the accomplices -of the Germans, and to denounce, in a spirit of vengeance, certain of -their fellow-citizens, never did the Germans succeed in mentioning a -single name, not one single name, of a Belgian civilian accused of -having fired upon the German troops. We say expressly "accused," and -not "convicted," to show that nowhere, in village or provincial town, -although petty rivalry is so acute, and although informers, even though -anonymous, would have been welcomed with joy by the Germans, nowhere -was any one found to assert that a Belgian civilian had fired on the -German troops. No, it was so improbable, so manifestly false, that not -even the most miserable of wretches would have dreamed of formulating -such a calumny. - -The Germans wanted to make us believe that anonymous letters were -pouring in upon them, but that they, as upright administrators, refused -to follow up these accusations (Declaration, 4th May, 1915). Obviously -a lie. We know them capable of themselves fabricating these anonymous -accusations, simply to cause the Belgians mental uneasiness, and to -give rise to mutual suspicion. This is yet another attempt to cause -dissension. - -For the rest, they have since then admitted that they have invited -denunciation. Worse than this: denunciation is enough to procure -condemnation; it is not necessary for the offence to be proved. - - NOTICE. - - Cases are increasingly frequent in which letters are sent to - Belgian soldiers at the front by means of intermediaries. - - I remind the public that this is strictly prohibited. Any person - denounced to the German authorities for such action will be - subjected to a severe penalty. - - THE GOVERNOR OF THE FORTIFIED POSITION - AND THE PROVINCE OF NAMUR. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 13th June, 1915.) - -We should never come to an end were we to mention all the tricks and -shifts that enter into their methods of administration. We will confine -ourselves to relating one or two more. - -According to the Hague Convention, the functionaries of an occupied -territory who remain at their posts must declare that they will -undertake nothing, and will refrain from everything, that may be -contrary to the interests of the occupier. Note two essential points: -it is only the _officials_ who are required to sign this agreement, and -they undertake to _refrain_ from anything that may be hurtful to the -occupier. - -Now in January 1915 the German administration of Namur wished to force -the entire male population of the canton of Éghezée between the ages of -eighteen and forty to sign the following declaration:-- - - "I the undersigned promise, conformably with the Hague Convention - of the 18th October, 1907, to continue scrupulously and loyally - the fulfilment of my functions, to undertake nothing against the - interests of the German Empire, and I promise to prevent all that - might be injurious thereto." - -In certain communes the inhabitants, meaning well and imperfectly -informed as to their rights and duties, signed this declaration, which -is an improper one, as it was required of all the inhabitants, and not -only of the officials; moreover, it made the signatories promise to -_prevent_ what was injurious to the Germans, not merely to _refrain_ -from it. Up to a certain point, therefore, all the inhabitants were -obliged to place themselves at the service of the German authorities. -Some burgomasters refused to allow the document to be signed as it -stood. They added, on their own authority, the following sentence:-- - - "With the reservation of being able to respond freely to the appeal - of the Belgian Government if the latter comes to resume possession - of the country at present occupied by the German armies." - -The Germans did not accept this addition; they proposed a new form of -words:-- - - "I the undersigned promise, conformably with the provisions of the - Hague Convention of 18th October, 1907, to continue scrupulously - and faithfully in the performance of my functions, to undertake - nothing against the interests of the German Empire, to refrain from - all that might injure it." - -In many villages the people again refused to sign. Men between 18 and -40 years of age cannot promise to continue in the performance of -functions which they have never fulfilled. What did the Germans do? -They forced all the male inhabitants of the recalcitrant communes to -present themselves daily at Éghezée, the chief town of the canton. -But eventually they realized that it was iniquitous to make these men -lose half their day every day simply because they, the Germans, were -demanding an absolutely illegal thing. So the daily muster at Éghezée -was abandoned. - -The German administration falsely invoked the Hague Convention of -1907 in addressing the peasants, who doubtless did not even know the -Convention by name, and it tried twice over to take advantage of -their good faith. It is not surprising that the inhabitants of the -province of Namur should have become suspicious, so that they would not -willingly put their names to any paper presented by the Germans. In May -it was only after long negotiations and threats that the young men of -Rhisnes and Emines signed their identification cards, which, according -to the Germans, "imposed no engagement on the signatory." We have not -ourselves seen the wording of this card, so we cannot speak as to its -tenor; but it is curious that the Germans should be so insistent upon -the signing of a card having so little significance. - -They also wished to impose, on the civic guard of Rhisnes and Emines, -the engagement that they would no longer bear arms against Germany. -More than half the men refused, and were sent as prisoners of war to -Germany. - - Monday, 3rd May, in the morning, sixty-nine Belgian militia-men - of the communes of Rhisnes and Emines were arrested because they - refused to sign their identification cards, which contained - nothing else than the information as to their persons necessary - to complete such a document. They were taken to the prison of the - fortress. On 6th May they were questioned a second time, and, - having all without exception signed, they were immediately released. - - Tuesday, 4th May, 107 members of the civic guard at Rhisnes were - arrested because they refused to sign the declaration that they - would not bear arms against Germany and her Allies during this war. - In the course of the same day forty-nine signed the declaration and - were released. The other fifty-eight maintained their refusal, and - were transported to Germany as prisoners of war on Tuesday evening. - - Wednesday, the 5th May, eighty members of the civic guard of Emines - and Warisoulx were arrested for the same reason; forty signed the - declaration and were released. The rest were transported to Germany - on the evening of the 6th May as prisoners of war. - - Similarly on the 5th May, in the afternoon, 170 men, part being - members of the civic guard and part militia-men of the communes - of Taviers, Dhuy, St.-Germain, Hemptinne, Villers-lez-Heest, - and Bovesse, were arrested because they refused to sign their - identification cards. The Government hopes that these men will - reflect and hear reason, and that they will submit spontaneously to - this measure, which serves only for purposes of registration, so - that they may be released. - - It is expressly added that the signature of the identification - cards imposes no engagement on the signatory; these cards contain - only information as to identity, and all the Belgian militia-men, - as well as the members of the civic guard, have been several times - informed upon this point. - - (_Communicated._) - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 7th and 8th May, 1915.) - -Let us look into this case. - -In the first place, there never was a civic guard at Rhisnes nor at -Emines, so that it is absolutely fraudulent to give this title to all -the male adult inhabitants; and since they have not been civic guards -they have never borne arms against Germany, and cannot therefore engage -to cease doing so. Here again appears the German duplicity in all its -beauty. The men of Rhisnes and Emines assure us that the paper said -"no longer bear arms against Germany." The Germans have imposed a -communiqué upon _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ which gives another version--"not to -bear arms." - -But in the communiqué provided by the German authorities and published -in _La Belgique_ on the 5th June, our enemies recognize that the -document said "no longer bear arms." However, a German communiqué is -never entirely truthful; and this one forms no exception to the rule. -Conforming to the truth in this respect, it departs from it in another. -It says, in effect, that the men of Rhisnes "regarded themselves as -still belonging to the Belgian Army." What absurdity! They refused to -sign precisely because the Germans wished to make them say that they -did belong to the Army! - -In August and September 1914 the Germans were sending Belgians into -Germany as civil prisoners; in May 1915 they were sending them as -prisoners of war. The difference is important, since the Hague -Convention states that the cost of maintenance of war prisoners falls -upon their country of origin, but that it is not speaking of civil -prisoners. This is why the civilians of Rhisnes and Emines went -to Germany as prisoners of war, as did the curé and the vicar of -Cortemarck (p. 72). - -We have already cited (p. 233) one case of premeditated abuse of a -signature. Here is another: In October 1914 the German authorities of -Mont St.-Guibert (between Ottignies and Trembloux) had the following -placard posted:-- - - NOTICE. - - 1. All the male inhabitants of the commune aged from 18 to 45 - years, rich or poor, must present themselves to-morrow, Tuesday, - morning, the 6th October, at 7 o'clock in the morning (Belgium - time) at the railway booking-office. - - 2. These inhabitants can no longer change their place of residence; - their names have been given to the military authorities. - - Those who do not carry out this order, who seek to escape, will be - made prisoners and will render themselves liable to be shot. The - families of offenders will be taken as prisoners and their property - destroyed. - - 3. English, French, or Russians who are in the locality must be - delivered to the military authorities. The same with Belgians - having belonged to the Army who are deserters or have been - prisoners. Offenders will be punished by death. - - 4. Fire-arms of all kinds which are still in possession of the - inhabitants must be deposited immediately with the commandant - of the railway-station. Those who are discovered to be still in - possession of these arms, after the publication of this notice, - will be shot. - - 5. Assemblies for roll-call will be held from time to time. The day - and hour will be given in advance. - - 6. Umbrellas and sticks are forbidden at the station. Men must not - present themselves in a state of drunkenness. - - Mont St.-Guibert, 5th October, 1914. - The Burgomaster, - E. WAUTIER. - - The Commandant of the Railway-station, - HAMICH, _Sergeant_. - -This placard threatens penalties, even shooting, for the failure to -attend at the railway-station; moreover, the offender's family is of -course held responsible. So far it is commonplace enough. We will say -nothing as to the grade of officer who thus disposes of the lives -of citizens--he is a sergeant; but we know that the humblest German -soldier possesses every right. What does rather surpass the usual level -German administrative procedure is the fact that the burgomaster, whose -name figures at the bottom of the placard, knew nothing of the latter -until it was posted. The sergeant had used his name without deigning -to consult him. - -To give a complete idea of the administrative methods employed by the -Germans against our country, it will be as well rapidly to describe how -they behaved in a certain locality immediately after proceeding against -the "francs-tireurs." Hitherto we have dealt only with places where -they did not have to carry out "reprisals." We will now select Andenne, -on account of the particularly savage character of the "repression" -which drenched this unhappy town with blood and fire. Here are the -facts in their tragic sequence:-- - -The German patrol which penetrated into the town on the 19th August, -1914, went straight to the house of the communal receiver and seized -the funds: 2,232 frs. - -On the following day the bulk of the troops arrived. That evening, -between 6 and 9 p.m., a very sharp fusillade broke out. Immediately the -civilians were accused of having fired, and the troops began to shoot -down the inhabitants and burn the houses. - -On the following morning--the 21st August--all the inhabitants not yet -shot were driven into the Place des Tilleuls. The men were herded on -one side, the women on the other. From time to time Major Scheunemann, -who commanded the operations, had a few men shot, sometimes before the -whole population, sometimes a little apart. During the morning the -soldiers dragged the corpse of the burgomaster, Dr. Camus, into the -Place. As soon as Major Scheunemann learned of the death of the first -magistrate, he appointed as burgomaster M. de Jaer, who was one of -the group of persons waiting their turn to be shot. From that moment -the order was given to kill no more; they contented themselves with -sack and pillage. There were then 300 houses burned at Andenne and at -Seilles, and 300 inhabitants were shot (_11th Report_). - -We will confine ourselves, as regards the events which followed the -burning and the massacre, to reprinting the placard posted at Andenne -during the first ten days of the occupation:-- - - INHABITANTS OF ANDENNE. - - By order of the German military authority occupying the town of - Andenne:-- - - All the men are held as hostages. - - Per shot fired on the German troops, there will be _at least_ two - hostages shot. - - The hostages will be fed by the women, who will carry them the - necessaries close to the bridge at 6 in the evening and 8 in the - morning. - - Women are strictly forbidden to converse with the hostages. - - All the streets and public places will immediately be cleaned by - all the women of the town, on pain of immediate arrest. - - It is strictly forbidden to move about the town after 7 in the - evening and before 7 in the morning, on pain of severe repression. - - The dead will immediately be buried without any formality. - - Young people over 14 and the women must give their assistance in - every case of requisition. - - It is strictly forbidden to show oneself at the windows. - - By order of the German military authority, - The Burgomaster Designate, - E. DE JAER. - - The Secretary, - MONRIQUE. - _Andenne, the 31st August, 1914._ - - PROCLAMATION.[46] - - On the 20th August of this year there was firing from numerous - houses of the town of Andenne on the German troops who were passing - through the town; bombs also were thrown. It is certain that the - first outbreak of firing occurred, according to a certain plan, at - precisely the same time in several streets: in the Rue Brun, the - Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, the Place des Tilleuls, and several other - streets. A number of soldiers have been killed or wounded and war - material damaged. - - After denying the first attacks, there was again firing from many - houses for several hours, and again on the 21st August, at two - o'clock in the afternoon, an under-officer was killed by a shot - from one of the houses in the Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville. - - Those guilty inhabitants who have hitherto been found have been - shot by the Council of War, but it was not possible to find the - persons who arranged the plot. - - We appeal, however, to the honour of the City of Andenne, which - appears in the eyes of the civilized world as a nest of murderers - and bandits. - - Perhaps it is possible to restore the honour of this town; this - is why the inhabitants are invited, in their own interest, to - communicate to the military authority all that may make it possible - to make progress in revealing the plot and its authors. - - He who delivers proofs capable [of revealing, etc.] receives - according to their value a reward of 500-1000 frs. - - The measures which have been taken will or might be sooner - mitigated as soon as inquiry shall have made progress to make known - the guilty. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE CITY. - - _Andenne, the 22nd August, 1914._ - - _Andenne, Sunday, 23rd August, 1914._ - - OFFICIAL NOTICE. - - Between Saarburg and Metz there has been a great battle. The German - troops have made 21,000 French prisoners. - - Long live His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia and - Margrave of Brandenburg! - - SCHEUNEMANN, - - Major and Chief of Department. - - OFFICIAL NOTICE. - - The revictualling of the population will be effected by the - efforts of the Military Administration, assisted by the Civil - Administration of Andenne constituted by the German Government, as - far as possible. - - 1. In this connection, the sale of provisions and commodities is - strictly forbidden. - - 2. Householders are advised to report at once the quantity of - their provisions. Commodities will be taken for cash or redeemable - voucher. - - 3. It would be in the interest of the population to announce - exactly the quantity of their provisions. - - 4. Provisions not exceeding two days for the family need not be - reported. - - 5. All the available forces of the commune are in the care of the - Administration for the harvest. - - Properties abandoned will be harvested as the rest. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE TOWN OF ANDENNE. - - _27th August, 1914._ - - PROCLAMATION. - - I have confidence in the Administration and in the population, - that now each will be careful to obey as strictly as possible the - orders of the Kommandantur in order to soften as far as possible - the misfortune caused by the criminal deeds of a few inhabitants. - - This is why I object to all that prevents the free circulation of - the inhabitants. I trust that none of the inhabitants of Andenne - and Seilles will make use of their liberty save for the prosperity - of the commune. - - The Administrations of Andenne and Seilles are working with me day - and night to bring about a settled state of affairs. - - All questions of revictualling and welfare must be addressed - directly to the Administrations of Andenne and Seilles, which have - also the power to require the inhabitants to work. - - The German Army displays the greatest severity and energy if it is - perfidiously attacked by the inhabitants, but it sincerely desires - to use justice and humanity towards the people, if the conduct of - the inhabitants permit. - - Der Kommandant, - SCHULTZE, - Hauptmann. - - _Andenne, 25th August, 1914._ - - TO THE INHABITANTS OF ANDENNE. - - We call the attention of the population to the proclamation which - the Military Commandant has just handed to us on leaving. - - I am leaving this town in the expectation that it will perform, - as during the last few days, and also in the future, all that may - ensure orderly conduct towards the German Army. - - I hand over the new bridge to the town for its use, and require - it to be responsible for its safety and to maintain it in good - condition. - - For the present a small garrison will remain here, which will be - fed and lodged by the town. - - If all energies are permanently directed upon the prosperity of the - town of Andenne and Seilles these localities will soon be cured of - the grave wounds which the war has inflicted upon these communes, - by their own fault. - - SCHULTZE, - Hauptmann. - - _Andenne, 28th August, 1914._ - - We are profiting by this occasion to congratulate and to thank the - inhabitants of Andenne for the admirable manner in which they have - behaved, during these latter days, and we urge them strongly to - assist the Communal Administration to repair as far possible the - great misfortunes which we have experienced. - - The Burgomaster delegated by - the Military Authority, - E. DE JAER. - - The Secretary, - MONRIQUE. - - _Andenne, 28th August, 1914._ - - PROCLAMATION.[47] - - 1. From _Saturday, 29th August, 1914_, midday, all the clocks must - be set to the German time (one hour earlier). - - 2. Assemblies of more than three persons are strictly forbidden - _under penalty of fines_. - - 3. To move about after 8 p.m. the authorization of M. le Commandant - is required. - - 4. Arms must be deposited with the guard _at the Casino, by noon on - the 29th inst_. - - Where arms are still found in the houses after this date, the - householder will be hanged. - -5. The German troops requiring absolute tranquillity, workmen can -return to work at once. Tho least revolt on the part of the inhabitants -will result in the complete burning of the town, and the men will be -hanged. - - SIMONS, - Lieut.-Col. and Commander-in-Chief. - - _Becker_, - _Captain and Commander-in-Chief._ - - -DEAR FELLOW-CITIZENS, - -We are happy to announce to you that the military authority will show -the greatest goodwill towards us if, as we doubt not, the worthy -population of Andenne continues to remain perfectly quiet, to labour -with courage, and to obey authority with docility, _as it has done_ up -to the present, for which we thank it. - -At a military fête, at which the military authority expressly invited -us to be present, all the troops, including the officers--in our -presence, and before many of the notables of Andenne, and Dean Cartiaux -in particular--repeatedly shouted "Hurrah for Andenne!" - -In the name of all of you, much affected, we expressed our thanks. - -Dear friends, have confidence in us; we are working with all our souls -for the safety of Andenne. - -We have assured the military authority that the soldiers might be -perfectly at ease in our midst, that none of us would wish to commit -the least aggression--that, on the contrary, we shall all treat the -Germany Army with _complete loyalty_. We have been responsible for -you. In return, we ask you only one thing: it is, to continue to do -what you have done until to-day, and, if, by some impossible chance, -there should be among us an ill-conditioned person who might be capable -of compromising honest people, point him out to us; for our worthy -fellow-citizens must not be responsible for the crimes of a scoundrel. - -Let the German Army be sure that the communal administration will with -the utmost promptness hand over to it any one guilty of an act of -ill-will, whoever he may be. - -Dear fellow-citizens, patience and courage to support privation. Be -easy in your minds; we are with you. - - The Burgomaster delegated by - the Military Authority, - - DR. LEDOYEN, E. DE JAER, - - Councillor Lahaye. - - The Secretary, - - MONRIQUE, - - _Andenne, 30th August, 1914_. - -PROCLAMATION. - -I am under the impression that the greater portion of the inhabitants -desire tranquillity, therefore I invite them not to leave the town. - -Before employing violent means, I shall make a strict inquiry to -discover the guilty persons in case a revolt should break out. - -I therefore expect of the population of Andenne that it will do -everything to ensure that no German soldier shall be molested otherwise -I shall be forced to act in accordance with the measures of my first -proclamation. - - BECKER, - Captain, L.I.R. 29, and Commandant-in-Chief. - -One word as to these placards. - -_Placard of the 21st August._--The men are all regarded as hostages; -the women have to feed them; they also have to clean up the town. - -_Placard of the 22nd August._--The military authorities declare, on the -22nd of August, that Andenne, where the "attacks of francs-tireurs" -were repressed during the night of the 20th and the morning of the -21st, is already regarded by the whole civilized world as "a nest of -murderers and bandits." It offers a reward of 500 to 1000 frs. to any -one who will denounce the author of the plot. It also promises, to -excite the zeal of the informers, that the severe measures in force -will be mitigated as soon as the leaders are discovered. (No one was -denounced.) - -_1st Placard of the 23rd August._--This announces the great victory -between Sarrebourg and Metz: 21,000 French prisoners were taken. (An -attempt to demoralize the population.) Note that the Wolff Agency -reported only 10,000 prisoners; where did Major Scheunemann find the -other 11,000? - -_2nd Placard of the 23rd August._--The Germans are attending to the -revictualling of Andenne. (In reality the people of Andenne were -starving.) - -_Placard of the 25th August._--The German administration is strict, but -just. (The people of Andenne had noticed the severity.) - -_1st Placard of the 28th August._--Once again the inhabitants are urged -to remain calm, and are congratulated on their good conduct. (The -burgomaster was forced to countersign this proclamation. Had he seen it -first?) - -_2nd Placard of the 28th August._--The German time is made compulsory. -Assemblies of more than three persons are prohibited. If arms are found -in a house their owner will be hanged. At the least disturbance, the -complete burning of the town and the hanging of the men. - -_1st Placard of the 30th August._--The German troops, having pillaged -Andenne and shot down its inhabitants, now shout "Hurrah for Andenne!" -Then a fresh appeal to informers. - -_2nd Placard of the 30th August._--The German authorities now promise -to make an inquiry if there is another revolt. (This inquiry would have -been a novelty.) - - -E.--Ferocity. - -We may be brief, for the cruel character of _Kultur_ is so obvious, and -appears so plainly from the documents cited, that it would be idle to -insist upon it. - -If it were necessary to justify our aversion, we need only remark that -the cruelties recorded were systematically premeditated. Do not the -_Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege_ (_Usages of War on Land according to the -Great General Staff_) state that the observation of these usages is not -"guaranteed by any sanction other than the fear of reprisals," and that -the officer, the child of his age, carried away by the moral tendencies -which affect his country, must protect himself "against exaggerated -humanitarian ideas," and must realize that "the only true humanity -often resides in the unmitigated employment of these severities?" If -such principles are professed by the highest authorities, the German -soldier will not shrink from any degree of violence; for he knows that -wickedness will not merely provide him with amusement; it will also -help to achieve the final aim of warfare. - -So that the officer shall be in no danger of forgetting the spirit in -which he should conceive his relations with the enemy population, he -carries some such aid to memory as the _Tornister-Wörterbuch_. If he -has letters or proclamations to draft, he has recourse to _L'Interprète -Militaire_ of Captain von Scharfenort, professor and librarian at the -Academy of War in Berlin. M. Waxweiler (in _La Belgique Neutre et -Loyale_, p. 265) has already drawn attention to the cruel and odious -character of this _vade-mecum_, so we will not enlarge upon it. It was -after consulting _L'Interprète Militaire_ that a certain placard posted -in Belgium in the August of 1914 was drafted. It gives no details as -to the "lugubrious cruelties"; it applies both to towns and villages; -it speaks of the "mayor" instead of the "burgomaster"; it is neither -dated nor signed; in short, it presents all the characteristics of an -"emergency placard," drafted beforehand. - - PROCLAMATION. - - We are not making war upon citizens, but only on the enemy army. - - In spite of this, the German troops have been attacked in great - number by persons who do not belong to the army. They have - committed _acts of the most lugubrious cruelty_ not only against - combatants, but also against our wounded and our doctors who are - under the protection of the Red Cross. To prevent these brutalities - I order that which follows: - - 1. Any person who does not belong to the army and who is found arms - in hand, will be shot instantly. He will be regarded as outside the - laws of nations. - - 2. All arms, rifles, pistols, Brownings, sabres, daggers, etc., - and all explosive material, must be delivered immediately by the - mayors of every village or town to the commander of the German - troops; if a single weapon is found, no matter in what house, or if - any act has been committed against our troops, our transports, our - telegraph lines, our railways, etc., or if any one gives asylum to - _francs-tireurs_; the guilty persons and the hostages who will be - taken in each village will be shot without pity. Besides this, the - inhabitants of the villages, etc., in question will be driven out. - The villages and towns even will be demolished and burned. If this - happens on the road of communication between two villages or two - towns, the inhabitants of the two villages will be treated in the - same manner. - - I expect the mayors and populations will be able, by their prudent - supervision and conduct, to ensure the safety of our troops as well - as their own. - - In the contrary case, the measures indicated above will come into - force. - - Signed: THE GENERAL COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF. - - (No name.) - -The appeal to brutality comes from above. In 1900 the whole world -shuddered at the advice which Wilhelm II gave the expeditionary corps -setting out for China. "Follow the example of the Huns," cried the -Kaiser. Why, then, do the Germans profess to be annoyed when compared -to-day with the soldiers of Attila--or when their motto is spelt _Gott -mit Huns_? - -A German lieutenant, whose military note-book we have had before us, -does full justice to his companions. After the massacre and burning -of Ottignies on the 20th August, 1914, he wrote as follows (we -translate):-- - - The inhabitants were in the square, under a guard of soldiers. - Several men were condemned by the Council of War and at once put - to death. The women, dressed in black, as in a solemn procession, - then departed. Among those who had just fallen, how many innocent - were shot! The village has been literally sacked: the "blond brute" - has shown himself for what he is. The Huns and the freebooters of - the Middle Ages could not have done better. The houses are burning - now, and when the action of the fire is not enough we raze what - remains standing. - -Very suggestive too is the placard of the 26th April, 1915, in which -Baron von Bissing informs us that according to Mr. Fox, an American -journalist, the Germans have committed no useless "cruelties." Then -there are useful cruelties? Really the Governor-General, who seems to -know his subject, ought to publish a table differentiating the various -qualities of cruelty. - -But a thing that does surprise us is that the virus of cruelty should -already have contaminated civilians--I mean the Catholic members of the -Reichstag. Herr Erzberger, the same who asserted, and who perhaps is -asserting still, that the Belgians invaded Germany on the 2nd August, -wrote what are perhaps the most coldly ferocious words imaginable: -"_Above all, no sentimentality!_" (_N.R.C._, 6th February, 1916, -evening edition). - -Such advice bore fruit, as we shall discover when we come to -examine, in succession, the physical and moral tortures in which -our executioners delight. But first let us cite a few examples of -_aggravations_. By that we mean acts of malice which do not endanger -the life or reason of the victims, but which reveal, perhaps the more -clearly for that, the desire to torment. - - -1. AGGRAVATIONS. - -A general remark occurs to us at once: it is that the Germans have -failed in their object. For instead of exasperating us to the point -of forcing us to commit some imprudence, which they would have been -obliged to repress, they simply made sure of our profound contempt. To -tell the truth, each fresh persecution makes us furious for a day; but -the sense of irony soon regains the upper hand, and then we have only -one anxiety: to make their latest form of vexation ridiculous by all -the means in our power. - -Nothing better shows the contrast between the German mentality and the -Belgian than the manner in which we have obeyed the decree concerning -the German time. - -After only a week's occupation the inhabitants of Andenne were obliged -to set their clocks to the German time. At Namur, too, this was -required from the 31st August. Elsewhere the German time was enforced -only at a much later date, and only in respect of the clocks in cafés. -Many cabaret-keepers merely stopped their clocks; others had fitted a -second small hand, an hour in retard of the first; others wrote beneath -the clock "German Time," or even "This clock is an hour fast." In the -window of a Brussels watchmaker, in the midst of many clocks which -indicated more or less precisely the German time, was one which was -specially labelled "Correct Time"--and that one told, of course, the -Belgian time. In short, every one did what he could to avoid letting -his customers regard the German time as the true time. And really, if -one has adopted, as is the case in Germany and in Belgium, the system -of hourly segments, it is obvious that Belgium ought to form part of -the segment of Western Europe, not part of that of Eastern Europe. It -is, therefore, solely in a spirit of aggravation that Germany forces -her time upon us; and she is fully aware of this, as her public -notices are always careful to speak of "German time," not of "Central -European time." - - -_Treatment inflicted upon Belgian Ladies._ - -What do you think of the additional suffering inflicted on ladies -condemned to several weeks' imprisonment for having conveyed letters -from Belgian soldiers to the parents of those soldiers, or for speaking -a little too boldly before an officer, or for some other crime of a -like nature? It is a delicate idea to shut them up in common with half -a score of other prisoners, in a room containing no convenience but a -pail furnished with a cover. They are lucky if the company does not -include some very dubious characters. - - * * * * * - -We need not insist: these are aggravations, not serious at bottom, but -their irritating nature can only be fully appreciated when one suffers -them daily, or hears them described by friends or relatives who have -been their victims. - -After the examples of collective and impersonal malfeasance dictated by -some high officer desirous of justifying the fair fame of _Kultur_, we -will take those cases in which the personality of the author clearly -reveals itself, and, let us say at once, in which this personality -instantly excites the disgust and indignation of all merely civilized -persons. - -The Germans reached Capelle-au-Bois on the 30th August. But on the -31st they were repulsed by Belgian troops. On the 4th September they -returned in force and forced back the Belgians; not without difficulty, -however, for they had many killed, of whom nineteen were buried at -Capelle-au-Bois. With the Belgian troops as they withdrew went all the -inhabitants of the village, leaving behind them only a few helpless -old people. In this all but empty village, where no one was left to -offer them the least resistance, the Germans hastened to kill several -inhabitants--four, it is believed. Then, under the orders of Captain -von Puttkammer, the strong-boxes were broken open, the objects of value -packed and sent to Germany, and the wines carried to the bank of the -canal and into the houses occupied by the officers. On the evening -of the 4th September the troops set fire to the village. Thanks to -incendiary pastilles and benzine pumps, the fire spread rapidly; 235 -houses were burned of the three hundred which formed the heart of the -village. So far all was as usual; but here is the characteristic fact. -The better to enjoy the spectacle the troops spent the evening on the -bank of the canal; there they organized a little orgie, over eight -hundred empty bottles being afterwards discovered. - -At the same period the Germans established a few miles further to the -west, at Londerzeel, pillaged and then burned the house of the notary, -M. Van Hover. They had tried in vain to open the safe, so, furious -at their failure, they poured benzine into it and set fire to it, -procuring at least the satisfaction of knowing that all the papers -would be reduced to ashes. - -What are we to think of the officer who, lodging in the house of a curé -in the province of Antwerp, found it amusing to tear pages from the -books which formed his host's library, or to gum them together, so that -in seeking to separate them the owner himself would tear them? Note -that it was no clown who devised this kindly pastime, for he took care -to choose, in the Latin books, the pages bearing the most important -passages.[48] - - -_Filthy Amusements._ - -Others preferred to defile things. When in August and September 1914 we -were told that the Germans were amusing themselves by depositing ordure -in their beds we refused to believe in such perversion. But a walk -through Eppeghem, Sempst, and Weerde was enough to enlighten us. Not -only had they emptied all the houses, rich or poor; not only had they -taken the trouble to smash into quite small pieces all the glass and -crockery they could not carry away; not only, in the grocers' shops, -had they delighted themselves by mixing snuff with the butter, and -tacks with the cloves, and pepper with the flour, but all the bedding -bore the malodorous traces of their visit. - -Let it not be imagined that this mania of beastliness is peculiar to -the common soldiers. The officers who spent the night of the 19th -August, 1915, at Cortenburg, between Louvain and Brussels, were -infected by the same _Kultur_. In a certain house they carefully laid -the table in the dining-room, without forgetting the serviettes, -and then deposited a souvenir on every plate. In another house -in Cortenburg they chose, as a receptacle, the tall hat of the -householder. In the château of Malderen (Brabant), having taken all -that pleased them and broken the rest into small pieces, they opened a -card-table, deposited their excrement there, and carefully closed it -again. - -Another manifestation of the scatological mania: Many hundreds of -German Army surgeons met in congress during the Easter holidays of -1915, in Brussels. On the last day of the congress, Wednesday, the 7th -April, a banquet was held, on the premises of the Palais de Justice. -On the Thursday morning it was discovered that the surgeons had left -souvenirs behind them; they had evacuated the surplus of food and -liquor consumed by the three natural orifices, and had chosen for their -purpose the most beautiful halls of the Palais. Frankly, we should not -have expected this from the doctors; it is true, however, that they -were German military doctors. - -A man amuses himself as he can--or, to put it more plainly, according -to his mentality. After all, these beastly habits, disgusting as they -are, are not those whose results are most disagreeable. - -There are others who seek violent contrasts. Thus, at Houtem, while -the church was burning, on the 13th September, 1914, a military band -was playing its liveliest selections at a few yards' distance. At -Monceau-sur-Sambre, on the 22nd August, officers were playing the piano -in the château of the demoiselles Bourriez, on the Trazegnies road, -when the soldiers had already lit the upper floors. At Louvain, on the -25th August, 1914, in a café near the railway-station, soldiers set -fire to the upper floor without warning the proprietor, and remained -below, where they kept a mechanical piano going. They were thus able to -enjoy the despairing expressions of the inmates when they discovered -that they could no longer hope to save anything. - - -2. PHYSICAL TORTURES. - -We shall not here refer to the innumerable cases of torture cited -in the Reports of the Commission of Inquiry, nor those reported in -Nothomb's _La Belgique Martyre_. We will confine ourselves to facts of -which we have personal knowledge. The Germans will, of course, seek to -deny them. So it is as well to begin by a declaration of their own. -_Vorwärts_, on the 23rd August, 1914 (the very day on which the chief -atrocities were committed in the Dinant district), protested against -the proposal made by a German officer, not to kill francs-tireurs -outright, but to wound them mortally and leave them to die slowly in -agony, while forbidding any one to go to their assistance. What to our -mind is even graver than the proposition itself is the fact that the -_Deutsches Offizierblatt_ accepted it as quite a natural thing. - - It is clear that where they are proved, the cruelties committed by - our enemies must be denounced, and that everything must be done to - prevent their repetition. However, we must not allow the recital - of these cruelties to force us to resort to a sort of policy of - retaliation, or lead us to wash out what others have done with - innocent blood. - - What are we to say when we find an organ like the _Deutsches - Offizierblatt_ expressing its sympathy for the following - proposition: The "brutes" captured as francs-tireurs should not be - shot outright, but should be fired upon and left to their fate, all - succour being prevented? What again are we to say when it is added - that the destruction, in reprisal, of whole localities even does - not represent "a sufficient vengeance for the bones of a single - Pomeranian grenadier assassinated"? These are the imaginings of - bloodthirsty fanatics, and we are ashamed to perceive that men - capable of speaking thus exist in our nation. Such expressions, - even if they are not carried into action, are truly of a nature to - place our struggle in an unfavourable light all the world over. - - (_Vorwärts_, 23rd August, 1914.) - - -_The Fate of the Valkenaers Family._ - -One of the most horrible tragedies of this war was the massacre of -the Valkenaers family, at Thildonck, on the 26th August, 1914, while -Louvain was burning. Because they had not prevented the Belgian -soldiers from utilizing their farms as points of support, the members -of the two Valkenaers households were shot down in cold blood. Of these -fourteen unfortunate people three were grievously wounded and seven -killed. The better to amuse themselves, the Germans forced the elder of -the young girls to wave a sort of flag. - -During the preceding night (that of the 25th August), in Louvain, they -had savagely mangled the corpse of a young woman. - -On the afternoon of the 25th, being still in the immediate -neighbourhood, at Bueken, they had seized the curé and cut off his nose -and ears before giving him the _coup de grâce_ (p. 238). At the same -time began the torture of the curé of Pont-Brûlé, to end only on the -26th. - -At Elewijt, on the 27th, they amused themselves by amputating the hands -of four men--the three brothers Van der Aa and François Salu. - -A little further to the east the first German troops who had passed -through Schaffen, near Diest, on the 13th or 14th August, had there -tortured the blacksmith Broeden. All day long he had laboured, shoeing -the horses of the enemy's cavalry. Early in the evening he repaired to -the church, with the sacristan, with the object of saving some precious -articles which had not been placed in security. He was surprised by the -soldiery and seized. Successively the Germans broke his wrists, his -arms, and his legs; perhaps he suffered yet other tortures. When he was -practically lifeless the soldiers asked him whether he thought that he -would in future be capable of undertaking any kind of labour. On his -replying, in an almost inaudible voice, that he did not, they declared -that in that case he ought not to continue to live. Immediately they -threw him, head first, into a ditch dug for the purpose; then the ditch -was filled, leaving his feet protruding. - - * * * * * - -In other parts of the country also the most varied tortures. At -Spontin, near Dinant, on the 23rd August, 1914, they pierced the curé -and the burgomaster with bayonet-wounds until death ensued; but first -they had bound each man with a strong cord, drawn violently tight round -the waist by the combined efforts of two soldiers. It must be supposed -that the officer who presided over the "severities" at Spontin had -quite a special affection for cords, for having taken alive some 120 -inhabitants of the place (the rest were killed, shot down while they -were trying to escape), he had them all tied together by the wrists and -conveyed them towards Dorinn; but many were shot before reaching that -village. - -On the same day, in Dinant prison, a soldier strangled a baby in the -arms of its mother because it was crying too loud. - -At Sorinnes, still in the Dinant district, and on the same day, Jules -and Albert Houzieaux were burned alive. - -At Aiseau, on the 21st August, the Germans shut two men into a house, -to which they set fire. But the unexpected arrival of a shell -prevented them from enjoying the sufferings of their victims. - -At Hofstade chance favoured them better; they threw Victor de Coster, -whom they had just stripped, into the furnace provided by his own -house; his servant shared his fate. - -We must suppose that the Germans take great pleasure in the contortions -of the hanged. Herr Heymel had to content himself with admiring the -corpse of a priest swinging in a tree; and his friend, Herr Klemm, -was careful to devote, to the memory of this comforting spectacle, a -drawing, published in _Kunst und Künstler_ (January 1915). Herr Heymel -expresses his great satisfaction before this spectacle; but what -pleasure he would have experienced could he have witnessed the hanging -of the men whom the Germans boast of having hanged to the trees of -the Herve district; or could he have assisted to hang that inhabitant -of Èvelette, whom the soldiers put to death at Andenne, on the 20th; -or the cabaret-keeper who was strung up to a lantern before the -Louvain railway-station, on the night of the 26th; but our fastidious -_littérateur_ would have tasted the keenest delight at Arlon, when an -old man was put to death; he remained hanging for hours, with his feet -just grazing the soil (p. 351). - -The Germans, perhaps, will say--supposing they think they ought to -excuse themselves--that these executions were carried out as a result -of the attacks of francs-tireurs, or after the mutilation of the German -wounded by Belgian civilians. But it will be impossible for them to -allege these lies as circumstances extenuating the inhuman treatment -which they inflicted upon Belgian soldiers at the time of their first -attacks on the forts of Liége, on the night of the 4th August; that -is, a few hours after the commencement of hostilities. Not only did -they maltreat in every imaginable manner their Belgian prisoners, but -certain German soldiers pushed _Kultur_ so far as to refuse water to -poor wounded fellows dying of thirst; more, they even gave themselves -the atrocious pleasure of spilling on the ground the water contained in -the wounded men's own flasks, and this before their eyes. - - -3. MORAL TORTURES. - -The physical tortures which the Germans have inflicted upon us cannot -rival their methods of moral torture. In these they have achieved -refinements worthy of the inventive genius of an Edgar Allan Poë. - - -_Moral Torture before Execution._ - -To force those about to be shot to dig their own graves, as they did at -Tavigny,[49] is quite a commonplace method. In the Fonds de Leffe, on -the 23rd August, 1914 (p. 360), they perfected their mode of operation. -They had called up eight men of Dinant to bury the victims as they -were shot (there was so much work to do that it had to be entrusted to -experienced hands). In the evening each of the gravediggers dug his own -grave; four were shot, and buried by their colleagues; just as these -were about to suffer the same fate an officer "pardoned" them: not out -of humanity (that would have been too decent), but simply because their -services would be required during the following days. - -At Dinant, during the bloody days of the 23rd and 24th August, they -invented many other moral tortures. On the morning of the 23rd they -shot, in a meadow of the Fonds de Leffe, a group of thirteen men. But -instead of leading them all together before the firing platoon, they -cunningly prolonged their pleasure; the thirteen unfortunates were -tied, in succession, to the same tree, and shot down one by one. - -The whole of the 23rd was consecrated, in the Fonds de Leffe, to -killing the men in small batches of half a dozen; these were shot -either before their wives and children, or at a short distance, but -within earshot, so that the family should lose none of the groans of -the dying. - -When, later on, the women and children were shut up in a windmill, -having first been marched in front of the corpses, the Germans allowed -themselves the distraction of lighting fires before the windows from -time to time, in order to make the women believe that they were about -to be burned alive with their children, and to delight in their anguish. - -While men were being shot in the Fonds de Leffe, horrible massacres -were being committed at Leffe and at Dinant, at only a few minutes' -distance. Here, too, men were shot before their families--for example, -Victor Poncelet and Charles Naus--and the survivors were forced to -pass through the midst of the corpses. The officers, too, devised more -complicated diversions; for instance, allowing a group of women and -children to escape into the mountains, in order to shoot them down from -a distance. - -A moral torture commonly employed is that which consists in making -people believe that they are going to be killed. All the inhabitants -of Sorinnes were placed before machine-guns, and a German chaplain, -speaking French, ceremoniously shook each man by the hand. At Dinant -two or three hundred persons were lined up against a wall; then a -pastor recited the prayers for the dead (perhaps the chaplain of -Sorinnes had found another opportunity for his pleasantry), and an -empty machine-gun was pointed at them. An officer laughed as though his -sides would split while he threatened, with his revolver, some fifteen -women shut up in the convent of Prémontré, at Leffe. - -Pretended executions and threats of execution were everywhere in common -usage. At Wépion, near Namur, on the 23rd August, 1914 (the day of the -Dinant horrors), the Germans packed the women into boats, and told them -to row into the middle of the Meuse. They took aim at them several -times; then, having sufficiently amused themselves, they allowed them -to return to the bank. - -On the 28th September, 1914, a group of civil prisoners from the north -of Brabant were going towards the railway-station, whence they left for -Germany. The procession was preceded by a military band, which played -funeral marches, so that they were convinced that they were being led -to execution. - -Two citizens of Brussels, taking a walk on Sunday, the 30th August, -ventured as far as Koningsloo, in the suburbs. They were seized by -German sentinels, and imprisoned at the post. From time to time an -under-officer approached them, held his revolver under their noses, -and grimaced at them: "Ah, ah, walk's over, walk's done!" (_Fini, -promenade!_). One of the prisoners asked the guard if they were -really going to be shot; in which case they would wish to make certain -arrangements. But the soldier reassured them: "Don't be afraid," he -said, "it's only a game of our officer's; he does it every day to amuse -himself." And sure enough, towards evening the two prisoners were set -free without further ceremony. - -Sectional execution--execution by small groups--under the eyes of those -awaiting their fate, was applied on a large scale at Arlon. On the 26th -August, 123 (or 118, or 127) inhabitants of Rossignol and neighbouring -localities were taken thither, and were killed in groups of ten or -twelve. Madame Hurieaux was reserved for the last; she saw her husband -and all her companions in misfortune perish first; and she died crying -"Vive la Belgique! Vive la France!" - -It will be of interest to reproduce here the narrative of a medical -student who was present at the executions which took place at Arlon. -It may be taken as a sample, so to speak, of the German procedure: -massacre and incendiarism, with no previous inquiry; the most varied -moral and physical tortures; capricious condemnation or liberation of -prisoners; pillage of the communal funds, etc. - - At the beginning of August I left Y----, where my parents live, to - go to the village of X----, lying to the north of my native town. - - Two days later the French arrived, making towards the north of - Luxemburg. There were movements of troops in different directions, - and soon one could see that battles would be fought in the - neighbourhood. - - I thought I could make myself useful by opening a small ambulance, - which I did. - - I was lodging with one of my aunts, who has a son of my own age. - - One day an engagement took place between the French and the German - troops, and a wounded German soldier was brought into my little - ambulance; his name was Kohn. - - I gave him first aid; I apologized for not being able to do more, - and I told him that towards evening it might be possible to carry - him to Arlon, where he would receive all necessary care. - - I returned to my aunt's house; I found her in tears; they had just - taken away her son, my cousin Jules, on the pretext that he had - fired on them. It was a piece of stupidity, for there was nothing - in the whole house but one revolver, and I was carrying that on me. - I had had it on me all the time I was at the ambulance. I hastened - to hide it under a chest, and I decided to go and demand my cousin - of the Germans. I speak their language a little, and I was so - convinced of my cousin's innocence that I imagined a few words of - explanation would make them give him up. - - I soon found him, tied to a tree, beside other prisoners. - - I began to parley with a German officer. - - He replied that there was nothing to do for the moment, that the - prisoners would be sent to Arlon, and that he was convinced that if - I followed them I should be able, at Arlon, to obtain justice for - my cousin. - - We set out for Arlon; I was beside the prisoners. At a determined - spot we were handed over to other soldiers. I was greatly - astonished, at a given moment, to see that I had become a prisoner - myself; I was no longer accompanying my cousin, to save him; I was - sharing his fate. - - We arrived at Arlon; we were lined up against a wall. There were - with us, notably, a woman, with two young children of nine and ten, - an old villager with his son, and other people whom I did not know. - - An officer on horseback approached us. He was, it seemed a judge. - He turned to the soldiers and asked, pointing to each of us: "Did - that one fire?" And the soldiers always replied in the affirmative. - - Now it should be noted that these soldiers had seen nothing, and - could have seen nothing, for they were not those who seized the - prisoners in the village in which they were arrested. - - The head-dress of the troops was entirely different; the first had - helmets, and the second caps. - - When the officer had finished pointing at us, we were informed that - we were all condemned to death. - - An old man was seized; I myself was seized; and we were pushed to - one side, to be shot. - - The old man's son rushed towards him and tried to drag him away - from the soldiers. The result was that the son was seized, to be - shot with the father. - - This is how things happened: - - The two were put against a wall; a platoon of soldiers commanded by - an officer took up their position in front of them. - - The officer commanded all their movements with a deliberation - calculated to increase the torture of the victims. - - "Load!"... Then a pause. "Take aim!"... Then a pause. "Fire!"... - - The two unhappy men fell to the ground, groaning. - - The officer went up to them, recognized that they were not dead, - and again gave orders to fire, with the same deliberation and the - same method. This time the father ceased to move; it took a third - volley to finish the son. - - We were then all led to a guard-house. - - There we remained for three days. We were given nothing to eat. We - fasted from the morning we were taken; it was only on the following - day, or the day after that, that we received a little water. - - In that room we were literally tortured. - - We were forced to stand upright; an old man was groaning he was - so thirsty that his tongue protruded from his lips and the flies - settled on it. As he could not stand any longer, the Germans passed - a cord round his neck and attached it to a ring-bolt in the wall, - so that he was supported only on his toes. The cord stretched and - the wretched man fell now to this side, now to that. The soldiers - made him stand upright again by striking his face with the butts of - their rifles. - - At one time his trousers fell down and we saw he was wounded in the - thigh, by bayonet-thrusts. Later he became insane. In his delirium - he cried: "Prepare food for the cows."[50] It was a horrible scene. - - At another time the woman was taken out, with her two little - children, and all three were shot against the wall of the Palais - de Justice at Arlon. The soldiers asserted that they had "found a - German soldier's purse" in this woman's house. - - The time passed in the most atrocious moral anguish and physical - suffering. We had lost all notion of time. The soldiers insulted - us, spat upon us, made signs that our throats would be cut, that we - were going to be shot. They took a pleasure in drinking in front of - us. - - At a certain moment an officer of superior rank entered the room. - He came up to me and asked: "Why are you here?" - - I replied: "They accuse us of having fired on the troops." - Immediately he turned his back upon me, but I cried, with energy: - "Yes, and far from having fired on them, I looked after them. If - you want the proof of this, ask the soldier called Kohn who must be - in the hospital here at Arlon." - - I then told him of Kohn. He went to the hospital, and returned some - time later; he had found the soldier Kohn, who confirmed my story. - - An officer on horseback (the judge) came to the door of the - guard-room: we were sent out, my cousin and I, and without even - questioning us he said, "You are acquitted." I protested, saying: - "There are still five or six people there of my village who are no - more guilty than we are." - - They were sent out, and the judge told them, as he told me, without - any further inquiry, "You are acquitted." - - As for the unhappy old man, I will tell you later how he escaped. - He returned to his village; he is crippled. - - * * * * * - - I remained at Arlon until the end of August, at the house of one of - my relatives, whose business brought him daily into contact with - the Belgian authorities and the German army. I was thus able to - obtain a good deal of precise information. - - * * * * * - - The Germans entered Arlon on the 12th August. They came from - Mersch, in the Grand-Duchy. Several days earlier, all the weapons - the inhabitants possessed had been deposited at the Hôtel de Ville. - The people of Arlon knew from the newspapers what atrocities the - Germans had committed in the neighbourhood of Liége, at Visé, - Herve, Battice, Warsage, etc., and they were far from meditating - any disturbance. - - On entering the town the Uhlans began to break in the doors with - the butts of their rifles. - - On the following day Commandant von der Esch, commandant of the - town, had a notice posted up, which I have copied _verbatim_. - - PROCLAMATION. - - Luminous signals have been made to-night between Freylange and the - lower part of this town; one of our patrols has been attacked; our - telephone wires have been cut. To punish the population guilty of - these acts of ill-will, I order for to-day at 3 o'clock the burning - of the village of Freylange and the sack of 100 houses in the west - of Arlon. I also condemn the town to pay a war contribution of - 100,000 frs., which must be paid over before 6 p.m., or I shall - have the hostages shot. - - VON DER ESCH. - - * * * * * - - While the communal administration of Arlon was deliberating on - the subject of the war contribution, the burning of Freylange and - the sack of 100 houses of Arlon was carried out according to the - programme. - - After the 100,000 frs. had been paid to the Germans, they summoned - to the general headquarters, established in the Hôtel de Ville of - the northern portion of Arlon, a police agent, named Lempreur, and - instructed him to proceed to arrest those who had fired on the - German troops. He came back to say that he had found no one. "Ah!" - they told him, "you are going about it unwillingly! Very good; you - shall pay for the others." And without listening to his pleading, - without allowing him to see his wife or children again, he was - placed with his back to a door and a firing platoon shot him down. - - I saw the door at the Hôtel de Ville; it was riddled with bullets. - - A few days later another army division replaced the first. - Immediately the town was condemned to pay a fresh war contribution: - a million francs. - - The town could get together only 238,000 frs. It was let off the - remainder. - - * * * * * - - From the day when I was set at liberty we used almost daily to hear - of executions in Arlon; they were of prisoners, brought just as we - were, from the neighbouring villages, notably from Rossignol and - Tintigny, who were shot in small parties. - - One of these executions took place in the courtyard of the Church - of St. Donat. The Dean succeeded in obtaining pardon for two of the - condemned. - - The most important execution was that of 123 (others say 127) - inhabitants of Rossignol and its immediate surroundings, who were - shot on 26th August. They were taken near the viaduct which passes - over the Arlon railway-station (towards the connecting station). - They were killed in small groups of ten or twelve. Those who were - not dead were finished with the bayonet. Each group had to climb - over the surrounding corpses. They kept to the last a lady of - Rossignol, Mme. Hurieaux, who thus had to see her husband and the - greater part of the inhabitants of her village killed before her - eyes. She died crying "Vive la Belgique! Vive la France!" - - Here is one little detail which I was able to verify. When - the receiver and examiner of Customs of Arlon learned of the - approaching arrival of the Germans they removed all the money - from the safe, leaving only copper coin to the value of about a - franc. The Germans immediately proceeded to break open the safe, - but succeeded only after two days' work. Infuriated by this - discomfiture, they used the safe as a commode. - -But whatever the moral sufferings inflicted on those who were executed, -the tortures which the Germans applied to those against whom no -accusation was brought were a hundred times more atrocious. Think of -the martyrdom of Mme. Cambier, of Nimy, who was forced to tread on her -son's brains; and the sufferings of the innumerable men and women of -whom the Germans made a living shield, at Anseremme, Mons, Tournai, and -Charleroi (p. 195). As to Charleroi, here is a detail not recorded by -Herr Heymel. The prisoners collected at Jumet and Odelissert were tied -in couples by the wrists, to prevent them from trying to escape when -the French should fire on them. Moreover, they had to walk with their -hands raised. When, by reason of fatigue, they dropped their arms, the -soldiers struck them with the butts of their rifles. We know a man who -was thus placed before the German troops, who saw one of his relatives -killed at his side, and two of the latter's sons. He himself received -three bullets, one in the right wrist, one in the left arm, and the -third under the chin. He escaped, but is lamed for life. - -Imagine also the tortures suffered by the civil prisoners who, in -defiance of all justice, were sent to Germany. Hunger, thirst, -threats, and insults; packed into cattle-trucks, they had no room -to lie down, or even to sit. Above all, they had no news of their -families. On the 4th September, 1914, more than 100 inhabitants of -Lebbeke, near Termonde, were placed as a screen in front of the German -troops marching against Termonde. In the evening, those who had not -been shot were added to others just captured, and all together, in all -some 300, were sent into Germany. At the moment when these unhappy -folk were leaving Lebbeke the Germans set fire to some of the houses, -and kindly informed the prisoners that the whole village was about to -be burned. Moreover, they said, the women and children would in part -be killed, and the rest driven off in the direction of Termonde and -Gand. Imagine, if you can, the sufferings endured by these unfortunate -people for the two months during which they remained without news of -their homes, in the conviction that their families were massacred or -wandering wretchedly across the devastated country. While by means of -these cruel lies, whose horrible effect was systematically calculated, -they filled with despair the hearts of those who were departing, the -soldiers amused themselves also by wringing the hearts of the poor -women--mothers, wives, sisters, daughters--who remained in the village. -For they, too, were for long weeks without news from the prisoners, and -the abominable manner in which the German troops, drunk with carnage, -had assassinated, on the day of exodus, twelve of their fellow-citizens -(_9th Report_), permitted them to entertain the most frightful -suppositions. - -Make no mistake: the case of Lebbeke is far from being exceptional. All -the civil prisoners were treated with the same barbarity, a barbarity -utterly unjustified, since, in the judgment of Baron von Bissing, no -complaint had been formulated against the civil prisoners who have been -sent back to their homes. But all have not returned. In June 1915, for -example, most of the prisoners from Visé were still in Germany. As for -those taken from Rossignol and so many other localities in Luxemburg, -they will never return, alas! They have been shot without pretext. - -Another horrible torture consists in the suppression of communications -between the Belgian soldiers and their parents. Since mid-October 1914 -all connections have been severed between the Belgian army which is -fighting on the Yser and the Belgians remaining in Belgium. Those who -seek to establish communication between the Belgian soldiers and their -relatives are spied out and sentenced. - - Against Jules-Arthur de Cuypere, bachelor, domiciled in the last - instance at Liége, a deprivation of liberty of five months has - been pronounced, because, contrary to the known regulations, he - took charge, during a number of journeys to the Dutch frontier and - into Holland, of a large number of letters from Belgian soldiers - in France and interned Belgian prisoners in Holland; and delivered - these letters, addressed to different members of families of Namur - and the environs, at their addresses, by carrying them thither. At - the same time he rendered himself guilty by crossing the frontier. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 5-6th July, 1915.) - -Since the spring of 1915 the posts have been operating between -Belgium and Holland, so that those few privileged persons who have -a correspondent in Holland might thus indirectly obtain news if the -Germans had authorized correspondence through an intermediary. But they -have strictly forbidden it (pp. 22-3). They could easily organize a -service enabling soldiers to write to their relations: "I am going on -all right ... I am wounded ..." and enabling the relations to reply, -so that the soldiers' families would be reassured; while now the only -news arrives by precarious methods, and often goes astray. But what -our enemies desire is to make the poor relatives suffer as much as -possible. We do not believe that such a form of torture has ever in -any previous war been inflicted on a whole population. It is untrue, -it seems, that Bismarck was the first to use the words which have been -attributed to him: "In territories occupied by our victorious troops -the inhabitants must be left nothing but eyes to weep with." But he -quoted them with an approval that made them his own. Now they have come -true. - -Here is quite another kind of moral torture. The Germans are fond -of leading small groups of Belgian prisoners through the streets of -Brussels at moments when the latter are as busy as possible: for -instance, on Sunday afternoons. One can imagine the humiliation of the -poor soldiers exposed to the curiosity of the crowd; but it delights -their guardians. It was evidently the desire to enjoy, simultaneously, -the misery of the prisoners and the impotent anger of the spectators -which led the Germans, at the time of their entry into Louvain on the -19th August, and into Brussels on the 20th, to place a few Belgian -countrymen, with their hands tied behind their backs, at the head -of their columns. In ancient Rome captives used to walk before the -triumphal car of the conqueror. Do not the Germans realize how utterly -this practice is contrary to the humane principles enjoined by Article -4 of the Hague Convention? We must suppose that they do not; for not -only do they not abandon the practice, but they make use of it to coin -money. - - CONDEMNATION OF THE TOWN OF ROULERS. - - AMSTERDAM, _29th May_ (Havre Agency).--The town of Roulers - is condemned to pay a fresh fine of 1½ millions, because the - population cheered Belgian prisoners passing through the town. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre._) - -Impossible, it will be said, to invent tortures yet more diabolic. But -no, when it is a question of doing evil, _Kultur_ can surpass itself. - -Imagine the mentality of the person who sent to M. Brostens, of -Antwerp, the identity-disc of his son, who was taken prisoner. And -imagine the inward joy of the sender in picturing the parents' despair -on receiving the medal! - - REFINED CRUELTY. - - When they make prisoners they sometimes detach the - identification-discs from the men and send them, unaccompanied by - comment, to the parents, to make them believe that their son is - dead. - - This is what has just happened to M. Brostens, Lieutenant of - Customs, of Antwerp. Having received, a few days ago, his son's - regimental number, he went into mourning. So yesterday morning, - what was not his amazement to see his son return, who, having - been made prisoner at the beginning of the war, had succeeded in - escaping. - - (_Le Matin_, Antwerp, 14th September, 1914.) - -Here, perhaps, the culprit was an uncultivated soldier. But what are we -to think of the mentality of Baron von der Goltz, when he informs us by -placard that a record is kept in a register of all aggressions against -the German army, and that the localities in which such attacks have -taken place may expect to receive their punishment? - - GENERAL GOVERNMENT OF BELGIUM. - - It has recently happened, in the regions which are not at present - occupied by the German troops in more or less force, that convoys - of wagons or patrols have been attacked, by surprise, by the - inhabitants. - - I draw the attention of the public to the fact that a register is - kept of the towns and communes in whose vicinity such attacks have - occurred, and that they may expect their punishment as soon as the - troops are passing through their neighbourhood. - - The Governor-General in Belgium, - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _General-Field-Marshal_. - -When one learns on what ultra-trivial hints the German troops have -based their condemnation of the inhabitants, one may conclude that not -a commune will escape repression. It was evidently this generalized -terror which the Governor wished to inspire. He, too, wished to have -the pleasure of inflicting moral torture. - - * * * * * - -To give point to the contrast between the mentality of our oppressors -and our own, between their _Kultur_ and our civilization, we should -like to reproduce a letter in which a young girl, living in Gand, -invited Belgian women to enter the hospitals for the purpose of -assisting the wounded, Germans as well as our own, to write to their -families. Committees of this kind were immediately constituted, notably -in Brussels. - - BELGIAN COMPASSION. - - M. Paul Fredericq, Professor at the University of Gand, writes to - the _Soir_:-- - - "A young girl of Gand has had a touching inspiration. - - "She wished Belgian women who can write English and German, - forgetting international hatred, and listening only to the voice - of compassion, to attend at the ambulances and hospitals, in order - to place themselves at the disposal of wounded foreigners, without - distinction, and to write, at their dictation, letters intended to - reassure their relatives. - - "This truly Christian work of charity would put an end to the - anguish of so many mothers, who know that their sons are engaged on - the Belgian battlefields. - - "I am certain that this appeal to the good hearts of our girls and - women will not have been made in vain." - - While the Germans are butchering our sons and wives, this is what - Belgian hearts are thinking of. - - (_Le Peuple_, 10th August, 1914.) - -Finally, to close with, here is a numerical example which, better than -any reasoning, gives you the _Kultur_ of the German Army to the life:-- - -On the morning of Sunday, the 23rd August, 1914, the population of -Fonds de Leffe (a suburb of Dinant) comprised 251 men and boys, -including some fifteen inhabitants of neighbouring communes whom the -Germans had dragged away with them. By the evening of the following day -243 had been put to death: none of those taken was spared; the eight -who escaped the massacre had succeeded in fleeing. "Happily"--we were -told by a woman whose father, husband, and four brothers-in-law were -massacred--"happily many of the men had left for the army and were -fighting on the Yser. A strange war, in which the soldiers are less -exposed than the children, the old folks, and the sick who are left at -home!" - -FOOTNOTES: - -[32] Apparently our author had never heard timber burn before.--(TRANS.) - -[33] As the Chancellor must have known, if the civil population _had_ -been called to arms it would have been a perfectly legal measure. But -the Germans, who claim the right to do what is forbidden to others, -would forbid others to do even those things that are lawful.--(TRANS.) - -[34] See the _Tägliche Rundschau_ supplement, 24th September, 1914; and -_Hamburger Fremdenblatt_, weekly supplement, 4th October, 1914. - -[35] Epistle to Romans viii. 31. - -[36] The bill-stickers of Brussels take a malign pleasure in refraining -from pasting other matter over the burgomaster's denial. In July 1915, -eleven months after it was posted, one could still read the famous -denial in several parts of Brussels. - -[37] Nothing was known of the torture inflicted on the curé of -Bueken until, at the request of the Dutch Government, the body of -Father Vincentius Sombroek was exhumed, at the end of September 1914 -(_N.R.C._, 1st October, evening). The body of M. De Clerck was found at -the same time, and it was then seen that he had been mutilated. This -was known to his parishioners, but they had never dared to speak of it. -What other horrors shall we learn of when tongues are again unloosed? - -[38] Rom. xii. 12, 13. - -[39] Oratio in Dominica infra Octavam Epiphaniae. - -[40] Rom. xii. 12, 13. - -[41] Prayer for the Sunday in the Octave of Epiphany. - -[42] _Etappen_, a provisioned halting-place for troops.--(TRANS.) - -[43] The words in brackets are ours. - -[44] Other witnesses, however, more sincere, admitted in May 1915 that -the attitude of the people of Antwerp had remained just as hostile as -at the outset (see the article by Dr. Julius Burghold, in _K.Z._ for -the 29th May, 1915, 1 p.m. edition). - -[45] In Brussels the tramways had issued, up to the 15th July, 1915, -1,032 gratuitous permits to German spies. - -[46] The French of this proclamation is so bad that literal translation -is impossible, but I have kept as close to the original as is -consistent with intelligibility.--(TRANS.) - -[47] The passages italicized were underlined in pencil on the placard -posted at Andenne. - -[48] We shall give names at a later date. - -[49] At least, they boast of having done so. - -[50] I was told later that this old man was a sand merchant of -Chatillon, and was in a state of senile dementia. He was well known to -the people of Arlon. - - - - -INDEX - - - Absentees, tenfold tax on, 298-9 - - Accusations, German, of Belgian cruelty, why made, 36; - absurdity of, 36-7; - progress of, 38-49; - against the Belgian Government, 89-92 - - Administration, German, of Belgium, 295-338 - - Aerschot, return of prisoners to, 95; - German burgomaster of, 140-1; - massacre at, 166 - - Agadir Crisis, 27 - - Agents-Provocateurs, 317-20 - - Aggravations, 336-41 - - Agreements, attempt to enforce illegal, 320-4 - - Air Raids, German, 122-4, 259-60, _see_ Dirigibles - - Albert, King, 178; - his patron saint's day, 268-9; - portraits of, 269-71; - his birthday, 272; - German abuse of, 282-3 - - America, Germany desires to influence, 38; - sends help, 173; - Belgium's gratitude towards, 178 - - Andenne, massacre at, 164, 326-33 - - André, M. François, speech by, 139-40 - - Anseremme, men sent to Germany, 119; - Germans hide behind women at, 119-20 - - Antwerp, siege of, 51, 144; - bombardment of, 123-4, 128-9; - the city fired, 148; - sorties from, 163; - flight from, 166 - - Arlon, massacre at, 349; - narrative of an eye-witness, 349-54 - - Arms, surrender of, 90, 207 - - Army, Belgian, the "enemy," 272-3; - correspondence with, 356-7 - - Army, German, _see_ German soldiers, Prisoners, Wounded, Officers - - Assessment Bureau, suppressed, 304 - - Asquith, Mr., speaks in Dublin, 53 - - Atrocities, pretended Belgian (98-108); - refuted by _Vorwärts_, 102-3; - by German wounded, 104-5, 106-8 - - Atrocities, German, 63, (70-88); - responsibility for, 70; - formula for excusing, 74-5; - method of, 91-2; - repetition of, 164-5 - - August 4th, Anniversary of, 276-9 - - August 6th, Anniversary of, 279-80 - - - Baer, on "military necessity," 82 - - Bas-Luxembourg, massacres in, 71 - - _Belge Neutre et Loyale, La_, by E. Waxweiler, 37, 49, 75, 189, 200 - - Belgian Army, _see_ Army - - Belgian Government, proposals made to, 50-1; - accusations brought against, 89-92; - preventive measures taken by, 108-11; - people incited against, 289-94 - - Belgium, invaded, 30-2; - her attitude in defence of her neutrality, 33; - invasion of, 34; - pacific - character of, 53; - disinterested behaviour of, 61-2; - offered a bribe, 61, 140; - famine in, 164; - present administration of, 295-333; - _see_ Invasion - - Bernstoff, Count, 32, 124 - - Bethmann-Hollweg, his "scrap of paper" speech, and denial of same, 31; - the "strategic necessities" speech, 31-2, 34; - admits injustice of invasion, 63, 140; - refers to "gouged-out eyes," 207; - libellous declaration by, 209, 263-4, 281-2 - - Bismarck, 9, 31; - boasts of Ems telegram, 218 - - Bissing, Baron von, 23; - incites to massacre, 70, 83, 139; - cynicism and audacity of his lies, 188, 238, 336 - - Blinded soldiers, legend of, 99-100, 102-3 - - Blindness, deliberate, of German "intellectuals," 204, 209 - - Blöm, Captain, on theory of terrorization, 89, 164, 197 - - Boiling oil, legend of, 99-100 - - Bombardment, of coast, 121-2; - of open towns, 123-4; - of monuments, 124-8 - - _Brabançonne_, the, prohibited, 273-4 - - Brabant, return of prisoners to, 96 - - Bredt, on Belgian art and character, 69 - - Brussels, supposed "francs-tireurs" in, 81; - return of prisoners to, 94; - pretended outrages on Germans in, 107-8; - the truth, 110-11; - the city fined, 147; - contributions imposed upon, 156-8; - Palais de Justice in, 162; - Belgian colours prohibited in, 268; - shops closed as demonstration, 275 - - Brutality, the Kaiser calls for, 335 - - Bueken, the curé of, tortured and murdered, 238 - - Buisseret-Steenbecque, Count, 49 - - Bülow, General von, responsible for massacres, 71 - - - Cæsar, sells Belgians into captivity, 93 - - Camps, prisoners', 92, 94 - - Capelle-au-Bois, atrocities at, 338-9 - - _Carte de ménage_, the, 172 - - Catholic priests, German, servility of, 216-17 - - Censorship, the German, 14-16, 204; - censored papers, 258-9; - examples of censorship, 259-60 - - Chamberlain, Houston Stewart, shameful libel by, 237 - - Chancellor, the German, _see_ Bethmann-Hollweg - - Charleroi, atrocities at, 75; - German story of, 100, 118; - Alfred Heymel's account of, 195-7, 230, 354 - - Churches, German hatred and destruction of, 73-4 - - "Circulation," prohibited, 169; - allowed, 296 - - Civil population, attitude of, 89-90; - accused of guerilla warfare, 91-2; - more civilians killed than soldiers by Sept. 14, 131; - lying accusations made against, 188-90 - - Civil Prisoners, _see_ Prisoners - - Clergy, German hatred of, 72; - murdered and tortured, 72-3, 238, 343 - - Cockerill workshops, 55-6 - - Coercive measures taken by Germans, 115-17 - - Collective penalties, illegal, 143-9 - - Colours, Belgian, prohibited, 265-7; - wearing of the, 309 - - Communal trading, exploitation, etc., 170-1 - - Communes, property of, requisitioned, 163-4 - - Commission for Relief, the American, 173 - - Committee of Relief, the National, 173 - - Conrad, Pastor, author of libel, 103 - - Contributions, illegal, 154-6; - imposed on cities, 156; - on Brussels, 156-8 - - Cooper-Hewitt lamp, claimed as German, 181 - - Correspondence, regulations as to, 22-3; - with the Army, 356-7 - - Credulity, German, 207-9 - - Critical spirit, German surrender of the, 202-5 - - Cruelty, necessity of, 82-3; - is it effectual? 195; - supposed Belgian, _see_ Atrocities - - Cugnon, lying placard at, 233 - - Cynicism, German, 191-3 - - - Dead, German, transport of, 231-2 - - Declaration of war, 50; - ignored by German newspapers, 52 - - Demonstrations, prohibition of, 274-80 - - Destitution, statistics of, 178 - - Destrée, M. Jules, 50 - - _Deutsch-Französischer-Soldaten-Sprachführer_, 143 - - Dinant, return of prisoners to, 95-6; - massacres at, 98, 164, 166, 194, 347, 360 - - Dirigibles, at Deynze, 123; - Antwerp, 124; - imaginary tale of raid on Liége, 225-6, 229-30; - Germans lose one and pretend it is French, 230-1 - - Discussion, liberty of free, abolished, 205 - - Disdain of others, German, 184 - - Disunion, incitements to, 282-9 - - Drunkenness, in German Army, 80-2, 134 - - Dryander, Dr. O., servile complacency of, 213-15 - - Ducarne Report, the, 43-4 - - Dum-dum bullets, 113; - the Kaiser accuses Belgians of using, 208 - - Duplicity, German, 29 - - - Economic depression in Belgium, 166 - - Egoism of German character, 182 - - Emblems, wearing of, prohibited, 268 - - Ems telegram, the, 131; - Bismarck boasts of, 218 - - Engagements, violation of, 262-4 - - England, as the guarantor of Belgian neutrality, 39, 41-3; - Germany attempts to obtain promise of neutrality from, 264; - Belgium incited against, 294-5 - - Eppeghem, fined, 148-9, 189 - - _Eroberung Belgiëns, Die_, propagandist publication, 252-3 - - Erzberger, Herr, objects to sentimentality, 336 - - Escaille, M. de l', 47-9 - - Espionage, German, 54-6, 316-20 - - Evere, air-raid at, 260 - - Executions, insufficiency of inquiry before, 74-6 - - - Factories, destruction of, 168 - - Falsifications, German, of documents, 41-9 - - Famine in Belgium, causes of, 166-7, 169 - - Ferocity, instances of German, 333 - - Filthy tricks and amusements, 340-1 - - Fines, illegal and absurd, 146-9, 232 - - Flag, Belgian, prohibited, 265-8, 277 - - Flemish tongue, favoured, 285-7 - - Fleming-Walloon problem exploited, 284-9 - - Flight of Belgians before invasion, 166 - - Fonds de Leffe, massacre at, 360 - - Forest, hostages taken at, 150 - - France, Germany accuses, 31-3; - were her suspicions genuine? 33; - pacific mood of, 35; - accused of entering Belgium in July, 36-7; - sudden attack on checked, 61 - - Francorchamps, atrocities at, 75; - plundering of, 132 - - "Francs-tireurs," the German pretence of (63-80); - were there any? 64-5; - an obsession, 66-70; - Germany's invention of, 89; - method of "repression," 86-7; - the Great General Staff prepares the Army for, 98-9; - fines for attacks by, 147-9; - pretext for massacre and pillage, 165; - German lies concerning, 188-90, 196, 207; - organization of "attacks," 236; - proposal to torture, 342 - - Frankenberg, pretended murder of, 107-8 - - Freemasons appealed to, 202 - - - Gand, coercion at, 116; - Belgian girl's proposal, 359-60 - - Gas, poisonous, use of, 112-13, 198-9 - - German Administration in Belgium, 295-333 - - German character, classical authors on, 281 - - German language, attempt to enforce, 272 - - German mentality, 56-8, 67, 179-360 - - German Prisoners, letters of, 56-8 - - Germans, Belgian antipathy to undiminished, 307-11 - - Germany, Belgian distrust of, 27-8; - - Gerard, Mr., 111 - - Godet, M. Philippe, 47 - - Goltz, Baron von der, 23, 144, 149, 188, 199, 264-5, 296, 358 - - Gottberg, Herr, narrative of, 68 - - Graphic Lies, 218-24 - - Great General Staff, the German, murderous tactics of, 98-9; - methodical care of, 236-7 - - Greindl Report, falsification of, 41-3 - - - Haecht, massacre at, 163 - - Hague Convention, violations of the, 12, 111-78 - - Hainaut, incendiarism in, 85; - Provincial Council convened, 139 - - Hate, Hymn of, 294 - - Harden, Maximilian, 183, 200 - - Hedin, Dr. Sven, deluded by Germans, 77-8, 165, 221 - - Herve, massacre at, 63 - - Heymann, Robert, lying narrative of attack on Jesuits, 225-8 - - Heymel, Alfred, on the Battle of Charleroi, 195-6, 345 - - Hindenburg, 83, 206 - - Holland, refugees in, 166 - - Honour, Belgian, German price of, 61, 140 - - Hoover, Mr. Herbert, 174, 178 - - Hostages, taking of, 149-51, 195-6, 327 - - Hostilities, precede declaration of war, 51 - - Houtem, atrocities at, 189 - - Humanitarian sentiments, claimed by German Army, 83 - - Huns, the Kaiser invokes the, 335 - - Huy, atrocities at, 77, 81 - - - Identification cards, 322-3 - - Incendiarism, methods of, 84-5; - a cover to pillage, 132; - organization of, 236 - - Incendiary material, 84-5 - - Information, extraction of, 141-2 - - Informers, appeal to, 313-16 - - Innocent, to suffer with or in place of guilty, 84, 143-9, 199 - - Inscriptions, protection, 87-8 - - Insults, German, reason of, 36 - - Intellectual life in Belgium, 12 - - Intellectuals, German, wilful blindness of, 209-10; - the "Ninety-three," 211-12 - - International law, suppressed by war, 183 - - _Interprète Militaire, L'_, 334 - - Invasion, of Belgium, reasons for the, 34-5; - danger of recognized, 40-1; - the Greindl Report, 41-3, 58; - reason for, 63 - - Ivy leaf, wearing of, 268 - - - Jagow, Herr von, sends ultimatum, 30, 34 - - Jesuit Convent, lying tale of, 225-8 - - _Journal de la Guerre_, German propagandist journal, 247-8 - - Jungbluth Report, the, 43-4 - - - King of Belgium, the, _see_ Albert, King - - Kitchener's Army, German account of, 187 - - Koch, the apotheosis of, 180-1 - - Koester and Noske, authors of _Kriegsfahrten_, 59, 132, 162, 221, 262 - - _Kölnische Volkszeitung_, suspended, 203 - - _Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege_, 137, 141, 159, 333 - - - _La Guerre_, German propagandist journal, 248-9 - - Ladies, treatment of, 338 - - Laeken, orgies at, 81 - - _L'Ami de l'Ordre_, propagandist journal, 254-5 - - Latin authors, on German race, 281 - - Law of Nations, violation of the, 12 - - _Le Bien Public_, propagandist journal, 255-6 - - Leaflets, propagandist, 251-2 - - League of German Scientists and Artists, 251 - - Lebbeke, atrocities at, 68, 119, 354-5 - - Leffe, massacre at, 347 - - Leffe, Fonds de, massacre at, 347-8, 360 - - Legation, British, documents found in the, 45-6 - - Leman, General, 198, 238 - - Liége, German lies concerning forts of, 50; - occupation of, lies concerning, 38-60; - warned against Belgian news, 187; - marvellous tale of Jesuit convent near, 225-8; - keeps anniversary of August 6th, 279-80 - - Lies, concerning the situation in Belgium, 188; - concerning "francs-tireurs," 188-90, 217-282; - photographic, 218-20, 222-4; - written, 224-31 - - Lissauer, Ernst, author of the "Hymn of Hate," 294 - - Living shields, Belgians used as, 117-22, 263, 334-5 - - Lloyd George, speaks at City Temple, 35 - - Loot, _see_ Pillage - - Louvain, atrocities in, 87; - protective inscriptions, 88; - return of prisoners to, 95-6; - massacre in, 164; - lies concerning, 220-1 - - _Lügenfeldzug_, 60 - - Luttre, strike at, 300-1 - - _Lusitania_, sinking of the, 194 - - - Machinery, requisitioned, 158-9 - - Magnet, M. Charles, appeals to Freemasons for inquiry, 202-3 - - Malines, bombardment of cathedral, 126-8; - traffic in suppressed, 301-2 - - Manuals, military, 45 - - _Marseillaise_, the, shopkeepers fined for selling, 146, 273-4 - - Max, M., imprisoned and released, 10; - and the Governor of Belgium, 156-9; - his denial of a lying placard, 233-5, 265; - portrait worn, 309 - - Massacre, the two great periods of, 86-7, 131, 164-5; - _see_ Atrocities, Reprisals, etc. - - Massacres, pretended, of German civilians, 106-8 - - Mentality, German, 179-360 - - Mentality of a German officer, 78-80 - - Mercier, Cardinal, 202, 239-46 - - Meuse, pillage on the banks of the, 197-8 - - Middelkerke, Belgians detained at, 120-1 - - Might before Right, 183-4 - - Militarism, 182-4 - - Military employment of Belgians, 113-14 - - Militia, Belgian, escape of, 152-3 - - Mons, pillage at, 133 - - Monuments, destruction of, 124-8, 130-1 - - Murders, German, 63-80 - - Music, censored, 16, 146, 273-4 - - - National anniversary, the 274-6 - - National Committee of Relief, 172-8; - food, etc., distributed by, 175-7 - - Neutral opinion, necessity of influencing, 36, 38, 46-7 - - Neutrality, Belgian, violation of, 12, 27-62; - justification of, 31-2; - Germany accuses France of violating, 31-2; - England guarantees, 39-40 - - News published by the German Government, 185 - - News, secret propagation of, 20-1, 204-5 - - Newspapers forced to appear by the German Government, 13; - censored, 15; - authorized German newspapers, 16; - official, 17; - Dutch, 18-19; - introduced surreptitiously, 19-20; - secret, 21 - - _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_, correspondence in, 103-5 - - "Ninety-three Intellectuals," the, 11, 211-12 - - Nissen, Herr Momme, on German virtues, 181; - pretends the Belgian attitude conciliatory, 310 - - _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, 38 - - - Observation-posts, pretended, 128-9, 130 - - Officers, German, lie to their men, 235-6 - - Organization, peculiarities of German, 303 - - Ostend, Belgians detained in, 120-1 - - Ottignies, account of atrocities at, by German officer, 335-6 - - - Pasteur, ignored by Germans, 180-1 - - Pastoral Letter, Mgr. Mercier's, 240-6 - - Pastors, Protestant, servility of, 213-16 - - Photographs and picture-postcards, 193-4; - "faked" photographs, etc., 218-20; - showing Germans before Paris, etc., 238-9 - - Pillage, 131; - officers join in, 132-4; - methodical nature of, 136-7; - prohibited by _Kriegsbrauch_, 137, 166; - systematic, 197; - on the Meuse, 197-8 - - Placards, German, 22 - - Plague, lying report of, in Paris, 236 - - Poison-gas, _see_ Gas - - Poincaré, President, 220 - - Pope, the, surrenders Peter's Pence, 177 - - Portraits of Royal Family, 269-71, 309 - - Postcards, _see_ Photographs - - Preventive measures, _see_ Reprisals, Terrorization - - Pride, German, 179 - - Priests, _see_ Clergy - - Prisoners, civil, treatment of, 92-5; - return of, 95-6; - admittedly innocent, 96-8, 324; - torture of, 354-5 - - Prisoners, German, letters of, 56-8, 104-6 - - Proclamations, some absurd, 185-8 - - Professors, manifesto of the, 3, 125, 212-13 - - Propaganda, perfection of German, 11; - organization of, 246-7; - bureaux in Germany, 247-53; - abroad, 253-7 - - Provincial Councils convened, 138 - - - Queen of Belgium, the, 11; - German abuse of, 283-4 - - - Railway journeys, 24 - - Railways, stoppage of, 168-9, 300 - - Rape, 131 - - Raw material, requisitioned, 158-9, 167-8 - - Red Cross, Belgian, suppressed, 105-6, 304-7 - - Refugees, Belgian, 166 - - Reims, bombardment of Cathedral, 124-6 - - Relief, measures of, 171; - food, etc., distributed, 175-7 - - Relief, National and American Committees, 172-8 - - Repression, measures of, 152-3; - at Andenne, 326-33 - - "Reprisals," against "francs-tireurs," 63-80; - excuse for, 74; - frivolity of, 75; - _see_ Atrocities - - Requisitions, illegal, 158-61; - in kind and service, 159-60, 166; - of forage, 167; - of provisions intended for relief, 174 - - Royal Family, portraits of, 269-71 - - Ruysbroeck, coercion at, 117 - - - Sabbe, M. Maurice, denies German libel, 287-9 - - Sacrilege, 133 - - School inspection, 280-2 - - "Scrap of paper," the, 31 - - Shelters, temporary, 170 - - Sibret, atrocities at, 76 - - Socialists, German, docility of, 206-7; - visit Belgium, 262, 296 - - Sorel, E., 39 - - Sorinnes, atrocities at, 347-8 - - Spontin, torture and murder of priest and burgomaster at, 344 - - Spitteler, Herr Karl, 46 - - Stamps, theft of, 135 - - State property, treatment of, 161-2 - - Submarine campaign, 194-5 - - Sweveghem, coercion at, 116-17 - - - Tamines, atrocities at, 135-6, 164 - - Tavigny, atrocities at, 346-7 - - Taxation, illegal, 137-41, 166, 168; - of absentees, 298-9 - - Telegraph and telephone wires, fines, etc., for damages to, 145-9 - - Termonde, incendiarism at, 73, 85, 164, 167, 221 - - Terrorization, 64; - uses of, 83; - Blöm on theory of, 84; - the theory of the German Staff, 98-9; - in practice, 164 - - Tervueren, prisoners from, 93 - - Theft, _see_ Pillage - - Time, aggravation in respect of, 337-8 - - _Tornisterwörterbuch_, 141-3, 334 - - Torture, inflicted on priest, 238; - recommended, 342; - another priest tortured, 343; - other cases, 343-6; - moral and physical, 346-60 - - Trade, stagnation of, 168-9 - - Traffic, suppression of, 168-9 - - Treaty of London, 39 - - - Ultimatum, the, 30 - - Uncensored newspapers, 261-2 - - Unemployment, 168-70; - patriotic reasons for, 296 - - Untruthfulness, German, 217-82 - - Useful cruelties, 336 - - - Villalobar, Marquis of, 173 - - Violation of Belgian neutrality, _see_ Neutrality, Belgium, Invasion - - Violence, claimed as legitimate, 84, 263 - - Visé, massacre at, 64 - - _Vorwärts_, protests against German lies, 102-3, 184; - suspended, 203, 237; - protests against incitement to torture, 342 - - - War, _see_ Ultimatum, Invasion, etc. - - War Booty, 132, 135, 197, 249-50 - - War Tax, monstrous, 139-40 - - Waxweiler, M. Emile, 37, 49, 75, 189, 200 - - Weber, pretended murder of, 107-8 - - Wépion, atrocities at, 75 - - Werchter, atrocities at, 164 - - White flag, abuse of, 118 - - Whitlock, Mr. Brand, 10, 110-11, 173, 178 - - Wiart, M. Carton de, 61-2 - - Wilhelm II, his "well-intentioned proposal," 35; - his three successive proposals, 50-1; - his telegram to President Wilson, 54, 89; - tacitly admits innocence of civilians, 97, 180, 189, 191, 207; - text of his telegram, 208, 264, 335 - - Wilson, President, Kaiser's telegram to, 34, 208 - - Wounded, German, letters from, 104-5; - Houston Chamberlain on Belgian treatment of, 237; - _see_ Atrocities, pretended Belgian - - - Zobeltitz, refers to museum specimens - as proving Belgium's preparation for war, 207 - - -_Printed in Great Britain by_ - -UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritical markings were corrected.0 - -Inconsistent hyphenation was made consistent. - -P. 5: Contributions and Requsitions -> Contributions and Requisitions. - -P. 34: German troops entered Belguim -> German troops entered Belgium. - -P. 46: sacrified on the altar of Kultur -> sacrificed on the altar of -Kultur. - -P. 60: pepetrates this trickery -> perpetrates this trickery. - -P. 64: It would be impossible as this moment -> It would be impossible -at this moment. - -P. 157: degree of obstinancy -> degree of obstinacy. - -Latin letter on pp. 242-3: - Militess onim -> Milites enim. - dignitate nestrae -> dignitati nostrae. - di eadem matutina -> die eadem matutina. - aminarum pastor -> animarum pastor. - potius aminarum -> potius animarum. - decenatus evenerunt -> decanatus evenerunt. - -P. 298: German Goverment -> German Government. - -P. 354: proceded to break open -> proceeded to break open. - -Index entry for Propaganda, bureaux in Germany changed from 274-53 to -247-53. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE*** - - -******* This file should be named 51716-8.txt or 51716-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/7/1/51716 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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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 <a -href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you are not -located in the United States, you'll have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this ebook.</p> -<p>Title: Belgians Under the German Eagle</p> -<p>Author: Jean Massart</p> -<p>Release Date: April 10, 2016 [eBook #51716]</p> -<p>Language: English</p> -<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p> -<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE***</p> -<p> </p> -<h4>E-text prepared by Brian Coe, Moti Ben-Ari,<br /> - and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br /> - (<a href="http://www.pgdp.net">http://www.pgdp.net</a>)<br /> - from page images generously made available by<br /> - Internet Archive/American Libraries<br /> - (<a href="https://archive.org/details/toronto">https://archive.org/details/toronto</a>)</h4> -<p> </p> -<table border="0" style="background-color: #ccccff;margin: 0 auto;" cellpadding="10"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> - Note: - </td> - <td> - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - <a href="https://archive.org/details/2belgiansunderge00massuoft"> - https://archive.org/details/2belgiansunderge00massuoft</a> - </td> - </tr> -</table> -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<p id="half-title">BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h1>BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE</h1> - -<p class="center spaced space-above"> -<small>BY</small><br /> -JEAN MASSART<br /> -<small><i>Vice-Director of the Class of Sciences in the Royal Academy<br /> -of Belgium</i></small><br /> -</p> - -<p class="center spaced space-above"> -<small>TRANSLATED BY</small><br /> -BERNARD MIALL<br /> -</p> - -<p class="center spaced space-above"> -LONDON<br /> -T. FISHER UNWIN LTD.<br /> -ADELPHI TERRACE<br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="center"> -<i>First published June 1916</i><br /> -<br /> -(<i>All rights reserved</i>)<br /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<h2>PREFACE</h2> - - -<p>These pages were written in Belgium between the -4th August, 1914, and the 15th August, 1915.</p> - -<p>I employed in this work only those books and -periodicals which entered the country, whether -secretly or openly, and which every one, therefore, -can procure.</p> - -<p>But to drive conviction into the reader's mind I -have observed a rule of selection in using these -documents: I have used those exclusively which -are of German origin, or which are censored by -the Germans.</p> - -<p>They are—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>(A) German posters exposed in Belgium.</p> - -<p>(B) Books and newspapers coming from -Germany.</p> - -<p>(C) Newspapers published in Belgium under -the German censorship.</p> - -<p>(D) The <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i>, -the only foreign newspaper which -has been authorized in Belgium -since the beginning of the occupation. -As for the Belgian <i>Grey -Books</i>, the Reports of the Commission -of Inquiry, and books published -in Belgium, of these I used -only those which were known to -us in Belgium before the 15th -August, 1915.</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p> - -<p>In short, since I crossed the frontier I have not -inserted a single idea into this book: it therefore -precisely reflects the state of mind of a Belgian -who has lived a year under the German domination.</p> - -<p>I have forced myself to remain as far as possible -objective, in order to give my work the scientific -rigour which characterizes the Reports of the -Belgian Commission of Inquiry. I have simply -transferred, to a domain which is new to me, the -methods of my customary occupations.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Here is a list of my principal sources, with the -abbreviations which denote them in the text:—</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left"><i>N.R.C.</i></td><td align="left"><i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant.</i> From this journal</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">(with two exceptions) I have taken only those</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">articles which were not stopped by the German</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="left">censorship.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>K.Z.</i></td><td align="left"><i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Zeitung.</i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>K.Vz.</i></td><td align="left"><i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Volkszeitung.</i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>D.G.A.</i></td><td align="left"><i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer General-Anzeiger.</i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>F.Z.</i></td><td align="left"><i xml:lang="de">Frankfurter Zeitung.</i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>N.A.Z.</i></td><td align="left"><i xml:lang="de">Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung.</i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">1st to 12th Report. </td><td align="left"><i>Reports of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry.</i></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left" colspan="2">1st and 2nd Belgian. <i>Grey Books</i>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><i>Belg. All.</i></td><td align="left">Davignon, <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgigue et l'Allemagne</i>.</td></tr> -</table></div> -<p>The English edition is not a complete translation -of the French text. To save space, many facts, and -above all, many quotations, have been suppressed.</p> - -<div class="right">J. M.</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Antibes, Villa Thuret</span>,<br /> -<i>October, 1915</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2">PAGE</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><b>Preface</b></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><b>Introduction</b></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><span class="smcap">Intellectual Life in Belgium</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_12">12</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Prohibition of Newspapers and Verbal Communication—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">German Censorship—Authorized German Newspapers—Authorized</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Dutch Newspapers—Newspapers</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">introduced Surreptitiously—Secret Propagation of News—Secret</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Newspapers—German Placards—Regulations as to</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Correspondence—Railway Journeys.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">CHAPTER I</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><b>The Violation of Neutrality</b></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A. <span class="smcap">The Preliminaries</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Belgians' Distrust of Germany lulled—German</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Duplicity on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of August, 1914—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ultimatum—The Speech of the Chancellor in the Reichstag.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">B. <span class="smcap">Justification of the Entry into Belgium</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_31">31</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. <span class="smcap">German Accusations against Belgium</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_36">36</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Necessity of influencing Neutrals—Absurdity of the First</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Accusations—A Change of Tactics—The Revelations of the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span><i>N.A.Z.</i>—1. The Report of M. le Baron Griendl, some time</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Belgian Minister in Berlin—2. The Reports of Generals</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ducarne and Jungbluth—The Attitude of the Belgians</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">toward the German Falsifications—Neutral Opinion—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Falsification of M. de l'Escaille's Letter.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D. <span class="smcap">The Declaration of War and the first Hostilities</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The three successive Proposals of Wilhelm II to Belgium—Hostilities</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">preceding the Declaration of War—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Pacific Character of Belgium—German Espionage in</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Belgium—The Mentality of the German Soldiers at the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">beginning of the Campaign—Letters from German</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Prisoners of War—German Lies respecting the Occupation</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of Liége—The sudden attack upon France is checked—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Disinterested Behaviour of Belgium.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">CHAPTER II</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><b>Violations of the Hague Convention</b></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A. <span class="smcap">The "Reprisals against <span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>"</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Murders Committed by the Germans from the Outset—Were</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">there any "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>?"—The Obsession of</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>" in the German Army—The Obsession</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>" in the Literature of the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">War—The Obsession of the "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>" in Literature</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">and Art—Responsibility of the Leaders—Animosity</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">toward the Clergy—Animosity toward Churches—Intentional</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Insufficiency of Preliminary Inquiries—A</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">"Show" Inquiry—Mentality of an Officer charged with</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the Repression of "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>"—Drunkenness in the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">German Army—Cruelties necessary according to German</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Theories—Terrorization: "Reprisals" as a "Preventive"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Incendiary Material—The two great Periods of Massacre—Protective</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Inscriptions—Accusations against the Belgian</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Government—Treatment of Civil Prisoners—The Return</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of Civil Prisoners—German Admission of the Innocence</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the Civil Prisoners.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">B. <span class="smcap">The "Belgian Atrocities"</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_98">98</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Pretended Cruelty of Belgian Civilians toward the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span>German Army—Some Accusations—The Pretended</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Massacres of German Civilians—Preventive and Repressive</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Measures taken by the Belgian Authorities.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. <span class="smcap">Violations of the Hague Convention</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_111">111</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Military Employment of Belgians by the Germans—Measures</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of Coercion taken by the Germans—Living</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Shields—A German Admission—Belgians placed before the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Troops at Charleroi—Belgians placed before the Troops at</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Lebbeke, Tirlemont, Mons—Belgian Women placed before</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the Troops at Anseremme—Belgians forcibly detained at</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ostend and Middelkerke—Bombardment of the Cathedral</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">at Malines—The Pretended Observation-post on Notre-Dame</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of Antwerp—German Observation-posts admitted</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">by the Germans—Pillage—Thefts of Stamps—Illegal</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Taxation—Fines for Telegraphic Interruptions—Fines</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">for Attacks by "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>"—Hostages—Contributions</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">and Requisitions—Contributions demanded from the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Cities—Exactions of a Non-commissioned Officer—Requisitions</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of Raw Materials and Machinery—Conclusions—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Famine in Belgium—The Flight of the Belgians—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Causes of the Famine—Creation of Temporary</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Shelters—The National Relief Committee—Belgium's</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Gratitude to America.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">CHAPTER III</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><b>The German Mind, Self-depicted</b></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">A. <span class="smcap">Pride</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Some Manifestations of Pride and the Spirit of Boasting—1.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Militarism—Might comes before Right—2. Disdain</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of Others—Some Inept Proclamations, etc.—Lies Concerning</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the Situation in Belgium—Lies concerning</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">"<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>"—3. Cynicism—Photographs and Picture-postcards—Alfred</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Heymel on the Battle of Charleroi—Surrender</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the Critical Spirit. Refusal to Examine the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Accusations of Cruelty—The Abolition of Free Discussion</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">in Germany—German Credulity—Voluntary Blindness of</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the "Intellectuals"—The Manifesto of the "Ninety-three"—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Manifesto of the 3,125 Professors—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span>Protestant Pastors—The Catholic Priests and Rabbis.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">B. <span class="smcap">Untruthfulness</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_217">217</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">1. A Few Lies—Written Lies—A French Dirigible</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Captured by the Germans—The Transportation of the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">German Dead—Some Lying Placards—M. Max's Denial—How</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the Officers Lie to their Men—2. Perseverance in</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Falsehood—The German treatment of Mgr. Merrier—3.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Organization of Propaganda—(<i>a</i>) Propagandist</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bureaux Operating in Germany—(<i>b</i>) Propagandist Matter</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">issued by the Publishing Houses—(<i>c</i>) Propagandist</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Bureaux operating Abroad—Sincerity of the Censored</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Newspapers—Persecution of Uncensored Newspapers—(<i>d</i>)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Various Propaganda—4. The Violation of Engagements—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Independence of Belgium—The Promise</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">to respect the Patriotism of the Belgians—The Forced</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Striking of the Flag—The Belgian Colours forbidden</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">in the Provinces—Prohibition of the Belgian Colours</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">in Brussels—The "Te Deum" on the Patron Saints' Day</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the King—The Portraits of the Royal Family—Obligation</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">to Employ the German Language—The Belgian</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Army is our Enemy!—The "Brabançonne" Prohibited—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">National Anniversary of July 21st—The Anniversary</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the 4th August—School Inspection by the Germans.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">C. <span class="smcap">Incitements to Disunion</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Incitements to Disloyalty—The Walloons incited against</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">the Flemings—Inciting the People against the Belgian</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Government—Inciting the Belgians against the English.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">D. <span class="smcap">A Few Details of the Administration of Belgium</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_295">295</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">(<i>a</i>) Present Prosperity in Belgium—Assertions of the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">German Authorities—The Parasitical Exploitation of</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Belgium admitted by Germany—The Tenfold Tax on</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Absentees—Railway Traffic in Belgium—Trouble with the</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Artisans of Luttre—Traffic suppressed at Malines—(<i>b</i>)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Germans' Talent for Organization—Conflict between</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Authorities—Supression of the Bureau of Free Assessment—The</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Belgian Red Cross Committee Suppressed—(<i>c</i>)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Belgian Attitude toward the Germans—(<i>d</i>) Behaviour</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the German Administration—The Appeal to</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Informers—German Espionage—Agents-Provocateurs or</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>"Traps."</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">E. <span class="smcap">Ferocity</span></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_333">333</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">1. Aggravations—Treatment inflicted upon Belgian Ladies—Filthy</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Amusements—2. Physical Tortures—The Fate</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">of the Valkenaers Family—3. Moral Tortures—Moral</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Torture before Execution.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"><b>Index</b></td><td align="right"><a href="#Page_361">361</a></td></tr> -</table></div> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p> - -<h2>INTRODUCTION</h2> - - -<p>Bismarck was given to quoting, with approval, a -saying which has often been attributed to him, -but which was, in reality, first made in his -presence by a hero of the American Civil War—General -Sheridan. It was, that the people of a -country occupied by a conquering army should be -left nothing—save eyes to weep with!</p> - -<p>And we Belgians, truly, are weeping: weeping for -our native country, invaded, in contempt of the most -solemn conventions, by one of the signatories of -those treaties; weeping for our villages, which are -levelled to the ground, and our cities, which are -burned; our monuments, which are broken by -shell-fire, and our treasures of art and science, -which are for ever destroyed. We mourn to think of -those hundreds of thousands of our countrymen who -have wandered without shelter along the highways -of Europe; of Belgium, lately so proud of her prosperity, -but now taxed and crushed and exhausted -by war requisitions and contributions, and reduced -to holding out her hand for public charity.</p> - -<p>Who could help but weep when, in Flanders, our -soldiers are defending the very last corner of our territory; -when, in our villages, men, old folks, women, -and children have been, and are yet, shot down -without pity in reprisal for imaginary crimes; when -thousands of civilians are imprisoned in Germany as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span> -hostages; when the burgomaster of the capital, for -daring to defend the rights of his constituents, is -confined in a Silesian prison;<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> when our rural clergy -is decimated, to such a point that divine service has -necessarily been suspended in entire cantons; when -a scholar like Van Gehuchten dies in exile, after -seeing his manuscripts and his drawings, the fruit -of ten years' labours, disappear in the flames of -Louvain?</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Our sobs are mingled with tears of gratitude for -the compassionate intervention of Holland, America, -Spain, the Scandinavian countries, Switzerland, -and Italy ... not forgetting our Allies. It is this -generosity that has prevented us from dying of -hunger and want; a million of our refugees have -found in Holland a fraternal succour which has never -for a moment been relaxed; the United States, -thanks to the influence and the incomparable -activity of their Minister in Brussels, Mr. Brand -Whitlock, supply us with our daily bread.</p> - -<p>Belgium will never forget the exactions of those -who have reduced to famine one of the richest and -most fertile countries in the world, nor the unequalled -charity of the nations which have enabled -us to live to this day, and have saved us from death -by starvation.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> -<p>We are weeping! But we do not surrender ourselves -to despair, for we have kept intact our faith -in the future, and the firm resolve to leave no stone -unturned that we may for ever be spared such -another trial. Above all, we refuse to bow our -heads beneath the yoke. In vain have the Germans -afflicted us with increasingly unjust and unjustifiable -and vexatious demands; they will never -daunt us. Let them proscribe the Belgian flag as -a seditious emblem; we have no need to unfurl -it to remain faithful to it; they are welcome to -forbid the <i xml:lang="la">Te Deum</i> on the day of the King's patron -saint; since the King and the Queen are valiantly -sharing, on the Yser, in the efforts and the sufferings -of our brothers and our sons, royalty has no -firmer supporters among us than the leaders of -Socialism. No, we assuredly are not ready to -abandon ourselves to despair. And nothing can -sustain us more than the international sympathies -by which we feel ourselves surrounded in this our -unmerited misfortune.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The time has not yet come to judge the events -which have delivered Europe to fire and blood. Yet -we hold that it is the duty of all those who believe -themselves in a position usefully to intervene to -make themselves heard. For Germany possesses -so perfect an organization for the diffusion of her -propaganda in foreign countries, that the public -opinion of neutral States, hearing but one side of -the question, would finally come to believe our -enemies.</p> - -<p>It would be useless and ineffectual to accumulate, -as did the ninety-three German "intellectuals," -among others, a number of denials and affirmations, -without supporting them by a single definite -fact. We do not wish to put forward anything -which we cannot immediately support by easily -verified proofs. This rule which we have compelled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span> -ourselves to observe, has forced us narrowly to -limit our field of investigation. We shall speak -only of actions and intellectual manifestations which -are immediately connected with the present war; -and as the field would be too vast even when so -circumscribed, we shall say nothing of military -operations properly so-called, nor of all that has -happened beyond the Belgian frontiers. We do -not propose to write a history. We leave to those -more competent the task of extricating the truth as -to present events; we shall content ourselves with -taking indisputable documents, which are nearly -always cuttings from German books, or German -newspapers, or German posters, and with analysing -their mental significance; and, further, with showing -how the Belgians react against the actions recorded.</p> - -<p>In the following pages we shall first of all -examine the <i>violation of Belgian neutrality by -Germany</i>, then the <i>infractions of the Hague -Convention of 18th October, 1907</i>. We shall be -careful to invoke only <i>precise and unquestionable -facts</i>; but for that matter the number of -German infractions of the law of nations in -Belgium is so enormous that we have been able -provisionally to exclude all those which are not -established in the most positive manner. At the -same time we shall endeavour to derive from these -facts a few indications as to our enemies' manner of -thinking. This last will be studied in further detail -in a third chapter: <i>German Mentality Self-depicted</i>.</p> - - -<h3><span class="smcap">Intellectual Life in Belgium.</span></h3> - -<p>A few words as to the documents utilized.</p> - -<p>As the Germans occupied our country they took -pains to isolate us from the rest of the world. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span> -immediately suppressed all our journals, as these -naturally refused to submit to their censorship. At -the same time the Germans forced certain journals -to reappear; notably <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, at Namur, -and <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, at Gand. The first of these -journals took care frankly to inform its readers that -the military authorities were forcing it to continue -publication.</p> - -<p>As for foreign newspapers, their introduction was -forbidden under heavy penalties.</p> - - -<div class="center"><i>Prohibition of Newspapers and Verbal -Communications.</i><a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></div> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Official Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Although the District Commandant<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> is continually causing -authentic news of the military operations to be published, the -foreign newspapers are intentionally publishing false news.</p> - -<p>It is brought to the knowledge of the public that it is therefore -strictly forbidden to any one whomsoever to introduce into -Spa and the surrounding district newspapers other than German, -without the previous authorization of the District Commandant.</p> - -<p>Offenders will be punished according to the laws of war.</p> - -<p>The same penalties will be applied to those who have verbally -spread false news.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The District Commandant</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Aske</span>, <i>Colonel</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Spa</span>, <i>22nd September, 1914</i>.<br /> -(<i>Placard posted at Spa.</i>)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>I call the attention of the population of Belgium to the fact -that the sale and distribution of newspapers and of all news -reproduced by letterpress or in any other manner which is not -expressly authorized by the German censorship is strictly prohibited. -Every offender will be immediately arrested and -punished by a long term of imprisonment.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Governor-General in Belgium</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Baron von der Goltz</span>,<br /> -<i>Field-Marshal</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>4th November, 1914</i>.<br /> -(<i>Posted in Brussels.</i>)<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span></p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Military Court.</span></div> - -<blockquote> - -<p>In pursuance of 18, 2 of the Imperial decree of 28th December -1899, the following persons have been punished:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) The coal-merchant Jules Pousseur, of Jambes, with -2 months' imprisonment and a fine of 100 marks, or 20 days' -additional imprisonment.</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) His daughter, Camille Pousseur, with 2 months' imprisonment, -because they frequently bought foreign newspapers -and articles from newspapers whose sale is prohibited; -and further because the daughter copied and collected, with -the knowledge and permission of her father, poems and -articles hostile to Germany, containing, for the most part, -vulgar and obscene insults in respect of the Emperor, the -Confederate Princes, and the German Army; and because -she further, as one may fully realize from the careful manner -in which the numerous copies were made, communicated the -originals to others, and finally because Jules Pousseur admits -that he has for some time been engaged in forwarding letters, -which is forbidden.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The terms of imprisonment will run from the first day of -detention. The copies and other writings will be retained.</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, -<i>4th April, 1915</i>.</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><i>The German Censorship.</i></p> - -<p>After the 20th August the eastern half of Belgium -was thus deprived of all intellectual communication -with the outside world. For a fortnight we were left<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span> -absolutely without news. Then, from the 5th September, -the German Government permitted the -publication of journals which were carefully expurgated, -and falsified by a rigorous censorship:<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> <i xml:lang="fr">Le -Quotidien</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bruxellois</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">L'Écho de Bruxelles</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">Les -Dernières Nouvelles</i>; and later <i xml:lang="fr">Le Belge</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, -<i xml:lang="fr">La Patrie</i>, etc., in Brussels, <i xml:lang="fr">L'Avenir</i> in Antwerp, -and many more. Although submitted to the censorship, -the appearance of these newspapers was only -provisional and uncertain. <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i> reminds -its readers of the fact in its issue for the 13th December, -1914. All these journals were on occasion -suspended; for example, <i xml:lang="fr">Le Quotidien</i>, from the 9th -to the 11th December, 1914, without any reason -being given; <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, from the 2nd to -the 7th September, 1914, for having printed an -acrostic regarded as insulting; and <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, -during the whole of May, 1915.</p> - -<p>The illustrated journals were as much subject to -the censorship as the ordinary newspapers. Numbers -1 to 3 of <i xml:lang="fr">1914 Illustré</i>, published before the arrival of -the Germans, could no longer be exposed for sale: -No. 1 containing portraits of King Albert, Nicholas -II, M. Poincaré, and King George V; No. 2 the -portrait of General Leman, and No. 3 that of M. -Max. From November onwards the issues were -severely edited, so that they contained, for example, -scarcely any more photographs of towns burned by -the German army. The other illustrated papers—<i xml:lang="fr">Actualité -Illustré</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">Le Temps Présent</i>, etc., also had -none but anodyne photographs, such as portraits of -the new masters, military and civil.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p> -<p>In some degree to replace the newspapers, the -printers conceived the idea of publishing little booklets -relating to the war, but giving no direct news of -the military operations. These publications were -naturally subjected to the censorship, and many of -those which were published before the decree of the -13th October, 1914, were prohibited; it was thus -with the very interesting brochure, <i xml:lang="fr">M. Adolphe -Max, bourgmestre de Bruxelles, son administration -du 20th août au 26th septembre, 1914</i>, and the -Nos. 1 to 10 of the booklets issued by Mr. -Brian Hill. Illustrated postcards also were censored; -the series in course of publication, representing -the ruins of Louvain, Dinant, Charleroi, -Liége, etc., had to be interrupted. Music even had -to receive the official approbation (<i>see</i> the placard -of 27th March, 1915, p. <a href="#Page_274">274</a>).</p> - -<p>In short, it will be seen that our public life already -very closely approached the German ideal: <i xml:lang="de">Alles ist -verboten</i>. To think that Belgium, so justly proud of -her constitutional liberties, is now crushed, breathless, -under the heavy Prussian jack-boot!</p> - - -<p><i>Authorized German Newspapers.</i></p> - -<p>As a compensation for those which the German -Administration felt obliged to suppress, it allowed -us, about the 10th September, to receive some German -newspapers—the <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Zeitung</i>, <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische -Volkszeitung</i>, <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer Tageblatt</i>, <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer -General-Anzieger</i>, and also a few illustrated -papers, notably the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung</i>, -<i xml:lang="de">Die Wochenschau</i>, <i xml:lang="de">Du Kriegs-Echo</i>. At a later date -other newspapers were tolerated: <i xml:lang="de">Vossissche Zeitung</i>, -<i xml:lang="de">Berliner Tageblatt</i>, <i xml:lang="de">Frankfurter Zeitung</i>, -<i xml:lang="de">Berliner Zeitung am Mittag</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami du Peuple</i> -(a special edition, for Belgium, in French and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span> -German, of <i xml:lang="de">Der Volksfreund</i>, of Aix-la-Chapelle), and -also some new illustrated papers, for example, <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbilder</i>, -<i xml:lang="de">Zeit im Bild</i>, and above all the <i xml:lang="de">Illustrierte -Kriegs-Kurier</i>, published in German, Flemish, French, -and English,<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> whose sixteen pages, all covered with -illustrations, cost only 15 centimes: evidently an -instrument of propaganda, subsidized by the Central -Administration. We shall have occasion later on -to insist on its veracity, if one may call it that. For -a long time none of these journals reached us -regularly.</p> - -<p>We had also access to two journals published by -the Government itself: (1) the <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche Soldatenpost</i> -(<i xml:lang="de">Herausgegeben von der Zivil-Vorwaltung des -General-Gouverneurs in Belgiën</i>), originally reserved -for soldiers, but which was also sold to civilians—in -a very intermittent fashion, it is true—from September -1914 to the beginning of December 1914; -(2) <i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i> (<i xml:lang="fr">Écho de la Presse, Journal officiel du -Bureau allemand à Düsseldorf pour la publication -de nouvelles authentiques à l'étranger</i>), the latter -being published simultaneously in French and German. -Forty-nine numbers were published. It felt -such an insurmountable disgust for untruth that -having announced in the introductory article of its -first number that Belgium was entirely in the hands -of the Germans, it spoke, in a neighbouring column, -of battles in Western Flanders between the Germans -and the Allies. Let us say at once that from the -point of view of sincerity and liberty of opinion all -the newspapers of the Trans-Rhenian world are of -equal worth: official or otherwise, they only publish -that which is allowed, or rather, inspired, by the -Government.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>Authorized Dutch Newspapers.</i></p> - -<p>One newspaper not subject to the Imperial censorship, -one only, has found grace with the authorities—the -<i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i>. Its tendencies, -clearly favourable to Germany, enable it to penetrate -into Belgium; but not equally all over the -country. At Gand one may subscribe to it; but -its sale in single numbers is prohibited. In Antwerp -it was proscribed for several months from the 7th -December.</p> - -<p>At Louvain and Brussels it may be sold in the -street, and also supplied to subscribers. But it must -not be supposed that the paper is anywhere regularly -distributed; the edition of the morning of the -10th November, 1914, was forwarded on the -27th November to a few subscribers who were particularly -persistent in their demands; it is true that -this number contains the article on the letters of -prisoners of war made by the Belgians (pp. <a href="#Page_104">104</a>-<a href="#Page_105">5</a>), -and that these letters annihilate not a few accusations -made by the Germans, while they throw a -singular light on their lies and acts of pillage. As -for the issues for the 6th, 7th, and 8th December, -1914, they were never distributed; an official announcement, -which appeared in <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> of -the 9th and 10th December states that these -numbers contain "inadmissible communications as -to the dislocation of troops." The issues of the 24th, -25th, and 26th December were also withheld. -Since January 1915 some ten numbers have been -prohibited each month.</p> - -<p>From the <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i> we have -copied only the articles by contributors and correspondents -of the journal itself; it has seemed to us<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span> -that to reproduce articles extracted from Belgian -newspapers was a proceeding which, while quite -usual among the Germans, is not entirely honest.</p> - -<p>Another Dutch journal, the <i xml:lang="nl">Algemeen Handelsblad</i> -of Amsterdam, arrived in Brussels at the beginning -of November; but its licence was withdrawn at the -end of a week.</p> - -<p>From February 1915 its sale was again authorized -in Belgium. At the same time the introduction -of a few other Dutch journals was permitted, their -pro-German character being indubitable: such were -<i xml:lang="nl">Het Vaterland</i>, <i xml:lang="nl">De Maasbode</i>, <i xml:lang="nl">De Nieuwe Courant</i>.</p> - - -<p><i>Newspapers introduced surreptitiously.</i></p> - -<p>Let us say at once that despite all prohibitions -and all the sentences pronounced, prohibited newspapers -continue to trickle into the occupied portion -of the country. These newspapers were at first -those which were normally appearing in the towns -not yet subject to German authority. Thus <i xml:lang="fr">La -Métropole</i> and <i xml:lang="fr">Le Matin</i> of Antwerp, <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i> -and <i xml:lang="fr">La Flandre Libérale</i> of Gand were very soon -carried as contraband and secretly sold in Brussels. -Again, in the regions not yet invaded, some of the -newspapers of the towns already occupied were -printed: thus <i xml:lang="fr">L'Indépendance Belge</i> of Brussels -appeared at Ostend until the arrival of the Germans -in that town.</p> - -<p>The agents who sold these newspapers had also -foreign papers, especially French and English. -Later, when all Belgium, save a corner of Flanders, -was subjected to the Germans, a number of Belgian -papers were printed abroad: <i xml:lang="fr">La Métropole</i> and -<i xml:lang="fr">L'Indépendance Belge</i> in London and <i xml:lang="fr">Le XX<sup>e</sup> Siècle</i> -at Havre.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> - -<p>We also used to receive from time to time occasional -newspapers published by Belgian refugees -abroad. Of these we may cite: <i xml:lang="fr">L'Écho Belge</i>, -of Amsterdam, <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, of Rotterdam, <i xml:lang="fr">Les -Nouvelles</i>, and <i xml:lang="fr">Le Courrier de la Meuse</i>, of -Maastricht.</p> - -<p>It will be understood that prohibited journals are -rare. On certain days, when the hunt for the -vendors is particularly fruitful, people will offer fifty -francs, or even two hundred, for a copy of the <i>Times</i>. -As it is chiefly across the Dutch frontier that the -smuggling of the English "dailies" is carried on, -the authorities have enacted measures which grow -more and more Draconian relating to the traffic -across this frontier. By the end of 1914 it had become -practically impossible to enter Belgium from -Holland by the ordinary route (<i>see</i> the <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer -General-Anzeiger</i> of the 20th December, 1915). The -smugglers of journals are therefore obliged to insinuate -themselves in secret, and their trade is not -without danger; only in the suburbs of Putte (province -of Antwerp) the German sentinels killed two of -them in December 1914.</p> - -<p>Since the spring of 1915 the frontier has been -guarded with barbed wire and wires traversed by high-tension -electric currents; the crossing has naturally -become more difficult. But "difficult" is not "impossible."</p> - - -<p><i>Secret Propagation of News.</i></p> - -<p>So that a greater number of readers may profit by -the newspapers smuggled into the country, the important -passages, especially those relating to military -operations, are copied by means of the typewriter. -These extracts are searched after as much as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -originals, but none the less there are those who continue -to prepare and to distribute them in secret. -In Brussels alone there are fifteen of these secret -sheets, each of which has its public of subscribers; -many of them are gratuitous. From time to time our -oppressors scent out one of these typewriting establishments, -but some other devoted person immediately -continues the business.</p> - -<p>In certain well-known establishments one could, -for a time, obtain the use of a newspaper for ten -minutes for one or two francs; but the secret was -finally betrayed, thanks to one or other of the innumerable -spies supported by the Government.</p> - - -<p><i>Secret Newspapers.</i></p> - -<p>Finally, not a few persons, possessing a typewriting -machine or other means of reproducing -writing, copy and sell clandestinely, for the profit of -some charitable undertaking, articles from foreign -newspapers or reviews, which bear upon the current -political situation. Many documents have reached -us in this form.</p> - -<p>Lastly, courageous Belgians have undertaken to -print, in the midst of the occupied territory, and in -spite of all the German prohibitions, newspapers -which reach a circulation of many thousands. The -two most important are <i xml:lang="fr">La Libre Belgique</i> and <i xml:lang="fr">La -Vérité</i>. In vain have our persecutors promised the -most enticing rewards to those who should denounce -the authors of these sheets; they continue imperturbably -to appear. Which proves, be it said in -passing, that the Germans lie most horribly when -they state that numbers of Belgians send them -anonymous information.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>German Placards.</i></p> - -<p>Our intellectual pasture also includes placards. -In the first place, the <i>Notices</i>, <i>Orders</i>, and <i>Proclamations</i> -of all kinds. Then the <i>News published by the -German Government</i>, placards usually written in -three languages, in the principal towns. In Brussels, -where they are known as <i xml:lang="de">Lustige Blätter</i>, they are -particularly numerous. At Louvain, Vilverde, and -Mons they are in manuscript, and usually written -in German only.</p> - -<p>Two important sources of documentation are completely -closed: photography and correspondence by -post. The taking and reproduction of photographs -is strictly prohibited, above all in the towns ruined -by the Germans.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Whosoever produces, without authorization, representations -of destruction caused by the war, or who displays, offers for -sale, sells, or otherwise distributes, by means of postcards, -illustrated reviews, daily newspapers, or other periodicals -containing such representations, above all of buildings or localities -burned or devastated by the war, will be punished by a fine not -exceeding 5,000 marks or a term of imprisonment not exceeding -one year. The seizure of formes and plates which shall have -served for the reproduction of these representations, as well as -their destruction, may also be ordered.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Imperial Governor</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Freiherr von Huene</span>,<br /> -<i>General of Infantry</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Antwerp</span>, <i>1st December, 1914</i>.<br /> -(<i>Posted at Antwerp.</i>)<br /> -</p></blockquote> - - -<p><i>Regulations as to Correspondence.</i></p> - -<p>The sending of letters by carrier is prohibited. -Until about the middle of December correspondence -was carried from town to town by the carriers who -undertake the goods traffic since the suspension of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -the railways; one could still, therefore, easily enough -obtain news. But, as a souvenir of his joyous entry, -the Herr Baron von Bissing, who succeeded the Herr -Baron von der Goltz as Governor-General in Belgium, -suppressed this little supplementary vocation of the -carriers. Thus Senator Speyer was condemned to -pay a fine of 1,000 marks and to undergo 10 days' -imprisonment for the conveyance of letters. We -have no longer the resource of sending letters by -carrier pigeons, as these are closely scrutinized by -the Germans. Finally, two remaining methods of -transmitting letters were taken from us: the use of a -bow and arrow (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 1st January, 1915), and -enclosure in a loaf baked in Holland and sold in -Belgium. So it is needless to say that we have -neither telegraph nor telephone.</p> - -<p>There is nothing to be done but to go in search of -information oneself, after finding out the hours -(highly variable) during which one is allowed to -"circulate" in the localities through which one -has to pass.</p> - -<p>Since then it has become very difficult to obtain -precise information as to an event which has -occurred in another locality, for obviously one cannot -trust a missive of this kind to the German post, -which accepts only open letters, and passes them -through a <i xml:lang="fr">cabinet noir</i>; moreover, it does not -guarantee communication with all points.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">By Order of the German Authority.</span></div> - -<p>After 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Belgian) there must be no lights in the -windows of the houses of the town of Herve.</p> - -<p>The patrol has orders to fire into every window lit up, giving -upon the street.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Ad. Cajot</span>, <i>Sheriff</i>.<br /> -<span class="smcap">F. de Francquex</span>, <i>Judge</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -(<i>Posted at Herve.</i>)<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span></p> - -<p>It must also be explained what administrative -formalities one had to fulfil in order to obtain a -lodging. Thus, from January 1915 no one could -obtain a lodging in Gand, whether in an hotel, or a -boarding-house, or apartments, without first obtaining -the authorization of the <i xml:lang="de">Kommandantur</i>.</p> - - -<p><i>Railway Journeys.</i></p> - -<p>Once furnished with a proper passport, one has -only to set out. By suitably arranging one's route, -one can often take advantage of the local tramways. -All other means of communication are extremely -precarious. The automobile is forbidden. Horses -have been requisitioned by the military authorities.</p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<i>November 1914.</i><br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Official Railway Time-table</span></div> - -<p><i>of railways at present operating in Belgium under the -administration of the German Government</i>. With details of -journeys. Price, 0 <i>fr.</i> 10.</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">General Arrangements.</span></div> - -<p>A certain number of trains have during the last few days been -run over the Belgian railways by the German Government.</p> - -<p>These are:—</p> -<blockquote> -<p> -1. Brussels—Aix-la-Chapelle.<br /> -2. Brussels—Lille.<br /> -3. Brussels—Namur.<br /> -4. Brussels—Charleroi.<br /> -5. Louvain—Charleroi.<br /> -6. Brussels—Antwerp.<br /> -7. Brussels—Courtrai.<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Owing to the defective state of the lines and the telegraphic -and signalling apparatus, these trains can as yet travel only at a -moderate pace, and the duration of the journey is not guaranteed. -For this reason it is prudent to provide oneself on departure with -the necessary provisions for the journey.</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span></p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The time-table of the railways is often made up -in such a way that the Belgian cannot make use of -the trains. Thus the only train leaving Brussels for -Mons in November 1914 reached Mons at 9 p.m. -But after 9 p.m. it is forbidden to walk through the -streets of Mons. The only train leaving Mons for -Brussels leaves at 12.14 a.m., but one may not -"circulate" in the streets of Mons earlier than -4 a.m.</p> - -<p>We see to what extremities the Belgian population -is reduced. Well, well!—despite all these difficulties, -we have procured documents of great -importance. We cannot, unfortunately, publish -them all at this juncture; for they would result in -the identification of those who conveyed them to -us, and expose them to reprisals; and we have -learned, to our cost, all that this term signifies -according to the ideas of our present rulers.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>This work, then, will necessarily be incomplete. -We publish it only because we think it useful to -demonstrate that in spite of all the annoyances -which they receive at the hands of the Germans, -the Belgians do not allow themselves to be intimidated. -Moreover, whatever may be the provisional -lacunæ (mostly intentional) of our documentation, -we cannot in any case be reproached with falsification. -This, whatever our enemies may think, is a -point of capital importance.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Since this was written, M. Max is reported to have been -released, and to be living in Switzerland.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> These documents are as far as possible translated literally, -any inelegancies of diction may probably be attributed to the -German authors, whose syntax is often peculiar.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> <i xml:lang="fr">Commandant de Place.</i>—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> -We give examples of this censorship later (pp. <a href="#Page_256">256</a>-<a href="#Page_260">60</a>).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> The English text was soon discontinued.</p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<div class="center"><big>BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE</big></div> - - -<h2>CHAPTER I<br /> -THE VIOLATION OF NEUTRALITY</h2> - - -<h3>A.—The Preliminaries.</h3> - -<p>We were too confiding.</p> - -<p>With the exception of the military and a few -statesmen, the Belgians were convinced that nations, -just as individuals, were bound by their engagements, -and that as long as we remained faithful -to our international obligations, the signatories of -the Treaty of London (19th April, 1839), which set -forth the conditions of the neutrality, or rather of -the neutralization, of Belgium (<i>Belg. All.</i>, p. 3), -would equally observe their obligations towards us.</p> - -<p>However, in 1911, during the "Agadir crisis," -our calm was a little shaken by a series of articles -in <i xml:lang="fr">Le Soir</i>. According to this journal, all the -German military writers held the invasion of Belgium -to be inevitable in the event of a war between France -and Germany.</p> - - -<p><i>The Belgians' Distrust of Germany lulled.</i></p> - -<p>But our faith in international conventions—just -a trifle ingenuous, it may be—very soon regained -its comforting influence. Had not Wilhelm II, "the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -Emperor of Peace," assured the Belgian mission, -which was sent to greet him at Aix-la-Chapelle, -that Belgium had nothing to fear on the part of -Germany (see <i xml:lang="fr">L'Étoile Belge</i>, 19th October, 1911). -In September 1912 the Emperor made a fresh -reassuring statement. Being present at the Swiss -manœuvres, he congratulated M. Forster, President -of the Swiss Confederation, and told him how glad -he was to find that the Swiss Army would effectually -defend the integrity of her frontier against a French -attack. "What a pity," he added, "that the Belgian -Army is not as well prepared, and is incapable -of resisting French aggression." This evidently -meant that Belgium ran no risk from the side of -Prussia.</p> - -<p>It was not only the Emperor who assured us of -his profound respect for international statutes. The -German Ministers made similar declarations in the -Reichstag (<i>Belg. All.</i>, p. 7).</p> - -<p>In Belgium itself the Germans profited by every -occasion to celebrate their friendship for us and -their respect for treaties. In 1905, at the time of -the seventy-fifth anniversary of Belgian independence, -Herr Graf von Wallwitz stated at an official -reception: "And as for us Germans, the maintenance -of the treaty of warranty concluded at the -birth of modern Belgium is a sort of political axiom -which, to our thinking, no one could violate without -committing the gravest of faults" (<i>see</i> p. 185 of the -<i xml:lang="fr">Annales parlementaires belges, Senate, 1906</i>).</p> - -<p>In 1913, at the time of the joyous entry of the -King and Queen into Liége, General von Emmich, -the same who was entrusted with the bombardment -of the city in August 1914, came to salute our -sovereigns in the name of the Emperor. He spoke<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -incessantly of the German sympathies for the -Belgians and their country.</p> - -<p>In August 1913 Herr Erzberger gave his word -of honour, as Catholic deputy to the Reichstag, -that there had never been any question of invading -Belgium, and that Belgium might always count on -the party of the Centre to cause international -engagements to be respected. This is the very -party that is now heaping up manifest falsehoods -in order to justify the aggression of Germany.</p> - - -<p><i>German Duplicity on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of -August, 1914.</i></p> - -<p>Let us consider the days immediately preceding -the war. The German newspapers were announcing -that the troops occupying, at normal times, the -camps near the Belgian frontiers had been directed -upon Alsace and Lorraine; and these articles, reproduced -in Belgium, had succeeded in finally lulling -our suspicions.</p> - -<p>In the currents of thought which were then -clashing in Belgium, it was confidence that carried -the day. Many of us who were present on the 1st -of August at a session of the Royal Academy of -Belgium, were speaking, before the session was -opened, of the serious events which were approaching, -the war already declared between Austria and -Serbia, and the conflict which appeared imminent -between Germany, France, Russia, and England. -Yet no one imagined that Belgium could be drawn -into the conflagration. That very morning, it was -related, France had officially renewed, through her -Minister in Brussels, the assurance that she would -faithfully abstain from violating the neutrality of -Belgium (1st <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 15); and there was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span> -no reason to doubt his words. A few days earlier -the German Minister in Brussels had affirmed that -his country had too much respect for international -conventions to permit herself to transgress them; -and we believed him too! Oh, simplicity! We -still believed him, on the following day, when he -repeated the same declaration (1st <i>Grey Book</i>, -No. 19; <i>Belg. All.</i>, p. 7). And on the evening of -that Sunday, the 2nd of August, he presented to -our Government the ultimatum of Germany (1st -<i>Grey Book</i>, No. 20).</p> - - -<p><i>The Ultimatum.</i></p> - -<p>The telegram of the 2nd of August, by which -Herr von Jagow sent the ultimatum to the German -Minister in Brussels, declared: "Please forward this -Note to the Belgian Government, in a strictly official -communication, at eight o'clock this evening, and -demand therefrom a definite reply in the course of -twelve hours, that is, at eight o'clock to-morrow -morning" (<i xml:lang="de">Lüttich</i>, p. 4). Never, since Belgium's -birth, had a problem so breathless been placed before -her Government. And Germany left her twelve -hours to solve it: twelve hours of the night! She -was not willing that our Government should have -time to reflect at leisure; she hoped that in a -crisis of distraction Belgium, taken at a disadvantage -and forgetful of her dignity, would accept the -inacceptable.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>However, the German Minister in Brussels continued -to offer us explanations which were as perfidious -as they were confused and obscure, and to -assure us up to the last of the friendly intentions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -of his Government. The Germany fashioned by -Bismarck has assuredly nothing about it to remind -us of the Germany of Goethe and Fichte. We -might have guessed as much, for that matter, when -we saw the Germans glorifying the man who <i>boasted</i> -of having falsified the famous Ems telegram in order -to make the war of 1870 inevitable, and who succeeded -in making his countrymen accept, as a -guiding principle, that "might comes before right."</p> - - -<p><i>The Speech of the Chancellor in the Reichstag.</i></p> - -<p>However, we may suppose that some slight -scruples lingered in the recesses of the German -conscience, since on the very day when the Chancellor -of the Empire told the British Ambassador -in Berlin that an international convention is merely -"a scrap of paper,"<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> and that neutrality is only a -word, he recognized, in his speech to the Reichstag, -that the invasion of Belgium constituted an injustice; -but he immediately excused this violation of -the law of nations by strategic necessities.</p> - - -<h3>B.—Justification of the Entry into Belgium.</h3> - -<p>"Strategic necessities!" said the German Chancellor. -These necessities are expounded in the -ultimatum, and may be summed up thus: "Germany -knows that France is preparing to attack her -through Belgium."</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span></p> -<p>The first question which occurs to us is: Was -France really preparing to cross our territory, and -had she massed troops near our frontier? There -is assuredly no one outside Germany who would -admit this. Indeed, if important bodies of troops -had been massed in the north of France they could -effectually have opposed the advance of the Germans -through Belgium. Now in all the battles which the -French fought in our country their numbers were -much too small to resist the Germans. Let us -also remark that these attempts on the part -of the French were made on the 15th August -at Dinant, the 19th August at Perwez, and the -23rd August at Semois. How then can any one -believe that the French were massed close to our -frontier as early as 3rd August? Moreover, the -map published in the <i>N.R.C.</i> of the 16th December, -1914, confirms the untruthfulness of the -German allegations.</p> - -<p>This "strategic reason" was again invoked by -the Chancellor of the Empire on the 4th August. -But owing to the irrefutable manner in which the -tardiness of the French movements disproved this -assertion the latter is no longer uttered, save in -an evasive manner. The German no longer says: -"France was ready to cross into Belgium," but -"France would not have failed to enter Belgium, -and we simply outstripped her." It is thus that -Count Bernstoff, the German ambassador to Washington, -expressed himself in the interview published -by <i xml:lang="fr">L'Indépendant</i> in September 1914, -while the same assertion is found in the manifesto -of the ninety-three German "Intellectuals" and -the letter addressed by Herr Max Bewer to -M. Maeterlinck (in the <i>D.G.A.</i> of October 1914 -and the <i xml:lang="de">Soldatenpost</i> of the 14th October, 1914).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span></p> - -<p>Let us now ask if Germany had such suspicions -of France as amounted to a semi-certitude? In -other words, was she sincere in declaring that she -knew that France was on the point of invading -Belgium? We do not hesitate to assert that she -was lying: for if she had really believed that France -was ready to violate our neutrality it would have -been enormously to her advantage to wait until the -violation was committed. For Belgium has always -asserted that in case of war between France and -Germany she would resist by arms the first invader -and immediately join herself to the other Power. -Now Germany, however profound her political perversity -may be, had no reason to suspect the -sincerity of Belgium; she knew then—and this -time she <i>did</i> know—that by allowing the French -to enter our country she would assure herself of the -assistance of our army against her enemy. And -scanty as was her esteem for the Belgian soldiers—perhaps -she has since had occasion to change her -mind!—it was none the less obviously to her interest -to avoid having them as her adversaries.</p> - -<p>For the rest, we may boldly assert that the very -terms of the German ultimatum prove, without possible -doubt, that she did not believe in the danger -of a French irruption into Belgium. For if she had -entertained this conviction she would have said to -Belgium: "I warn you that if you do not take the -necessary measures to resist the entrance of the -French I shall be fully authorized to invade your -territory in my turn, in order to defend myself." In -acting thus she would have had the right on her -side ... and the German diplomatists of the day -are certainly capable of distinguishing justice from -injustice in cases where the distinction is so easy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span></p> - -<p>We say, therefore, that the imminence of a -French attack upon Belgium was only a pretext -and a bugbear; a pretext to justify the violation -of Belgium in the eyes of other nations; a bugbear -to catch votes of credit in the Reichstag -without previous discussion. "We were not able -to wait for this session before commencing hostilities -and invading Luxemburg, perhaps even Belgium," -declared the Chancellor. Observe how -clumsy is this "perhaps"; the German troops -entered Belgium on the night of the 3rd of August -(1st <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 35), and on the afternoon of -the 4th, at the session of the Reichstag, the Chancellor -had no knowledge of it! We thought the -official telegraph service worked better than that in -Germany!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>What, then, were the real reasons for invading our -country? They were strategic reasons, it is true, -but not those which the Chancellor indicated in his -speech! They had been known for a long time; the -German staff had always regarded a sudden attack -upon France as an unavoidable necessity, and for -that it was necessary at all costs to cross -Belgium. Moreover, on the very day when the -Chancellor was still invoking the French preparations -in the Reichstag, the Secretary of State, von -Jagow, openly avowed the true motive for violating -Belgium. The pamphlet of propaganda, <i xml:lang="de">Die Wahrheit -über den Krieg</i>, after invoking, without insisting -on, the danger of a French attack, described at -length the German plan of campaign; a sudden -attack upon France, delivered by passing through -Belgium; then, immediately after victory, a change -of front, and the crushing of the Russian Army.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -The same idea is expounded in an infinity of -articles and pamphlets.</p> - -<p>There can, therefore, be no remaining doubt as to -the determining motives of Germany: she wished -to pass through Belgium in order to fall upon -France before the latter was ready. Germany had -been preparing for war for several days, for she knew -that she had made the war inevitable, while France, -deceived by her adversary's peaceful professions of -faith, and, moreover, anxious to preserve the peace, -which she still believed to be possible, had hardly -commenced her mobilization. Let us recall the -comparison drawn by Mr. Lloyd George in his -speech at the City Temple on the 11th November, -1914. "Imagine," he said, "that your right-hand -neighbour came and made you the following proposal: -'See, my friend, I've got to cut the throat -of your left-hand neighbour. Only as his door is -barred I can't catch him unawares, and so I shall -lose my advantage over him. So you will do me -a little service; nothing that isn't entirely reasonable, -as you will see. You will just let me come -through your garden; if I trample down your -borders a little I'll have them raked and put in -good order again; and if by ill-luck I damage or -kill one of your children I promise you a nice little -indemnity.'"</p> - -<p>And it is because we would not help Germany in -this task that she has spattered us with insults. -The Germans cannot understand how we could have -rejected her "well-intentioned" proposal, as the -Emperor calls it in his declaration of war. Evidently -they have ideas of honour which differ from -ours. We can regard this proposal only as an insult -to the Belgian people.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span></p> - - -<h3>C.—German Accusations against Belgium.</h3> - -<p>There is one circumstance which aggravates the -evil deed which has soiled the German name. It -is the insistence with which the Press and the -politicians of Germany seek to cast the blame on -Belgium herself. For if we are to believe them -it was Belgium who began.</p> - - -<p><i>Necessity of influencing Neutrals.</i></p> - -<p>When the German rulers discovered, to their utter -stupefaction, real or feigned, that America and the -other neutral States did not benevolently accept -the strategical excuse for the violation of Belgian -neutrality, their attitude underwent a sudden -modification. Since the whole world, in a spontaneous -impulse of indignation, branded the conduct -of Germany, the traitor and perjurer, in assailing a -nation which she was actually under an obligation -to protect, the German Government adopted the -classic procedure of evildoers, which consists in -reversing the rôles, and posing as an innocent victim, -driven into a corner by an adversary who does not -abide by legitimate methods of defence. What was -to be done in such a case? The German Government -must seem to believe, and then claim to -have proved, that Belgium had already violated her -own neutrality before the German invasion; for -then Germany could no longer be blamed for her -attitude.</p> - - -<p><i>Absurdity of the first Accusations.</i></p> - -<p>Immediately the German newspapers invented -stories of French troops disentraining in Belgium -from the 30th July, 1914, and of French officers -teaching us how to handle Krupp guns!—of French<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -airmen flying over Belgium, of French and Belgian -soldiers attacking the Landwehr at Aix-la-Chapelle -on the 2nd August, 1914. These pitiful accusations -were demolished by M. Waxweiler in <i xml:lang="fr">La Belge -Neutre et Loyale</i>. We will content ourselves with -remarking that all these infractions of neutrality are -anterior to the 4th of August. If they had really -been committed the innumerable spies scattered -about Belgium would have warned the German -Minister in Brussels, who would have telegraphed -to the Chancellor, and the latter would have taken -good care to make them the basis of a serious complaint -against Belgium in his speech to the -Reichstag. What weight would not these revelations -have lent to his arguments? If he did not -do thus it was because he was not informed, and -if he was not informed it was because the facts were -non-existent. They were invented—very clumsily, -moreover—after the event.</p> - -<p>If now we cast a glance at the tales which the -Germans have imagined to extenuate their crime -against justice, we shall say, with a certain professor -of Utrecht (<i>K.Z.</i>, 4th November, first morning -edition), that one might with difficulty have pardoned -the German rulers for violating Belgian neutrality -if it had been proved that imperious strategic necessities -compelled them to it, but that they should have -stuck to their original declarations, "for," he adds, -"we have been painfully impressed by all the offences -which have been alleged after the event to demonstrate -that Germany had the right to act as she -did."</p> - -<p>To insult and calumniate an innocent person in -order to excuse oneself is an attitude little worthy -of a self-respecting nation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>A Change of Tactics. The Revelations of the</i> -N.A.Z.</p> - -<p>Week by week the German journals add an item -to the indictment of Belgium. One would say that -their method of reasoning must be as follows: "Since -we cannot bring forward a single convincing proof, -let us accumulate as many as possible of any degree -of value; we shall end by crushing Belgium with -the weight of evidence." In order that we might -judge of the efficacy of this procedure, Germany -ought, of course, to tell us how many bad arguments -are to her thinking worth one good one.</p> - -<p>Yet it was extremely important that Germany -should be able to bring forward proof of the crime -of Belgium; for directly the neutrals, and in particular -America, began to doubt our political honesty -they would withdraw their sympathies and leave our -executioners full liberty of action. At the same time -Germany would be able to pretend that she knew of -Belgium's intrigues, and that by invading our -territory in spite of treaties she was not, properly -speaking, committing a treacherous act.</p> - -<p>There are reasons for supposing that Germany -herself was conscious of the insufficiency of these -accusations. Hence the change of tactics which -we observe after the month of October 1914.</p> - -<p>The Government itself entered into the lists. -In its official organ, the <i xml:lang="de">Norddeutsche Allgemeine -Zeitung</i>, it commented upon the documents discovered -in the Ministries of Brussels.</p> - -<p>To judge of the relevance of this collection of -documents we must keep in mind the two following -points: (1) That England played the part of protector -of Belgian neutrality; (2) the probability of a German<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -invasion in case of war between France and Germany. -Let us rapidly examine these.</p> - -<p>1. <i>England as the Guarantor of Belgian Neutrality.</i>—Every -one knows that for centuries England has -been interested, more than any other nation, in -ensuring that Belgium should not be annexed either -to France or to Prussia.</p> - -<p>As far back as 1677, says Sorel (<i xml:lang="fr">L'Europe et la -Révolution française</i>, vol. i. p. 338), a French agent -in London wrote to Louvois: "It has been voted -unanimously by the Lower Chamber that the English -will sell their very shirts (this is the phrase they -use) to make war on France for the preservation -of the Low Countries." During the French Revolution, -and later, under the Empire, the struggle -between England and France was largely provoked -by the desire to turn France out of Belgium.</p> - -<p>The Treaty of London (1839) makes no distinction -between the five guarantors of our neutrality: -Austria, France, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia; -but it is none the less unanimously admitted that -England has the most immediate interest in the -preservation of our independence, as it matters -greatly to England that Antwerp—that loaded -pistol aimed at the heart of England, as Napoleon -used to say—should become neither French nor -German.</p> - -<p>Therefore, as soon as Belgium was threatened by -an armed invasion, the traditional policy of England -was at once invoked.</p> - -<p>It was in virtue of this policy that Great Britain, -in 1870, demanded of France and Germany whether -they engaged themselves to maintain the neutrality -of Belgium. The two belligerents gave and kept -their promise. France, driven up against the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span> -Belgium frontier at Sedan, did not even then -consider that she had the right to break her word; -she preferred to allow herself to be crushed. If ever -there were "strategic reasons" which would excuse -the breaking of a promise, it was then!</p> - -<p>All this being so, no one was surprised when in -August 1914 the newspapers announced that -England had put the usual question to France and -Germany. This time again France made the reply -inspired by her sense of honour; Germany refused -to commit herself.</p> - -<p>The historical facts which we have recalled suffice -to show that the protective rôle of England was not -invented for the needs of the moment, as Germany -would have the world believe. The Chancellor -cannot be ignorant of these facts; they are known -to all. Why then does he persist in asserting that -England would not have intervened had France -been the country to violate our neutrality?</p> - -<p>2. <i>The danger of a German Invasion.</i>—For several -years German generals have been agreed in admitting -the necessity of marching the German army -across Belgium in case of war with France.<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> In -military circles this was a <i xml:lang="fr">secret de polichinelle</i>, as -the <i>N.R.C.</i> remarked on the 22nd December, 1914 -(evening edition).</p> - -<p>Moreover, the Germans themselves held that the -Belgians could not have been ignorant of the threat -of a German invasion; this idea is expounded, -notably, in a booklet of official aspect, entitled <i xml:lang="fr">La -part de la culpabilité de l'Angleterre dans la guerre -mondiale</i>.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span></p> -<p>Belgium therefore had serious reasons for expecting -a German attack. There was evidently only one -thing for her to do: to demand assistance of the -country which had constituted itself the protector of -her neutrality, and on which she had always been -accustomed to rely with unshakable confidence.</p> - - -<h3>1. <span class="smcap">The Report of M. le Baron Greindl, sometime -Belgian Minister in Berlin.</span></h3> - -<p><i>Falsification of the Greindl Report.</i></p> - -<p>On the 14th October, 1914, the German Government -posted on the walls of Brussels a placard -entitled: <i>England and Belgium</i> (<i>Documents found -at the headquarters of the Belgian Staff</i>). A reproduction -of this placard was distributed gratuitously, -thousands of copies being issued the same day. -This document contains, first, a rapid summary of -a report on the relations which existed in 1906 -between the Belgian Chief of Staff and the British -military attaché. Then the placard reproduces, -"word for word," a portion of a report made by -M. Greindl, dated the 23rd December, 1911. In -this report M. Greindl warns the Belgian Government -of the possibility of a French attack.</p> - -<p>Whosoever will attentively read the exhibited -portion of this report will at once remark that its -phrases lack connection and logical sequence. Thus, -there is certainly a hiatus between the opening -phrases and those that begin with: "When it -became evident that we should not allow ourselves -to be alarmed by the pretended danger of closing -the Scheldt, the plan was not abandoned, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -modified, in the sense that the English army of -assistance would not be disembarked on the Belgian -coast, but in the nearer French ports." Now what -is meant by this "pretended danger"? Pretended -by whom? And then "we should not allow -ourselves to be alarmed." Who is "we?" Remark -that a few lines farther on the report speaks of the -eventuality of a battle between the Belgian army -and the British army; Belgium, which was just now -the ally of the British, is now their adversary, -although nothing indicates how she passed from the -first attitude to the second. In the same sentence -the closing of the Scheldt is spoken of with an -English landing on the <i>Belgian coast</i>; yet we cannot -imagine M. Greindl placing Antwerp on the Belgian -coast. Can we doubt after this that phrases have -been suppressed in this portion of the document? -Evidently not; for it is radically impossible to -realize the bearing and the meaning of the report -by reading the portion published. What, then, is -the conclusion forced upon us? It is that the -German Government has "cooked" the text; -omitting to copy certain passages which would not -tally with the deductions which it wished to draw -from it, and that it has perhaps even twisted the -meaning of certain phrases.</p> - -<p>The publication of the complete report was -demanded by the Belgian Government (see <i>K.Z.</i>, -24th October, first morning edition). But Germany -refused; the report was too long, it replied, by the -medium of the <i>N.A.Z.</i> (25th November, 1914). All -that could be obtained was the publication in -facsimile, in the same issue of the <i>N.A.Z.</i>, of the -heading and the two first lines. Since the German -Government did not publish the rest, we have the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -right to conclude that this was because it had -subjected the document to falsifications such as -were introduced in that we are now about to -consider. In any case, the report as it was published -means nothing. One feels that it was intentionally -made confusing. By whom?</p> - - -<h3>2. <span class="smcap">The Reports of Generals Ducarne and -Jungbluth.</span></h3> - -<p>The falsifications inserted in these documents -by the German diplomatists have already been -lucidly exposed (for example, by E. Brunets, -<i xml:lang="fr">Calomnies Allemandes</i>); so there would be no need -to return to the subject, had not the German -Government thought fit to attempt to use these -documents in order to demoralize the Belgians.</p> - -<p>At the end of December 1914, and in January -1915, Germany distributed hundreds of thousands -of copies of a pamphlet containing several documents, -among which were translations (into Flemish -and French) and facsimiles of the Ducarne and -Jungbluth reports. The famous words of the -"reference" are replaced in their natural position -in the middle of the fourth paragraph,<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> but—and -this was a wholly unexpected discovery—they were -also found in the commentary. According to the -copy in the text, one reads: "The document bears -on the margin: 'The entrance of the English into -Belgium would take place only after the violation -of our neutrality by Germany.'"</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p> -<p>Disconcerting fecundity of Kultur! The Germans -have reason to be proud of their chemical industry. -Thanks to a special fertilizer prepared in the offices -of Wilhelmstrasse, the famous phrase, which occurs -only once in the original document, is promptly -multiplied and is able to appear twice over.</p> - - -<p><i>The Attitude of the Belgians toward the German -Falsifications.</i></p> - -<p>Note that to give more weight to their explanations -the Germans were careful to have them -printed in Flemish and in French, on the paper -and with the type habitually employed by the -<i xml:lang="fr">Moniteur belge</i>. It is then, in the last resort, the -Belgian public which has paid the cost of printing -this falsification of a public document. Well, well! -they have mistaken our psychology, for despite -these "revelations" our conviction is unshaken. -Not a Belgian has criticized the actions of his -Government in respect of the defensive agreement -with England. It would be like blaming a man -whose house was destroyed by fire for having insured -it with a reliable insurance company.</p> - -<p>Confronted by the failure of their endeavours to -discourage the Belgians and to embroil them with -their legitimate Government, Germany returned to -the charge. A placard dated 10th March, 1915, -posted in Brussels, stated that the Belgian statesmen -replied to the publication of the Ducarne and -Jungbluth reports only after the lapse of three -months. The placard evidently alludes to the -Belgian Note of the 13th January, 1915 (<i>see</i> the -2nd <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 101). Now the first sentence -of this Note states that the Belgians had already -replied on the 4th December, 1914. Germany could -not have been unaware of this reply; let us add<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -that we ourselves knew of it on the 10th December, -thanks to the issue for the 7th of <i xml:lang="fr">L'Indépendance -Belge</i> (appearing in London), which was smuggled -into Brussels.</p> - -<p>The third document contained in the pamphlet -of the German Government related to the <i>military -geographical manuals</i>.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> It shows that a final collaboration -(after the violation of her engagements -by Germany) was carefully devised by the British -and Belgian staffs. Truly it ill becomes the -Germans, so proud of the introduction of their -scientific method into the art of war, which leaves -nothing unthought of, to reproach others for acting -in the same way, and for making meticulous preparations -at an opportune time! In two places the -article insists on the fact that the preparations of -these manuals was effected in "time of peace." -But come! should the Belgians and the British -have waited until the Germans were in Belgium -before thinking of measures of defence?</p> - -<p>Finally, the pamphlet contains <i>Fresh and Serious -Proofs demonstrating the complicity of Belgium and -England</i>. Documents were found on the escritoire -of the British Legation in Brussels relating to the -Belgian mobilization, the defence of Antwerp, and -the French mobilization. The accusation is this: -these documents were found in the British Legation, -a proof that the Belgian Government had no military -secrets from the British Government, and that -they had a close military understanding.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p> -<p>Once again: was Belgium, aware of the Germanic -peril, to deliver herself bound hand and foot to the -invader, who, not content with forgetting his international -obligations, was about to run precisely -counter to them? It would evidently have been -more agreeable to Germany to have found in Belgium -a lamb all ready to allow itself to be sacrificed on -the altar of <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>. Unhappily for <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>, Belgium -behaved like an enraged ram, determined to sell its -life dearly.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Whatever aspect of the question of Belgian -neutrality we may consider, we always come back -to this fact: Germany violated this neutrality on -the 4th August, although Belgium had given her no -plausible excuse for doing so. Since then the -Germans have undertaken a campaign for the -purpose of justifying their "injustice," as their -Chancellor termed it. But none of the accusations -invented after the event can in the slightest degree -extenuate this injustice; their only effect has been -to render still more execrable the treachery of the -perjured protector.</p> - - -<p><i>Neutral Opinion.</i></p> - -<p>It is pleasant, in this connection, to cite here -the opinion of four writers belonging to countries -which have not taken part in the war.</p> - -<p>A Dutch writer published in <i xml:lang="nl">De Amsterdammer</i> -an interesting article which was translated into -French, but of which the sale in Belgium was -immediately prohibited by the Germans.</p> - -<p>In a lecture which has achieved a very great -celebrity, Herr Karl Spitteler, a well-known literary -man of German-speaking Switzerland, also took the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -part of Belgium. We know of this lecture only by -the slashing which it received in the <i>K.Z.</i> on the -30th December, in the first morning edition.</p> - -<p>Here is a passage which particularly infuriated the -German paper:—</p> - -<p>"I consider that to take the documents from the -pockets of the gasping victim (Belgium) is, as to -the spirit which inspired the act, a gross fault of -taste. It would have been quite enough to throttle -the victim; to blacken him afterwards is too much. -As for Switzerland, if it associated itself with these -calumnies against Belgium, it would commit not -merely an infamy, but a mistake; for on the day -when another Power grudges us our national -existence, the same accusations might be employed -against us: do not let us forget that malice is now -counted among the munitions of war."</p> - -<p>Another Swiss writer, M. Philippe Godet, expresses -his opinions with no less energy in the <i xml:lang="fr">Journal de -Genève</i> (8th September, 1914).</p> - - -<p><i>The Falsification of M. de l'Escaille's Letter.</i></p> - -<p>In the preceding pages we have dealt only with -matters relating to Belgium. Do not let our -attitude be misunderstood. We have not the presumption -to suppose that Belgium has ever occupied -the foreground in the negotiations described; on the -contrary, we are perfectly well aware of the diplomatic -insignificance of our country in the discordant -"Concert of Europe" which has ended in the -present war. Our sole object is to show that -Belgium has not played the unavowable rôle which -the Germans attributed to her. As to the origin of -this war, and the responsibility which the German -rulers seek to foist upon Great Britain, in order that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -their own country, and, above all, their ally, Austria, -may evade it, this is a discussion into which we do -not wish to enter, for it lies outside the programme -which we have set ourselves. We ought, however, -to speak a word as to the placards which the -German authorities had posted up in Belgium during -the month of September 1914. The first is dated -the 16th September; it gives the résumé of a letter -written by M. B. de l'Escaille to the Belgian Minister -of Foreign Affairs.</p> - -<p>Ten days later a new placard appeared: this time -the complete text of the letter was given, and it was -explained how it came to fall into the hands of the -Germans.</p> - -<p>Let us leave this last point: it concerns the -criminal law, not diplomacy. Let us examine only -the summary which was published and the conclusions -which the Germans drew from it.</p> - -<p>Was the summary honest? To discover this let -us take the essential sentence, printed in heavier -type: "They possess even the definite assurance -that England will come to the assistance of -France"; and let us compare this with the corresponding -passage of the text: "To-day they are -strongly convinced in St. Petersburg, they even -have the assurance, that England will support -France." The term "assistance" (<i xml:lang="fr">secouer</i>) in the -summary can apply only to military assistance, -while the text speaks only of "support" (<i xml:lang="fr">soutien</i>), -which means diplomatic action. So the second conclusion -also is false—"that England did not intervene -in the war on account of Belgium, but because -she had promised France to give her assistance."</p> - -<p>Let us now look at the first conclusion. It is -"that Germany was actuated by pacific intentions,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -and sought by all means to avoid war." In reality -the text, like the summary, states only that Germany -sought to avoid a general conflict, which means that -she wished to localize the war between Austria and -Serbia; in other words, Germany wished Europe to -give Austria a free hand to crush Serbia. Nowhere -does the text say that Germany did anything to -avoid "the war": the only war which was declared -on the 30th July, that of Austria against Serbia. In -short, this conclusion is falsified.</p> - -<p>There remains the phrase which introduces the -two conclusions: "By this report of the diplomatic -representative of Belgium at the Court of St. -Petersburg it is proved".... Was M. de l'Escaille -really the diplomatic representative of Belgium in -St. Petersburg? Open an administrative almanack, -and you will see that <i>the</i> representative was M. -le Comte Conrad de Buisseret-Steenbecque de -Blarenghien. As for M. de l'Escaille, he was -Secretary of Legation.</p> - -<p>The conclusions concluding here, there is no -room for further falsifications.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It is not our intention to make an exhaustive -examination of the diplomatic documents relating -to the war; the more so as this examination has -been conducted in masterly fashion by MM. Dürckheim -and Denis, by M. Waxweiler, and by the -author of <i xml:lang="fr">J'Accuse</i>. It is enough for us to prove -that Germany has intentionally falsified documents, -since this simple proof disposes of all her attempts to -befoul Belgium; for he who has a good argument at -his disposal is not so foolish as to spoil it and deprive -it of all real value by means of falsifications.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p> - - -<h3>D.—The Declaration of War and the first Hostilities.</h3> - -<p><i>The three Successive Proposals of Wilhelm II to -Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>Under its dry, cold, diplomatic phrasing the reply -to the ultimatum (1st <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 22) scarcely -conceals the indignation which thrilled the heart of -Belgium when Wilhelm II offered her the chance of -associating herself with his crime against loyalty. -But the German Government did not understand -this indignation, neither was it conscious of its own -infamy. Otherwise how could it have repeated the -same offer a few days later—an offer at once contemptible -and full of contempt, as was so well said -by M. Jules Destrée before the meeting of the -Federation of Advocates, on the 3rd August, 1914. -Two remarks on the subject of this fresh proposal -(1st <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 60). In the first place the -United States Minister in Belgium, who was entrusted -with the German interests, refused to -transmit it; as for the Dutch Minister of Foreign -Affairs, he accepted the mission "without enthusiasm." -In the second place, when the Emperor -affirmed, on the 9th August, that the fortress of -Liége had been taken by assault, he must have -known that the fortress was still resisting; for -although the <i>city</i> of Liége was occupied by the -Germans from the 7th, the <i>forts</i> were intact. Let -us remember that the first fort which fell was -that of Barchon, on the 8th August, 1914; that -of Évegnée fell on the 11th, that of Fléron on the -14th, that of Loncin, commanded by General Leman, -fell only at 5 p.m. on the 15th: and several forts -were at that time still holding out.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span></p> - -<p>German diplomacy naturally received a fresh -indignant refusal (1st <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 23).</p> - -<p>Even then official Germany, dazzled by the brilliance -of its <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>, had not yet grasped the full -baseness of its crime, since on the 10th September it -posted up in Brussels its new proposal and Belgium's -reply.</p> - -<p>Could candour in perfidy go any farther? Yes! -for the German Government, during the siege of -Antwerp, made proposals of peace for the third -time. This offer was secret. The terms have not -been published; even the Germanic Press sought to -deny that it had been made; but the avowal -appeared in a Viennese newspaper, the <i xml:lang="de">Neue Freie -Presse</i>, and was reproduced by order of the German -authorities in <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i> (Brussels, 13th January, -1915).</p> - - -<p><i>Hostilities preceding the Declaration of War.</i></p> - -<p>So the Emperor Wilhelm II did not succeed in -making us his accomplices. Needless to say, we -did not tremble before the two bogies which are -given so large a place in his harangues: his store -of dry powder and his newly-whetted sabre.</p> - -<p>And so the sovereign of the formidable German -Empire declared war upon tiny Belgium. "He would -find himself, to his keenest regret, obliged to execute, -if need be by force of arms, the measures of security -set forth as indispensable," as the declaration of war -expressed it (1st <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 27). This declaration -reached Brussels at 7 a.m. on the 4th of -August. But, apparently unknown to the Emperor, -the German troops, before the telegram had reached -Belgium, had crossed the frontier during the night of -the 3rd.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span></p> - -<p>We have just seen that the declaration of war -reached Brussels on the 4th August, at seven o'clock -in the morning. This, at least, is what we learn -from the official documents published by Belgium. -What does official Germany say upon this point? -Nothing. Nowhere is any mention made of the -declaration of war, and it is this intentional -vagueness which allows the Germans to declare, -without blushing, that the German troops entered -Belgium on the night of the 3rd August. They let -it be supposed that the state of war existed from -the moment when Belgium, on the 3rd, refused the -German ultimatum. Thus the <i xml:lang="de">Chronik des Deutschen -Krieges</i> (p. 33) gives the text of the ultimatum; -then, in two lines, a summary of the reply. The -first document which follows relating to Belgium is -the proclamation of the Commander-in-Chief of the -Army of the Meuse (<i>6th Report</i>, I).</p> - -<p>This is very vague as to the political relations -between the two countries: are they at war, or are -they not? No one could say. Of the declaration of -war, which should have found a place here, not a -word; there is no further question of Belgium before -the telegrams of the 7th August (p. <a href="#Page_84">84</a>).</p> - -<p>When we say that the declaration of war is not -mentioned in any German publication, we are going -too far. <i xml:lang="de">Die Wahrheit über den Krieg</i> ("die Wahrheit!") -speaks of the declaration of war; but only -to say that Belgium declared war (p. 40): <i xml:lang="de">Belgiën -antwortete darauf mit der Kriegserklärung</i>.<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a></p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p> -<p>The same publication appends some documents; -No. 41 (p. 160) is a reproduction of the ultimatum. -One would naturally expect that No. 42 would be -either Belgium's reply or the declaration of war. -By no means; these two documents are not given. -Any one who reads the text and hopes thereby to -learn "<i xml:lang="de">die Wahrheit</i>" concerning the war will be no -better informed by the documents. Let us in passing -remark that the German Government, in the <i>White -Book</i> published for the session of the Reichstag of -the 4th August, had also, by its own admission, -made a selection among the documents which it -submitted to the members of Parliament. This -procedure is no doubt a logical consequence of -<i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>.</p> - - -<p><i>The Pacific Character of Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>Nearly all the nations of Europe cherish national -animosities, racial hatreds handed down from century -to century, the heritage of conflicts never pacified, -which a mere nothing suffices to renew; or the survival -of oppressions and spoliations suffered of old by -men's forbears, whose abhorred memory is transmitted -like a sacred trust from generation to generation. -And in all these countries, moreover, there is a -chauvinist, a jingo party, which urges a "war of -revenge against the hereditary enemy." In Belgium, -as Mr. Asquith stated in his speech in Dublin, there -was nothing of the kind. We had no spite against -any one, and our people, laborious and peaceful, only -asked to be allowed to live in friendship with its -neighbours. Never had there been in Belgium any -manifestation against a foreign country; never had -a political party inscribed in its programme any sort -of hostility towards another people. Who, then, will -be persuaded that "the Belgian Government had for -a long time been carefully preparing for this war,"<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> -as the Emperor Wilhelm II asserted in his telegram -to the President of the United States (in which he -also stated that his heart was bleeding!)? No, there -is no possible doubt on this point: Belgium brought -into the conflict no racial enmity,<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> and if she has -found herself thrown into the furnace, despite her -constant love of peace, it is solely because her -haughty neighbour confronted her with this dilemma: -either peace with dishonour, or honour with -war. The choice was not in doubt.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>German Espionage in Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>It is idle to insist on the accusation of premeditation, -for it is unhappily too certain that Belgium was -is no way ready for war. But it is also incontestable -that Germany had "for a long time carefully prepared -for" the invasion of Belgium. We cannot as -yet reveal in detail the facts as to German espionage, -with its often odious methods, for in most -cases these revelations would expose those who have -informed us to reprisals. We must for the present -be intentionally vague, reserving preciser details for a -later date.</p> - -<p>When the occupation comes to an end we shall -report in detail the case of a German engineer, -who, in returning to us with the rank of officer, presided -over the systematic destruction by fire of the -workshop which he had managed; and the case of -another engineer, who commanded the gang ordered -to set fire to the quarter adjoining the factory in -which he had been employed. Thanks to his knowledge -of the locality, he was able in a few seconds to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>set fire to the richest streets of the neighbourhood. -We shall be able to mark on a map the foundations -of reinforced concrete for the great German guns, -constructed long in advance, in the localities most -favourable to bombardment; we shall also point to -the store of timber intended to serve for the construction -of a bridge over the Scheldt, which was -found in a factory established by Germans on the -banks of the river. As for the store of Mauser rifles -discovered at Liége, our newspapers spoke of that at -the time.</p> - -<p>Here is a fact which can be related without danger. -A German officer dropped from his pocket—we shall -state later on in what locality—a detailed plan of the -town of Soignies, in which his troops had lodged a -few days earlier. This plan gives, besides the details -of streets, and even houses, information concerning -the occupants of certain buildings: pharmacies, -breweries, tanneries, the Communal treasury, the -bank, and other establishments where the army -might need to make requisitions. The large buildings -are coloured blue. It was there that the -troops were lodged. This plan, drawn in Chinese -ink and coloured, dates from fifteen years back -according to the indications which it contains. But -it has quite recently been revised and completed, for -the latest alterations in the town have been added in -pencil; improvement of the Senne, creation of a -public square, etc.</p> - -<p>The case related by the <i>N.R.C.</i> of 19th August -(evening) is particularly instructive. When the -Germans occupied Liége and Seraing the Cockerill -workshops naturally refused to work for them, since -the Germans wished them to make munitions for -them. The German Colonel Keppel then assumed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -the direction of the works, promising the workers an -increased salary of 50 per cent. And this officer did -not blush to sign his proclamation: "Attaché of the -German Government at the Liége Exposition." He -had consequently profited by his privileged situation -in Belgium in order to make himself familiar with the -organization of the Cockerill works. But it must be -supposed that matters were too difficult for him, -for Herren Koester and Noske (<i xml:lang="de">Kriegsfahrten</i>, p. 21) -assert that he had to abandon the position.</p> - - -<p><i>The Mentality of the German Soldiers at the -beginning of the Campaign.</i></p> - -<p>Until the very last moment our enemies deluded -themselves as to the loyalty of the Belgians: they -still hoped that the latter would only resist as a -matter of form. This idea is openly expressed in the -Chancellor's speech of the 2nd December; it is also -implicitly contained in the proclamation of General -von Emmich (see <i>6th Report</i>, I). The officers and -soldiers who crossed the frontier at the beginning of -the war were quite bewildered by the unforeseen -resistance of the Belgian Army; this is what the -German prisoners interned at Bruges tell their relatives; -they even go so far as to deplore having to -fight a neutral country.</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Letters from German Prisoners of War.</span></p> - -<p>We hear from Belgium:—</p> - -<p>The correspondence of the German prisoners of -war (to the number of about two thousand) who, at -the beginning of the war, were interned in the barracks -of the Bruges Lancers, has passed almost -entirely through our hands.</p> - -<p>All say they are well treated. Some even hope<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span> -that the Belgian prisoners in Germany will be as -well treated as they. One wounded soldier in a -Bruges hospital relates that the Belgians treat the -German wounded like brothers; another speaks only -of his "Belgian comrades"! The good food served -to them seems to make a great impression. Most of -them say, "We have enough to eat"; or even, "We -have food in abundance." Only one complains of -"beer without flavour and bad wine"; but another -says with much simplicity: "The people here are -very kind to us, for we have enough to eat and -drink." The word <i>for</i> is amusing....</p> - -<p>The letters of the officers are quite different. No -more joy because their lives are safe. The war -absorbs them entirely. They are warriors at heart -and the struggle interests them passionately. They -know nothing of what is happening, or rather they -are not told what is happening, and they want to -know ... to know, and it is painful to hear in each -letter the same question: what news? The forced -inactivity becomes a torture. Boredom presses on -them: they are discouraged and greatly disillusioned; -they had hoped to pass very rapidly across -Belgium (it must be remembered that at this time -the war was only beginning, that Brussels was not -yet occupied, and that the letters date from this -period).</p> - -<p>The attack upon Belgium does not seem to please -a great many of them. "We have attacked a neutral -country," says a medical officer, "and we shall -now have to suffer the eventual consequences."</p> - -<p>"When we got out of the train," says another, -"we received the order to fight against Belgium, a -thing which is to me and to all highly antipathetic. -But what is commanded has to be executed."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span></p> - -<p>"The attack on Belgium was from the first a -shameful thing."</p> - -<p>"We violated Belgium before any declaration of -war had been made"!</p> - -<p>All the letters show how little the resistance of -Liége was expected. Many say: "Of all our company, -of our battalion, of our regiment, there are left -only so many or so many men." One relates how in -a few minutes his colonel, his major, the captains, -and nearly all the lieutenants were mown down by -the balls. "We are all mightily deluded," admits -another; "we were too confident; we thought the -Belgians were disheartened"! "The Belgians fight -like lions," says another.</p> - - -<p><i>German Lies respecting the Occupation of Liége.</i></p> - -<p>It is the truth, although the news is partly from -a German source, that the Germans entered Belgium -on the night of the 3rd of August; they -crossed the frontier near Gemmenich at two o'clock -in the morning, and the following night (of the 4th -of August) they were already attempting an attack -upon Liége. But the official telegrams from Berlin -have never mentioned this date. To make it believed -that the capture of Liége was extremely rapid and -that the German army had met with no serious -resistance, the staff pruned the siege of Liége at -both ends; it made the operation commence on the -5th August instead of the 4th, and declared that it -was already completed by the 7th August.</p> - -<p>We could not give a more precise idea of the -manner in which the Government and its "reptile -Press" deceives public opinion than by reproducing -two telegrams relating to the fall of Liége. On the -7th of August, having reported the entrance of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -troops into Belgium on the previous day, the telegrams -announced the capture of the fortress of -Liége.<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> Note this: the capture of the <i>fortress</i> -(Festung). Now the Germans had merely occupied -the town of Liége, a town absolutely open, -without ramparts or defences of any kind. They -themselves were forced to own, on the 10th, that -the forts had not been captured; but they added -that the guns were no longer firing, which was false -(p. <a href="#Page_50">50</a>).</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>7th August</i>.—Our advance guard entered Belgium the -day before yesterday, along the whole frontier. A small division -attempted, with great valour, a surprise attack upon Liége. A -few cavalrymen pushed on into the city, and attempted to seize -the commandant, who was only able to escape by flight. The -surprise attack against the fortress, constructed according to -modern principles, did not succeed. Our troops are before -the fortress, in contact with the enemy. Naturally the whole -enemy Press will describe this enterprise as a defeat; but it -has no influence on the great operations; for us it is only -an isolated fact in the history of the war, and a proof of the -aggressive courage of our troops.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="de">Kr. D. des K. Z.</i>, p. 9.)<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>7th August</i>. Official. (<i>Wolff Agency.</i>)—The fortress -of Liége is taken. After the divisions, which had attempted a -surprise attack upon Liége, had been reinforced, the attack was -pushed to a successful termination. This morning at 8 o'clock -the fortress was in the power of Germany.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="de">Kr. D. des K. Z.</i>, p. 11.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>However, it was necessary to prevent the bad -effect which would be produced on the population -by foreign communiqués announcing that the -German army was continuing to besiege Liége -after taking it. After the complete success announced -on the 7th the task was, in fact, rather -difficult. How was it to be effected?</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span></p> -<p>(<i>a</i>) Discredit might be thrown on news coming -from abroad, for example, by "demonstrating" its -untruthfulness. <i xml:lang="de">Der Lügenfeldzug</i> gives on p. 19 the -announcement of the taking of Liége, and on the -<i>following</i> page the Havas telegram stating that -Liége is not taken. What will the superficial -reader conclude if he does not take the trouble to -dissect the telegrams? That the Allies are shameless -liars, going to the length of denying the obvious. -But examine the dates: Liége was taken, according -to the Germans, on the 7th August, at 8 a.m., while -the Allies declare that Liége is not taken—on the -6th! And to think that the book which perpetrates -this trickery is entitled <i xml:lang="de">Der Lügenfeldzug unserer -Feinde</i> ("Our Enemies' Campaign of Lies")! and -that it undertakes the mission of calling attention -to the lies and calumnies of the enemy in order -to correct them!</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) To establish confusion between the city and -the fortress. As early as the 7th August the false -newsmongers were rejoicing over the taking of the -fortress, intentionally confusing the city and the -fortified place, so that the reader of these communiqués -no longer knows what to think, and -naturally accepts the official news of his own -country.</p> - - -<p><i>The sudden Attack upon France is checked.</i></p> - -<p>To understand how completely it was in Germany's -interest to create the belief that Liége was -taken in two days by a small body of troops, we -must remember that the object of the Germans was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -to traverse Belgium as rapidly as possible, in order -to crush the French and capture Paris. The author -of <i xml:lang="fr">J'accuse</i> reports the remark of old Marshal von -Haeseler, who proposed to celebrate in Paris the -anniversary of Sedan—on the 2nd September, 1914. -We ourselves copied a charcoal inscription written -on the front of a house burned down at Battice, -making an appointment in Paris for the 2nd September -with a certain regiment of artillery.</p> - -<p>Now this sudden march was completely spoiled -and the German plan of campaign undone by the -unexpected resistance of the Belgians, first at Liége, -then at Hesbays. This loss of a few days was fatal -to Germany, and Germany bears us malice on that -account.</p> - - -<p><i>The Disinterested Behaviour of Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>One last point as to the violation of our neutrality.</p> - -<p>The Germans now pretend to pity the poor -Belgians, who allowed themselves to be fooled by -England as much as by their King and Government, -and who, by their credulity, brought the war upon -themselves. But what am I saying?—the German -Government assures the world that we ourselves -desired the war. Official Germany has become -incapable of conceiving that a people should remain -faithful to its international obligations, and if need -be sacrifice itself for them.</p> - -<p>"Why," our adversaries ask us, "did you not -accept the proposals of Germany? You would have -profited by them." And indeed our eastern neighbours -offered us £200,000 as the price of our -complicity (F. Bettix, <i xml:lang="de">Der Krieg</i>).</p> - -<p>It would be very interesting to know on what -data Germany calculates the value of a nation's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -honour; in any case, we may assure her that no one -in the world would be so simple as to offer so great -a sum for hers.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>For the rest, as far as we Belgians are concerned -our interest has never entered into our calculations. -It was not in order to profit by it that we resisted -Germany; it was because we judged that such was -our obligation as an honest nation. And yet, as the -Minister, M. Carton de Wiart, remarked, at the -Hotel de Ville in Paris, on the 20th December, 1914, -we had, even then, the vision of our country ravaged -by the Prussian hordes; but even to-day, after -suffering such terrible atrocities, there is not a -Belgian "who would change his poverty for the -profits of a bandit."</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> The Germans do not like one to quote these words of Herr -Bethmann-Hollweg. A series of pamphlets, <i xml:lang="fr">Histoire de la guerre -de 1914</i>, which has appeared in Brussels during the occupation, -reports the last conversation of the Chancellor with the -British Ambassador on the 4th of August, 1914 (p. 206), but the -"scrap of paper" does not figure therein: the censorship suppressed -this too compromising passage.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> See, for example, Bernhardi's <i>How Germany makes War</i>, -pp. 190, 191, 192. On the 4th of March, 1882, the <i xml:lang="de">Nord. Allg. -Zeit.</i> declared: "Germany has no political motive for violating -Belgian neutrality, but the military advantage which might -result forces her thereto." Emile Bauning, <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique au point -de vue Militaire et International</i>, Brussels, 1906, p. 58.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Apparently such unusual honesty cannot long survive in the -mind of a German diplomatist. The phrase is in its proper -place in the French text, but it is lacking in the Flemish text, -which is printed facing it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> <i xml:lang="de">K.Z.</i>, 2nd December, 1st edition, morning, published the -same revelations. This article is more complete than that -printed in Brussels. We hasten to correct a numerical error -which renders the opening of the second paragraph incomprehensible: -it states that five years had elapsed between 1905 and -1914. According to the <i xml:lang="de">K.Z.</i> one should read 1909 instead of 1905.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> The same lie figures in <i xml:lang="de">Lüttich</i>, p. 5.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> The French text here quoted is that which was posted up. -The German text, also posted, states that Belgium had long ago -carefully armed the civil population (see p. <a href="#Page_208">208</a>).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> An article on "Flemings and Walloons" in <i xml:lang="de">K.Z.</i> for 13th March -(noon edition), declares that Belgium knew nothing of chauvinism, -nor even, adds the writer, of nationalism.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> These lies die hard. Herren Koester and Noske, in the -introduction of their book, <i xml:lang="de">Kreigsfahrten durch Belgiën und -Nordfrankreich</i>, literally state: "The German troops entered -Belgium on the 6th of August; on the following day the -fortress of Liége had been taken by assault."</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER II<br /> -VIOLATIONS OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION</h2> - - -<h3>A.—The "Reprisals against <span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>."</h3> - -<p>Under the pretext that France was making ready -to attack her, Germany hastened to invade Belgium -and Luxemburg. But France was not preparing -to invade the Rhine provinces of Prussia, and this -pretended threat of aggression was merely a trick, -intended to frighten Parliament, and to obtain a -vote approving the actions of the Ministry and -giving it <i xml:lang="fr">carte blanche</i>. The manœuvre completely -succeeded; the Government received a unanimous -vote, in spite of the Chancellor's admission: "We -are committing an injustice, and we are violating -the law of nations; but when one is driven into a -corner as we are, all means are good."</p> - -<p>We discovered immediately, alas! what these -words meant. Hardly had the German soldiers -crossed the frontier, when they began to burn and -massacre.</p> - - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">Murders committed by the Germans from the outset.</i></p> - -<p>On the very day of the invasion—the 4th August—a -motor-car carrying four German officers arrived -at Herve, and then pulled up. One of the officers -demanded information of a youth of sixteen, one -Dechêne; the latter did not understand, or perhaps<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -refused to reply (which was his right, and even his -duty towards his country); we do not know, but in -any case the officer shot him with his revolver.</p> - -<p>On the 4th of August, too, the Germans shot -peaceful citizens at Visé, when the 2nd battalion of -the 12th regiment of the line, under Major Collyns, -had the audacity to resist them. Of course they -pretended that the civilians took part in the -fighting. A few days later they burned the church -and the greater part of the town.</p> - -<p>One sees plainly from these, and too many other -examples, what was the object of our enemies: -(<i xml:lang="fr">a</i>) They wished to terrorize the population, in order -to make them more amenable to requisitions and -demands of all kinds; (<i xml:lang="fr">b</i>) they wished to make their -own troops believe that in fighting the Belgians—which -they at first did with great unwillingness—they -were merely defending themselves against -treacherous attacks; (<i xml:lang="fr">c</i>) they wished to multiply -opportunities of pillage; (<i xml:lang="fr">d</i>) finally, perhaps, they -reckoned that by displaying to the Belgian Government -the horrors to which its first refusal had -exposed the country, they would induce it to -reconsider its position and could obtain from it a -free passage.</p> - - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">Were there any "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>"?</i></p> - -<p>It would be impossible at this moment to state -that the Belgians never, at any point of the frontier, -fired upon the invaders. Let us remark, moreover, -that if they did they would have been, from the -purely human point of view, perfectly excusable.<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>What! here is Germany, who, pretending to be in a -state of legitimate defence, falls unawares upon an -inoffensive third party! And this third party had -no right to oppose force to violence! In all logic, -was it not Belgium that was in a state of legitimate -defence; was it not for Belgium that all means were -good? And notice, please, that it was not against -an imagined and imaginary menace that we were -defending ourselves: the Germans had most undeniably -invaded Belgium. Would it have been -astonishing if the Belgians, exasperated by this -unspeakable aggression, had seized their rifles? In -sane justice, one could not regard such action as a -grievance; on the contrary. Does this mean that -we believe in the story of civilians attacking the -German army? Most certainly not; because we -know from reliable sources that in <i xml:lang="fr">every</i> case where -it has been possible to hold an inquiry, this inquiry -has shown that the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" were merely the -pretext; the real motive for all the devastation and -massacre was the desire to terrorize the population. -It is, therefore, in a fashion entirely theoretical, and -with the most express reserves, that we admit, in -default of opportunity to investigate, in each case, -the affirmations of our enemies, that in some cases, -certainly extremely rare, isolated civilians, or small -groups of civilians, may have been taken with arms -in their hands. But our enemies will please admit -also that the attitude of these civilians would have -been amply excused by the more than brutal fashion -in which the Germans behaved from the very first -moments of the war. Let us add that when one -erects terror into a system, as the Germans do, one -should understand the defensive reflexes of the -victims.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> -<p>What were the rights of our enemies in these -exceptional cases? They could, as they themselves -proclaim, have shot the individual offenders, and, for -once in a way, have burned their houses. But -nothing in the world could justify the executions -<i>en masse</i> and the wholesale burnings to which the -Germans surrendered themselves.</p> - - -<p><i>The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in the German -Army.</i></p> - -<p>One point at first remained obscure to us in the -German "reprisals": how did the German officers -induce their men to commit this horrible carnage? -Very simply: their minds were worked upon beforehand; -they were crammed with legends of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> -dating from the war of 1870-71, and were -made to believe that the Belgian population was -revoltingly brutal. So as soon as they set foot on -our territory they expected to be attacked by civilians, -and, very naturally, prepared to sell their lives -dearly.</p> - -<p>Nothing is more typical in this respect than the -collection of soldiers' letters published for the edification -of the German nation in <i xml:lang="de">Der Deutsche Krieg in -Feldpostbriefen</i>.—<i xml:lang="de">I. Lüttich, Namur, Antwerpen.</i> -In more than half is there mention of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"; -but scarcely ever does the writer speak -of having himself seen them. Read, for example, -the first letter (that is No. 2 in the volume, for -Letter No. 1 is not a soldier's letter). The writer, -an officer, asserts that during the attack on the forts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -of Liége, on the night of the 6th of August, the -night was so dark that it was impossible to distinguish -friends from enemies, and that the Germans -were firing on one another. Nevertheless, as they -were fired on, and as they saw three men running, -they immediately shot them as "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." -During this same night their baggage-column having -been surprised (he does not say by whom), a village -was burned and the inhabitants were shot.</p> - -<p>The whole mentality of the German soldier in -respect of civilians is reflected in this letter; it is so -dark that the Germans fire on one another, but that -does not prevent them from recognizing that those -attacking them are "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," even though -their men are "falling <i xml:lang="fr">en masse</i>," which excludes all -idea of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>.</p> - -<p><span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>! From the very first days of the -war it is a fixed idea, an obsession, engendered by -previous reading and conversation, and carefully -nourished by the leaders.</p> - - -<p><i>The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in the -Literature of the War.</i></p> - -<p><span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>! This idea invades the whole of -their contemporary literature. All the books on -the campaign in Belgium and France swarm with -tales of this kind. Let us add that the authors do -not assert that they themselves have seen the attacks -of the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." But they have been told -of them, and they hasten to repeat the story without -the slightest means of verification.</p> - -<p>Thus, in <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsfahrten</i>, by Herren Koester and -Noske, there is mention of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" on -pages 10, 12, 13, 20, and 22; and they return to the -subject in the last chapter (p. 113).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p> - -<p>Herr Fedor von Zobeltitz, in <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsfahrten eines -Johanniters</i>, also constantly heard mention of attacks -by Belgian civilians: at Tirlemont (p. 39), at -Louvain (pp. 39, 53, 54, 91), at Malines (p. 49), -at Eppeghem (p. 86), and in Antwerp (p. 154).</p> - -<p>The volume entitled <i xml:lang="de">Die Eroberung Belgiëns</i> is -full of stories of the same sort. Thus, of thirty-eight -illustrations, which are neither maps nor portraits, -ten are devoted to the attacks of Belgian civilians.</p> - -<p>It is interesting to compare the tales of people who -have not been present in the battles fought in Belgium, -and who speak only from hearsay, with the -narrative of Herr Otto von Gottberg, <i xml:lang="de">Als Adjutant -durch Frankreich und Belgiën</i>. He took part in -September in the battles which accompanied the -siege of Antwerp. Nowhere did he see <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>. -Yet he by no means loves the Belgian civilians, and -he certainly would have been tremendously pleased -to shoot down a few. Read, for example, what he -says of the provocative attitude of the people of -Brussels, and above all of the women of Brussels -(p. 55), and of passing through the streets of Lebbeke -(near Termonde), where his soldiers proposed to fall -upon the inhabitants who scowled at them (p. 65). -However, he says, he did not burn a single house -(p. 67). We may remark that Herr Gottberg's -companions showed themselves less amiable, or at -least equitable, than he, for the "reprisals" against -Lebbeke were particularly atrocious (see <i>9th Report</i>). -It is, however, highly improbable that the inhabitants -would have deprived themselves of the pleasure of -firing on the little patrol led by Herr Gottberg, -afterwards to take up arms against troops which -were much more numerous. However it may be, -the legend of the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" of Lebbeke was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -willingly accepted by Herren Koester and Noske -(<i xml:lang="de">Kriegsfahrten</i>).</p> - - -<p><i>The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in Literature -and Art.</i></p> - -<p>The obsession of the "franc-tireur" is also found -outside the limits of military literature properly -so-called. Herr Bredt has just published a book on -<i xml:lang="fr">Le caractère du peuple belge révélé par l'art belge</i>. -The illegal attacks of the Belgian population upon -the regular German troops, he says, were not in the -least surprising to those who were acquainted with -the productions of Belgian art.</p> - -<p>It would be difficult to surpass, in this respect, an -article which appeared in the January number of -<i xml:lang="de">Kunst und Künstler</i>. It gives the reproduction of -an engraving by Callot: a camp in which musketeers -are putting to death condemned men bound to stakes. -"Execution of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," says the legend in -German. That there should be a question of -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" in the time of Callot, who died -in 1635, may in itself seem somewhat strange. But -the engraver has taken care to inscribe, under his -work, some lines describing the scene which it -represents, which may be translated as follows:—</p> - -<div class="poem"> -"Those who to give their evil nature sway,<br /> -Failing in duty, take the tyrant's way,<br /> -Infringing right, delighting but in ill,<br /> -Whose acts are full of treason and self-will,<br /> -Cause in the camp full many a bloody brawl,<br /> -So die this death, the end of traitors all."<br /> -</div> - -<p>It is enough to read this legend to realize that -they are traitors who are being punished; but the -German mind of to-day is so steeped in the idea of -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" that the artists no longer understand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -what their predecessors wrote, and, like the -soldiers, they see <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> everywhere.</p> - - -<p><i>Responsibility of the Leaders.</i></p> - -<p>But it is above all the great massacres of -Andenne, Tamines, Dinant, Termonde, Aerschot, -Louvain, and Luxemburg, which are for ever inexcusable, -and will remain, an eternal disgrace, as a -stain upon the German flag. Their appetite whetted -by the atrocities committed during the first days of -the invasion, the soldiers themselves invented or -simulated attacks of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," in order -to have the pleasure of afterwards repressing them, -killing, pillaging, and burning entire cities. Let us -say, to be just, that not the soldiers but their leaders -will bear, before the bar of history, the responsibility -of this revival of the monstrosities of barbarism. Is -it not obvious that in an army as highly disciplined -as the German, an army in which the officers -drive their men into battle under the threat of -their revolvers, and in which the soldiers obey such -injunctions, such deliberately prepared tragedies as -that of Louvain are possible only with the complicity -of the officers, or rather by their orders? -How else can we conceive that soldiers would post -themselves in a garden and thence fire their rifles -into the streets? (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 10th September, 1914, -evening edition). And it is not the subaltern officers -that we have to call to account for these butcheries, -but the generals, such as Baron von Bissing, since -become Governor-General of Belgium, who counsels -the soldiery to show themselves pitiless, and not to -allow themselves to be swayed by any humanitarian -consideration, for compassion would be an act of -treason (<i>compare</i> p. <a href="#Page_336">336</a>). The soldiers are advised<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -that it is permissible for them "to make the -innocent suffer with the guilty" (p. <a href="#Page_84">84</a>); that -they may hang, without further ceremony, those -who have committed the crime of being found -present, for whatever reason, in a house where -munitions or arms have been found (p. <a href="#Page_335">335</a>); and -also those who have attempted to escape while they -were being held as hostages (p. <a href="#Page_151">151</a>). The previous -Governor-General of Belgium announced that soldiers -need not be sure whether suspects are accessories -or not, but that "if any hostility is displayed -towards them they may raze a city to the ground." -Such is the fate that General von Bülow promised -the city of Brussels. The same general thought it -incumbent upon him officially to inform the people -of Brussels, Liége, and Namur that it was with his -consent that the town of Andenne was burned, and -about one hundred persons shot (<i>6th Report</i>, IV).</p> - -<p>By these proclamations and others equally sanguinary -the military authorities wished to influence -both the Germans and the Belgians. The former -were absolved beforehand of the horrors they committed, -and were assured of impunity for all the -"reprisals" they might be pleased to undertake. -Moreover, they were kept in perpetual horror of -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." Are they assailed unexpectedly by -soldiers of the enemy's army? They fall back without -assuring themselves of what has really happened, and -return with the main body of the army to expend their -rage against the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." This is what took -place at Tamines where more than four hundred -citizens were shot down by rifle or machine-gun fire, -and also in a dozen villages of Bas-Luxembourg, -which were razed to the ground, and in which a -thousand inhabitants were shot.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Animosity toward the Clergy.</i></p> - -<p>The military chiefs bear an especial grudge against -the clergy. In the manifestoes against "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" -the priests are specially mentioned, which -amounts to recommending them quite specially to -the savagery of the troops. The latter are convinced -that the priests incite their flocks from the -pulpit, and that they place machine-guns in the -belfries. So, in the sack of a village, the worst -treatment is always reserved for the priests and -the churches.</p> - -<p>The pastoral letter of His Excellency Cardinal -Mercier gives a list of forty-three priests shot or -executed.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a></p> - -<p>There is no ignominy the troops have not inflicted -on the priests. A few examples among hundreds -will suffice.</p> - -<p>They forced members of the Louvain clergy to lie -naked in the dung of a pig-sty.</p> - -<p>The curé of Pont-Brûlé was beaten, by order -of the German soldiery, by his own parishioners.</p> - -<p>The January number of <i xml:lang="de">Kunst und Künstler</i> gives -a drawing representing a curé hanging from a tree.</p> - -<p>At Cortemarck it was the priests who were -punished because an inhabitant was in communication -with the enemy (read, "the Belgians").</p> - -<p>On the 30th August, 1914, the Germans arrested -the dean and vicar of a village in Brabant, under the -pretext that they had made luminous signals from -the church tower. Now the priests had been -prisoners since 2.0 o'clock of the afternoon; how -then could they have ascended the tower at -5.30 p.m.? Despite their protestations they were -taken to Louvain, whence a so-called Council of -War sent them to Germany. Arriving in a prisoners' -camp, they were accommodated in the latrines, -which consisted of a trench and a plank perforated -with holes. Each time a German soldier had to -satisfy his need, he took the opportunity of insulting -the priests in the most filthy manner. A German -major sent for them and informed them that they -were about to be shot. The vicar asked that he -might confess. "No," he was told, "hell is good -enough for you." They were led away to die ... -but were sent to a seminary, where they remained -prisoners until January 1915.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>Animosity toward Churches.</i></p> - -<p>Against the churches their rage was unloosed with -even greater fury. In the part of Brabant that lies -north of Vilvorde there is hardly a belfry left erect: -Beyghem, Capelle-au-Bois, Haecht, Humbeek, Pont-Brûlé, -Sempst, Eppeghem, Houtem, Weerde, -Hofstade, Elewijt, Werchter, Boortmeerbeek, etc., -are all burned.</p> - -<p>At Termonde all the churches have been either -burned or profaned. But in the midst of this city, -where twelve hundred houses were burned out of -fourteen hundred, the Béguinage remained intact, an -oasis of calm isolated amid the calcined ruins. On the -grassy plain that surrounds the bright little houses -of the béguines stood the chapel. This did not find -favour with the Germans, and its blackened walls -attest that <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> has passed that way. Were -the béguines perhaps "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"?</p> - -<p>We have already stated that the peculiar irritation -of the Germans against the clergy and their sanctuaries -was due to the fact that they regarded the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -curés as the leaders of the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." The -falsity of this allegation was recognized by Dr. Julius -Bachem, the editor of the <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Volkszeitung</i>, -one of the most prominent Catholic newspapers in -Germany. Dr. Bachem published, in the issue for -April 1915 of the <i xml:lang="de">Süddeutsche Monatshefte</i>, which -was principally devoted to Belgium, an article on -the religious problem in Belgium. He based his -proofs on the authority of Baron von Bissing, -Commandant of the 7th Army Corps, at present -Governor-General in Belgium, and also on the -special inquiry undertaken by the Union of the -Catholic Priests of the Rhine, <i>Pax</i>. This inquiry, -mostly conducted with the aid of the present military -authorities in Belgium, proved that the clergy was -absolutely innocent, and that all the accusations -brought against it were purely imaginary.<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a></p> - -<p>The Emperor did not wait for the confirmation -of the crimes attributed to the priests before making -violent accusations against them in his telegram to -the President of the United States. He has not -retracted these.</p> - - -<p><i>Intentional Insufficiency of Preliminary Inquiries.</i></p> - -<p>Never was there the least justification for reprisals. -Read the Reports of the Commission of Inquiry, -and the narratives of ocular witnesses, and you will -find that the most horrible things are continually -done without any pains being taken to verify the -facts. Soldiers greedy for pillage say, without -justification, <i xml:lang="de">Die Civilisten haben geschossen</i>; and -that is enough. The order is given to kill the -men and reduce the neighbourhood to ashes. Or -shots have really been fired on the Germans; -the civilians are suddenly accused, and without -listening to the unhappy prisoners, who offer to -prove that the shots were fired by Belgian or -Allied soldiers, the Germans proceed to execution.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> -<p>A very typical case is that of Charleroi. We -knew that French troops were still occupying the -town when the Germans entered. But these last -immediately accused the civilians, since, they said, -shots were fired from the interior of the houses, -as though their adversaries had not the right, -quite as much as they, to take cover in the buildings. -Moreover, when they later were confronted -with the proof that the French were there, they -merely remarked that the latter's mission was to -organize and to discipline the civic guards and -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> (<i>see</i> Heymel's article, p. 196). -Could one imagine a finer example of preconceived -opinion?</p> - -<p>M. Waxwieler insists emphatically on the unspeakable -frivolity with which the Germans carry -out "reprisals." He cites notably the case of -Linsmeau (p. 256) and that of Francorchamps -(p. 270). As this is an essential point, I may -perhaps be permitted to relate a few more cases.</p> - -<p>On entering Wépion on the 23rd August the -Germans pretended that the citizens had fired on -them, and they shot, then and there, six of them, -among whom were the two younger Bouchats. -Now those who had fired were Belgian soldiers -armed with machine-guns, who were covering the -retreat of the Belgian troops. A moment's reflection -would have enabled the Germans to realize -their error, since civilians obviously had no -machine-guns at their disposal. While they were -being led to their death, one of the Bouchats begged -a glass of water of their mother. But the Germans -refused to allow it to be given him: "It's not worth -the trouble now," they said.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span></p> -<p>In August 1914 a French patrol and a German -patrol came into collision at Sibret (Belgian Luxembourg) -and exchanged shots; they then retired, -leaving a wounded German on the ground. Two -inhabitants of Sibret carried the wounded man -toward an ambulance; the clerk to the <i xml:lang="fr">Justice de -Paix</i> of Bouillon, M. Rozier, accompanied them. -He was carrying the rifle slung over his shoulder -and the soldier's knapsack in his hand. A German -patrol came up and questioned M. Rozier, telling -him, no doubt, to raise his hands or throw down his -rifle. As neither M. Rozier nor any of his companions -understood German, and were unable to -comply with the order, the Germans fired on -M. Rozier, killing him.</p> - -<p>Every time it has been possible to obtain any kind -of inquiry from the Germans it has resulted in their -confusion; at Huy the bullets found in the bodies -of Germans were German bullets; the General was -forced to stop the burning of the village; he even -admitted that a mistake had been made.</p> - -<p>An example of another kind, also taken from the -<i>N.R.C.</i>, is equally characteristic. During the night -a German soldier fired a rifle-shot, no one knew why, -in a village of Western Flanders. Great alarm immediately. -"The village is going to be burned!" -But before they had time to get to work an important<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -piece of evidence, the empty cartridge-case, -proved that it was really a German soldier who fired. -However, if by chance this blessed cartridge-case -had not come to hand the village would have -burned. Too often, alas! the German army does -not trouble to postpone the reprisals awhile ... -and the houses are in ashes before the falsity of -the accusations has been proved. It is to be -remarked, indeed, that it is never the Germans -who prove the truth of their allegations, but the -Belgians who have to prove the Germans in error. -It is justice reversed.</p> - -<p>It is easy to understand that a <i xml:lang="fr">non-lieu</i> does not -please the German authorities. In fact, their object -is not to render justice but to terrorize the population; -and if it were necessary to examine the <i>bona-fides</i> -of their accusations they would not be able -to exercise "reprisals," which would not suit them -at all!</p> - -<p>If the accusations had really been justified by the -attacks of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" the Germans would have -taken care to establish their existence irrefutably. -For we must not forget that according to Article 3 -of the Hague Convention they ought to indemnify -us for all the burnings and massacres commanded by -them.</p> - - -<p><i>A "Show" Inquiry.</i></p> - -<p>They know, however, how contrary these summary -executions are to the spirit of justice, and -they sometimes attempt to lay a false trail. Read, -for example, the chapter devoted by Dr. Sven Hedin -to the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." The great Swedish geographer, -of whose wonderful Asiatic journeys every -one has heard, made a tour along the Western front. -He therefore visited the occupied portion of France<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -and Belgium, and wrote an enthusiastic book on the -German Army, <i xml:lang="de">Ein Volk in Waffen</i>. In the course -of this work, he describes the manner in which an -inquiry is held into the circumstances of an attack -by "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." Everything is done as regularly -as possible, and the affair ends in an acquittal. -Was the tribunal authentic, or was it merely a -parody?<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> It matters little; the essential thing -for us is that it was desired to prove to Dr. Hedin -that the Germans are not barbarians, and that they -observe the forms of justice even while on campaign.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>Mentality of an Officer charged with the Repression -of "<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>."</i></p> - -<p>Let us now compare with the account of Dr. -Hedin that of a German officer entrusted with the -repression of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." Captain Paul Oskar -Höcker gives a few curious details in his interesting -book, <i xml:lang="de">An der Spitze meiner Kompagnie</i>. He had to -clear of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" a portion of the territory -comprised between the German frontier and the -Meuse. His mission consisted in this: to present -himself at houses, to ask if there were arms, and -in case of a reply in the negative, to search the -house; if arms were discovered the householder was -shot on the spot; in case of resistance the house -was burned (p. 83). The first farm he visits is -Jungbush, near Moresnet; the inhabitants assure -him they have no arms. They are told that if they -are hiding one rifle they will be punished with -death; they repeat that they have none. And -now the soldiers bring up a boy of fifteen who -was hiding under the straw with a Belgian rifle -and five cartridges. He is shot without further -inquiry (p. 26). It is permissible to ask whether -it would not have been juster and more humane -to have looked into the matter a little more closely. -The remainder of the book instructs us as to the -psychology of Captain Höcker. At the house of -the vicar of Thimister, where he passed the first -night in Belgium, his bedroom door did not lock, -and this was enough to make him shake with fear -(p. 29). On the following morning he had a pigeon -shot, which he suspected of being a carrier of despatches -to "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"; "and in truth," he -says, "the pigeon bore a stamp on the left wing" -(p. 30). This proof is perhaps somewhat slender -in a country where all pigeons which take part in -matches have a mark of this kind. He confiscates -all the small-arms and parts of arms in the establishments -of the innumerable armourers of the district, -and smashes everything in their workshops. -On one such occasion he burns a house whose owner -does not consent with good grace to the destruction -of his plant (p. 30). On the same day he finds that -all the houses from which shots were fired have been -burned; in his satisfaction he does not even ask himself -whether those who fired were soldiers or civilians -(p. 31). Neither has he a word of reprobation for -the fury which the Germans display against Belgium: -Belgium, forced to take the side of the Allies -when her territory was violated by Germany. He -reaches Visé at the moment of its burning; he -accepts immediately the legend according to which -the bridge has been destroyed by "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -(p. 34). According to him, the Belgians of good -society do not become soldiers; he is convinced -that substitution is still in force with us, and that -for 1,600 francs (£64) one can escape from one's -military obligations (p. 39). To him, therefore, all -civilians appear cowards, and he is not surprised to -see them become "sneaking <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." When -he passes through the streets of Louvain he listens -to the story that Germans have that very day been -fired upon (p. 47). Further on he admits without -hesitation that the German soldiers taken prisoners -before Liége must have expected to be shot by the -Belgians (p. 71).</p> - -<p>We do not question the sincerity of Captain -Höcker. But why was so credulous and so suggestible -a person selected to search out and punish -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"? Assuredly because it was desired -that "reprisals" should be carried out without previous -discussion, and by some one whose conscience -should, nevertheless, be at rest.</p> - - -<p><i>Drunkenness in the German Army.</i></p> - -<p>We have just seen that massacres very frequently -took place without any pretext having been brought -forward to excuse them. In nearly all cases alcoholism -was the cause of these, for the German -soldiers, and above all the officers, are scandalously -addicted to drink.</p> - -<p>The first thing requisitioned by the officers is -always wine, by hundreds of bottles at a time.</p> - -<p>Turn over a collection of German illustrated -papers: every time a meeting of officers is photographed -there are bottles and glasses on the table. -At the ambulance installed in the Palais de Justice -of Brussels the military surgeons have not been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -ashamed to steal the wine of the wounded men, -wine offered by the citizens of Brussels. The -general and his staff who installed themselves on -the 21st August, 1914, in the Palais Royal of -Laeken levied such vast contributions on the -cellars of the Palais that on the following morning -an officer was found, in the costume of Adam, -dead-drunk in front of a bath which he had not had -the strength to enter. When they left the Palais -they took with them many hampers of wine, and a -few days later they had a search made for further -hampers of the vintages which were their preference. -The cellars were soon empty.</p> - -<p>They were drunken soldiers who provoked the -burning of Huy, the assassinations at Canne -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 23rd August, 1914, morning edition), and in -part at least the massacres of Louvain. When they -occupied Gand the police had to collect them, -dead-drunk, on the very first morning; they had -already begun to fire revolver-shots.</p> - -<p>It was after a tavern brawl between drunken -soldiers that the burning of a portion of Tongres -was decreed (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 22nd August, 1914, morning -edition). In Brussels, on the 28th September, 1914, -some drunken soldiers in a German cabaret situated -in the Rue de la Grande Ile, were firing rifle-shots to -amuse themselves; bullets lodged in the house-fronts -opposite. The officer whom some one went to fetch -that he might witness this misbehaviour believed -that an attack was being delivered by "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," -and, trembling like a leaf, refused to go -thither. The <i>N.R.C.</i>, 28th January, 1915 (morning -edition) states that a young girl of Eelen was -arrested as a "franc-tireur" because rifle-shots had -been fired by drunken soldiers.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p> - -<p>Let us add that drunkenness might have had -harmless consequences if the authorities had not -exerted themselves to make the troops believe that -every unexpected shot is necessarily fired by a -"franc-tireur," and that so black a crime can only -be paid for by a general massacre accompanied by -the burning of the village concerned.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>There is only one fashion of explaining the -horrors committed by the Germans: it is to admit -that they are modelled beforehand according to a -carefully devised system of intimidation: the systematic -inhumanity of their treatment of the enemy -population being intended to facilitate other military -operations.</p> - - -<p><i>Cruelties necessary according to German Theories.</i></p> - -<p>Compare, for example, the laws of war according -to the German Great General Staff<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> with the stipulations -of the Hague Convention. As the last is -based on humanitarian considerations and seeks to -lighten the scourge of war for non-combatants, so -the Germans systematically refuse to make war less -cruel; on the contrary, they start with the principle -that the more terrible the war the more swiftly and -surely will its object be attained. Read the chapter, -"The Object of War," and you will be edified. -Even jurists like Baer, blinded by warlike passions, -dare to maintain that all must yield to military -necessities, including—what blasphemy!—the law -of nations. The characteristic theory that war -should be "absolute" and barbarous is the idea -underlying the manifesto of von Bissing which has -already been cited (p. 70). In fewer words Hindenburg -says the same thing<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> (p. 206). So that Belgium -might realize the fate that awaited her the German -authorities made haste to advertise their opinion. -It is true that they have since then posted up reassuring -phrases as to the humanitarian sentiments -of the German Army for the moment. Had our -butchers renounced their attempts at terrorization?</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>Terrorization: "Reprisals" as a "Preventive."</i></p> - -<p>According to this hypothesis, that the great -"reprisals" undertaken at the outset of the war -would serve as examples, the Germans wished to -instil terror into the very marrow of our bones, so -that they might then be able to rule us with a small -garrison of Landsturm. Reflect, for example, that -Brussels, an agglomeration of 700,000 souls, has -never had a garrison of more than 5,000 men, and -has often had only 1,000.</p> - -<p>Such a calculation is so abominable, so fundamentally -inhuman, that we shrank from the harshness -of this supposition, and accepted it with all -manner of reservations.<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> Well, our hesitation was -futile. In an article whose frankness is calculated -to make one's hair stand on end, Captain Walter -Blöm, adjutant to the Governor-General, published -in the officially-inspired <i>Kölnische Zeitung</i> of the -10th February, 1915, the confirmation of that which -we hardly dared to imagine. Here are his exact -words:—</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span></p> -<p>"The principle according to which the whole -community must be punished for the fault of a -single individual is justified by the <i>theory of terrorization</i>. -The innocent must suffer with the guilty; -if the latter are unknown the innocent must even be -punished in their place; and note that the punishment -is applied not <i>because</i> a misdeed has been -committed, but <i>in order that</i> no more shall be committed. -To burn a neighbourhood, shoot hostages, -decimate a population which has taken up arms -against the army—all this is far less a reprisal than -the sounding of a <i>note of warning</i> for the territory -not yet occupied. Do not doubt it: it was as a -note of warning that Battice, Herve, Louvain, and -Dinant were burned. The burnings and bloodshed -of the opening of the war showed the great cities of -Belgium how perilous it was for them to attack the -small garrisons which we were able to leave there. -No one will believe that Brussels, where we are -to-day as though in our own home, would have -allowed us to do as we liked if the inhabitants had -not trembled before our vengeance, and if they did -not continue to tremble. War is not a social -diversion."</p> - -<p>Any commentary would weaken the force of these -declarations.</p> - - -<p><i>Incendiary Material.</i></p> - -<p>We are not in the confidence of the German Staff, -and we can only form hypotheses as to its mentality.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span> -But here are two facts, easy to verify and interpret, -which show that the atrocities were committed with -premeditation.</p> - -<p>Firstly, the existence of various incendiary -materials. When a town is condemned to be -burned the execution of the command is confided to a -special company of the engineers. (The <i xml:lang="fr">carnet</i> of an -officer of an "incendiary company" was picked up -in a commune of Hainaut.) Generally a first squad -breaks the windows and shutters; a second pours -naphtha into the houses by means of special pumps, -"incendiary pumps"; then comes the third squad, -which throws the "incendiary bombs." These last -are of many different kinds. Those most commonly -employed in Brabant and Hainaut include discs -of gelatinous nitro-cellulose, which jump in all -directions. Thanks to the inflammable vapours -which fill the houses, the latter catch fire on -all their floors simultaneously. It took only half -an hour to set fire to the Boulevard Audent at -Charleroi.</p> - -<p>No one can suppose that so perfect an organization -was improvised during the campaign. Moreover, -where and how could the discs of fulminating -cotton have been procured?</p> - -<p>At Termonde the Germans probably employed -cylinders of naphtha. At all events one can still -see, in houses which did not catch fire, holes made -in the ceilings and floors, into which holes long -strips of linen are introduced to serve as wicks. -The Germans sprinkled them with naphtha, and it -was enough to put a match to such a wick in order -to set fire to the joists of the floor overhead. At -Termonde 1,200 houses were burned in a single -day.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>The Two Great Periods of Massacre.</i></p> - -<p>We discover, then, that the great destructive -operations were conducted according to a general -plan. Let us place in chronological order the most -important of the massacres and the conflagrations, -that is, those which could not have been carried out -except by order of the officers, omitting, therefore, -the killings in detail and the burning of farms and -isolated houses, attributable, no doubt, to soldiers -acting on their own initiative, or to small bands -greedy for pillage. What do we see? That apart -from the atrocities which marked the outset of the -campaign, the majority of the great killings and -burnings, in France as well as in Belgium, were -ordered during two periods: one from the 19th to -the 27th August, and one from the 2nd to the 12th -September, 1914. Now it is quite certain that in a -country already occupied, and deprived of means of -communication, the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" could not -possibly have agreed among themselves as to the -moment of their attacks. The only people who -could transmit an order were the Germans; and the -legitimate conclusion which one forms from this -lamentable list is that the pretended attacks of -<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> were elaborated in Berlin, whence -they were ordered by telegraph to break out on a -given date.</p> - -<p>Another interesting fact revealed by a chronological -list is that the so-called attacks of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" -very often do not coincide with the entrance -of the Germans into a given locality, but break out a -few days later. One might at a pinch understand -that poachers, or impulsive individuals, might fire a -rifle at a patrol; but it is wholly improbable that they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -would make their attempt at a moment when they -were already impressed by the formidable warlike -equipment of our enemies. This is so contrary to -common sense that the Germans try to get out of it -by lying. Let us cite a case. They assert that on -Tuesday the 25th August, 1914, there was in Louvain -only a weak garrison of Landsturm, and that the civil -population profited by this circumstance to attempt -an attack, which could only be repressed by incendiarism -and massacre. Now the people of Louvain -had been warned that very morning that 10,000 -men were to arrive during the day, and that many -houses which had not yet billeted soldiers would do -so the following night. And, indeed, that afternoon -several fresh regiments were seen to enter, notably -the 53rd, 72nd, and 7th Hussars.</p> - -<p>When, by exception, the Germans assert that the -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" have attacked a column on the -march, one almost always remarks the three following -points: (1) the attack takes place while a village -is being traversed; (2) it happens when a great part -of the column has already passed, so that the -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" are caught between two fires; -(3) the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" are concealed in the houses. -A moment's reflection suffices to show that these are -precisely the most unfavourable circumstances which -civilians could choose for their attack.</p> - - -<p><i>Protective Inscriptions.</i></p> - -<p>All this shows that we have not to deal with acts -of indiscipline, which are, God knows, the inevitable -accompaniment of any war, yet which are almost -excusable. We have here a maturely considered -system, prepared at the Great General Headquarters, -and then frigidly applied. In other words, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -"reprisals against <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" form part of the -plan of campaign of the German army. If additional -proof were needed that they are disciplined cruelties, -as the Minister of State, M. Emile Vandervelde, -remarks, it would be found in the inscriptions and -placards placed upon property which is to be -respected.</p> - -<p>Besides the inscription which says simply that the -house must not be burned save with the authorization -of the <i xml:lang="de">Kommandantur</i> (at Louvain, after the great -fires of the 25th and 27th August, nearly all the -houses which were spared received one of these -placards), there are others giving the reasons for the -protection accorded to the building. Here are some -of these reasons: the inhabitants are respectable -(<i xml:lang="de">gute</i>) people; they have German sympathies; they -have already given the troops all they possessed; -they are protected by the Legation; an officer knows -them personally. The fact that with very few -exceptions these houses escaped disaster well demonstrates -the strength of German discipline. It is by -no means astonishing, therefore, that in the localities -which are still intact the inhabitants should have -taken precautions; thus, there have been houses in -Brussels which were provided with a protective inscription. -Other buildings have been marked on a -plan (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 14th September, 1914, evening -edition). This reminds one of the tenth plague of -Egypt and the sign which the Jews had to place -upon the lintel of their dwelling, that the Lord might -recognize it. When the Lord passed, He spared -the marked houses (Exodus xii. 7, 22). In the -German plague which has settled upon our poor -country, the Destroying Angel has the aspect of an -officer with a single eye-glass.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Accusations against the Belgian Government.</i></p> - -<p>What makes the German accusations against the -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" particularly serious is, firstly, the -terrifying, infernal nature of the punishments which -follow these accusations; and secondly, the fact that -they involve our constituted authorities.<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> "The -Belgian Government has openly<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> encouraged the -civil population to take part in this war," says one -whose word has weight in Germany, for he is none -other than the Emperor in person. And he did not -content himself with telegraphing this to America; -he spread this impudent assertion over the walls of -our cities (p. <a href="#Page_208">208</a>). Had he at least the excuse of -believing what he said? Most certainly not; for -years he had been informed by his spies of the details -of our military organization; he knew, then, perfectly, -what Belgium was or was not doing.</p> - -<p>At the time the first accusations of this kind were -made the Belgian authorities had informed Germany -that, conformably with the laws of war, they were -fighting only with their regular troops (2nd <i>Grey -Book</i>, Nos. 68, 69, 71). And they posted everywhere -proclamations recommending the people to keep calm, -forbidding civilians to take part in the fighting, and -counselling the citizens to deliver their arms to the -communal administrations (2nd <i>Grey Book</i>, No. 71). -At the same time the principal daily papers repeated, -day by day, on the first page and in large type, the -text of these placards.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p> - -<p>These appeals were heard, and our compatriots, if -they owned rifles, immediately took their arms to the -<i xml:lang="fr">maisons communales</i>. Would you believe it, this -measure of precaution was exploited against us! For -later, when the Germans occupied our <i xml:lang="fr">hôtels de ville</i>, -and discovered the presence of rifles, each ticketed -with its owner's name, they pretended to have -brought to light a proof of premeditation (<i>N.R.C.</i>, -4th September, 1914, evening edition): "Look!—say -the officers—with what care the Belgian authorities -have prepared for the guerilla war! Each citizen -has his rifle ready to hand at the <i xml:lang="fr">hôtel de ville</i>!" -The soldiers must indeed have been ridden by the -"fixed idea" of the "franc-tireur," or they must -have realized the poltroonery of such suggestions!</p> - -<p>But the Germans made assertions much more -extravagant than this. In Belgium repairs to buildings -are effected with the assistance of scaffoldings -suspended against the outer walls; and at the time -of building the house openings are left immediately -under the cornice, in which the cross-beams supporting -the scaffolding are fixed when required. These -openings are closed outwardly by some sort of -decorative motive. Now, a German captain gives -a detailed description of these arrangements, and -arrives at the conclusion that these are <i>loopholes for -<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span></i>!</p> - -<p>What a mentality for an officer! So fantastic an -explanation evidently will not bear a moment's reflection;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span> -but that matters nothing; it is none the -less reprinted by the work <i xml:lang="de">Die Wahrheit über den -Krieg</i>, to be served to the Germans remaining in the -country. The authors of the statement know that -their compatriots have lost the critical sense and that -they are ready to accept, their eyes closed, and their -minds also, anything that is told them.</p> - -<p>This example shows that while inciting the soldiers -in order to bring them to the required pitch of -irritation, the rulers of Germany are equally concerned -to create a violent current of hatred in their -own country. It was necessary, in fact, since there -was nothing with which the Belgian nation could be -reproached, and since nevertheless they were making -war upon it, to invent a few serious motives of -animosity.</p> - -<p>In a preceding chapter we examined the wretched -diplomatic accusations which the Germans have -forged in an attempt to compromise our political -circles. We shall presently deal with the abominable -accusations of cruelty brought against the Belgians. -Here we will content ourselves with citing yet one -more fact relating to the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>."</p> - -<p>When the civil population of a locality was accused—or -convicted, as the butchers said—of having borne -arms against the German troops, the procedure was -generally as follows: The houses were fired, and the -inhabitants driven towards a public square, or into -the church. They were divided into two groups: -one of men, the others of women, children, and old -folk. Then a certain number of men were shot; -often, too, a few of the women, children, and old -people. After the execution, which took place in -the presence of the whole village, the women, children, -and old people were set free to wander amid the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -smoking ruins. The officers used to make it their -duty to be present at these operations, as much to -encourage and, at need, to assist the executioners, as -to enjoy the spectacle. At Tamines they sat at table -in the open, drinking champagne, while the victims -were being buried. The Germans themselves realized -what disgust such behaviour excited; they tried to -deny the facts, but these were proved.</p> - - -<p><i>Treatment of Civil Prisoners.</i></p> - -<p>What was done with the men not killed? They -were sent into Germany in order to show the -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" to the people. One can easily -imagine what the journey was like: in cattle-trucks, -where they remained packed together for several -days, without even having room to sit down; tortured -by hunger and thirst to the point of losing their -reason—which meant being shot there and then. -The stoppages in the railway stations, when the -population came to insult them, making gestures of -cutting their throats ... one can picture it all. -Then the life in camp, where they are even less well -treated than the soldiers, for at least these latter are -regarded as prisoners of war, and, in that quality, as -being protected, up to a certain point, by the Hague -Convention; while the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" are criminals -in common law, who are given, for food, scarcely -anything but soup made of beet, fish-heads, and -slaughter-house offal.</p> - -<p>It is extremely difficult to obtain information as -to their sojourn in Germany from those who have -returned. Before leaving, it seems, they were forced -to make a promise to reveal nothing, under penalty -of being sent back to Germany. We know, however, -that certain of these prisoners, coming from an agricultural<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -district, were forced to go down the coal-pits -of Essen (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 10th October, 1914, evening -edition), while others were made to gather in the -harvest in Westphalia. When they refused to go to -work they were beaten with sticks; a young man on -the outskirts of Brussels still bears the marks of such -treatment.</p> - -<p>This is a revival of the deeds of antiquity. The -ancients also reduced the able-bodied inhabitants to -slavery, employing them in agriculture or the mines. -It only remains for the Germans to sell us at auction, -as Julius Cæsar did in the case of the 53,000 Belgians -captured at Atuatuca (<i xml:lang="la">De Bello Gallico</i>, ii. 33).</p> - -<p>They sent not only "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" into Germany. -They made prisoners also in localities where nothing -had happened. Thus they took all the inhabitants -of the non-active civic guard of Tervueren. The list -bore 135 names; as many of the men had left the -commune, the Germans completed the number by -taking the first civilians who came to hand; for they -had to have 135 prisoners from Tervueren to exhibit -in Germany.</p> - -<p>On several occasions it happened, during the period -of the great massacres, from the 20th to the 27th -August, that bands of prisoners taken into Germany -were not accepted and were sent back to Belgium. -Such was the case with numerous prisoners from -Louvain, who were taken back to Brussels, then -taken to near Malines, and there left in the open -country; the same was done with several hundreds of -men, women, children, and old folk from Rotselaer, -Wesemael, and Gelrode. Here, in a few words, is -their Odyssey. To begin with, they were expelled -from their houses, that these might be burned, on -the 25th and 26th August. Then they were driven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -by the troops as far as Louvain, and there crammed -by force into cattle-trucks, which in two days conveyed -them to Germany. There they were witnesses -of a violent dispute of which they were the object, -and finally, after they had been given a little food in -the railway station, they were put back into their -trucks. They reached Brussels on the 31st August, -where they were restored to liberty; that is, they -were told: "Get out of here, and be off with you." -And there were these unhappy folk, turned out of the -railway station, dejected, bewildered, their glances -vacant, almost dead with drowsiness and fatigue, the -men supporting the old people, the women carrying -the children. The people of Brussels who saw this -lamentable procession go by will never as long as -they live forget the impression of misery which they -received. Assistance was organized immediately, -and our poor compatriots were given shelter in the -various public establishments of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. -They remained there several weeks before -daring to return "home."</p> - -<p>How many civil prisoners were there in the various -camps of Germany: Celle, Gutersloh, Magdeburg, -Münster, Salzwedel, Cassel, Senne, Soltau, etc.? -The lists which have been published in <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bruxellois</i> -are very incomplete. On the other hand, persons -who were believed to be prisoners in Germany have -in reality been shot. Thus, in the little garden -facing the railway station of Louvain a trench was -opened on the 14th and 15th January, 1915, in which -were found a Belgian soldier of the 6th line regiment -and twenty-six civilians of Louvain, who were -believed for the most part to be in Germany; among -them were two women and the curé of Herent.</p> - -<p>Many of the people of Tintigny, Rossignol, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -other localities, who had been taken away as civil -prisoners, were shot by the roadside. Those of -Musson escaped only because the order had come -from Germany not to kill any more prisoners: by -July 1915 they were not as yet repatriated.</p> - - -<p><i>The Return of Civil Prisoners.</i></p> - -<p>In November and December there returned to -their "homes" (we mean to their native towns, -not to their houses, which were burned) about -450 inhabitants of Dinant, more than 400 of -Aerschot, and several hundred people of Louvain, -of the 1,200 which had been taken away.</p> - -<p>Many of them bore, painted in white oil paint -on the back of their waistcoats the words: <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsgefangene-Münsterlager</i>. -Until March 1915 those -living at Dinant had to present themselves regularly -before the military authorities.</p> - -<p>On the occasion of their return the communal -administration of Dinant was compelled publicly -to thank the Germans.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">City of Dinant.</span></div> - -<p>On the occasion of the return of a portion of our civil prisoners, -I believe it my duty to invite the whole population to observe -the most absolute calm. Any demonstration might be severely -repressed.</p> - -<p>The return of a portion of our fellow-citizens, held in captivity -for nearly three months, constitutes an act of benevolence, an act -of generous humanity on the part of the military authorities, to -whom we offer the thanks of the administration and those of the -people of Dinant. By its tranquillity the latter will endeavour -to manifest its gratitude.</p> - -<p>I also beg the returning prisoners immediately to resume their -labours. This measure is necessary, as much in the interest of -their families as in the interest of society.</p> - -<div class="right"> -For the Burgomaster, absent,<br /> -<span class="smcap">E. Taziaux</span>,<br /> -<i>Communal Councillor</i>.<br /> -<span class="smcap">Dinant</span>, <i>the 18th November, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p> - -<p>At the end of January 1915 about 2,500 inhabitants -of Brabant were sent back in a body. They -had left the camps on Sunday, the 24th January, -and they reached Louvain on Friday the 29th, -and Brussels and Vilvorde on Saturday the 30th. -During this five days' journey they had not been -allowed to leave the trucks into which they were -crammed; for all nourishment they received some -black bread and water, and on occasion a turnip or -a beet. The Louvain prisoners had the greatest -trouble in the world to walk as far as the ruins -of their houses. Those from beyond Assche were -set down at the Gare du Nord in Brussels; they -had to be carried as far as the tram for Berchem; -their swollen feet refused all service. These unhappy -people were still wearing the light clothes -which they were wearing in August, when they were -dragged from their villages, and since then they -had never had a fire. Those from Tervueren were -taken from the trucks at Schaerbeek; they were -driven home in carts.</p> - - -<p><i>German Admission of the Innocence of the Civil -Prisoners.</i></p> - -<p>What crime had these unhappy folk committed to -be treated in so terrible a fashion? None. The -Germans themselves admit it; none (2nd <i>Grey -Book</i>, No. 87). The German authorities communicated -the following note to the Belgian newspapers—we -copy it from the <i xml:lang="fr">Écho de la presse internationale</i> -of the 30th January, 1915:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army has authorized -the return to Belgium of the Belgian civilian prisoners: -(1) against whom no inquiry of any military tribunal is in -progress; (2) who have not to undergo any penalty of any -kind. Consequently all the women (17) and 2,577 men will -be able to re-enter the country.</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army is -the Emperor. It was he, then, who recognized the -innocence of the civil prisoners.</p> - -<p>No charge, therefore, could be brought against -them; these prisoners were recognized as being completely -innocent; the authorities admitted that it was -without any motive that they were kept five months in -Germany, without care, without fire, almost without -food, herded together like beasts, in perpetual fear -of being shot, knowing nothing of their families—for -they were unable for many weeks either to write or -receive news. Some of them succumbed under their -privations; others were shot; many have become -insane; all were so aged and enfeebled by ill-treatment, -methodically applied, that their neighbours -hesitated to recognize them. Will they ever recover -from such an experience?</p> - -<p>No doubt the German authorities knew long ago -that the deportation of these civilians was a judicial -error; or rather that they were sent into Germany -to give the people there the occasion to torment and -insult the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> captured alive." And yet -they were not repatriated until the moment when -the fear of famine forced Germany to organize the -seizure of foodstuffs and to ration her population. -It was not at all because of a spirit of justice that -the civil prisoners from Belgium were sent home -(and also part of those from France); it was only -a measure of economy; the authorities merely -wished to prevent their eating German bread, -which had become too precious; they preferred to -place them in the care of the American charities.</p> - -<p>And when they were at last sent home, how were -they treated? Did the Germans at least show the -consideration which the slave-dealers used to show<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -for their black cargo? No; for the slave-dealers had -a pecuniary interest in preserving the market value -of their flock, while for German militarism the -Belgian civilians do not count: <i xml:lang="de">Es ist Krieg</i>.</p> - - -<h3>B.—The "Belgian Atrocities."</h3> - - -<p><i>The Pretended Cruelty of Belgian Civilians toward -the German Army.</i></p> - -<p>In order to organize the massacres by means of -which it expected to terrorize our country, the Great -General Staff had to have at its disposal troops on -which it could count without reserve, which would -not shrink before the bloodiest task, and to which -no repressive measures would seem excessive. The -Staff had to be certain it would be obeyed without -hesitation when it ordered, as at Dinant, the death -of seven hundred men, women, and children. To -obtain soldiers who would undertake such barbarous -operations, and operations so contrary to the military -spirit, the obsession of the "franc-tireur" would -perhaps be insufficient; for there are soldiers even -among such troops who are brave and who do not -tremble at bogy-stories; there might be honest men -among them to whom theft would be repugnant by -whatever name one adorned it, and who would not -be tempted by the bait of pillage; all were not so -imbued with Kultur as that officer who proposed -not to kill the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" outright, but to -wound them mortally, afterwards to leave them to -die slowly, in agony, untended (p. <a href="#Page_342">342</a>).</p> - -<p>But these soldiers, even the more gentle, would -regard it as a sacred duty to avenge crimes committed -against innocent persons. Let them be led -to believe that the Belgians have tortured peaceable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -tradesmen, or have mutilated wounded soldiers incapable -of defending themselves, or that they employ -dum-dum bullets, producing frightful wounds from -which recovery is almost impossible ... and immediately -these soldiers will have only one thought: -to make the first Belgian encountered expiate the -crime of which his fellow-countrymen have been -guilty. Before their thirst for vengeance all distinctions -disappear: children, old people, men and -women, all equally deserve to be punished. From -that moment it will be needless to order reprisals, -for the army will be only too ready to show itself -pitiless, and to call for an eye for an eye and a -tooth for a tooth, in order to make all the Belgians -indifferently pay for the offences committed upon -inoffensive Germans.</p> - - -<p><i>Some Accusations.</i></p> - -<p>It is precisely this psychology which the rulers of -Germany have exploited. Immediately after the -opening of the campaign their newspapers began -to publish articles describing the horrors committed -by the Belgians; articles which make one's flesh -creep. Belgian women pour petrol over the wounded -and set fire to it; they throw out of the windows the -wounded confided to their care in the hospitals; -they pour boiling oil over the troops, and thereby -put two thousand out of action; they handle the -rifle and revolver as well as the men; they cut -the throats of soldiers and stone them; they cut off -their ears and gouge out their eyes; they offer them -cigarettes containing powder, whose explosion blinds -them. Even the little girls ten years of age indulge -in these horrors. The men are no better; to begin -with, they are all "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," even when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span> -assume the appearance of respectable schoolmasters; -besides which they crawl under motor-cars to kill the -chauffeurs; they kill peaceable drinkers with a stab in -the belly; they foully shoot an officer who is reading -them a proclamation; they saw off the legs of -soldiers; they finish off the wounded on the field -of battle; they cut off their fingers to steal their -rings; they fill letters with narcotics in order to -poison those who open them; they set traps for -soldiers in order to torture them at leisure; even -the humanitarian symbol of the Red Cross does -not stay their homicidal hands; they fire on -doctors, on ambulance men, on motor-cars removing -the wounded.</p> - -<p>That the soldiers leaving for Belgium were made -to believe that their adversaries were horrible barbarians, -and that the troops were inspired with an -ardent desire to avenge the innocent victims of the -Belgians, is amply proved by all the tales dating -from the beginning of the war. See, for instance, in -the story of <i xml:lang="fr">La journée de Charleroi</i> (p. 195) the impatience -with which the author awaits the moment -of entering Belgium to take part in the reprisals, and -his delight when he at last sees houses burned to -ashes and a curé hung from a tree.</p> - -<p>Let us note in passing that the Austrians also, -desirous of declaring war upon us, resorted to -the invention of "Belgian atrocities." In its reply -to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war, our -Government protested against this defamation -(1st <i>Grey Book</i>, Nos. 77, 78).</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>All these stories appeared, in the first place, in the -newspapers. We must not be surprised if in time of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -war, when men's minds are over-excited, the journalists -willingly publish articles containing statements -of the kind we have cited, without troubling to verify -their authenticity. But it is unpardonable that they -should have been reprinted in cold blood, when their -falsity had become so obvious that it must have -struck even the most prejudiced. We know of two -pamphlets devoted entirely to atrocities committed -by the Belgians: <i xml:lang="de">Die Belgischen Greueltaten</i> and -<i xml:lang="de">Belgische Kriegsgreuel</i>. The work already cited, <i xml:lang="de">Die -Wahrheit über den Krieg</i>, also deals at length with -these atrocities. Finally, there is no lack of information -concerning them in the pamphlets <i xml:lang="de">Lüttich</i> -and <i xml:lang="de">Die Eroberung Belgiëns</i>.</p> - -<p>One remark occurs to us immediately. The -narratives are based on details given by witnesses -"worthy of credence." Now all verification is -impossible, for we are never given a hint as to the -date; moreover, the locality is very rarely mentioned; -in <i xml:lang="de">Die Wahrheit</i> there are only three place-names: -Gemmenich, Tavigny, and Demenis.</p> - -<p>Demenis does not exist, and we have in vain -sought to discover what locality is meant. And -what did really happen in the other two communes -mentioned? At Tavigny the Germans never had -occasion to commit any reprisals; not a man was -killed, not a house burned; the troops merely proceeded -systematically to loot the place. Nor did -anything more happen in any neighbouring commune -which the narrator might have confused with -Tavigny. Nor was there any confusion of names -with Tintigny; in the latter village the Germans -behaved in the most atrocious fashion, but the mode -of operation was quite different. As for Gemmenich, -we have no information as to what passed there,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -But we can assert that not a single house was -burned there. Now it is very certain that if the -Belgians had committed the atrocities of which -the Germans tell, the latter would have set fire to the -village; it is therefore highly probable that nothing -happened there. In short, of the only three place-names -given all three are incorrect.</p> - -<p>We cannot be expected to refute all these -allegations. Many are utterly ridiculous: for -example, the story of the narcotics at the Liége -Post Office; that of the fingers cut off the dead -and wounded and then carefully preserved in a bag -(one may well ask why); that of the boiling oil is -no better: try to imagine the incredible store of -oil that must have been possessed by the women -who killed and wounded therewith 2,000 Germans; -moreover, either the German army does not march -down the middle of the street, or else the women -had special apparatus to throw jets of boiling liquid -to a distance without danger to themselves.</p> - -<p>Let us confine ourselves to examining the legend -of the gouged-out eyes. It is that which crops up -most frequently under the pens of the German -publicists, so well calculated is it to arouse horror -and indignation in the readers. Well! its falsity -appears from an inquiry made by the Germans -themselves. Not only have their newspapers—notably -the <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Volkszeitung</i> and <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i>—on -several occasions done justice upon this lie, but an -official commission, instituted by the German -Government, has also admitted that there is not -<i>a single case</i> in which a wounded German soldier -has been intentionally blinded (see <i>Belgian Grey -Books</i>, Nos. 107, 108).</p> - -<p>The Germans themselves admit that the accusation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -is unfounded. Has their Press for that reason ceased -to make use of it? We little know the Germans if -we imagine that it has. The entire Press continues -imperturbably to spread these abominable calumnies. -The <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Zeitung</i> of the 15th February -(four o'clock edition), referring to an article by -Étienne Girau, pastor of the Walloon community -of Amsterdam, once more declares that the Belgians -have ill-treated the German wounded. It is enough -to make one ask whether the Belgians have not -<i>morally</i> blinded all the "intellectuals" of Germany.</p> - -<p>Another example. In February 1915—that is, -when no honest German could any longer believe -in the legend of the gouged-out eyes—<i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i> -protested against a little work by a Pastor Conrad, -of which 150,000 examples were printed and sold at -8 pfennigs per copy to school-children, in which the -Belgians were still accused of having blinded their -prisoners (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 12th February, morning edition).</p> - -<p>The Berlin Government also acts as though it -was ignorant of the conclusions of its own commissions -of inquiry. Wishing to refuse General Leman, -a prisoner in Germany, the privilege of receiving a -visit from his daughter, it based its refusal on the -atrocities of which German soldiers have been the -victims in Belgium, and on the inhuman fashion -in which the Belgians have treated the wounded and -prisoners in their hands. The second accusation -is as ill-founded as the first. The German soldiers -taken prisoner by the Belgians were interned in -Bruges; they made no complaints, far from it -(pp. <a href="#Page_56">56</a>-<a href="#Page_58">8</a>); as for the wounded in our hospitals, here -are precise facts.</p> - -<p>Let us quote, first of all, from the correspondence -published in the <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span> -giving a few details from letters written by the -German wounded under treatment in Antwerp.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<p><i>How the Belgians treat their German Prisoners.</i></p> - -<p>A private correspondent writes to us from Antwerp:—</p> - -<p>The fact of knowing that the prisoners of war of the belligerent -States are treated as well as possible should also touch the hearts -of the Dutch.... I give you here some extracts from the letters -of wounded Germans under treatment in the hospitals of -Antwerp.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>I am in a very good Belgian hospital and they treat -me very well.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Karl Hintzman</span>, Military Hospital, Antwerp.<br /> -</div> - -<p>I am very well looked after and have very good food.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Georg Storck.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>They treat us very well in Belgium. What the German -papers said in the summer about the Belgians is utterly -untrue. The Germans could not look after us better. -Moreover, the nation is highly developed.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Franz Crauwerski.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>A number of comrades are here. We are extraordinarily -well looked after. Everybody is very kind to us.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Kustermann.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>Several comrades of my company are here. I am very -well looked after. One could not look after us better -in Germany.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Peters.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>We could not hope for better care.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Walter Schumann.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>The medical treatment is very good. We are sounded -every day, and our wounds are dressed daily. The doctors -are very capable here. We have food in abundance; all is -excellent.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Hossbach</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Sölliger</span> (Braunschweig).<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span></p> - -<p>It must not be forgotten that the majority of these prisoners -fell into the hands of the Belgians at Aerschot, where the -Germans had imprisoned several hundreds of civilians in the -church, at the time of the investment of the town. I can speak -from experience. The German prisoners are treated with fully -as much kindness in other parts of the country. At the house of -the commandant of the <i xml:lang="fr">service de garde</i> in Bruges I saw an -assortment of German books and card games which had been -sent by Mme. E. Vandervelde, who had visited the prisoners -a few days earlier in the company of her husband, Minister of -State and the Socialist leader of Belgium. The latter wished -to make sure that the prisoners lacked for nothing.</p> - -<p>We can say that Belgium does not seek to avenge her -unheard-of sufferings by maltreating the German victims of the -war. Suffering evokes pity in a sane mind. I can only express -the hope that these proofs may fall into the hands of German -readers.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 8th October, 1914, morning edition.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>But we have something better than these documents -of a private nature. The German authorities -exhibited, at Spa, a statement that the German -wounded there were perfectly well cared for. At -the moment when the Germans dispensed with the -collaboration of the clinical staff of the Red Cross -in Brussels, they did homage to its devotion and -competence.</p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Spa</span>, <i>18th August, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><i>To the Burgomaster of Spa.</i></div> - -<p>The Commander-General of the 10th Army Corps thanks the -Burgomaster of Spa for the good reception accorded to his troops -by the city of Spa on the 11th and 12th August, 1914. Thanks -to his care and efforts, he recognizes that the wounded in the -hospitals of Spa are particularly well cared for.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Hoffmann</span>,<br /> -<i>Lieutenant-General</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Frederic-August</span>,<br /> -<i>Grand Duke of Oldenburg</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>(<i xml:lang="fr">Les Nouvelles</i>, published under control of the German military -authority, 22nd September, 1914.)</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> -<p> -<span class="smcap">German Government</span>,<br /> -<i>Headquarters, Medical Service</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>31st August, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><i>To MM. the President and Members of the Red Cross of Belgium, -Rue de l'Association, 24.</i></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Gentlemen</span>,</p> - -<p>The German Government assures you of the expression of its -grateful sentiments for the devoted care which you have given to -all the wounded collected in the capital.</p> - -<p>Ambulances have been organized in great numbers, and the -necessity of a concentration henceforth indispensable compels -us immediately to take the following measures....</p> - -<p>In bringing these measures to your knowledge and in begging -you to assist us to realize them promptly, we again express to -you the thanks which we address to all the members of your -association and especially to the ladies of the Red Cross, -whose complete devotion we have appreciated.</p> - -<p>I beg you to accept, Gentlemen, the assurance of my high -consideration.</p> - -<div class="right"> -Prof. Dr. <span class="smcap">Stuertz</span>,<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Oberstabarzt</i>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>It is useful to observe that these declarations have -been made spontaneously, since it is obvious that we -were powerless to exert any pressure on the Germans. -They have, therefore, nothing in common with those -which the Germans have forced the Belgian wounded -or prisoners to sign.</p> - - -<p><i>The Pretended Massacres of German Civilians.</i></p> - -<p>There remain the famous massacres of Germans -in Brussels, Antwerp, Liége, etc. According to -witnesses "worthy of credence," inoffensive Germans, -even women and children, were killed and martyred -in various Belgian cities. At Liége alone more than -150 persons, of whom three-fourths were women and -children, were said to have lost their lives.</p> - -<p>As to Liége, we have inquired of inhabitants of -the city, several of whom are closely connected with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -the administration of justice; no one had any knowledge -of any such occurrences. They have therefore -been invented, lock, stock, and barrel, by the "witnesses -worthy of credence," and we defy the Germans -to mention the name of a single one of these 150 -"victims."</p> - -<p>At Antwerp we can oppose, to the testimony of -those who were "present" on the occasion of -murders and serious assaults upon German women, -the official report, which admits that shops were -broken into by the populace, but which at the same -time attests that no German was wounded. Let us -add that the German Weber was <i>not</i> assassinated, -but is quietly living in Antwerp.</p> - -<p>Let us proceed to the doings in Brussels; and let -us quote, from <i xml:lang="de">Greueltaten</i>, the most serious occurrences -there mentioned. We have a story, based on -hearsay, which tells, of course, of gouged-out eyes, -as well as three reports of ocular witnesses. The -first is that of a witness "worthy of credence" who -saw a child thrown from a window and a woman -dragged by the hair until she was insensible; he -also witnessed the murder of a German druggist, -one Frankenberg, who was betrayed by his own wife, -a Belgian. The second witness is the correspondent -of the Wolff Agency. He saw only what the people -of Brussels themselves witnessed: that is, that the -populace pillaged the German shops and cafés on -the 4th and 5th August. But he had not been -able to discover any acts of violence against the -person; those he mentions, in a couple of words, -without insisting on them, had been related to him; -but he does not even add that the witnesses were -"worthy of credence."</p> - -<p>Finally we have a priest, who complains that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -was arrested as a spy and beaten by the gendarmes. -Perhaps he was a spy; in any case, not a few -German spies disguised as priests have been discovered -in Belgium.</p> - -<p>If we confine ourselves to the really serious occurrences, -to the cases in which Germans have been -killed by the populace, we find that as against some -155 anonymous cases, which cannot be verified, -there are only two in which names are mentioned. -These names are Weber and Frankenberg. Now -these two cases are apocryphal. Herr Weber has -quietly reopened his hotel in Antwerp; Herr Frankenberg -continues to breathe the air at Anderlecht, -a suburb of Brussels. Compare with these two cases -the three names of places mentioned in <i xml:lang="de">Die Wahrheit</i> -(p. 101).</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>Preventive and Repressive Measures taken by the -Belgian Authorities.</i></p> - -<p>The truth is that in the various cities of Belgium -there was, quite at the beginning of hostilities, an -intense popular effervescence, by which evildoers -profited to pillage the German shops. These disturbances -were so unexpected and assumed, with -such rapidity, such large proportions, that the police -were at first powerless to restrain them.</p> - -<p>Moreover, it must be remembered that the police -had just been reduced, a large proportion of the -police agents and gendarmes having left for the -front.</p> - -<p>But measures were promptly taken, and by the -7th August there was no longer anywhere the least -disorder of this kind. As for the "spy mania," it -raged in Belgium as in all countries affected by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -war.<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> But the newspapers, and the official measures -taken, got the better of this fresh cause of disturbance.</p> - -<p>The newspapers of the neutral countries, for -example the <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i>, also -reported material damage, but they do not relate -more serious occurrences in any part of Belgium.</p> - -<p>We can consequently assert, in the most categorical -fashion, basing our statement on the official -data furnished by the courts, that no serious offence -against the person has been proved either in Brussels -or elsewhere. Does this mean that we excuse the -fishers in troubled waters who sacked the German -shops? Obviously not; but it must be owned that -there are bad elements in all agglomerations, and -that the populace of Berlin behaved no better than -that of Brussels: witness the remarks of the British -Ambassador in Berlin, and the excuses put forward -by the German authorities when his windows were -broken as the result of an article in the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner -Tageblatt</i>. Here we immediately perceive a contrast -of mentalities: the German newspapers incite their -readers against foreigners, while ours, on the contrary, -do their utmost to calm popular manifestations.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> -<p>A detail which we regard as symptomatic, and -particularly revolting, in the German publications, is -the fact that in these cases, as in the matter of the -"francs-tireurs," our enemies seek to involve the -legal administration of our country. Now, not only -did our authorities immediately intervene to repress -the disturbances and to provide a military guard for -the <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche Bank</i> and the <i xml:lang="de">Deutscher Verein</i> in -Brussels, but they did more than their strict duty -in protecting German families, and enabling them -to return to their own country. Nothing is more -characteristic in this respect than that which happened -in Brussels on the nights of the 8th, 9th -and 10th of August, at the time of the Germans' -departure from the city. The latter assembled -at night in a building belonging to the city; in -the trams which took them thither every one hastened -to render them every imaginable service; at -the place of assembly the Civic Guards prepared hot -drinks for them; then, during the short journey to -the Gare du Nord, the same Civic Guards helped -them to carry their children and their luggage. Mr. -Brand Whitlock, United States Minister in Brussels, -who was looking after the interests of Germany, was -present in that quality at the departure of the -German families, and he expressed his gratitude to -the Belgians in a letter made public at the time.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">The United States Minister does Honour to the -Heroism and the Kindness of the Belgians.</span></div> - -<p>The German Minister, before leaving Brussels, requested the -United States Minister, Mr. Brand Whitlock, kindly to take -over the interests of Germany in Belgium.</p> - -<p>The United States Minister consented to protect the archives -of the German Legation.</p> - -<p>It was in this capacity that Mr. Brand Whitlock was the -witness, two days ago, of the goodness of the people of Brussels, -who, with Mme. Carton de Wiart, the wife of the Minister of -Justice, and our brave Chasseurs of the mounted Civic Guard -at their head, provided hot drinks and refreshments for the four -thousand Germans leaving Belgium who were assembled at the -Royal Circus.</p> - -<p>The spectacle profoundly affected the eminent diplomatist.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -Thanking the Belgian Government, His Excellency, Mr. Brand -Whitlock, writes to the Minister of Justice:—</p> - -<p>"The Belgians display a heroism in dying on the field of battle -which is equalled by their humanity to non-combatants."</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Soir</i>, 11th August, 1914.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>In Germany the United States Ambassador, Mr. -Gerard, had also occasion to intervene; but there it -was to protect the British Ambassador from the fury -of the populace.</p> - -<p>These examples will suffice, we think, to show -that the Belgians were as thoughtful in their -behaviour towards their non-combatant adversaries -as the Germans were violent and brutal. And what -was the result of our courtesy? Our enemies picked -a groundless quarrel with us in order to inflame the -minds of their soldiers against us.</p> - - -<h3>C.—Violations of the Hague Convention.</h3> - -<p>Nothing would be easier than to show that our -enemies have not respected a single one of the -articles of the Hague Convention. But it is not -our intention to draw up this inventory. We prefer -to confine ourselves to a few facts which no one can -dream of contesting, so patent are they and so well -known to every one in Belgium. And we shall refer -only to those which will enable us to compare the -two mentalities: that of the German, crafty and -tyrannical, and that of the Belgian population, -refusing to bow the head to military despotism. -We exclude from our list those data which have -already been recorded in other publications: Belgian -<i>Grey Books</i>, <i>Reports of the Commission of Inquiry</i>, -<i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique et L'Allemagne</i>, etc. Lastly, we shall -deal only with what has happened in Belgium itself,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -so that we shall speak neither of prisoners of war -nor of the wounded.</p> - -<p>These eliminations lead us to omit the whole of -Section I: <i>The Belligerents</i>. The three first articles -apply to "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," Articles 4 to 21 relate to -prisoners, the wounded, etc.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 22.</span></div> - -<p><i>Belligerents have not an unlimited choice of means of injuring -the enemy.</i></p> - - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 23.</span></div> - -<p><i>Besides the prohibitions established by special conventions, it is -notably forbidden</i>:—</p> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) <i>To employ poison or poisoned weapons;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) <i>To kill or wound by treachery individuals belonging to -the hostile nation or army;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>c</i>) <i>To kill or wound an enemy who, having laid down his -arms, or no longer having means of defence, has surrendered at -discretion;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>d</i>) <i>To declare that no quarter will be given;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>e</i>) <i>To employ arms, projectiles, or material calculated to -cause unnecessary suffering;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>f</i>) <i>To make improper use of a flag of truce, of the national -flag, or of the military insignia or uniform of the enemy, as -well as of the distinctive signs of the Geneva Convention;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>g</i>) <i>To destroy or seize enemy property, unless such destruction -or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of -war;</i></p> - -<p>(<i>h</i>) <i>To declare abolished, suspended, or inadmissible the -right of the subjects of the hostile party to institute legal proceedings.</i></p> - -<p><i>A belligerent is likewise forbidden to compel the subjects of -the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed -against their own country, even if they were in the service of -the belligerent before the commencement of the war.</i></p> -</blockquote> - -<p>The violations of this Article are numerous. The -Germans themselves cannot deny that the employment -of toxic gases, such as those which were used -in the attack upon Ypres on the 22nd April, falls<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -under the condemnation of paragraph (<i>a</i>). We shall -recur to this matter further on. Let us remark for -the moment that we are not speaking of gas released -by the bursting of shells, but of clouds of gas intentionally -produced.</p> - -<p>As to paragraph (<i>e</i>), the <i>7th Report</i> speaks in a -precise manner of the employment of dum-dum -bullets. After the German occupation we shall be -able to mention other irrefutable cases, of which it -would now be too dangerous to speak.</p> - -<p>The prescriptions of paragraph (<i>f</i>) have often been -violated. At the fort of Boncelles, on the 7th August, -and at Landelies, near Charleroi, on the 22nd, our -enemies abused the white flag. At Ougrée and at -Grez-Doiceau they wore Belgian uniforms to deceive -their enemies. This action was repeated during the -siege of Antwerp; but this time the Belgians were -warned of the German mimicry, so that the "asses -clad in lions' skins" were nearly all left on the -battle-field.</p> - -<p>We shall deal later on, when speaking of pillage, -with the infractions of paragraph (<i>g</i>).</p> - - -<p><i>Military Employment of Belgians by the Germans.</i></p> - -<p>The last paragraph of Article 23 forbids belligerents -to compel their adversaries to take part in operations -of war directed against their own country. Let us -see how the Germans respect this principle where -civilians are concerned. At Liége (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 23rd -August, evening), at Vilvorde (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 27th August, -morning), at Anderlecht (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 28th August, evening), -at Dilbeek (N.R.C., 31st August, evening), at -Eppeghem (<i>see</i> photograph in <i>1914 Illustré</i>, No. 5), -at Soignies, and at Neder-Over-Heembeek, the -inhabitants were compelled to dig trenches for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -Germans. A Dutchman (an extreme Germanophile, -however), saw peasants from the outskirts of Spa -compelled to perform the same task.</p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Spa</span>, <i>15th August, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p>... The man, who had to return home (it was about noon), -accompanied us, and, while conversing, he pointed to the road to -Creppe, parallel to that which we were following, and at some -ten minutes' distance from the latter. They were working hard -at entrenchments there, about a quarter of an hour from the city. -There were some 150 Belgian workmen there, excavating the soil -under the threat of the rifles of German soldiers placed behind -them.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 22nd August, 1914, evening edition.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>At Bagimont, on the 24th August, 1914, the -inhabitants were forced to prepare the ground for -the landing of German aeroplanes. The same -villagers were forced to build huts for their -enemies.</p> - -<p>We have the names (at the disposal of a commission -of inquiry) of twenty-nine inhabitants of a -village of Brabant, who were forced, with horses and -carts, to follow the German troops for several weeks, -transporting munitions and baggage. The Germans -had the right to requisition horses and vehicles, but -not to compel our countrymen to accompany their -teams.</p> - -<p>Let us remark, while dealing with these violations -of Article 23 of the Hague Convention, that Germany -signed this Convention. But on her part this was -merely a comedy, for it is a rule with her rulers that -they cease to follow its prescriptions as soon as they -are in opposition to the <i>Usages of War</i>, according to -the Great General Staff. Now among the duties -which the occupier may impose on the inhabitants—according -to Germany—is the supply of transport -and the digging of trenches. In other words,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span> -Germany, though she readily approved of the Hague -Conference, makes war according to her own principles, -which are far less humane; but she none the -less demands that her adversaries should observe the -rules of the Convention.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>Measures of Coercion taken by the Germans.</i></p> - -<p>On several occasions our enemies have sought to -force the Belgian population to manufacture explosives -and munitions for them. But the Belgians -have always refused, even when their resistance -inevitably condemned them to starvation. The -workers of the explosives factory of Caulille, in the -north of Limburg, resumed their tasks only under -the most terrible threats (<i>K.Z.</i>, 21st December, -morning edition).</p> - -<p>The case of Caulille, announced to its readers by -a German newspaper, shows the cynicism with -which our enemies violate the Hague Convention, -which is in part their own work.</p> - -<p>The same effrontery appears in the placard of -the 19th November, 1914; this threatens severe -penalties against Belgians who dissuade their compatriots -from working for Germany. One could -understand that the Germans might punish those -who used force or threats to prevent any one from -working for them; but to punish those who -"attempt" to act by simple persuasion!</p> - -<p>This was a mere timid beginning. On the 19th -June, 1915, our enemies posted about Gand a placard -stating that severe measures were about to be applied -to factories which, "relying on the Hague Convention, -had refused to work for the German -Army."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Communal Administration of Gand has -supplied us with the following notice:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>By order of His Excellency the Inspector de l'Étape,<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> I call the -attention of the commune to the following:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"The attitude of certain factories which, under pretext of -patriotism and relying on the Hague Convention, have refused -to work for the German Army, proves that there are, in the -midst of the population, tendencies whose object is to place -difficulties in the way of the administration of the German -Army.</p> - -<p>"In this connection I make it known that I shall repress, by -all the means at my disposal, such behaviour, which can only -disturb the good understanding hitherto existing between the -administration of the German Army and the population.</p> - -<p>"In the first place I hold the Communal authorities responsible -for the spread of such tendencies, and I call attention to the -fact that the population will itself be responsible if the liberties -hitherto accorded in the most ample measure are withdrawn and -replaced by the restrictive measures necessitated by its own -fault."</p></blockquote> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Lieutenant-General Graf von Westarp</span>,<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Commandant de l'Étape</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Gand</span>, <i>10th June, 1913</i>.<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Here, then, they declare that they are on the point -of intentionally violating the Hague Convention.</p> - -<p>Certain articles which appeared in <i xml:lang="nl">Het Volk</i>, a -Christian-Democratic journal of Gand, on the 15th, -17th, 19th, and 22nd June, 1915, tell us what these -measures are.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span></p> -<p>The workers of the Bekaert factory at Sweveghem -having refused to make barbed wire for the Germans, -the latter began by arresting three notables, of whom -two were promptly released. Then, to force the -men to resume work, they decided that the commune -should be placed under a ban; it was forbidden -to ride a bicycle or to use a wheeled vehicle, and the -introduction of foodstuffs was prohibited. The men -still persisted in refusing to make the barbed wire on -which their sons and brothers were to be caught in -the battles of the Yser. Sixty-one men were sent to -prison. The rest hastened to leave the village. -What did the Germans do then? They seized the -wives of the fugitives, shut them up in two great -waggons, and took them to Courtrai; at the same -time they posted up the names of those who had -fled, and enjoined them to return. Before the threat -of seeing their wives remain in prison until their -children perished in their empty homes, the workers, -with death in their hearts, had to resume their -fratricidal task. Truly <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> is a fine thing!</p> - -<p>In Brabant they went a different way to work. -They had requested M. Cousin to make barbed wire -for them in his factory at Ruysbroeck (in the south -of Brussels). He refused. They offered to buy his -factory. He refused. They requisitioned his works. -He was forced to submit. They installed themselves -in the factory and tried to begin making barbed -wire. But the machinery was worked by electricity, -and the electricity was provided by a central station -situated in Oisquercq. Naturally the Oisquercq works -refused to supply current. The Germans arrested -M. Lucien Beckers, the managing director of the -company, and kept him several weeks in prison.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>Living Shields.</i></p> - -<p>It remains to examine a final violation of Article -23; a violation so revolting that neither those present<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -at the Hague Conference nor the Germans themselves -in their <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbrauch</i> had been willing to -consider it. We are referring to the use of "living -shields" (<i>7th Report</i>).</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>A German Admission.</i></p> - -<p><i>Belgians placed before the Troops at Charleroi.</i></p> - -<p>Our enemies are aware of the abomination of -which they are guilty in placing, in front of their -troops, Belgians intended to serve as a shield. -They are eager to deny such acts. Unfortunately -for them one of their own officers has described -a case of the kind (p. <a href="#Page_196">196</a>). His first care on -reaching the suburbs of Charleroi was to capture -civilians in order to force them to walk in front of -and among the cavalry. He waxes indignant over -the lamentations uttered by the wives of these -unfortunates. "If nothing happens to us," he told -them, "nothing will happen to the civilians either." -Could one more cynically express the idea that the -Germans made use of these hostages in order to -prevent their adversaries from firing on their troops? -At the first volley fired by the French, who were -posted behind a barricade, some of the hostages -were killed. The Germans promptly replaced them -by others, notably by priests.</p> - -<p>At Nimy and Mons, the same method was -employed. The burgomaster of Mons, M. Lescart, -was himself placed before the German troops.</p> - -<p>At Tirlemont, on the 18th August, 1914, during -their march on Louvain, they seized upon certain -"notables," including the burgomaster, M. Donny, -and pushed them before them in order to obtain<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -shelter from the Belgian bullets. They did not -release them until the following day, at Cumptich.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>Belgians placed before the Troops at Lebbeke, -Tirlemont, Mons.</i></p> - -<p>More significant still was their conduct at Lebbeke, -near Termonde, on the 4th September, 1914. -Scarcely had they entered the village, in the early -morning, when they seized as many civilians as -possible—about 300—and forced them to march -before them. On passing through St. Gilles-lez-Termonde -they requisitioned more men to serve as -"living shields." When the Belgians attacked the -German troops ten civilians were killed; many -were wounded (<i>9th</i> and <i>10th Reports</i>).</p> - -<p>The same evening the survivors were sent into -Germany as "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>."</p> - - -<p><i>Belgian Women placed before the Troops at -Anseremme.</i></p> - -<p>At Anseremme it was behind women that the -Germans took refuge. They had committed the -blunder of sending all the men to Germany, as civil -prisoners, on the 23rd and 24th August, so that -only the women were left. They placed these in a -line along the river-wall on the bank of the Meuse, -and prudently hidden behind their skirts they rested -their rifles on the women's shoulders in order to fire -at the French on the opposite bank.</p> - -<p>The French ceased fire as soon as they saw that -they were firing on women. At night the Germans -herded the unhappy women, with their children, in a -field; but on the following morning they brought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -them out again to serve as a protective screen along -the river.</p> - -<p>Such is German heroism! As we at present -understand the real sense of the words <i xml:lang="de">Den Heldentod -Gestorben</i> (died a hero's death), which the -Germans inscribe on the tombs of their soldiers, -they mean that these soldiers were unable to avoid -the bullets, although they heroically hid themselves -behind Belgian women.</p> - -<p>As far as we know one must go back to Cambyses, -in the sixth century <span class="smcap">B.C.</span>, to find another example of -the "living shield." At the time of his expedition -into Egypt this prince, who was, the historians tell us, -famed for his cruelty, conceived the idea of placing -cats, which animals were worshipped by the Egyptians, -in front of his troops. Thanks to his stratagem -he prevented the Egyptians from attacking his -soldiers. Neither Attila, nor Ghenghis Khan, nor -Tamerlane made use of this method; it was left for -the Germans of the twentieth century once more to -put it into practice, with the increased ferocity -suggested by <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>.</p> - - -<p><i>Belgians forcibly detained at Ostend and -Middelkerke.</i></p> - -<p>There are other circumstances also under which -the Germans have made a rampart of the Belgians. -From the middle of October 1914 they occupied -that portion of the Belgian coast comprised between -Lombartzyde and the Zeeland frontier. From time -to time the British ships and aeroplanes bombarded -the coast; they would undoubtedly have continued -to do so if the Germans had not taken pains forcibly -to retain numbers of Belgians in these localities. -According to the <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i> of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span> -the 1st November they forbade the people of Middelkerke -and Ostend to leave those towns. Obviously -the British were as far as possible sparing Ostend -and Middelkerke, and directing their fire by preference -on the road joining these two places, and on that -running from Middelkerke to Westende. The -Germans were perfectly aware of this, and had precisely -for this reason forbidden any Belgian to leave -Ostend or Middelkerke. An officer at the <i xml:lang="de">Kommandantur</i>, -from whom our informant tried to obtain -some favour for a couple of Belgians, replied as -follows: "If we allowed the population to leave these -places the English would hasten to bombard the two -towns, and we should be the sufferers" (<i>N.R.C.</i>, -1st November, 1914).</p> - -<p>However, at the end of December they expelled -all the men from Middelkerke, with the exception -of four. But the means of transport placed at -the disposal of the expelled inhabitants were insufficient -to enable them to take their families -with them, so that they had to leave many of -their wives and children behind. Every time the -British drop shells on the coast the Germans -hasten to post up the news in Brussels, adding -that the bombardment has resulted in fatalities -among the Belgians.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News published by the General German Government.</span></div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Bombardment of Coast.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, 24th <i>November</i> (official, noon to-day).—British vessels -arrived yesterday off the French coast and bombarded Lombartzyde -and Zeebrugge. Among our troops they caused only very -slight damage. A certain number of Belgian citizens, on the other -hand, were killed and wounded.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German Military Government.</span><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, 28th <i>December</i> (official telegram, noon to-day).—Near -Nieuport the enemy renewed his attempted attacks without -success. In these he was supported by firing from the sea, which -however did us no harm, but killed or wounded some inhabitants.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German Military Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, 26th <i>January</i> (official telegram, noon to-day).—The -enemy yesterday fired as usual on Middelkerke and Westende. A -considerable number of inhabitants were killed or wounded by this -fire, among them the burgomaster of Middelkerke. Our losses -yesterday were very insignificant.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German Military Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, 13th <i>February</i> (official telegram).—Along the coast -enemy aviators yesterday again dropped bombs, which did very -considerable damage among the civil population, while we -suffered no appreciable damage from a military point of view.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Government in Belgium.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, 8th <i>March</i> (official telegram, noon to-day).—Enemy -aviators dropped bombs on Ostend, which killed three Belgians.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Government in Belgium.</span><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>They therefore fully appreciate the advantage to -be derived from retaining on the coast a population -which serves as a living buckler.</p> - - -<p><i>Belgians imprisoned in the Lofts of the Ministries.</i></p> - -<p>At Brussels they behaved in a similar fashion in -order to prevent the Allied aviators from bombarding -the premises which they occupy in the Ministries. -Inhabitants of Brussels are sent to the <i xml:lang="de">Kommandantur</i> -on the most impossible pretexts. They first -remain for several days shut up in the lofts of the -Ministries. Then, after trial—and, obviously, sentence—they -are again confined in the lofts until -there is room for them in the ordinary prisons. -Every one in Brussels knows this, and of course the -Allied aviators are aware of it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 25.</span></div> - -<p><i>The attack or bombardment, by any means whatever, of undefended -towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings is forbidden.</i></p></blockquote> - - -<p><i>Bombardment of Open Towns.</i></p> - -<p>Many violations of this Article have been discovered -by the Commission of Inquiry (<i>7th Report</i>). -Here again clearly appears the contradiction between -the fashion in which the Germans make war and that -which they require of their enemies. When their -dirigibles drop bombs on open, undefended districts—as -they did on the night of the 26th September, at -Deynze, when they wounded an old man in the hospital -of the Sisters of St. Vincent de Paule—their newspapers -related this prowess exultingly (<i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer -Tageblatt</i>, 29th September; <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer Zeitung</i>, -29th September, 1914). They may do such things, -but no one else. When the Allied aviators bombarded -Freibourg in Brisgau on the 10th December, -1914, the Germans denounced them amid universal -indignation. One can only agree with the writer in -the <i>Times</i> who said: "If we want to know what -conduct we should observe in this war it is useless to -consult the laws; we must simply ask the Germans -if our conduct is agreeable to them or not."</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 26.</span></div> - -<p><i>The officer in command of an attacking force must do all in his -power to warn the authorities before commencing a bombardment, -except in case of assault.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>General von Beseler followed the prescription of -this Article during the siege of Antwerp; he announced -on the 8th October that the bombardment -of the city would commence at midnight (<i>K.Z.</i>, -9th October, first morning edition). Everywhere<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -else the Germans have thrown their shells without -previous warning. This was notably so in the attack -upon Antwerp by a dirigible on the night of -24th August; the bombs found twenty victims. It -is true that Herr Bernstorff has declared that previous -advice is not necessary. In this he is in -agreement with the laws of warfare according to the -Germans.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 27.</span></div> - -<p><i>In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps must be taken to -spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to public worship, art, -science, or charitable purposes, historic monuments, hospitals, and -places where the sick and wounded are collected, provided they -are not being used at the time for military purposes.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>Not content with setting fire to our monuments, -as they did at Louvain, Dinant, Termonde, and a -host of villages, the Germans never hesitate to bombard -those they cannot otherwise reach.</p> - -<p>The most characteristic example is that of the -Cathedral of Reims.<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> On Tuesday, the 22nd September, -we learned of the bombardment from a -placard. The telegram, dated Monday, the 21st, -asserted that the monument would as far as possible -be spared. That was enough; we knew then that it -was destroyed. And sure enough, the French newspapers -smuggled through to us on the following day—Wednesday—stated -that the cathedral had been -burning since Saturday, the 19th.</p> - -<p>Little by little the information received grew -more precise. The French certified that they -had not placed any military post of observation -on the towers; neither were there batteries near -the cathedral. Moreover, they declared that the -cathedral should have been doubly respected, since -an ambulance had found asylum there—which, be -it said in passing, is denounced as an infamy -by the German newspapers (<i>K.Z.</i>, 4th January, -morning edition; <i xml:lang="de">Niederrheinische Volkszeitung</i>, 4th -January).</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p> -<p>The Wolff Agency reported the bombardment of -Reims Cathedral as quite a natural thing, a commonplace -operation. But before the indignation of the -entire civilized world (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 22nd September, -1914, evening edition) the Germans were forced to -display a hypocritical regret and to justify their -aggression.</p> - -<p>Then official telegrams were posted up the same -day; two reflected German opinion, the third professed -to express the opinion of a Frenchman who -had favoured the <i>Times</i> with his confidences (placard -dated 23rd September, 1914).<a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> The conclusion, -naturally, was that the Germans had nothing to -reproach themselves with: their conscience was -clear as on the first day; they bombarded the -Cathedral of Reims because they were forced to -do so, despite their admiration for this marvel of -Gothic architecture ... but the presence of a -military observation-post on the towers had left -them no alternative.</p> - -<p>Three weeks later, a fresh bombardment (placard -dated 15th October). Then, after two weeks' quiet, -they once more began to throw shells on what still -remained standing (placard of 30th October). On -the following day they announced that they had -protested to the Roman Curia. A few days later -they applied themselves to the destruction of the -Cathedral of Soissons, but once again because the -French forced them to do so.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span></p> -<p>What respect for the Hague Convention! How -touching the solicitude displayed toward monuments -of art and religion! Only in the very last -extremity do the Germans resolve to smash them -to bits; still protesting, of course, against the -violence done to their æsthetic feelings! Still -more touching is their sincerity. On the 10th -November they announce that the Vicar-General -of Reims has admitted that the towers have been -used for military operations, and that the Chancellor -has communicated this avowal to the Vatican -(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i>, 11th November, 1914); on the 17th -they are forced to note the Vicar-General's denial, -but they maintain their accusations.</p> - -<p>To estimate at their true value the German -declarations concerning Reims Cathedral, it is -enough to compare one of the three placards of -the 23rd September with the "official communiqué" -which they forced upon <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>. Here -are these two documents:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News published by the German General Government.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>23rd September</i> (official telegram, yesterday evening).—In -spite of these facts we have been able to verify the presence -on the tower of a post of observation, which explains the -excellent effect of the fire of the enemy's infantry opposing -our infantry....</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German Military Government.</span><br /> -</div> - - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Military Operations in France.</span><br /> -(<i>Official Communiqué.</i>)</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Antwerp</span>, <i>27th September</i> (communicated by the French -Legation).—The French Minister has received from M. Delcassé -the following telegrams....</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p> -<p>II. The German Government having officially declared to -various Governments that the bombardment of the Cathedral -of Reims was undertaken only because of the establishment of -a post of observation on the basilica, General Joffre asserts, in -a telegram communicated by the Ministry of War, that no French -observation-post was placed on this building.</p> - -<p>P.S.—The German Government did not invoke the presence of -an observation-post on the cathedral, but the presence of pieces -of artillery behind this church, so that it was impossible to reach -these guns without firing in the direction of the cathedral and -hitting the latter.</p> - -<p>This was necessary to dislodge the French artillery.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 29th September, 1914.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - - -<p>On the 23rd September they pretended that there -was an observation-post on the tower. On the 27th -they declared that they had never made any such -statement. German sincerity!</p> - -<p>On the 7th July they placarded Brussels with -a document in which they made a display of their -artistic feeling. We asked ourselves what fresh -crime they were about to commit. Next day our -curiosity was satisfied; the newspapers informed us -that the German army had set fire to the cathedral -at Arras.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>Bombardment of the Cathedral at Malines.</i></p> - -<p>Let us now consider how they behaved in Belgium. -The commander of the army besieging Antwerp three -times bombarded Malines without any strategical -excuse, for the town was absolutely empty of Belgian -troops. He had informed the Belgian authorities -that his troops would not fire upon monuments -so long as these latter were not serving any military -purpose (<i>N.R.C.</i> 13th September, 1914, evening -edition). Better still, he published, in the German -newspapers, a statement that he could not bombard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -Malines for fear of touching the Cathedral of Saint-Rombaut, -but that the Belgians had not the same -scruples. What truth was there in the last assertion? -None, of course; if the Belgians dropped -shells on the outskirts of the town it was while -the German troops were there, a fact which our -enemies themselves recognized. For the rest, it is -easy to discover whether the damage done to the -cathedral was the work of Germans or Belgians. -The Belgians were to the north and west of the -town; the Germans to the south and east. Now -all the damage done to the cathedral is without -exception on the south and east faces. The reader -may draw his own conclusion. Here we have a -reappearance of the usual German system, which -consists in blaming others for their own misdeeds. -At Dinant, too, they pretended that the collegiate -church was destroyed not by them but by the -French.</p> - - -<p><i>The Pretended Observation-post on Notre-Dame of -Antwerp.</i></p> - -<p>Of course they accused the Belgians of using -their belfries as observation-posts. The accusation -is false. We may cite Malines as an example -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 25th November, evening edition), and -Courcelles (<i xml:lang="de">Die Wochenschau</i>, No. 46, 1914); but -the most typical case is that of Antwerp. They -reproduced in their illustrated journals (<i xml:lang="de">Die -Wochenschau</i>, No. 48, 1914; <i xml:lang="de">Kriegs-Kurier</i>, No. 7) a -photograph—or properly speaking, a drawing—published -by an American newspaper (New York -<i>Tribune</i>, 22nd October, 1914) representing a military -observation-post on the tower of Notre-Dame.</p> - -<p>Even if we grant the picture a documentary value<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -which it does not possess, it proves nothing, for -according to the American journalist (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 15th -November, evening edition), the military post existed -on the tower at a period when Antwerp was not -besieged, nor even in danger of being so; the city -had then to defend itself only against dirigibles, -which on two occasions paid it nocturnal visits, -with the accompaniment of bombs. It will be -understood that the <i xml:lang="de">Wochenschau</i> does not inform -us of this; it pretends that the soldiers were on -the tower to observe the German troops and their -heavy artillery during the siege.</p> - - -<p><i>German Observation-posts admitted by the Germans.</i></p> - -<p>Let us now see whether our enemies have -abstained from employing monuments for military -operations. The <i xml:lang="de">Algemeen Handelsblad</i> (Amsterdam) -of the 3rd January states that machine-guns are -placed on the belfry of Bruges and on other towers -of the city. This fact is confirmed by M. Domela -Nieuwenhuys Nyegaard, a pastor of Gand, a convinced -Germanophile, who witnessed an attack by -British aviators, upon whom the machine-guns -installed on the tower of the Halles opened a violent -but ineffectual fire (<i xml:lang="nl">Uit mijn Oorlogsdagboek</i>, p. 319, -in <i xml:lang="nl">De Tijdspiegel</i>, 1st April, 1915).</p> - -<p>Perhaps the Germans will contest this statement. -Here is another. Those who require of their adversaries -so scrupulous a respect for Article 27 of the -Hague Convention placed an observation-post on -the tower of St. Rombaut, during the siege of -Antwerp, in order to control their fire upon the -Waelhem fort. And this at least is indisputable, -for in their cynicism or lack of conscience (let them -choose whichever they please) they published a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -photograph of this infraction of the Hague Convention -in the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung</i> (No. 44, -1914, p. 752).</p> - -<p>This is not the only case admitted by them. -<i xml:lang="de">Zeit im Bild</i> (No. 43, 1914) reproduces on its cover -a photograph of a "military post on the tower of -an Hôtel de Ville." In this we see German soldiers -armed with rifles, watching an imaginary enemy. -This photograph was taken at the Palais de Justice -in Brussels, as is proved, without possibility of error, -by the church of La Chapelle, whose very characteristic -tower rises in the distance. The Germans -were so delighted with this violation of the Hague -Convention that they reproduced the photograph in -the illustrated supplement of the <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger Fremdensblatt</i>. -And what is most curious in this affair -is that they boasted of an offence which they knew -they had not committed. For, firstly, the soldiers -were not posted "on an Hôtel de Ville"; secondly, -they were not even posted <i>on</i> the Palais de Justice, -but to one side of it, as may easily be determined on -the spot; thirdly, German soldiers have never been -placed there to overlook an enemy!</p> - -<p>Since mid-October of 1914 it is in Western Flanders -that the fighting has taken place. Did the -Germans eventually, before the universal reprobation -which greeted their exploits at Louvain, Reims, and -so forth, determine to respect the international -agreement to which they are parties? By no means. -They are far too contemptuous of conventions, as is -proved by the photographs of monuments bombarded -in the region of the Yser, which are published in -the illustrated newspapers, notably in <i>Panorama</i>, a -Dutch illustrated paper which surreptitiously enters -Belgium.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Ypres: <i>Panorama</i>, 23<i>b</i>, 25<i>a</i>.</p> - -<p>Dixmude: <i>Panorama</i>, 23<i>a</i>, 23<i>b</i>; <i xml:lang="de">Berl. Ill. Zeit.</i>, Nos. 2 -and 3, 1915; <i xml:lang="de">Kriegs-Echo</i>, Nos. 22, 24; <i xml:lang="de">Zeit. im Bild</i>, -No. 3, 1915.</p> - -<p>Pervyse: <i>Panorama</i>, 21<i>a</i>, 21<i>b</i>, 23<i>a</i>.</p> - -<p>Nieuport: <i>Panorama</i>, 22<i>a</i>.</p> - -<p>Ramscapelle: <i>Panorama</i>, 23<i>b</i>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Among the monuments destroyed artists especially -deplore the marvellous Halles of Ypres, and the -churches of Nieuport, Ypres, and Dixmude. This -last contained a very remarkable Gothic rood-screen, -of which Herr Stübben, one of the most eminent -architects of modern Germany, stated that its loss -would be irreparable. It escaped the shells, but not -the German soldiery, who destroyed it with the butts -of their rifles, after the capture of the town. Always -<i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>!</p> - - -<p><i>Pillage.</i></p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article</span> 28.</div> - -<p><i>The giving over to pillage of a town or place, even when taken -by assault, is forbidden.</i></p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article</span> 46.</div> - -<p><i>Family honour and rights, individual life, and private property -as well as religious convictions and worship, must be respected.</i></p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article</span> 47</div> - -<p><i>Pillage is expressly forbidden.</i></p> -</blockquote> - -<p>"Family honour and rights!" The cases of rape -prove the respect of the German army for these -prescriptions!</p> - -<p>"Individual life!" By the end of September 1914 -the Germans had killed more civilians than soldiers. -This simple statement says more than could a long -exposition.</p> - -<p>"Private property!" Theft and pillage are phenomena -so commonplace that the inhabitants no -longer insist upon them; if they mention the subject<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -it is to say: "The Germans behaved well here; they -only took all we had." We shall therefore confine -ourselves to citing a few cases particularly typical of -the German mentality.</p> - -<p>It is indisputable that the conflagrations started -under the pretext of chastising "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" were -in reality designed to conceal the pillage committed -by the German army. This was certainly the case at -Aerschot (<i>4th Report</i>) and at Louvain. The officers -who gave orders to start these fires were therefore -accomplices of the pillaging soldiery. For that -matter, how could they have disavowed the thefts -of their men, seeing that they themselves largely -took part in the scramble? Whole trains left -Brussels, Louvain, Malines, and Verviers for Germany, -loaded with "war booty for officers." During -their journey to Belgium, Herren Koester and Noske, -on the 23rd September, at Hubesthal, saw numerous -trains passing which were laden with war booty -(<i xml:lang="de">Kriegsfahrten</i>, p. 8); there were at that time no -serious battles either in France or in Belgium, so -that there was no capture of war booty in the -Western sense of the term.<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> The trains observed by -the Socialist authors could only have been carrying -the fruits of pillage; they came probably from -Malines, which the Germans at this time were -scrupulously emptying, as well as the numerous -châteaux of the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>Not a district has been visited by the Germans -that has not been totally despoiled. Of course, the -silver was taken first. One officer, after plundering -the entire store of silver of a villa at Francorchamps, -confided to a neighbour that he was going to have it -melted down in Germany, with the exception of one -spoon, which he would keep as a "souvenir." Is it -not typical and delightful, this German cult of the -"souvenir" as a veneer of sentimentality on a basis -of rapacity? According to the definition given by -the Kaiser, this officer displayed his civilization but -not his <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p> -<p>Another "requisition" of plate. In the railway -station of Mons, towards the middle of February -1915, a merchant unloading a truck-load of merchandise -had his attention attracted by a coffin -which was being removed from a neighbouring van; -suddenly he heard a metallic clink: the bottom -of the coffin had given way, and an avalanche of -spoons, forks, napkin-rings, and other articles of -silver tumbled out!</p> - -<p>Nothing is sacred to the Huns. They smash the -tabernacles, treasuries, and poor-boxes of the churches -as readily as the coffers of the People's Banks (<i xml:lang="fr">Maisons -du Peuple</i>). At Auvelois they seized upon -43,000 frs. in the Maison du Peuple, this being the -entire capital of the Socialist Young Guard, the -Freethinkers, the newspaper <i xml:lang="fr">En Avant</i>, the Miners' -Union (<i xml:lang="fr">syndicat</i>), and other mutual aid societies.</p> - -<p>At Beyghem, near Grimberghen, before setting -fire to the church, they broke open the safe in the -sacristy. Being unable to perforate it, they demolished -the wall dividing the church from the -sacristy, in which it was imbedded, so that they -were able to attack it from behind.</p> - -<p>In most of the churches which were burned in -the north of Brabant (p. <a href="#Page_73">73</a>) the strong-box and the -tabernacle were broken open. It was the same in -the province of Namur.</p> - -<p>As soon as the approach of the Germans was -signalled, many people hastened to pack up their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -furniture and valuables, in order more readily to -transport them in case of evacuation. This foresight -almost always failed in its object, owing to -the impossibility of finding a horse and cart at the -moment of departure. These packing-cases and -hampers, all ready corded, presented an insurmountable -temptation; the officers were never able to -resist it, and the goods were sent straight to the -railway station.</p> - -<p>We are informed that at the beginning of the -German occupation officers were frequently mistaken -as to the actual value of the articles which -they removed; so that they sent their families worthless -rubbish "made in Germany." To avoid these -unpleasant misconceptions, they made their inspections -in the company of experts who directed their -choice.</p> - -<p>Need we add that the wine-cellars were always -methodically exploited? The bottles which could -not be drunk on the spot were packed for later -consumption, or to be sent to Germany. In a -château near Charleroi the officers had the doors—which -were beautiful examples of joinery—taken off -their hinges, and used to make packing-cases for the -bottles.</p> - -<p>We must not forget that drunkenness has played -an important part in the atrocities committed by the -German army.</p> - -<p>The Germans were not content with making a -clean sweep of the private houses and châteaux; -they also stripped the Governmental offices which -they occupied in Brussels of their furniture. In the -Ministry of Public Works a portion of the maps of -bridges, buildings, etc., was burned, and a portion -sent to Germany.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Thefts of Stamps.</i></p> - -<p>As to those who despoiled the Ministries, we will -give them the credit of supposing that they acted by -order and in the interest of their Government; but -we cannot thus excuse the conduct of one officer -who, having possessed himself, goodness knows how, -of a number of Belgian stamps, attempted, in a -stationer's shop, to pay for 80 frs.' worth of goods by -means of these stamps. Meeting with a refusal -from the shopkeeper, he had to content himself -with paying for only a portion of his purchases in -this manner. In a neighbouring watchmaker's -he did better, for he was able to get rid of 100 -frs. in stamps; at a discount, of course.<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> He -informed the watchmaker that he possessed 4,000 -frs.' worth of Belgian stamps. The latter was not -so indiscreet as to ask how he obtained them.</p> - -<p>Better still: the Germans do not conceal the fact -that they are thieves. The <i xml:lang="fr">Matin</i> (Paris, 9th June, -1915) reproduced the photograph of an announcement -published by a Swiss newspaper.</p> - -<p>"It informs us that a thief of the German army, -desiring to realize the 'war booty' which he collected -in Antwerp, offers for sale unused stamps -of values between 10 centimes and 10 frs. In -his 'stock' of booty are 19 different stamps of a -total value of 29 frs. 70 (oh, that 70 centimes of -pillage!) which he offers for 3 frs. 50.—All Germany—philosophical, -political, military, and commercial—is -contained in this little advertisement."</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p> -<p>At Tamines, having burned about 250 houses, -on the 21st and 22nd August, 1914, and having -forced the living to bury the 416 unhappy people -shot on the evening of the 22nd, they sent all the -survivors to Velaines-sur-Sambre. There they were -given their liberty, and told that they might go -to Namur or to Düsseldorf, but not to Tamines. -Why not to Tamines? They understood a few -days later, when they were bold enough to return -despite the prohibition. The Germans had completely -emptied all the shops and all the private -houses in the place. It is evident that this operation -can be effected in a more methodical and comfortable -manner when there are no children running -between your legs, or women begging you to leave -them some souvenir for which they have a particular -affection.</p> - -<p>At Louvain they acted in the same manner; they -proceeded to wholesale pillage only after the 27th, -when they had sent all the inhabitants away.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the love of pillage got the better of -discipline. At Jumet, on the road from Brussels -to Charleroi, on the 22nd August, 1914, the troops -were ordered to burn all the houses, because the -French of the 110th Infantry had dared to attack -them with machine-guns. But some soldiers who -had entered a tobacconist's amused themselves by -stealing cigars and cigarettes, and were so absorbed -that they forgot to set fire to the shop, so that it -has remained intact in the midst of a long row of -burned-out buildings.</p> - -<p>What disgusts us most in all this pillage is not -that the German troops should have marked our -unhappy country for pillage; it is the indisputable -complicity of the leaders of the army. Nothing -more clearly proves the benevolent intervention of -the military and civil authorities in the operations -of brigandage than the regular transport of "war -booty" into Germany. The officers make no secret<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span> -of sending to their homes such things as pianos, -pictures, jewels, furniture, glass, etc. They do it -openly, with the obvious complicity of the railway -officials. The latter are entrusted with the organization -of the rapid transportation to the Fatherland -of mountains of cases, containing the results of the -methodical exploration of our houses and châteaux -and shops and warehouses. It is a vast organization -of brigandage, hierarchically regulated, in which -every one steals without hiding the fact from his -fellows. Who knows whether the coffin full of silver-plate -which burst in the Mons railway station did not -belong to some officer who had swindled his accomplices? -We in Belgium have witnessed the regular -working of a system of "co-operative brigandage -under the august protection of the authorities."</p> - -<p>Let us note, finally, that theft and pillage are -expressly forbidden by the German <i>Usages of War</i>. -Articles 57, 58, 60, 61, and 62 prohibit all destruction -of private property. But we must suppose that -their <i>Usages of War</i> are applicable only in times of -peace, since from the very first days of the war -the German army began to pillage the regions -which it occupied. This spoliation has been pursued -with the systematic spirit which characterizes -<i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>.</p> - - -<p><i>Illegal Taxation.</i></p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 43.</span></div> - -<p><i>The authority of the power of the State having passed de facto -into the hands of the occupant, the latter shall do all in his power -to restore, and shall ensure, as far as possible, public order and -safety, respecting at the same time, unless absolutely prevented, the -laws in force in the country.</i></p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 48.</span></div> - -<p><i>If, in the territory occupied, the occupant collects the taxes, dues,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -and tolls payable to the State, he shall do so, as far as is possible, -in accordance with the legal basis and assessment in force at the -time and shall in consequence be bound to defray the expenses of -the administration of the occupied territory to the same extent as -the national Government had been so bound.</i></p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 49.</span></div> - -<p><i>If, in addition to the taxes mentioned in the above Article, the -occupant levies other money contributions in the occupied territory, -they shall only be applied to the needs of the army or of the -administration of the territory in question.</i></p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Two placards exhibited in Brussels on the evening -of the 12th December (Saturday) attracted general -attention.</p> - -<p>They first convoked the Provincial Councils for -the 19th December, and imposed upon them, not -simply a general "order of the day," but an imperative -mandate to vote a war-tax. The second -gave details of this tax: 480,000,000 frs. was -to be paid in monthly instalments of 40,000,000 -(£19,200,000 in twelve payments of £1,600,000) -(see <i xml:lang="de">Belg. Allem.</i>, p. 120).</p> - -<p>Baron von Bissing thus advertised, seven days -in advance, the decisions to be taken by the Provincial -Councils. Doubtless he was made to understand -that the proceeding was a little extreme, and -contrary both to the law and to common sense; for -on the following morning the second placard was -covered with a blank sheet of paper. Better still, -the "Official Bulletin of Laws and Decrees for the -occupied Belgian Territory" gave in its issue of the -19th the text of the two decrees; but this number -was suppressed, and in its place another placard, -numbered 19, was distributed, which included only -the first decree.</p> - -<p>On the 19th December our nine Provincial<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -Councils assembled. They could not do otherwise -than vote the crushing tax of 480 millions; but -several of them protested eloquently against the -illegality of this proceeding.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<p><i>Speech delivered by M. François André at the meeting of the -Provincial Council of Hainaut, on the 19th December, 1914, -in the presence of the German Governor and Dr. Daniest, -President.</i></p> - -<p>... We have met by order of the German authorities to vote -a war-tax; to make one word of many, we have met to furnish -arms to the formidable invader of our country, to be used against -our heroic little Belgian army....</p> - -<p>We are thus assembled to vote, <i>by order</i>, a war-tax.</p> - -<p>I wish to protest—against both the form and the substance of -this tax.</p> - -<p>As to the form, I regard this extraordinary session as absolutely -illegal; the Provincial Councillors are not qualified to vote war-taxes -affecting the whole country; moreover, the councillors of the -various provinces, in concerting as to the measures to be taken in -common, so to speak, which are matters beyond the scope of their -jurisdiction, are committing an offence in Belgian law, which law -no German decree has abrogated. As to the substance: Admitting -that the German authorities have the right to levy taxes on the -whole country, while our 120,000 soldiers are still in occupation -of our territory, it is very certain that according to the terms of -the Hague Convention no tax may be levied except for the needs -of the army of occupation.</p> - -<p>What is an army of occupation?</p> - -<p>It is that which, finding itself in a conquered territory, -undertakes the policing and safeguards the security of that -territory.</p> - -<p>This is why it may appear legitimate for the army to force the -occupied territory to support it.</p> - -<p>But our country—as Field-Marshal von der Goltz has declared, -and as is perfectly obvious—our country has become the basis of -military operations against the Allies. According to the spirit of -the Hague Convention, there is no army of occupation, properly -speaking, in our country, and in any case the 35,000 men concentrated -in Namur and the artillery assembled at Liége cannot -in any respects be regarded as making part of an army of occupation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p> - -<p>It is, therefore, contrary to law and contrary to reason that -these 480,000,000 frs. are demanded from the country.</p> - -<p>Are we then going to vote this formidable war-tax?</p> - -<p>Assuredly if we listened only to our hearts we should reply: -No, no; 480,000,000 times no.</p> - -<p>For our hearts would tell us:</p> - -<p>We were a small nation, happy to live by its labour; we were -an honest little nation, having faith in treaties and believing in -honour; we were a confident little nation, and unarmed, when -suddenly, violently, Germany hurled two million men upon our -frontier, the greatest army that the world has ever seen, and she -told us: "Betray your given word; let our armies pass that I -may crush France, and I will give you gold." But Belgium -replied: "Keep your gold; I would rather die than live without -honour."</p> - -<p>History will one day reveal the greatness of the action which -forever magnifies us in the eyes of the future. For nothing in -the annals of the past equals the sacrifice of this people, which, -having nothing to gain and all to lose, preferred to lose all in -order that honour should be saved, and deliberately cast herself -into an abyss of distress, but also of glory.</p> - -<p>The German army thus invaded the country in violation of -solemn treaties.</p> - -<p>"It is an injustice," said the Chancellor of the Empire; "the -destinies of the Empire forced us to commit it; but we shall -repair the wrong done to Belgium by the passage of our -armies...."</p> - -<p>This, then, is how they mean to repair that wrong:</p> - -<p>Germany will pay——</p> - -<p>But no! Belgium will pay Germany 480,000,000 frs.! Vote -this money!</p></blockquote> - -<p>As a matter of penal legislation, the Germans have -systematically ignored Article 48, as is proved by -the eloquent protest of the President of the Bar of -Brussels.</p> - -<p>Yet another typical instance of the manner in -which Germany disregards our laws. At Aerschot -the Germans provisionally invested a German, Herr -Ronnewinkel, who had inhabited the district for -several years, with the functions of Burgomaster.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -On the 6th November, 1914, they proclaimed him -permanently burgomaster.</p> - -<p>Here was a German appointed burgomaster by -the will of the district commander, although by the -terms of the law only a Belgian appointed by the -Government could be burgomaster. Moreover, they -did the same at Andenne. The communal autonomy -of which Belgium was so proud was thus trampled -underfoot.</p> - -<p>We see, then, that in despite of Articles 43 and -48 of the Hague Convention and Article 67 of their -own <i>Usages of War</i> the Germans have shown no -respect whatever for the legislation in force. We -cite here only the most flagrant of these illegalities, -those which any person of common sense can understand -and judge.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 44.</span></div> - -<p><i>A belligerent is forbidden to compel the inhabitants of territory -occupied by it to furnish information about the army of the other -belligerent, or about its means of defence.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>This article was not accepted by Germany; she -remains faithful to her <i>Usages of War</i>: Article 53, -2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs, and applies their -principles with extreme severity.</p> - -<p>Nothing better illustrates the severity with -which the Germans act than the little manual -of conversation which terminates the <i xml:lang="de">Tornisterwörterbuch</i>, -published by the Mentor publishing house in -Schöneberg, Berlin. It is a small dictionary, costing -60 pfennigs, and intended, as the title indicates, to -be carried in the soldier's knapsack. The French -dictionary and the English are conceived according -to the same method; after information concerning -the country in question they give a summary of the -rules of grammar; then comes the dictionary properly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -so-called, with phonetic pronunciation; finally, a few -common phrases, which to us are the most interesting -part of the book, since their choice naturally -reflects the requirements of those expected to employ -them. Here are a few passages from paragraph 4: -<i>Service of Outposts and Patrols</i>. In each passage -we copy all the phrases without exception, so as to -avoid misrepresenting the spirit of the work; and -this spirit, as will be seen, is ferocious. The volume -is not dated; but the 42nd edition, from which we -quote, describes (p. 44) the French campaigning -uniform of 1912. These phrases were therefore -printed at least five years after the second Hague -Conference (18th October, 1907). They show clearly -that the acts of cruelty committed by the patrols -against those who refused to betray their country -were not improvised by the cavalry taking part in -these reconnaissances, but were systematically premeditated.</p> - -<p>P. 175—</p> - -<div class="poem"> -Silence! Speak only when I question you!<br /> -You seem to me a suspicious person.<br /> -Where is your pocket-book?<br /> -I must search it.<br /> -Remain here for the moment.<br /> -At the first attempt at flight you will be shot.<br /> -Sir, where does this road lead?<br /> -</div> - -<p>P. 176—</p> -<div class="poem"> -Is this village occupied by the French?<br /> -When did the troops arrive there?<br /> -What is roughly their composition?<br /> -Roughly? Two or three companies?<br /> -How many officers, roughly speaking?<br /> -Have they any artillery?<br /> -How many guns?<br /> -Have you seen cavalry too?<br /> -Tell us the truth. The least lie might cost you your life!<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> - -<p>P. 177—</p> -<div class="poem"> -Has the village been placed in a state of defence?<br /> -Are there no cross-roads leading to the windmill?<br /> -Remain by my horse.<br /> -On the first attempt at flight, or if you try to mislead me, I shall send a bullet after you.<br /> -Stop here! I will call the miller myself.<br /> -Hey! Miller!<br /> -Have any French troops passed this way?<br /> -You lie! Here are visible traces, and quite fresh ones.<br /> -</div> - -<p>A little manual of conversation costing 20 pfennigs—<i xml:lang="de">Deutsch-Französischer-Soldaten-Sprachführer</i>, -by -Captain S. Th. Hoasmann, is conceived on the same -lines. Here are a few examples. The soldier, -making a reconnaissance, declares: "Speak the -truth or you will be killed!" In the chapter on -"Posts and Telegraphs" we find the phrase: "It -is forbidden (on pain of death) to send telegrams." -And the sentinel should be able to say: "If you -lie you will be shot," etc.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 50.</span></div> - -<p><i>No collective penalty, pecuniary or otherwise, shall be inflicted -upon the population on account of the acts of individuals for -which it cannot be regarded as collectively responsible.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>This article proclaims the principle that in no case -must the innocent suffer with the guilty, nor in their -place. We have already seen that our enemies -oppose this idea; they maintain that the innocent -should suffer with the guilty, and even that if one -cannot lay hands on the guilty one may punish -the innocent in their place (p. <a href="#Page_84">84</a>). It was by -the application of this German principle of collective -punishment that Louvain, Dinant, Termonde, and -other towns were burned.</p> - -<p>The placard of 1st October, 1914, clearly displays<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -the German mentality; it states that villages will be -punished without mercy, whether guilty or not.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>On the evening of the 25th September the railway and telegraph -lines were destroyed between Lovenjoul and Vestryck. In consequence -of which the two localities mentioned were, on the -morning of the 30th September, called to account and forced to -supply hostages.</p> - -<p>In future the localities nearest the spot at which such acts -have been committed—no matter whether they are guilty of -complicity or not—will be punished without pity. To this end -hostages have been taken from all localities adjacent to railway -lines threatened by such attacks, and at the first attempt to -destroy the railway lines, or telegraph or telephone wires, they -will immediately be shot.</p> - -<p>Moreover, all troops charged with the protection of railways -have received orders to shoot any person approaching railway -lines or telephone or telegraph wires in a suspicious manner.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Governor-General in Belgium,<br /> -Baron von der Goltz</span>,<br /> -<i>General Field-Marshal</i>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>1st October, 1914</i>.<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>Fully to appreciate the horrible nature of this -placard we must recall the fact that during the siege -of Antwerp (which terminated only on the 9th) -Belgium patrols were penetrating into the midst of -the German troops, venturing thirty-five miles and -more from Antwerp, their mission being to harass -the enemy's communications and to destroy the -railways and the telegraph and telephone line. It -was one of these bodies of Belgian cyclists which -cut the railway and telegraph line between Louvain -and Tirlemont on 25th September, 1914. Von der -Goltz was evidently aware that this destruction was -a perfectly legitimate military operation, so that his -placard was intended simply to embarrass our military -authorities by showing them that in defiance of all -justice Germany intended to hold the Belgian civilians<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -responsible for the activity of our army. In short, -instead of saying "no matter whether these localities -are guilty of complicity or not," von der Goltz would -have given a greater proof of sincerity had he said, -"although I know that these localities are in no way -guilty of complicity."</p> - -<p>Here are two other placards, printed in Germany, -which show plainly that it is according to a system -that our oppressors hold the entire community responsible -for the act committed by a single person; -or rather, as we shall see, for the acts of the Belgian -army.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Placard printed in German, French, Russian, and Polish, -surrounded by a border of the German Colours.</span></div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Any person who shall have damaged a military telephone or -telegraph will be shot.</p> - -<p>Any person removing this notice will also receive the severest -punishment. If the guilty person is not found, the severest -measures will be taken against the commune in which the damage -has been caused or the present notice removed.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Commanding the Army Corps.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>(<i>Posted at Bieghem, copy made 22nd October, 1914.</i>)</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>All damage done to the Telegraph, Telephone, or Railway lines -will be punished by the Military Court. According to the -circumstances, the guilty person will be condemned to death.</p> - -<p>If the guilty person is not seized the severest measures will be -taken against the commune in which the damage has been done,</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>Printed by H. A. Heymann, Berlin, S.W.</p> - -<p>(<i>Posted at Tervueren, copy made 15th April, 1915.</i>)</p></blockquote> - -<p>Very frequently the penalties with which the community -is threatened are not specified in these -placards. One may suppose that it would consist of -a fine; this is indeed the punishment most frequently<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -applied, doubtless because it is the most -productive. Here are some examples, for cutting the -telegraph wires, various localities in Flanders were -forced to pay fines in December 1914.</p> - -<p>The military chest does not lack for money; for in -a garrison command a fine may be inflicted more -readily than elsewhere. Here is an example. An -officer was choosing some music in a shop; and -found, amidst a heap of pieces of music, a copy of -the <i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i>. Now it has never been stated that -one must not possess the <i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i>. Result: the -shopkeeper was condemned to pay a fine of 500 -marks or to twenty days' imprisonment. "I prefer -the imprisonment," said the unfortunate man. -"But, my good fellow, you can avoid going to -prison! Pay the fine!" "I know, but I have not -got 500 marks. I could only scrape together 150 -frs. at most." "All right, give them to me!"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - - -<p><i>Fines for Telegraphic Interruptions.</i></p> - -<p>The military chest is also replenished by the fines -paid because the telegraph and telephone do not -work properly. Now it has often happened during -the last six weeks that communication has been -obstructed in Flanders. The smallest communes -have been forced to pay fines.</p> - -<p>Here is a brief list of such fines:</p> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Gand</td><td align="right">100,000</td><td align="center">marks</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Ledebourg</td><td align="right">5,000</td><td align="center">"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Destelbergen</td><td align="right">30,000</td><td align="center">"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Schellebelle</td><td align="right">50,000</td><td align="center">"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Sweveghem</td><td align="right">4,900</td><td align="center">"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Winckel Sainte-Croix</td><td align="right">3,000</td><td align="center">"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Wachtebeke</td><td align="right">3,000</td><td align="center">"</td></tr> -<tr><td align="right" colspan="3"><i>(N.R.C.</i>, 30th January, 1915, evening edition.)</td></tr> -</table> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Fines for "Attacks by <span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>."</i></p> - -<p>We may observe, in passing, that in September -1914 the accusation—the accusation, we say, not the -offence—of having allowed a telegraph wire to -deteriorate was punished, in Brussels, by a stoppage -of the telephone service; but in December the -Germans preferred to fill their treasury. The same -observation is true of Mons and Bilsen; the accusation -of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," which in September 1914 -would have ended in a massacre of the inhabitants -and the burning of the town, was in October the -motive for a tax of 100,000 frs. At that time it no -longer seemed essential to terrorize; the Germans -no longer required blood, but money.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">On behalf of the German Military Authorities.</span></div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Warning.</span></div> - -<p>The City of Mons has been forced to pay a tax of 100,000 frs. -because a private person fired upon a German soldier.</p> - -<p>(<i>Posted at Louvain.</i>)</p></blockquote> - -<p>And indeed it is money that is demanded everywhere—5,000 -frs. from the commune of Grenbergen, -near Termonde, because an inhabitant -allowed his pigeons to fly. 5,000,000 frs. was -required of Brussels because a police agent maltreated -a German spy (p. <a href="#Page_157">157</a>). It was with a money -fine that Mons was threatened should an Englishman -be discovered on its soil (placard posted at Mons, -6th November, 1914), and the city of Mons and the -province of Hainaut if any inhabitant retained for -his own use any benzine or a motor-bicycle (placard -posted at Mons, 6th October, 1914). At Seraing, -in February 1915, it was again money that was -demanded, because a bomb had burst within the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -limits of the commune. The more surely to obtain -the sum, a few hostages were imprisoned, with the -promise that they would be sent to a fortress in -Germany if the communal treasury did not pay their -ransom; but the hostages themselves advised the -commune to refuse. The Germans, fearing to be -left in the lurch, reduced their demands by half; -finally, having obtained nothing, they released the -hostages. Singular justice, to regulate its penalties -not by the gravity of the offence, but according to -the temper of the victims! We are waiting for the -German newspapers to publish a schedule of penalties -as affected by the docility of the victims and the -season.</p> - -<p>Here is an amusing instance of a penalty which -was inflicted upon Antwerp. When the Germans -posted up a statement that they had captured 52,000 -Russians and 400 guns in Eastern Prussia, a playful -citizen replaced the first letter of <i>Russians</i> in the -Flemish text by an M and concealed the two first -letters of <i>canonen</i>. The new version announced -that the Germans had captured 52,000 sparrows and -400 nuns. The Germans were annoyed and imposed -a fine of 25,000 frs. on the city. At Tirlemont, -where the same pleasantry was perpetrated, the -Germans contented themselves with making vague -threats.</p> - -<p>The adventure of Eppeghem also deserves to be -told in a few words.</p> - -<p>In November 1914 a German soldier walking in -the country fired at a hare or a pigeon. An officer -turned up and questioned the soldier. As all sport -is reserved for officers, the soldier, to avoid punishment, -threw the blame on to the peasants. The -matter was referred to Brussels, and on the following<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -day officers arrived with forty Uhlans. A fine of -10,000 frs. was inflicted on the commune.</p> - -<p>Some women living in a house which had by -chance remained standing, near the field in which -the soldier had fired, asserted that no inhabitant had -fired a shot, but that they had seen the soldier fire. -No one listened to them. "We must have 10,000 -frs., and at once." But in this village, ruined -from end to end, where scarcely a house was habitable, -from which all the men had been deported into -Germany, there was no means of collecting such a -sum of money. "Since that is so, hostages will be -taken," said the officers. The Uhlans organized a -hunt, and seized the curé and three laymen, the only -ones they could find; and even of these one was -an inhabitant of Vilverde, who had obligingly been -acting as a citizen policeman at Eppeghem. They -were taken to Brussels, but on passing through -Vilverde the inhabitant of that place was released, -owing to the protests of his fellow-citizens. After -ten days' imprisonment Baron von der Goltz, finding -that there was nothing to be extracted from the communal -treasury of Eppeghem, and that the curé and -his two parishioners were being kept and fed at a -loss, set them at liberty.</p> - - -<p><i>Hostages</i></p> - -<p>The taking of hostages is also in flagrant opposition -to the provisions of Article 50, but in conformity -with the German <i>Usages of War</i>. The hostage -guarantees with his own life that his fellow-citizens, -with whom he has no influence, shall faithfully -execute the orders of the German authorities.</p> - -<p>The first care of enemy troops arriving in any -locality is always to demand the provision of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -hostages; these are usually the curé, the burgomaster, -the notary, the schoolmaster, and a few -other notables. We may recall Liége, where the -bishop, Mgr. Rutten, was taken hostage; Spa, -Louvain, Charleroi, Gand, and Mons. In Brussels -they demanded the delivery of 100 hostages, but -afterwards withdrew the demand.</p> - -<p>As to the fate which awaits the hostages if the -German army is attacked, it is plainly stipulated -in the proclamations: they will be shot, "without -previous judicial formalities." Thus, it would have -been enough for a Belgian patrol to renew its usual -activities near Forest, and two hostages would have -immediately been shot "without previous judicial -formalities."</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">General Government in Belgium.</span></div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">To the People of Forest.</span></div> - -<p>Despite my repeated warnings attacks have again been made -during the last few days by the civil population of the neighbourhood -against German troops, and also upon the railway between -Brussels and Mons.</p> - -<p>By the order of the Military Governor-General of Brussels -each locality must consequently provide hostages.</p> - -<p>Thus at Forest the following are arrested:</p> - -<p> -(1) M. Vanderkindere, Communal Councillor.<br /> -(2) M. le curé François.<br /> -</p> - -<p>I proclaim that these hostages will immediately be shot without -previous judicial formalities if any attack occurs on the part of -the population upon our troops or the railway lines occupied by -us, and that moreover the most severe reprisals will be carried -out against the commune of Forest.</p> - -<p>I request the population to keep calm and to refrain from all -violence; in this case it will not suffer the slightest harm.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commandant of the Landsturm</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Halberstadt Battalion</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">von Lessel</span>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Forest</span>, <i>26th September, 1914</i>.<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - -<p>If hostages try to escape they will be hanged and -their village burned.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Warning.</span></div> - -<p>As fresh attempts at assassination have been made upon persons -forming part of the German army I have had persons from many -localities arrested as hostages. These will guarantee with their -lives that no inhabitant will again dare to commit a malevolent -action against German soldiers or attempt to damage the railway, -telegraph or telephone line, or other objects useful to -the operations of our army.</p> - -<p>Persons not belonging to the army surprised in committing -such actions will be shot or hanged. The hostages of the -surrounding localities will suffer the same fate. I shall then -have the neighbourhood burned to the last house, even if -important towns are in question. If the hostages attempt to -escape the locality to which they belong will be burned, and -if captured the hostages will be hanged.</p> - -<p>All inhabitants who give proof of their goodwill toward our -troops are assured of the safety of their lives and property.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commandant entrusted with the<br /> -Protection of the Railways,<br /> -Freiherr von Malzahn.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p>(<i>Posted at Spa, Aywaille, Châtelineau.... 17th August, 1914.</i>)</p></blockquote> - -<p>We do not know if hostages were shot or hanged -in Belgium. But in the north of France, according -to a military correspondent of the <i>K.Z.</i>, at least one -hostage was killed; this assassination was the more -criminal in that it punished not a hostile act of the -inhabitants, but a perfectly normal and regular -operation of war: a bombardment.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">A War Picture.</span></div> - -<p>... A château stands beside the highway, at the back of a -courtyard protected by a French spear-headed railing. It is -intact, and shelters the staff of an infantry regiment. Facing -it is the ruined façade of an incredibly pretentious building on -whose pediment sprawls in letters of gold the one word, "Bank." -Beside it is a wholesale corn-chandler's and a wholesale wine-merchant's. -All this belonged to a single man. It was necessary<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -to shoot him as hostage, because the French were persisting, -despite all warnings, in throwing shells into the neighbourhood. -In the wine-cellars stores of unexpected importance were found; -according to the estimates there are more than half a million -litres of red and white wine of very good quality. A great part of -the wine was pumped out of the tanks and received, like an old -acquaintance, by the comrades far and near.</p> - -<p>The rich man of this quarter of the town had a companion -who was more lucky, who in due time sought safety in flight.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>K.Z.</i>, 21st February, 1915.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>A very curious case of the punishment of innocent -people in the case of "guilty" ones is the following: -On the 7th October, 1914, the Germans posted -statements that the militia-men of the occupied -regions could not rejoin the Belgian army, and that -in case of disobedience the young men would expose -themselves to the risk of being sent into Germany as -prisoners of war. So far, nothing illegal. But the -placard then declared that in case of the departure of -any militia-man his family would be held responsible. -Now, how are the parents guilty, if their son intends -at all costs to fulfil his obligations to his native -country? On the 30th December, 1914, there was -an aggravation of this measure: the burgomasters -also were to be punished. On the 28th January, 1915, -a new notice appeared: all Belgians between the -ages of sixteen and forty years were to be regarded -as capable of military service. So when a man of -forty goes to join the Belgian army the members -of his family will be punished! Truly the notice -might have stated whether children would be punished -for not preventing their father's departure!</p> - -<p>Have there been cases of repression? The <i>N.R.C.</i> -states that at Hasselt the Germans actually arrested -the fathers and mothers of the young men who -escaped.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> - -<p>The <i>Tijd</i> learns from Ruremonde:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>At Hasselt and in the neighbourhood the Germans have hunted -down the fathers of those young men who, liable to be called to -the colours, have been able, in spite of strict prohibition and -active supervision, to enter Holland, there to pass through -England and France with the intention of eventually joining -the army.</p> - -<p>But as soon as they heard that the fathers were being arrested, -these latter also crossed the frontier, and the Germans found that -a great many birds had flown.</p> - -<p>They did not stop then: the mothers were arrested in their -place.</p> - -<p>At the same time the Germans made it known that all these -people would be transferred to the well-known camp at Münster, -and warned the women to provide themselves with as much -body-linen as possible. The whole of the little town was in -consternation. Later arrived a telegram from General von Bissing, -announcing that the departure for Münster was postponed for a -week, and the prisoners were taken to Tongres.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 3rd February, 1915.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>A last example of punishment inflicted upon the -innocent, when the "guilty" person had already -suffered punishment. A Belgian, having made -signals to the enemy (that is, to the Belgian army), -was killed while being arrested. Immediately the -curé and the vicar were sent to Germany as being -responsible for the members of their parish.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Important Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Alidor Vandamme, inhabitant of Cortemarck, committed -espionage by making signals to the enemy. Resisting arrest, -he was killed by a rifle-bullet.</p> - -<p>The German authority has taken the following measures of -coercion in consequence of the crime committed by Vandamme:</p> - -<p>1. The curé Blancke and the vicar Barra, responsible for the -members of their parish, will be deported as prisoners of war -to Germany.</p> - -<p>2. The commune of Cortemarck must pay a fine of five -thousand marks (5,000 M.).</p> - -<p>(<i>Posted at Thielt</i>, <i>Termonde</i>, <i>etc.</i>)</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span></p> - -<p>This iniquity was not enough for the German -authorities: they advertised it all through Flanders -(we copied it at Thielt and Termonde), and forced -<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i> to give it publicity. Through lack -of conscience or insolence?</p> - - -<p><i>Contributions and Requisitions.</i></p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 51.</span></div> - -<p><i>No contribution shall be collected except under a written order, -and on the responsibility of a General in command.</i></p> - -<p><i>The collection of the said contribution shall only be effected in -accordance, as far as is possible, with the legal basis and assessment -of taxes in force at the time.</i></p> - -<p><i>For every contribution a receipt shall be given to the -contributories.</i></p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 52.</span></div> - -<p><i>Requisitions in kind and services shall not be demanded from -local authorities or inhabitants except for the needs of the army of -occupation. They shall be in proportion to the resources of the -country, and of such a nature as not to involve the inhabitants in -the obligation of taking part in military operations against their -own country. Such requisitions and services shall only be -demanded on the authority of the commander in the locality -occupied.</i></p> - -<p><i>Contributions in kind shall as far as possible be paid for in -ready money: if not, a receipt shall be given and the payment of -the amount due shall be made as soon as possible.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>The last paragraph of Article 23, already cited, -in reality presupposes that passage in Article 52 -which forbids the occupant to force the inhabitants -to do work which would assist operations directed -against their country (p. <a href="#Page_112">112</a>).</p> - -<p>Among the forms of contribution included in -Article 49 we must give first place to that which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -fixes the value of the mark. The <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer -Zeitung</i> of the 4th September announces that the -military commander of the occupied portion of -Belgium and France fixed the value of 100 marks -at 130 frs. And indeed placards posted at -Charleroi, Saint-Trond, Namur, and Liége required -the Belgians to accept German marks at this exaggerated -tariff, which has caused certain of our -merchants to lose considerable sums.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span></div> - -<p>The circulation of German money having given rise to -perplexities, <i>the value of the German mark has been fixed at -130 centimes</i>.</p> - -<p>The attention of the public is called to the fact that all German -paper money must be accepted in financial transactions at the -same rate as German coin.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Governor.</span><br /> -<i>The 25th August, 1914.</i><br /> -</div> -<p> -(<i>Posted at Liége.</i>)<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> - -<p>The fraudulent intention in this measure was only -too evident. A month later Baron von der Goltz -made it known that until further notice the mark -was to be valued at the lowest at 1 fr. 25 (placard -of the 3rd October, 1914). In reality the mark was -worth only 1 fr. 08 to 1 fr. 15, so that the Belgians -naturally endeavoured to refuse German notes; -whereupon fresh placards were exhibited, compelling -their acceptance (placards of the 4th and 15th -November, 1914). We must mention an unhappy -phrase in a placard posted at Mons; it states that -the mark must be accepted <i>at the actual value of the -coin</i>, and further on fixes this value at 1 fr. 25, -which is obviously incorrect.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Contributions demanded from the Cities.</i></p> - -<p>Let us now consider the pecuniary contributions -demanded from the cities. The most important -were: Liége, 20 million frs.; Namur, 32 millions; -Antwerp, 40 millions; Brussels, 45 millions. The -discussions excited by this last contribution are -extremely instructive; they have been reported by -the <i>N.R.C.</i> We learn how the Germans violated, -successively, all the different agreements which they -concluded with the city; finally they imposed a fine -of 5 millions, which enabled them, in spite of everything, -to complete the sum of 50 millions which -they had promised themselves they would extort -from the capital.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Contribution imposed upon Brussels.</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">From one of our War Correspondents</span></div> - -<p>... In the course of this journey I once more heard people -speaking of the reasons which resulted in the city of Brussels -being fined the sum of fifty millions of francs, as every one knows. -What I relate here I had from one of the most eminent members -of the magistracy:—</p> - -<p>At the time of their entry here, the Germans demanded fifty -millions from the city, and—don't cry out at this—450 millions -from the province of Brabant. The communal council of Brussels -tried to demonstrate that the city could not pay this tax, and -that the tax imposed on the province was utterly exorbitant, -seeing that Brabant, which draws on the budget for an annual -sum of five to six millions, employed this money before it was -paid, and could not, therefore, pay a fine, since the province had -first to provide for its expenditure.... Having discussed the -matter at great length, the Germans finally released Brabant -from this war-tax, and at the same time gave the communal -council a week to find the fifty millions, during which period they -would suspend all other requisitions.</p> - -<p>Burgomaster Max then had posted the well-known placard -announcing that for the coming week no requisitions whatever -would be made by the German authorities.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p> - -<p>But on the following day the burgomaster was called upon to -justify his action, and although he produced the written convention -before the new Governor of the city, the latter gave him -to understand that his predecessor might possibly have granted -such a delay, but that he, being of superior rank, did not recognize -the clause at issue. Fresh negotiations were commenced, -and it was at last arranged that twenty millions should be paid -in five instalments of four millions each. Four of these instalments -were punctually paid, and the fifth was about to be paid, -when Max was summoned by the Governor, who asked him what -his arrangements were concerning the remaining thirty millions.</p> - -<p>Max did not conceal his extreme surprise, stating that he fully -understood that the remainder of the tax had been remitted, and -that the twenty millions constituted the whole amount.</p> - -<p>The German Governor was by no means of this opinion, -and demanded the remaining thirty millions. Thereupon Max -immediately sent an order to the bank to suspend payment of -the last four millions, which were ready for payment, until he -was certain that the Germans would accept them as the final -instalment. There was then on either side an equal degree of -obstinacy. The Governor maintained that Max was breaking -his engagements; Max, on the other hand, maintained that the -Germans had failed to keep their word. The result was that -the burgomaster was arrested, and he is at the present moment -imprisoned in a fortress at Glatz in Silesia.</p> - -<p>The communal council was then warned that it would be -deprived of its functions, and that the Germans would take over -the administration of the city if the war-tax was not paid.</p> - -<p>There were again interminable negotiations, and it was -arranged that in all forty-five millions should be paid.</p> - -<p>The sum was paid. Still the Germans wanted to get hold of the -five remaining millions, so a police agent who had shown lack of -respect for an officer was condemned to five years' imprisonment, -while Brussels was fined five million francs.</p> - -<p>One might ask whether, if the Germans continue to act in this -fashion, the city of Brussels will be forced to pay a fine each time -one of its functionaries is guilty of offence: for it is impossible -that the city can control all its employés.</p> - -<p>In this case the German officer who was insulted was in -civilian clothes. Now to a complaint of the communal council -the Governor had replied, some time previously, that there were -no secret agents at work in civilian clothing; so that the police -agent could not have known that he was dealing with an officer, -since the latter was not in uniform.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p> - -<p>It may be imagined that lively protests were made, but once -more the Germans threatened to assume the direction of the -commune if the sum was not paid by the 10th November at -latest; so, although the council presented a memorandum on the -affair, it was nevertheless forced to pay in order to pursue its -mission in peace.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 9th November, 1914.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - - -<p><i>Exactions of a Non-commissioned Officer.</i></p> - -<p>Fines without rhyme and reason, and exorbitant -war contributions have become so normal and so -customary that the Germans have finally learned to -exploit the situation. The <i>N.R.C.</i> for the 21st May, -1915, reported that the Council of War in Coblenz -had condemned to eighteen months' imprisonment -the non-commissioned officer Garternich, who had -demanded from several occupied Belgian communes -a war contribution of 3 frs. per head, and had thus -acquired, for his own personal profit, a sum of -27,393 frs. Does not this simple fact reveal -the habitual squeezing to which our poor country -is subjected? Eighteen months' imprisonment for -having emptied the communal treasuries already -officially despoiled by the authorities—that truly -is not much; especially when we compare this -sentence with those pronounced upon the communes -when a telegraph wire breaks down: the threat of -burning a whole neighbourhood or a formidable fine.</p> - - -<p><i>Requisitions of Raw Materials and Machinery.</i></p> - -<p><i>Requisitions may only be demanded</i>, says Article -52, <i>for the needs of the army of occupation</i>. Now -our enemies have removed from Belgium enormous -quantities of raw material, and machinery which -evidently cannot be of use to the army of occupation -(see <i xml:lang="de">Belg. Allem.</i>, pp. 113, 116, 117). What can the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -army do with raw cotton, wools, spun cotton, nickel, -jute, etc.? It can be of use only to the industries -of Germany, paralysed by the suppression of the -mercantile marine. Among these requisitions are -included machine-tools for the manufacture of shells -(notably those removed from the national arsenal at -Herstal and the royal cannon foundry at Liége), and -metals, such as copper, which are indispensable to -the manufacture of munitions; so that the articles -which have been taken from us, contrary to -Article 52 of the Hague Convention, subscribed to -by Germany, are thus directly employed in fighting -against us.</p> - -<p>The Germans cannot pretend that these requisitions -of machinery were made by over-zealous officers -ignorant of the laws, for Baron von Bissing himself, -in his quality of Governor-General, signed the -proclamation of the 17th February ordering the -despatch of our machine-tools to Germany. Moreover, -in Berlin even people are perfectly aware of -these requisitions, and of their destination (<i>N.R.C.</i>, -22nd February, 1915, morning edition).</p> - -<p>We must insist on the fact that all these raw -materials of industry, all this machinery, etc., is not -bought, but requisitioned. There is here no case of -a commercial transaction, nor even an expropriation; -for we have no redress against the decision arrived -at in Berlin as to the prices which will be paid after -the war. It is a theft, to express the matter in a -word.</p> - -<p><i>Requisitions in kind and in services ... shall be -in proportion to the resources of the country</i>, says -Article 52; which evidently means that requisitions -must not exhaust the country to the point of -jeopardizing the lives of the inhabitants. If this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -stipulation had been respected we should not have -to deplore the famine which is ravaging our country, -and to which we shall return later on.</p> - -<p>We shall confine ourselves—in order to give some -idea of the excessive and inhuman manner in which -requisitions have been made—to referring the reader -to certain articles written by eye-witnesses, particularly -those who have seen what has happened near -the frontier, and at Gand. It will at once be recognized -that the requisitions made exceed that which -the inhabitants can reasonably provide (see <i>N.R.C.</i>, -10th January, 1915, morning; 23rd January, 1915, -morning; 16th January, 1915, evening; 30th -January, 1915, evening; 12th January, 1915, -morning; 22nd December, 1914, evening).</p> - -<p>The Germans have always taken good care to -demand wine. They demanded enormous quantities -in the little villages of the Campine of Limburg -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 15th January, 1915). Elsewhere they took -for their own use all the cellars of the wine-merchants -and the inhabitants, without allowing -the latter to make use of them (see <i xml:lang="de">Belg. Allem.</i>, -p. 118).</p> - -<p>A last point as to requisitions. They shall <i>as far -as possible be paid for in ready money; if not, a -receipt shall be given</i>.</p> - -<p>Very often no receipt has been given to the owners -of property taken. Elsewhere the receipts are -fantastical and valueless.</p> - -<p>It is the truth that those who do receive vouchers -are requested to satisfy themselves of their accuracy, -but this prescription is obviously a dead letter. -Imagine, on the one hand, a peasant, Fleming or -Walloon, terrorized into a condition of helplessness, -and incapable of reading a voucher scrawled in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span> -German; and on the other, soldiers whose customary -arguments are shooting and burning.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 53.</span></div> - -<p><i>An army of occupation shall only take possession of cash, funds, -and realizable securities which are strictly the property of the -State, depôts of arms, means of transport, stores and supplies, and, -generally, all movable property belonging to the State which may -be used for military operations....</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>From the very first days of the occupation the -Germans, in defiance of law and justice, seized upon -the communal treasuries and the funds deposited in -the branch establishments of the National Bank, the -post offices, etc. They were obliged to recognize -the justice of the protests made by the Belgian -Government; but their love of pillage is incorrigible; -on entering Gand, on Monday, the 12th October, -their first care was to lay hands on the 1,800,000 -(£72,000) contained in the communal treasury.</p> - -<p>According to Article 55 the Germans had no right -to remove the furniture of the Ministries of Brussels -(p. 134), since this property was not of a kind to -be useful in military operations.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 55.</span></div> - -<p><i>The occupying State shall be regarded only as administrator and -usufructuary of public buildings, landed property, forests, and -agricultural undertakings belonging to the hostile State, -and situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the -capital of such properties and administer them in accordance -with the rules of usufruct.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>The German respect for legality did not restrain -them from violating this Article. From the very -first days of the war they employed the churches -which they consented to leave standing as stables; -on reaching Liége they took possession of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -Palais de Justice and made a barracks of it. Why -did they expel Justice? Herren Koester and Noske -tell us (p. 30), it was simply because the position is -central and easy to defend (see a photograph facing -p. 32). They did not take account of the fact that -such employment of the building is doubly contrary -to the Hague Convention, since they did not respect -the nature of the monument, and exposed it to -bombardment by Allied aviators on the look-out -for the German garrison.</p> - -<p>It was the same with the Palais de Justice of -Brussels, which also serves as a German barracks. -To adapt it to its novel use, the soldiers have -destroyed a great part of the magnificent furnishings -which adorned the halls; the immediate surroundings -have been fortified, and the cupola serves by -night as a station for signalling to dirigibles. In -short, all preparations have been made with a view -to the bombardment of Poelaert's masterpiece by -the Allies.</p> - -<p>It is obviously with the idea of preventing their -adversaries from attacking them that they take -up their quarters in our monuments; these are -to serve them as artistic bucklers, just as our -compatriots are employed as living bucklers.</p> - -<p>The violations of Article 55 are past counting. -We will confine ourselves to mentioning a few in -Brussels; they will give us some idea of the diversity -of the transformations which our property has suffered -at German hands. The offices of the Ministries are -transformed into bedrooms for officers. The Palais -des Académies has become a military hospital; God -knows in what condition we shall find its libraries. -In the Parc Royal of Brussels, in the centre of the -city, they have installed an automobile depôt, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -riding-track, and a rifle range; on the 28th October -a shot fired from this range wounded a lady through -the windows of the Schlobach <i xml:lang="fr">magasin</i> in the Rue -Royale.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Article 56.</span></div> - -<p><i>The property of local authorities, as well as that of institutions -dedicated to public worship, charity, education, and to science and -art, even when State property, shall be treated as private property.</i></p> - -<p><i>Any seizure or destruction of, or wilful damage to, institutions of -this character, historic monuments and works of science and art, -is forbidden, and should be made the subject of legal proceedings.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>The first paragraph of this Article has been -scrupulously observed; the property of the communes, -etc., has indeed been treated as private -property has been treated: the latter has everywhere -been sacked and looted, and the Germans -have done the same to collective property.</p> - -<p>As to the intentional character of these acts of -vandalism, it is indubitable. How otherwise explain -the fact that in numerous villages the church has -been the prey of the flames, in many cases even -when the surrounding houses have remained intact? -A few examples will suffice. The village of Haecht -was occupied on the 19th and 20th August. On the -24th the Belgians in Antwerp made a sortie which -was repulsed. The Germans, infuriated, shot 17 -civilians and pillaged all the houses, particularly -remembering the wine in the cellars. Then -the inhabitants were expelled. A fresh sortie of -the Belgians took place from the 9th to the 13th -September; at noon on the last day our troops fell -back; in the afternoon the Germans set fire to the -church and 41 houses. The strong-box of the church -was broken open after the fire. The destruction of -the monument did not strike them as sufficient, and -they dynamited the whole on the 16th (or 17th)<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -September. In the neighbouring village of Werchter, -after the battle of the 25th and 26th August, they -shot 6 civilians and burned 267 houses out of the 513 -which formed the village. After the second fight, -on the 15th September, they burned the church. -In both villages most of the houses round the -churches were spared; it will therefore be difficult -for the Germans to pretend, as at Louvain, that the -burning of these churches was an accident (<i xml:lang="de">Brandunglück</i>) -due to burning fragments carried by -the wind (p. <a href="#Page_220">220</a>). We have already (p. <a href="#Page_73">73</a>) noted -another more significant case, that of the chapel of -the Béguinage of Termonde, which was alone burned, -in the centre of the Béguinage, not a dwelling of -which was touched.</p> - - -<p><i>Conclusions—The Famine in Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>Germany had need, in the conflict with France, of -all the men who passed through Belgium; also she -could leave in Belgium only weak garrisons of the -Landsturm. To safeguard them against possible -attack on the part of the Belgian population, it -was necessary to terrorize the latter to such a -point that it no longer dared to stir. Such was -the object of the carnage and incendiarism which -marked the beginning of the campaign, as was -frankly admitted by Herr Walter Blöm, adjutant -to the Governor-General in Belgium (p. <a href="#Page_84">84</a>). -No doubt the massacres of Louvain, Andenne, -Tamines, and Dinant, committed to order between -the 19th and the 26th August, appeared insufficient, -for a new series was organized between the -4th and 13th September.</p> - -<p>At the news of this butchery a resounding cry of -horror and indignation went up from all the nations<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -of the earth. That the Belgian Army, on the field -of battle, should have paid large tribute to the war -unloosed upon us by Germany—that was to be expected, -but no one would have dared to suppose that -Germany, after participating in the second Hague -Conference, would display towards our civil population -such an implacable cruelty, such exterminating -fury, as history has never recorded since the Thirty -Years' War. But facts are facts; one must needs -submit to the evidence; the German Army has -destroyed our treasures of art and science, has -shot down in cold blood, often by machine-gun -fire, hosts of men, women, even old people and -children; it has ordered the burning of thousands -of houses; it has turned whole districts into deserts.</p> - -<p>Still, some semblance of motive was necessary; -with a mathematical regularity the pretext of -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" was alleged. "<i xml:lang="de">Man hat geschossen</i>"—that -was enough; immediately the neighbourhood -was given over to massacre, pillage, and -fire. Never was any inquiry made, no matter how -summary. Yet when it was desired to show a -foreigner of note—for example, Dr. Sven Hedin—how -they proceeded in the matter of punishing -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," a regular Council of War was -constituted ... which brought in a verdict of -<i xml:lang="fr">non-lieu</i> (p. <a href="#Page_78">78</a>). We defy the Germans to cite a -single case in which a tribunal of this kind has sat -<i>before</i> reprisals. In the few rare cases when witnesses, -etc., have been questioned the examination -has taken place <i>after</i> the firing of houses and the -shooting of inhabitants. This is why we declare -without the slightest reservation that <i>not one single -attack by civilians</i> has been established by any kind -of proof.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>The Flight of the Belgians.</i></p> - -<p>The inhabitants of our towns and our countryside -soon realized to what they were exposing themselves -if they awaited the arrival of the Germans in their -own homes. So, as the Germans advanced, a void -appeared before them. After the taking of Antwerp, -the majority of the peasants of the "Campine" of -Antwerp fled in all haste toward Holland. If to -them we add the people of Antwerp, who had been -driven out by the bombardment, and above all -the innumerable villages of Brabant, Limburg, and -the provinces of Liége and Antwerp, whose homes -had been pillaged and reduced to ashes, we shall not -be astonished to find that in October there were more -than a million Belgian refugees in Holland.<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> To our -northern neighbours we owe our profoundest gratitude -for the fraternal manner in which they welcomed -our unfortunate compatriots.</p> - - -<p><i>The Causes of the Famine.</i></p> - -<p>The horror provoked by the butchery at Dinant, -Aerschot, etc., relegated to the background the -purely material crimes. But these—the pillage, -methodically conducted, of our towns, villages, -farms, and châteaux—the outrageous requisitions -of provisions and of the raw material of industries—the -formidable taxes which drain us of coin—the -fines which rain upon the communal administrations -and on private persons—and many other infractions -of the Hague Convention—have exercised on our -economical life an extremely depressing effect, but -have produced no echo abroad: doubtless because -only those can understand the whole extent of our -misery who daily rub shoulders with the thousands -of starving and unemployed people who drag themselves -from one end of the town to the other in quest -of work that is not to be found, or who mingle with -the interminable files of women who go in search of -rations of bread and soup for their families.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span></p> -<p>Let us briefly consider the principal causes of -famine which prevails in Belgium.</p> - -<p>1. Exaggerated requisitions, out of all proportion to -the resources of the country. They are of two kinds:—</p> - -<p>Firstly, those which have emptied the country of -grain, cattle, forage, and other foodstuffs.</p> - -<p>Then the requisitions of the raw materials intended -for the factories, which have completely -paralysed industry, especially in the Flanders. -One example will suffice. All the workshops of -Termonde were burned save one—the Escaut-Dendre -establishment, which makes boots and -shoes. But the Germans sent into Germany both -the leather and the shoes which were in the warehouse. -The factory is thus condemned to stand -idle for lack of raw material, and also for lack of -funds. Those industries of which the machinery -has been removed are also, of course, doomed to -paralysis. The German authorities threaten to -despoil our factories of all the copper forming part -of the machinery, which would reduce them one and -all to impotence. It is an ironical fact that this -measure was announced by a propagandist leaflet -addressed to the Belgians.</p> - -<p>2. Having made a clean sweep of the greater -portion of all that was indispensable to us, the -Germans have been careful to take our money -from us. Under every imaginable pretext, and -often without any pretext at all, they have imposed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -crushing taxes upon us. The regular payment -of these taxes showing that the public coffers -were not yet quite empty, the Germans hastened to -impose fines upon us, which vary from 5 frs. to -5 millions. The private banks, too, are threatened -every moment with the removal of a portion of their -funds.</p> - -<p>3. It is needless to insist on a third cause, which -reduces our working-class families to idleness and -poverty: the destruction of an enormous number of -factories—some bombarded, but most of them burned -of set purpose.</p> - -<p>4. We have already seen that many factories -which remained intact are condemned to inactivity -by the lack of raw material, or because -they have been deprived of their machinery. The -others are equally paralysed.</p> - -<p>The stoppage of traffic on the railway lines, the -impediments of all kinds placed in the way of inland -navigation, the absence of maritime navigation, are -causes more than sufficient to prevent the importation -of raw materials and the exportation of manufactured -products. Of all these obstacles the most -important is assuredly the suppression of goods -traffic on the railways. "Why," say the Germans, -"do not Belgian employés return to their work, -since our military trains would in any case be run -by our own men?" Hypocrites! The slowness and -irregularity of the trains is highly inconvenient to -the German army, and it would much like to see -them resume their normal speed; but for this it -requires the assistance of the Belgian staff. Is it -not obvious that if our railway-men resumed their -labours they would at the same time facilitate the -transport of German troops and munitions?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span></p> - -<p>Let us again cite the prohibition of "circulation" -between 8 or 9 o'clock and 6 o'clock, which is an -obstacle to night work, which is quite indispensable -to the large industries; and the suppression of the -special trains by which the workers travelled.</p> - -<p>5. Commerce has suffered no less than industry. -There is no telegraph, no telephone, no posting of -closed letters; that is, no means of sending or -receiving orders. No railway, no horses, no motor-cars -to deliver goods or to supply customers. And, -to cap all, the slightest journey necessitates all sorts -of exaggerated expenses: there is the acquisition of -a passport, the train journey at the rate of 10 cm. -per kilometre, hotel expenses, etc. The expenditure -might be a minor matter, but what of the waste of -time? Before 1st July, 1915, any one going from -Liége to Brussels for business purposes had first of -all to waste one or two days in procuring his passport; -the journey occupied at least half a day; and -after interviewing his client he would find that there -was no train back to Liége on the same day. In -short, he would have to allow four days for a journey -which in normal times took half a day.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Other causes of famine are:</p> - -<p>The scarcity and high cost of provisions.</p> - -<p>The financial difficulties in which the public -powers are involved.</p> - -<p>The paralysis of industry and commerce, resulting -in unemployment—that is, in suppression of wages.</p> - -<p>In short, a diminution of resources, accompanied -by an increase of expenditure; so that the public -coffers are almost powerless to come to the aid of -private distress.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span></p> - -<p>That is how we stand in Belgium.</p> - -<p>It is not our intention to depict the poignant -distress which has overwhelmed our country. We -shall merely explain briefly how we try to cope with -it; this will suffice to give some idea of it.</p> - - -<p><i>Creation of Temporary Shelters.</i></p> - -<p>Let us first of all consider the country districts. -Even when a few houses only of a village have -escaped incendiarism the inhabitants have returned -thither and have resumed their customary labours. -Must they not plough and sow, under penalty of -preparing for themselves another year of wretchedness? -Where houses exist no longer they live in -a cellar, or an outhouse to which some kind of roof -has been improvised; families passed the winter of -1914-15 in a potato-silo,<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> under the shelter of a few -mats of straw. In the ruined villages the first -anxiety of the public powers and the relief -committees was therefore to provide provisional -shelter.</p> - -<p>In the towns and industrial districts the most -urgent necessities are of another kind. What is -lacking most particularly is employment. The -administrations have therefore set themselves to -provide the unemployed with paid occupations -which do not demand apprenticeship—the clearing -of ruins, the levelling of soil, the digging of reservoirs, -etc. The communal coffers being empty, -communal vouchers are issued. <i xml:lang="fr">L'Événement Illustré</i>, -in its fourth issue, gives reproductions of -some of these vouchers, of which, it states, there -are more than 500. In the communes near Louvain, -where the poverty is particularly poignant, it has -been necessary to create vouchers for 2 centimes -(at Wilsele) and 5 centimes (at Herent).</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p> -<p>From the outset stringent measures were taken to -make up for the insufficiency of provisions and to -prevent speculators from obtaining possession of -existing stocks. The most important of these -regulations are the following:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) Fixing of maximum prices.</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) Prohibition of the exportation of provisions -from the commune.</p> - -<p>(<i>c</i>) It is forbidden to give animals provisions -intended for human beings.</p> - -<p>(<i>d</i>) Collective exploitation. Many communes -have set up in business as bakers, butchers, -restaurant-keepers, coal merchants, dealers in -colonial produce, etc. They prepare bread and -soup daily, and these are provided gratuitously -to the poorest, or sold at a low price to those -who still have a few savings. In the Brussels -district there had been distributed by the 31st -January, 1915, to adults, 30,060,608 rations, -comprising soup and bread, and to the children -932,838 rations, consisting chiefly of milk, -phosphatine, and powdered milk.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Certain communes also sell meat; others have -installed communal stores for the sale of all kinds -of provisions, especially preserved foods, dried vegetables, -salt, potatoes, etc.; almost everywhere coal -is sold retail; petroleum was sold as long as it -could be obtained. Moreover, the collectivities are -distributing enormous quantities of clothes; in the -Brussels district alone by the end of January -660,865 frs. worth of clothing and footwear had -been given to the necessitous. Abuses have as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -far as possible been guarded against, (1) by the -"household card," the <i xml:lang="fr">Carte de ménage</i>, which -indicates the number of persons composing each -family; and (2) by the limitation of the quantity -of each kind of goods which the household can -obtain during the week.</p> - -<p>The basis of alimentation is bread. Therefore -particularly Draconian rules have been elaborated -for the bakeries.</p> - - -<p><i>The National Relief Committee.</i></p> - -<p>Many problems presented themselves simultaneously, -and with an extreme urgency. In all -communes local committees have been set up, -entrusted with the equitable distribution of provisions -among all the inhabitants. We say "all -the inhabitants," for the reader must not form any -illusions as to our condition: there is not a single -Belgian family which, if left to itself, could obtain its -daily bread; the general rationing to which the -whole population is subjected makes rich and poor -equally dependent on the National Committee of -Relief and Alimentation.</p> - -<p>To organize the feeding of the public would have -been a task above our strength if Belgium, in her -present distress, had been abandoned to her own -resources. But the misfortunes which have come -upon us because we could not consent to comply -with the orders of a tyrannical and perjured neighbour—the -poverty which cripples us more completely -day by day, as requisitions, pillage, taxes, and fines -deprive us of our last resources—the massacres and -the incendiarism which have turned into deserts the -most fertile and most densely peopled provinces of -Europe—the molestations and annoyances which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -have reduced to unemployment a working population -whose activity is proverbial—in short, the unmerited -misfortune which <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> has inflicted upon us—all -this has awakened, in all the civilized nations, a -current of sympathy and solidarity with poor -Belgium.</p> - -<p>By Germany our country was condemned to -perish of starvation. The miracle which alone -could save us has been effected by the charity of -Spain, Scandinavia, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, -New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Argentine -Republic, Brazil, and, above all, the United States. -Since the month of November 1914 vessels laden -with provisions have been regularly leaving the -American ports for Rotterdam, whence the food is -despatched, principally by means of barges, into -Belgium, and distributed, in the smallest villages -even, by the care of the National Committee of -Relief and Alimentation. This Committee is an -extension throughout the whole country of a commission -which was formed early in September 1914 -to succour the Brussels district; it is under the -patronage of their Excellencies the Marquis of -Villalobar, the Spanish Minister, and Mr. Brand -Whitlock, the United States Minister. In January -and February 1915 the Committee was induced to -concern itself also with the country round Maubeuge, -and the Givet—Furnay—Sedan district.</p> - -<p>The mission of the National Committee is equitably -to distribute relief and provisions. But it -does not itself collect these resources; as they -derive more particularly from the United States it -is an American Committee, the "Commission for -Relief in Belgium," which undertakes to collect and -administer funds. It is the American Committee<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -which despatches to Rotterdam, from American -ports, the steamers carrying food and clothing. In -each province the American Commission has a -delegate who supervises the distribution of provisions -and relief; he assures himself that nothing is -diverted to the use of the German army. The -Commission for Relief in Belgium sits in London, -its chairman being Mr. Herbert Hoover.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A serious difficulty cropped up immediately. -Foreign beneficence was eager to aid the Belgians, -but not, obviously, the butchers who occupy our -country. It was therefore necessary at all costs -to prevent the German army from seizing the -provisions and subsidies despatched by America.</p> - -<p>On the 16th October, 1914, the German authorities -undertook to exempt from all requisitions the provisions -imported by the National Committee. But -this promise was promptly violated. The Germans, -it is true, did not requisition the wheat, but they did -requisition the bread made from that wheat. Moreover, -they pretended that their engagement of the -16th October, 1914, general as it was, did not affect -Flanders, a <i xml:lang="fr">territoire d'étape</i> not subject to the -Governor-General. This is the effect of their letter -of the 21st November, 1914. Up to the present it -has been impossible to get them to keep the engagements -to which they subscribed on the 16th October; -for although they have extended to cattle-foods the -promise that nothing should be requisitioned by the -troops placed under the orders of the Governor-General—the -<i xml:lang="fr">territoire d'étape</i> being thus excluded—they -have, on the other hand, forced the communes -of Flanders to open grain markets, in which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -they make purchases, thus continuing to impoverish -the food-stores of the country.</p> - -<p>While they exclude Flanders from the region -exempted from requisitions, they take care not to -breathe a word of this exemption in their own newspapers. -The <i>K.Z.</i>, on the 4th January, and <i xml:lang="de">Der -Volksfreund</i> on the 5th declared that requisitions -of foodstuffs were suspended throughout Belgium.</p> - -<p>Despite the difficulties raised by the Germans, the -National Committee of Relief and Alimentation has -rendered our country inestimable services, which -only those who have visited our towns and rural -districts and have seen the work of the local -Committees can form any conception.</p> - -<p>We borrow from the report of the Executive Committee -for the month of January 1915 (published in -Brussels 15th February, 1915) a few figures (<i>see</i> -table, p. <a href="#Page_176">176</a>) as to the distribution of relief during -the month of January.</p> - -<p>But the National Committee extends its beneficent -action over many departments which are not mentioned -in this table.</p> - -<p>Here, according to the same report, is the list of -these departments:—</p> - -<blockquote> -<p> -I. Department of Alimentation (Foodstuffs).<br /> -II. Agricultural Section of the National Committee.<br /> -III. Relief Department:<br /> -</p> -<blockquote> -<p> -1. Subsidies to Provincial Committees.<br /> -2. Construction of Refuges (100,000 frs. for Luxemburg)<br /> -3. Organizations patronized:<br /> -</p> -<blockquote> -<p> -A. Central Refugee Committee.<br /> -B. Assistance and support of families of officers and under-officers deprived of their means of sustenance by the war (first subvention 50,000 frs.).<br /> -C. Assistance and support of Belgian physicians and druggists ruined by the war (first subsidy of 10,000 frs.).<br /> -D. Assistance and support of artists (first subsidy 10,000 frs.).<br /> -E. Assistance and support of infantile charities.<br /> -F. Assistance and support of destitute persons.<br /> -G. Assistance and support of the homeless (Accommodation section).<br /> -H. Assistance and support of destitute churches (two subsidies of 5,000 frs. each).<br /> -I. Assistance and protection of the unemployed.<br /> -J. Assistance and protection of lace-makers (subsidy of 129,749 frs.).<br /> -K. Union of Belgian Towns and Communes.<br /> -L. Belgian Intelligence Agency for Prisoners of War and Persons Interned (monthly subvention of 3,000 frs.).<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> -<p> -4. Co-operative Society for Loans and Advances.<br /> -5. Advances to Provinces and Communes.<br /> -6. Clothing.<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="center"> -DISTRIBUTION OF FOODSTUFFS, CLOTHING, AND SUBSIDIES IN MONEY, IN THE PROVINCES<br /> -<span class="smcap">Nature of Merchandise.</span><br /> -<i>Quantities in Tons.</i><br /><br /><br /> -</div> - - -<div class="center"> -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Despatched or</td><td align="center">Wheat</td><td align="center">Flour</td><td align="center">Rice</td><td align="center">Peas</td><td align="center">Salt</td><td align="center">Potatoes</td><td align="center">Bacon</td><td align="center">Maize</td><td align="center">Sundry </td><td align="center">Clothing</td><td align="center">Subsidies</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Remitted to</td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center">and</td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center">(value</td><td align="center">to</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center">Beans</td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center">in</td><td align="center">Provincial</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center">Francs)</td><td align="center">Committees</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center"> </td><td align="center">(in France)</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Province of</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> Antwerp</td><td align="right">3,525</td><td align="right">1,247</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">126</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">2</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">713</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">100,880</td><td align="right">300,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brussels and</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> District</td><td align="right">3,371</td><td align="right">1,329</td><td align="right">13</td><td align="right">247</td><td align="right">6</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">90</td><td align="right">82</td><td align="right"> 379,058</td><td align="right">300,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Brabant</td><td align="right">2,962</td><td align="right">1,486</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">31</td><td align="right">116</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right">24</td><td align="right">548</td><td align="right">57</td><td align="right">101,916</td><td align="right"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Western</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> Flanders</td><td align="right">542</td><td align="right">519</td><td align="right">59</td><td align="right">48</td><td align="right">20</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">23</td><td align="right">41,059</td><td align="right">170,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Eastern</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> Flanders</td><td align="right">4,419</td><td align="right">1,982</td><td align="right">37</td><td align="right">46</td><td align="right">4</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">3</td><td align="right">1,120</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">300,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Hainaut</td><td align="right">5,602</td><td align="right"> 3,739</td><td align="right">258</td><td align="right">350</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">74</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">181</td><td align="right">293</td><td align="right">81,493</td><td align="right">550,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Liége</td><td align="right">3,356</td><td align="right">1,242</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">5</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">200</td><td align="right">80</td><td align="right">4,860</td><td align="right">280,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Limburg</td><td align="right">1,539</td><td align="right">1,466</td><td align="right">11</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">22</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">200</td><td align="right">35</td><td align="right">41,477</td><td align="right">160,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Luxemburg</td><td align="right">209</td><td align="right">853</td><td align="right">1</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">16,656</td><td align="right">160,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Namur</td><td align="right">1,011</td><td align="right">346</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">60</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">150</td><td align="right">89</td><td align="right">95,307</td><td align="right">203,000</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">General Stock,</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> Brussels</td><td align="right">446</td><td align="right">119</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">8 2,268</td><td align="right">38</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">239</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Various</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> Charities</td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right"> </td><td align="right">9,687</td><td align="right"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Totals</td><td align="right">27,476</td><td align="right"> 14,338</td><td align="right">359</td><td align="right">979</td><td align="right"> 2,414</td><td align="right">140</td><td align="right">27</td><td align="right">3,202</td><td align="right">912</td><td align="right">822,379</td><td align="right">2,423,000</td></tr> -</table></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p> - -<p>Since the month of January 1915 the National -Committee has not ceased to extend its activities. -But it is impossible to give more precise data. The -German authorities no longer permit the Committee -to publish its reports. In their dry, official manner -they show us only too clearly what we are to think -of the present "prosperity" of Belgium and the -"normal state of the situation."</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>It will be seen that the activities of the National -Committee are fruitful and extensive. But more -and more money is required, as savings are exhausted -and as the public coffers are emptied by the Germans.</p> - -<p>In January 1915 the Sovereign Pontiff surrendered -the Belgian contribution to Peter's Pence.</p> - -<p>As 40 million frs. per month (£1,600,000) is -being paid to the Germans, poverty is rapidly increasing. -The number of Belgians deprived of all -resources and obliged to live entirely on charity had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span> -risen by February to 1,500,000. It was estimated -that by June it would be 2,500,000, or more than -one-third of the total population. In February the -nourishment of this famishing host already demanded -10 million frs. (£400,000) per month; soon it will -demand 12 to 13 millions. In this conjuncture -Mr. Hoover, the President of the American Commission, -went begging to the British Government, -which promised £100,000 per month provided Germany -would cease to make requisitions in Flanders -and levy the tax of 40 millions. Germany refused. -How will it end?</p> - - -<p><i>Belgium's Gratitude to America.</i></p> - -<p>Belgium knows that she owes her relief to the -United States. Without American charity our -country would perish in the distress into which the -German exactions have plunged her. No one in -Belgium will ever forget this, and it is in the name -of the whole nation that King Albert has publicly -thanked America.</p> - -<p>It was in sign of homage, and also of gratitude, -that on the 22nd February, 1915, on the anniversary -of American Independence, the Belgians wore in their -buttonholes a medallion of the Stars and Stripes, -while thousands of the citizens of Brussels left their -cards at the hotel of His Excellency Mr. Brand H. -Whitlock. Baron von Bissing spoke of this as -childishness; at Liége German officers even snatched -the American colours from women and young girls. -Massacre and arson are more familiar to <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> than -gratitude.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> And also justified by the laws of warfare as affecting invasion. -Moreover: "The rules which affect a <i xml:lang="fr">levée en masse</i> (a general -rising of the people to repel invaders, without organization) -should be generously interpreted. The first duty of a citizen is to -defend his country, and provided he does so loyally he should not -be treated as a marauder or criminal." The Germans could not -at the outset know that there was no <i xml:lang="fr">levée en masse</i>.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> The Germans have tried to persuade Rome that these priests -were not assassinated but killed in battle.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> To give an idea of these accusations, it was said that in -the cellars of a Louvain convent the corpses of fifty German -soldiers were discovered, murdered by the monks.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> If organized and disciplined, the civic guards and <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> -would have formed part of the Belgian forces, provided -they wore a recognizable sign and bore arms openly.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> -We shall see later (p. <a href="#Page_221">221</a>) that at Louvain Dr. Hedin was -shamefully deceived by the military authorities who were guiding -him through the city. It is this which makes us fear that there -may also have been deceit in the case of the villagers tried as -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>."</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege.</i> Professor J. H. Morgan has -published a translation, with an introduction (John Murray). -For a comparison between German, French, and English usages -see <i>Frightfulness in Theory and Practice</i>, by Charles Andler, ed. -Bernard Miall (T. Fisher Unwin).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> They are all, with a truly German lack of originality, with -the genuine intellectual slavishness of the "blonde beast," simply -repeating the words of Clausewitz, as all German military -philosophers have done for the best part of a century.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> A perusal of Clausewitz, von Hartmann, and the <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbrauch</i> -would have dispelled all doubt. None of these theories is new: -how often does a German develop a <i>new</i> theory? This peculiarly -bloodless, mechanically ferocious barbarism is nearly a century -old. The French had seen it in action before.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> The Germans even accuse the Belgian Government of paying -its "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" "by the piece"; that is, so much per -German killed.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> If it had <i>openly</i> encouraged the civil population it would -merely have ordered the <i xml:lang="fr">levée en masse</i>, which it had a perfect -right to do: as Germany did in 1813. But it is interesting to -note that in 1813 the German <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> were required <i>not</i> to -wear distinctive uniforms or badges, and were allowed to use any -weapons and any means of injuring the enemy. Germany invented -the franc-tireur, and now expects Belgium to do what she -would do in a like case. <i>The bogy so feared by the German soldier is, -indeed, his own shadow.</i> Actually, of course, the Belgian Government -called upon civilians to keep quiet and to surrender arms.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Thus <i xml:lang="de">Der Grosse Krieg</i>, pp. 51 and 52, published a Wolff -telegram on the 3rd August, 1914, saying that many spies had -already been shot in Germany, but that the public should none -the less be careful to report suspects, particularly those who -spoke a foreign language.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> <i xml:lang="fr">Étape</i> (<i xml:lang="de">etappen</i>, Germ.), stores, rations, or a halting-place.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> If we mention Reims it is because the Germans have on eight -occasions posted placards in Belgium bearing declarations relating -to this crime against civilization.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> We have not been able to verify the authenticity of the -quotation from the <i>Times</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> In Germany the phrase has a meaning <i>sui generis</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> Names will be published later.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> See photographs in <i>Panorama</i>, 9<span class="smcap">B</span> (26th August, 1914), 17<span class="smcap">A</span> -(16th October, 1914), 18<span class="smcap">A</span> (16th October, 1914).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> A pit for storing potatoes in good condition.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CHAPTER III<br /> -THE GERMAN MIND, SELF-DEPICTED</h2> - - -<p>In those chapters in which we have dealt with the -violations of international treaties, and of the Hague -Convention, we have often been led to comment on -the mode of thought displayed by those who committed -these crimes. But hitherto we have touched -upon the subject of German mentality only in an -incidental fashion; it will doubtless be interesting to -consider it more closely.</p> - -<p>We shall utilize, by preference, documents of -German origin. In cases where these are lacking, for -example, in the case of the cruelties committed, we -shall have recourse to observations which we ourselves -have collected, and whose authenticity is indisputable.</p> - -<p>In place of passing in review all the peculiarities -of the modern German mind, which would occupy -too much space, we shall confine ourselves to those -from which Belgium has suffered most cruelly; but -we shall not speak—it would be superfluous—of the -obscene spirit of rape, and rapacity, and drunkenness. -The three psychological elements which we shall -consider are pride, duplicity, and spitefulness.</p> - - -<h3>A.—Pride.</h3> - -<p><i>Some Manifestations of Pride and the Spirit of -Boasting.</i></p> - -<p>"The German nation is the Chosen People, and -God is with us." That is the prevailing idea of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -speeches and proclamations of the Kaiser. In his -Speech from the Throne on the 4th August, 1914, -he declared: "It is not the spirit of conquest which -urges us forward; but we are animated by the inflexible -determination to retain the position in which -God has set us, for ourselves and for all the generations -to come."</p> - -<p>In her pride Germany is unanimous. No German -is permitted to doubt the indisputable superiority of -his nation over all other nations. As soon as he -learns to lisp his first words, his brain is steeped in -the conviction that no people is comparable to his -own, even remotely.</p> - -<p>This longing to exalt his own country is accompanied -by a corresponding desire to abase all others. -Hardly is a discovery of any kind made in a neighbouring -country than a German appropriates it in order to -give it a new trade-mark. One example will suffice.</p> - -<p>All the world knows that Louis Pasteur was the -founder of the science of bacteriology, a science whose -consequences, in the spheres of hygiene and medicine, -are incalculable. Germany ignores Pasteur and has -heard only of Koch. A Belgian, who attended the -Berlin celebrations in honour of Koch, returned disgusted -with the fact that the name of Pasteur was -systematically suppressed throughout the ceremonies. -In an obituary notice devoted to Koch a Belgian -bacteriologist, M. Jules Bordet, remarked with great -justice, in speaking of the German biographies of the -scientist who had just died:—</p> - -<p>"They made Koch the absolute creator of modern -medicine: all other glory pales before his; he is the -founder of bacteriology. Their obituary articles, -emanating, for the most part, from disciples of the -master, and which are, one feels, steeped in pious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -gratitude, and also, perhaps, to a certain extent, -in a somewhat exclusive patriotism, attribute to -him the honour of having shown the organic origin -of contagious diseases." "It would be," said Herr -Pfeiffer, the distinguished Breslau bacteriologist, "a -real act of justice were posterity to divide the history -of medicine into two periods, one before Koch and -the other after him."</p> - -<p>Reading such notices it would almost seem as -though Pasteur had never lived!</p> - -<p>We think M. Bordet shows himself far too indulgent -toward the German biographers when he says, -in conclusion: "And one could not take it amiss of -these disciples if, in their filial solicitude, they left -on the tomb of their Master a few leaves from the -laurels of Pasteur."</p> - -<p>Here is another example of boasting, interesting -principally by reason of the <i>charlatanesque</i> manner -in which it was published. Every one has heard of -the Cooper-Hewitt mercury-vapour lamp, with its -strange blue-violet light, so rich in ultra-violet rays. -The most summary treatises on physics explain that -quartz will allow the ultra-violet rays to pass, and -that the Cooper-Hewitt quartz lamp is in constant -employment in the laboratories. But if you read the -communication which the Germans imposed upon -<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> on the 27th December, 1914, you -will see that the Germans invented the whole affair.</p> - -<p>If you want to be initiated into the perfections of -the German, Herr Momme Nissen, in <i xml:lang="de">Der Krieg und -die Deutsche Kunst</i>, will enumerate them for you. -"The qualities of the German," he says, "integrity -and courage, profundity of mind and fidelity, insight -and the sense of inwardness, modesty and piety, are -also the ornaments of our art."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>The Germans compare themselves with their Allies.</i></p> - -<p>Here is a last point to be considered. The -Germans do not merely consider themselves to be -superior to their adversaries; they are equally modest -on behalf of their allies. To their minds, and in their -writings, the present war is "the German war." The -most complete chronological compilation which has -appeared hitherto is entitled <i xml:lang="de">Chronik des Deutschen -Krieges</i>. The official publications deliberately ignore -the Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Croats, Turks, -etc. The first of the pamphlets of propaganda distributed -by the Germans (<i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la Guerre</i>) -begins thus: "The name this war will one day bear -in history is already determined; it can only be the -<i>German War</i>, for it is a war destined to establish -the position of the German nation in the world." -By what name shall we call the German's sense of -superiority over all other nations: is it pride, presumption, -or impudence?</p> - -<p>Herr Paul Rohrbach, who is generally more -moderate in his expressions, has written a pamphlet -entitled <i xml:lang="de">Warum es der Deutsche Krieg ist</i> ("Why -this is the German War").</p> - -<p>It would be useless to insist on the general aspects -of the question. Let us consider only a few of the -immediate consequences of this frame of mind: -militarism, disdain for others, cynicism, and absence -of the critical spirit.</p> - - -<h3>1. <span class="smcap">Militarism.</span></h3> - -<p><i>Might comes before Right.</i></p> - -<p>Bismarck has given us a precise formula of the -cult of brute force, "Might comes before right!"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -Nietzsche has gone further, "Might creates right." -"You say that a good cause sanctifies even war? -I tell you that a good war sanctifies any cause!" -(<i>Thus Spake Zarathustra</i>).</p> - -<p>Herr Maximilian Harden, the well-known polemical -writer, expressed the same idea in a lecture delivered -at Duisbourg and reproduced in <i>K.Z.</i> (8th December, -1914). It is expressed with equal lucidity in an -article published in <i xml:lang="de">Zeit im Bild</i> (19th November, -1914), and signed <i>Vitus Bug</i>; the author, after -inquiring into the reasons which make Germany -hated, adds: "Let us be victorious, and people -will immediately discover that we were in the -right!"</p> - -<p>It is, consequently, towards the army that the -essential aspirations of the German nation converge; -everything must give way to the military interest; -the moment this is in question there is no longer any -room for morality, says Professor Rein, of the University -of Jena (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 22nd January, 1915, morning), -nor for humanity, says Herr Erzberger (<i>N.R.C.</i>, -6th February, 1915, evening), nor even for the law -of nations, declares Professor Beer, of the University -of Leipzig (<i xml:lang="de">Völkerrecht und Krieg</i>). In other countries -people have remained simple enough to believe -that it is precisely in time of war that the prescriptions -of international law should be most strictly -respected. Nothing of the sort, say the Germans; -the moment war breaks out everyday justice can -only efface itself. On the slightest accusation, the -least pretext, or even without any, they begin to -shoot and to burn. If by accident those put to -death are innocent, or if there was in truth no complaint -to be made against the inhabitants of the -houses burned to ashes, it is obviously regrettable;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -but such commonplace considerations will not -prevent the German army from inflicting on the -nearest village a punishment any less exemplary. -<i xml:lang="de">Es ist Krieg</i>: in this phrase is contained the whole -psychology of the German soldier in war-time. "Do -you suppose," said a German at Louvain, "that -we've got time to make inquiries?" (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 9th -September, 1914, morning). "You understand -clearly," said an officer at Francorchamps, "that -we cannot stop the German army to inquire if this -man has really fired on us; he was accused of -doing so; isn't that sufficient reason for shooting -him?"</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>Before leaving the subject of militarism, we will -cite one insignificant fact which, however trifling, -clearly reveals the importance which the military -idea has assumed in the conceptions of the German -people. According to the <i>N.R.C.</i> of the 6th February, -1915 (evening), <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i> has protested against -the following measure: The German wife whose -husband is under arms cannot be expelled from her -dwelling for non-payment of rent; but if her husband -should be killed in the war the landlord immediately -recovers the right to turn her out.</p> - - -<h3>2. <span class="smcap">Disdain of Others.</span></h3> - -<p>We have seen that the Germans are seeking by -all possible means to accentuate their superiority -over their neighbours. An elementary procedure -for increasing the vertical distance between them -and their rivals consists in depreciating the latter. -Germany has so often, in every tone of voice, proclaimed -the irremediable inferiority of all the other -peoples inhabiting our planet, that she has at last<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -come to believe it herself, and has begun to act in -conformity with her belief.</p> - - -<p><i>Some Inept Proclamations, etc.</i></p> - -<p>Thus, to speak only of our own experience, they -assuredly under-estimated our national integrity -when they believed us capable of becoming accomplices -in the violation of an international treaty. -They also greatly under-estimated our army's powers -of resistance, or they would have taken good care -not to lose a fortnight in Belgium, a delay which -spoiled their sudden attack upon France. Finally, -they show us every day, by their placards, that they -do not think much of our intelligence. Some of those -entitled "News published by the German General -Government" are really inimitable.</p> - -<p>Imagine our laughter when the authorities to -whom we are forced to submit officially announced -that a German squadron had captured fifteen fishing-boats; -or that the Serbians had taken Semlin in -order to obtain food; or that the star of Paschitsch -was growing pale; or that the Austrians had -evacuated Lemberg for strategic and humanitarian -reasons; or that the British Army is so ill-equipped -that the soldiers are without writing-paper and shoelaces; -or that the river of the "gifts of love" continues -to flow; or that General Joffre (in a French -that could only have come from a German pen) -informs his troops that "the moment is come to -profit by the weakness which offers itself to us, -after we have reinforced ourselves in men and -material." In the last days of September 1914, -when a citizen of Brussels met a fair-haired -comrade, he hastened to measure him, to make -sure that he was not Charles-Alice Yate, "being -about 5 ft. 9 in. in height."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span></p> - -<p>Here are some of these placards:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News published by the German Government.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>6th September, 1914</i>.—The Austria-Hungarian Ambassador -publishes the following dispatch which has been forwarded -to him by the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vienna:—</p> - -<p>"The Russian news on the subject of the battle of Lemberg and -the triumphant capture of the city is a lie. The open town of -Lemberg was evacuated by us without a battle for strategical and -humanitarian reasons."</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General German Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">London</span>, <i>8th September, 1914</i> (Reuter's Agency).—A German -squadron, composed of two cruisers and four torpedo-boats, has -captured fifteen English fishing-boats in the North Sea, and has -brought numerous prisoners to Wilhelmshaven.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German General Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>22nd September, 1914</i>.—On the night of the 19th -September Major Charles-Alice Yate, of the regiment of the -Yorkshire Light Infantry, escaped from Torgau, where he was -prisoner of war. Yate is that English officer of superior rank -concerning whom it was announced the other day that he did not -deny, upon inquiry, that the English troops have been supplied -with dum-dum bullets; in the course of this interrogatory he -declared that the soldier must obviously use the ammunition -which is furnished to him by the Government.</p> - -<p>The fugitive is about 5 ft. 9 in. in height; he is slender, fair-haired, -and speaks German well.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German General Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Vienna</span>, <i>29th September, 1914</i>.—The <i xml:lang="de">Reichspost</i> announces -from Sofia: The correspondent of the <i>Volja</i>, the organ of Ghenadjev, -writes from Nish: The Austrian offensive has serious -consequences for Serbia; rebellion is muttering in the country -and the army, and every day may see the outbreak of the -revolution. During the last few days several regiments of -artillery have revolted. A certain number of guns have been -demolished....</p> - -<p>King Peter has returned; he is completely apathetic, and the -Crown Prince Alexander does not know what to do. The star of -Paschitsch is paling, and it is feared there may soon be victims -in his entourage.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German General Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p> - -<p><span class="smcap">London</span>, <i>6th October, 1914</i>.—The <i>Daily Chronicle</i> announces -that at Aldershot, in round figures, 135,000 militia belonging to -all arms should be prepared to depart for the army as soon as -they are ready. However, the training, despite the most brilliant -efforts, could not give satisfactory results, the troops being -insufficiently equipped. The newspaper appeals for the assistance -of the public, and remarks that, for example, no officer of -Lord Kitchener's first army possesses field-glasses. They also -lack socks, handkerchiefs, shoelaces, writing-paper and materials, -and drums and fifes for the Scottish regiments.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The German General Government.</span><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>What is even more strange than their insistence in -offering us their sophisticated views, is their virtuous -indignation when they discover that we are not -receptive of this kind of truth. Thus the people of -Liége, who would not believe the German placards -and preferred their secret newspapers, were warned -by Lieut.-General von Kolewe that they were in -danger of appearing ridiculous in the eyes of -intelligent people.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">To the Population of Liége and Neighbourhood.</span></div> - -<p>Considering the continual successes of the German troops, it is -impossible to understand why the people of Liége are still so -credulous as to believe the absurd and frivolous news spread by -the manufactories of falsehoods installed in Liége. Those who -busy themselves in propagating such news are risking severe -punishment. They are playing a dangerous game in abusing the -credulity of their fellow-citizens and in inciting them to reckless -actions. The reasonable population of Liége will resist all -temptations of the kind.</p> - -<p>Otherwise it is exposing itself not merely to the gravest disappointment, -but also to appearing ridiculous in the eyes of -intelligent people.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Kolewe</span>,<br /> -<i>Lieut.-General and German Governor of the<br /> -Fortress of Liége</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p><i>It is forbidden to tear down this placard or to paste another -over it.</i></p> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Lies concerning the Situation in Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>Before other placards the shrugging of shoulders -gave way to disgust. Baron von der Goltz, at -Sofia, boasted of having rendered "the situation -in Belgium entirely normal." What of it? We -were so glad to be rid of him that we were -ready to overlook any ineptitudes. But when -his successor, Baron von Bissing, after levying -a contribution of 480 million frs. (£19,200,000), -had the audacity to declare that he hoped "to -do much for the economic situation," and would -especially apply himself "to doing everything -to assist the weak in Belgium, and to encourage -them," he passed the bounds of cynicism and presumption. -However, two months later, on the 18th -February, 1915, after having despoiled us of 120 -million francs, he found occasion to go still farther, -affirming his "solicitude for the welfare and prosperity -of the population."</p> - - -<p><i>Lies concerning "Francs-tireurs."</i></p> - -<p>What shall we say of the accusations made against -Belgian civilians? From August, at the time of the -first sortie of our troops from Antwerp, the Germans -posted up statements in Brussels that the Belgian -population was again taking part in the conflict.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Official Statement by the Commandant of the German -Army.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>28th August, 1914</i>.—On the 26th and 27th August -several Belgian divisions made a sortie from Antwerp in order to -attack our lines of communication, but they were repulsed by -those of our troops left behind to invest the city. Five Belgian -guns fell into our hands....</p> - -<p>The Belgian population almost everywhere took part in the -fighting. It became necessary to take the most drastic measures -to repress the bands of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>....</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> - -<p>Now certain of these battles took place at a -distance of only six miles from Brussels; peasants -were shot at Houtem (a hamlet of Vilvorde) and at -Eppeghem: that is, in villages whence people went -into the city every morning with vegetables, milk, -etc., so that the inhabitants of the capital were perfectly -informed as to the behaviour of the German -troops toward the Belgian civilians. They knew, -too, that these pretended attacks of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" -had been delivered by detachments of the Belgian -army (<i>see</i> E. Waxweiler in <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique neutre et -loyale</i>, p. 219). The keen indignation against the -German liars was still further aggravated when, -three weeks later, the Kaiser repeated these calumnies. -The fact of their having placarded the walls -of Brussels with these obviously false accusations -shows once more in what low esteem the Germans -hold the mental faculties of their victims.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News published by the German Government.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>7th October</i>.—From the leader of a troop of cyclists -near Hennuyères written instructions were taken, intended for the -leaders of the so-called "destructive detachment," in which they -are told, among other things: "Spread false news: landing of the -English at Antwerp, Russians at Calais."</p></blockquote> - -<p>That the Germans should seek to deceive their -own compatriots as to the situation is natural enough—they -are quite content with official news. But in -Belgium we still, in spite of all obstacles, continue to -receive foreign newspapers, which keep us informed -of the military operations. Why, then, did the -Germans try to impose on us over the battle of -the Marne, when nothing was easier than to learn -the truth from the <i>Times</i> and the French Press?</p> - -<p>A still more curious case was that of the battle of -Ypres. During a whole fortnight the official placards<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -daily informed the Belgians of the latest German -success ... and at the end of three weeks the army -was still as far from Ypres. The whole of this Yser -campaign is interesting as throwing a light upon the -German mentality. From the outset the Germans -tried to establish a confusion between the "canalized" -Yser and the "canalized" Yperlée, that is, -the canal running from Ypres to the Yser. What -they call "the canal of the Yser" in their placard -of the 22nd October is the canalized Yser between -Dixmude and Nieuport. In the placard of the 2nd -November they spoke of the "canal from the Yser -to Ypres, near Nieuport," an absolutely fantastic -description. Finally, on the 4th April, when they -claimed to have crossed "the Yser canal" to occupy -Driegrachten, it was really the Yperlée that was in -question, and not the Yser at all. This is, as will be -seen, on a par with the intentional confusion which -they sought to create between the city of Liége and -its forts (pp. <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>). Such confusions may deceive -the Germans, but the Belgians, familiar with the -geography of their country, naturally laugh at them.</p> - -<p>Another point relating to this astonishing campaign -on the Yser: On the 2nd November the -Germans announced that operations were rendered -difficult by the inundation. On the following day, -having expressed their pity for the Belgians "whose -fields were devastated for a long time to come," they -added that the water was in parts deeper than a -man's height, but that they had lost neither man, -nor horse, nor gun. How can they impose such idle -stuff on people who know the <i>polders</i> of the coast -region, with their innumerable canals and ditches, -and who know, moreover, than an inundation there -renders all retreat impossible?</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span></p> - - -<h3>3. <span class="smcap">Cynicism.</span></h3> - -<p>They must require a good stock of effrontery to put -before us such assertions as that of the Kaiser, whose -falsity is obvious at sight. They cannot be ignorant -of the fact that these impostures are instantly -exposed. But this consideration does not give them -pause; German superiority appears to them so indisputable -that they have no need to trouble about the -opinion of other people; if they occasionally indicate -the reasons for their actions, it is to reassure their -own conscience, not to justify themselves to their -victims. They are, in short, in the situation of the -sportsman who brings down the game passing within -gunshot, but is not required to render an account of -it to the rabbits and partridges. To the sportsman's -way of thinking there is no cynicism in so acting: -between the hunter and the game there is too great -a difference to make such a justification necessary. -Similarly, the Germans occupy, in the scale of -<i>Kultur</i>, so exalted a position as compared with -the Belgians, that they believe in good faith that -all is permitted to them in dealing with this horde, -and that they need not justify their actions. They -behave toward us as the Conquistadores toward the -Aztecs.</p> - -<p>More, they actually advertise their contempt for -the rules of justice. We have already mentioned the -placard posted at Gand, according to which they -openly placed themselves in conflict with the Hague -Convention. They have gone yet farther in this -direction. What are we to say, for example, of the -placard posted at Menin, in July 1915, by order of -Commandant Schmidt, in which it is ordained that -the families of those "who do not work regularly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -on the military works" shall be allowed to die of -starvation?</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Order.</span></div> - -<p>From to-day the town can no longer grant relief—of whatever -kind, even for families, women and children—save only to those -workmen who are working regularly on the military works and -on other works prescribed.</p> - -<p>All other workmen and their families cannot henceforth be -assisted in any way whatever.</p></blockquote> - -<p>And this is not the gem of the collection. At -Roubaix and the vicinity (in French Flanders, close -against the Belgian frontier) they advertised their -decision to prevent all sales of comestibles if work -were not resumed by the 7th July, and they even -threatened completely to suppress "circulation," -which would have resulted in the lingering death -of the whole population.</p> - -<p>And this is not the worst. In a neighbouring -town, Halluin, Commandant Schranck caused a -declaration to be read to the assembled notables -which stated that he denied their right to invoke -the Hague Convention, since the German military -authorities had determined to enforce the fulfilment -of all their demands, "even if a city of 15,000 inhabitants -had to perish."</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>(<i>Read at Halluin, on the 30th June, at 11.30 p.m., to the -Municipal Council and notables of the Town of Halluin.</i>)</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Gentlemen</span>,</p> - -<p>What is happening is known to all these gentlemen. It is -the conception and interpretation of Article 52 of the Hague -Convention which has created difficulties between you and the -German military authority. On which side is the right? It is -not for us to discuss that, for we are not competent, and we shall -never arrive at an understanding on this point. It will be the -business of the diplomatists and the representatives of the various -States after the war.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p> -<p>To-day it is exclusively the interpretation of German military -authority which is valid, and for that reason we intend that all -that we shall need for the maintenance of our troops shall be -made by the workers of the territory occupied. I can assure you -that the German authority will not under any circumstances -desist from demanding its rights, even if a town of 15,000 inhabitants -should have to perish. The measures introduced up to -the present are only a beginning, and every day severe measures -will be taken until our object is obtained.</p> - -<p>This is the last word, and it is good advice I give you to-night. -Return to reason, and arrange for the workers to resume work -without delay; otherwise you will expose your town, your families, -and your persons to the greatest misfortunes.</p> - -<p>To-day, and perhaps for a long time yet, there is for Halluin -neither a prefecture nor a French Government. There is only -one will, and that is the will of German authority.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commandant of the Town,<br /> -Schranck.</span><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>Do you not agree that a cynicism so shameless is -a sign of perplexity and an admission of impotence? -The Germans realize that they are driven to the -worst expedients!</p> - -<p>A host of similar facts might be cited, but it would -mean useless repetition. Let us rather examine some -examples of graphic cynicisms.</p> - - -<p><i>Photographs and Picture Postcards.</i></p> - -<p>The Germans have published, in their newspapers, -photographs representing the population of a village, -consisting principally of women, being driven away -as prisoners (<i xml:lang="de">Berl. Ill. Zeit.</i>, No. 36, 6th September, -1914); a military observation-post installed by them -on the tower of Malines Cathedral during the siege -of Antwerp (<i xml:lang="de">Berl. Ill. Zeit</i>., No. 44, 1st November, -1914); doctors detained as prisoners in Germany, -contrary to the Geneva Convention (<i xml:lang="de">Berl. Ill. Zeit.</i>, -No. 15, 11th April, 1915); soldiers taken prisoners, -whom they are forcing, despite Article 6 of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -Hague Convention, to do work directed against -their country (<i xml:lang="de">Die Wochenschau</i>, No. 44, 1914).</p> - -<p>We find the same effrontery in respect of the -conflagrations started by their troops: Scharr and -Dathe, of Trèves, have edited and placed on sale, -in Belgium itself, a series of fifty picture postcards, -representing localities which the German army has -destroyed by fire. We may mention Dinant, Namur, -Louvain, Aerschot, Termonde; and in Belgium, -Luxemburg, Barranzy, Etalles, Èthe, Izel, Jamoigne, -Musson, Eossignol, Tintigny. Let us add that -these photographs commonly show German soldiers -and officers striking triumphant attitudes amid the -ruins. The most instructive card of this kind which -we have seen is one representing General Beeger -amid the ruins of Dinant. To understand the full -significance of this card, one must remember that -it was this officer who ordered 1,200 of the houses -of Dinant to be burned and 700 of the inhabitants -to be massacred. It is surprising that he did not -have a few corpses of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" arranged -about him when the photograph was taken—preferably -selected from the old men, women, and -children at the breast.</p> - -<p>After the torpedoing of the <i>Lusitania</i> they sold in -Belgium a series of cards entitled <i xml:lang="de">Kriegs-Errinerungs-Karte</i>, -edited by Dr. Trenkler & Co., of Leipzig, -which pictured the operations of submarines. Card -No. 2, of Series XXXIII, represents—very inaccurately, -by the way—a German submarine stopping -the <i>Lusitania</i>. It is as well to recall the fact that -in this disaster more than 1,500 non-combatants -perished, among them Mme. Antoine Depage, the -wife of the well-known Belgian surgeon.</p> - -<p>Nothing ought to surprise us on the part of those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -who prove that every means is good provided it is -efficacious. Here is what a newspaper, much respected -in Germany, the <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger Fremdenblatt</i>, -has to say in its weekly illustrated supplement for -the 16th May, 1915:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"In the situation in which Germany now finds herself, attacked -on three sides at once with all the means that cruelty and perfidy -can invent, we must not ask ourselves whether a means of defence -is permitted or prohibited; but whether it is effectual. All that -facilitates the defence must be employed; this is especially true -of the submarine war, and consequently of the destruction of the -<i>Lusitania</i>."</p></blockquote> - - -<p><i>Alfred Heymel on the Battle of Charleroi.</i></p> - -<p>We have already spoken of the articles of Alfred -Heymel and Walter Blöm. Here are some extracts -from an article by the former:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">The Battle of Charleroi.</span></div> - -<p>One regiment of cavalry was detrained near the enemy frontier. -For a little while it halted on a manœuvring ground where the division -to which we were to be attached as scouts was to assemble.</p> - -<p>Already many of us were impatient at having to wait longer -before marching to the front; we heard the growling thunder of -the howitzers of the great fortress near the frontier, around which -there had been violent fighting these last few days; we were told -of cruelties that made our hair stand on end, committed, in its -fury, by a people which had for years been excited against us -deeds of cruelty committed against our compatriots, soldiers, -civilians, women and children, because of our violation of a -neutrality which it had itself violated a thousand times over -in advance. On our side we were boiling inwardly to avenge -these infamies.... We breathed more freely only when, in our -march beyond the frontier, we saw the first houses burned in -reprisal; a curé, who had revolted, was hanging from a tree in -a neighbouring thicket, swinging at the will of the wind, when at -last the noise of battle grew plainer....</p> - -<p>(They arrive near Charleroi.)</p> - -<p>The head of one regiment, led by my friend Lieutenant S——, -trotted forward again, and seized as hostages what civilians it -could catch; some 12 to 16 persons, old and young, fat and thin,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -had to march before or between the lancers; more, this portion -of the regiment had received the order from its comrades not to -ride too far ahead.</p> - -<p>Something that alarmed me quite particularly, giving me a -presentiment of misfortune, was the fact that the wives of these -civilians burst into weeping: one red-headed woman, frantic, -threw herself down in the road and gave vent to wild screams; -others, behind us, their emaciated arms stretched in the air, -threatened us, although they were several times assured that so -long as nothing was done to us nothing would happen to their -husbands, sons, friends, and lovers. All these significant scenes -took place in the side streets....</p> - -<p>(A volley is fired from a barricade—or a railway crossing the -street; it is not clear which.)</p> - -<p>I saw two or three cavalrymen fall back in front, and with them -the hostages fell to the ground; my friend was standing, near his -horse. A violent and rapid fire alternated with volleys; we -could not escape on either side; naturally we immediately faced -about and returned in the direction whence we had come; there -was a furious pursuit along the uneven road, with the balls -whistling at our backs. The horses fell, one after another....</p> - -<p>Thus from the advance-guard we had become the rear-guard. -We had to consider how we could regain the main body of the -troop. In the first place hostages were taken, some curés -among them; the cavalry and artillery were no longer marching -alone and unprotected, but flanked by the infantry and -pioneers; one soon learns when once one has been caught. -With great difficulty we again penetrated the streets in the -smoke and heat, in the midst of the flames we ourselves had lit; -now we continually heard the popping of cartridges, bursting -harmlessly, piled up in the houses, and betraying the friendly -intention of the ex-inmates!<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a>...</p> - -<p>We learned later, when we had found the uniforms, that two -battalions of crack French infantry were distributed everywhere, -in order to organize and discipline the fire of the Belgian civic -guard and the <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>. The rumour (of marksmen on -the neighbouring heights) spread.... I thought I perceived—this -chilled my heart, and I still hope I was mistaken—that my -cavalrymen, otherwise so brave, did not really feel inclined to go -forward; their gait became slower and slower; they continually -observed more minutiæ and took a longer time in seizing -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span>civilians; in short, I saw the necessity of intervening, at need, -against my own troops, the most heart-breaking thing that can -happen to you in war. In any case I prepared myself, with a -heart full of pain, to face even the abyss of this prospect....</p> - -<div class="right"> -<i xml:lang="de">Kunst und Künstler</i>, January 1915 (Amm. xiii, part 4).<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>We must not overlook an article by Captain Walter -Blöm, adjutant to General von Bissing. Herr Blöm, -who is greatly admired in Germany, and whose novels -may be seen at this moment on the shelves of the -travellers' libraries installed in our railway stations, -does not hesitate to declare that the conflagrations -at Battice and Dinant were not intended to punish -the population, but to terrorize them (p. <a href="#Page_84">84</a>). The -article already mentioned, which incidentally describes -the shooting of a French hostage, is highly -typical. One sees that the death of this man—shot -because the French army does not consent to cease -its bombardment—does not in the least affect the -writer, who finds the conduct of his countrymen -quite natural.</p> - -<p>Referring to the systematic pillage effected by the -German army, we have already mentioned (p. <a href="#Page_132">132</a>) -the fact that "war booty" was despatched openly. -In this respect, effrontery and impudence have surely -nowhere been carried to greater lengths than in the -valley of the Meuse. All the villas were as a matter -of course emptied by the officers; when they were -situated close to the banks of the river the furniture, -etc., was transported on a little steamer, one of -those tourist boats which in summer run between -Namur and Dinant. The boat would stop before -each villa, and—without the least attempt to conceal -the nature of the proceedings—the pianos, beautiful -pieces of furniture, clocks, pictures, etc., were piled -on the deck. To cite one case among hundreds, it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -was thus that the villa of Mme. Wodon, at Davos, -was emptied.</p> - -<p>Cynicism and impudence often lend one another -mutual support. Let us recall, for example, the -question of asphyxiating gases. Article 23 of the -Hague Convention forbids the employment of -poisons. Even in the siege of Liége our enemies -were making use of shells which discharged poisonous -gases at the moment of explosion; it was one of -them that all but poisoned General Leman. It -might, however, be supposed that these toxic vapours -were the inevitable result of the detonation of the -explosives with which the shells were loaded. But -in April 1915 the Germans suddenly began to accuse -their adversaries of the use of asphyxiating shells -(see the German official communiqués of the 9th, -12th, 14th, and 21st April). At the same time they -made it known that their chemists, far abler than -those of France or England, were about to combine -substances whose detonation would liberate products -far more toxic than those of the enemy's shells. -And on the 22nd April they preceded their attack on -the trenches to the north of Ypres by a cloud of -smoke of a yellowish-green colour, which asphyxiated -the French and Canadians (see <i>N.R.C.</i>, 29th April, -1914, morning). Now the falsity of their bragging -allegations is obvious. They will not persuade any -one to believe that between the 8th of April and the -22nd May they had had time to invent the combination -of substances capable of giving off toxic vapours, -to manufacture them in sufficient quantities, and -finally to forward the cylinders to the field of -battle.</p> - -<p>Let us add, moreover, that we knew before the -end of March—that is, before the accusations made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -against the French—that the Germans were making -experiments on a large scale in the aviation camp -at Kiewit, near Hasselt. They were asphyxiating -dogs. It may be supposed that they presently -realized that they had gone a little too far in their -cynicism, for in its issue of the 3rd May, 1915, -<i xml:lang="de">Die Wochenschau</i>, commenting on the affair of the -22nd April, stated that the attack had been -"ably seconded by technical means."</p> - -<p>Still, the palm for cynicism goes to the high -authorities. What are we to think of Baron von -der Goltz, whose proclamations state that the -innocent and guilty will be punished without -distinction? (p. <a href="#Page_144">144</a>). Here we begin to see into -the mentality of the Germans; swollen with pride, -they consider that all things are permitted to them -as against a people so uncivilized as the Belgians.</p> - -<p>Well, incredible as it may seem, the Germans -have surpassed themselves in this department. The -same action, accordingly as it is performed by them -or against them, is denounced as a crime or highly -approved. We have already seen this in connection -with the bombardment of towns by aeroplanes -and dirigibles. What shall we say of the action -of the German cavalryman, who, surprised by -superior forces, surrendered; but, as he was giving -up his arms thought better of it, broke the head -of one of his adversaries, and fled. If a Belgian or -a Frenchman had been guilty of such treachery the -Germans could not have found sufficient terms -of abuse to heap upon his head; but as he was a -German his action became <i xml:lang="de">ein kühnes Reiterstückchen</i> -(a "Bold exploit of a Cavalryman"). More—this -incident is reported in the first number of the -pamphlets of propaganda distributed by order of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -German authorities—the <i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la Guerre</i>. -Not only do they find no cause for blame in a soldier -who has committed so vile an action; they are -proud of him, and take pains to celebrate his glory -in neutral countries.</p> - -<p>Here are two other examples, bearing on matters -of much greater importance. On the 4th August, -1914, the very day on which they were violating -the neutrality of Belgium, and were commencing to -punish us, at Visé, for having dared to resist them, -they expressed their satisfaction in the fact that -Switzerland was scrupulously remaining neutral. -M. Waxweiler (p. 52) calls our attention to this -contradiction in their attitude toward the two -neutral countries—Belgium and Switzerland. Moreover, -they had the impudence to placard their -satisfaction in the neutrality of Switzerland about -the streets of Brussels.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News published by the German General Government.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berne</span>, <i>7th February</i>.—The representative of the Bund has -been received in Berlin by Herr von Jagow, Secretary of State -for Foreign Affairs, who spoke of Switzerland in the most -friendly manner. Herr von Jagow says: The strictly neutral -attitude of Switzerland has produced the most favourable impression -in Germany. We take a very keen interest in a neutral, -independent, and powerful Switzerland.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Government in Belgium.</span><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>While in Belgium they burn houses and torture -civilians, on the pretext that the latter have fired on -them, they congratulate the Hungarian peasants -who took up arms to defend their country against -the Russian invader. The contrast here is so -obvious that it even struck one German—Herr -Maximilian Harden. In an article in <i>Jingoism, a -Disease of the Mind</i>, he reproaches his compatriots<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span> -with having two weights and two measures (published -in <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i>, August 1914).</p> - -<p>They push their effrontery to the point of photographing -their own <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>, so that no doubt -may be left in our minds. The <i xml:lang="de">Berl. Ill. Zeit.</i> of the -16th March, 1915 (p. 261), gives a photograph -"from the theatre of the war in the Carpathians"—"Ruthenian -Peasant employed in the Austro-Hungarian -Army to guard roads and telegraph-lines." -The peasant, without uniform, carries a rifle.</p> - -<p>Lastly, let us cite a case in which cynicism is -allied to pedantry. On the calcined walls of the -Hôtel de Ville of Dinant (burned on the 23rd and -24th August, 1914) is a chronogram. The letters -are cut in a slab of marble let into the wall -facing the Meuse. The fire had rendered the inscription -illegible, but the commandant of the town, in -March 1915, had the slab re-painted black and the -letters re-gilt. This is the inscription:—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<span class="smcap">paX et saLVs<br /> -neVtra LItateM<br /> -serVant IBVs DetVr.</span><br /> -<br /> -("May peace and security be granted to those who preserve -neutrality.")<br /> -(1637.) -</div> - -<p>Herr Otto Eduard Schmidt, returning from the -French front by way of Dinant, was struck by this -inscription. "I could not learn for certain," he -says, "by questioning passing soldiers of the Landsturm, -whether the inscription had lately been placed -there or had merely been re-gilt. But in any case, -I should regard it an insult to German authority, -and I am astonished that this insult should be -tolerated" (O. E. Schmidt, <i xml:lang="de">Eine Fahrt zu den -Sachsen an die Front</i>, p. 131). What would Herr<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span> -Schmidt say if he knew that it was his own countrymen -who, in a fit of shameless cynicism, caused this -inscription to be renovated?</p> - - -<p><i>Surrender of the Critical Spirit. Refusal to -Examine the Accusations of Cruelty.</i></p> - -<p>Painfully moved by the horrors committed in -Belgium, M. Charles Magnet, the National Grand -Master of Belgian Freemasonry, wrote on the 9th -September to nine German lodges, requesting them -to institute, by common consent, an inquiry into the -facts. Since the Germans denied the atrocities of -which their troops were accused, and, on the other -hand, were accusing the Belgians of maltreating the -wounded, such an inquiry could only have a happy -result. Two lodges only replied. "The request is -superfluous; this inquiry would be an insult to our -army," replied the Darmstadt lodge. "Our troops -are not ill-conducted; it would even be dangerous to -recommend them to display sensibility and kindness," -replied the Bayreuth lodge.</p> - -<p>The argument may be summarized thus: "We -know, as Germans, that we possess the truth; it is -useless, therefore, to go in search of it with the help -of an impartial commission." In a second letter -M. Magnet commented on these evasions, as contrary -to the spirit of brotherhood as to the scientific spirit.</p> - -<p>Let it not be supposed that the refusal to examine, -objectively and impartially, the German and the -Belgian accusations, is peculiar to Freemasonry. On -the 24th January, 1915, Cardinal Mercier requested -the German authorities in Belgium to set up a commission -comprising both Germans and Belgians, -under the presidency of a representative of a neutral -country. His request was accorded no reply.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p> - -<p>Thus the Germans refuse to allow any light to be -thrown on their actions and those of the Belgians. -Why this opposition to a faithful search for the -truth? They fear, perhaps, that the truth will be -unfavourable to them. That is undoubtedly one of -their reasons; but we do not think it can be the only -reason; and the principal reason for their refusal -is without doubt the voluntary blindness to which -they have one and all subjected themselves since the -outbreak of the war.</p> - -<p>They have decided, one would imagine, to accept, -without any discussion, whatever is decreed by -authority, which they invest with the absolute truth; -every German calmly receives that portion of the -truth which the Government thinks fit to dispense to -its faithful, and no German permits himself to ask -for more. <i xml:lang="la">Magister dixit</i>: the Staff has spoken!</p> - -<p>Since the month of August a strict censorship has -been exercised over the Press. <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i> and other -Socialist sheets have several times been suspended. -The <i xml:lang="de">Kölnischer Volkszeitung</i> was suspended on the -11th September, 1914, for having published articles -disposing of at least a part of the so-called Belgian -atrocities.... And then, apparently, it proceeded -to take them for granted; for afterwards it even -aggravated the accusations brought against the -Belgians.</p> - -<p>The <i xml:lang="de">Vossische Zeitung</i> itself, official as it is, had -its issue of the 1st December, 1914, seized on -account of an article on a commission of the Reichstag -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 3rd December, 1914, evening). At the -same time the Government was careful to stop all -foreign books and newspapers. This prohibition is so -strict that Dutch working-men going to work in -Germany are not allowed to wrap their sandwiches<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span> -in newspaper (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 10th December, 1914, -evening).</p> - -<p>In Germany even people are beginning to find the -censorship a little too strict. Before the Budget -Commission of the Reichstag Herr Scheidemann, the -Socialist deputy, complained that in the district of -Rüstringen certain of the German official communiqués -even were prohibited. The newspapers -may not leave blank the spaces caused by the censorship, -as the latter must not appear. At Strasburg -the censorship prohibited the publication of articles -dealing with the increased price of milk. At -Dortmund the Socialist newspapers were subjected -to a preventive censorship for having inserted an -article by the sociologist Lujo Brentano, one of the -"Ninety-three," professor at the University of -Münich (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 16th May, 1913, morning).</p> - -<p>Does the German public, knowing that the newspapers -publish none but articles inspired by -authority, or at least controlled thereby, accept -this sophisticated mental pabulum in good part? -Or does it make an effort to procure foreign publications? -One must believe that it does not, for in -that case the "intellectuals," better informed, would -cease to blindly accept the official declarations.</p> - -<p>"But," it will perhaps be said, "since the -Government forbids the introduction of foreign -newspapers, it is radically impossible to obtain -them." We do not know just how the Germans -could obtain pamphlets and newspapers, but we do -know that in Belgium we read prohibited literature -every day—French, Dutch, and English. Any one -who does not intend to resign himself to living in an -oubliette will succeed, in spite of everything, in -opening some chink that the light may shine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -through; and this light, when we have received it, -we hasten to share. It is forbidden, under the -severest penalties, including the capital, to introduce -newspapers into Belgium; it is forbidden, under the -same penalties, to publish and distribute "false -news," as our masters call it. It makes little -difference to us; not an article or book of importance -appears abroad but it reaches us, and two days later -it is secretly distributed in thousands of copies. -There will be a curious book for some one to write -when the war is over, on the subject of the strange -and ingenious means employed by the Belgians, -prisoners in their own country since August 1914, -to obtain and distribute prohibited letterpress.</p> - -<p>There is accordingly no doubt that if the Germans -really wished it they could without great difficulty -obtain reliable "documentation." But they do not -wish it. They, of late so proud of their critical -spirit, who made it their rule, so they professed—and -their glory, as was thought—to accept only that -which their reason commanded them to believe! -They have abdicated their critical faculty; they -have sacrificed it to the militarist Moloch. And -to-day, with eyes closed, they swallow all that the -Government and its reptile Press presents to them.</p> - - -<p><i>The Abolition of Free Discussion in Germany.</i></p> - -<p>What am I saying? Not only are they ready to -swallow all the lies offered to them; they have even -abolished liberty of speech among themselves. A -striking example of this fact was given by the -<i>N.R.C.</i> (of the 16th November, 1914, morning -edition). Dr. Wekberg, one of the three editors -of a German periodical, the <i xml:lang="de">Revue des Volksrechts</i>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -retired from his editorship because his colleagues -refused to insert an article in which he declared that -Germany's attitude towards Belgium was perhaps -disputable. It would be difficult to push intolerance -of criticism much farther.</p> - -<p>In the same connection we may recall the sessions -of the Reichstag of the 4th August, 1914, the -2nd December, 1914, and the 20th March, 1915. -At the first session not a voice protested against the -war. At the second, the Socialist deputy, Dr. -Karl Liebknecht, asked leave to present some -objections, which indeed were timid enough; he -was at once disowned by his party. On the 20th -March the deputy Ledebour permitted himself to -criticize the proclamation of Marshal von Hindenburg, -prescribing the burning of three Russian villages for -any German village burned by the Russians. Both -these deputies expressed the opinion that it is -iniquitous to punish the innocent in the place of -the guilty. Immediately the whole assembly, -Socialists included, copiously abused and insulted -the two speakers. We may remark that Herr -Ledebour was discussing not a strategical measure, -but a prescription that was merely inhuman (see -<i>K.Z.</i>, 20th March, 1915, evening).</p> - -<p>These few examples are enough to show that the -Socialists lend themselves to militarist domestication -with the same docility as the "bourgeois" parties. -As for the Catholic remnant in the Reichstag, its -docility surpasses even that of the Socialists.</p> - -<p>In short, all the political parties, without exception, -have abdicated their liberty of thought, to accept, -obsequiously and without the slightest attempt -at discussion, the ready-made opinions provided by -authority. Such, in Germany, is the power of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -discipline, that all have submitted without protest—one -might almost say wantonly—to the voluntary -extirpation of the critical spirit. But the inevitable -results of this servility were not long in showing -themselves; having renounced the employment of -reason, the Germans now accept the most extravagant -lies.</p> - - -<p><i>German Credulity.</i></p> - -<p>We have remarked that one day a curious book -may be written as to the expedients invented by the -Belgians to obtain news from abroad and to distribute -it throughout the country. Equally interesting—but -how discouraging, from the standpoint -of the progressive evolution of the human mind—will -be the book containing the amazing examples -of credulity afforded by the Germans during this -war. When speaking of the German accusations -against the Belgians we cited the case of the rifles -collected in the Hôtel de Ville, which were exhibited -to the German soldiers as the irrefutable proof of the -official premeditation of the "franc-tireur" campaign -(p. <a href="#Page_90">90</a> Not only were the soldiers thus -deluded. A well-known novelist, Herr Fedor von -Zobeltitz, visiting in Antwerp a museum of arms, -which contained war weapons of the Middle Ages, -cried: "See how Belgium made ready for the war!" -Was he sincere? It is difficult to say, for artists -often allow their sensibility to run away with them. -One may say the same of the Kaiser, who also -declared that Belgium had long been preparing for -the "war of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>"; and even, perhaps, of -Herr Bethmann-Hollweg, who spoke, in his manifesto -to the American newspapers, of gouged-out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -eyes and other atrocities whose falsity he could -very easily have ascertained.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News published by the German Government.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>10th September</i>.—The <i xml:lang="de">Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung</i> -publishes the following telegram addressed by the Emperor to -President Wilson of the United States:—</p> - -<p>"I consider it my duty, Mr. President, to inform you, in your -quality of a most distinguished representative of humanitarian -principles, of the fact that my troops discovered, after the capture -of the French fortress of Longwy, in that fortress, thousands of -dum-dum bullets made in special workshops by the Government. -Bullets of the same kind have been found on dead soldiers, or -wounded or prisoners, of English nationality. You know what -horrible wounds and sufferings are caused by these balls, and that -their employment is forbidden by the recognized principles of -international law. I therefore raise a solemn protest against -such a mode of making war, which has become, thanks to -the methods of our adversaries, one of the most barbarous of -history.</p> - -<p>"Not only have they themselves employed this cruel weapon, -but the Belgian Government has openly encouraged the civil -population to take part in this war, which it had carefully for a -long time prepared. The cruelties inflicted, in the course of this -guerilla war, by women and even by priests, upon wounded -soldiers, doctors, and hospital nurses (doctors have been killed -and hospitals fired on) have been such that my generals have -finally found themselves obliged to resort to the most rigorous -means to chastise the guilty and to prevent the bloodthirsty population -from continuing these abominable, criminal, and hateful -acts. Many villages, and even the city of Louvain, have had to -be demolished (except the very beautiful Hôtel de Ville) in the -interest of our defence and the protection of our troops. My -heart bleeds when I see that such measures have been rendered -inevitable, and when I think of the innumerable innocent persons -who have lost their homes and their belongings as a result of the -deeds of the criminals in question.</p> - -<div class="right"> -"<span class="smcap">Wilhelm I.R.</span>"<br /> -<span class="smcap">The German Military Government.</span><br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Declaration of the Chancellor of the Empire to the -Associated and United Press, New York.</span></div> - -<p>... In this way England will tell your compatriots that the -German troops have burned and sacked Belgian towns and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -villages, but she will carefully conceal the fact that young Belgian -girls have gouged out the eyes of wounded men stretched defenceless -on the field of battle, that the functionaries of Belgian towns -have invited German officers to dinner and have treacherously -shot them dead at table. Contrary to international law, the -whole civil population of Belgium has been called to arms<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> and -has treacherously risen against our troops with concealed arms -and a perfidy incredible after having first of all feigned a friendly -welcome. Belgian women have cut the throats of German -soldiers quartered on them while they slept....</p> - -<div class="right"> -<i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la Guerre</i> (an organ of German propaganda).<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>We will suppose, for the time being—to be -extremely generous to the Kaiser and his Chancellor—that -they accepted, in good faith, the accusations -of cruelty brought against the Belgians, and that -they carefully refrained from investigating them, so -that they should not be forced to recognize their -imbecility.</p> - - -<p><i>Voluntary Blindness of the "Intellectual.</i>"</p> - -<p>Perhaps it will be objected that the examples -hitherto cited emanate chiefly from politicians and -literary men, who are not accustomed to exercise -their judgment. But there are also the manifestoes -of the professorial body, that is, those whose essential -mission consists in passing facts and ideas -through the sieve of criticism, to isolate the true -from the false, and to extract from error the fragment -of truth which may have fallen into it. For what -is the effect of teaching, of whatever degree, if it is -not the constant alertness of the critical spirit, which -seeks, in all things and at every moment, to separate -that which is true and which should therefore be -communicated to the disciple from the medley of -false and useless things which may with impunity -be abandoned to oblivion? And when the teacher -is also a seeker, has he not once more unceasingly to -exercise his critical spirit, that he may recognize in -the host of ideas which present themselves to him -those which may lead him to the desired end—and, -once this is attained, those which he may use as a -touchstone to test experimentally the validity of -these deductions? In short, for the professor and -the scientific worker there is no intellectual faculty -more indispensable than the critical spirit.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span></p> -<p>Now among those who have dashed into the lists -to champion, with their pens, the rights of Germany, -and to crush her adversaries, we must make a quite -special mention of the professors and schoolmasters. -Let us begin with the latter. Their principal argument -in denial of the barbarous conduct of which the -German troops have been accused, is that it would -be incompatible with the flourishing condition of the -educational institutions of Germany. As though -elementary education was capable of eliminating -from humanity the profound imprints of its intimate -mentality! Instruction may hide them, as under a -veneer, but it can never cause their disappearance.</p> - -<p>The Germans, after Sadowa and the war of -1870-1, declared that the whole honour of their -victories was due to their primary education. "The -French campaign is the triumph of the German -schoolmaster." Those who in Belgium have seen -the villages devastated by fire and the graves of the -civilians shot, and above all the pillaged homes, with -furniture and crockery broken into small fragments, -and the filthy beds, will carry away the impression<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -that "the Belgian campaign is the bankruptcy of -the German schoolmaster."</p> - - -<p><i>The Manifesto of the "Ninety-three."</i></p> - -<p>The famous manifesto of the "ninety-three Intellectuals" -to the civilized world is only too well -known, and has already been so universally execrated, -that there is no need to discuss it at length. The -reading of this document, which ought to be carefully -preserved for the edification of future generations, -might almost make us doubt the sanity of the -signatories. How could they have imagined that -"the civilized world" would accept their affirmations -and their denials? Both are equally devoid of -proof. To cite only one proposition—what are we -to think of the amazing declaration that not a single -Belgian citizen has lost his life or his property—except -in the case of the bitterest necessity? Have -they never seen the train-loads of "war-booty" -entering Germany? It would certainly be interesting -to hear them explain what is the "bitter necessity," -under whose empire pianos and pictures have to be -carried off from Belgium, or that which compels the -Germans to force the collecting-boxes in the churches, -or that which made them shoot Father Dupierreux -for writing in his diary impressions unfavourable to -the Germans!</p> - -<p>It would be cruel to insist. The "Ninety-three" -have already earned, as the first penalty of their -evil action, the disgust of the whole world. Further -dissection of their libel inevitably leads us to the -conclusion that the signatories display therein either -their lack of intelligence or their servility; and -that their only plausible excuse is that they allowed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -themselves to be carried away by their German pride, -the most incommensurable, intolerant, and insupportable -which the world has ever known. We will -confine ourselves to referring the reader to the -principal replies which were made to the manifesto -of the "Ninety-three." They are those of M. Seippel, -Mr. Church, the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, -the French Academy of Inscriptions and Belles -Lettres, the French Academy of Medicine, the -French Universities, the Zoological Society of -France, the English "intellectuals," M. Ruyssen, -M. Vandervelde, and <i>Simplicissimus</i>.</p> - -<p>There is yet one point to be mentioned. The -declaration of the German "intellectuals" was first -made known to us by an article in the <i xml:lang="de">Kriegs Echo</i> -of the 16th October, 1914, entitled <i xml:lang="de">Es ist Nicht Wahr</i>, -and giving the whole manifesto, excepting the -signatures and the paragraph referring to Louvain. -Well! when we had read this tissue of flagrant lies -we attributed it to some journalist who dared not -even sign his name to his lucubrations. And when, -later, we were told that the authors—or more -exactly the signatories—comprised some of the most -celebrated writers in Germany, we believed the -whole thing must be a hoax. But we had to admit -the evidence. It was for many of us a very painful -moment when our illusions as to the stability of -science in Germany were thus dispelled.</p> - - -<p><i>The Manifesto of the 3,125 Professors.</i></p> - -<p>Did the Government consider that the representatives -of science and art were not yet sufficiently -compromised, and that they had not yet sufficiently -involved the fate of the Universities with that of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -Militarism? In any case, only a few days after the -publication of the manifesto of the "Ninety-three" -a fresh declaration appeared, devoted entirely to the -promotion of the solidarity of superior education with -the army, and signed by 3,125 names, or those of -almost all the professors of Germany.</p> - -<p>The mentality of the masters pales before that -of the disciples. The Brussels correspondent of the -<i>N.R.C.</i> relates (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 11th November, 1914, -morning), that of the innumerable soldiers whom -he has seen passing, the only ones whose attitude -was insolent were young university students of -Berlin. Moreover, the German Socialists who visited -our <i xml:lang="fr">Maison du Peuple</i> avowed that the troops who -burned Louvain were principally composed of -"intellectuals"!</p> - -<p>Besides the intellectuals of the teaching profession -and the arts, those "barbarian scholars," as M. Emile -Boutroux calls them, there is another category, -which has likewise been mobilized to defend the -militarist spirit and the Hohenzollern dynasty. This -is the clergy: Protestant pastors, Catholic priests, -Israelitish rabbis; all without distinction have been -touched by the militarist grace and have entered the -campaign for the good cause.</p> - - -<p><i>The Protestant Pastors.</i></p> - -<p>Honour where honour is due! Herr O. Dryander, -first preacher to the Court of Berlin, published a -collective letter, drafted by himself, Herr Lahusen, -and Herr Axenfeld, in reply to M. Babut's appeal for -a declaration from the Christians of the belligerent -countries, demanding that the war should be conducted -conformably with Christian principles and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -the laws of humanity.<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> Herr Dryander and his -acolytes refuse to entertain the idea that "a step -of this nature could be necessary in Germany in -order that the war shall be conducted conformably -with Christian ideas and the claims of the most -elementary humanity." Without cross-examination, -without any sort of discussion, they adopt the accusations -made against the armies of the Allies, and they -deny the actions of which the Germans are accused. -This is, as will be seen, the same method as that of -the German Freemasons in an analogous case. Then -they naturally sing the old refrain: "The war has -been forced upon Germany" (they do not say "by -Belgium"). In short, there is no need to throw any -light on the subject, as there is already light within -their minds, and the German mind is of course the -only mind one must take into account.</p> - -<p>The same theologian has published several pamphlets -of sermons; <i xml:lang="de">Evangelische Reden in Schwerer -Zeit</i>. The general theme remains the same. "We -have been compelled to accept war" (1, p. 5); "We -are fighting for our <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> against the absence of -<i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>—for German morality against barbarism—for -the free German personality, attached to God, against -the instincts of the disorderly masses" (1, p. 7). "If -God be for us, who can be against us?"<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> "Now if -ever there was a just cause assuredly it is ours" -(1, p. 9). "War is a duty only when it is undertaken -for legitimate defence.... Let us thank God -that in the present war our state of legitimate -defence is so secure and so evident, and that it is -almost every day stayed up by fresh proofs; also we -have unshakable confidence in our right and in the -purity of our conscience" (2, pp. 38-9).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> - -<p>Here is a sermon of a somewhat peculiar kind. -Herr Busch, having explained that Germany is like -a peaceful stroller who suddenly finds himself attacked -by two assassins, and then by a third (p. 5), -declares that "in spite of all the German soldiers -love their enemies." "God be thanked," he says, -"we have already read of most touching examples in -the newspapers. A German sergeant-major, who had -been obliged to have a man and woman shot, in -Belgium, after a council of war, adopted their only -child, a little girl of two or three years; for he was -himself without children; as his regiment soon -afterwards left for Eastern Prussia, and was passing -through his own town, he took the child to give it -to his wife" (p. 9). Pray God—we might add, whose -civilization is only Belgian—that there are not too -many married men without children among the -soldiers of the Kaiser, for they have a way of making -orphans in order to adopt them which would cost our -country dear.</p> - -<p>Herr Correvon, pastor of the Reformed Church -(French-speaking) in Frankfort-on-Main, preached -a sermon on the 9th August, 1914, on the text: -"If God be for us, who can be against us?" His -arguments amount to this: Germany, having the -right on her side, will have God on her side also. -He naturally speaks of "the firm and admirable -speech of the Chancellor, a man whom I can only -compare with a Duplessis-Mornay, the minister of -Henri IV" (p. 11). Then, having summarized the -Emperor's speech, he cried: "To solve the alarming -problem of these social questions ... it needed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span> -only the potent gesture with which the God who is -always the strong city, the '<i xml:lang="de">feste Burg</i>' of Germany, -the God of Luther, the God of Paul Gerhard and -Sebastian Bach, has pronounced the terrible and -perhaps the liberating word: 'You wish for war, you -shall have it'!"</p> - -<p>We see that from the very first days of the war, -before any one could have verified the statements of -the Chancellor, the Protestant pastors of Germany, -even those of foreign origin, unhesitatingly accepted -the official assertions. Is it as pastors that they -stand forth as the stern defenders of the rights of -truth? Are they not rather spiritless courtiers, we -might almost say like the sheep of Panurge?</p> - - -<p><i>The Catholic Priests and Rabbis.</i></p> - -<p>The Catholic priests have given proofs of equal -docility. Mgr. the Cardinal Felix von Hartmann, -Archbishop of Cologne, says in <i>The Divine Providence</i>, -a pastoral letter read on the 25th of January, -1915:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Our warriors have gone forth to the bloody conflict, with God, -for King and Country! With God, in the conflict which has -been forced upon us, the fight for the salvation and the liberty -of our dear German land; with God, in the war for the sacred -possessions of Christianity and its beneficent civilization. And -what exploits have not our warriors accomplished, under the -protection of God, under the leadership of their wonderful chiefs, -the Emperor and the German Princes, exploits whose glory shall -shine in times to come! And more, what precious treasures of -devotion, of love for one's neighbour, and of nobility, has not -this war revealed, in our country as on the field of battle!"</p></blockquote> - -<p>The curate August Ritzl, however, falls into the -sin of pride.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Kultur has received an unheard-of impulse in Germany; -the human spirit has subjected the most diverse forces of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span> -nature.... A glance at the map shows us the German Empire -as the centre of Europe. On all sides, near and far, enemies -are intent on the ruin of our country. To the east the giant -empire of Russia threatens us—to the west, violent France, still -strong despite her moral decay—allied with English perfidy -and Belgian cruelty; Japan, Serbia, and Egypt have also -declared war upon us" (pp. 26-27).</p></blockquote> - -<p>Well, reverend sir, before proclaiming the cruelty -of the Belgians, before asserting, from the vantage -of the pulpit of Truth, that Serbia and Egypt have -declared war on Germany, a little circumspection -and critical sense would not have been out of place!</p> - -<p>Let us also cite the sermon preached on the 9th -August, in the synagogue of Schwerin, by Dr. S. -Silberstein, rabbi of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. -"They have forced us to put our -hand to the sword; we execrate the perfidy with -which our enemies are fighting us; we wish to ward -off the danger that threatens us in honourable combat." -So the Jewish rabbis knew as early as the 9th -August that it was Germany that had been attacked, -and that the other nations were forgers!</p> - -<p>Useless to prolong the series.... We should be -only repeating ourselves; for all the preachers, of -whatever confession, repeat the same lesson, almost -in the same words: "The war which has been forced -upon us ... our treacherous enemies ... our loyal -allies ... the cruel Belgians ... our excellent -soldiers, allying goodness to bravery ... our heroic -leaders...."</p> - - -<h3>B.—Untruthfulness.</h3> - -<p>To describe frankly and completely the attitude of -the Germans in Belgium during the present war, -without speaking of their duplicity, would be an -impossible task; so that the reader must not be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -surprised that on every page of our record we have -pinned down at least one lie. We must not forget -that modern Germany follows the examples of Bismarck, -and that Bismarck himself proclaimed that -he had caused the outbreak of the war of 1870 by -a skilful falsification of a Government despatch. -At the time of the centenary of the Iron Chancellor's -birth—the 1st April, 1915—the German -newspapers gave their lyric enthusiasm a loose rein; -but none of the endless dithyrambics consecrated to -the glorification of the Great Man contained a single -word of blame for the forgery itself—abominable as -it was—nor for the ostentatious impudence with -which its author confessed it.</p> - -<p>What honesty can we expect in a people which -praises to the skies a forger because he was a forger, -and a forger proud of his skill!</p> - - -<h3>1. <span class="smcap">A Few Lies.</span></h3> - -<p>Number 50 of <i xml:lang="de">Die Wochenschau</i> (1914, p. 1588) -contains a photograph in which we see sailors -loading a gun installed among sand-hills. The -inscription underneath (translated from the German) -reads: "Belgian gun, captured and served by -German sailors on the coast of the Channel." -The Channel! The Germans have never been -there: they did set out, full of enthusiasm, for -Calais, and then the shore of the Channel, and -then London. But in that direction they never -got farther than Lombartzyde, on the right bank -of the Yser. But they prefer to let it be believed -that they command the Channel, so they have -chosen the Channel coast for the site of their gun—on -paper. Then this "Belgian gun" is of a -curious type for a piece of Belgian artillery; our<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -guns have a rectangular shield, while the shield of -the German guns is round—just like that in the -photograph! Finally, one may ask what the -gunners are aiming at on this seashore, with -their small gun? Certainly not one of the English -vessels bombarding the Belgian coast, for these lie -much too far out to sea; perhaps the Germans are -amusing themselves by firing shells at the shrimpers, -to repeat their memorable exploit of the 8th September, -1914? Well, that makes three flagrant lies -to one single photograph!</p> - -<p>Number 15 of <i xml:lang="de">Die Wochenschau</i> (1915) gives on -page 463 a view of the interior of the Palais de -Justice in Brussels. Here is the description—a -French translation is given: "German soldiers in -the hall of the Assize Court in the Palais de Justice -of Brussels. Brussels having become the seat of the -German General Government for Belgium, has naturally -a strong garrison and a very animated military life. -The famous Palais de Justice on the Place Poelaert -also houses a great number of soldiers. Nothing is -more singular than the picture presented by this -imposing and luxurious building with the new -inmates in 'campaigning grey' who are installed -there. A thousand precautions are taken so that -nothing shall be spoiled; and while wherever the -enemy has trodden on German soil it will be necessary -to work for a long time rebuilding the buildings -he has destroyed, no one will perceive, who sees the -superb halls of the Palais de Justice in Brussels, -that the German soldiers are billeted there."</p> - -<p>To understand the full beauty of this pleasantry -one has only to look at the picture. One sees there -the linen which these soldiers are drying on clotheslines -stretched across the "luxurious hall"; this,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span> -apparently, is one of the "thousand precautions" -taken in order that nothing may be spoiled.</p> - -<p>It was desired to prove that England had already -been forced to send marines into France. No. 27 -of the <i xml:lang="de">Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier</i>, a semi-official, -subsidized organ, represents "President Poincaré -visiting the British forces in France. One sees -him reviewing the artillery of the Royal Marines." -And we do see President Poincaré passing in front -of two ranks of British soldiers armed with rifles. -But was it in France that this review took place, -during the present war? Consult the July number -of the French illustrated periodical, <i xml:lang="fr">Lectures pour -tous</i>, for 1913. On page 1245 you will find a photograph -entitled "The Consecration of the Entente -Cordiale. M. Poincaré, accompanied by the Prince -of Wales, reviewing his guard of honour on his -arrival at Portsmouth (24th June, 1913)." Now -the same personages and the same soldiers figure -in the two photographs; and the surroundings are -the same. The only difference is that one photograph -was taken a moment later than the other.</p> - -<p>It seems that trickery of this kind is believed not -to be a German speciality. Our neighbours accuse -the Russians and the English of the same fault. -But a kind of lie of which Germany may boldly -claim the paternity and the exclusive monopoly is -that which consists in denying, or at least in considerably -diminishing, the extent of their acts of -vandalism. On the other hand, they try to deceive -their readers as to the causes of the destruction of -Belgian towns.</p> - -<p>Thus they are now trying to make people believe -that Louvain was not intentionally burned, but -that the town suffered a bombardment. This is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -the legend which they related to Dr. Sven Hedin, -while calling his attention to the accuracy of their -fire:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Eleven miles to Louvain. Once in the town one goes a good -way before coming to the first ruins. By no means all Louvain -has been destroyed by the bombardment, as is imagined. Hardly -a fifth of the town is destroyed. It is true that this fifth included -many precious buildings, which cannot be replaced; particularly -regrettable is the loss of the library. In the midst of this destruction, -however, like a rock in the midst of the sea, rises the Hôtel -de Ville, the proud jewel of the period of 1450, with its six -slender open towers. I went right round the Hôtel de Ville, and -I could not with the best will in the world discover a scratch -on these walls, with their prodigal richness of ornamentation. -Perhaps there may somewhere be a scratch from a shell-splinter -which escaped my eyes. Thanks to the excellence of the German -fire not a single moulding of the six towers has been damaged. -The reason for the bombardment of Louvain is known. The -civil population fired from the windows on the German troops -at the time of their entering the town, and as this crime could -not be punished otherwise, the houses were burned by bombardment. -When the German soldiers sought to extinguish the -flames in the houses adjacent to the Hôtel de Ville the <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> -again fired on them with their carbines. <i>Any other army -in the world would have done the same</i>, and the Germans have -themselves profoundly regretted that they were forced against -their will to resort to such means."</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<span class="smcap">Sven Hedin</span>, <i xml:lang="de">Ein Volk in Waffen</i>, p. 149.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>They told the same story at Termonde to Herren -Koester and Noske: "It is certain," say these -gentlemen, "that Termonde was not intentionally -burned."</p> - -<p>On the other hand, the Germans try to dissemble -the extent of the damage inflicted. In the October -issue of the official and propagandist <i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la -Guerre</i> they give a plan of Louvain on which the -parts destroyed are shown by shading. Now this -plan is falsified in two ways. In the first place,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span> -no distinction is made between the portion built -on and that occupied by market gardeners, which -is considerable; so that the ratio of the part -destroyed to the part left intact is distorted. -Secondly, this portion is absolutely diminished; -many quarters burned are shown as intact; to -mention only one example, the Old Market, where -only the College of the Josephites and a few -adjacent houses have been left standing, is marked -as untouched by fire.</p> - -<p>There is yet another kind of graphic lie which is -peculiar to the Germans. They are experts at displaying -sentimentality to order; a sentimentality, -by the way, which goes ill with their incontestable -cruelty. Thus they have several times published -photographs representing German soldiers sharing -their bread or soup with French and Belgian women -or children. One is particularly inclined to let oneself -be touched by the kindliness of these German -warriors, who, after having been so treacherously -attacked by the terrible "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," now take -the bread from their own mouths to feed the starving -population.... What these public demonstrations -of German generosity and magnanimity are worth -one may judge from the photograph published in -No. 16 of the <i xml:lang="de">Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier</i>. (It is -interesting to note that it is always the <i xml:lang="de">Kurier</i>, -semi-official and subsidized, which bears the palm -for sincerity.) The illustration shows that "the -soldiers of the German Landsturm share their -bread with French children." Now, this little -scene, otherwise very convincing, is not laid in -France but in Belgium, in the railway station at -Buysinghen, near Hal. It is wholly "faked."</p> - -<p>This is not the only instance in which the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -Germans have built up scenes to be photographed -or cinematographed. Here is another. On the -20th October, 1914, a military band had been -playing on the terrace of the Botanical Gardens of -Brussels, and some German officers were strolling -round the musicians. At the same time a cinematographic -camera was set up in the Rue Royale. It -was naturally hoped that large numbers of the public -would gather near the band, so that a nice film -could be obtained, showing a crowd of Belgian -citizens present at a military concert, and fraternizing -with the German officers. Alas, the Germans -had counted without the hatred which the people of -Brussels entertain for anything which concerns our -oppressors! At the first thumps of the big drum the -promenaders rapidly melted away, and the disappointed -officers were left alone. The scheme had -failed! A fresh attempt was made on the 26th, on -the Boulevard Anspach, near the Bourse; that is, -at the busiest spot in Brussels. The number of -passers-by there is always so great that it is easy to -give the impression of a crowd. Yet those who had -occasion to preside over the unwinding of the film -discovered that not a few people were ostentatiously -turning their backs upon the musicians. This, by -the way, is the favourite attitude of the people of -Brussels when, at about eleven o'clock each morning, -the military band—a true barbarian orchestra—passes -down the Rue Royale and along the Park.</p> - -<p>No. 31 of this semi-official journal shows "the -band of the German Marines which plays every -Sunday at Zeebrugge." Now a street like that -represented, with tall contiguous houses and large -shops, does not exist in Zeebrugge.</p> - -<p>No. 3 of the same paper (it must certainly justify<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -the Government subsidy) shows us, in these photographs, -the entry of the German Marines into -Antwerp. Only the photographs were taken in -Brussels, at the corner of the Rue de la Loi and -the Rue Ducale.</p> - -<p>The same number contains two photographs of the -Hôtel de Ville, Louvain: "Before and after the -Bombardment"(!)</p> - -<p>Naturally our Washingtonian enemies do not miss -their opportunities of falsifying picture postcards. -In January 1915 they were selling in Belgium a -card entitled <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsoperationskarte als Feld-Postbrief</i> -(published by Forkel, Stuttgart), according to -which they were occupying, in Flanders, a region -considerably to the west of the Yser; their front -reaching to Oost-Dunkerke and Poperinghe. Another -card, showing the country round Verdun, is even -more flagrantly untruthful.</p> - - -<p><i>Written Lies.</i></p> - -<p>Let us pass on to the written lies.</p> - -<p>The reader will remember the innumerable lies -told by the German Press respecting the attitude of -the Belgian population toward the German residents -in our towns (p. <a href="#Page_106">106</a>), the German wounded (p. <a href="#Page_99">99</a>), -and the German troops passing through or billeted in -them. We shall not return to these again, save -to refer to other inventions which the Germans -employed to excite their troops against ours.</p> - -<p>Not content with accusing us of the most unspeakable -crimes against their army, the Germans -have even accused us of odious crimes against our -own countrymen. In this way they seek to prove -the bestially ferocious character of the Belgians.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span></p> - -<p>In the booklet entitled <i xml:lang="de">Sturmnacht in Loewen</i> (A -Night of Alarm in Louvain) Herr Robert Heymann, -after reminding his readers of the cruelties of which -the Belgians were guilty in Antwerp, Brussels, etc., -adds that these savage deeds were by no means -surprising on the part of a people which does not -even respect its own fellow-citizens. Then (p. 8) -he relates the "Brutalities committed against a -Convent." This is too interesting an effort to suffer -a word of suppression.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Brutal Attack on a Convent.</span></div> - -<p>Let us hear one of those concerned relate his tribulations. -The story constitutes an important document, testifying to the -high level of Germany as regards morality and <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>: -Germany, who has something better to do in this war than -to commit any bloodthirsty action.</p> - -<p>A great mission has fallen to Germany, and the day is no -longer distant when all the neutral nations will realize this.</p> - -<p>This is the "story of the Brothers of Silence."</p> - -<p>The convent of the Jesuits is situated quite close to Liége, -on a hill about 600 yards from the southern fort (<i>a</i>). I had -been a brother of the convent for two years. We brothers do -not read the newspapers, and by reason of our vow of silence (<i>b</i>) -we do not speak either, so that we knew nothing about the war.</p> - -<p>On Tuesday, the 6th August, I, simultaneously with seven other -brothers, took the watch from noon to midnight. In the night, at -11.15, I suddenly heard a sound completely unknown to me. I -went out into the courtyard, whence, to one side, I could see Liége -and its forts. I saw, at some distance, in the sky, a little light; -this told me that the thing was in the air. I intended to pursue -my rounds, but the snoring sound which was approaching, -although the life of the world has no interest for me, made me -halt. The light came nearer and nearer; the noise had ceased. -The idea occurred to me that this might be a dirigible; but no, -all of a sudden a blinding light illumined the earth. It is the -star of the Magi, announcing something, I thought; I will follow -it with my eyes. In the radiance down below I saw everything -plainly—portions of the fortress and other things. Then, lit up -by reflection from the illuminated earth, I saw that there really -was a powerful dirigible there (<i>c</i>). I felt inclined to shout for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -joy; I had never yet seen a dirigible. The light lasted only a few -seconds, but to me it seemed a long time. My eyes were not yet -accustomed to the darkness of the night, when I heard a crash. -I looked up to the sky; I saw nothing; the little light was quietly -moving away; but down below there was plenty to see—fire, and -smoke! In the light I could easily see everything. I also heard -the echo. I had not had time to recover from my great alarm -when a second light appeared on the earth, rather close to me. -This time I could see still more clearly that it was a dirigible. It -seemed to me that at the end of a long cable was suspended, very -low down, a metal car, in which stood a man. I saw him -distinctly with his two hands throwing an object into the -illumined part. Immediately afterwards the light on the -ground disappeared. I continued, however, to gaze at the same -spot. A mighty sheaf of fire gushed up, while great blocks were -thrown into the air on every side. What a terrible crash! My -ear-drums seemed broken; I was as though deaf. The earth -trembled so violently underfoot that I staggered. Greatly alarmed, -I still watched the same place. The blinding sheaf of fire had -turned into a dense mass of smoke, which was rising slowly into -the air. Little by little it grew lighter, like a white vapour. -Finally the vicinity lit up as though on fire.</p> - -<p>I tried to note whether the fire was spreading, when I was -shaken by a fresh crash. This terrible spectacle repeated itself -continually, but was gradually moving away. From 11.15 to -midnight 12 bombs were thrown on the forts. In the interval -of the explosions one heard the snoring of the motors. After the -last explosion the dirigible rose, moved off, and disappeared. I -remained with my eyes fixed in the same direction; the clock of -the convent struck midnight.</p> - -<p>The seven brothers who had been keeping the watch and -I myself remained in the courtyard with those who came to -relieve us. No one could think of sleep. The other brothers -and the fathers (we were 500) remained indoors, watching the -burning fortress from the windows.</p> - -<p>As I was no longer on guard I went to seek a ladder, and in -order to see better I climbed a wall situated a little farther down, -and some 10 feet high. I remained there until four o'clock. About -two o'clock there began, down below in the city, a sound of isolated -rifle-shots, and shouts which soon grew louder and louder.</p> - -<p>At last an infernal uproar reached my ears, and numerous fires -broke out in that part of the city neighbouring on the convent.</p> - -<p>At four o'clock the bell called us to the church. It was an extraordinary -thing: despite our alarm we all remained obedient to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -our vow of silence. We must not speak! But it became a real -torment, for our devotions lasted for two long hours.</p> - -<p>By the shock of the explosions the beautiful stained-glass -windows were bent inwards like sails swollen by the wind. The -walls of stone, nearly 3 feet in thickness, which surrounded the -courtyard, showed long, deep fissures. When at 6 a.m. we left -the church the shots and the shouting were still more terrible, -and the fires more numerous and farther towards the interior of -the town.</p> - -<p>As usual, the porter opened the gate at six. How alarming! -Hundreds of Belgians from the neighbourhood rushed into the -courtyard. As we feared the convent might be sacked (<i>f</i>), -the porter attempted at first to drive them back. A brother -said: "Go! you shall have all you want!" The misguided -populace immediately seized knives and killed 20 of our brothers -and one father. I myself rushed to the bell in the courtyard -and rang the alarm. Armed with pitchforks and manure-forks -and spades (<i>g</i>), the brothers rushed into the courtyard and -drove out the mob. Two brothers, who during the fight were -carried away in the crowd, were discovered hacked to pieces, -mangled as though by wild beasts. Their bodies were a dreadful -sight. A Belgian brother, hearing the alarm, seized a fork, and -so armed he rushed towards the gate, thinking to fight German -soldiers. When he saw that his assailants were his compatriots -he turned his arms against us, his brothers, shouting like a -madman: "You are mad, you are mad!" After a brief struggle -the fork was torn away from him. He was seized and thrown -over the wall. He had turned his arms against his brothers; but -above all he had broken his vow of silence.</p> - -<p>The fight had lasted barely a quarter of an hour. After the -gate was closed—at 6.15, our usual breakfast hour—we assembled -in the refectory for our meal.</p> - -<p>Despite these extraordinary events I was extremely hungry. -We now felt safe. But when, after the twenty minutes which -our meal lasted, we returned to the courtyard, we saw that -the Belgian brutes had in two places set fire to the convent. -They had dragged our corn and hay under the wood-shed which -stood not far from the convent; they had also pushed carts loaded -with corn in the shock against the buildings and outhouses (<i>g</i>), and -had set fire to the whole. The flames were already reaching the -gable. It was no use dreaming of saving anything, for all the -buildings were connected with one another. This was a sore -trial. But it could not break our vow of silence, and, doubly -mute, we watched the flames. Our sorrow found vent in tears<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -when we saw our Superior burst into sobs. He came into our -midst; as all the fathers may speak, he said aloud: "Go and -save what you can!" and we carried out his orders.</p> - -<p>Rapidly we telephoned to the Belgian authorities at Liége to -obtain help and protection. But to our great alarm <i>German -soldiers</i> appeared at this moment. As Germany does not allow -us Jesuits within her frontiers, we were extremely anxious. On -account of the presence of the German troops we wanted to carry -back into the convent the precious treasures already brought into -the court; but the leader of the German troops explained to our -Superior that this portion of Liége was already in the hands of the -Germans. We therefore placed ourselves under their protection. -We had no reason to regret it. The German escort came with -eight automobiles, which bore our inestimable treasures into -Germany; paintings, which in our haste we cut from their frames -and rolled like paper; our sacred golden vessels, and our fathers (<i>h</i>). -In great haste we had dug a huge ditch, in which, without religious -ceremony and without words, we buried our 20 assassinated -brothers and the father who was killed. While the fire -continued to burn the hundreds of brothers remaining ran hither -and thither in unspeakable disorder, seeking their clothes and -shoes. I had wooden shoes on and could not find shoes to fit -me; but I saw, to my great amazement, four pairs of shoes in -my box. Everything was stuffed into the boxes and forced down -with the feet, in all haste.</p> - -<p>So, on Saturday (<i>i</i>), at dawn, 350 brothers left the still smoking -convent to cross the German frontier. For three hours each -painfully dragged along what modest belongings he had saved. -One old brother of eighty years remained behind; he declared, -when abandoned: "I wish to die here." Although the German -soldiers protected us as we proceeded, the Belgian people still -attacked us frequently. I received violent kicks, blows on the -legs, and all over my body. For two nights none of us slept, and -in addition we were greatly perturbed and in terrible trouble.</p> - -<p>When, after unheard-of exertions, we dragged ourselves across -the frontier, we let ourselves fall exhausted in a meadow, where -we slept, a leaden slumber, protected and watched by the -Germans, from morning to sunset.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<span class="smcap">Robert Heymann</span>, <i xml:lang="de">Sturmnacht in Loewen</i>, pp. 8-13.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>As will be seen, this is a story to make the flesh -creep. Still, it seems to us to present certain -difficulties.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) There is no convent of Jesuits near Liége -about 600 yards from one of the southern forts -(Boncelles, Embourg, and Chaudfontaine).</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) The Jesuit brothers are <i>not</i> compelled to keep -silence. No doubt the author chose the Jesuits -because the order is excluded from Germany, so that -he would expect his compatriots to know nothing of -the rule of the Jesuit communities.</p> - -<p>(<i>c</i>) How did these brothers, who read no newspapers -and never spoke, know of the existence of -dirigibles?</p> - -<p>But apart from all this, the facts are incorrect. -At no time did a dirigible fly over Liége during the -siege.</p> - -<p>The people of Liége saw a German dirigible for the -first time on the 1st September, 1914, at 10 p.m. -On the following day, at 6 p.m., they saw another.</p> - -<p>(<i>d</i>) Therefore fires could not have been lit by the -bombs from these dirigibles.</p> - -<p>(<i>e</i>) Where have stained-glass windows ever been -seen to bulge like sails under the shock of an -explosion capable of cracking walls over 30 inches -in thickness?</p> - -<p>(<i>f</i>) Nothing had happened so far to give any one -the idea that the convent was about to be pillaged.</p> - -<p>(<i>g</i>) Since when have the Jesuit convents owned -farms, etc., or been equipped with hay-forks, -manure-forks, spades, hay-carts, etc.?</p> - -<p>(<i>h</i>) It is delightful to note that in enumerating -the precious possessions of the convent the Jesuit -fathers occupy the very last place, after the pictures -and the gold plate! But this impertinence is more -apparent than real; for the narrator has just stated -that the 150 Jesuit fathers were packed, together -with the pictures and the sacred vessels, in <i>eight</i><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -motor-cars! Evidently they were very tiny Jesuits. -It must have been their minuteness that saved them; -for the author has reminded us that Jesuits (of -ordinary size) are not admitted into Germany; but -these, happily, passed unperceived.</p> - -<p>(<i>i</i>) It was not Saturday, but Friday.</p> - -<p>It is by such inventions—presented as the narratives -of eye-witnesses, and not as romances—that the -Germans excite against us both their troops and their -home population. The method has given excellent -results; nothing gives better proof of its efficiency -than the first paragraph of the story of <i>The Battle of -Charleroi</i>, in which we read that at the beginning of -August many trucks passed through Belgium which -bore the inscription:—</p> - -<div class="center"> -<i xml:lang="de">Gegen Frankreich mit Mut,<br /> -Gegen Belgiën mit Wut.</i><br /> -(Against France with courage; against Belgium with rage.) -</div> - -<p>Which shows to what a pitch the minds of the -German troops had been excited against us.</p> - - -<p><i>A "French Dirigible" Captured by the Germans.</i></p> - -<p>Other inscriptions on the railway carriages and -vans are not uninteresting to the student of <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>.</p> - -<p>On the 5th March, 1915, we learned from ocular -witnesses that a German dirigible was lost, on the -4th, at Overhespen, near Tirlemont. <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i> of -the 6th March contained a few details.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>5th March</i> (Official).—The Zeppelin dirigible L8, -returning yesterday from a fruitful voyage of exploration, came to -earth in the darkness near Tirlemont, and, during the process of -landing, struck against some trees. It was rather seriously -damaged, so that it seemed preferable to dismantle it. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span> -operation was completed very rapidly by the soldiers of the -aviation department of Brussels, who were despatched to the -spot. The dismantled parts will be transported to Germany, -there to be rebuilt.</p></blockquote> - -<p>In reality the "rather serious damage" meant that -the balloon was completely destroyed, and that twenty -of the twenty-eight occupants of the cars were killed. -So far we would not describe the report as a lie, as it -does not exceed the habitual limits of our enemies' -official telegrams. But this goes a little too far: -At Tirlemont the report was spread that the dirigible -in question was French, and that it was skilfully -captured by German troops; and on the trucks which -bore the metallic remains of the Zeppelin to Germany -was written, in large letters: <i xml:lang="de">Erobertes Französisches -Luftschiff</i> (Captured French Airship). This is no -longer a manipulated truth, but a downright lie.</p> - - -<p><i>The Transportation of the German Dead.</i></p> - -<p>Here is another fraud of the same kind. When -the number of the German dead is too great for burial -on the field of battle they evacuate the surplus into -other districts. The bodies are usually transported -in closed vans. But sometimes these are lacking, -and the bodies have to be packed into goods -wagons. Nothing outside indicates the contents -of these wagons; it may be supposed that the -authorities have no desire to publish the extent of -their losses. For this reason the corpses are always -hidden under something else; one sees passing, for -example, what appears to be a trainload of sugar-beet, -but in reality the bodies of soldiers are being -transported. A biologist might call this an interesting -case of protective mimicry.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Some Lying Placards.</i></p> - -<p>The German authorities have no scruples about -posting up false news. For several weeks one might -read, on the walls of the Hôtel de Ville at Vilvorde, -the following placard:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Antwerp surrendered to-day with its army.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The District Commandant.</span><br /> -(Signature illegible.)<br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Vilvorde</span>, <i>9th October, 1914</i>.<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>With its army! When the Germans were all -crestfallen at having laid hands on an empty nest!</p> - -<p>This is merely grotesque; but here are three -placards which belong to the system of intimidation -<i xml:lang="fr">à outrance</i>.</p> - -<p>We have already stated (p. <a href="#Page_147">147</a>) that placards -exhibited in Louvain stated that the town of Mons -was forced to pay a fine because a civilian had fired -on the German army. Now the fact was wholly -imaginary; never did any civilian of Mons fire on -the Germans; never did they accuse one of having -done so; so that they never had occasion to fine the -town on that account. All is false here, from the -first word to the last.</p> - -<p>While at Louvain they were posting up the placard -relating to Mons, they were exhibiting at Mons a -notice according to which certain inhabitants of -Soignies had fired on the German troops. This also -was a sheer falsehood. No such action was imputed -to any inhabitant of Soignies. At Charleroi they -advertised the statement that they had inflicted a -penalty on Anderlues for a similar offence. Here, -once more, both accusation and penalty were pure -inventions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span></p> - -<p>Here is an equally untruthful placard. It was -posted up at Cugnon (Luxemburg) early in October, -1914, between the fall of the first forts at Antwerp -and the taking of the city. It announces the destruction -of the line of forts between Verdun and -Toul, and the march on Paris (a month after the -battle of the Marne!). Its principal interest lies in -the signature: the burgomaster did not know of the -placard until it was posted; the military authorities -had simply forged his name. This did not prevent -them from forcing the commune of Cugnon to pay -for the printing of these lies.</p> - - -<p><i>M. Max's Denial.</i></p> - -<p>The most interesting example of lying by placard -is undoubtedly that which was revealed by the -burgomaster of Brussels. On the 30th August one -might read, on the walls of the capital, a notice in -which M. Max gave the lie to a placard posted at -Liége. This is it:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">City of Brussels.</span></div> - -<p>The German governor of the city of Liége, Lieutenant-General -von Kolewe, yesterday had the following notice exposed:—</p> - -<p><i>To the Inhabitants of the City of Liége.</i></p> - -<p>"The burgomaster of Brussels has informed the German commandant -that the French Government has declared to the Belgian -Government the impossibility of assisting it offensively in any -way, as it is itself forced to assume the defensive."</p> - -<p><i>To this assertion I oppose the most positive denial.</i></p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Burgomaster</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Adolphe Max.</span><br /> -</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>30th August, 1914</i>.<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>Since their burgomaster declared the assertion to -be false, no doubt could remain in the minds of the -people of Brussels. But, curiously enough, beside<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -M. Max's placard there remained a German placard, -which had been posted two days earlier, and in which -it was stated:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>On the 25th inst. the official French newspapers published a -communication from the French Government stating that the -French armies being forced to assume the defensive would no -longer be in a position to assist Belgium in the matter of a -military offensive.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>23rd August, 1914</i>.</p></blockquote> - -<p>The only serious difference between the two texts -was that at Liége the burgomaster of Brussels -guaranteed the truth of the <i xml:lang="fr">communiqué</i>. So the -impression was given that it was Herr von Kolewe -who had the idea of bringing M. Max's name into -this ridiculous statement, in the hope of giving it -some weight. But no! Von Kolewe was innocent -of the forgery; it was the work of the German -General Staff, and was distributed by the Wolff -Agency, as we learned a little later. The Liége -<i xml:lang="fr">communiqué</i> is precisely the official German telegram -as published everywhere—for example, in -<i xml:lang="fr">Les Nouvelles</i>, "published by the authorization of -the German Military Authority," at Spa, on the -30th August, 1914; by the <i>N.R.C.</i>, on the -28th August; by the <i>K.Z.</i> (see <i xml:lang="de">Kriegs-Depeschen</i>, -p. 41); and by the <i xml:lang="de">Frankfurter Zeitung</i> (see <i xml:lang="de">Der -Grosse Krieg</i>, p. 172).</p> - -<p>What, then, is the meaning of the first telegram -posted in Brussels—that of the 25th August, in -which no mention of the burgomaster occurs? -Simply this: the German Government was announcing -to the whole world an item of "news" -whose improbability required to be supported by the -word of an honest man, such as the burgomaster of -Brussels. A lie so gross and flagrant might be published<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -at Liége, but not in Brussels itself. Unfortunately -the Germans had not succeeded in cutting -off communication between Liége and Brussels; on -the day after its appearance the Liége placard had -reached M. Max, and he was able to issue his -famous denial. The effect was tremendous. From -that moment the people of Brussels no longer -believed any "official news."<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> Did the Germans -make any attempt to reply to the denial? None: -why attempt the impossible? But they prohibited, -with their usual heaviness, the publication of any -placards, even by the municipality.</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Important Notice.</span></div> - -<p>The publication of placards, unless they have received my -special permission, is strictly prohibited, those of the municipality -of the city being included.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>Signed</i>) <span class="smcap">von Lüttwitz</span>, <i>General</i>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>Translated into the vulgar tongue this means: -"When we Germans lie we do not wish attention -called to the fact."</p> - - -<p><i>How the Officers Lie to their Men.</i></p> - -<p>Hitherto we have considered only those German -lies which were addressed to the Belgians. But -there are better lies than these: they lie to their -own troops. At the outset of the invasion of -Belgium the German soldiers were led to believe -that they were already in France, quite close to -Paris, even in October and November 1914. Germans -in cantonments near Roulers, in Flanders, believed -that they were only eight miles from Paris, and they -used to ask the correspondent of the <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche -Courant</i> to show them "a place they could -see the Eiffel Tower from." This, it may be said, -proves that in all armies there are soldiers of small -intelligence, even in the German Army. No: it -proves that in this latter army the officers lie with -method. You may judge. The soldiers tended in -the hospital of the Palais de Justice in Brussels used -to date their letters "Paris"; and it was by order -of their superior officers that they deceived their -families. The official journal, <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche Soldatenpost</i>, -in its issue for the 16th October, 1914, contains a -little poem entitled "Hindenburg," whose third -stanza commences:</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span></p> -<div class="poem"> -<i xml:lang="de">Vor Paris aber steht das deutsche Heer...</i><br /> -(But the German host stands before Paris.)<br /> -</div> - -<p>This, be it noted, on the 16th October, more -than a month after the battle of the Marne. About -the same time a soldier in Antwerp learned from his -officers that if the German army had not yet entered -Paris it was merely to avoid the plague, which was -raging there (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 20th October, 1914, morning).</p> - -<p>After that, who can doubt that systematic lying -forms part of the duties of an officer towards his -men?</p> - - -<p>2. <span class="smcap">Perseverance in Falsehood.</span></p> - -<p>Nothing is left to chance in the campaign of lies -any more than in the military campaign proper. -The Great General Staff organizes everything with -the same care—the attacks of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," the -benzine syringes, the pastilles of fulminating cotton -employed in the rapid starting of conflagrations—just -as it organizes the manœuvres of the Press intended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span> -to direct the mentality of the troops towards a policy -of pitiless repression.</p> - -<p>They even try to educate (which means, to pervert -the minds of) the prisoners of war in their concentration -camps. Thus in No. 5 of <i xml:lang="fr">La Guerre</i>, a journal -especially intended for prisoners of war (published -the 10th March, 1915), a passage is reproduced from -the "Records of the War," by Houston Stewart -Chamberlain. Here is an extract: "Finally, one -should read the notices on the detestable attitude of -the civil population of Belgium, of both sexes, in the -present war: notices officially confirmed and attested -in writing by several priests: according to which the -populace, behaving a hundred times worse than -ferocious beasts, have horribly mutilated and gouged -out the eyes of poor wounded German soldiers, afterwards -slowly stifling them by pouring sawdust into -their nose and mouth."</p> - -<p>It will perhaps be objected that those who write -of such things are blinded by the militarist spirit; -that they have, like everybody in Germany, abolished -in themselves the critical faculty; and that they do -not even dream of disputing the statements of the -official journals; in short, that they do not, properly -speaking, lie, because they are sincere. But can -they really be sincere? Could they, on the 10th -March, pretend that they still believed that the -Belgians gouge out the eyes of wounded men and -choke them to death with sawdust when <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i> -had succeeded in getting at the truth, and had been -protesting against these lies since the month of -January? Besides, the Germans know their own -"reptile" Press, and they ought to realize that their -newspapers do not merit credence, least of all in time -of war.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span></p> - -<p>But even if we absolve these writers of the crime -of lying, to accuse them of nothing worse than inconceivable -credulity, we cannot on any pretext extend -the same indulgence to those who are incontestably -in a position to know the truth. To cite only one -example—is it not shameful that Baron von Bissing -the younger should publish <i>in April 1915</i>, in the -<i xml:lang="de">Süddeutsche Monatshefte</i>, an article on Belgium in -which he repeats the accusations against the -"<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," and the tales of Belgians mutilating -the German wounded? And what are -we to say of the reply made by the German -Minister of War to Mlle. Leman according to -which the German troops have never ill-treated -priests (p. <a href="#Page_72">72</a>), nor touched the property of the -Church? A visit to Bueken (near Louvain) gives -the reply to this twofold assertion. In May 1915 -one could still see, in the sacristy, the muniment -chest which had contained the sacred vessels; it had -been broken open by the Germans with the aid of a -bell-clapper. As for the curé, M. De Clerck, we know -what he suffered; he was shot after his ears and nose -were cut off. With the curé his assistant was killed: -Father Vincentius Sombroek, a conventual, born at -Zaandam, in Holland.<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a></p> - -<p>The picture-postcard has, of course, not been -forgotten. The Germans had on sale in Brussels, -for their soldiers, a coloured card of <i>The Uhlans</i> -<i>before Paris</i>. It shows groups of German cavalrymen -contemplating Paris and the Eiffel Tower. -This card is published by R. and K., and bears the -number 500.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p> -<p>This same firm fabricated some remarkable cards -relating to the military operations in Belgium. -No. 507 represents the bombardment of Antwerp. -It shows the city in flames, seen from the Tête de -Flandre, and it also shows guns installed in the -same locality. Now the Germans never had guns -on the left bank of the Scheldt. No. 502 shows the -bombardment of Namur by means of guns firing from -Jambes, which again is incorrect. These cards, it -should be noted, were still being sold in June 1915; -that is, when every one knew that these pictures -were "faked."</p> - - -<p><i>The Germans' Treatment of Mgr. Mercier.</i></p> - -<p>There are other examples of continuity of falsehood -than those relating to violations of the Hague Convention -and the Treaty of London (1839). For -example, a long series of lies was directed against -one single individual—Mgr. Mercier, Cardinal-Archbishop -of Malines, Primate of Belgium.</p> - -<p>The facts are so well known that there is no need -of lengthy comment.</p> - -<p>1. Mgr. Mercier went to Rome for the Conclave. -We learned in Belgium, by a placard dated the 8th -September, that the Cardinal was returning to his -country "with a safe-conduct, passing through the -German lines."</p> - -<p><i>A lie.</i>—The Cardinal never had any German -safe-conduct. He returned to Belgium by way of -Lyons, Paris, Havre (where he delivered a speech), -London, and Holland.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span></p> - -<p>2. During his stay in Rome the Cardinal made -declarations very unfavourable to the Germans. A -placard of the 12th September, 1914, assured us that -he protested against the interview in the <i xml:lang="il">Corriere -della Sera</i>.</p> - -<p><i>A lie.</i>—The <i xml:lang="il">Corriere della Sera</i> is a neutral journal -(in the sense that the Belgian <i xml:lang="fr">Le Soir</i> is neutral), -and the Germans wished to produce the impression -that the Cardinal had been interviewed by a correspondent -of this newspaper. Now he was interviewed -by the editor of the Catholic journal, the <i xml:lang="il">Corriere -d'Italia</i>. This is merely one of the "errors" of -Cardinal von Hartmann's rectification. The whole -is in keeping with this; but it is too long to consider -in detail.</p> - -<p>3. Baron von der Goltz, at the moment of leaving -Belgium, of which he had been Governor-General, -thought fit to assert that he had come to an agreement -with Mgr. Mercier as to the reopening of the -courses in the University of Louvain (<i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i>, -1st December, 1914).</p> - -<p><i>A lie.</i>—There was never any question of resuming -these courses.</p> - -<p>4. The Cardinal published his famous Pastoral -Letter, which was sent to all the churches of his -diocese, to be read from the pulpit. It recalled the -present sufferings of the country, and adjured -Belgians to "remain faithful to their king and their -laws."</p> - -<p>Directly the Germans, informed by their spies, -knew of the existence of this pastoral letter they -withdrew Cardinal Mercier's authorization to visit -the other bishops in his motor-car. At the same -time they forbade the curés to make the letter known -to their parishioners; they even proceeded to seize<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span> -the pamphlet in the presbyteries. Naturally the -priests refused to obey the German injunctions, and -the beginning of the <i>mandamus</i> was read from the -pulpit on Sunday, the 3rd January, 1915. The -Germans were furious, and forbade the curés to -continue the reading of the letter; and, the more -readily to obtain their submission, showed them a -German declaration, signed by von Bissing, of which -this is the translation:—</p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>7th January, 1915</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">To the Clergy of the Diocese of Malines.</span></div> - -<p>As a result of my remarks, Cardinal Mercier of Malines has -declared to me verbally and in writing that he had no intention of -exciting or alarming the population by his pastoral letter, and he -had not expected any such effect. That he had particularly -insisted on the necessity of obedience on the part of the population -towards the occupier, even if a patriot should inwardly feel -in a state of opposition.</p> - -<p>In case I should nevertheless fear an exciting effect, the -Cardinal did not insist on requiring of his clergy the repeated -reading of the pastoral letter on the succeeding Sundays, provided -for in the conclusion of the letter, nor the distribution -of the letter.</p> - -<p>My hypothesis has proved correct.</p> - -<p>I therefore repeat my prohibition of the 2nd January of this -year, concerning the reading and the diffusion of the pastoral -letter. I draw the attention of the clergy to this point—that -they will be acting in contradiction to the written declaration -of their Cardinal in disobeying his prohibition.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Baron von Bissing</span>,<br /> -<i>Colonel-General</i>.<br /> -<i>Governor-General in Belgium.</i><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p><i>A lie.</i>—This declaration is false. Mgr. Evrard, -Dean of St. Gudule in Brussels, went to see -Mgr. Mercier at Malines, and obtained proof of the -falsehood. He at once warned all the curés of Brussels -and the district of the manœuvre, and on Sunday, -the 10th January, the reading of the letter was -resumed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>9th January, 1915</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Monsieur le Curé</span>,—</p> - -<p>I have returned from Malines.</p> - -<p>Despite the written prohibition received yesterday, His -Eminence the Cardinal wishes his letter to be read. This -written prohibition is cunning and spurious.</p> - -<p>"Neither verbally, nor in writing, have I withdrawn anything, -nor do I now withdraw anything of my previous instructions, and -I protest against the violence done against the liberty of my -pastoral ministry."</p> - -<p>That is what the Cardinal dictated to me.</p> - -<p>He added: "They have done everything to make me sign -mitigations of my letter; I have not signed them. Now they -seek to separate my clergy from me, by forbidding them to -read it.</p> - -<p>"I have done my duty; my clergy know if they will do -theirs."</p> - -<p>Accept, M. le Curé, the homage of all my respect.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>Signed</i>) <span class="smcap">E. Evrard</span>, <i>Dean</i>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>5. Baron von Bissing published in the newspapers -a <i xml:lang="fr">communiqué</i> stating "that no hindrance of any kind -had been put in the way of the exercise of the -pastoral duties of the Cardinal-Archbishop."</p> - -<p><i>A lie.</i>—The Cardinal contradicted this assertion -in a Latin letter addressed to his clergy.</p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Mechliniae</span>,<br /> -<i xml:lang="la">Dominica infra Octavam Epiphaniae</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap" xml:lang="la">Reverendi admodum Domini et Cooperatores dilectissimi</span>,—</p> - -<div xml:lang="la"> -<p>Habuistis, ut puto, prae oculis nuntium a Gubernio -Generali Bruxellensi publicis ephemeridibus propalatum, quo -declarabatur "Cardinalem Archiepiscopum Mechliniensem a -munere suo ecclesiastico libere adimplendo nullatenus fuisse -impeditum." Quod quam a veritate alienum sit, e factis elucet.</p> - -<p>Milites enim, vespere diei primae Januarii necnon per totam -noctem insequentem, domus presbyterales invaserunt, Litteras -Pastorales e manibus parochorum vel arripuerunt vel arripere -conati sunt frustra, easque ne populo fideli praelegeratis, etiam -sub poenis gravissimis, vobis metipsis aut parochiae vestrae -infligendis, auctoritate episcopali despecta, prohibuerunt.</p> - -<p>Nec dignitati nostrae pepercere, Die namque secunda Januarii -orto nondum sole, hora scilicet sexta, jusserunt me, die eadem<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span> -matutina, coram Gubernatore Generali, epistolae meae ad clerum -et populum rationem reddere; die autem postero, Laudibus -Vespertinis in Ecclesia cathedrali Antverpiensi praeesse me -vetuerunt; tandem, ne alios Belgii episcopos libere adeam, -prohibent.</p> - -<p>Jura vestra, Cooperatores dilectissimi, et mea, violata fuisse, -civis, animarum pastor et Sacri Cardinalium Collegii sodalis, -protestor.</p> - -<p>Quidquid praedixerint alii, experientia nunc compertum est -nullum ex epistola illa pastorali enatum esse seditionis periculum, -sed eam potius animarum paci et publicae tranquillitati haud -parum adjumento fuisse.</p> - -<p>Vobis de officio fortiter et suaviter impleto gratulor, cui animo -virili et pacifico, fideles estote memores verborum illorum quibus -mentem meam plane et integre jam expressi: "Soyes à la fois et -les meilleurs gardiens du patriotisme, et les soutiens de l'ordre -public."</p> - -<p>Caeterum, "Spiritu sitis ferventes, Domino servientes, spe -gaudentes, in tribulatione patientes, orationi instantes, necessitatibus -sanctorum communicantes."<a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a></p> - -<p>Ne mei, quaeso, obliviscamini in observationibus vestris, nec -vestrum obliviscar; arcto fraternitatis vinculo conjuncti, unanimes -Antistitem, clerum et populum fidelem commendemus Domino, -"ut et quae agenda sunt, videant, et ad implenda quae viderint, -convalescant."<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a></p> - -<div class="right"> -Vobis in Christo addictissimus,<br /> -<span class="smcap">D. J. Card. Mercier</span>,<br /> -<i>Archiepisc. Mechl.</i><br /> -</div> - -<p>Expostulatur à R<sup>do</sup> admodum D<sup>o</sup> Decano relatio de iis quae in -parochiis decanatus evenerunt.</p> - -<p>N.B.—Non desunt in dioecesi clerici qui vestibus laïcis ad -tempus usi sunt. Jam nunc habitum clericalem resumant -omnes.</p> -</div> - -<div class="right">(<i>S.</i>) D. J.</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>[<i>Translation.</i>]</p> - -<blockquote> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Malines</span>,<br /> -<i>The Sunday of the Octave of the Epiphany</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Very Reverend Gentlemen and well-beloved Colleagues</span>,—</p> - -<p>You have, I think, had sight of the message from the -General Government of Brussels, published in the newspapers, -in which it is declared that "the Cardinal Archbishop of Malines -has in no manner been prevented in the free performance of his -ecclesiastical office."</p></blockquote> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p> -<blockquote> - -<p>The facts will show that this assertion is contrary to the truth. -As a matter of fact, on the evening of the 1st January, and -during the whole of the night, soldiers entered the presbyteries -and took from the priests, or vainly endeavoured to take, the -pastoral letter, and, in contempt of episcopal authority, forbade -you to read it to the assembled faithful, under the threat of -extremely severe punishment which would be inflicted on -yourselves or on your parish.</p> - -<p>Even our dignity was not respected. For on the 2nd of -January, before sunrise even, that is, at six o'clock, I was ordered -to present myself on the morning of that same day before the -Governor-General, to justify my letter to the clergy and the -people; on the following day I was forbidden to preside at -Benediction in the Cathedral of Antwerp; lastly, I was forbidden -to visit the other Belgian bishops.</p> - -<p>As a citizen, a pastor of souls, and a member of the Sacred -College of Cardinals I protest that your rights, well-beloved -brothers, and my own, have been infringed.</p> - -<p>Whatever has been pretended, experience has proved that -no danger of sedition has resulted from this pastoral letter, but -rather that it contributed greatly to the peace and tranquillity -of the public.</p> - -<p>I congratulate you with having accomplished your duty firmly -and harmoniously. Remain devoted to it with a manly and -peaceable heart, recalling those words in which I have already -fully and entirely expressed my thought: "Be at once the best -guardians of patriotism and the supporters of public order."</p> - -<p>Moreover: "Be fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing -in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; -distributing to the necessities of the saints."<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a></p> - -<p>Do not forget me, I beg you, in your supplications; neither will -I forget you. All together, closely united by the bond of brotherhood, -let us recommend the bishop, the clergy, and the faithful -"that they may behold their duty and be strong to fulfil it."<a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a></p> - -<div class="right"> -Yours very faithfully in Christ,<br /> -<span class="smcap">D. J. Cardinal Mercier</span>,<br /> -<i>Archbishop of Malines</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p>The Very Rev. the Deans are begged to report what has -happened in the parishes of their Deanery.</p> - -<p>N.B.—Members of the clergy have for a time worn civil -clothing. Let all now resume their ecclesiastical clothing.</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span></p> - -<p>6. On Sunday, the 3rd January, 1915, the Cardinal -did not go to Antwerp, as he had intended. The -Germans announced in the newspapers—in <i xml:lang="fr">L'Avenir</i> -(Antwerp), for example—that the Cardinal's absence -was voluntary.</p> - -<p><i>A lie.</i>—They had forbidden Mgr. Mercier to leave -Malines.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>We have mentioned that while these things were -happening the clergy continued to make the pastoral -letter known in all the churches, except in those -cases where the Germans had succeeded in subtracting -the copies of the letter. But even there -the reading of the letter was resumed after a brief -interval, when fresh impressions of the letter had -been printed and distributed all over the country. -This propaganda was, of course, secret; an official -<i xml:lang="fr">communiqué</i> published at Namur, on the 12th -January, 1915, leaves no doubt as to that. It -threatens the infliction of severe punishment on -those who should distribute this document. To -give some idea of the activity with which the pastoral -letter was distributed throughout Belgium, -we may mention that we know of twelve different -editions in French and two in Flemish; there are, -moreover, at least two typewritten editions. Each -impression numbered thousands of copies; of one -single edition the Germans seized 35,000 copies! -We may add that a German translation also has -appeared, but this is <i xml:lang="la">ad usum Germanorum</i>. The -interesting passages are suppressed.</p> - -<p>The pastoral letter was not without results in -Rome. The Belgian colony there organized a mass -for the priests put to death in Belgium, a list of -whom was given by the Cardinal. The organ of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span> -Vatican, the <i xml:lang="il">Osservatore Romano</i>, translated "put to -death" by <i xml:lang="il">caduti</i>, "fallen." This vague term might -allow it to be supposed that the priests had fallen on -the field of battle, not that they were assassinated -by the German troops. The German newspapers -were jubilant. The <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Volkszeitung</i>, one of -the leading Catholic organs in Germany, edited by -Herr Julius Bachem, published an article to show -that the Holy See had not been duped by the tricks -of the Belgians, and refused to credit the tale of -priests put to death by the Germans (see <i xml:lang="nl">Het Vaderland</i>, -31st March, 1915, 2nd sheet, evening). The -<i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer Anzeiger</i> also contained a long and far-fetched -article in its issue of the 29th January.</p> - - -<p>3. <span class="smcap">The Organization of Propaganda.</span></p> - -<p>With the methodical spirit which they boast of -possessing, the Germans have from the outset of -the war created bureaux for the propagation of the -"German idea" throughout the world. Some of -these organizations of propaganda have for their -province the neutral countries, among which, in the -first rank, are the United States, the Scandinavian -countries, Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. Others -deal with the occupied countries, or enemy countries, -through the intermediary of prisoners of war and -civil prisoners. Finally, there are those that deal -with Germany and her allies. If we add to the -bureaux of propaganda situated in Germany, and -operating thence, those established and operating in -foreign countries, we shall begin to understand the -power of expansion and penetration possessed by -such instruments in the hands of unscrupulous -people.</p> - -<p>Again, we must reckon not only with the official<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span> -or semi-official propaganda, devoid of the mercenary -spirit, whose only object is the triumph of Germany. -There are a number of publishing concerns which -pursue the same objects.</p> - -<p>Besides her printed propaganda, Germany makes -use of other means, apparently accessory and occasional, -but whose effects may become very appreciable; -visits of German scholars and German -politicians, especially socialist politicians; letters -written by Germans to friends or relations abroad; -inquiries addressed to the scholars of neutral -countries; promises made to notable persons, in -the hope of obtaining their co-operation.</p> - -<p>One word before examining the working of these -organizations. Should we really classify them under -the heading of "falsehoods"? After what we have -said of the methods of the German Press, and the -mentality of the German rulers, no one will hesitate, -we fancy, as to the place which falsehood must be -accorded in this propaganda. But so that no doubt -shall remain in the reader's mind, we will give a few -quotations from the propagandist literature relating -to Belgium.</p> - - -<p>(<i>a</i>) <i>Propagandist Bureaux operating in -Germany.</i></p> - -<p>The most important of the propagandist pamphlets -appearing in Germany is a monthly publication. It -is known, in French, as the <i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la Guerre</i>. -We know it also in German and in Dutch; probably -it is translated into yet other languages. Each -number consists of 40 to 72 pages, and contains -general information, a chronicle of the war, photographs -and drawings, tales of the battles, etc. ... -in short, everything that can influence the public<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span> -opinion of neutral countries. In almost every number -is an article tending to prove that Germany was -forced, for reasons of self-defence, to invade Belgium; -that Belgium, moreover, had violated her own -neutrality in advance; that the Belgians amply -deserve their fate, on account of their wicked -treatment of wounded men (gouging out their eyes, -etc.). We have already mentioned the <i xml:lang="fr">Journal -de la Guerre</i> with reference to a "faked" map of -Louvain.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The <i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la Guerre</i> published an article by -Herr Helfferich on a journey through Belgium, -undertaken in September 1914. It is teeming with -inaccuracies, but it would be waste of time to refute -them all. We will confine ourselves to the first -sentence, which states that the burgomaster of -Battice has been shot. Now, this is untrue: the -burgomaster of Battice, M. Rosette, who has filled -his office for many years, is in excellent health, and -is still living in Battice.</p> - -<p>Another publication—<i xml:lang="fr">La Guerre—Journal périodique -paraissant durant la guerre de 1914-15</i>—is -intended for prisoners of war.</p> - -<p>The best method of impressing the prisoners is -assuredly to show them that in their own country -people are already beginning to realize the indisputable -superiority of Germany. So <i xml:lang="fr">La Guerre</i> -frequently publishes articles reprinted from <i xml:lang="fr">La -Gazette des Ardennes</i>; only it forgets to mention -that <i xml:lang="fr">La Gazette des Ardennes</i> is a newspaper -established, edited, and printed exclusively by -Germans, since the occupation. Shall we take -another example of duplicity? For the Belgians, -naturally, what their priests tell them has great<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span> -weight with them. No. 14 of <i xml:lang="fr">La Guerre</i> reproduces -a passage from an article (which is mentioned on -p. 129) originally published by "the priest Domela -Nieuwenhuis, of Gand." Here is a falsehood: -M. Domela Nieuwenhuis is not a priest; he is a -Protestant pastor in Gand. In the quotation M. -Nieuwenhuis says: "If we Flemings had been -properly informed...." (<i xml:lang="fr">La Guerre</i>, No. 14, -p. 217).</p> - -<p>"We Flemings," M. Nieuwenhuis is supposed to -have said ... and he is a Dutchman. This is -curious. Let us compare this with the original -text in <i>De Tijdspiegel</i>, p. 316, 1st April, 1915. -There we find: "<i xml:lang="nl">Indien wij hier in Vlaanderen -... zouden zign voorgelicht....</i>" ("If we, here in -Flanders, had been informed....") The German -forgers have been at work, and by a little tinkering at -the text, they have made a Dutch pastor pass for a -Flemish priest! To what are they not reduced!</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The pamphlet <i xml:lang="de">Die Wahrheit über den Krieg</i> speaks -on p. 93 of an international propagandist organisation -established in Berlin: the <i>Commission for the -publication of impartial news abroad</i> (we translate -from the Dutch version). This Commission publishes -<i>Correspondence for Neutrals</i>, which aims solely at -"distributing positive news concerning the working -of social, juridicial, economic, and moral institutions -and general culture in Germany." Its articles -are especially intended for use by the Press. It -appears two or three times a week, in ten different -languages, and will continue to do so during the war. -It asserts that its expenses are covered entirely by -private subscriptions.</p> - -<p>At the Superior Technical College of Stuttgart is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[250]</a></span> -established the <i xml:lang="de">Süddeutsche Nachrichtenstelle für die -Neutralen</i> (South German News Bureau for the -Neutrals). It publishes propagandist leaflets at -irregular intervals and of various dimensions, which -are intended to furnish "the verifiable truth as to -the origin, course, and results of the war."</p> - -<p>The professors of the University of Leipzig sent -abroad a special number of the <i xml:lang="de">Leipziger Neueste -Nachrichte</i> of the 25th August, 1914, which gave, -in chronological order, "the truth about the causes -of the war and the German successes." The truth! -Its capital falsehoods are too numerous for examination -here.</p> - -<p>At Düsseldorf is the <i xml:lang="de">Büro zur Verbreitung deutscher -Nachrichten im Auslande</i> (the German -Bureau for distributing German news abroad). -The French version of this title is <i xml:lang="fr">Bureau allemand -pour la publication de nouvelles authentiques -à l'Etranger</i>. Observe, in passing, that <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche -Nachrichten</i> is translated as "authentic news," -which will not fail to surprise the reader. This -Bureau used to publish <i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i>, a remarkable -journal sold in Belgium and the occupied parts of -France.</p> - -<p>The <i xml:lang="de">Deutscher Überseedienst</i> (German Overseas -Service) busies itself particularly with the falsification -of public opinion abroad. Its publications are -usually distributed gratis.</p> - -<p>For Americans living in Europe, Germany provides -<i>The Continental Times, Special War Edition -and Journal for Americans in Europe</i>, edited at the -Hôtel Adon in Berlin. To judge of the veracity of -this journal, it is enough to read, in the issue for the -8th February, the article by Herr J. E. Noegerath, -devoted to his journey through Belgium. In this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[251]</a></span> -we learn that "Malines was bombarded simultaneously -by the Belgians and the Germans; the -cathedral, somewhat seriously damaged, is about -to be repaired by the Germans." St. Rombaut -repaired by the Germans! This exceeds even the -German limits! Well, the Americans in Europe -have a chance of obtaining positive information.</p> - -<p><i>The League of German Scientists and Artists for -the Defence of Civilization</i> (in French they make it -<i xml:lang="fr">La Ligue pour la défense de la civilisation</i>—for the -<i>prevention</i>—which is just what it is!) is installed -in the Palace of the Academy of Science in Berlin, -Unter den Linden, 38. It publishes pamphlets; -for example, that of Herr Riesser, on <i>The Success of -the German War Loan</i>. As far as we know it has -published nothing about Belgium.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>A very interesting method of propaganda is that -which consists in attaching to business letters leaflets -printed on very thin paper, giving "authentic" -news in the language of the recipient. <i>The Hamburger -Fremdenblatt</i> has published many of these, -at 10 pfennigs for 10 copies. They include, notably, -<i>Appeals to Christians</i>; <i>An Appeal to the Catholic -Missions</i>, in German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, -French, and Italian; <i>An Appeal to the Protestant -Missions</i>, in German, English, and Portuguese.</p> - -<p>Another series of leaflets to be inserted in letters -is published by the <i xml:lang="de">Bureau des Deutschen Handelstages, -Berlin</i> (Bureau of the German Commercial -Conference of Berlin). Nine different leaflets -appeared. No. 10 and the succeeding leaflets are -of different origin; these leaflets are now published -by the <i xml:lang="de">Kriegs-Auschuss der Deutschen Industrie, -Berlin</i> (Military Commission of German Industry).<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[252]</a></span> -No. 10 reproduces a proclamation by Dr. Schroedter, -threatening to strip the Belgians of all their copper, -"down to the last door-handle."</p> - -<p>In Germany also are published leaflets bearing no -indication of their origin. One of these, entitled -<i>What is the Cause of the Severity of the War?</i> is -curious for more reasons than one.</p> - - -<p>(<i>b</i>) <i>Propagandist Matter issued by the Publishing -Houses.</i></p> - -<p>There are, to begin with, the numerous low-priced -pamphlets which carry the gospel to the soldiers in -the trenches, and enlighten the home population. -The most voluminous and the most perfidious of -these books is that of Major Viktor von Strantz: -<i xml:lang="de">Die Eroberung Belgiëns</i>.</p> - -<p>Several publishing houses issue series of booklets, -under some general title. We may mention:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i xml:lang="de">Krieg und Sieg, 1914, nach Berichten der Zeitgenossen</i> (War -and Victory, 1914, according to the Accounts of Eye-witnesses).</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="de">Der Deutschen Volkes Kriegstagebuch</i> (The German People's -Diary of the War).</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="de">Der Weltkrieg, 1914</i> (The World-war of 1914), at 20 pfennigs.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Besides these works, which are intended rather -for the masses, we must mention others, intended -for a more intellectual public.</p> - -<p>Such are:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i xml:lang="de">Reden aus der Kriegzeit</i>; <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche Vortrage Hamburgischer -Professoren</i>; <i xml:lang="de">Zwischen Krieg und Frieden</i>; <i xml:lang="de">Der Deutsche Krieg</i>; -<i xml:lang="de">Kriegsberichte aus den Grossen Hauptquartier.</i></p></blockquote> - -<p>To these we may add works appearing in small -isolated volumes at a low price, containing more -especially diplomatic documents:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[253]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i xml:lang="de">Deutschland in der Notwehr</i> (Carl Schüsemann, Bremen); <i xml:lang="de">Das -Volkerringen, 1914</i>, F. M. Kireheisen (Universal Bibliothek, -Leipzig).</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="de">Urkunden, Depeschen und Berichte der Frankfurter Zeitung. -Der Grosse Krieg. Eine Chronich von Tag zu Tag</i> (Frankfurt, -1914-15).</p></blockquote> - -<p>We must not overlook the numerous illustrated -publications, among which we may mention the -<i xml:lang="fr">Album de la Grande Guerre</i>, published by the -<i xml:lang="de">Deutscher Überseedienst</i>, with explanations in -German, English, Spanish, French, Italian, and -Portuguese. This collection contains a number of -illustrations relating to Belgium: for example, in -No. 2 we have "A Zeppelin bombarding Liége," -which never happened (p. 229): and No. 3 gives us -a view of the Place des Bailles at Malines, "a -quarter where the houses were destroyed by Belgian -artillery" (whereas the Belgian artillery destroyed -nothing in Malines, and the Place des Bailles was -not bombarded but burned).</p> - - -<p>(<i>c</i>) <i>Propangandist Bureaux operating Abroad.</i></p> - -<p>Not content with flooding neutrals with literature -fabricated in Germany itself, to such an extent that -the former complained of the German importunity, -the Germans have also set up bureaux of propaganda -in foreign countries. The most important of these, -without doubt, is that which has been operating in -the United States, under the direction of Herr -Bernhard Dernburg, ex-Minister of the Empire. -Herr Dernburg has neglected no means of action, -and has not feared to mount into the breach himself -in his efforts to ensure the triumph of his cause.</p> - -<p>In Belgium the propaganda was of a multiple -nature. In the first place, the Germans were careful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[254]</a></span> -to inform us, daily, by means of placards, as to the -"actual" results of the military operations, and -they distributed tens of thousands of copies of circulars -relating to the "Anglo-Belgian Conventions" -(p. <a href="#Page_43">43</a>), the Griendl report (p. <a href="#Page_41">41</a>), the retirement -of Italy from the Triple Alliance, etc. As these -might not have enlightened us sufficiently, the -German authorities took the Press in hand, the -result being such journals as <i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i> and -the <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche Soldatenpost</i>. They then censored -the Belgian papers in various manners.</p> - -<p>(1) The Germans wished to compel various papers -to appear under their control. All those in the -capital refused; but in the provinces certain newspapers, -such as <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> (at Namur) and -<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i> (at Gand), accepted the German -conditions. <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> was really and -truly forced to appear; as it admitted, in a covert -fashion, in its issues of the 20th and 27th August, -and explicitly in those of the 7th October and the -6th November.</p> - -<p>(2) The German authorities forced these journals, -and others which have since been established, to -publish propagandist articles, imposing penalties in -case of failure. Thus <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> (it was -suggested that it might be called <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de par -Ordre!</i>) was obliged to publish stories of "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" -which it knew were inventions; and after -the burning of the Grand' Place at Namur (concerning -which it knew very well what to think) it -published, in large letters, on the 28th August, -1914, a protest against <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>. On the -1st September followed an article describing the -punishment of Louvain after an attack by civilians. -On the following day was further mention of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[255]</a></span> -"leaders" who brought such terrible reprisals on -their fellow-citizens. In order to make these -flagrant lies "go down," the journal is compelled -from time to time to repeat that it prints nothing -but the truth (for example, on the 7th September).</p> - -<p>Incontestably imposed, also, are the articles which -basely flatter the Germans; notably its excuses after -its suspension (7th and 8th December) and its thanks -to the Military Government of Namur when the -latter ceased to take hostages (on the 29th September). -In this last issue is an equally characteristic -article on the subject of the Cathedral of -Reims; in this the German Government pretends -that it did not allege the presence of an observation-post -on the Cathedral. But one has only to read -the official communiqués of the 23rd September in -order to prove that <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> has been -forced to lie to its readers.</p> - -<p>Of course the Germans deny that they demand -the insertion of these articles (see <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, -1st November, 1914); otherwise their readers would -cease to give any credence to these "Belgian" -papers.</p> - -<p>(3) The principal mission of the censorship consists -in suppressing all that displeases it and all -that it regards as compromising. Thus, for two -months <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> did not publish a single -communiqué from the armies of the Allies, although -it pretended the contrary in its issue of the 7th -October. It was only on the 26th that it began to -publish them; but it then borrowed them from the -German papers, which was not perhaps a guarantee -of exactitude. At the same time <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bruxellois</i> -stated that there were scarcely any French communiqués. -As for <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, it was suspended<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[256]</a></span> -during the whole of May 1915, because -the censorship would no longer allow it to publish -the communiqués of the Allies.</p> - -<p>The censorship had promised the journals whose -publication it permitted (or demanded) that it would -not mutilate articles, but would suppress them entirely -(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, 1st November, 1914). Of -course, it did not keep its engagements; for what -engagement did our enemies ever keep? To realize -how the censorship mutilates, curtails, and falsifies -one has only to compare the official telegrams contained -in the French newspapers with those which -are vouchsafed us by the expurgated journals. Here -are a few examples; it will be seen that the censorship -suppresses not only sentences and parts of sentences, -but single words, and even parts of words. -We will confess that this last procedure was totally -unexpected, even on the part of Germany, although -her scholars have certainly acquired a habit of -splitting hairs.</p> - -<p>The words in italics are those suppressed by the -censorship:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, Tuesday, 26th January, 1913,—<span class="smcap">Petrograd</span>, -<i>23rd January</i>. (Official telegram from the Great General -Staff).... German attempts to pass to the offensive in -various places have been <i>easily</i> defeated <i>by our artillery</i>.... -On the 21st January enemy troops, in strength about a division -of infantry, and supported by artillery, attacked our front in the -Kirlibaba region, <i>but they were repulsed</i>. Up to the morning of -the 21st January our troops had maintained themselves in their -positions. <i>We have made 200 prisoners.</i></p> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, Monday, 1st February, 1913.—<span class="smcap">Paris</span>, <i>29th January</i>. -(Official, 3 p.m.)—In Belgium, in the Nieuport sector, our infantry -has gained a footing on the great dune which was mentioned -on the 27th. <i>A German aeroplane was brought down by -our guns.</i> In the sectors of Ypres and Lens, as in the sector -of Arras, there have been, intermittently, artillery duels of some -violence, and some attacks of infantry were attempted but immediately<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[257]</a></span> -<i>thrown back by our fire</i>. Nothing fresh to report in -the Soissons, Craonne, or Reims districts. <i>It is confirmed that -the attack repulsed by us at Fontaine-Madame on the night of the -27th cost the Germans dearly....</i> <span class="smcap">Paris</span>, <i>the 29th January</i> -(<i>official, 11 p.m.</i>).... <i>This morning, the 29th, a German aeroplane -was forced to the ground east of Gerbeviller. Its passengers, -an officer and an under-officer, are prisoners.</i></p> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, Thursday, 4th February, 1915.—<span class="smcap">Paris</span>, <i>1st February</i>. -(Official telegram, 3 p.m.).... To the south-east of -Ypres the Germans have attempted an attack upon our -trenches to the north of the canal, an attack which was -<i>immediately</i> checked by our artillery fire.... In the Argonne, -<i>where the Germans appear to have suffered greatly in the recent -fighting</i>, the day has been comparatively quiet....</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Paris</span>, <i>1st February</i>. (Official telegram, 11 p.m.).... On the -morning of the 1st February the enemy violently attacked our -trenches to the north, Béthune—La Bassée. He was thrown -back <i>and left numerous dead on the ground</i>. At Beaumont-Hamel, -to the north of Arras, the German infantry attempted -to carry one of our trenches by surprise, but was forced to -retreat, <i>abandoning on the spot the explosives with which it -was provided</i>....</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, Friday, 12th February, 1915.—<span class="smcap">Paris</span>, <i>9th February</i>. -(Official telegram, 3 p.m.).... Along the road from -Béthune to La Bassée we have reoccupied a windmill in which -the enemy had succeeded in establishing himself. Soissons was -bombarded <i>with incendiary shells</i>.</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, Saturday, 13th February, 1915.—<span class="smcap">Paris</span>, <i>10th February</i>. -(Official, 11 p.m.).... In Lorraine our outposts <i>easily</i> -repulsed a German attack on the eastern edge and to the north -of the Forest of Purvy.</p> - -<p><i xml:lang="fr">La Patrie</i> (Brussels).—<span class="smcap">Copenhagen</span>, <i>2nd March</i>.—According -to a communication from London in the <i xml:lang="de">Berlingske Tidende</i> the -Swedish painter, Johnson, who was arrested as a spy, because he -was making pretended luminous signals to German ships of war, -is <i>said to have been</i> acquitted for lack of evidence.</p></blockquote> - -<p>To appreciate at its full value the mutilation of -the official communiqués by the German censorship, -it must be recalled (1) that it had undertaken to -leave the official communiqués untouched, and -(2) that the subservient portion of the press continued -to call them "official telegrams."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[258]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Sincerity of the Censored Newspapers.</i></p> - -<p>At the outset the censorship used to allow newspapers -to leave a blank space in the place of an -article, phrase, or words deleted. But this procedure -was too frank for the Germans, and the -readers were aware of it; so the German authorities -forced the newspapers to fill up the blanks; and -in order to facilitate their task they published a -special typewritten journal, appearing in French -and in Flemish, <i xml:lang="fr">Le Courrier Belge</i>, in which "all -the articles had passed the censorship." Editors, -therefore, had only to select an article of the desired -length in order to fill the gaps left by the official -scissors.</p> - -<p>We may add that by the terms of a decision -given in the Court of First Instance in Brussels, -the journals at present appearing in Germany under -the German censorship may not claim the title of -Belgian newspapers.</p> - -<p>It may readily be imagined what the censored -journals have become under this delightful system. -But a story which is told in Belgium will perhaps -give the reader a better idea of their vicissitudes. -The soul of a soldier presents itself at the gate -of Paradise. "Who are you?" says St. Peter. -After a long hesitating pause (for no one cares to -make such a painful confession) the soul replies: -"I am the soul of a German soldier." "You are -an impudent liar!" cries St. Peter. "I read the -Belgian newspapers with the greatest care, and -they have not yet announced the death of a -single German soldier!"</p> - -<p>On the 7th June, 1915, the Germans had a unique -opportunity of proving that the German journals in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[259]</a></span> -Belgian clothes, such as <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, -<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, etc., were still capable on -occasion of speaking the truth. But they allowed -the opportunity to slip. However, here are the -facts:—</p> - -<p>On the night of Sunday, the 6th June, 1915, -towards 2.30 a.m., we were awakened by a furious -cannonade and the explosion of bombs: Allied -aviators were bombarding the shed of the dirigible -at Evere, to which they set fire, destroying both -shed and balloon. On the same day we learned -that a second German dirigible had just been -destroyed at Mont St.-Amand, near Gand, by a -British aviator. We awaited the next day's papers -with curiosity. Would they report the two incidents, -making as little of them as possible, or -would they keep silence? They merely stated that -the German air-fleet had raided the English coast -on the night of the 7th. Of what happened on its -return, not a word. In the <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Zeitung</i>, again, -there was nothing said as to the disasters at Evere -and Mont St.-Amand. So the muzzled Press of -Belgium and Germany may speak of German successes -(we are supposing, of course, that the bombardment -of open towns <i>is</i> a success), but as to -the failures they are dumb. These are two facts -which are known to hundreds of thousands of -persons, and are therefore impossible of concealment. -To keep silence, therefore, could have only -one result, namely, to prove that the German communiqués -are "faked," and that the Belgian journals -are muzzled: in short, that all news which comes -from Germany is adulterated. If our oppressors had -published a short paragraph dealing with these two -"accidents," then a few Belgians, more credulous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[260]</a></span> -than their fellows, might have continued to believe -that the word "German" can still on occasion be -spoken in the same breath as the word "sincerity." -But in their incomparable stupidity the censors (who -are doubtless diplomatists out of a job) failed to -realize that by preserving silence as to the raids -of the British aviators they were for ever destroying -the value of their newspapers. They rendered us a -similar service, on this occasion, to that which they -rendered when they forbade M. Max to publish the -statement that they were liars (p. <a href="#Page_233">233</a>). We were -well aware that the German was a shocking psychologist, -but we hardly realized how shocking!... -The incident is, as will be seen, the pendant of the -story of the Liége Zeppelin. This dirigible raided -Liége on the night of the 6th August, and the raid -was described in the German newspapers and even -illustrated. Unfortunately the raid never took -place!</p> - -<p>A few days later the Germans plunged even deeper -into the mire. On the night of the 16th June -the people of Brussels once again heard the sound -of guns, this time from Berchem; but no one saw -an aeroplane. Next day the papers contained a -paragraph stating that an attack by enemy aviators -had been repulsed. Did the raid really take place? -It is doubtful; and in any case it does not matter. -The essential point is that on this occasion the -newspapers were allowed to speak.</p> - -<p>The Governor-General, who has a keen sense of -the fitting opportunity, chose this moment to inform -us that a mischievous Press was circulating in -Belgium (see <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, 14th January, 1915). -Nothing could be truer, as the reader has just -seen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[261]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Persecution of Uncensored Newspapers.</i></p> - -<p>Naturally, the desire to obtain foreign newspapers -became keener than ever in Belgium as the untruthfulness -of the censored journals became more -apparent. To the notices published by the Germans -forbidding the distribution of "false news" (p. <a href="#Page_187">187</a>) -we may add an official communiqué which was -reproduced in <i xml:lang="fr">L'ami de l'Ordre</i> on the 17th -October:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Any person who shall spread similar false reports, or cause -them to be distributed, will be shot without mercy."</p></blockquote> - - -<p>(<i>d</i>) <i>Various Propaganda.</i></p> - -<p>Lastly, let us mention—without insistence, as -they are already sufficiently familiar—various -methods of propaganda which are individual, and -apparently spontaneous, but from which the -Germans expect very happy results.</p> - -<p>All those Belgians who have friends or relations -in Germany, and all those who are themselves of -German origin, have incessantly been receiving, -since correspondence between the two countries has -been permitted, letters in which they are told that -Germany is sure of victory, that the Belgians have -been deceived by England and by their king, that -the Germans do no harm to any one, etc. These -assertions are repeated with such regularity and -monotony that they produce the impression of a -lesson that has been learned; so, to avoid this -unfortunate impression, the correspondents are -careful to declare that they are only expressing their -personal opinion.</p> - -<p>Next, we may mention the foreign visits of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[262]</a></span> -German scholars; for example, that of Herr -Ostwald (one of the Ninety-three) to Sweden, and -that of Herr Lamprecht (another of the Ninety-three) -to Belgium. Herr Ostwald's lectures have -evoked a great sensation, but it was perhaps hardly -the sensation Germany had hoped for; moreover, -the University of Leipzig declared that it did not -subscribe to the ideas of its sometime professor. -The effort of Herr Lamprecht was more discreet; it -was preceded by a written effort, but letter and -visit had the same negative result.</p> - -<p>More insidious are the visits made to Belgium by -prominent German socialists: Wendel, Liebknecht, -Noske, Koester, etc. They, too, hoped easily to -convince us of the rights and, above all, of the -superiority of Germany. They went back with an -empty bag; one may even venture to assert that -they were rather shaken, since Herr Liebknecht -complains, in a conversation with an editor of the -<i>Social-Demokraten</i>, a Norwegian organ, of the part -which the Socialist missionaries were made to play -(<i>N.R.C.</i>, 28th December, 1914, evening).</p> - -<p>The <i xml:lang="de">Vossische Zeitung</i> has discovered another -means of propaganda. This journal sent a paper -of questions to Dutch and Scandinavian scholars, -asking them what their science owes to Germany. -A shallow trick, this; every nation has naturally -produced men of mark, to whom science has cause -for gratitude.</p> - - -<p>4. <span class="smcap">The Violation of Engagements.</span></p> - -<p>The war began by the violation of a solemn treaty, -to which Germany subscribed in 1839. The entire -conduct of the war has been, as far as Germany -is concerned, a long series of violations of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[263]</a></span> -Hague Convention of 1907. Germany alleges, in -her own defence, that circumstances have altered -since the period when these pacts were signed; that -she was obliged to forestall France; that in case of -absolute necessity, such as that in which she stood, -she has the right to use all means of injuring the -enemy, permitted or not (p. <a href="#Page_83">83</a>); and moreover, that -the torpedoing of the <i>Lusitania</i> (p. <a href="#Page_194">194</a>), the employment -of living shields (p. <a href="#Page_117">117</a>), the use of toxic -gases (p. <a href="#Page_198">198</a>), and terrorization by fire and assassination -(p. <a href="#Page_164">164</a>), having proved efficacious, it is -in her interests not to neglect them out of mere -humanity, or a simple and childish respect for her -own signature.</p> - -<p>It is hopeless to discuss the matter; it would be -wasted pains, Germany having decided to let her -conduct be shaped by the impulse of the moment, -without hampering herself with any anterior -promises. She is fighting for her life, her publicists -and statesmen never cease repeating, and she is free -to throw all her engagements to the wind. "<i xml:lang="de">Not -kennt kein Gebot</i>," declared the Chancellor, on the -9th August, and this convenient maxim has lost -nothing of its popularity.</p> - -<p>But there are other engagements, engagements -which Germany has entered into with Belgium since -the beginning of the war, and which she has broken -with the same ease: a promise to restore Belgium's -independence; a promise to respect our patriotism, -a promise to pay cash for all requisitions once the -tribute of 480 millions frs. was paid, etc. Our -enemies can invoke no extenuating circumstances to -mitigate these breaches of faith, for no change had -occurred between the dates of making these engagements -and their violation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[264]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>The Independence of Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>On the 4th August, 1914, the very day on -which our country was invaded, the Imperial -Government made one last effort to extort from -England a promise of neutrality. It gave an assurance -that even in the case of an armed conflict with -Belgium, Germany would not on any pretext annex -her territory (<i xml:lang="fr">Livre Bleu</i>, No. 74). On that very -day the Kaiser and the Chancellor made similar -declarations: "We shall repair the injustice which -we are committing towards Belgium," said the -Chancellor. Directly they had a newspaper at their -disposal in Belgium our invaders published an -article assuring the Belgians of their respect for -whatever engagements they had entered into (see -<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 29th and 30th August, 1914).</p> - -<p>Words, idle words!</p> - -<p>Hardly were the Germans, in boasting mood, able -to style themselves conquerors, than they hastened -to trample their promises underfoot. Are the -engagements of the Berlin Government anything -more than so many scraps of paper, which may with -impunity be declared null and void? Such men as -Erzberger, Losch, Dernburg, Maximilian Harden, -etc., all partaking in the public life of their country, -found nothing was more urgent than to disregard -whatever the Emperor and the Chancellor might -have said, no matter how solemn the circumstances, -and to make plans for the future in which Belgium -would remain wholly or in part annexed.</p> - - -<p><i>The Promise to respect the Patriotism of the -Belgians.</i></p> - -<p>"I ask no one to renounce his patriotic sentiments," -said Baron von der Goltz in the first of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[265]</a></span> -the somewhat extraordinary declarations with -which he gratified us during his stay in our midst -in his quality of Governor-General (placard of -2nd September, 1914).</p> - - -<p><i>The Forced Striking of the Flag.</i></p> - -<p>Every one was anxiously asking himself what was -really the thought at the back of the Baron's head; -for we already knew the Germans sufficiently to -realize that so honeyed a phrase concealed some -peril. But what? Two weeks later the riddle was -solved; it meant that the Belgian national flag -was "regarded as a provocation by the German -troops" (placard of 16th September, 1914). A -provocation of what or whom? Of their national -sentiment? Well, and what of ours, which the -Governor-General was not asking us to renounce? -It is true that after the appearance of this placard -the Military Governor announced that he had "by -no means the intention of wounding the dignity or -the feelings of the inhabitants by this measure; its -sole purpose is to preserve the citizens from any -annoyance." In short, it was for our good that -we were forced to haul down our flag. What was -to be done? To resist would be to give the scoundrels -who were oppressing us an occasion for exercising -their murderous and incendiary talents on Brussels. -By a very dignified and very moderate notice, -M. Max, the burgomaster, counselled his fellow-citizens -to yield. This placard, which was not -subjected to the censorship, despite the order given -by the Germans, displeased them to the point of -having it immediately covered with blank sheets -of paper. But these were torn away by the people of -Brussels, or else they were rendered transparent by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[266]</a></span> -means of petroleum: in a word, every one could read -the burgomaster's protest. But as it was expected, -with a good show of reason, that the Germans would -soon cause it to disappear completely, many persons -copied the placard, or even photographed it; and -for a long time numbers of the inhabitants of -Brussels carried upon their persons, like a precious -relic, a copy or a photograph of M. Max's famous -placard.</p> - - -<p><i>The Belgian Colours forbidden in the Provinces.</i></p> - -<p>While the withdrawal of the Belgian flag was -demanded, in the provinces a hunt was conducted -for the Belgian colours used in the decoration of -shop-windows. The German police would enter the -shops and demand the immediate removal of all -tricolour ribbons decorating the windows.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Military Court.</span></div> - -<p>Henry Dargette, of Namur, Place Arthur Borlée, 32, was -punished with a fine of 10 marks, or 2 days' subsidiary detention, -in accordance with § 13 of the Imperial decree of the 28th -December, 1893, for having disregarded the communiqué of the -Imperial Government of Namur of the 22nd April, 1915. He -had exposed in his shop-window boxes of tin-plate with the -French, British, Russian, and Belgian colours.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 3-6 July, 1915.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>In Brussels it was a long time before they decided -to take measures against the wearing of the tricolour -rosettes which so many people carried in their -buttonholes; in the streets, at least two persons in -three displayed our colours. This persistence on -the part of the Belgians in publicly displaying their -patriotic sentiments is extremely annoying to the -Germans. For proof we need only turn to the letter -from Brussels published in the weekly illustrated -supplement of the <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger Fremdenblatt</i> for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[267]</a></span> -18th April, 1915: "One does not see a schoolboy, -not a schoolgirl, not a lady, not a gentleman, who -does not wear, in an obvious fashion, the Belgian -cockade." In certain towns—for example Lessines, -Gand, and Dinant—this kind of manifestation is -prohibited. At Namur the fine may amount to -500 frs.; the placard which threatens this penalty -is conceived in the involved and nauseating style -which we encounter every time the Germans -inflict on us a particularly disgusting piece of -hypocrisy. In particular it is stated that it is forbidden -"<i>publicly</i> to display the Belgian colours." -No doubt it is permissible to have them floating -about in one's pocket, or to decorate the interior -of one's chest of drawers with them. This is how -the Teuton Tartuffe "asks no one to renounce his -patriotic sentiments":—</p> - - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Government Communiqués.</span></div> - -<p>One may observe, of late, in a great proportion of the inhabitants -of the town, as well as in the young school-children, a tendency -to manifest their patriotic feelings by wearing, in an open manner, -the Belgian colours, under different forms.</p> - -<p>I am far from wishing to offend their feelings; on the contrary, -I esteem and respect them.</p> - -<p>But, on the other hand, I cannot but perceive, in this form [of -display], that it is desired thereby <span class="smcap">Publicly</span> to express a demonstration -against the present state of affairs and against the -German authority, which I expressly forbid.</p> - -<p>I consequently direct:</p> - -<p>It is strictly forbidden to place in view, publicly, the Belgian -colours, either on oneself, or on any objects whatever, in no -matter what circumstances.</p> - -<p>Contraventions will be punished by a fine which may amount -to 500 frs., unless, according to the gravity of the case, the -contravention is punished by imprisonment.</p> - -<p>This regulation does not at any time prevent the wearing of -official decorations by those who have the right to do so.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Lieutenant-General Baron von Hirschberg</span>,<br /> -<i>Military Governor of the Fortified Position of Namur</i>.<br /> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 15th November, 1914.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[268]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Prohibition of the Belgian Colours in Brussels.</i></p> - -<p>Suddenly, without any pretext, the sight of the -little tricolour decorations worn by the people of -Brussels began to offend the Germans, and the -national emblem was prohibited from the 1st July, -1915. The prohibition was posted only on the -30th of June. It made a distinction between the -Belgian colours, the wearing of which was tolerated -if it was not provocative, and the colours of our -Allies, the display of which, even if not provocative, -was absolutely prohibited. How were our German -bumpkins going to make this much too subtle distinction -between provocative and non-provocative -display? This evidently left the door open to all -sorts of arbitrary actions. So the people of Brussels -judged it prudent to renounce their badges entirely. -A few, however, replaced the rosette by an ivy-leaf, the -emblem of fidelity in the language of flowers. What -were the Germans to do now? Prohibit the wearing -of the ivy-leaf, perhaps, for by the 5th July they -had forbidden the manufacture and sale of artificial -ivy-leaves, whether of cloth or paper. But they did -not persist in this course. For the first time since -we had been subject to them they conceived a witty -idea. They themselves began to display the ivy-leaf; -from that moment this emblem could not decently -be worn by any of us. It would be interesting to -know who inspired them with this ingenious idea.</p> - - -<p><i>The "Te Deum" on the Patron Saint's Day -of the King.</i></p> - -<p>Let us note the date of <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> which -contained Baron von Hirschberg's announcement: -the 15th November, the patron saint's day of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[269]</a></span> -King. The same copy of the paper reproduced an -article from <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer General Anzeiger</i>, which -doubtless had escaped the censor, doing homage to -the valour of the King and Queen. On the following -day <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> had to announce that the -usual <i xml:lang="la">Te Deum</i> would not be performed. Why was -the ceremony suppressed? The paper did not say; -but we can easily guess; the superior German -authorities had decided otherwise.</p> - -<p>In Brussels also the <i xml:lang="la">Te Deum</i> of the 15th November -was prohibited. It was decided to replace it by a -mass which would be sung at 11 o'clock in the -church of St. Gudule. By 10.30 the church was -overflowing with people; but towards 11.0 a priest -passed quietly through the ranks of the faithful, -announcing that the singing of the Mass had been -prohibited by the Germans, and that it would be -replaced by a Low Mass. After this some hundreds -of persons repaired to the Palais Royal, to the gate -in the Rue Bréderode; they expected that a book -would be there, as usual, to receive their signatures. -The register had been there, but the German -authorities had removed it. The callers then -decided merely to leave their cards; but a Palace -servant came to inform them that the Germans, -after removing the register, had also forbidden the -formation of assemblies near the Palace, and had -even made some arrests; he therefore begged the -public to disperse. More respect for patriotic -sentiments!</p> - - -<p><i>The Portraits of the Royal Family.</i></p> - -<p>Since then it has been forbidden to sell portraits of -the Royal Family published since the outbreak of the -war. In particular those picture-postcards are prohibited<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[270]</a></span> -which represent the King as a soldier, the -King with his Staff, the King in the trenches, the -King on the dunes, the King with General Joffre, -the King at Furnes, the Queen as a nurse, Prince -Leopold as a trooper, etc. The prohibition is -applied with an incoherence which accords ill with -the wonderful spirit of organization with which our -persecutors are credited. In certain parts of Brussels -the vendors have never been disturbed; in others, -they may sell the cards in the shops, but may not -expose them in the windows; elsewhere it is a crime -even to have the cards in stock. In short, all is left -to the caprice of the police. These make the round -of the stationers' shops, seizing all prohibited cards, -and very often, too, seizing other cards on their own -initiative and for their own use. To a stationer who -was privily selling us some prohibited cards, we put -the question, whether the police did not often enter -his shop, in order to seize whatever displeased them. -"What displeases them?" he replied. "No, no; -they seize more particularly whatever pleases them!" -Another merchant, who was summoned to attend at -the German police bureau in the Rue de l'Hôtel des -Monnaies, was assured by the commissioner that the -police had the right to take "everything that might -excite the patriotism of the Belgians." This official -put his own interpretation on Baron von der Goltz's -regulations with regard to patriotism.</p> - -<p>Not far away, at St. Gilles, on Sunday the 14th -February, an under-officer brutally snatched away -the national flag which covered the coffin of a -Belgian soldier. Here is another example of individual -ideas as to the respect to be paid to -patriotism and piety.</p> - -<p>While in Brussels the Germans prohibited only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[271]</a></span> -the more recent Royal portraits, at Gand, in -February 1915, the commandant of the Magazine,<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> -in order to show his zeal, forbade the sale of any -portraits of the Royal Family, of whatever date or -nature.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>The Burgomaster of Gand has received the following letter, -the communal administration sending us a translation of the -same:—<br /> -2. mob. Etappen Kommandantur.<br /> -Reference No. 1095.<br /> -</p> -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Gand</span>, <i>4th February, 1915</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p>To the Burgomaster of the City,—</p> - -<p>I beg you again to draw the attention of all the booksellers, -stationers' shops, etc., by hand-bill or by means of the newspapers, -that they are forbidden under any circumstances to -display the portraits of the Royal Family of Belgium, either -in the windows or in the interior of the shops.</p> - -<p>Those who act otherwise will be severely punished.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commandant of the Magazine</span>,<br /> -P.O.<br /> -(<i>Signed</i>) <span class="smcap">Henz</span>.<br /> -(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, 13th February, 1915.)<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>The German persecutions were resumed with -renewed vigour on the approach of the 8th April, -the King's birthday. At Antwerp the Germans -took care to forbid, in advance, anything that -might have passed for a royalist manifestation; -but the inhabitants succeeded, none the less, under -their enemies' noses, in celebrating their Sovereign's -anniversary.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[272]</a></span></p> -<p>Elsewhere the Germans, in their incorrigible meanness, -had a different inspiration. They suddenly -had an intuition that the communal administrations -of Brabant were going to dismiss the schools in -honour of the King. Immediately circulars were -distributed, forbidding the closing of the schools on -that day. But these ineffable blunderers had forgotten -one thing: namely, that the 8th of April fell -in the middle of the Easter holidays! Certain communes -permitted themselves the malicious delight of -inquiring of the Germans whether they must recall -the pupils for the 8th of April? The Germans, of -course, missed the irony of the situation, and replied -that it would not be necessary to resume the classes. -Their second letter contains a particularly delightful -sentence: "My will is merely that instruction shall -not be specially interrupted in honour of the anniversary -of H.M. the King of the Belgians." Another -example of the unshakable determination to respect -the Belgians' patriotism!</p> - - -<p><i>Obligation to Employ the German Language.</i></p> - -<p>These letters are written in German. For that -matter, it has become a rule with our enemies to -write only in their own tongue, and often even in -German characters. Better still: at Liége and -Namur (<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 31st August, 1914) they -required the Belgians also to write in German. Yet -another way of respecting our patriotism!</p> - - -<p><i>The Belgian Army is our Enemy!</i></p> - -<p>Far from making an effort to respect our feelings, -one would even imagine that they must make it a -point of honour (German honour) to wound our -loyalty. Thus, when they punish any one for rendering -service to the Belgians, instead of expressing -the matter simply, as we have done, they announce -that the Belgian is convicted of relations with the -enemy. They are speaking of their enemies. But -"the enemy" implies that the Belgian Government<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[273]</a></span> -or the Belgian army is the enemy of the Belgian -people.</p> - -<p>Better still: they inform us, by means of placards, -that to aid the Belgian army is "treason." The -Belgian becomes a traitor by rendering a service -to his country! What a singular conception of -honour!</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Warning.</span></div> - -<p>The military tribunals have lately been compelled to condemn -to hard labour for attempted treason a large number of Belgians, -who had assisted their compatriots subject to military service in -their attempt to join the enemy army.</p> - -<p>I again warn [the public] against committing such crimes -against the German troops, in view of the severe penalties -which they will incur.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Governor-General in Belgium</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">General von Bissing</span>,<br /> -<i>Colonel-General</i>.</div> -<p> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>3rd March, 1915</i>.<br /> -</p> -</blockquote> - - -<p><i>The "Brabançonne" Prohibited.</i></p> - -<p>At Namur the <i xml:lang="fr">Brabançonne</i> was declared seditious -on the 23rd March, 1915. But a month later the -execution of the <i>first four verses</i> was declared to be -permissible. What did the Germans mean by that? -Let us remember that none of the known versions -of our national song (the two versions of Jenneval -and that of Rogier) consists of more than four verses. -Which, then, are those that our persecutors forbid? -In their rage for prohibition they have prohibited -something that does not exist!—unless they were -speaking of the verse invented by <i xml:lang="fr">La Libre Belgique</i>, -and published in its tenth issue. It would -be amusing if the German authorities had fallen into -a snare set by a prohibited newspaper!</p> - -<p>In Brussels the Germans had not dared openly -to interdict the <i xml:lang="fr">Brabançonne</i>, as they did another<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[274]</a></span> -national anthem which had, so to speak, the freedom -of the city of Brussels: we mean the <i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i> -(placard of the 27th March, 1915). Never did one -hear the <i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i> so often as after the Germans -forbade us to sing or play it; only it was now -whistled. So, as might have been expected, whistling -the <i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i> was made a crime. As for the -<i xml:lang="fr">Brabançonne</i>, it was prohibited in an underhand -sort of way. It used to be sung every day in a -school in Brussels; but two German soldiers of -the Landsturm, who were guarding a neighbouring -railway, heard it, and felt offended. Hence a letter -to the communal authorities, demanding that the -national anthem should be sung or played with -more discretion. It is now seldom played save in -the churches: at High Mass on Sunday and the -funeral services for soldiers.</p> - - -<p><i>The National Anniversary of July 21st.</i></p> - -<p>In July 1915 the people of Brussels hit on a new -method of celebrating the national anniversary of -the 21st July. Since our tyrants would obviously -forbid us to fly our flag at half-mast, in token of -our being for the time in mourning for our country, -a number of shopkeepers announced, by means of a -small printed notice, that "the shop would be -closed on Wednesday, the 21st July." The Germans -were displeased; moreover, they issued a decree -forbidding all demonstrations.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="right"><span class="smcap">21st July.</span></div> - -<div class="center"><i>Order of the Governor of Brussels dated 18th July, 1915.</i></div> - -<p>I warn the public that on the 21st July, 1915, demonstrations -of all kinds are expressly and severely prohibited.</p> - -<p>Meetings, processions, and the decoration of public and private<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[275]</a></span> -buildings also come under the application of the above prohibition.</p> - -<p>Offenders will be punished by a term of imprisonment not -exceeding three months and a fine which may amount to as -much as 10,000 marks, or by one of these penalties to the -exclusion of the other.</p></blockquote> - -<p>They also announced, by means of the newspapers -in their pay, <i xml:lang="fr">Le Bruxellois</i> and <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, -that the closing of the shops might be regarded as -a demonstration. Their pains were wasted. On -the morning of the 21st the shops and cafés remained -closed; in private houses the shutters were -not opened. In all Brussels only a few taverns -were open—taverns frequented by the Germans, -which a Belgian would never compromise himself -by entering. All that day it was a comforting and -impressive spectacle to see the crowd, in its Sunday -clothes, grave and deeply affected, with never one -uplifted voice, passing along the streets of closed -houses. Never had the like been seen in Brussels. -No one would have dared to hope for such unanimity -of feeling after eleven months of occupation. The -Germans were raging. They brought out troops, -who, with bayonet and cannon, occupied the principal -public squares; they ran an armoured motor-car -up and down the most frequented streets; they -dragged artillery along the avenues surrounding the -city. But they did not succeed in fomenting the -slightest disturbance; the Brussels public was too -firmly determined to preserve its dignity and its -tranquillity.</p> - -<p>In all the churches the <i xml:lang="la">Te Deum</i> was replaced by -a High Mass, followed by the playing of the -<i xml:lang="fr">Brabançonne</i>; the latter was sung in chorus by the -congregation, who were moved to tears.</p> - -<p>The comic note was struck by the Germans.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[276]</a></span> -Suddenly, in the afternoon, motor-cars began to -hustle the crowds that had gathered; they bore -red placards, which were immediately pasted up, -announcing that the cafés, cinema-halls, etc., were -to be closed at 8 p.m. Now all these establishments -had been closed since the morning. The -Germans must have lost their heads to make so -grotesque an exhibition of themselves.</p> - -<p>As a sort of reprisal, the authorities suspended -the two newspapers which had not appeared on the -21st July: <i xml:lang="fr">Le Quotidien</i> and <i xml:lang="fr">L'Écho de la Presse</i>. -Immediately <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, which had appeared, -suspended itself, in order to produce a belief that -it was not German! As for the <i xml:lang="fr">Bruxellois</i>, it said -not a word of the striking demonstration of the -21st.</p> - -<p>In other Belgian towns the shops were closed. -In Antwerp more than the shops were closed; the -bureau of German passports, in the Place Verte, -announced, by means of two written notices, in -German and Flemish, that it was closed for the -21st July. The Germans were trying to repeat -the trick of the ivy-leaf. In vain, however, since -the 21st was to occur only once!</p> - -<p>At Gand the Germans forbade the closing of the -shops. And the latter were all open. But in many -windows one saw, instead of the usual display of -goods, a group of articles which comprised a bucket -of water, a scrubbing-brush, and a chamois leather, -with an inscription: "Cleaning To-day."</p> - - -<p><i>The Anniversary of the 4th August.</i></p> - -<p>We must suppose that the unanimity with which -the houses of Brussels were kept shut up touched -the Germans in a sore place, for they prohibited<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[277]</a></span> -the repetition of their manifestation on the -4th August, the anniversary of their entrance into -Belgium.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>I warn the population of the Brussels district that on the -4th August any demonstration, including the decoration of -houses by means of flags and the wearing of emblems as a -demonstration is strictly prohibited.</p> - -<p>All gatherings will be dispersed regardless by the armed -forces.</p> - -<p>Also I order that on the 4th August all the shops, as well as -cafés, restaurants, taverns, theatres, cinemas, and other establishments -of the same kind shall be closed after 8 o'clock in the -evening (German time). After 9 o'clock in the evening (German -time) only persons having a special written authorization emanating -from a German authority may remain in or enter the -streets.</p> - -<p>Persons contravening these orders will be punished by a maximum -imprisonment of five years and a fine which may amount -to 10,000 marks, or one of these penalties to the exclusion of the -other.</p> - -<p>The shops and establishments beforementioned which, as a -demonstration, shall close during the day of the 4th August will -remain closed for a considerable period of time.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Military Government</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">von Kraewel.</span><br /> -</div> -<p> -<i>1st August, 1915.</i><br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>The placard announcing these prohibitions forbade -us to deck our houses with flags! Flags, good God! -Who then would have dreamed of flying flags in -commemoration of the rupture of an international -pact! At the most the people of Brussels had -intended to wear in the buttonhole a little "scrap -of paper." But the wearing of emblems was forbidden.</p> - -<p>What the Germans did not think of forbidding -was the little demonstration of sympathy which -they received on the evening of the 4th. In conformity<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[278]</a></span> -with the order, all doors were closed at -20 hours (9 o'clock German time). But in -several of the popular quarters of Brussels the -inhabitants were no sooner indoors than the upper -windows were thrown open, and a deafening concert -issued forth, in which phonographs, alarm clocks, -and saucepan-lids were predominant. The patrols -demanded the closing of the windows; but the -people climbed on the roofs to continue their -<i>charivari</i> there. The military commandant was -not pleased. It took him only five days to think -of an appropriate punishment.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Official Communication.</span></div> - -<p>M. Maurice Lemonnier, acting burgomaster of the City of -Brussels, has just had posted the following communication:—</p> - -<p>"<i>To the Inhabitants of the Rue de l'Escalier and the Rue du Dam</i>:</p> - -<p>"I place before you the translation of an extract from a letter -which I have just received from the German authorities.</p> - -<p>"I call your attention to the penalties announced against those -who shall contravene the measures ordained by the German -Military Government."</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>9th August, 1915</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><i>At the Sheriff's College, Brussels.</i></div> - -<p>... Even if I am willing to recognize that the Administration -of the City endeavoured, by means of its organs, to obtain the -application of the prescribed measures on the 4th of this month, -there yet remains the fact that in two streets isolated individuals -were guilty, in a demonstrative manner, of gross misconduct -toward the German patrols.</p> - -<p>It is to be regretted that it has not been possible to discover -the persons individually guilty; consequently nothing is left me -to do but to take measures against the streets in which the -offences were committed.</p> - -<p>Consequently I order the following as regards the two streets, -Rue de l'Escalier and Rue du Dam:</p> - -<p>From Monday, the 9th of this month, and for the space of -fourteen days, that is to say, until the 23rd of this month -inclusively:</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[279]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>A. All business houses and cafés will be closed after 7 o'clock -in the evening (German time).</p> - -<p>B. After 9 o'clock in the evening (German time) no one must -be found out of doors, in the street. After that time all windows -giving on the street must be closed.</p> - -<p>It is incumbent on the city to communicate the foregoing to -the inhabitants of these streets, to apply the aforementioned -measures, and to exercise a strict supervision in order that they -may be observed.</p> - -<p>Also I beg you to see that these streets are sufficiently lighted, -until 11 o'clock at night (German time).</p> - -<p>Moreover, I shall have these streets inspected by German -patrols. If on this occasion fresh offences are committed against -the German patrols, these latter will make use of their weapons.</p> - -<p>With my utmost consideration (Avec haute considération -distingué),</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>Signed</i>) <span class="smcap">von Kraewel</span>,<br /> -<i>Governor of Brussels</i>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>Our tyrants appeared greatly to fear popular -demonstrations. The people of Liége had planned -to honour, on the 6th August, in the cemetery, the -soldiers who died for their country during the -defence of the city in August 1914. Immediately -the Germans made public their restrictive measures.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p><span class="smcap">City of Liége.</span></p> - -<div class="center"><i>To the Population.</i></div> - -<p>Colonel von Soden, Commandant of the Fortress of Liége, has -just addressed to me the following letter (in translation):—</p> - -<p>"In the course of the morning of Friday, the 6th August, commemorative -ceremonies will take place at the tombs of the soldiers -killed in combat.</p> - -<p>"I beg you to bring the foregoing to the notice of the population.</p> - -<p>"I particularly insist that, during the visit to the tombs, or in -case of participation in the military ceremonies, no demonstrative -manifestation of any kind must occur."</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Liége</span>, <i>the 2nd August, 1915</i>.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Burgomaster</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">G. Kleyer</span>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -(<i>Posted at Liége.</i>)<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[280]</a></span></p> - -<p>The people of Liége retorted by putting their -shops in mourning, and on the 6th August it was -an impressive spectacle to see the shop-windows -throughout the centre of Liége hung with deep -violet.</p> - - -<p><i>School Inspection by the Germans.</i></p> - -<p>In the schools the children were for a long time -able to sing <i xml:lang="fr">La Brabançonne</i> on the sly; but this -was not to last. The German authorities passed a -decree against Germanophobe demonstrations in the -schools.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Order.</span></div> - -<div class="center"><i>Article First.</i></div> - -<p>The members of the teaching staff, school managers and -inspectors, who, during the occupation, tolerate, favour, provoke, -or organize Germanophobe manifestations or secret practices will -be punished by imprisonment for a maximum term of one year.</p> - -<div class="center"><i>Article Second.</i></div> - -<p>The German authorities have the right to enter all classes and -rooms of all schools existing in Belgium, and to supervise the -teaching and all the manifestations of school life with a view -to preventing secret practices and intrigues directed against -Germany.</p> - -<div class="center"><i>Article Third.</i></div> - -<p>Whosoever shall seek to oppose or prevent verifications and -inquiries relating to infractions mentioned in Article 1, or the -measures of supervision ordained by Article 2, is liable to a fine -of 10 to 1,500 marks or to a maximum imprisonment of six -months.</p> - -<div class="center"><i>Article Fourth.</i></div> - -<p>The infractions provided against in Articles 1 and 3 shall be -tried by the military courts.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>26th June, 1915</i>.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Der General Gouverneur in Belgiën</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Freiherr von Bissing</span>,<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Generaloberst</i>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[281]</a></span></p> - -<p>Our children will have to unlearn the national -anthem, which, in the present circumstances, is -evidently Germanophobe; and the teachers of -history, too, must keep a watch upon their words. -During the French lesson there must be no more -recitations of Andrieux' <i xml:lang="fr">Le Meunier de Sans-Souci</i>. -It may even be necessary to make deletions in the -Latin classics; for one can see the military tribunals -inflicting severe penalties on Tacitus, for even in his -days <i xml:lang="la">Gallos certare pro libertate, Batavos, pro gloria, -Germanos ad prædam</i> (The Gauls fight for liberty, -the Batavians for glory, the Germans for pillage). -Another Latin author who would certainly be proscribed -is Velleius Paterculus; he states in his -Roman History: <i xml:lang="la">At illi (Germani), quod nisi -expertus vix credat, in summa feritate versutissimi -natumque mendacio genus</i> (The Germans ally an -extreme ferocity to the greatest knavery; they are a -race born to lie; and one must have mingled with -them to believe this). Velleius Paterculus was a -good observer.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The morality—or immorality—of this long series -of broken engagements, which might be indefinitely -prolonged, has had the result that no one can any -longer put his trust in Germany. None the less -does Germany continue to make promises, and is -even annoyed and irritated when one doubts her -word. Thus the Chancellor said, in a speech -delivered to the Reichstag on the 23rd May, 1915, -at the time of the negotiations with Italy:—</p> - -<p>"Germany had given her word that the concessions -offered [by Germany] should be actually -accorded [by Austria]<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a>; consequently there could -no longer be any reason for distrust." Italy, strong -in the experience acquired by Belgium, decided, on -the other hand, that there was reason for distrust -from the moment Germany pledged her word; and -accordingly she broke off negotiations in order to -declare war.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[282]</a></span></p> - -<h3>C.—Incitements to Disunion.</h3> - -<p><i xml:lang="la">Divide et impera</i> ("Divide in order to rule") is -a maxim which has largely inspired the Germans -in their relations with the Belgians. They therefore -do their utmost to divide the nation from its King, -to excite the Belgians one against another, and -finally to kindle discord between our Allies and -ourselves.</p> - -<p>We have just seen by what unjustifiable methods, -after promising to respect our patriotism, they -proceeded systematically (as they do all things) -to thwart our sentiments of fidelity to our King -and our nationality. Not content with opposing—sometimes -openly, sometimes with hypocrisy—all -our loyalist manifestations, they endeavour to embroil -us with our Sovereigns.</p> - - -<p><i>Incitements to Disloyalty.</i></p> - -<p>While they accuse the Belgian nation of having -sold itself to the Triple Entente, they hold the -King personally responsible for this "conspiracy." -Having become the "valet" or the "slave" of -England, the Sovereign could not accept the friendly -hand which the Kaiser tendered him on two occasions—the -2nd and the 9th of August, 1914.</p> - -<p>At Antwerp the Germans alone appear to have -heard the absurd declaration, that he vowed to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[283]</a></span> -"die in the city with his last soldiers." Then -he betrays his army and "takes to flight, amid the -maledictions of his subjects," deserting them for -those that seduced him.</p> - -<p>Then we have him on the Yser, the melancholy -king "abandoned by God." He would ask nothing -better than to conclude peace. But England holds -him still in her toils, and prevents him from accomplishing -this wise project. It is <i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i>, that -peculiarly truthful newspaper of Düsseldorf, which -reveals this sinister exploit of Albion. The <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger -Nachrichten</i> receives the same report from -Brussels.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">King Albert wishes to make Peace.</span></div> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Hamburg</span>, <i>14th November, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p>From Brussels the <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger Nachrichten</i> hears from a very -reliable source that the report is confirmed which states that -serious differences exist between Belgium and England—that is, -that all personal relations are interrupted between King Albert -and the British Staff.</p> - -<p>The King desires an understanding with Germany, which Great -Britain is endeavouring by all means to prevent.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="de">Vossische Zeitung</i>, 15th November, 1914.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>The propagandist pamphlet <i xml:lang="de">Lüttich</i> is less severe -to our Sovereign, since it invokes, as an extenuating -circumstance, his "blindness, which verges on -stupidity." Incommensurable pride or imbecility—such -are the characteristics of King Albert! Do -these paladins of tact and delicacy show any greater -respect for our Queen? Be sure they do not! An -article on King Albert and the Triple Entente, in -the <i xml:lang="de">Deutsche Soldatenpost</i> of the 10th October, 1914, -a newspaper intended both for the troops and the -Belgian public, states: "From the outset the Queen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[284]</a></span> -was initiated into the King's plans. She has not -uttered a single word of reproach for the horrible -brutalities of which the principal victims were -innocent young German girls in Brussels and -Antwerp."</p> - -<p>Well, we know that none of these "proofs" have -shaken our fidelity. Despite all prohibitions, despite -all the fines imposed, thousands of copies of the -portraits of the King in the midst of his troops, -and of the Queen, our dear little Queen, tending -the wounded, are sold every day of the year. The -patriotism of the Belgians is certainly incurable!</p> - - -<p><i>The Walloons incited against the Flemings.</i></p> - -<p>So the Germans sought a new device. As they -could not cause disunion between the people and -the Sovereign, they tried to sow dissension between -the citizens themselves, by envenoming the problem -of language and reviving political rancour.</p> - -<p>At first they exploited, in the most virulent manner, -the Flemish-Walloon conflict. As in all countries in -which several tongues are spoken, there is naturally -in Belgium a struggle between the Flemings, who -speak a Germanic language, and occupy the northern -portion of the country, and the Walloons, who speak -a Latin tongue, and occupy the southern provinces. -But this conflict, however lively it may have been, -has never touched the foundations of our national -conscience, and we have always felt ourselves -Belgians before everything.</p> - -<p>At the outset, confesses Herr Kurd von Strantz, -the Germans did not realize what profit they might -derive from the antagonism of races in Belgium: an -antagonism which they believed to be profound, but -which was only skin-deep. Since the month of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[285]</a></span> -August, however, they have been trying to make up -for lost time; they no longer lose a single occasion -to excite the Flemings against the Walloons, and in -particular they seek to make the latter believe that -the Flemings already entertain feelings of sympathy -towards their executioners.</p> - -<p>Only two months after the occupation of the -capital the Germans, organizing their conquest, -attempted to win over the Flemings by feigning to -espouse their grievances and by exploiting their racial -relationship, in order to divide them from their -Walloon fellow-citizens. Suddenly, in the official -communiqués, Flemish took the place until then -occupied by French, and the German newspapers -began to display a touching sympathy for their -"Flemish brothers," and for their country and their -art. We did not even need to read the article -published by the <i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i> on -the 11th December (which was seen by M. Paul -Hymans), in order to divine, at the root of these -sudden and simultaneous manifestations, the orders -issued by the German official circles.</p> - -<p>For it was not thus during the first weeks of the -occupation. Then correspondence was permissible -only in French and German: Flemish was not tolerated. -The official notices were printed in French -and German only. Then, on the 25th August, the -Government placards appeared in German, French, -and Flemish. Finally, on the 1st October, Flemish -had the advantage of French. Although from -the standpoint of Belgian law the latter measure -was legal in the Brussels district, the by-law ordering -the cinema-houses to publish their programmes -in Flemish as well as French was not so; very -often the manager is innocent of Flemish, and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[286]</a></span> -Flemish programme is spelt in the most fantastic -manner. Absolutely illegal, too, is the by-law -compelling shopkeepers in Bruges and Ostend to -replace their French shop-signs by signs written in -Flemish. Still more galling was the outcome of a -certain trial at Tongres. Some young men, Flemings -and Walloons, were accused of the same offence. -They were inscribed on separate lists, according to -their origin. The Walloons were condemned to -severer penalties than those inflicted on the Flemings. -One sees the double object here: to mollify -the Flemings and to make the Walloons suspicious -of them. We may compare this with the fact -that the majority of the Flemish civil prisoners have -been repatriated, while the Walloons are still in -Germany.</p> - -<p>However, the daily task of insinuation and persuasion -is undertaken by the German press. In the -first place it lays stress on the great affinity of character, -historical past, origin, and language between -the Germans and the Flemings (<i xml:lang="de">Düss. Gen. Anz.</i>, 4th -December, 1914). The Germans must humour the -Flemings and make friends with them. One reason -why it would not do to treat Belgium more harshly -(as had been demanded) is that there is a racial -relationship between a portion of the population and -that of Germany. There is no Belgian people (<i xml:lang="de">Voss. -Zeit.</i>, 1st March, 1915). Much is made of the distant -echoes of the linguistic quarrel (<i xml:lang="de">Voss. Zeit.</i>, -1st March, 1915; <i>K.Z.</i>, 18th March, 1915; <i xml:lang="de">Frankf. -Zeit.</i>, 24th March, 1915; Osswald, <i xml:lang="de">Zur Belgischen -Frage</i>).—The ill-feeling of the Flemings toward the -"purely Walloon" Belgian Government must be -fomented (<i xml:lang="de">Frankf. Zeit.</i>, 24th March, 1915), and -also their dislike of the Belgian press printed in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[287]</a></span> -French tongue, both Government and press having -been long ago won over to France and the hatred of -Germany (<i>K.Z.</i>, 15th November, 1915). <i xml:lang="fr">La Croix -Rouge</i> is published in three languages, Flemish preceding -even German, and the French occupying only -the extreme right of the sheet; each number contains -only one <i xml:lang="fr">feuilleton</i>, and that is a novel in -Flemish. A little Flemish conversation manual—<i xml:lang="nl">Vlamischer -Sprachführer</i>—is published in Düsseldorf -for the use of Germans, and of soldiers in particular. -In order to compromise the Flemish, the -Germans pretend that well-known Flemings are -already working hand-in-hand with the German -administration. It is even stated that a pro-German -group of young Flemings exists (<i>K.Z.</i>, -18th March, 1915). In verse translations, the -<i xml:lang="nl">Dietsch</i> or <i xml:lang="nl">duitsch</i> of the Flemish poets is rendered -by "German," whereas these words signify simply -the Flemish or Dutch language (<i xml:lang="de">Lüttich</i>, p. 127; -<i xml:lang="de">Köln. Volksz.</i>, 25th January, 1915). Herr Karl -Lamprecht, the well-known historian, who knew -that his translation was dishonest, was one of those -who translated <i xml:lang="nl">dietsch</i> by "German" (<i xml:lang="de">Die Woche</i>, -No. 12, 1915). Better still, in the same article -Herr Lamprecht feigns to believe that by the expression -<i xml:lang="nl">Noord en Zuid</i> Emmanuel Hiel intended -to denote the Germans and the Flemings; whereas -he is speaking—and no confusion is possible—of the -Dutch (Noord-Nederlanders), and the Flemings -(Zuid-Nederlanders).</p> - -<p>A short story by M. Maurice Sabbe was published -in the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner Tageblatt</i> on the 25th December, -1914, with an introduction which was peculiarly -compromising to the author's patriotic sentiments. -His extremely plain reply was as follows:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[288]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">How Fräulein Dämchen was Buried.</span><br /> -(<i>Reproduction prohibited.</i>)<br /> -By <span class="smcap">Maurice Sabbe</span>,<br /> -Professor of Germanic Languages at the Malines Athenæum. -</div> - -<p>(The sketch was preceded by a brief introduction, which we -quote.)</p> - -<p>The sketch we publish here deserves particular attention. -Maurice Sabbe is a scholar and a Flemish writer of repute, -who, during the bombardment of Malines, fled into Holland. -Sabbe knows Germany, thanks to a long residence at Weimar, -and the military situation has not succeeded in destroying his -feeling, which is exempt from prejudice, for Germany and Germanism. -He expresses his opinion with sympathy in the lectures -which he is delivering in Holland, and, in the same spirit, he has -addressed, through his translator, to a German journal, the -<i xml:lang="de">Berliner Tageblatt</i>, this short story of life in Malines, which -describes an episode of the war: the first contribution which, -coming from Belgium and written by a Belgian during the war, -has been destined to find publication in Germany.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Editor.</span><br /> -(<i xml:lang="de">Berliner Tageblatt</i>, 25th December, 1914.)<br /> -</div> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Bussum</span>, <i>28th December, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,</p> - -<p>I beg your hospitality for the following lines:—</p> - -<p>In the November number (1914) of the review <i xml:lang="nl">Onze Eeuw</i> I -published a literary version of an episode of the bombardment of -Malines. A Dutch writer, M. E. Meier, requested my permission -for the publication of a translation of this sketch in a German -newspaper. I granted it him without hesitation and even with a -certain pleasure. My narrative emphasized the kindness and -magnanimity of my countrymen towards their enemies, and, at -a moment when the German press was accusing every Belgian of -being a franc-tireur, I thought myself fortunate to be able to -place a contrary example beneath the eyes of the German -public.</p> - -<p>I left the choice of newspaper to my translator, and the -translation appeared in the Christmas number of the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner -Tageblatt</i>.</p> - -<p>But here the plot thickens. Unknown to me, the editors of -the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner Tageblatt</i> prefaced my story with a notice highly -compromising to me. It asserts, in short, that I have German<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[289]</a></span> -sympathies which the war has not succeeded in shaking, that I am -giving lectures in Holland in order to express these feelings, and -that I wrote my short story especially to be published in Germany!</p> - -<p>The last assertion is already contradicted by the fact that -the sketch in question is a translation of the text which appeared -in a French review two months ago. As for my sentiments, -they are what they have always been, those of a Belgian unshakably -attached to his unhappy country and his noble King. These, -and no others, are the feelings I have expressed in my lectures in -Holland. My numerous auditors can testify to this.</p> - -<p>You will give me a sensible pleasure, sir, by inserting this -letter, thus assisting me to avoid any misunderstanding.</p> - -<div class="right"> -Accept, etc.,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Maurice Sabbe</span>.<br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p>This is only a detail in the conflict we are sustaining -against invading Germany, but it is a very -instructive detail, because it shows that before -accepting any assertion on the part of our oppressors -we must always ask ourselves how much of it is a -lie. The same question arises <i xml:lang="fr">à propos</i> of a letter -written by a Fleming living at Liége and speaking -"in the name of the Flemish population of Liége," -which aspires to live under the German domination. -By the singularities of his syntax and his orthography -this Fleming from Liége can only be of German -origin (<i xml:lang="de">Düss. Gen. Anz.</i>, 11th February, 1915).</p> - -<p>Once there was even a kind word spoken for the -Walloons, vindicating the dignity of their dialects, -which are by no means dependent on the French. -(It is true this bold assertion comes from Herr Kurd -von Strantz.)</p> - - -<p><i>Inciting the People against the Belgian Government.</i></p> - -<p>On the other hand, they hope to detach the -Belgian people from its Government. Especially -during the siege of Antwerp did they heap effort<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[290]</a></span> -on effort of this kind. It was then greatly to their -interest to send as many troops as possible to the -Western front (so says Lieutenant-General Imhoff, -in his introduction to Delbrück's <i xml:lang="de">Der Deutsche -Krieg in Feldpostbriefen</i>, pp. 11 to 13). Now -hundreds of thousands of their men were delayed -in Belgium by the siege of Antwerp. At all costs -these had to be liberated in order to lengthen the -battle-front towards the north-west and the sea. -Towards the middle of September they did not -hesitate for the third time to make peace proposals -to the Government—proposals which were rejected -with disdain, as were the previous ones (pp. <a href="#Page_50">50</a>-<a href="#Page_51">1</a>). -After this repeated diplomatic failure they attempted -trickery, a speciality in which they shine to more -advantage. As they could not succeed in directly -influencing the leaders of Belgian politics, they -endeavoured to act on them indirectly through the -people. A newspaper was established, <i xml:lang="fr">L'Écho de -Bruxelles</i>, "for the general welfare," to which a -certain "Aristide" contributed. He professed to be -an occasional correspondent, although his articles -were really the pretext for issuing the paper.</p> - -<p>In the first number he published a detestable -letter in which he called upon the Belgian Government -at all costs to make peace with Germany. -This proceeding was so improper that the <i>N.R.C.</i> -even, while reprinting the letter, could not refrain -from criticizing it harshly. In No. 4, which -appeared on the 4th October, 1914, and which -was entirely devoted to an attempt to cause mental -anxiety in the people of Brussels, he condemned -as unpatriotic "the man who does not rise up to -cry to the people of Antwerp that they must cease -from this sanguinary, disastrous, and useless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[291]</a></span> -struggle for a cause which is not ours." The -same accusation was made against "those divisional -Generals whom the laurels of General -Leman will not allow to sleep." "The laurels of -General Leman, great God!" he adds, and thereupon -he moves heaven and earth to prove the -notorious insufficiency of the valiant defender of -Liége. No, he says, "the true and only heroes of -this melancholy war in Belgium are those who -... have proposed to treat with Germany. These, -Ministers and generals, have given proof of courage -and wisdom, exposing themselves to the vengeance -of a mob over-excited by a system of lies and -delusions.... And the public will kick out these -French journalists and these hawkers of French -journals who for years have whispered hatred of -neighbour against neighbour, the latter being the -best customer Belgium possessed." We have cited -only the more scandalous portions of this article, -ignoring the merely ignoble passages.</p> - -<p>While "Aristide" was endeavouring to influence -the civil population, aeroplanes were distributing -to the Belgian troops in Antwerp circulars, printed -in French, and in another language which had a -certain resemblance to Flemish; and these strange -handbills informed the Belgian soldiers that they -had been deceived by their officers and by the -authorities; that the Belgian army was fighting -for the British and the Russians, etc.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Declaration.</span></div> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Brussels</span>, <i>1st October, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Belgian Soldiers</span>,</p> - -<p>Your blood and your whole salvation, you are not giving -them at all to your beloved country; you are only serving the -interest of Russia, a country which desires only to increase its<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[292]</a></span> -already enormous power, and, above all, the interest of England, -whose perfidious avarice has given birth to this cruel and unheard-of -war. From the commencement your newspapers, paid -from French and English sources, have never ceased to deceive -you, telling you nothing but lies as to the causes of the war and -the battles which have followed, and this is still done every day. -Consider one of your army orders which affords fresh proof of -this. This is what it contains:</p> - -<p>"You have been told that your comrades who are prisoners in -Germany have been forced to march against Russia beside our -soldiers." Yet your common sense must tell you that this would -be a measure quite impossible to execute. When the day comes -when your comrades who are prisoners return from our country -and tell you with how much benevolence they have been treated, -their words will make you blush for what your newspapers, and -your officers, have dared to tell you, in order to deceive you in -so incredible a manner. Every day of resistance makes you -sustain irreparable losses, while with the capitulation of Antwerp -you will be free from all anxiety. Belgian soldiers, you have -fought enough for the interests of the princes of Russia, for those -of the capitalists of perfidious Albion. Your situation is one to -despair of. Germany, who is fighting only for her life, has -destroyed two Russian armies. To-day no Russian is to be -found in our country. In France our troops are about to overcome -the last resistance. If you wish to rejoin your wives and -children, if you wish to return to your work, in a word, if you -wish for peace, put an end to this useless struggle, which is -ending only in your ruin. Then you will quickly enjoy all the -benefits of a favourable and perfect peace.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">von Beseler</span>,<br /> -<i>Commander-in-Chief of the Besieging Army</i>.<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>When examples of this circular were brought to -us in Brabant, we at first thought it was a hoax. -But we had to submit to the evidence; the idea -of this proclamation had really been conceived and -executed by the Germans.</p> - -<p>After the fall of Antwerp the campaign continued. -Was it not necessary to prevent the Belgians from -going to join the Allies in the direction of Flanders? -With this end in view, the Germans attempted to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[293]</a></span> -throw suspicion on the conduct of the Belgian -military authorities at the time of the taking of -Antwerp. It was again the <i xml:lang="fr">Écho de Bruxelles</i> -which was entrusted with the publication of the -first false news. Shortly after the accomplishment -of this pleasant task, the <i xml:lang="fr">Écho de Bruxelles</i> -disappeared for ever: doubtless it was no longer -required.</p> - -<p>As for the defamatory libels which were uttered -in November and December, in order to incriminate -the conduct of the civil authorities of Antwerp, it -is not yet known by whom they were instigated, -worded, and distributed; but we have a reasonable -conviction that the Germans were not unaware of -them. In any case they did what they could to -profit by this disagreement, and they also did their -best—in vain—to revive the question when the -Belgians, by common accord, had settled their -differences.</p> - -<p>But the Germans had not yet given up the idea -of fomenting conflicts among us. In an article -entitled <i xml:lang="de">Belgische Umstimmigkeiten</i> (Change of -Temper in Belgium) the <i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Zeitung</i> of the -22nd November, 1914 (2nd morning edition) referred -to a telegram from Berlin which stated that news -received from Breda (according to the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner -Lokal-Anzeiger</i>) asserted that seven Belgian officers -had deserted and had there been interned. To -verify this was very difficult, the more so as in -November 1914 no postal or telegraphic communication -was permitted between Belgium and -Holland. The rest of the article informed us that -on the 5th November—a fortnight before their -desertion—these officers had received from King -Albert the Cross of the Order of Leopold: they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[294]</a></span> -had thus waited to desert until they had been -made the object of special distinction, which is at -least peculiar. And then, setting out from the -Yser, they crossed the German lines to be interned -at Breda, in Northern Brabant. Strange! strange! -And all this in order to inform us that these -officers, disheartened by the servile and treacherous -attitude of the King, refused again to send their -men into battle, for the sake of the English.</p> - - -<p><i>Inciting the Belgians against the English.</i></p> - -<p>It will be remarked that the English always -receive a good share of the venomous slime which -the Germans, as M. Spitteler says, spit upon the -King, the Government, and the Belgian authorities. -"England—there is the enemy!" says the -<i xml:lang="de">Hassgesang Gegen England</i>—i.e. <i>Song of Hatred -of England</i>, the work of Herr Ernst Lissauer.</p> - -<div class="poem"> -<i>We love but with a single love,<br /> -We hate but with a single hate;<br /> -We have one foe, and one alone—<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 10em;">England!</span><br /> -</i> -</div> - -<p>It would be tedious to mention all the innumerable -articles intended to arouse in us a hatred of England. -We may mention the opinion of Dr. Hedin, reproduced -on the placard of the 9th November, 1914; -the proclamation of Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, -inserted, for our edification, in <i xml:lang="fr">Le Réveil</i> (29th -October), as well as the declaration imputed to the -Flemish "poet" Cyrid Buysse (placard of 12th -December, 1914). But these lovers of truth forgot -to announce, a few days later, that M. Buysse -denied the truth of the German declaration. A -mere instance of forgetfulness, no doubt, unless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[295]</a></span> -the Amsterdam-Copenhagen-Berlin-Brussels route, -which was covered by the so-called declaration, -had suddenly grown too long for truth to travel by.</p> - - -<h3>D.—A Few Details of the Administration of Belgium.</h3> - -<p>The preceding chapter has informed us how the -Germans bore themselves towards the inhabitants of -the territory occupied in conformity with—or rather -in contravention of—Articles 42-56 of the Hague -Convention. Treachery and untruthfulness are the -chief weapons employed by our enemies. We need -not return to the subject. We desire now merely to -refer to some details relating to the administration. -Details, we said; and in truth we shall consider -neither the financial administration of the country, -nor its judicial administration, nor its political -administration, nor any of the other great cog-wheels -essential to the life of a nation. We shall confine -ourselves to very simple facts which any one can -remark and understand.</p> - - -<p>(<i>a</i>) <i>Present Prosperity in Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>There is nothing of which the Germans are -more proud than their talent—real or illusory—for -organization. Accordingly they professed their intention -of re-establishing the normal state of affairs -in Belgium, in spite of the war, and they are -always informing the whole world that everything -has resumed its regular course in our country.</p> - - -<p><i>Assertions of the German Authorities.</i></p> - -<p>Even in his inaugural proclamation (2nd September, -1914), von der Goltz took the trouble of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[296]</a></span> -informing us that work was to be resumed. But -the Germans had placed such impediments in the -way of inter-urban relations that all activities were -necessarily suspended. In October he accorded -"facilities of communication," as we were informed -by the announcement of the 15th, which meant -that "circulation" was no longer absolutely prohibited, -and that he who had the means to obtain -a passport, and could spend a day or two in procuring -it, would thereafter be authorized to travel -from Louvain to Malines, or from Namur to Liége. -As these measures, though so full of solicitude for -the general welfare, did not produce all the results -that were expected of them, the communal authorities -were advised to refuse relief to the unemployed -(6th November, 1914). Nothing came of that advice!</p> - -<p>To the numerous obstacles already mentioned we -must add one other: the railway-workers and the -artisans employed in many of the foundries and -workshops of Belgium were perfectly well aware that -their labours would principally benefit the Germans, -so that by returning to their workshops they would -be committing an unpatriotic action. To overcome -this passive resistance the Germans multiplied their -proclamations in the industrial centres. It was -wasted effort.</p> - -<p>In the meantime the Governor-General, in the -vain hope of galvanizing the labour organizations, -sent to Germany for well-known Socialists, who, -under the pretext of having a chat with the leaders -of the trades unions, were really to inculcate the -idea that it was their duty to urge a resumption -of work. The visits of the German Socialists have -been described by M. Dewinne, of Brussels, a militant -worker, in the Parisian journal <i xml:lang="fr">L'Humanité</i>.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[297]</a></span></p> - -<p>Infatuated as the Germans might be, they could -hardly delude themselves as to the failure of their -attempts at subornation. This did not prevent -Baron von Bissing from issuing declarations dealing -with the situation which were truly touching in -their sincerity.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">News Published by the German General Government.<br /> -Normal Situation in Belgium.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Vienna</span>, <i>19th December</i>.—The Sofia correspondent of the -<i xml:lang="de">Neue Freie Presse</i> has had an interview with Field-Marshal -von der Goltz, who declared: "The situation in Belgium is -entirely normal. The Belgian population is acquiring the -conviction that the Germans are anything but cruel."</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Government in Belgium.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Berlin</span>, <i>15th December</i>.—To the correspondent of the <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger -Korrespondent</i>, the new Governor-General in Belgium, -General Baron von Bissing, has made the following declarations: -I wish to maintain order and tranquillity in this country, which -has become the base of operations for our troops. Our army -must know that order prevails behind it, so that it may always -give its attention freely only to what lies before it. I hope also -that I shall succeed, hand in hand with the civil administration, -in doing a great deal for the economic situation. When the -Emperor appointed me Governor-General he charged me, with -particular insistence, to do everything to assist the weak in -Belgium, and to encourage them.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The General Government in Belgium.</span><br /> -</div></blockquote> - - -<p><i>The Parasitical Exploitation of Belgium admitted -by Germany.</i></p> - -<p>But, you may ask, had not Germany other than -military reasons for wishing to revive the economic -life of Belgium? A semi-official article in the -<i xml:lang="de">Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung</i>, which was -brought to our cognizance by the <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer -General-Anzeiger</i> of the 30th December, 1914, -informs us upon this point. The article emanates<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[298]</a></span> -from Governmental circles in Brussels, probably -from the immediate <i xml:lang="fr">entourage</i> of the Governor-General. -Its object is to reply to the complaints -formulated in Germany, according to which the -authorities deal too gently with the Belgians. -Instead of trying to revive Belgian industry, it -would be better, say the critics, to crush it completely, -in order to suppress future competition: -on the other hand, it is claimed that the contribution -of 480 million frs. is insufficient to reduce us to -impotence, and that we ought to have been more -severely "squeezed." The German Government in -Belgium defends itself briskly against the reproach of -sentimentality; it asserts that it has never allowed -itself to be guided by an exaggerated mildness (and -we are ready to declare that on this point at least -its assertions maybe credited!). It would surely not -be very intelligent, it protests, to strangle outright -a country so ill-directed. Would it not be preferable -to exploit Belgium scientifically, so as to -make her yield as much as possible? The argument -amounts to this: do not let us kill the goose that -lays the golden eggs; but of course it is understood, -although one need not express it explicitly, -that when it is no longer in condition to lay, we -shall not hesitate to cut its throat.</p> - - -<p><i>The Tenfold Tax on Absentees.</i></p> - -<p>Many Belgians have left the country. That is -easily understood. Those who were present at the -massacres of Visé, Louvain, Dinant, Termonde ... -hastened, in their terror, to abandon those haunts of -horror. Those who lived in the towns left intact, -such as Brussels and Gand, but who heard people<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[299]</a></span> -talk of the massacres and the burnings, had also only -one idea: to fly before the arrival of the Germans. -Even those Belgians who did not leave at the outset -eventually grew weary of the insupportable vexations -inflicted on us by the authorities. Others took flight -because they knew themselves to be threatened with -imprisonment. Moreover, many of those who had -means had prudently retired to foreign countries, to -the great fury of the Germans; there was no way of -getting at these "bad patriots," as it seems a German-Swiss -journal called them (<i>K.Z.</i>, 11th February, -1915); no way of forcing them to pay war-taxes. -Moreover, it was these <i xml:lang="fr">émigrés</i> who should have kept -alive the industries <i xml:lang="fr">de luxe</i>; finally, they were conspiring -together abroad, and rendering services to -the Belgian Government at Havre. If only they -could be forced to return! Our enemies accepted -with enthusiasm an unlucky proposal—made by -certain communal administrations and immediately -withdrawn by them—that the absent persons should -be subjected to a special tax, equal to ten times the -personal tax. The communal councils which conceived -the idea of this tax immediately realized its -illegality, but Baron von Bissing seized the occasion -which this afforded him of persecuting the <i xml:lang="fr">émigrés</i>. -He published, on the 16th January, a special decree -on the subject of the "additional extraordinary tax -upon absentees" (<i xml:lang="de">Belg. All.</i>). It may be remarked -that the tax touches only those who possess a certain -competence.</p> - -<p>Here are two facts which show how far life was -normal in Belgium in the spring of 1915, and how -far the Belgian workers were delighted to place -themselves at the service of Germany.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[300]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>Railway Traffic in Belgium.</i></p> - -<p>(<i>a</i>) An article in the <i xml:lang="de">Düsseldorfer General-Anzeiger</i> -of the 19th April, 1915 (morning), asserts that the -traffic on the Belgian railways is beginning to revive; -indeed, says the writer, there are thirty-eight trains -daily leaving the Gare du Nord in Brussels. He -exaggerates slightly. Six weeks later, when traffic -had become more active, a table, dated the 30th May, -1915, which appeared in the "Belgian" newspaper -<i xml:lang="fr">L'Information</i>, gave the movements of trains in the -Gare du Nord and Gare du Midi of Brussels for the -month of June. We find that only thirty-four departures -are given for the two stations. Thirty-four -trains in June 1915—and in June 1914 there were -292. Compare the figures.</p> - - -<p><i>Trouble with the Artisans of Luttre.</i></p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) The insufficiency of the number of trains is in -reality one of the things that most embarrasses the -German authorities (see <i xml:lang="de">Frank. Zeit.</i>, 16th January, -1915, first morning edition). In and about the railway -workshops, for example, on the sidings at -Luttre, there are hundreds of locomotives out of -repair and waiting for attention. But the workers -employed in these shops do not intend to work for -the Germans. In vain do the latter protest that -engines repaired by the Belgians shall be employed -only for Belgian traffic. What guarantee have they -that the locomotives will not serve to transport -German troops, or munitions intended to kill our -brothers? Is it not a matter of public notoriety -that a contract is merely a scrap of paper?</p> - -<p>To enable the workers to resist the solicitations of -the Germans the necessary relief has been distributed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[301]</a></span> -for the maintenance of their families. The Germans -know very well that it is this money which prevents -them from subduing the workers to their will. They -therefore proceed with the utmost severity against -the persons whose duty it is to distribute the relief. -Early in April 1915 they imprisoned thirty of the -notables of Luttre, Nivelles, and the neighbourhood, -whom they accused of assisting the working staff of -the Luttre workshops. A German official declared -that the prisoners had been arrested neither by the -civil authority nor the military, and that they would -not proceed to trial. At the same time the administrations -of the communes neighbouring upon Luttre -were forced to display a proclamation requiring the -men to resume work. Among the promises made to -those who should resume work was one that the -prisoners should be liberated. So thirty notables -were thrown into prison, and kept there, in order to -force Belgian artisans to work for the Germans! -When it was found that in spite of everything the -men would not return to the shops, the prisoners -were sentenced to undergo various punishments, the -maximum term of imprisonment being three months. -As for the recalcitrant workers, many were sent to -Germany, where they were treated in the most -inhuman fashion.</p> - - -<p><i>Traffic Suppressed at Malines.</i></p> - -<p>At the construction shops of Malines the Germans -went a different way to work. There again workers -were needed to repair railway material. Three -hundred were called for. As they did not present -themselves their addresses were obtained, and one -fine morning soldiers called at their houses and -<i xml:lang="la">manu militari</i> led them to the shops. But there<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[302]</a></span> -the men folded their arms and persisted in doing -nothing. The Germans had to let them go.</p> - -<p>How to obtain their submission? The Germans -threatened to suppress all traffic in Malines. A -singular fashion of punishing workless men who -refuse to betray their country, especially after declaring -that the only "guilty" persons were those -who had organized the collective refusal to work! -(<i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i>, 9th June, 1915). But, in accordance -with the juridical principle that "the innocent must -suffer with the guilty," our enemies punished the -market-gardeners of the Malines district and prevented -them from sending their cabbages and rhubarb -and peas and asparagus to market.</p> - -<p>After the lapse of some days the Governor-General -removed the prohibition. But he did not wish it to -seem that he had repented of his decision, however -unreasonable the latter might be, so to keep himself -in countenance he posted up a statement that a sufficient -number of workers had resumed work (placard -of 10th June, 1915). However, the Baron von -Bissing cannot have been ignorant of the fact that -none of the strikers of the Malines workshops had -returned; the only workers whom the Germans had -been able to recruit were some unemployed persons -from Lierre, Boom, and Duffel, who had never set -foot in the shops before. As they could not be -employed in the manufacture of railway material, -they were made to dig trenches in the direction -of Wavre-Ste Catherine and Duffel.</p> - -<p>The workers whom the soldiers led to the shops -by force related that their escort begged them not -to resume work, because they would then be obliged -to leave Malines and to go to the Yser, a prospect -which inspired them with the keenest terror.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[303]</a></span></p> - - -<p>(<i>b</i>) <i>The Germans' Talent for Organization.</i></p> - -<p>"The industrial and commercial prosperity" which -Belgium is at present enjoying is, of course, due to -the Germans' incontestable spirit of organization. -"This sense of discipline and order, which the -foreigner calls militarism" (<i xml:lang="de">Voss. Zeit.</i>, 12th February, -1915, morning), has enabled the officers of -the reserve to accomplish such wonderful things -that Herr Oswald F. Schütte, correspondent of the -<i>Chicago Daily News</i> (see <i>K.Z.</i>, 6th May, 1915, first -morning edition) can scarcely find the words to -describe them. "We understand," adds the same -journalist, "that the Government at Havre does not -look with a favourable eye upon the success with -which the German administration has once more -made life worth living in Belgium."</p> - -<p>They are certainly something to be wondered at, -the officers who are administering our country. -Would you have proof? The Belgian officials of -the Bridges and Highways Department refused to -obey the Germans, so that the latter appointed -their engineer officers to direct the work of repairing -roads. But the work was naturally carried out -by Belgian contractors. On macadamized roads the -breaking of stones, which formerly cost from 18 to -22 centimes per square metre (about 2d. per square -yard), now costs 60 to 65 centimes. Good business, -you will say, for the contractors and their men. -But no!—the difference goes into the pockets of -the officers.</p> - - -<p><i>Conflict between Authorities.</i></p> - -<p>This method of procedure naturally results in -conflicts between the various administrations. We -have already related (p. <a href="#Page_157">157</a>) that the city of Brussels<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[304]</a></span> -was condemned to pay a fine of half a million francs -because the civilians and the soldiers were in disagreement. -Muddles of this kind testify to something -quite different from a brilliant talent for -organization, which the Germans would have us -believe is the distinguishing mark of their administration.</p> - - -<p><i>Suppression of the Bureau of Free Assessment.</i></p> - -<p>In order to give the impression that they alone -are capable of re-starting the economic machine in -Belgium, the Germans begin by dislocating the -existing machinery. Thus, a group of advocates -and surveyors created a bureau for the gratuitous -assessment of the damage caused by the war to -real estate. This body was working to the general -satisfaction, when suddenly, in March 1915, the -Germans decided to take its place. Now observe -their methods. The applicant who wishes the -damage suffered by his property to be estimated -has to begin by paying a provisional deposit, after -which he finds that the costs of the assessment have -to be paid out of his own pocket. What this really -comes to is this: the Germans, having burned a -house and reduced its owner to poverty, demand -that the latter shall pay in advance for the -evaluation of the damage done.</p> - - -<p><i>The Belgian Red Cross Committee Suppressed.</i></p> - -<p>Another example of the suppression of a body -working in a normal manner. As soon as they -occupied Brussels the Germans began to meddle -in the doings of the Directing Committee of the -Red Cross Society, and appointed a delegate to -the Society. They then tried to force the Red<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[305]</a></span> -Cross to exceed its duties, which were clearly -specified by the international convention known -as the <i>Convention for the Amelioration of the -Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in -the Field</i>. Neither in the text of the Convention -of 1869, nor in that of the Convention of 1906, is -there any question of other patients than soldiers -wounded during hostilities. Doubtless it is a matter -for praise if the Red Cross of each country should -extend its action to needs existing in time of peace; -in Belgium, for example, the Red Cross has organized -ambulances in the International Exhibitions. -But it is none the less true that its -essential mission, and the only mission foreseen -by the International Convention, is to ameliorate -the condition of soldiers who are victims of warfare. -It was therefore an abuse of the Red Cross -to impose other aims upon it; to compel it, for -example, to organize "the relief and support of -women by means of labour." The Red Cross -of Belgium decided, with abundant reason, that -it could not in time of war assume novel functions, -nor, above all, could it set apart for the -same sums of money which were largely derived -from private subscriptions entrusted to it for the -succour of the wounded; it therefore refused to -involve itself. After lengthy negotiations the -Governor-General suspended the Belgian managing -committee from its functions, and seized the funds.</p> - -<p>We should mention that the Central Administration -of the Red Cross, sitting in Geneva, decided -that the Brussels Committee was in the right.</p> - -<p>Attempting to justify their illegal attitude, the -German authorities established a special journal, -<i xml:lang="fr">La Croix Rouge, Bulletin officiel de la Croix<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[306]</a></span> -Rouge de Belgique</i>, printed in Flemish, French, -and German. This journal continues to pretend -that the Belgian Committee was legally dissolved, -as it would not "assist the people in the present -melancholy situation."</p> - -<p>In vain did the Germans endeavour to put the -world off the scent as to their intentions. They -knew perfectly well that the National Committee -of Relief and Alimentation patronized and subsidized -without distinction all the benevolent undertakings -which applied to it (p. <a href="#Page_176">176</a>). The real -aim of our enemies is to supplant the National -Committee. This committee is a private institution -in which they have no voice, which greatly -annoys them; at most they can endeavour to make -it believed that the revictualling of Belgium is -effected with their assistance. But this, as may -be supposed, is not enough for them; their real aim, -their unavowed object, is to obtain entire control -of the National Committee, in order to exercise -there also their talent for organization—or, -more precisely, their talent for peculation. The -40,000,000 frs. per month does not sate their -appetite. What an indefinite perspective of fleshpots -could they only lay hands on the revictualling -of Belgium!</p> - -<p>The whole affair of the Red Cross was conducted -with annoying duplicity—annoying even to us, who -nevertheless were beginning to grow accustomed to -their campaign of lies. For months there were -negotiations between the Belgium Managing Committee -and the German authorities, represented by -the Graf von Hatzfeld-Trachenberg. At each -interview the latter brought forth fresh demands on -the part of the Governor-General, but he always<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[307]</a></span> -added that he was acting reluctantly, and that in -his opinion the demands were unjustified; only, of -course, he had to obey. (This is, by the way, the -classic procedure. Whenever a German commits a -dirty action he entrenches himself behind discipline.) -These lame discussions lasted until the 16th April, -1915; upon a final refusal on the part of the Belgian -Committee to exceed its proper functions, Graf von -Hatzfeld-Trachenberg gave orders for the decree of -dissolution to be read.</p> - - -<p>(<i>c</i>) <i>The Belgian Attitude toward the Germans.</i></p> - -<p>Our enemies spread the report that the relations -between occupants and inhabitants were greatly -improving, and that the Belgians had abandoned -their provocative attitude, which was so unpleasant -at the outset of the war. They also asserted that -by the end of October the people at Antwerp had -ceased to display any antipathy towards them -(<i xml:lang="de">Köln. Volksz.</i>, 30th October, 1914, morning edition).<a name="FNanchor_44_44" id="FNanchor_44_44"></a><a href="#Footnote_44_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> -But, in truth, they flattered themselves when they -stated that the Belgium people regarded them with -glances full of hatred. Hatred? No; merely -glances full of disdain, when by chance one could -not do otherwise than gaze at them; but, as a rule, -the Belgians turn their eyes away, as they turn their -backs upon German music.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[308]</a></span></p> -<p>At Liége, in Brussels and Antwerp, and at -Malines, when an officer addresses a Belgian the -latter pretends not to hear (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 20th October, -1914, morning edition), or simply states that he has -not time to speak to the other; or he replies in -Flemish; or else, having affected to listen to him -with all the marks of the most exquisite politeness, -he leaves the German standing still without replying -a word. The ladies more often reply, but it is only -to beg the Germans not to speak to them. The -officer who asks his way is almost certain to be sent -in a contrary direction; while he who climbs on the -platform of a tram finds that all the passengers -immediately turn their backs upon him; and this -rotation is executed with the regularity and precision -of a reflex movement. The officer who begs a -a passer-by to lend him his cigar that he may obtain -a light, sees the other disgustedly throw away the -cigar which an enemy has touched. The child -whom an officer condescends to caress pushes away -his hand with an indignant expression, and makes -the ugliest grimace he knows of. In short, they -are the objects of universal detestation.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it will be said that this attitude is peculiar -to the towns which have been little or not at all -affected by the war. But no! In localities which -were largely burned down, such as Aerschot, Eppeghem, -Dinant, and Louvain, the population behaves -in a manner even more characteristic. At Dinant -the children sing at the tops of their voices a -<i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i> with new words, expressly anti-German, -in which a good deal is said about pigs. At Louvain -some officers who used to amuse themselves with a -phonograph which reproduced the record of the song -<i xml:lang="il">Gloria, Vittoria</i>, had to give up using it in June -1915, because the passers-by accompanied the refrains -with other words: <i xml:lang="il">Gloria, Italia</i>. At Eppeghem -and Aerschot the children play at soldiers, with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[309]</a></span> -Belgian police bonnets on their heads, yelling <i xml:lang="fr">La -Brabançonne</i>. One would say the sight of those -calcined ruins, far from intimidating the Belgians, -as the butchers had hoped, only whets their rebellious -spirits, and that the certainty of final -success has completely effaced, in the soul of the -people, the memory of the terrors experienced at the -time of the burnings and killings.</p> - -<p>Not only is the Belgian population far from -fraternizing with them, as they try to make the -world believe, but it neglects no opportunity of -proving that it is animated by very different feelings. -It must be confessed that when we openly wear the -Belgian or American colours it is with a double -object: to advertise our attachment to our country, -or our gratitude to America, and also to make the -Germans furious. The little celluloid portraits of -the King and Queen which one wears in the buttonhole -serve the same purposes. After the Germans -had imprisoned M. Max in a German prison many -people displayed his portrait. This was extremely -disagreeable to our enemies (<i xml:lang="de">Köln. Volksz.</i>, 30th September, -1914, morning edition); but precisely for -that reason people persisted in wearing the little -medallion until the German police demanded its -forcible removal.</p> - -<p>When the Governor-General, in the interviews -which he granted the correspondents of the <i>N.A.Z.</i> -and the <i xml:lang="de">Berliner Tageblatt</i>, pretended to regard the -wearing of the Belgian or American colours as a -piece of childish mischief, he was simply trying to -put them off the scent, for he of all people had no -illusions as to the significance of the ribbons which -the Belgians are wearing in their buttonholes. -This significance was as follows: The Germans<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[310]</a></span> -pretend (1) that their armies are victorious and will -remain so; (2) that they will be able to dictate -their terms, and will annex Belgium; (3) that this -will be easy, as the Belgians are already abandoning -their provocative attitude, and are beginning to -fraternize with their persecutors. For the moment -we cannot reply publicly to lies 1 and 2; as to 3, -any Belgian who wears a little rosette tacitly proclaims -that he does not wish to be taken for a -craven, and that his anti-German feelings have lost -none of their keenness.</p> - -<p>Other Germans try to deceive their compatriots as -to the feeling of the Belgians for their oppressors. -Here is what Herr Walter Nissen says, the Bruxelles -correspondent of the <i xml:lang="de">Düss. Gen.-Anz.</i> (23rd July, -1915):</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"Opinion in Belgium is daily becoming more conciliatory. -Belgium may, for the moment, be compared with a woman who -is beginning to love despite herself, and who, through pride and -vexation, says 'No!' as loudly as possible, for fear anyone -should see what is happening to her. But one does see it, -despite the ribbons of the national colours—indeed precisely on -that account."</p></blockquote> - -<p>Is this incurable blindness? Is it an ineradicable -spirit of falsehood? Does Herr Nissen really doubt -the sincerity of our anti-German manifestations? -During the months he has lived in our midst he -must have discovered that we do, systematically, -everything we can to displease the Germans, until -they issue decrees of prohibition.</p> - -<p>Here is a last trait which can leave no one in doubt -as to the feelings of the Belgians. In March 1915 the -German authorities organized a concert in the -Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels. There were only -three known Belgians present, among them a professor<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[311]</a></span> -of the University of Brussels. The University -showed its disapproval by sending him to Coventry.</p> - - -<p>(<i>d</i>) <i>Behaviour of the German Administration.</i></p> - -<p>The preceding pages have already informed the -reader that the Germans have not accustomed us to -look for either gentleness or sincerity. But hitherto -we have not insisted on their administrative procedure, -which nevertheless deserves examination.</p> - -<p>But first let us picture to ourselves the mental -condition of the Belgians since August 1914. Cut -off from all intellectual relations with foreign -countries, we receive independent newspapers only -in secret, at the peril of our liberty, or even of -our lives. Every day, on the other hand, the -newspapers, mutilated by the censorship, printing -only the news—often false—which is favourable to -the Germans, are instilling their slow poison into -our brains. No matter: the people still repulse all -attempts to foment disunion and demoralization; -they pull their belts a little tighter rather than go -to work for the enemy; they continue, to the last, to -display our colours; in short, they have retained, -unshaken and unshakable, their faith in our just -cause and the final victory.</p> - -<p>The German newspapers are full of admiring -articles describing the firmness of mind evinced by -the German people, for they, too, consent to certain -privations to ensure the success of their arms. -Wonderful! The German people are unfailingly -encouraged by their newspapers, their pastors and -priests, their schoolmasters and professors, and by -lectures and innumerable pamphlets. Everything -that might cause their resolution to falter is carefully<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[312]</a></span> -concealed from them. They are, moreover, -accustomed to hold no other opinions than those -which are officially presented to them. To falter, -under these circumstances, would be almost incomprehensible. -But in our country, on the other hand, -everything is done to exhaust us, to dishearten us. -The least success of the German arms becomes the -"final crushing" of the enemy; the executions of -Belgians who have aided their country are immediately -advertised on every hand; and, finally, we -are prevented, by every imaginable means, from -spreading good news or preaching confidence. That -in spite of all the Belgian should retain his tranquillity -of mind and even his good humour is almost -unbelievable, but it is true.</p> - -<p>Here, then, is a population which is systematically -refused the least item of comforting information, but -which, on the other hand, is treated prodigally to -everything of a nature to demoralize it; a population -which, in order not to sink into despair, has to make -an effort every moment of the day; a country in -which it is strictly forbidden to do anything to -encourage those who may suffer from a temporary -depression, or to sustain and reassure those who -feel themselves threatened. Is it not obvious that -such pitiful psychologists as the Germans will resort -to intimidation to reduce this population to their -mercy? Everything is magnified into an offence, -and all offences are punished by the heaviest penalties; -the Germans even going so far as to threaten -with death him who spreads "false news"—that is -to say, who communicates news to his fellow-citizens -which is displeasing to the Germans.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[313]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>The Appeal to Informers.</i></p> - -<p>The placards already cited show amply the diversity -of the offences which may be committed, and -the punishments which may be inflicted. But we -must not forget those notices which order the -inhabitants, often on pain of death, to inform -against those persons who possess arms; to denounce -those who are <i>believed</i> to be strangers to -the commune; and those <i>suspected</i> of acting in a -manner contrary to the orders of the German -authorities.</p> - -<p>Here are some of these notices:</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Detention of Arms.</span></div> - -<p>The communal administration forwards the following document:—</p> - -<div class="center"><i>Important Warning.</i></div> - -<p>It has come to my knowledge that the inhabitants of the -country are still hiding arms and munitions in their houses.</p> - -<p>Those who still have arms in their possession (whether firearms, -bows, cross-bows, arquebuses, or knives and swords of -any description) will not be punished in any way if the arms and -munitions are deposited by the 15th December (noon precisely -German time) at the house of the burgomaster of the commune, -to be handed over to the military commandant.</p> - -<p>After the date indicated all persons found in possession of arms -or munitions will be shot. An account also will be demanded of -the burgomasters concerned, and also of all the inhabitants of -the houses or farms in which arms or munitions are found, as -well as the neighbours of the guilty persons.</p> - -<p>The death penalty will be imposed on all who learn of the -existence of arms or munitions without warning the burgomaster -of their commune, who must warn the military commandant.</p> - -<p>The present decree forms the last appeal to the population to -surrender their arms, and once the 15th December is past the -severest action will be taken.</p> - -<p>The burgomasters are personally responsible for ensuring that -this warning receives the widest publication.</p> - -<p>They are required to deposit with the nearest military authority<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[314]</a></span> -not later than the 15th December (at six o'clock in the evening, -German time) the arms and munitions that shall be delivered -to them.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commander-in-Chief.</span><br /> -</div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Thielt</span>, 5/xii/14.</p> - -<p>(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public, 11th December, 1914.</i>)</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">By Order of the Military Authority.</span></div> - -<p>The inhabitants of Dieghem are strictly forbidden to assemble -in groups.</p> - -<p>Moreover, the inhabitants are required to bring to the Secretariat, -Chaussée d'Haecht 48, those persons whom they believe to -be strangers to the commune, in order to verify their identity.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Burgomaster</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">G. De Connick</span>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -(<i>Posted at Dieghem, October 1914.</i>)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">On the Order of the German Military Authority.</span></div> - -<p>The Commissary of the Arrondissement of Verviers calls the -attention of the communal administrations and the inhabitants of -his jurisdiction to the following regulations:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>The severest penalties will be inflicted upon offenders: -whosoever shall damage the roads, telephones, or telegraphs -will be <span class="smcap">HANGED</span>. The same penalty will be inflicted on -every person in whose house arms, ammunitions, and explosives -shall be found. The house in which these objects are -discovered will be destroyed by fire, and all the men encountered -on the premises will be <span class="smcap">HANGED</span>.</p> - -<p>Rigorous penalties will be inflicted on localities in which -roads, telephones, and telegraphs shall be damaged.</p></blockquote> - -<p>For their own safety the inhabitants of communes are invited -to make known to the commandants of <i xml:lang="fr">étapes</i> those persons -suspected of disobeying the present order or of opposing the -measures taken.</p> - -<p>On the other hand, those communes which remain tranquil, -and in which this order is strictly obeyed, will enjoy the full -protection of the German Government.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">von Rosenberg</span>,<br /> -<i>Colonel commanding the 29th Brigade</i>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Verviers</span>, <i>22nd August, 1914</i>.<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>Those who are <i>believed</i> to be strangers; those who -are <i>suspected</i> of acting contrary to orders ... it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[315]</a></span> -is a régime of organized suspicion, a reign of -terror, informing erected into a governmental -process.</p> - -<p>The most abominable thing which the Germans -have conceived in this respect is that they encourage -the denunciation of militia-men by their fathers, -mothers, wives, or sisters. It is a principle admitted -by all civilized nations—and also, no doubt, by -Germany—that the Courts definitely abstain from -evoking a conflict between the paternal and maternal -instinct and the duty owed to justice. It is considered -that it would be revoltingly inhuman to force -a father or mother to bear witness against a son. -Sophocles, in the <i>Antigone</i>, ranks this prejudice -among "the immutable laws, unwritten, which are -from all eternity." Now, in Belgium, when a young -man leaves his family to rejoin the Belgian army, -the German authorities enjoin upon his parents, his -brother, or his sister, the duty of denouncing the -absent man; in other words, his father or his mother—yes, -we said his mother—must deliver up the son -because he is doing his duty toward his country -(notice of the 9th April, 1915). And the Germans -are not content with threats. If the Germans forget -their promises, at least they scrupulously carry their -threats into execution. At Hasselt they imprisoned -a woman whose son had rejoined the Belgian army -(p. <a href="#Page_152">152</a>). At Namur they have on many occasions -punished the parents of soldiers who had not committed -the crime of denouncing them. And not -content with inflicting these disgraceful penalties—disgraceful -to those who impose them—they have -forced <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> to give publicity to these -sentences, to the number of ten or more. Here are -the details of one sentence:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[316]</a></span></p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>According to § 3, No. 2, of the Imperial decree of the 28th December, -1893, concerning the extraordinary proceedings of the Council -of War for foreigners, the Governor of the fortified position and the -province of Namur has pronounced a deprivation of liberty against -the following Belgian subjects: the farmer, Félix Duquet, of -Jemeppe, two months; his wife, Victoire Duquet, <i xml:lang="fr">née</i> Swain, one -month. They had harboured their son, Clement Duquet, Belgian -soldier, who had lost his regiment, for several months, instead of -notifying him to the German authority; by so doing they acted -in contravention of the proclamation of the Government of Namur, -dated 19th September, 1914.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 8-9th July, 1915.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>Assuredly for the Germans the word "humanity" -is void of meaning; they have replaced it by -"Germanity." No doubt they regard maternal love -among the Belgians as being of an essence so -inferior that they need not take it into account. Yet -in order not to wound the sensibilities of their own -soldiers, nor those of their "brothers by race," the -Flemings, they omitted any mention of mothers in -the German and Flemish texts of their notice of the -4th April. As we have already stated, they feel that -they need not observe towards the feelings of the -Belgians—and above all of the Walloons—the same -consideration as is shown towards those of the -Germans.</p> - - -<p><i>German Espionage.</i></p> - -<p>Informing cannot exist without espionage. Now -we know that the Germans are past masters in this -art. Every one of our towns has been favoured by a -swarm of spies, male and female. In the streets, on -the promenades, in the cafés, in the trams<a name="FNanchor_45_45" id="FNanchor_45_45"></a><a href="#Footnote_45_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a>—everywhere -one is conscious of the invisible inspection of -secret agents. Woe to him who utters aloud an -opinion unfavourable to Germany, or complains of a -too outrageous placard or announcement, or criticizes -a passing officer or any one connected with Germany, -or abuses the German army: immediately a lady or -gentleman hails a German soldier, and the offender is -taken to the <i xml:lang="de">Kommandantur</i>. And when a Belgian -enters the <i xml:lang="de">Kommandantur</i> he does not know when -he will come out again; there he awaits, sometimes -for several days, his turn to be interrogated; and -after that imprisonment is certain. Not, of course, -that he is always condemned; it sometimes happens -that the offence has not been proved; but even so, -"his hash is settled," for while he has been waiting -his turn his house has been searched, and where is -the house that does not contain some letter from a -son or a brother who is a soldier? Prohibited -correspondence! Sentenced!</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[317]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>Agents-provocateurs or "Traps."</i></p> - -<p>A close espionage surrounds those who undertake -the carrying of letters or the introduction of newspapers. -In this case the spies work principally by -means of "traps"—<i xml:lang="fr">agents-provocateurs</i>. A spy -introduces himself to the person suspected of dealing -with correspondence; he pretends he has a letter to -send or receive. If the suspect listens to him, a -picket of soldiers and policemen arrives on the following -day to make a search. Other spies will speak in -the street to a seller of newspapers; they will ask for -a French or English journal, and scarcely has the -vendor taken the forbidden journal from his pocket -than a hand falls upon his collar.</p> - -<p>It is also by means of "traps" that the Germans -catch those who enable our militia to escape from -the country. A young man, of the proper age, goes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[318]</a></span> -in search of the suspected person, and by means of -false papers passes himself off for a patriot who -wants to take his place at the front. Arrangements -being made, the spy departs; but a skilfully set trap -enables him to catch a whole group of young fellows. -It matters little to our cause, however, since for every -one arrested hundreds cross into Holland every week. -Many Belgians devote themselves to this patriotic -task, though they well know that in case of failure -they will be sent into Germany or shot. It should -be said that their most active helpers are the soldiers -of the Landsturm, the guardians of the frontiers, -who, according to an established tariff, for the sake -of alcohol or money, close their eyes as our militia-men -cross the frontier.</p> - -<p>One step further along the path of the informer, -the spy, and the "trap," and we come to means -whose ignominy is such that even the Germans -themselves are forced to admit their dishonesty.</p> - -<p>Thus, at Liége most of the letter-boxes on the -house-doors are closed by means of nails. Why? -At the end of 1914 many citizens of Liége used to -receive <i xml:lang="fr">Le Courrier de la Meuse</i>, a newspaper edited -and printed at Maestricht by Belgian refugees. -There was no great mystery about its distribution; -the paper was simply slipped into the letter-box. -But the German agents spied on the vendors, and -having done so, searched the houses at which the -newspaper was delivered. The subscriber, of course, -was condemned to pay a fine. Did part of this go to -the spy? It is probable; in any case it was not long -before the spies were importing <i xml:lang="fr">Le Courrier de la -Meuse</i> in order themselves to place it in the letter-boxes -of well-to-do houses. A search conducted -immediately revealed the prohibited article, and,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[319]</a></span> -in spite of the indignant denials of the victim, the -fine was inflicted.</p> - -<p>At Ferrières, near Jemelle, worse than this was -done. A German priest pretended that the curé of -Ferrières had repeated, before a witness, a private -conversation held some hours earlier. Moreover, he -wanted to garble the conversation. The abbé's action -was repugnant in such a degree that even Baron von -Bissing himself was a little uneasy about the matter, -and revoked the punishment awarded to the Belgian.</p> - -<p>While the mission of the spies and <i xml:lang="fr">agents-provocateurs</i>—including -the <i xml:lang="fr">abbés-provocateurs</i> or ecclesiastical -"traps"—was to procure the condemnation -to various penalties of as many Belgians as possible, -other "agents" in the pay of Germany commenced -a vast inquiry, in order to prove, in the face of the -evidence itself, the crimes of the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." -Well!—in spite of all the manœuvres of spies and -<i xml:lang="fr">provocateurs</i> and the inquirers themselves, in spite -of the personal rancour which impelled a few rare -Belgians to become the accomplices of the Germans, -and to denounce, in a spirit of vengeance, certain of -their fellow-citizens, never did the Germans succeed -in mentioning a single name, not one single name, -of a Belgian civilian accused of having fired upon the -German troops. We say expressly "accused," and -not "convicted," to show that nowhere, in village or -provincial town, although petty rivalry is so acute, -and although informers, even though anonymous, -would have been welcomed with joy by the Germans, -nowhere was any one found to assert that a Belgian -civilian had fired on the German troops. No, it was -so improbable, so manifestly false, that not even the -most miserable of wretches would have dreamed of -formulating such a calumny.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[320]</a></span></p> - -<p>The Germans wanted to make us believe that -anonymous letters were pouring in upon them, but -that they, as upright administrators, refused to -follow up these accusations (Declaration, 4th May, -1915). Obviously a lie. We know them capable of -themselves fabricating these anonymous accusations, -simply to cause the Belgians mental uneasiness, and -to give rise to mutual suspicion. This is yet another -attempt to cause dissension.</p> - -<p>For the rest, they have since then admitted that -they have invited denunciation. Worse than this: -denunciation is enough to procure condemnation; it -is not necessary for the offence to be proved.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Cases are increasingly frequent in which letters are sent to -Belgian soldiers at the front by means of intermediaries.</p> - -<p>I remind the public that this is strictly prohibited. Any person -denounced to the German authorities for such action will be -subjected to a severe penalty.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Governor of the Fortified Position<br /> -and the Province of Namur.</span><br /> -</div> -<p> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 13th June, 1915.)<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>We should never come to an end were we to -mention all the tricks and shifts that enter into -their methods of administration. We will confine -ourselves to relating one or two more.</p> - -<p>According to the Hague Convention, the functionaries -of an occupied territory who remain at their -posts must declare that they will undertake nothing, -and will refrain from everything, that may be contrary -to the interests of the occupier. Note two -essential points: it is only the <i>officials</i> who are required -to sign this agreement, and they undertake to -<i>refrain</i> from anything that may be hurtful to the -occupier.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[321]</a></span></p> - -<p>Now in January 1915 the German administration -of Namur wished to force the entire male population -of the canton of Éghezée between the ages of eighteen -and forty to sign the following declaration:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"I the undersigned promise, conformably with the Hague -Convention of the 18th October, 1907, to continue scrupulously -and loyally the fulfilment of my functions, to undertake nothing -against the interests of the German Empire, and I promise to -prevent all that might be injurious thereto."</p></blockquote> - -<p>In certain communes the inhabitants, meaning -well and imperfectly informed as to their rights and -duties, signed this declaration, which is an improper -one, as it was required of all the inhabitants, and not -only of the officials; moreover, it made the signatories -promise to <i>prevent</i> what was injurious to the Germans, -not merely to <i>refrain</i> from it. Up to a certain point, -therefore, all the inhabitants were obliged to place -themselves at the service of the German authorities. -Some burgomasters refused to allow the document -to be signed as it stood. They added, on their own -authority, the following sentence:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"With the reservation of being able to respond freely to the -appeal of the Belgian Government if the latter comes to resume -possession of the country at present occupied by the German -armies."</p></blockquote> - -<p>The Germans did not accept this addition; they -proposed a new form of words:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>"I the undersigned promise, conformably with the provisions of -the Hague Convention of 18th October, 1907, to continue scrupulously -and faithfully in the performance of my functions, to -undertake nothing against the interests of the German Empire, -to refrain from all that might injure it."</p></blockquote> - -<p>In many villages the people again refused to -sign. Men between 18 and 40 years of age cannot<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[322]</a></span> -promise to continue in the performance of functions -which they have never fulfilled. What did the -Germans do? They forced all the male inhabitants -of the recalcitrant communes to present themselves -daily at Éghezée, the chief town of the canton. But -eventually they realized that it was iniquitous to -make these men lose half their day every day simply -because they, the Germans, were demanding an -absolutely illegal thing. So the daily muster at -Éghezée was abandoned.</p> - -<p>The German administration falsely invoked the -Hague Convention of 1907 in addressing the peasants, -who doubtless did not even know the Convention by -name, and it tried twice over to take advantage of -their good faith. It is not surprising that the inhabitants -of the province of Namur should have -become suspicious, so that they would not willingly -put their names to any paper presented by the -Germans. In May it was only after long negotiations -and threats that the young men of Rhisnes and -Emines signed their identification cards, which, -according to the Germans, "imposed no engagement -on the signatory." We have not ourselves seen the -wording of this card, so we cannot speak as to its -tenor; but it is curious that the Germans should be -so insistent upon the signing of a card having so -little significance.</p> - -<p>They also wished to impose, on the civic guard of -Rhisnes and Emines, the engagement that they -would no longer bear arms against Germany. More -than half the men refused, and were sent as prisoners -of war to Germany.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Monday, 3rd May, in the morning, sixty-nine Belgian militia-men -of the communes of Rhisnes and Emines were arrested -because they refused to sign their identification cards, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[323]</a></span> -contained nothing else than the information as to their persons -necessary to complete such a document. They were taken to the -prison of the fortress. On 6th May they were questioned a second -time, and, having all without exception signed, they were immediately -released.</p> - -<p>Tuesday, 4th May, 107 members of the civic guard at Rhisnes -were arrested because they refused to sign the declaration that -they would not bear arms against Germany and her Allies during -this war. In the course of the same day forty-nine signed the -declaration and were released. The other fifty-eight maintained -their refusal, and were transported to Germany as prisoners of -war on Tuesday evening.</p> - -<p>Wednesday, the 5th May, eighty members of the civic guard of -Emines and Warisoulx were arrested for the same reason; forty -signed the declaration and were released. The rest were transported -to Germany on the evening of the 6th May as prisoners -of war.</p> - -<p>Similarly on the 5th May, in the afternoon, 170 men, part being -members of the civic guard and part militia-men of the communes -of Taviers, Dhuy, St.-Germain, Hemptinne, Villers-lez-Heest, and -Bovesse, were arrested because they refused to sign their identification -cards. The Government hopes that these men will reflect -and hear reason, and that they will submit spontaneously to this -measure, which serves only for purposes of registration, so that -they may be released.</p> - -<p>It is expressly added that the signature of the identification -cards imposes no engagement on the signatory; these cards contain -only information as to identity, and all the Belgian militia-men, -as well as the members of the civic guard, have been several -times informed upon this point.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i>Communicated.</i>)<br /> -</div> -<p> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 7th and 8th May, 1915.)<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>Let us look into this case.</p> - -<p>In the first place, there never was a civic guard -at Rhisnes nor at Emines, so that it is absolutely -fraudulent to give this title to all the male adult -inhabitants; and since they have not been civic -guards they have never borne arms against Germany, -and cannot therefore engage to cease doing -so. Here again appears the German duplicity in all -its beauty. The men of Rhisnes and Emines assure<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[324]</a></span> -us that the paper said "no longer bear arms against -Germany." The Germans have imposed a communiqué -upon <i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i> which gives -another version—"not to bear arms."</p> - -<p>But in the communiqué provided by the German -authorities and published in <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique</i> on the -5th June, our enemies recognize that the document -said "no longer bear arms." However, a German -communiqué is never entirely truthful; and this one -forms no exception to the rule. Conforming to the -truth in this respect, it departs from it in another. -It says, in effect, that the men of Rhisnes "regarded -themselves as still belonging to the Belgian Army." -What absurdity! They refused to sign precisely -because the Germans wished to make them say -that they did belong to the Army!</p> - -<p>In August and September 1914 the Germans -were sending Belgians into Germany as civil -prisoners; in May 1915 they were sending them -as prisoners of war. The difference is important, -since the Hague Convention states that the cost -of maintenance of war prisoners falls upon their -country of origin, but that it is not speaking of civil -prisoners. This is why the civilians of Rhisnes and -Emines went to Germany as prisoners of war, as -did the curé and the vicar of Cortemarck (p. <a href="#Page_72">72</a>).</p> - -<p>We have already cited (p. <a href="#Page_233">233</a>) one case of premeditated -abuse of a signature. Here is another: -In October 1914 the German authorities of Mont -St.-Guibert (between Ottignies and Trembloux) had -the following placard posted:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Notice.</span></div> - -<p>1. All the male inhabitants of the commune aged from 18 -to 45 years, rich or poor, must present themselves to-morrow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[325]</a></span> -Tuesday, morning, the 6th October, at 7 o'clock in the morning -(Belgium time) at the railway booking-office.</p> - -<p>2. These inhabitants can no longer change their place -of residence; their names have been given to the military -authorities.</p> - -<p>Those who do not carry out this order, who seek to escape, -will be made prisoners and will render themselves liable to be -shot. The families of offenders will be taken as prisoners and -their property destroyed.</p> - -<p>3. English, French, or Russians who are in the locality must -be delivered to the military authorities. The same with Belgians -having belonged to the Army who are deserters or have been -prisoners. Offenders will be punished by death.</p> - -<p>4. Fire-arms of all kinds which are still in possession of the -inhabitants must be deposited immediately with the commandant -of the railway-station. Those who are discovered to be still in -possession of these arms, after the publication of this notice, will -be shot.</p> - -<p>5. Assemblies for roll-call will be held from time to time. -The day and hour will be given in advance.</p> - -<p>6. Umbrellas and sticks are forbidden at the station. Men -must not present themselves in a state of drunkenness.</p> - -<div class="right"> -Mont St.-Guibert, 5th October, 1914.<br /> -The Burgomaster,<br /> -<span class="smcap">E. Wautier</span>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -The Commandant of the Railway-station,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Hamich</span>, <i>Sergeant</i>.<br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<p>This placard threatens penalties, even shooting, -for the failure to attend at the railway-station; -moreover, the offender's family is of course held -responsible. So far it is commonplace enough. -We will say nothing as to the grade of officer -who thus disposes of the lives of citizens—he is -a sergeant; but we know that the humblest German -soldier possesses every right. What does rather -surpass the usual level German administrative procedure -is the fact that the burgomaster, whose -name figures at the bottom of the placard, knew -nothing of the latter until it was posted. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_326" id="Page_326">[326]</a></span> -sergeant had used his name without deigning to -consult him.</p> - -<p>To give a complete idea of the administrative -methods employed by the Germans against our -country, it will be as well rapidly to describe how -they behaved in a certain locality immediately after -proceeding against the "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>." Hitherto -we have dealt only with places where they did not -have to carry out "reprisals." We will now select -Andenne, on account of the particularly savage -character of the "repression" which drenched this -unhappy town with blood and fire. Here are the -facts in their tragic sequence:—</p> - -<p>The German patrol which penetrated into the -town on the 19th August, 1914, went straight to -the house of the communal receiver and seized the -funds: 2,232 frs.</p> - -<p>On the following day the bulk of the troops -arrived. That evening, between 6 and 9 p.m., a -very sharp fusillade broke out. Immediately the -civilians were accused of having fired, and the -troops began to shoot down the inhabitants and -burn the houses.</p> - -<p>On the following morning—the 21st August—all -the inhabitants not yet shot were driven into the -Place des Tilleuls. The men were herded on one -side, the women on the other. From time to time -Major Scheunemann, who commanded the operations, -had a few men shot, sometimes before the -whole population, sometimes a little apart. During -the morning the soldiers dragged the corpse of the -burgomaster, Dr. Camus, into the Place. As soon -as Major Scheunemann learned of the death of the -first magistrate, he appointed as burgomaster M. de -Jaer, who was one of the group of persons waiting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_327" id="Page_327">[327]</a></span> -their turn to be shot. From that moment the order -was given to kill no more; they contented themselves -with sack and pillage. There were then -300 houses burned at Andenne and at Seilles, -and 300 inhabitants were shot (<i>11th Report</i>).</p> - -<p>We will confine ourselves, as regards the events -which followed the burning and the massacre, to -reprinting the placard posted at Andenne during -the first ten days of the occupation:—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Inhabitants of Andenne.</span></div> - -<p>By order of the German military authority occupying the -town of Andenne:—</p> - -<p>All the men are held as hostages.</p> - -<p>Per shot fired on the German troops, there will be <i>at least</i> two -hostages shot.</p> - -<p>The hostages will be fed by the women, who will carry them -the necessaries close to the bridge at 6 in the evening and 8 in -the morning.</p> - -<p>Women are strictly forbidden to converse with the hostages.</p> - -<p>All the streets and public places will immediately be cleaned -by all the women of the town, on pain of immediate arrest.</p> - -<p>It is strictly forbidden to move about the town after 7 in the -evening and before 7 in the morning, on pain of severe repression.</p> - -<p>The dead will immediately be buried without any formality.</p> - -<p>Young people over 14 and the women must give their assistance -in every case of requisition.</p> - -<p>It is strictly forbidden to show oneself at the windows.</p> - -<div class="right"> -By order of the German military authority,<br /> -The Burgomaster Designate,<br /> -<span class="smcap">E. de Jaer.</span><br /> -</div> -<p> -The Secretary,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Monrique</span>.<br /> -<i>Andenne, the 31st August, 1914.</i><br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span><a name="FNanchor_46_46" id="FNanchor_46_46"></a><a href="#Footnote_46_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a></div> - -<p>On the 20th August of this year there was firing from -numerous houses of the town of Andenne on the German troops -who were passing through the town; bombs also were thrown. -It is certain that the first outbreak of firing occurred, according -to a certain plan, at precisely the same time in several streets: in -the Rue Brun, the Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville, the Place des Tilleuls, -and several other streets. A number of soldiers have been killed -or wounded and war material damaged.</p></blockquote> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_328" id="Page_328">[328]</a></span></p> -<blockquote> - -<p>After denying the first attacks, there was again firing from -many houses for several hours, and again on the 21st August, at -two o'clock in the afternoon, an under-officer was killed by a -shot from one of the houses in the Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville.</p> - -<p>Those guilty inhabitants who have hitherto been found have -been shot by the Council of War, but it was not possible to find -the persons who arranged the plot.</p> - -<p>We appeal, however, to the honour of the City of Andenne, -which appears in the eyes of the civilized world as a nest of -murderers and bandits.</p> - -<p>Perhaps it is possible to restore the honour of this town; this -is why the inhabitants are invited, in their own interest, to communicate -to the military authority all that may make it possible -to make progress in revealing the plot and its authors.</p> - -<p>He who delivers proofs capable [of revealing, etc.] receives -according to their value a reward of 500-1000 frs.</p> - -<p>The measures which have been taken will or might be sooner -mitigated as soon as inquiry shall have made progress to make -known the guilty.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commandant of the City.</span><br /> -</div> -<p> -<i>Andenne, the 22nd August, 1914.</i><br /> -</p> - -<div class="right"> -<i>Andenne, Sunday, 23rd August, 1914.</i><br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Official Notice.</span></div> - -<p>Between Saarburg and Metz there has been a great battle. -The German troops have made 21,000 French prisoners.</p> - -<p>Long live His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of -Prussia and Margrave of Brandenburg!</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Scheunemann</span>,<br /> -Major and Chief of Department.<br /> -</div> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Official Notice.</span></div> - -<p>The revictualling of the population will be effected by the -efforts of the Military Administration, assisted by the Civil -Administration of Andenne constituted by the German Government, -as far as possible.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_329" id="Page_329">[329]</a></span></p> - -<p>1. In this connection, the sale of provisions and commodities -is strictly forbidden.</p> - -<p>2. Householders are advised to report at once the quantity of -their provisions. Commodities will be taken for cash or redeemable -voucher.</p> - -<p>3. It would be in the interest of the population to announce -exactly the quantity of their provisions.</p> - -<p>4. Provisions not exceeding two days for the family need not -be reported.</p> - -<p>5. All the available forces of the commune are in the care of -the Administration for the harvest.</p> - -<p>Properties abandoned will be harvested as the rest.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">The Commandant of the Town of Andenne.</span><br /> -</div> -<p> -<i>27th August, 1914.</i><br /> -</p></blockquote> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span></div> - -<p>I have confidence in the Administration and in the population, -that now each will be careful to obey as strictly as possible the -orders of the Kommandantur in order to soften as far as possible -the misfortune caused by the criminal deeds of a few inhabitants.</p> - -<p>This is why I object to all that prevents the free circulation of -the inhabitants. I trust that none of the inhabitants of Andenne -and Seilles will make use of their liberty save for the prosperity -of the commune.</p> - -<p>The Administrations of Andenne and Seilles are working with -me day and night to bring about a settled state of affairs.</p> - -<p>All questions of revictualling and welfare must be addressed -directly to the Administrations of Andenne and Seilles, which -have also the power to require the inhabitants to work.</p> - -<p>The German Army displays the greatest severity and energy -if it is perfidiously attacked by the inhabitants, but it sincerely -desires to use justice and humanity towards the people, if the -conduct of the inhabitants permit.</p> - -<div class="right"> -Der Kommandant,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Schultze</span>,<br /> -Hauptmann.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<i>Andenne, 25th August, 1914.</i><br /> -</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">To the Inhabitants of Andenne.</span></div> - -<p>We call the attention of the population to the proclamation -which the Military Commandant has just handed to us on leaving.</p> - -<p>I am leaving this town in the expectation that it will perform, -as during the last few days, and also in the future, all that may -ensure orderly conduct towards the German Army.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_330" id="Page_330">[330]</a></span></p> - -<p>I hand over the new bridge to the town for its use, and require -it to be responsible for its safety and to maintain it in good -condition.</p> - -<p>For the present a small garrison will remain here, which will -be fed and lodged by the town.</p> - -<p>If all energies are permanently directed upon the prosperity of -the town of Andenne and Seilles these localities will soon be -cured of the grave wounds which the war has inflicted upon these -communes, by their own fault.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Schultze</span>,<br /> -Hauptmann.<br /> -</div> -<p> -<i>Andenne, 28th August, 1914.</i><br /> -</p> - -<p>We are profiting by this occasion to congratulate and to thank -the inhabitants of Andenne for the admirable manner in which -they have behaved, during these latter days, and we urge them -strongly to assist the Communal Administration to repair as far -possible the great misfortunes which we have experienced.</p> - -<div class="right"> -The Burgomaster delegated by<br /> -the Military Authority,<br /> -<span class="smcap">E. de Jaer</span>.<br /> -</div> -<p> -The Secretary,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Monrique</span>.<br /> -<br /> -<i>Andenne, 28th August, 1914.</i><br /> -</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span><a name="FNanchor_47_47" id="FNanchor_47_47"></a><a href="#Footnote_47_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a></div> - -<p>1. From <i>Saturday, 29th August, 1914</i>, midday, all the clocks -must be set to the German time (one hour earlier).</p> - -<p>2. Assemblies of more than three persons are strictly forbidden -<i>under penalty of fines</i>.</p> - -<p>3. To move about after 8 p.m. the authorization of M. le -Commandant is required.</p> - -<p>4. Arms must be deposited with the guard <i>at the Casino, by -noon on the 29th inst</i>.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Where arms are still found in the houses after this date, -the householder will be hanged.</p></blockquote> - -<p>5. The German troops requiring absolute tranquillity, workmen -can return to work at once. Tho least revolt on the part of the -inhabitants will result in the complete burning of the town, and -the men will be hanged.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Simons</span>,<br /> -Lieut.-Col. and Commander-in-Chief.<br /> -<i>Becker</i>,<br /> -<i>Captain and Commander-in-Chief.</i><br /> -</div> -</blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_331" id="Page_331">[331]</a></span></p> -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">To the Inhabitants of Andenne.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Fellow-Citizens,</span></p> - -<p>We are happy to announce to you that the military -authority will show the greatest goodwill towards us if, as we -doubt not, the worthy population of Andenne continues to -remain perfectly quiet, to labour with courage, and to obey -authority with docility, <i>as it has done</i> up to the present, for -which we thank it.</p> - -<p>At a military fête, at which the military authority expressly -invited us to be present, all the troops, including the officers—in -our presence, and before many of the notables of Andenne, -and Dean Cartiaux in particular—repeatedly shouted "Hurrah -for Andenne!"</p> - -<p>In the name of all of you, much affected, we expressed our -thanks.</p> - -<p>Dear friends, have confidence in us; we are working with -all our souls for the safety of Andenne.</p> - -<p>We have assured the military authority that the soldiers -might be perfectly at ease in our midst, that none of us would -wish to commit the least aggression—that, on the contrary, -we shall all treat the Germany Army with <i>complete loyalty</i>. We -have been responsible for you. In return, we ask you only -one thing: it is, to continue to do what you have done until -to-day, and, if, by some impossible chance, there should be -among us an ill-conditioned person who might be capable of -compromising honest people, point him out to us; for our -worthy fellow-citizens must not be responsible for the crimes -of a scoundrel.</p> - -<p>Let the German Army be sure that the communal administration -will with the utmost promptness hand over to it any one -guilty of an act of ill-will, whoever he may be.</p> - -<p>Dear fellow-citizens, patience and courage to support privation. -Be easy in your minds; we are with you.</p> - -<div class="right"> -The Burgomaster delegated by<br /> -the Military Authority,<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">Dr. Ledoyen</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">E. de Jaer</span>,<br /> -Councillor Lahaye.<br /> -The Secretary,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Monrique</span>,<br /> -</div> -<p> -<i>Andenne, 30th August, 1914</i>.<br /> -</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span></div> - -<p>I am under the impression that the greater portion of the -inhabitants desire tranquillity, therefore I invite them not to -leave the town.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_332" id="Page_332">[332]</a></span></p> - -<p>Before employing violent means, I shall make a strict inquiry -to discover the guilty persons in case a revolt should break out.</p> - -<p>I therefore expect of the population of Andenne that it will do -everything to ensure that no German soldier shall be molested -otherwise I shall be forced to act in accordance with the -measures of my first proclamation.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Becker</span>,<br /> -Captain, L.I.R. 29, and Commandant-in-Chief.<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>One word as to these placards.</p> - -<p><i>Placard of the 21st August.</i>—The men are all -regarded as hostages; the women have to feed -them; they also have to clean up the town.</p> - -<p><i>Placard of the 22nd August.</i>—The military -authorities declare, on the 22nd of August, that -Andenne, where the "attacks of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" -were repressed during the night of the 20th and -the morning of the 21st, is already regarded by the -whole civilized world as "a nest of murderers and -bandits." It offers a reward of 500 to 1000 frs. -to any one who will denounce the author of the -plot. It also promises, to excite the zeal of the -informers, that the severe measures in force will -be mitigated as soon as the leaders are discovered. -(No one was denounced.)</p> - -<p><i>1st Placard of the 23rd August.</i>—This announces -the great victory between Sarrebourg and Metz: -21,000 French prisoners were taken. (An attempt -to demoralize the population.) Note that the Wolff -Agency reported only 10,000 prisoners; where did -Major Scheunemann find the other 11,000?</p> - -<p><i>2nd Placard of the 23rd August.</i>—The Germans -are attending to the revictualling of Andenne. (In -reality the people of Andenne were starving.)</p> - -<p><i>Placard of the 25th August.</i>—The German administration -is strict, but just. (The people of -Andenne had noticed the severity.)</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_333" id="Page_333">[333]</a></span></p> - -<p><i>1st Placard of the 28th August.</i>—Once again the -inhabitants are urged to remain calm, and are -congratulated on their good conduct. (The burgomaster -was forced to countersign this proclamation. -Had he seen it first?)</p> - -<p><i>2nd Placard of the 28th August.</i>—The German -time is made compulsory. Assemblies of more than -three persons are prohibited. If arms are found -in a house their owner will be hanged. At the -least disturbance, the complete burning of the town -and the hanging of the men.</p> - -<p><i>1st Placard of the 30th August.</i>—The German -troops, having pillaged Andenne and shot down -its inhabitants, now shout "Hurrah for Andenne!" -Then a fresh appeal to informers.</p> - -<p><i>2nd Placard of the 30th August.</i>—The German -authorities now promise to make an inquiry if there -is another revolt. (This inquiry would have been -a novelty.)</p> - - -<h3>E.—Ferocity.</h3> - -<p>We may be brief, for the cruel character of <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> -is so obvious, and appears so plainly from the -documents cited, that it would be idle to insist -upon it.</p> - -<p>If it were necessary to justify our aversion, we need -only remark that the cruelties recorded were systematically -premeditated. Do not the <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbrauch -im Landkriege</i> (<i>Usages of War on Land according to -the Great General Staff</i>) state that the observation -of these usages is not "guaranteed by any sanction -other than the fear of reprisals," and that the -officer, the child of his age, carried away by the -moral tendencies which affect his country, must -protect himself "against exaggerated humanitarian -ideas," and must realize that "the only true<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_334" id="Page_334">[334]</a></span> -humanity often resides in the unmitigated employment -of these severities?" If such principles -are professed by the highest authorities, the German -soldier will not shrink from any degree of violence; -for he knows that wickedness will not merely -provide him with amusement; it will also help to -achieve the final aim of warfare.</p> - -<p>So that the officer shall be in no danger of -forgetting the spirit in which he should conceive -his relations with the enemy population, he carries -some such aid to memory as the <i xml:lang="de">Tornister-Wörterbuch</i>. -If he has letters or proclamations -to draft, he has recourse to <i xml:lang="fr">L'Interprète Militaire</i> -of Captain von Scharfenort, professor and -librarian at the Academy of War in Berlin. M. -Waxweiler (in <i xml:lang="fr">La Belgique Neutre et Loyale</i>, p. 265) -has already drawn attention to the cruel and odious -character of this <i xml:lang="la">vade-mecum</i>, so we will not enlarge -upon it. It was after consulting <i xml:lang="fr">L'Interprète -Militaire</i> that a certain placard posted in Belgium -in the August of 1914 was drafted. It gives no -details as to the "lugubrious cruelties"; it applies -both to towns and villages; it speaks of the -"mayor" instead of the "burgomaster"; it is -neither dated nor signed; in short, it presents all -the characteristics of an "emergency placard," -drafted beforehand.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span></div> - -<p>We are not making war upon citizens, but only on the enemy -army.</p> - -<p>In spite of this, the German troops have been attacked in great -number by persons who do not belong to the army. They have -committed <i>acts of the most lugubrious cruelty</i> not only against -combatants, but also against our wounded and our doctors who -are under the protection of the Red Cross. To prevent these -brutalities I order that which follows:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_335" id="Page_335">[335]</a></span></p> - -<p>1. Any person who does not belong to the army and who -is found arms in hand, will be shot instantly. He will be -regarded as outside the laws of nations.</p> - -<p>2. All arms, rifles, pistols, Brownings, sabres, daggers, etc., and -all explosive material, must be delivered immediately by the -mayors of every village or town to the commander of the German -troops; if a single weapon is found, no matter in what house, or -if any act has been committed against our troops, our transports, -our telegraph lines, our railways, etc., or if any one gives asylum -to <i xml:lang="fr"><span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span></i>; the guilty persons and the hostages who will be -taken in each village will be shot without pity. Besides this, the -inhabitants of the villages, etc., in question will be driven out. -The villages and towns even will be demolished and burned. If -this happens on the road of communication between two villages -or two towns, the inhabitants of the two villages will be treated in -the same manner.</p> - -<p>I expect the mayors and populations will be able, by their -prudent supervision and conduct, to ensure the safety of our -troops as well as their own.</p> - -<p>In the contrary case, the measures indicated above will come -into force.</p> - -<div class="right"> -Signed: <span class="smcap">The General Commanding-in-Chief</span>.<br /> -(No name.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>The appeal to brutality comes from above. In -1900 the whole world shuddered at the advice which -Wilhelm II gave the expeditionary corps setting out -for China. "Follow the example of the Huns," -cried the Kaiser. Why, then, do the Germans -profess to be annoyed when compared to-day with -the soldiers of Attila—or when their motto is spelt -<i xml:lang="de">Gott mit Huns</i>?</p> - -<p>A German lieutenant, whose military note-book -we have had before us, does full justice to his companions. -After the massacre and burning of -Ottignies on the 20th August, 1914, he wrote as -follows (we translate):—</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>The inhabitants were in the square, under a guard of soldiers. -Several men were condemned by the Council of War and at once -put to death. The women, dressed in black, as in a solemn<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_336" id="Page_336">[336]</a></span> -procession, then departed. Among those who had just fallen, -how many innocent were shot! The village has been literally -sacked: the "blond brute" has shown himself for what he is. -The Huns and the freebooters of the Middle Ages could not have -done better. The houses are burning now, and when the action -of the fire is not enough we raze what remains standing.</p></blockquote> - -<p>Very suggestive too is the placard of the 26th April, -1915, in which Baron von Bissing informs us that -according to Mr. Fox, an American journalist, the -Germans have committed no useless "cruelties." -Then there are useful cruelties? Really the -Governor-General, who seems to know his subject, -ought to publish a table differentiating the various -qualities of cruelty.</p> - -<p>But a thing that does surprise us is that the virus -of cruelty should already have contaminated civilians—I -mean the Catholic members of the Reichstag. -Herr Erzberger, the same who asserted, and who -perhaps is asserting still, that the Belgians invaded -Germany on the 2nd August, wrote what are -perhaps the most coldly ferocious words imaginable: -"<i>Above all, no sentimentality!</i>" (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 6th -February, 1916, evening edition).</p> - -<p>Such advice bore fruit, as we shall discover when -we come to examine, in succession, the physical and -moral tortures in which our executioners delight. -But first let us cite a few examples of <i>aggravations</i>. -By that we mean acts of malice which do not -endanger the life or reason of the victims, but which -reveal, perhaps the more clearly for that, the desire -to torment.</p> - - -<h3><span class="smcap">1. Aggravations.</span></h3> - -<p>A general remark occurs to us at once: it is that -the Germans have failed in their object. For instead -of exasperating us to the point of forcing us to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_337" id="Page_337">[337]</a></span> -commit some imprudence, which they would have -been obliged to repress, they simply made sure of -our profound contempt. To tell the truth, each -fresh persecution makes us furious for a day; but -the sense of irony soon regains the upper hand, -and then we have only one anxiety: to make their -latest form of vexation ridiculous by all the means -in our power.</p> - -<p>Nothing better shows the contrast between the -German mentality and the Belgian than the manner -in which we have obeyed the decree concerning -the German time.</p> - -<p>After only a week's occupation the inhabitants -of Andenne were obliged to set their clocks to the -German time. At Namur, too, this was required -from the 31st August. Elsewhere the German -time was enforced only at a much later date, -and only in respect of the clocks in cafés. Many -cabaret-keepers merely stopped their clocks; others -had fitted a second small hand, an hour in retard -of the first; others wrote beneath the clock "German -Time," or even "This clock is an hour fast." In -the window of a Brussels watchmaker, in the midst -of many clocks which indicated more or less precisely -the German time, was one which was specially -labelled "Correct Time"—and that one told, of -course, the Belgian time. In short, every one did -what he could to avoid letting his customers regard -the German time as the true time. And really, if -one has adopted, as is the case in Germany and -in Belgium, the system of hourly segments, it is -obvious that Belgium ought to form part of the -segment of Western Europe, not part of that of -Eastern Europe. It is, therefore, solely in a spirit -of aggravation that Germany forces her time upon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_338" id="Page_338">[338]</a></span> -us; and she is fully aware of this, as her public -notices are always careful to speak of "German -time," not of "Central European time."</p> - - -<p><i>Treatment inflicted upon Belgian Ladies.</i></p> - -<p>What do you think of the additional suffering -inflicted on ladies condemned to several weeks' -imprisonment for having conveyed letters from -Belgian soldiers to the parents of those soldiers, -or for speaking a little too boldly before an officer, -or for some other crime of a like nature? It is -a delicate idea to shut them up in common with -half a score of other prisoners, in a room containing -no convenience but a pail furnished with a cover. -They are lucky if the company does not include -some very dubious characters.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>We need not insist: these are aggravations, not -serious at bottom, but their irritating nature can -only be fully appreciated when one suffers them -daily, or hears them described by friends or relatives -who have been their victims.</p> - -<p>After the examples of collective and impersonal -malfeasance dictated by some high officer desirous -of justifying the fair fame of <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>, we will take -those cases in which the personality of the author -clearly reveals itself, and, let us say at once, in -which this personality instantly excites the disgust -and indignation of all merely civilized persons.</p> - -<p>The Germans reached Capelle-au-Bois on the -30th August. But on the 31st they were repulsed -by Belgian troops. On the 4th September they -returned in force and forced back the Belgians; -not without difficulty, however, for they had many<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_339" id="Page_339">[339]</a></span> -killed, of whom nineteen were buried at Capelle-au-Bois. -With the Belgian troops as they withdrew -went all the inhabitants of the village, leaving -behind them only a few helpless old people. In -this all but empty village, where no one was left -to offer them the least resistance, the Germans -hastened to kill several inhabitants—four, it is -believed. Then, under the orders of Captain von -Puttkammer, the strong-boxes were broken open, -the objects of value packed and sent to Germany, -and the wines carried to the bank of the canal and -into the houses occupied by the officers. On the -evening of the 4th September the troops set fire -to the village. Thanks to incendiary pastilles and -benzine pumps, the fire spread rapidly; 235 houses -were burned of the three hundred which formed the -heart of the village. So far all was as usual; but -here is the characteristic fact. The better to enjoy -the spectacle the troops spent the evening on the -bank of the canal; there they organized a little orgie, -over eight hundred empty bottles being afterwards -discovered.</p> - -<p>At the same period the Germans established a -few miles further to the west, at Londerzeel, -pillaged and then burned the house of the notary, -M. Van Hover. They had tried in vain to open -the safe, so, furious at their failure, they poured -benzine into it and set fire to it, procuring at least -the satisfaction of knowing that all the papers -would be reduced to ashes.</p> - -<p>What are we to think of the officer who, lodging -in the house of a curé in the province of Antwerp, -found it amusing to tear pages from the books -which formed his host's library, or to gum them -together, so that in seeking to separate them the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_340" id="Page_340">[340]</a></span> -owner himself would tear them? Note that it -was no clown who devised this kindly pastime, -for he took care to choose, in the Latin books, -the pages bearing the most important passages.<a name="FNanchor_48_48" id="FNanchor_48_48"></a><a href="#Footnote_48_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a></p> - - -<p><i>Filthy Amusements.</i></p> - -<p>Others preferred to defile things. When in -August and September 1914 we were told that the -Germans were amusing themselves by depositing -ordure in their beds we refused to believe in such -perversion. But a walk through Eppeghem, Sempst, -and Weerde was enough to enlighten us. Not only -had they emptied all the houses, rich or poor; not -only had they taken the trouble to smash into -quite small pieces all the glass and crockery they -could not carry away; not only, in the grocers' shops, -had they delighted themselves by mixing snuff -with the butter, and tacks with the cloves, and -pepper with the flour, but all the bedding bore -the malodorous traces of their visit.</p> - -<p>Let it not be imagined that this mania of -beastliness is peculiar to the common soldiers. -The officers who spent the night of the 19th -August, 1915, at Cortenburg, between Louvain -and Brussels, were infected by the same <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i>. -In a certain house they carefully laid the table in -the dining-room, without forgetting the serviettes, -and then deposited a souvenir on every plate. In -another house in Cortenburg they chose, as a -receptacle, the tall hat of the householder. In -the château of Malderen (Brabant), having taken -all that pleased them and broken the rest into -small pieces, they opened a card-table, deposited -their excrement there, and carefully closed it again.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_341" id="Page_341">[341]</a></span></p> -<p>Another manifestation of the scatological mania: -Many hundreds of German Army surgeons met in -congress during the Easter holidays of 1915, in -Brussels. On the last day of the congress, Wednesday, -the 7th April, a banquet was held, on the -premises of the Palais de Justice. On the Thursday -morning it was discovered that the surgeons -had left souvenirs behind them; they had evacuated -the surplus of food and liquor consumed by the -three natural orifices, and had chosen for their -purpose the most beautiful halls of the Palais. -Frankly, we should not have expected this from -the doctors; it is true, however, that they were -German military doctors.</p> - -<p>A man amuses himself as he can—or, to put it -more plainly, according to his mentality. After -all, these beastly habits, disgusting as they are, -are not those whose results are most disagreeable.</p> - -<p>There are others who seek violent contrasts. -Thus, at Houtem, while the church was burning, -on the 13th September, 1914, a military band was -playing its liveliest selections at a few yards' -distance. At Monceau-sur-Sambre, on the 22nd -August, officers were playing the piano in the -château of the demoiselles Bourriez, on the -Trazegnies road, when the soldiers had already -lit the upper floors. At Louvain, on the 25th -August, 1914, in a café near the railway-station, -soldiers set fire to the upper floor without warning -the proprietor, and remained below, where they -kept a mechanical piano going. They were thus -able to enjoy the despairing expressions of the -inmates when they discovered that they could no -longer hope to save anything.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_342" id="Page_342">[342]</a></span></p> - - -<h3><span class="smcap">2. Physical Tortures.</span></h3> - -<p>We shall not here refer to the innumerable cases -of torture cited in the Reports of the Commission -of Inquiry, nor those reported in Nothomb's <i xml:lang="fr">La -Belgique Martyre</i>. We will confine ourselves to -facts of which we have personal knowledge. The -Germans will, of course, seek to deny them. So -it is as well to begin by a declaration of their -own. <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i>, on the 23rd August, 1914 (the -very day on which the chief atrocities were committed -in the Dinant district), protested against -the proposal made by a German officer, not to kill -<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> outright, but to wound them mortally -and leave them to die slowly in agony, while forbidding -any one to go to their assistance. What -to our mind is even graver than the proposition -itself is the fact that the <i xml:lang="de">Deutsches Offizierblatt</i> -accepted it as quite a natural thing.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>It is clear that where they are proved, the cruelties committed -by our enemies must be denounced, and that everything -must be done to prevent their repetition. However, we must -not allow the recital of these cruelties to force us to resort to a -sort of policy of retaliation, or lead us to wash out what others -have done with innocent blood.</p> - -<p>What are we to say when we find an organ like the <i xml:lang="de">Deutsches -Offizierblatt</i> expressing its sympathy for the following proposition: -The "brutes" captured as <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span> should not be -shot outright, but should be fired upon and left to their fate, all -succour being prevented? What again are we to say when it -is added that the destruction, in reprisal, of whole localities even -does not represent "a sufficient vengeance for the bones of a -single Pomeranian grenadier assassinated"? These are the -imaginings of bloodthirsty fanatics, and we are ashamed to -perceive that men capable of speaking thus exist in our nation. -Such expressions, even if they are not carried into action, are -truly of a nature to place our struggle in an unfavourable light -all the world over.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i>, 23rd August, 1914.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_343" id="Page_343">[343]</a></span></p> - - -<p><i>The Fate of the Valkenaers Family.</i></p> - -<p>One of the most horrible tragedies of this war -was the massacre of the Valkenaers family, at -Thildonck, on the 26th August, 1914, while Louvain -was burning. Because they had not prevented the -Belgian soldiers from utilizing their farms as points -of support, the members of the two Valkenaers -households were shot down in cold blood. Of these -fourteen unfortunate people three were grievously -wounded and seven killed. The better to amuse -themselves, the Germans forced the elder of the -young girls to wave a sort of flag.</p> - -<p>During the preceding night (that of the 25th -August), in Louvain, they had savagely mangled -the corpse of a young woman.</p> - -<p>On the afternoon of the 25th, being still in the -immediate neighbourhood, at Bueken, they had -seized the curé and cut off his nose and ears before -giving him the <i xml:lang="fr">coup de grâce</i> (p. <a href="#Page_238">238</a>). At the -same time began the torture of the curé of Pont-Brûlé, -to end only on the 26th.</p> - -<p>At Elewijt, on the 27th, they amused themselves -by amputating the hands of four men—the three -brothers Van der Aa and François Salu.</p> - -<p>A little further to the east the first German -troops who had passed through Schaffen, near Diest, -on the 13th or 14th August, had there tortured the -blacksmith Broeden. All day long he had laboured, -shoeing the horses of the enemy's cavalry. Early -in the evening he repaired to the church, with the -sacristan, with the object of saving some precious -articles which had not been placed in security. -He was surprised by the soldiery and seized. -Successively the Germans broke his wrists, his<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_344" id="Page_344">[344]</a></span> -arms, and his legs; perhaps he suffered yet other -tortures. When he was practically lifeless the -soldiers asked him whether he thought that he -would in future be capable of undertaking any -kind of labour. On his replying, in an almost -inaudible voice, that he did not, they declared that -in that case he ought not to continue to live. -Immediately they threw him, head first, into a -ditch dug for the purpose; then the ditch was -filled, leaving his feet protruding.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>In other parts of the country also the most varied -tortures. At Spontin, near Dinant, on the 23rd -August, 1914, they pierced the curé and the burgomaster -with bayonet-wounds until death ensued; -but first they had bound each man with a strong -cord, drawn violently tight round the waist by the -combined efforts of two soldiers. It must be supposed -that the officer who presided over the "severities" -at Spontin had quite a special affection for -cords, for having taken alive some 120 inhabitants -of the place (the rest were killed, shot down while -they were trying to escape), he had them all tied -together by the wrists and conveyed them towards -Dorinn; but many were shot before reaching that -village.</p> - -<p>On the same day, in Dinant prison, a soldier -strangled a baby in the arms of its mother because -it was crying too loud.</p> - -<p>At Sorinnes, still in the Dinant district, and on -the same day, Jules and Albert Houzieaux were -burned alive.</p> - -<p>At Aiseau, on the 21st August, the Germans shut -two men into a house, to which they set fire. But<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_345" id="Page_345">[345]</a></span> -the unexpected arrival of a shell prevented them -from enjoying the sufferings of their victims.</p> - -<p>At Hofstade chance favoured them better; they -threw Victor de Coster, whom they had just stripped, -into the furnace provided by his own house; his -servant shared his fate.</p> - -<p>We must suppose that the Germans take great -pleasure in the contortions of the hanged. Herr -Heymel had to content himself with admiring the -corpse of a priest swinging in a tree; and his friend, -Herr Klemm, was careful to devote, to the memory -of this comforting spectacle, a drawing, published in -<i xml:lang="de">Kunst und Künstler</i> (January 1915). Herr Heymel -expresses his great satisfaction before this spectacle; -but what pleasure he would have experienced could -he have witnessed the hanging of the men whom -the Germans boast of having hanged to the trees of -the Herve district; or could he have assisted to -hang that inhabitant of Èvelette, whom the soldiers -put to death at Andenne, on the 20th; or the -cabaret-keeper who was strung up to a lantern -before the Louvain railway-station, on the night -of the 26th; but our fastidious <i>littérateur</i> would -have tasted the keenest delight at Arlon, when an -old man was put to death; he remained hanging -for hours, with his feet just grazing the soil -(p. <a href="#Page_351">351</a>).</p> - -<p>The Germans, perhaps, will say—supposing they -think they ought to excuse themselves—that these -executions were carried out as a result of the -attacks of <span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>, or after the mutilation of -the German wounded by Belgian civilians. But -it will be impossible for them to allege these lies as -circumstances extenuating the inhuman treatment -which they inflicted upon Belgian soldiers at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_346" id="Page_346">[346]</a></span> -time of their first attacks on the forts of Liége, on -the night of the 4th August; that is, a few hours -after the commencement of hostilities. Not only -did they maltreat in every imaginable manner -their Belgian prisoners, but certain German soldiers -pushed <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> so far as to refuse water to poor -wounded fellows dying of thirst; more, they even -gave themselves the atrocious pleasure of spilling -on the ground the water contained in the wounded -men's own flasks, and this before their eyes.</p> - - -<div class="right"><span class="smcap">3. Moral Tortures.</span></div> - -<p>The physical tortures which the Germans have -inflicted upon us cannot rival their methods of -moral torture. In these they have achieved refinements -worthy of the inventive genius of an Edgar -Allan Poë.</p> - - -<p><i>Moral Torture before Execution.</i></p> - -<p>To force those about to be shot to dig their own -graves, as they did at Tavigny,<a name="FNanchor_49_49" id="FNanchor_49_49"></a><a href="#Footnote_49_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> is quite a commonplace -method. In the Fonds de Leffe, on the 23rd -August, 1914 (p. <a href="#Page_360">360</a>), they perfected their mode of -operation. They had called up eight men of Dinant -to bury the victims as they were shot (there was so -much work to do that it had to be entrusted to -experienced hands). In the evening each of the -gravediggers dug his own grave; four were shot, -and buried by their colleagues; just as these were -about to suffer the same fate an officer "pardoned" -them: not out of humanity (that would have been -too decent), but simply because their services would -be required during the following days.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_347" id="Page_347">[347]</a></span></p> -<p>At Dinant, during the bloody days of the 23rd -and 24th August, they invented many other moral -tortures. On the morning of the 23rd they shot, -in a meadow of the Fonds de Leffe, a group of -thirteen men. But instead of leading them all -together before the firing platoon, they cunningly -prolonged their pleasure; the thirteen unfortunates -were tied, in succession, to the same tree, and shot -down one by one.</p> - -<p>The whole of the 23rd was consecrated, in the -Fonds de Leffe, to killing the men in small batches -of half a dozen; these were shot either before their -wives and children, or at a short distance, but within -earshot, so that the family should lose none of the -groans of the dying.</p> - -<p>When, later on, the women and children were shut -up in a windmill, having first been marched in front -of the corpses, the Germans allowed themselves the -distraction of lighting fires before the windows from -time to time, in order to make the women believe -that they were about to be burned alive with their -children, and to delight in their anguish.</p> - -<p>While men were being shot in the Fonds de Leffe, -horrible massacres were being committed at Leffe -and at Dinant, at only a few minutes' distance. -Here, too, men were shot before their families—for -example, Victor Poncelet and Charles Naus—and -the survivors were forced to pass through the midst -of the corpses. The officers, too, devised more -complicated diversions; for instance, allowing a -group of women and children to escape into the -mountains, in order to shoot them down from a -distance.</p> - -<p>A moral torture commonly employed is that which -consists in making people believe that they are going -to be killed. All the inhabitants of Sorinnes were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_348" id="Page_348">[348]</a></span> -placed before machine-guns, and a German chaplain, -speaking French, ceremoniously shook each man by -the hand. At Dinant two or three hundred persons -were lined up against a wall; then a pastor recited -the prayers for the dead (perhaps the chaplain of -Sorinnes had found another opportunity for his pleasantry), -and an empty machine-gun was pointed at -them. An officer laughed as though his sides would -split while he threatened, with his revolver, some -fifteen women shut up in the convent of Prémontré, -at Leffe.</p> - -<p>Pretended executions and threats of execution -were everywhere in common usage. At Wépion, -near Namur, on the 23rd August, 1914 (the day -of the Dinant horrors), the Germans packed the -women into boats, and told them to row into the -middle of the Meuse. They took aim at them -several times; then, having sufficiently amused -themselves, they allowed them to return to the -bank.</p> - -<p>On the 28th September, 1914, a group of civil -prisoners from the north of Brabant were going -towards the railway-station, whence they left for -Germany. The procession was preceded by a military -band, which played funeral marches, so that -they were convinced that they were being led to -execution.</p> - -<p>Two citizens of Brussels, taking a walk on -Sunday, the 30th August, ventured as far as -Koningsloo, in the suburbs. They were seized by -German sentinels, and imprisoned at the post. From -time to time an under-officer approached them, held -his revolver under their noses, and grimaced at -them: "Ah, ah, walk's over, walk's done!" (<i xml:lang="fr">Fini, -promenade!</i>). One of the prisoners asked the guard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_349" id="Page_349">[349]</a></span> -if they were really going to be shot; in which case -they would wish to make certain arrangements. -But the soldier reassured them: "Don't be afraid," -he said, "it's only a game of our officer's; he does -it every day to amuse himself." And sure enough, -towards evening the two prisoners were set free -without further ceremony.</p> - -<p>Sectional execution—execution by small groups—under -the eyes of those awaiting their fate, -was applied on a large scale at Arlon. On the -26th August, 123 (or 118, or 127) inhabitants of -Rossignol and neighbouring localities were taken -thither, and were killed in groups of ten or twelve. -Madame Hurieaux was reserved for the last; she saw -her husband and all her companions in misfortune -perish first; and she died crying "Vive la Belgique! -Vive la France!"</p> - -<p>It will be of interest to reproduce here the -narrative of a medical student who was present at -the executions which took place at Arlon. It may -be taken as a sample, so to speak, of the German -procedure: massacre and incendiarism, with no -previous inquiry; the most varied moral and -physical tortures; capricious condemnation or -liberation of prisoners; pillage of the communal -funds, etc.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>At the beginning of August I left Y——, where my parents -live, to go to the village of X——, lying to the north of my -native town.</p> - -<p>Two days later the French arrived, making towards the north -of Luxemburg. There were movements of troops in different -directions, and soon one could see that battles would be fought in -the neighbourhood.</p> - -<p>I thought I could make myself useful by opening a small -ambulance, which I did.</p> - -<p>I was lodging with one of my aunts, who has a son of my -own age.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_350" id="Page_350">[350]</a></span></p> -<p>One day an engagement took place between the French and -the German troops, and a wounded German soldier was brought -into my little ambulance; his name was Kohn.</p> - -<p>I gave him first aid; I apologized for not being able to do -more, and I told him that towards evening it might be possible -to carry him to Arlon, where he would receive all necessary care.</p> - -<p>I returned to my aunt's house; I found her in tears; they had -just taken away her son, my cousin Jules, on the pretext that he -had fired on them. It was a piece of stupidity, for there was -nothing in the whole house but one revolver, and I was carrying -that on me. I had had it on me all the time I was at the -ambulance. I hastened to hide it under a chest, and I decided to -go and demand my cousin of the Germans. I speak their -language a little, and I was so convinced of my cousin's innocence -that I imagined a few words of explanation would make them -give him up.</p> - -<p>I soon found him, tied to a tree, beside other prisoners.</p> - -<p>I began to parley with a German officer.</p> - -<p>He replied that there was nothing to do for the moment, that -the prisoners would be sent to Arlon, and that he was convinced -that if I followed them I should be able, at Arlon, to obtain -justice for my cousin.</p> - -<p>We set out for Arlon; I was beside the prisoners. At a -determined spot we were handed over to other soldiers. I -was greatly astonished, at a given moment, to see that I had -become a prisoner myself; I was no longer accompanying my -cousin, to save him; I was sharing his fate.</p> - -<p>We arrived at Arlon; we were lined up against a wall. There -were with us, notably, a woman, with two young children of nine -and ten, an old villager with his son, and other people whom I -did not know.</p> - -<p>An officer on horseback approached us. He was, it seemed a -judge. He turned to the soldiers and asked, pointing to each of -us: "Did that one fire?" And the soldiers always replied in the -affirmative.</p> - -<p>Now it should be noted that these soldiers had seen nothing, -and could have seen nothing, for they were not those who seized -the prisoners in the village in which they were arrested.</p> - -<p>The head-dress of the troops was entirely different; the first -had helmets, and the second caps.</p> - -<p>When the officer had finished pointing at us, we were informed -that we were all condemned to death.</p> - -<p>An old man was seized; I myself was seized; and we were -pushed to one side, to be shot.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_351" id="Page_351">[351]</a></span></p> -<p>The old man's son rushed towards him and tried to drag him -away from the soldiers. The result was that the son was seized, -to be shot with the father.</p> - -<p>This is how things happened:</p> - -<p>The two were put against a wall; a platoon of soldiers commanded -by an officer took up their position in front of them.</p> - -<p>The officer commanded all their movements with a deliberation -calculated to increase the torture of the victims.</p> - -<p>"Load!"... Then a pause. "Take aim!"... Then a -pause. "Fire!"...</p> - -<p>The two unhappy men fell to the ground, groaning.</p> - -<p>The officer went up to them, recognized that they were not -dead, and again gave orders to fire, with the same deliberation -and the same method. This time the father ceased to move; it -took a third volley to finish the son.</p> - -<p>We were then all led to a guard-house.</p> - -<p>There we remained for three days. We were given nothing to -eat. We fasted from the morning we were taken; it was only on -the following day, or the day after that, that we received a little -water.</p> - -<p>In that room we were literally tortured.</p> - -<p>We were forced to stand upright; an old man was groaning -he was so thirsty that his tongue protruded from his lips and the -flies settled on it. As he could not stand any longer, the Germans -passed a cord round his neck and attached it to a ring-bolt in the -wall, so that he was supported only on his toes. The cord -stretched and the wretched man fell now to this side, now to that. -The soldiers made him stand upright again by striking his face -with the butts of their rifles.</p> - -<p>At one time his trousers fell down and we saw he was wounded -in the thigh, by bayonet-thrusts. Later he became insane. In -his delirium he cried: "Prepare food for the cows."<a name="FNanchor_50_50" id="FNanchor_50_50"></a><a href="#Footnote_50_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> It was a -horrible scene.</p> - -<p>At another time the woman was taken out, with her two little -children, and all three were shot against the wall of the Palais de -Justice at Arlon. The soldiers asserted that they had "found a -German soldier's purse" in this woman's house.</p> - -<p>The time passed in the most atrocious moral anguish and -physical suffering. We had lost all notion of time. The soldiers -insulted us, spat upon us, made signs that our throats would be -cut, that we were going to be shot. They took a pleasure in -drinking in front of us.</p></blockquote> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_352" id="Page_352">[352]</a></span></p> -<blockquote> - -<p>At a certain moment an officer of superior rank entered the -room. He came up to me and asked: "Why are you here?"</p> - -<p>I replied: "They accuse us of having fired on the troops." -Immediately he turned his back upon me, but I cried, with -energy: "Yes, and far from having fired on them, I looked after -them. If you want the proof of this, ask the soldier called Kohn -who must be in the hospital here at Arlon."</p> - -<p>I then told him of Kohn. He went to the hospital, and -returned some time later; he had found the soldier Kohn, who -confirmed my story.</p> - -<p>An officer on horseback (the judge) came to the door of the -guard-room: we were sent out, my cousin and I, and without -even questioning us he said, "You are acquitted." I protested, -saying: "There are still five or six people there of my village -who are no more guilty than we are."</p> - -<p>They were sent out, and the judge told them, as he told me, -without any further inquiry, "You are acquitted."</p> - -<p>As for the unhappy old man, I will tell you later how he escaped. -He returned to his village; he is crippled.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>I remained at Arlon until the end of August, at the house of -one of my relatives, whose business brought him daily into contact -with the Belgian authorities and the German army. I was -thus able to obtain a good deal of precise information.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>The Germans entered Arlon on the 12th August. They came -from Mersch, in the Grand-Duchy. Several days earlier, all the -weapons the inhabitants possessed had been deposited at the -Hôtel de Ville. The people of Arlon knew from the newspapers -what atrocities the Germans had committed in the neighbourhood -of Liége, at Visé, Herve, Battice, Warsage, etc., and they were -far from meditating any disturbance.</p> - -<p>On entering the town the Uhlans began to break in the doors -with the butts of their rifles.</p> - -<p>On the following day Commandant von der Esch, commandant -of the town, had a notice posted up, which I have -copied <i>verbatim</i>.</p> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Proclamation.</span></div> - -<p>Luminous signals have been made to-night between Freylange -and the lower part of this town; one of our patrols has been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_353" id="Page_353">[353]</a></span> -attacked; our telephone wires have been cut. To punish the -population guilty of these acts of ill-will, I order for to-day at -3 o'clock the burning of the village of Freylange and the sack -of 100 houses in the west of Arlon. I also condemn the town -to pay a war contribution of 100,000 frs., which must be paid -over before 6 p.m., or I shall have the hostages shot.</p> - -<div class="right"> -<span class="smcap">Von der Esch.</span><br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<blockquote> - -<p>While the communal administration of Arlon was deliberating -on the subject of the war contribution, the burning of Freylange -and the sack of 100 houses of Arlon was carried out according to -the programme.</p> - -<p>After the 100,000 frs. had been paid to the Germans, they -summoned to the general headquarters, established in the Hôtel -de Ville of the northern portion of Arlon, a police agent, named -Lempreur, and instructed him to proceed to arrest those who -had fired on the German troops. He came back to say that he -had found no one. "Ah!" they told him, "you are going about -it unwillingly! Very good; you shall pay for the others." And -without listening to his pleading, without allowing him to see his -wife or children again, he was placed with his back to a door and -a firing platoon shot him down.</p> - -<p>I saw the door at the Hôtel de Ville; it was riddled with -bullets.</p> - -<p>A few days later another army division replaced the first. -Immediately the town was condemned to pay a fresh war contribution: -a million francs.</p> - -<p>The town could get together only 238,000 frs. It was let off -the remainder.</p></blockquote> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<blockquote> - -<p>From the day when I was set at liberty we used almost daily -to hear of executions in Arlon; they were of prisoners, brought -just as we were, from the neighbouring villages, notably from -Rossignol and Tintigny, who were shot in small parties.</p> - -<p>One of these executions took place in the courtyard of the -Church of St. Donat. The Dean succeeded in obtaining pardon -for two of the condemned.</p> - -<p>The most important execution was that of 123 (others say 127) -inhabitants of Rossignol and its immediate surroundings, who -were shot on 26th August. They were taken near the viaduct -which passes over the Arlon railway-station (towards the connecting -station). They were killed in small groups of ten or -twelve. Those who were not dead were finished with the bayonet. -Each group had to climb over the surrounding corpses.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_354" id="Page_354">[354]</a></span> -They kept to the last a lady of Rossignol, Mme. Hurieaux, who -thus had to see her husband and the greater part of the inhabitants -of her village killed before her eyes. She died crying "Vive -la Belgique! Vive la France!"</p> - -<p>Here is one little detail which I was able to verify. When the -receiver and examiner of Customs of Arlon learned of the -approaching arrival of the Germans they removed all the money -from the safe, leaving only copper coin to the value of about a -franc. The Germans immediately proceeded to break open the -safe, but succeeded only after two days' work. Infuriated by this -discomfiture, they used the safe as a commode.</p></blockquote> - -<p>But whatever the moral sufferings inflicted on -those who were executed, the tortures which the -Germans applied to those against whom no accusation -was brought were a hundred times more -atrocious. Think of the martyrdom of Mme. Cambier, -of Nimy, who was forced to tread on her son's -brains; and the sufferings of the innumerable men -and women of whom the Germans made a living -shield, at Anseremme, Mons, Tournai, and Charleroi -(p. <a href="#Page_195">195</a>). As to Charleroi, here is a detail not recorded -by Herr Heymel. The prisoners collected -at Jumet and Odelissert were tied in couples by the -wrists, to prevent them from trying to escape when -the French should fire on them. Moreover, they -had to walk with their hands raised. When, by -reason of fatigue, they dropped their arms, the -soldiers struck them with the butts of their rifles. -We know a man who was thus placed before the -German troops, who saw one of his relatives killed at -his side, and two of the latter's sons. He himself -received three bullets, one in the right wrist, one in -the left arm, and the third under the chin. He -escaped, but is lamed for life.</p> - -<p>Imagine also the tortures suffered by the civil -prisoners who, in defiance of all justice, were sent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_355" id="Page_355">[355]</a></span> -to Germany. Hunger, thirst, threats, and insults; -packed into cattle-trucks, they had no room to lie -down, or even to sit. Above all, they had no news -of their families. On the 4th September, 1914, more -than 100 inhabitants of Lebbeke, near Termonde, were -placed as a screen in front of the German troops -marching against Termonde. In the evening, those -who had not been shot were added to others just -captured, and all together, in all some 300, were sent -into Germany. At the moment when these unhappy -folk were leaving Lebbeke the Germans set fire -to some of the houses, and kindly informed the -prisoners that the whole village was about to be -burned. Moreover, they said, the women and children -would in part be killed, and the rest driven off -in the direction of Termonde and Gand. Imagine, -if you can, the sufferings endured by these unfortunate -people for the two months during which they -remained without news of their homes, in the conviction -that their families were massacred or wandering -wretchedly across the devastated country. While -by means of these cruel lies, whose horrible effect -was systematically calculated, they filled with despair -the hearts of those who were departing, the soldiers -amused themselves also by wringing the hearts of -the poor women—mothers, wives, sisters, daughters—who -remained in the village. For they, too, were -for long weeks without news from the prisoners, and -the abominable manner in which the German troops, -drunk with carnage, had assassinated, on the day of -exodus, twelve of their fellow-citizens (<i>9th Report</i>), -permitted them to entertain the most frightful -suppositions.</p> - -<p>Make no mistake: the case of Lebbeke is far -from being exceptional. All the civil prisoners were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_356" id="Page_356">[356]</a></span> -treated with the same barbarity, a barbarity utterly -unjustified, since, in the judgment of Baron von -Bissing, no complaint had been formulated against -the civil prisoners who have been sent back to their -homes. But all have not returned. In June 1915, for -example, most of the prisoners from Visé were still -in Germany. As for those taken from Rossignol and -so many other localities in Luxemburg, they will -never return, alas! They have been shot without -pretext.</p> - -<p>Another horrible torture consists in the suppression -of communications between the Belgian soldiers and -their parents. Since mid-October 1914 all connections -have been severed between the Belgian army -which is fighting on the Yser and the Belgians -remaining in Belgium. Those who seek to establish -communication between the Belgian soldiers and -their relatives are spied out and sentenced.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<p>Against Jules-Arthur de Cuypere, bachelor, domiciled in the -last instance at Liége, a deprivation of liberty of five months has -been pronounced, because, contrary to the known regulations, he -took charge, during a number of journeys to the Dutch frontier and -into Holland, of a large number of letters from Belgian soldiers in -France and interned Belgian prisoners in Holland; and delivered -these letters, addressed to different members of families of Namur -and the environs, at their addresses, by carrying them thither. At -the same time he rendered himself guilty by crossing the frontier.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, 5-6th July, 1915.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>Since the spring of 1915 the posts have been -operating between Belgium and Holland, so that -those few privileged persons who have a correspondent -in Holland might thus indirectly obtain -news if the Germans had authorized correspondence -through an intermediary. But they have strictly -forbidden it (pp. <a href="#Page_22">22</a>-<a href="#Page_23">3</a>). They could easily organize a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_357" id="Page_357">[357]</a></span> -service enabling soldiers to write to their relations: -"I am going on all right ... I am wounded ..." -and enabling the relations to reply, so that the -soldiers' families would be reassured; while now the -only news arrives by precarious methods, and often -goes astray. But what our enemies desire is to -make the poor relatives suffer as much as possible. -We do not believe that such a form of torture has -ever in any previous war been inflicted on a whole -population. It is untrue, it seems, that Bismarck -was the first to use the words which have been attributed -to him: "In territories occupied by our victorious -troops the inhabitants must be left nothing -but eyes to weep with." But he quoted them with -an approval that made them his own. Now they -have come true.</p> - -<p>Here is quite another kind of moral torture. The -Germans are fond of leading small groups of Belgian -prisoners through the streets of Brussels at moments -when the latter are as busy as possible: for instance, -on Sunday afternoons. One can imagine the humiliation -of the poor soldiers exposed to the curiosity of -the crowd; but it delights their guardians. It was -evidently the desire to enjoy, simultaneously, the -misery of the prisoners and the impotent anger of -the spectators which led the Germans, at the time of -their entry into Louvain on the 19th August, and -into Brussels on the 20th, to place a few Belgian -countrymen, with their hands tied behind their -backs, at the head of their columns. In ancient -Rome captives used to walk before the triumphal -car of the conqueror. Do not the Germans realize -how utterly this practice is contrary to the humane -principles enjoined by Article 4 of the Hague Convention? -We must suppose that they do not; for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_358" id="Page_358">[358]</a></span> -not only do they not abandon the practice, but they -make use of it to coin money.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Condemnation of the Town of Roulers.</span></div> - -<p><span class="smcap">Amsterdam</span>, <i>29th May</i> (Havre Agency).—The town of Roulers -is condemned to pay a fresh fine of 1½ millions, because the population -cheered Belgian prisoners passing through the town.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre.</i>)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>Impossible, it will be said, to invent tortures yet -more diabolic. But no, when it is a question of -doing evil, <i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> can surpass itself.</p> - -<p>Imagine the mentality of the person who sent to -M. Brostens, of Antwerp, the identity-disc of his son, -who was taken prisoner. And imagine the inward -joy of the sender in picturing the parents' despair on -receiving the medal!</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Refined Cruelty.</span></div> - -<p>When they make prisoners they sometimes detach the identification-discs -from the men and send them, unaccompanied by -comment, to the parents, to make them believe that their son -is dead.</p> - -<p>This is what has just happened to M. Brostens, Lieutenant of -Customs, of Antwerp. Having received, a few days ago, his son's -regimental number, he went into mourning. So yesterday morning, -what was not his amazement to see his son return, who, -having been made prisoner at the beginning of the war, had -succeeded in escaping.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Matin</i>, Antwerp, 14th September, 1914.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>Here, perhaps, the culprit was an uncultivated -soldier. But what are we to think of the mentality -of Baron von der Goltz, when he informs us by -placard that a record is kept in a register of all -aggressions against the German army, and that the -localities in which such attacks have taken place -may expect to receive their punishment?</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">General Government of Belgium.</span></div> - -<p>It has recently happened, in the regions which are not at -present occupied by the German troops in more or less force,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_359" id="Page_359">[359]</a></span> -that convoys of wagons or patrols have been attacked, by -surprise, by the inhabitants.</p> - -<p>I draw the attention of the public to the fact that a register is -kept of the towns and communes in whose vicinity such attacks -have occurred, and that they may expect their punishment as -soon as the troops are passing through their neighbourhood.</p> - -<div class="right"> -The Governor-General in Belgium,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Baron von der Goltz</span>,<br /> -<i>General-Field-Marshal</i>.<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>When one learns on what ultra-trivial hints the -German troops have based their condemnation of -the inhabitants, one may conclude that not a commune -will escape repression. It was evidently this -generalized terror which the Governor wished to -inspire. He, too, wished to have the pleasure of -inflicting moral torture.</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<p>To give point to the contrast between the mentality -of our oppressors and our own, between their -<i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> and our civilization, we should like to reproduce -a letter in which a young girl, living in Gand, -invited Belgian women to enter the hospitals for the -purpose of assisting the wounded, Germans as well -as our own, to write to their families. Committees -of this kind were immediately constituted, notably -in Brussels.</p> - -<blockquote> - -<div class="center"><span class="smcap">Belgian Compassion.</span></div> - -<p>M. Paul Fredericq, Professor at the University of Gand, writes -to the <i xml:lang="fr">Soir</i>:—</p> - -<p>"A young girl of Gand has had a touching inspiration.</p> - -<p>"She wished Belgian women who can write English and -German, forgetting international hatred, and listening only to -the voice of compassion, to attend at the ambulances and hospitals, -in order to place themselves at the disposal of wounded -foreigners, without distinction, and to write, at their dictation, -letters intended to reassure their relatives.</p> - -<p>"This truly Christian work of charity would put an end to the -anguish of so many mothers, who know that their sons are -engaged on the Belgian battlefields.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_360" id="Page_360">[360]</a></span></p> -<p>"I am certain that this appeal to the good hearts of our girls -and women will not have been made in vain."</p> - -<p>While the Germans are butchering our sons and wives, this -is what Belgian hearts are thinking of.</p> - -<div class="right"> -(<i xml:lang="fr">Le Peuple</i>, 10th August, 1914.)<br /> -</div></blockquote> - -<p>Finally, to close with, here is a numerical example -which, better than any reasoning, gives you the -<i xml:lang="de">Kultur</i> of the German Army to the life:—</p> - -<p>On the morning of Sunday, the 23rd August, -1914, the population of Fonds de Leffe (a suburb -of Dinant) comprised 251 men and boys, including -some fifteen inhabitants of neighbouring communes -whom the Germans had dragged away with them. -By the evening of the following day 243 had been -put to death: none of those taken was spared; the -eight who escaped the massacre had succeeded in -fleeing. "Happily"—we were told by a woman -whose father, husband, and four brothers-in-law -were massacred—"happily many of the men had -left for the army and were fighting on the Yser. -A strange war, in which the soldiers are less -exposed than the children, the old folks, and the -sick who are left at home!"</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> Apparently our author had never heard timber burn before.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> As the Chancellor must have known, if the civil population -<i>had</i> been called to arms it would have been a perfectly legal -measure. But the Germans, who claim the right to do what -is forbidden to others, would forbid others to do even those -things that are lawful.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> See the <i xml:lang="de">Tägliche Rundschau</i> supplement, 24th September, -1914; and <i xml:lang="de">Hamburger Fremdenblatt</i>, weekly supplement, 4th -October, 1914.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> Epistle to Romans viii. 31.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> The bill-stickers of Brussels take a malign pleasure in refraining -from pasting other matter over the burgomaster's denial. In -July 1915, eleven months after it was posted, one could still read -the famous denial in several parts of Brussels.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> Nothing was known of the torture inflicted on the curé of -Bueken until, at the request of the Dutch Government, the body -of Father Vincentius Sombroek was exhumed, at the end of September -1914 (<i>N.R.C.</i>, 1st October, evening). The body of M. De -Clerck was found at the same time, and it was then seen that he -had been mutilated. This was known to his parishioners, but -they had never dared to speak of it. What other horrors shall -we learn of when tongues are again unloosed?</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> Rom. xii. 12, 13.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> Oratio in Dominica infra Octavam Epiphaniae.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> Rom. xii. 12, 13.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> Prayer for the Sunday in the Octave of Epiphany.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> <i xml:lang="de">Etappen</i>, a provisioned halting-place for troops.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> The words in brackets are ours.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_44_44" id="Footnote_44_44"></a><a href="#FNanchor_44_44"><span class="label">[44]</span></a> Other witnesses, however, more sincere, admitted in May -1915 that the attitude of the people of Antwerp had remained -just as hostile as at the outset (see the article by Dr. Julius -Burghold, in <i>K.Z.</i> for the 29th May, 1915, 1 p.m. edition).</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_45_45" id="Footnote_45_45"></a><a href="#FNanchor_45_45"><span class="label">[45]</span></a> In Brussels the tramways had issued, up to the 15th July, -1915, 1,032 gratuitous permits to German spies.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_46_46" id="Footnote_46_46"></a><a href="#FNanchor_46_46"><span class="label">[46]</span></a> The French of this proclamation is so bad that literal translation -is impossible, but I have kept as close to the original as is -consistent with intelligibility.—(<span class="smcap">Trans.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_47_47" id="Footnote_47_47"></a><a href="#FNanchor_47_47"><span class="label">[47]</span></a> The passages italicized were underlined in pencil on the -placard posted at Andenne.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_48_48" id="Footnote_48_48"></a><a href="#FNanchor_48_48"><span class="label">[48]</span></a> We shall give names at a later date.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_49_49" id="Footnote_49_49"></a><a href="#FNanchor_49_49"><span class="label">[49]</span></a> At least, they boast of having done so.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a name="Footnote_50_50" id="Footnote_50_50"></a><a href="#FNanchor_50_50"><span class="label">[50]</span></a> I was told later that this old man was a sand merchant of -Chatillon, and was in a state of senile dementia. He was well -known to the people of Arlon.</p></div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_361" id="Page_361">[361]</a></span></p> - -<h2>INDEX</h2> - - -<p> -Absentees, tenfold tax on, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>-<a href="#Page_299">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Accusations, German, of Belgian cruelty, why made, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">absurdity of, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>-<a href="#Page_37">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">progress of, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>-<a href="#Page_49">49</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">against the Belgian Government, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>-<a href="#Page_92">92</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Administration, German, of Belgium, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>-<a href="#Page_338">338</a><br /> -<br /> -Aerschot, return of prisoners to, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">German burgomaster of, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>-<a href="#Page_141">1</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">massacre at, <a href="#Page_166">166</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Agadir Crisis, <a href="#Page_27">27</a><br /> -<br /> -Agents-Provocateurs, <a href="#Page_317">317</a>-<a href="#Page_320">20</a><br /> -<br /> -Aggravations, <a href="#Page_336">336</a>-<a href="#Page_341">41</a><br /> -<br /> -Agreements, attempt to enforce illegal, <a href="#Page_320">320</a>-<a href="#Page_324">4</a><br /> -<br /> -Air Raids, German, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>-<a href="#Page_124">4</a>, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>-<a href="#Page_260">60</a>, <i>see</i> Dirigibles<br /> -<br /> -Albert, King, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his patron saint's day, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>-<a href="#Page_269">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">portraits of, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>-<a href="#Page_271">71</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his birthday, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">German abuse of, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>-<a href="#Page_283">3</a></span><br /> -<br /> -America, Germany desires to influence, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sends help, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Belgium's gratitude towards, <a href="#Page_178">178</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Andenne, massacre at, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>-<a href="#Page_333">33</a><br /> -<br /> -André, M. François, speech by, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>-<a href="#Page_140">40</a><br /> -<br /> -Anseremme, men sent to Germany, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Germans hide behind women at, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>-<a href="#Page_120">20</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Antwerp, siege of, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">bombardment of, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>-<a href="#Page_124">4</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>-<a href="#Page_129">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the city fired, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sorties from, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">flight from, <a href="#Page_166">166</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Arlon, massacre at, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">narrative of an eye-witness, <a href="#Page_349">349</a>-<a href="#Page_354">54</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Arms, surrender of, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a><br /> -<br /> -Army, Belgian, the "enemy," <a href="#Page_272">272</a>-<a href="#Page_273">3</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">correspondence with, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>-<a href="#Page_357">7</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Army, German, <i>see</i> German soldiers, Prisoners, Wounded, Officers<br /> -<br /> -Assessment Bureau, suppressed, <a href="#Page_304">304</a><br /> -<br /> -Asquith, Mr., speaks in Dublin, <a href="#Page_53">53</a><br /> -<br /> -Atrocities, pretended Belgian (<a href="#Page_98">98</a>-<a href="#Page_108">108</a>);<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refuted by <i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>-<a href="#Page_103">3</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">by German wounded, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>-<a href="#Page_105">5</a>, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>-<a href="#Page_108">8</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Atrocities, German, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, (<a href="#Page_70">70</a>-<a href="#Page_88">88</a>);<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">responsibility for, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">formula for excusing, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>-<a href="#Page_75">5</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">method of, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>-<a href="#Page_92">2</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">repetition of, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>-<a href="#Page_165">5</a></span><br /> -<br /> -August 4th, Anniversary of, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>-<a href="#Page_279">9</a><br /> -<br /> -August 6th, Anniversary of, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>-<a href="#Page_280">80</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Baer, on "military necessity," <a href="#Page_82">82</a><br /> -<br /> -Bas-Luxembourg, massacres in, <a href="#Page_71">71</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Belge Neutre et Loyale, La</i>, by E. Waxweiler, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a><br /> -<br /> -Belgian Army, <i>see</i> Army<br /> -<br /> -Belgian Government, proposals made to, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>-<a href="#Page_51">1</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accusations brought against, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>-<a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">preventive measures taken by, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>-<a href="#Page_111">11</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">people incited against, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>-<a href="#Page_294">94</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Belgium, invaded, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>-<a href="#Page_32">2</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">her attitude in defence of her neutrality, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">invasion of, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_362" id="Page_362">[362]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">pacific</span><br /> -character of, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">disinterested behaviour of, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>-<a href="#Page_62">2</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">offered a bribe, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">famine in, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">present administration of, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>-<a href="#Page_333">333</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> Invasion</span><br /> -<br /> -Bernstoff, Count, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a><br /> -<br /> -Bethmann-Hollweg, his "scrap of paper" speech, and denial of same, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the "strategic necessities" speech, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>-<a href="#Page_32">2</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">admits injustice of invasion, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">refers to "gouged-out eyes," <a href="#Page_207">207</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">libellous declaration by, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>-<a href="#Page_264">4</a>, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>-<a href="#Page_282">2</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Bismarck, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">boasts of Ems telegram, <a href="#Page_218">218</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Bissing, Baron von, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">incites to massacre, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cynicism and audacity of his lies, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>, <a href="#Page_336">336</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Blinded soldiers, legend of, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>-<a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>-<a href="#Page_103">3</a><br /> -<br /> -Blindness, deliberate, of German "intellectuals," <a href="#Page_204">204</a>, <a href="#Page_209">209</a><br /> -<br /> -Blöm, Captain, on theory of terrorization, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a><br /> -<br /> -Boiling oil, legend of, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>-<a href="#Page_100">100</a><br /> -<br /> -Bombardment, of coast, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>-<a href="#Page_122">2</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of open towns, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>-<a href="#Page_124">4</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of monuments, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>-<a href="#Page_128">8</a></span><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Brabançonne</i>, the, prohibited, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>-<a href="#Page_274">4</a><br /> -<br /> -Brabant, return of prisoners to, <a href="#Page_96">96</a><br /> -<br /> -Bredt, on Belgian art and character, <a href="#Page_69">69</a><br /> -<br /> -Brussels, supposed "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>" in, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">return of prisoners to, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">pretended outrages on Germans in, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>-<a href="#Page_108">8</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the truth, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>-<a href="#Page_111">11</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the city fined, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">contributions imposed upon, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>-<a href="#Page_158">8</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Palais de Justice in, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Belgian colours prohibited in, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">shops closed as demonstration, <a href="#Page_275">275</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Brutality, the Kaiser calls for, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br /> -<br /> -Bueken, the curé of, tortured and murdered, <a href="#Page_238">238</a><br /> -<br /> -Buisseret-Steenbecque, Count, <a href="#Page_49">49</a><br /> -<br /> -Bülow, General von, responsible for massacres, <a href="#Page_71">71</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Cæsar, sells Belgians into captivity, <a href="#Page_93">93</a><br /> -<br /> -Camps, prisoners', <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_94">94</a><br /> -<br /> -Capelle-au-Bois, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_338">338</a>-<a href="#Page_339">9</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Carte de ménage</i>, the, <a href="#Page_172">172</a><br /> -<br /> -Catholic priests, German, servility of, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>-<a href="#Page_217">17</a><br /> -<br /> -Censorship, the German, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>-<a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">censored papers, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>-<a href="#Page_259">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">examples of censorship, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>-<a href="#Page_260">60</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Chamberlain, Houston Stewart, shameful libel by, <a href="#Page_237">237</a><br /> -<br /> -Chancellor, the German, <i>see</i> Bethmann-Hollweg<br /> -<br /> -Charleroi, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">German story of, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Alfred Heymel's account of, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>-<a href="#Page_197">7</a>, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>, <a href="#Page_354">354</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Churches, German hatred and destruction of, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>-<a href="#Page_74">4</a><br /> -<br /> -"Circulation," prohibited, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">allowed, <a href="#Page_296">296</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Civil population, attitude of, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>-<a href="#Page_90">90</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accused of guerilla warfare, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>-<a href="#Page_92">2</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">more civilians killed than soldiers by Sept. 14, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">lying accusations made against, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>-<a href="#Page_190">90</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Civil Prisoners, <i>see</i> Prisoners<br /> -<br /> -Clergy, German hatred of, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">murdered and tortured, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>-<a href="#Page_73">3</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>, <a href="#Page_343">343</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Cockerill workshops, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>-<a href="#Page_56">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Coercive measures taken by Germans, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>-<a href="#Page_117">17</a><br /> -<br /> -Collective penalties, illegal, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>-<a href="#Page_149">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Colours, Belgian, prohibited, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>-<a href="#Page_267">7</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">wearing of the, <a href="#Page_309">309</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Communal trading, exploitation, etc., <a href="#Page_170">170</a>-<a href="#Page_171">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Communes, property of, requisitioned, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>-<a href="#Page_164">4</a><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_363" id="Page_363">[363]</a></span><br /> -Commission for Relief, the American, <a href="#Page_173">173</a><br /> -<br /> -Committee of Relief, the National, <a href="#Page_173">173</a><br /> -<br /> -Conrad, Pastor, author of libel, <a href="#Page_103">103</a><br /> -<br /> -Contributions, illegal, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>-<a href="#Page_156">6</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">imposed on cities, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">on Brussels, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>-<a href="#Page_158">8</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Cooper-Hewitt lamp, claimed as German, <a href="#Page_181">181</a><br /> -<br /> -Correspondence, regulations as to, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>-<a href="#Page_23">3</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">with the Army, <a href="#Page_356">356</a>-<a href="#Page_357">7</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Credulity, German, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>-<a href="#Page_209">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Critical spirit, German surrender of the, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>-<a href="#Page_205">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Cruelty, necessity of, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>-<a href="#Page_83">3</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">is it effectual? <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">supposed Belgian, <i>see</i> Atrocities</span><br /> -<br /> -Cugnon, lying placard at, <a href="#Page_233">233</a><br /> -<br /> -Cynicism, German, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>-<a href="#Page_193">3</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Dead, German, transport of, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>-<a href="#Page_232">2</a><br /> -<br /> -Declaration of war, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ignored by German newspapers, <a href="#Page_52">52</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Demonstrations, prohibition of, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>-<a href="#Page_280">80</a><br /> -<br /> -Destitution, statistics of, <a href="#Page_178">178</a><br /> -<br /> -Destrée, M. Jules, <a href="#Page_50">50</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Deutsch-Französischer-Soldaten-Sprachführer</i>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a><br /> -<br /> -Dinant, return of prisoners to, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>-<a href="#Page_96">6</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">massacres at, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>, <a href="#Page_360">360</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Dirigibles, at Deynze, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Antwerp, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">imaginary tale of raid on Liége, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>-<a href="#Page_226">6</a>, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>-<a href="#Page_230">30</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Germans lose one and pretend it is French, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>-<a href="#Page_231">1</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Discussion, liberty of free, abolished, <a href="#Page_205">205</a><br /> -<br /> -Disdain of others, German, <a href="#Page_184">184</a><br /> -<br /> -Disunion, incitements to, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>-<a href="#Page_289">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Drunkenness, in German Army, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>-<a href="#Page_82">2</a>, <a href="#Page_134">134</a><br /> -<br /> -Dryander, Dr. O., servile complacency of, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>-<a href="#Page_215">15</a><br /> -<br /> -Ducarne Report, the, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>-<a href="#Page_44">4</a><br /> -<br /> -Dum-dum bullets, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Kaiser accuses Belgians of using, <a href="#Page_208">208</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Duplicity, German, <a href="#Page_29">29</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Economic depression in Belgium, <a href="#Page_166">166</a><br /> -<br /> -Egoism of German character, <a href="#Page_182">182</a><br /> -<br /> -Emblems, wearing of, prohibited, <a href="#Page_268">268</a><br /> -<br /> -Ems telegram, the, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Bismarck boasts of, <a href="#Page_218">218</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Engagements, violation of, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>-<a href="#Page_264">4</a><br /> -<br /> -England, as the guarantor of Belgian neutrality, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>-<a href="#Page_43">3</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Germany attempts to obtain promise of neutrality from, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Belgium incited against, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>-<a href="#Page_295">5</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Eppeghem, fined, <a href="#Page_148">148</a>-<a href="#Page_149">9</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Eroberung Belgiëns, Die</i>, propagandist publication, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>-<a href="#Page_253">3</a><br /> -<br /> -Erzberger, Herr, objects to sentimentality, <a href="#Page_336">336</a><br /> -<br /> -Escaille, M. de l', <a href="#Page_47">47</a>-<a href="#Page_49">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Espionage, German, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>-<a href="#Page_56">6</a>, <a href="#Page_316">316</a>-<a href="#Page_320">20</a><br /> -<br /> -Evere, air-raid at, <a href="#Page_260">260</a><br /> -<br /> -Executions, insufficiency of inquiry before, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>-<a href="#Page_76">6</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Factories, destruction of, <a href="#Page_168">168</a><br /> -<br /> -Falsifications, German, of documents, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>-<a href="#Page_49">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Famine in Belgium, causes of, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>-<a href="#Page_167">7</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a><br /> -<br /> -Ferocity, instances of German, <a href="#Page_333">333</a><br /> -<br /> -Filthy tricks and amusements, <a href="#Page_340">340</a>-<a href="#Page_341">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Fines, illegal and absurd, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>-<a href="#Page_149">9</a>, <a href="#Page_232">232</a><br /> -<br /> -Flag, Belgian, prohibited, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>-<a href="#Page_268">8</a>, <a href="#Page_277">277</a><br /> -<br /> -Flemish tongue, favoured, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>-<a href="#Page_287">7</a><br /> -<br /> -Fleming-Walloon problem exploited, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>-<a href="#Page_289">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Flight of Belgians before invasion, <a href="#Page_166">166</a><br /> -<br /> -Fonds de Leffe, massacre at, <a href="#Page_360">360</a><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_364" id="Page_364">[364]</a></span><br /> -Forest, hostages taken at, <a href="#Page_150">150</a><br /> -<br /> -France, Germany accuses, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>-<a href="#Page_33">3</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">were her suspicions genuine? <a href="#Page_33">33</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">pacific mood of, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">accused of entering Belgium in July, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>-<a href="#Page_37">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">sudden attack on checked, <a href="#Page_61">61</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Francorchamps, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plundering of, <a href="#Page_132">132</a></span><br /> -<br /> -"<span xml:lang="fr">Francs-tireurs</span>," the German pretence of (<a href="#Page_63">63</a>-<a href="#Page_80">80</a>);<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">were there any? <a href="#Page_64">64</a>-<a href="#Page_65">5</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">an obsession, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>-<a href="#Page_70">70</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Germany's invention of, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">method of "repression," <a href="#Page_86">86</a>-<a href="#Page_87">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Great General Staff prepares the Army for, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>-<a href="#Page_99">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">fines for attacks by, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>-<a href="#Page_149">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">pretext for massacre and pillage, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">German lies concerning, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>-<a href="#Page_190">90</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">organization of "attacks," <a href="#Page_236">236</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">proposal to torture, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Frankenberg, pretended murder of, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>-<a href="#Page_108">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Freemasons appealed to, <a href="#Page_202">202</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Gand, coercion at, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 0.5em;">Belgian girl's proposal, <a href="#Page_359">359</a>-<a href="#Page_360">60</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Gas, poisonous, use of, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>-<a href="#Page_113">13</a>, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>-<a href="#Page_199">9</a><br /> -<br /> -German Administration in Belgium, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>-<a href="#Page_333">333</a><br /> -<br /> -German character, classical authors on, <a href="#Page_281">281</a><br /> -<br /> -German language, attempt to enforce, <a href="#Page_272">272</a><br /> -<br /> -German mentality, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>-<a href="#Page_58">8</a>, <a href="#Page_67">67</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>-<a href="#Page_360">360</a><br /> -<br /> -German Prisoners, letters of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>-<a href="#Page_58">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Germans, Belgian antipathy to undiminished, <a href="#Page_307">307</a>-<a href="#Page_311">11</a><br /> -<br /> -Germany, Belgian distrust of, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>-<a href="#Page_28">8</a>;<br /> -<br /> -Gerard, Mr., <a href="#Page_111">111</a><br /> -<br /> -Godet, M. Philippe, <a href="#Page_47">47</a><br /> -<br /> -Goltz, Baron von der, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_144">144</a>, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>-<a href="#Page_265">5</a>, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>, <a href="#Page_358">358</a><br /> -<br /> -Gottberg, Herr, narrative of, <a href="#Page_68">68</a><br /> -<br /> -Graphic Lies, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>-<a href="#Page_224">24</a><br /> -<br /> -Great General Staff, the German, murderous tactics of, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>-<a href="#Page_99">9</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">methodical care of, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>-<a href="#Page_237">7</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Greindl Report, falsification of, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>-<a href="#Page_43">3</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Haecht, massacre at, <a href="#Page_163">163</a><br /> -<br /> -Hague Convention, violations of the, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>-<a href="#Page_178">78</a><br /> -<br /> -Hainaut, incendiarism in, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Provincial Council convened, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Hate, Hymn of, <a href="#Page_294">294</a><br /> -<br /> -Harden, Maximilian, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a><br /> -<br /> -Hedin, Dr. Sven, deluded by Germans, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>-<a href="#Page_78">8</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_221">221</a><br /> -<br /> -Herve, massacre at, <a href="#Page_63">63</a><br /> -<br /> -Heymann, Robert, lying narrative of attack on Jesuits, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>-<a href="#Page_228">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Heymel, Alfred, on the Battle of Charleroi, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>-<a href="#Page_196">6</a>, <a href="#Page_345">345</a><br /> -<br /> -Hindenburg, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a><br /> -<br /> -Holland, refugees in, <a href="#Page_166">166</a><br /> -<br /> -Honour, Belgian, German price of, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_140">140</a><br /> -<br /> -Hoover, Mr. Herbert, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_178">178</a><br /> -<br /> -Hostages, taking of, <a href="#Page_149">149</a>-<a href="#Page_151">51</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>-<a href="#Page_196">6</a>, <a href="#Page_327">327</a><br /> -<br /> -Hostilities, precede declaration of war, <a href="#Page_51">51</a><br /> -<br /> -Houtem, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_189">189</a><br /> -<br /> -Humanitarian sentiments, claimed by German Army, <a href="#Page_83">83</a><br /> -<br /> -Huns, the Kaiser invokes the, <a href="#Page_335">335</a><br /> -<br /> -Huy, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Identification cards, <a href="#Page_322">322</a>-<a href="#Page_323">3</a><br /> -<br /> -Incendiarism, methods of, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>-<a href="#Page_85">5</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a cover to pillage, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">organization of, <a href="#Page_236">236</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Incendiary material, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>-<a href="#Page_85">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Information, extraction of, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>-<a href="#Page_142">2</a><br /> -<br /> -Informers, appeal to, <a href="#Page_313">313</a>-<a href="#Page_316">16</a><br /> -<br /> -Innocent, to suffer with or in place of guilty, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>-<a href="#Page_149">9</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a><br /> -<br /> -Inscriptions, protection, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>-<a href="#Page_88">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Insults, German, reason of, <a href="#Page_36">36</a><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_365" id="Page_365">[365]</a></span><br /> -Intellectual life in Belgium, <a href="#Page_12">12</a><br /> -<br /> -Intellectuals, German, wilful blindness of, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>-<a href="#Page_210">10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the "Ninety-three," <a href="#Page_211">211</a>-<a href="#Page_212">12</a></span><br /> -<br /> -International law, suppressed by war, <a href="#Page_183">183</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Interprète Militaire, L'</i>, <a href="#Page_334">334</a><br /> -<br /> -Invasion, of Belgium, reasons for the, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>-<a href="#Page_35">5</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">danger of recognized, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>-<a href="#Page_41">1</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Greindl Report, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>-<a href="#Page_43">3</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reason for, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Ivy leaf, wearing of, <a href="#Page_268">268</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Jagow, Herr von, sends ultimatum, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a><br /> -<br /> -Jesuit Convent, lying tale of, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>-<a href="#Page_228">8</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Journal de la Guerre</i>, German propagandist journal, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>-<a href="#Page_248">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Jungbluth Report, the, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>-<a href="#Page_44">4</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -King of Belgium, the, <i>see</i> Albert, King<br /> -<br /> -Kitchener's Army, German account of, <a href="#Page_187">187</a><br /> -<br /> -Koch, the apotheosis of, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>-<a href="#Page_181">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Koester and Noske, authors of <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsfahrten</i>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_262">262</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Kölnische Volkszeitung</i>, suspended, <a href="#Page_203">203</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege</i>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>, <a href="#Page_333">333</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">La Guerre</i>, German propagandist journal, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>-<a href="#Page_249">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Ladies, treatment of, <a href="#Page_338">338</a><br /> -<br /> -Laeken, orgies at, <a href="#Page_81">81</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">L'Ami de l'Ordre</i>, propagandist journal, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>-<a href="#Page_255">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Latin authors, on German race, <a href="#Page_281">281</a><br /> -<br /> -Law of Nations, violation of the, <a href="#Page_12">12</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Le Bien Public</i>, propagandist journal, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>-<a href="#Page_256">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Leaflets, propagandist, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>-<a href="#Page_252">2</a><br /> -<br /> -League of German Scientists and Artists, <a href="#Page_251">251</a><br /> -<br /> -Lebbeke, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_354">354</a>-<a href="#Page_355">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Leffe, massacre at, <a href="#Page_347">347</a><br /> -<br /> -Leffe, Fonds de, massacre at, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>-<a href="#Page_348">8</a>, <a href="#Page_360">360</a><br /> -<br /> -Legation, British, documents found in the, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>-<a href="#Page_46">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Leman, General, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a><br /> -<br /> -Liége, German lies concerning forts of, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">occupation of, lies concerning, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>-<a href="#Page_60">60</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">warned against Belgian news, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">marvellous tale of Jesuit convent near, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>-<a href="#Page_228">8</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">keeps anniversary of August 6th, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>-<a href="#Page_280">80</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Lies, concerning the situation in Belgium, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">concerning "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," <a href="#Page_188">188</a>-<a href="#Page_190">90</a>, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>-<a href="#Page_282">282</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">photographic, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>-<a href="#Page_220">20</a>, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>-<a href="#Page_224">4</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">written, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>-<a href="#Page_231">31</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Lissauer, Ernst, author of the "Hymn of Hate," <a href="#Page_294">294</a><br /> -<br /> -Living shields, Belgians used as, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>-<a href="#Page_122">22</a>, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>, <a href="#Page_334">334</a>-<a href="#Page_335">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Lloyd George, speaks at City Temple, <a href="#Page_35">35</a><br /> -<br /> -Loot, <i>see</i> Pillage<br /> -<br /> -Louvain, atrocities in, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">protective inscriptions, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">return of prisoners to, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>-<a href="#Page_96">6</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">massacre in, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">lies concerning, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>-<a href="#Page_221">1</a></span><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Lügenfeldzug</i>, <a href="#Page_60">60</a><br /> -<br /> -Luttre, strike at, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>-<a href="#Page_301">1</a><br /> -<br /> -<i>Lusitania</i>, sinking of the, <a href="#Page_194">194</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Machinery, requisitioned, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>-<a href="#Page_159">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Magnet, M. Charles, appeals to Freemasons for inquiry, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>-<a href="#Page_203">3</a><br /> -<br /> -Malines, bombardment of cathedral, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>-<a href="#Page_128">8</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">traffic in suppressed, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>-<a href="#Page_302">2</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Manuals, military, <a href="#Page_45">45</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="fr">Marseillaise</i>, the, shopkeepers fined for selling, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>-<a href="#Page_274">4</a><br /> -<br /> -Max, M., imprisoned and released, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and the Governor of Belgium, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>-<a href="#Page_159">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_366" id="Page_366">[366]</a></span><span style="margin-left: 1em;">his denial of a lying placard, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>-<a href="#Page_235">5</a>, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">portrait worn, <a href="#Page_309">309</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Massacre, the two great periods of, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>-<a href="#Page_87">7</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>-<a href="#Page_165">5</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> Atrocities, Reprisals, etc.</span><br /> -<br /> -Massacres, pretended, of German civilians, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>-<a href="#Page_108">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Mentality, German, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>-<a href="#Page_360">360</a><br /> -<br /> -Mentality of a German officer, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>-<a href="#Page_80">80</a><br /> -<br /> -Mercier, Cardinal, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>-<a href="#Page_246">46</a><br /> -<br /> -Meuse, pillage on the banks of the, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>-<a href="#Page_198">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Middelkerke, Belgians detained at, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>-<a href="#Page_121">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Might before Right, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>-<a href="#Page_184">4</a><br /> -<br /> -Militarism, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>-<a href="#Page_184">4</a><br /> -<br /> -Military employment of Belgians, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>-<a href="#Page_114">14</a><br /> -<br /> -Militia, Belgian, escape of, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>-<a href="#Page_153">3</a><br /> -<br /> -Mons, pillage at, <a href="#Page_133">133</a><br /> -<br /> -Monuments, destruction of, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>-<a href="#Page_128">8</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>-<a href="#Page_131">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Murders, German, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>-<a href="#Page_80">80</a><br /> -<br /> -Music, censored, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>-<a href="#Page_274">4</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -National anniversary, the, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>-<a href="#Page_276">6</a><br /> -<br /> -National Committee of Relief, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>-<a href="#Page_178">8</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">food, etc., distributed by, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>-<a href="#Page_177">7</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Neutral opinion, necessity of influencing, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>-<a href="#Page_47">7</a><br /> -<br /> -Neutrality, Belgian, violation of, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>-<a href="#Page_62">62</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">justification of, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>-<a href="#Page_32">2</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Germany accuses France of violating, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>-<a href="#Page_32">2</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">England guarantees, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>-<a href="#Page_40">40</a></span><br /> -<br /> -News published by the German Government, <a href="#Page_185">185</a><br /> -<br /> -News, secret propagation of, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>-<a href="#Page_21">1</a>, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>-<a href="#Page_205">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Newspapers forced to appear by the German Government, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">censored, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">authorized German newspapers, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">official, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dutch, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>-<a href="#Page_19">19</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">introduced surreptitiously, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>-<a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">secret, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></span><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="nl">Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant</i>, correspondence in, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>-<a href="#Page_105">5</a><br /> -<br /> -"Ninety-three Intellectuals," the, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>-<a href="#Page_212">12</a><br /> -<br /> -Nissen, Herr Momme, on German virtues, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">pretends the Belgian attitude conciliatory, <a href="#Page_310">310</a></span><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung</i>, <a href="#Page_38">38</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Observation-posts, pretended, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>-<a href="#Page_129">9</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a><br /> -<br /> -Officers, German, lie to their men, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>-<a href="#Page_236">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Organization, peculiarities of German, <a href="#Page_303">303</a><br /> -<br /> -Ostend, Belgians detained in, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>-<a href="#Page_121">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Ottignies, account of atrocities at, by German officer, <a href="#Page_335">335</a>-<a href="#Page_336">6</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Pasteur, ignored by Germans, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>-<a href="#Page_181">1</a><br /> -<br /> -Pastoral Letter, Mgr. Mercier's, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>-<a href="#Page_246">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Pastors, Protestant, servility of, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>-<a href="#Page_216">16</a><br /> -<br /> -Photographs and picture-postcards, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>-<a href="#Page_194">4</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">"faked" photographs, etc., <a href="#Page_218">218</a>-<a href="#Page_220">20</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">showing Germans before Paris, etc., <a href="#Page_238">238</a>-<a href="#Page_239">9</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Pillage, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">officers join in, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>-<a href="#Page_134">4</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">methodical nature of, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>-<a href="#Page_137">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">prohibited by <i xml:lang="de">Kriegsbrauch</i>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">systematic, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">on the Meuse, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>-<a href="#Page_198">8</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Placards, German, <a href="#Page_22">22</a><br /> -<br /> -Plague, lying report of, in Paris, <a href="#Page_236">236</a><br /> -<br /> -Poison-gas, <i>see</i> Gas<br /> -<br /> -Poincaré, President, <a href="#Page_220">220</a><br /> -<br /> -Pope, the, surrenders Peter's Pence, <a href="#Page_177">177</a><br /> -<br /> -Portraits of Royal Family, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>-<a href="#Page_271">71</a>, <a href="#Page_309">309</a><br /> -<br /> -Postcards, <i>see</i> Photographs<br /> -<br /> -Preventive measures, <i>see</i> Reprisals, Terrorization<br /> -<br /> -Pride, German, <a href="#Page_179">179</a><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_367" id="Page_367">[367]</a></span><br /> -Priests, <i>see</i> Clergy<br /> -<br /> -Prisoners, civil, treatment of, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>-<a href="#Page_95">5</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">return of, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>-<a href="#Page_96">6</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">admittedly innocent, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>-<a href="#Page_98">8</a>, <a href="#Page_324">324</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">torture of, <a href="#Page_354">354</a>-<a href="#Page_355">5</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Prisoners, German, letters of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>-<a href="#Page_58">8</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>-<a href="#Page_106">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Proclamations, some absurd, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>-<a href="#Page_188">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Professors, manifesto of the, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>-<a href="#Page_213">13</a><br /> -<br /> -Propaganda, perfection of German, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">organization of, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>-<a href="#Page_247">7</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">bureaux in Germany, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>-<a href="#Page_253">53</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">abroad, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>-<a href="#Page_257">7</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Provincial Councils convened, <a href="#Page_138">138</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Queen of Belgium, the, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">German abuse of, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>-<a href="#Page_284">4</a></span><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Railway journeys, <a href="#Page_24">24</a><br /> -<br /> -Railways, stoppage of, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>-<a href="#Page_169">9</a>, <a href="#Page_300">300</a><br /> -<br /> -Rape, <a href="#Page_131">131</a><br /> -<br /> -Raw material, requisitioned, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>-<a href="#Page_159">9</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>-<a href="#Page_168">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Red Cross, Belgian, suppressed, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>-<a href="#Page_106">6</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>-<a href="#Page_307">7</a><br /> -<br /> -Refugees, Belgian, <a href="#Page_166">166</a><br /> -<br /> -Reims, bombardment of Cathedral, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>-<a href="#Page_126">6</a><br /> -<br /> -Relief, measures of, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">food, etc., distributed, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>-<a href="#Page_177">7</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Relief, National and American Committees, <a href="#Page_172">172</a>-<a href="#Page_178">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Repression, measures of, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>-<a href="#Page_153">3</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Andenne, <a href="#Page_326">326</a>-<a href="#Page_333">33</a></span><br /> -<br /> -"Reprisals," against "<span xml:lang="fr">francs-tireurs</span>," <a href="#Page_63">63</a>-<a href="#Page_80">80</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">excuse for, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">frivolity of, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> Atrocities</span><br /> -<br /> -Requisitions, illegal, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>-<a href="#Page_161">61</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in kind and service, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>-<a href="#Page_160">60</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of forage, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of provisions intended for relief, <a href="#Page_174">174</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Royal Family, portraits of, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>-<a href="#Page_271">71</a><br /> -<br /> -Ruysbroeck, coercion at, <a href="#Page_117">117</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Sabbe, M. Maurice, denies German libel, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>-<a href="#Page_289">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Sacrilege, <a href="#Page_133">133</a><br /> -<br /> -School inspection, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>-<a href="#Page_282">2</a><br /> -<br /> -"Scrap of paper," the, <a href="#Page_31">31</a><br /> -<br /> -Shelters, temporary, <a href="#Page_170">170</a><br /> -<br /> -Sibret, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_76">76</a><br /> -<br /> -Socialists, German, docility of, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>-<a href="#Page_207">7</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">visit Belgium, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>, <a href="#Page_296">296</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Sorel, E., <a href="#Page_39">39</a><br /> -<br /> -Sorinnes, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_347">347</a>-<a href="#Page_348">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Spontin, torture and murder of priest and burgomaster at, <a href="#Page_344">344</a><br /> -<br /> -Spitteler, Herr Karl, <a href="#Page_46">46</a><br /> -<br /> -Stamps, theft of, <a href="#Page_135">135</a><br /> -<br /> -State property, treatment of, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>-<a href="#Page_162">2</a><br /> -<br /> -Submarine campaign, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>-<a href="#Page_195">5</a><br /> -<br /> -Sweveghem, coercion at, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>-<a href="#Page_117">17</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Tamines, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>-<a href="#Page_136">6</a>, <a href="#Page_164">164</a><br /> -<br /> -Tavigny, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>-<a href="#Page_347">7</a><br /> -<br /> -Taxation, illegal, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>-<a href="#Page_141">41</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of absentees, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>-<a href="#Page_299">9</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Telegraph and telephone wires, fines, etc., for damages to, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>-<a href="#Page_149">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Termonde, incendiarism at, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_221">221</a><br /> -<br /> -Terrorization, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">uses of, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Blöm on theory of, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the theory of the German Staff, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>-<a href="#Page_99">9</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in practice, <a href="#Page_164">164</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Tervueren, prisoners from, <a href="#Page_93">93</a><br /> -<br /> -Theft, <i>see</i> Pillage<br /> -<br /> -Time, aggravation in respect of, <a href="#Page_337">337</a>-<a href="#Page_338">8</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Tornisterwörterbuch</i>, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>-<a href="#Page_143">3</a>, <a href="#Page_334">334</a><br /> -<br /> -Torture, inflicted on priest, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">recommended, <a href="#Page_342">342</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">another priest tortured, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">other cases, <a href="#Page_343">343</a>-<a href="#Page_346">6</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">moral and physical, <a href="#Page_346">346</a>-<a href="#Page_360">60</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Trade, stagnation of, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>-<a href="#Page_169">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Traffic, suppression of, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>-<a href="#Page_169">9</a><br /> -<br /> -Treaty of London, <a href="#Page_39">39</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Ultimatum, the, <a href="#Page_30">30</a><br /> -<br /> -Uncensored newspapers, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>-<a href="#Page_262">2</a><br /> -<br /> -Unemployment, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>-<a href="#Page_170">70</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">patriotic reasons for, <a href="#Page_296">296</a></span><br /> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_368" id="Page_368">[368]</a></span><br /> -Untruthfulness, German, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>-<a href="#Page_282">82</a><br /> -<br /> -Useful cruelties, <a href="#Page_336">336</a><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Villalobar, Marquis of, <a href="#Page_173">173</a><br /> -<br /> -Violation of Belgian neutrality, <i>see</i> Neutrality, Belgium, Invasion<br /> -<br /> -Violence, claimed as legitimate, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_263">263</a><br /> -<br /> -Visé, massacre at, <a href="#Page_64">64</a><br /> -<br /> -<i xml:lang="de">Vorwärts</i>, protests against German lies, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>-<a href="#Page_103">3</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">suspended, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">protests against incitement to torture, <a href="#Page_342">342</a></span><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -War, <i>see</i> Ultimatum, Invasion, etc.<br /> -<br /> -War Booty, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>-<a href="#Page_250">50</a><br /> -<br /> -War Tax, monstrous, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>-<a href="#Page_140">40</a><br /> -<br /> -Waxweiler, M. Emile, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, -<a href="#Page_189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a><br /> -<br /> -Weber, pretended murder of, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>-<a href="#Page_108">8</a><br /> -<br /> -Wépion, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_75">75</a><br /> -<br /> -Werchter, atrocities at, <a href="#Page_164">164</a><br /> -<br /> -White flag, abuse of, <a href="#Page_118">118</a><br /> -<br /> -Whitlock, Mr. Brand, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>-<a href="#Page_111">11</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_178">178</a><br /> -<br /> -Wiart, M. Carton de, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>-<a href="#Page_62">2</a><br /> -<br /> -Wilhelm II, his "well-intentioned proposal," <a href="#Page_35">35</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his three successive proposals, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>-<a href="#Page_51">1</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his telegram to President Wilson, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">tacitly admits innocence of civilians, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">text of his telegram, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>, <a href="#Page_335">335</a></span><br /> -<br /> -Wilson, President, Kaiser's telegram to, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a><br /> -<br /> -Wounded, German, letters from, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>-<a href="#Page_105">5</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Houston Chamberlain on Belgian treatment of, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;"><i>see</i> Atrocities, pretended Belgian</span><br /> -<br /> -<br /> -Zobeltitz, refers to museum specimens as proving Belgium's preparation for war, <a href="#Page_207">207</a><br /> -</p> - -<div class="center"><br /><br /> -<i>Printed in Great Britain by</i><br /> -UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON -</div> - -<p> </p> -<p> </p> -<hr class="chap" /> -<p> </p> -<p> </p> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2>Transcriber's Note</h2> - -<p>Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritical markings were corrected.</p> - -<p>Inconsistent hyphenation was made consistent.</p> - -<p>P. 5: Contributions and Requsitions -> Contributions and Requisitions.</p> - -<p>P. 34: German troops entered Belguim -> German troops entered Belgium.</p> - -<p>P. 46: sacrified on the altar of Kultur -> sacrificed on the altar of -Kultur.</p> - -<p>P. 60: pepetrates this trickery -> perpetrates this trickery.</p> - -<p>P. 64: It would be impossible as this moment -> It would be impossible -at this moment.</p> - -<p>P. 157: degree of obstinancy -> degree of obstinacy.</p> - -<p> -Latin letter on pp. 242-3:<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Militess onim -> Milites enim.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">dignitate nestrae -> dignitati nostrae.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">di eadem matutina -> die eadem matutina.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">aminarum pastor -> animarum pastor.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">potius aminarum -> potius animarum.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">decenatus evenerunt -> decanatus evenerunt.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>P. 298: German Goverment -> German Government.</p> - -<p>P. 354: proceded to break open -> proceeded to break open.</p> - -<p>Index entry for Propaganda, bureaux in Germany changed from 274-53 to 247-53.</p> - -</div> - -<p> </p> -<hr class="full" /> -<p>***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE***</p> -<p>******* This file should be named 51716-h.htm or 51716-h.zip *******</p> -<p>This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:<br /> -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/7/1/51716">http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/7/1/51716</a></p> -<p> -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed.</p> - -<p>Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -</body> -</html> - diff --git a/old/51716-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/51716-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 3f6cae3..0000000 --- a/old/51716-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51716.txt b/old/51716.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 379fe16..0000000 --- a/old/51716.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,13438 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Belgians Under the German Eagle, by Jean -Massart, Translated by Bernard Miall - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: Belgians Under the German Eagle - - -Author: Jean Massart - - - -Release Date: April 10, 2016 [eBook #51716] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE*** - - -E-text prepared by Brian Coe, Moti Ben-Ari, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive/American Libraries -(https://archive.org/details/toronto) - - - -Note: Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive/American Libraries. See - https://archive.org/details/2belgiansunderge00massuoft - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - Text enclosed by equal signs is in bold face (=bold=). - - A carat character is used to denote superscription. A - single character following the carat is superscripted - (example: XX^e). Multiple superscripted characters are - enclosed by curly brackets (example: R^{do}). - - - - - -BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE - -by - -JEAN MASSART - -Vice-Director of the Class of Sciences in the Royal Academy of Belgium - -Translated by Bernard Miall - - - - - - - -London -T. Fisher Unwin Ltd. -Adelphi Terrace - -First published June 1916 - -(All rights reserved) - - - - -PREFACE - - -These pages were written in Belgium between the 4th August, 1914, and -the 15th August, 1915. - -I employed in this work only those books and periodicals which -entered the country, whether secretly or openly, and which every one, -therefore, can procure. - -But to drive conviction into the reader's mind I have observed a rule -of selection in using these documents: I have used those exclusively -which are of German origin, or which are censored by the Germans. - -They are-- - - (A) German posters exposed in Belgium. - - (B) Books and newspapers coming from Germany. - - (C) Newspapers published in Belgium under the German censorship. - - (D) The _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_, the only foreign newspaper - which has been authorized in Belgium since the beginning of the - occupation. As for the Belgian _Grey Books_, the Reports of the - Commission of Inquiry, and books published in Belgium, of these I - used only those which were known to us in Belgium before the 15th - August, 1915. - -In short, since I crossed the frontier I have not inserted a single -idea into this book: it therefore precisely reflects the state of mind -of a Belgian who has lived a year under the German domination. - -I have forced myself to remain as far as possible objective, in order -to give my work the scientific rigour which characterizes the Reports -of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry. I have simply transferred, to a -domain which is new to me, the methods of my customary occupations. - - * * * * * - -Here is a list of my principal sources, with the abbreviations which -denote them in the text:-- - - _N.R.C._ _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant._ From this journal - (with two exceptions) I have taken only those - articles which were not stopped by the German - censorship. - _K.Z._ _Koelnische Zeitung._ - _K.Vz._ _Koelnische Volkszeitung._ - _D.G.A._ _Duesseldorfer General-Anzeiger._ - _F.Z._ _Frankfurter Zeitung._ - _N.A.Z._ _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung._ - 1st to 12th Report. _Reports of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry._ - 1st and 2nd Belgian. _Grey Books_. - _Belg. All._ Davignon, _La Belgigue et l'Allemagne_. - -The English edition is not a complete translation of the French text. -To save space, many facts, and above all, many quotations, have been -suppressed. - - J. M. - - ANTIBES, VILLA THURET, - _October, 1915_. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - =Preface= 1 - - =Introduction= 9 - - INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN BELGIUM 12 - - Prohibition of Newspapers and Verbal Communication--The - German Censorship--Authorized German Newspapers--Authorized - Dutch Newspapers--Newspapers - introduced Surreptitiously--Secret Propagation of News--Secret - Newspapers--German Placards--Regulations as to - Correspondence--Railway Journeys. - - - CHAPTER I - - =The Violation of Neutrality= 27 - - A. THE PRELIMINARIES 27 - - The Belgians' Distrust of Germany lulled--German - Duplicity on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of August, 1914--The - Ultimatum--The Speech of the Chancellor in the Reichstag. - - B. JUSTIFICATION OF THE ENTRY INTO BELGIUM 31 - - C. GERMAN ACCUSATIONS AGAINST BELGIUM 36 - - Necessity of influencing Neutrals--Absurdity of the First - Accusations--A Change of Tactics--The Revelations of the - _N.A.Z._--1. The Report of M. le Baron Griendl, some time - Belgian Minister in Berlin--2. The Reports of Generals - Ducarne and Jungbluth--The Attitude of the Belgians - toward the German Falsifications--Neutral Opinion--The - Falsification of M. de l'Escaille's Letter. - - D. THE DECLARATION OF WAR AND THE FIRST HOSTILITIES 50 - - The three successive Proposals of Wilhelm II to - Belgium--Hostilities preceding the Declaration of War--The - Pacific Character of Belgium--German Espionage in - Belgium--The Mentality of the German Soldiers at the - beginning of the Campaign--Letters from German - Prisoners of War--German Lies respecting the Occupation - of Liege--The sudden attack upon France is checked--The - Disinterested Behaviour of Belgium. - - - CHAPTER II - - =Violations of the Hague Convention= 63 - - A. THE "REPRISALS AGAINST FRANCS-TIREURS" 63 - - Murders Committed by the Germans from the Outset--Were - there any "Francs-tireurs?"--The Obsession of - the "Francs-tireurs" in the German Army--The Obsession - of the "Francs-tireurs" in the Literature of the - War--The Obsession of the "Francs-tireurs" in Literature - and Art--Responsibility of the Leaders--Animosity - toward the Clergy--Animosity toward Churches--Intentional - Insufficiency of Preliminary Inquiries--A - "Show" Inquiry--Mentality of an Officer charged with - the Repression of "Francs-tireurs"--Drunkenness in the - German Army--Cruelties necessary according to German - Theories--Terrorization: "Reprisals" as a "Preventive" - Incendiary Material--The two great Periods of Massacre--Protective - Inscriptions--Accusations against the Belgian - Government--Treatment of Civil Prisoners--The Return - of Civil Prisoners--German Admission of the Innocence - of the Civil Prisoners. - - B. THE "BELGIAN ATROCITIES" 98 - - The Pretended Cruelty of Belgian Civilians toward the - German Army--Some Accusations--The Pretended - Massacres of German Civilians--Preventive and Repressive - Measures taken by the Belgian Authorities. - - C. VIOLATIONS OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION 111 - - Military Employment of Belgians by the Germans--Measures - of Coercion taken by the Germans--Living - Shields--A German Admission--Belgians placed before the - Troops at Charleroi--Belgians placed before the Troops at - Lebbeke, Tirlemont, Mons--Belgian Women placed before - the Troops at Anseremme--Belgians forcibly detained at - Ostend and Middelkerke--Bombardment of the Cathedral - at Malines--The Pretended Observation-post on Notre-Dame - of Antwerp--German Observation-posts admitted - by the Germans--Pillage--Thefts of Stamps--Illegal - Taxation--Fines for Telegraphic Interruptions--Fines - for Attacks by "Francs-tireurs"--Hostages--Contributions - and Requisitions--Contributions demanded from the - Cities--Exactions of a Non-commissioned Officer--Requisitions - of Raw Materials and Machinery--Conclusions--The - Famine in Belgium--The Flight of the Belgians--The - Causes of the Famine--Creation of Temporary - Shelters--The National Relief Committee--Belgium's - Gratitude to America. - - - CHAPTER III - - =The German Mind, Self-depicted= 179 - - A. PRIDE 179 - - Some Manifestations of Pride and the Spirit of Boasting--1. - Militarism--Might comes before Right--2. Disdain - of Others--Some Inept Proclamations, etc.--Lies Concerning - the Situation in Belgium--Lies concerning - "Francs-tireurs"--3. Cynicism--Photographs and - Picture-postcards--Alfred Heymel on the Battle of - Charleroi--Surrender of the Critical Spirit. Refusal to - Examine the Accusations of Cruelty--The Abolition of Free - Discussion in Germany--German Credulity--Voluntary Blindness - of the "Intellectuals"--The Manifesto of the - "Ninety-three"--The Manifesto of the 3,125 Professors--The - Protestant Pastors--The Catholic Priests and Rabbis. - - B. UNTRUTHFULNESS 217 - - 1. A Few Lies--Written Lies--A French Dirigible - Captured by the Germans--The Transportation of the - German Dead--Some Lying Placards--M. Max's Denial--How - the Officers Lie to their Men--2. Perseverance in - Falsehood--The German treatment of Mgr. Merrier--3. - The Organization of Propaganda--(_a_) Propagandist - Bureaux Operating in Germany--(_b_) Propagandist Matter - issued by the Publishing Houses--(_c_) Propagandist - Bureaux operating Abroad--Sincerity of the Censored - Newspapers--Persecution of Uncensored Newspapers--(_d_) - Various Propaganda--4. The Violation of Engagements--The - Independence of Belgium--The Promise - to respect the Patriotism of the Belgians--The Forced - Striking of the Flag--The Belgian Colours forbidden - in the Provinces--Prohibition of the Belgian Colours - in Brussels--The "Te Deum" on the Patron Saints' Day - of the King--The Portraits of the Royal Family--Obligation - to Employ the German Language--The Belgian - Army is our Enemy!--The "Brabanconne" Prohibited--The - National Anniversary of July 21st--The Anniversary - of the 4th August--School Inspection by the Germans. - - C. INCITEMENTS TO DISUNION 282 - - Incitements to Disloyalty--The Walloons incited against - the Flemings--Inciting the People against the Belgian - Government--Inciting the Belgians against the English. - - D. A FEW DETAILS OF THE ADMINISTRATION OF BELGIUM 295 - - (_a_) Present Prosperity in Belgium--Assertions of the - German Authorities--The Parasitical Exploitation of - Belgium admitted by Germany--The Tenfold Tax on - Absentees--Railway Traffic in Belgium--Trouble with the - Artisans of Luttre--Traffic suppressed at Malines--(_b_) - The Germans' Talent for Organization--Conflict between - Authorities--Supression of the Bureau of Free Assessment--The - Belgian Red Cross Committee Suppressed--(_c_) - The Belgian Attitude toward the Germans--(_d_) Behaviour - of the German Administration--The Appeal to - Informers--German Espionage--Agents-Provocateurs or - "Traps." - - E. FEROCITY 333 - - 1. Aggravations--Treatment inflicted upon Belgian Ladies--Filthy - Amusements--2. Physical Tortures--The Fate - of the Valkenaers Family--3. Moral Tortures--Moral - Torture before Execution. - - - =Index= 361 - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -Bismarck was given to quoting, with approval, a saying which has often -been attributed to him, but which was, in reality, first made in his -presence by a hero of the American Civil War--General Sheridan. It was, -that the people of a country occupied by a conquering army should be -left nothing--save eyes to weep with! - -And we Belgians, truly, are weeping: weeping for our native country, -invaded, in contempt of the most solemn conventions, by one of the -signatories of those treaties; weeping for our villages, which -are levelled to the ground, and our cities, which are burned; our -monuments, which are broken by shell-fire, and our treasures of art -and science, which are for ever destroyed. We mourn to think of those -hundreds of thousands of our countrymen who have wandered without -shelter along the highways of Europe; of Belgium, lately so proud -of her prosperity, but now taxed and crushed and exhausted by war -requisitions and contributions, and reduced to holding out her hand for -public charity. - -Who could help but weep when, in Flanders, our soldiers are defending -the very last corner of our territory; when, in our villages, men, old -folks, women, and children have been, and are yet, shot down without -pity in reprisal for imaginary crimes; when thousands of civilians -are imprisoned in Germany as hostages; when the burgomaster of the -capital, for daring to defend the rights of his constituents, is -confined in a Silesian prison;[1] when our rural clergy is decimated, -to such a point that divine service has necessarily been suspended -in entire cantons; when a scholar like Van Gehuchten dies in exile, -after seeing his manuscripts and his drawings, the fruit of ten years' -labours, disappear in the flames of Louvain? - - * * * * * - -Our sobs are mingled with tears of gratitude for the compassionate -intervention of Holland, America, Spain, the Scandinavian countries, -Switzerland, and Italy ... not forgetting our Allies. It is this -generosity that has prevented us from dying of hunger and want; a -million of our refugees have found in Holland a fraternal succour which -has never for a moment been relaxed; the United States, thanks to the -influence and the incomparable activity of their Minister in Brussels, -Mr. Brand Whitlock, supply us with our daily bread. - -Belgium will never forget the exactions of those who have reduced to -famine one of the richest and most fertile countries in the world, nor -the unequalled charity of the nations which have enabled us to live to -this day, and have saved us from death by starvation. - - * * * * * - -We are weeping! But we do not surrender ourselves to despair, for we -have kept intact our faith in the future, and the firm resolve to leave -no stone unturned that we may for ever be spared such another trial. -Above all, we refuse to bow our heads beneath the yoke. In vain have -the Germans afflicted us with increasingly unjust and unjustifiable -and vexatious demands; they will never daunt us. Let them proscribe -the Belgian flag as a seditious emblem; we have no need to unfurl it -to remain faithful to it; they are welcome to forbid the _Te Deum_ -on the day of the King's patron saint; since the King and the Queen -are valiantly sharing, on the Yser, in the efforts and the sufferings -of our brothers and our sons, royalty has no firmer supporters among -us than the leaders of Socialism. No, we assuredly are not ready to -abandon ourselves to despair. And nothing can sustain us more than the -international sympathies by which we feel ourselves surrounded in this -our unmerited misfortune. - - * * * * * - -The time has not yet come to judge the events which have delivered -Europe to fire and blood. Yet we hold that it is the duty of all those -who believe themselves in a position usefully to intervene to make -themselves heard. For Germany possesses so perfect an organization for -the diffusion of her propaganda in foreign countries, that the public -opinion of neutral States, hearing but one side of the question, would -finally come to believe our enemies. - -It would be useless and ineffectual to accumulate, as did the -ninety-three German "intellectuals," among others, a number of denials -and affirmations, without supporting them by a single definite fact. We -do not wish to put forward anything which we cannot immediately support -by easily verified proofs. This rule which we have compelled ourselves -to observe, has forced us narrowly to limit our field of investigation. -We shall speak only of actions and intellectual manifestations which -are immediately connected with the present war; and as the field -would be too vast even when so circumscribed, we shall say nothing of -military operations properly so-called, nor of all that has happened -beyond the Belgian frontiers. We do not propose to write a history. We -leave to those more competent the task of extricating the truth as to -present events; we shall content ourselves with taking indisputable -documents, which are nearly always cuttings from German books, or -German newspapers, or German posters, and with analysing their mental -significance; and, further, with showing how the Belgians react against -the actions recorded. - -In the following pages we shall first of all examine the _violation -of Belgian neutrality by Germany_, then the _infractions of the Hague -Convention of 18th October, 1907_. We shall be careful to invoke only -_precise and unquestionable facts_; but for that matter the number of -German infractions of the law of nations in Belgium is so enormous -that we have been able provisionally to exclude all those which are -not established in the most positive manner. At the same time we -shall endeavour to derive from these facts a few indications as to -our enemies' manner of thinking. This last will be studied in further -detail in a third chapter: _German Mentality Self-depicted_. - - -INTELLECTUAL LIFE IN BELGIUM. - -A few words as to the documents utilized. - -As the Germans occupied our country they took pains to isolate us from -the rest of the world. They immediately suppressed all our journals, -as these naturally refused to submit to their censorship. At the same -time the Germans forced certain journals to reappear; notably _L'Ami de -l'Ordre_, at Namur, and _Le Bien Public_, at Gand. The first of these -journals took care frankly to inform its readers that the military -authorities were forcing it to continue publication. - -As for foreign newspapers, their introduction was forbidden under heavy -penalties. - - -_Prohibition of Newspapers and Verbal Communications._[2] - - OFFICIAL NOTICE. - - Although the District Commandant[3] is continually causing - authentic news of the military operations to be published, the - foreign newspapers are intentionally publishing false news. - - It is brought to the knowledge of the public that it is therefore - strictly forbidden to any one whomsoever to introduce into Spa and - the surrounding district newspapers other than German, without the - previous authorization of the District Commandant. - - Offenders will be punished according to the laws of war. - - The same penalties will be applied to those who have verbally - spread false news. - - THE DISTRICT COMMANDANT, - ASKE, _Colonel_. - - SPA, _22nd September, 1914_. - (_Placard posted at Spa._) - - NOTICE. - - I call the attention of the population of Belgium to the fact that - the sale and distribution of newspapers and of all news reproduced - by letterpress or in any other manner which is not expressly - authorized by the German censorship is strictly prohibited. Every - offender will be immediately arrested and punished by a long term - of imprisonment. - - THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _Field-Marshal_. - - BRUSSELS, _4th November, 1914_. - (_Posted in Brussels._) - - - MILITARY COURT. - - In pursuance of 18, 2 of the Imperial decree of 28th December 1899, - the following persons have been punished:-- - - (_a_) The coal-merchant Jules Pousseur, of Jambes, with 2 months' - imprisonment and a fine of 100 marks, or 20 days' additional - imprisonment. - - (_b_) His daughter, Camille Pousseur, with 2 months' imprisonment, - because they frequently bought foreign newspapers and articles - from newspapers whose sale is prohibited; and further because the - daughter copied and collected, with the knowledge and permission - of her father, poems and articles hostile to Germany, containing, - for the most part, vulgar and obscene insults in respect of the - Emperor, the Confederate Princes, and the German Army; and because - she further, as one may fully realize from the careful manner in - which the numerous copies were made, communicated the originals to - others, and finally because Jules Pousseur admits that he has for - some time been engaged in forwarding letters, which is forbidden. - -The terms of imprisonment will run from the first day of detention. The -copies and other writings will be retained. - -_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, _4th April, 1915_. - - -_The German Censorship._ - -After the 20th August the eastern half of Belgium was thus deprived of -all intellectual communication with the outside world. For a fortnight -we were left absolutely without news. Then, from the 5th September, -the German Government permitted the publication of journals which were -carefully expurgated, and falsified by a rigorous censorship:[4] _Le -Quotidien_, _Le Bruxellois_, _L'Echo de Bruxelles_, _Les Dernieres -Nouvelles_; and later _Le Belge_, _La Belgique_, _La Patrie_, etc., in -Brussels, _L'Avenir_ in Antwerp, and many more. Although submitted to -the censorship, the appearance of these newspapers was only provisional -and uncertain. _Le Bien Public_ reminds its readers of the fact in its -issue for the 13th December, 1914. All these journals were on occasion -suspended; for example, _Le Quotidien_, from the 9th to the 11th -December, 1914, without any reason being given; _L'Ami de l'Ordre_, -from the 2nd to the 7th September, 1914, for having printed an acrostic -regarded as insulting; and _Le Bien Public_, during the whole of May, -1915. - -The illustrated journals were as much subject to the censorship as -the ordinary newspapers. Numbers 1 to 3 of _1914 Illustre_, published -before the arrival of the Germans, could no longer be exposed for -sale: No. 1 containing portraits of King Albert, Nicholas II, M. -Poincare, and King George V; No. 2 the portrait of General Leman, and -No. 3 that of M. Max. From November onwards the issues were severely -edited, so that they contained, for example, scarcely any more -photographs of towns burned by the German army. The other illustrated -papers--_Actualite Illustre_, _Le Temps Present_, etc., also had none -but anodyne photographs, such as portraits of the new masters, military -and civil. - -In some degree to replace the newspapers, the printers conceived the -idea of publishing little booklets relating to the war, but giving -no direct news of the military operations. These publications were -naturally subjected to the censorship, and many of those which were -published before the decree of the 13th October, 1914, were prohibited; -it was thus with the very interesting brochure, _M. Adolphe Max, -bourgmestre de Bruxelles, son administration du 20th aout au 26th -septembre, 1914_, and the Nos. 1 to 10 of the booklets issued by Mr. -Brian Hill. Illustrated postcards also were censored; the series in -course of publication, representing the ruins of Louvain, Dinant, -Charleroi, Liege, etc., had to be interrupted. Music even had to -receive the official approbation (_see_ the placard of 27th March, -1915, p. 274). - -In short, it will be seen that our public life already very closely -approached the German ideal: _Alles ist verboten_. To think that -Belgium, so justly proud of her constitutional liberties, is now -crushed, breathless, under the heavy Prussian jack-boot! - - -_Authorized German Newspapers._ - -As a compensation for those which the German Administration felt -obliged to suppress, it allowed us, about the 10th September, -to receive some German newspapers--the _Koelnische Zeitung_, -_Koelnische Volkszeitung_, _Duesseldorfer Tageblatt_, _Duesseldorfer -General-Anzieger_, and also a few illustrated papers, notably the -_Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung_, _Die Wochenschau_, _Du Kriegs-Echo_. -At a later date other newspapers were tolerated: _Vossissche Zeitung_, -_Berliner Tageblatt_, _Frankfurter Zeitung_, _Berliner Zeitung am -Mittag_, _L'Ami du Peuple_ (a special edition, for Belgium, in French -and German, of _Der Volksfreund_, of Aix-la-Chapelle), and also some -new illustrated papers, for example, _Kriegsbilder_, _Zeit im Bild_, -and above all the _Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier_, published in German, -Flemish, French, and English,[5] whose sixteen pages, all covered -with illustrations, cost only 15 centimes: evidently an instrument of -propaganda, subsidized by the Central Administration. We shall have -occasion later on to insist on its veracity, if one may call it that. -For a long time none of these journals reached us regularly. - -We had also access to two journals published by the Government -itself: (1) the _Deutsche Soldatenpost_ (_Herausgegeben von der -Zivil-Vorwaltung des General-Gouverneurs in Belgien_), originally -reserved for soldiers, but which was also sold to civilians--in a very -intermittent fashion, it is true--from September 1914 to the beginning -of December 1914; (2) _Le Reveil_ (_Echo de la Presse, Journal officiel -du Bureau allemand a Duesseldorf pour la publication de nouvelles -authentiques a l'etranger_), the latter being published simultaneously -in French and German. Forty-nine numbers were published. It felt such -an insurmountable disgust for untruth that having announced in the -introductory article of its first number that Belgium was entirely -in the hands of the Germans, it spoke, in a neighbouring column, of -battles in Western Flanders between the Germans and the Allies. Let -us say at once that from the point of view of sincerity and liberty -of opinion all the newspapers of the Trans-Rhenian world are of equal -worth: official or otherwise, they only publish that which is allowed, -or rather, inspired, by the Government. - - -_Authorized Dutch Newspapers._ - -One newspaper not subject to the Imperial censorship, one only, has -found grace with the authorities--the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_. -Its tendencies, clearly favourable to Germany, enable it to penetrate -into Belgium; but not equally all over the country. At Gand one may -subscribe to it; but its sale in single numbers is prohibited. In -Antwerp it was proscribed for several months from the 7th December. - -At Louvain and Brussels it may be sold in the street, and also supplied -to subscribers. But it must not be supposed that the paper is anywhere -regularly distributed; the edition of the morning of the 10th November, -1914, was forwarded on the 27th November to a few subscribers who -were particularly persistent in their demands; it is true that this -number contains the article on the letters of prisoners of war made -by the Belgians (pp. 104-5), and that these letters annihilate not a -few accusations made by the Germans, while they throw a singular light -on their lies and acts of pillage. As for the issues for the 6th, -7th, and 8th December, 1914, they were never distributed; an official -announcement, which appeared in _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ of the 9th and 10th -December states that these numbers contain "inadmissible communications -as to the dislocation of troops." The issues of the 24th, 25th, and -26th December were also withheld. Since January 1915 some ten numbers -have been prohibited each month. - -From the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_ we have copied only the -articles by contributors and correspondents of the journal itself; it -has seemed to us that to reproduce articles extracted from Belgian -newspapers was a proceeding which, while quite usual among the Germans, -is not entirely honest. - -Another Dutch journal, the _Algemeen Handelsblad_ of Amsterdam, arrived -in Brussels at the beginning of November; but its licence was withdrawn -at the end of a week. - -From February 1915 its sale was again authorized in Belgium. At -the same time the introduction of a few other Dutch journals was -permitted, their pro-German character being indubitable: such were _Het -Vaterland_, _De Maasbode_, _De Nieuwe Courant_. - - -_Newspapers introduced surreptitiously._ - -Let us say at once that despite all prohibitions and all the sentences -pronounced, prohibited newspapers continue to trickle into the occupied -portion of the country. These newspapers were at first those which were -normally appearing in the towns not yet subject to German authority. -Thus _La Metropole_ and _Le Matin_ of Antwerp, _Le Bien Public_ and -_La Flandre Liberale_ of Gand were very soon carried as contraband and -secretly sold in Brussels. Again, in the regions not yet invaded, some -of the newspapers of the towns already occupied were printed: thus -_L'Independance Belge_ of Brussels appeared at Ostend until the arrival -of the Germans in that town. - -The agents who sold these newspapers had also foreign papers, -especially French and English. Later, when all Belgium, save a corner -of Flanders, was subjected to the Germans, a number of Belgian papers -were printed abroad: _La Metropole_ and _L'Independance Belge_ in -London and _Le XX^e Siecle_ at Havre. - -We also used to receive from time to time occasional newspapers -published by Belgian refugees abroad. Of these we may cite: _L'Echo -Belge_, of Amsterdam, _La Belgique_, of Rotterdam, _Les Nouvelles_, and -_Le Courrier de la Meuse_, of Maastricht. - -It will be understood that prohibited journals are rare. On certain -days, when the hunt for the vendors is particularly fruitful, people -will offer fifty francs, or even two hundred, for a copy of the -_Times_. As it is chiefly across the Dutch frontier that the smuggling -of the English "dailies" is carried on, the authorities have enacted -measures which grow more and more Draconian relating to the traffic -across this frontier. By the end of 1914 it had become practically -impossible to enter Belgium from Holland by the ordinary route (_see_ -the _Duesseldorfer General-Anzeiger_ of the 20th December, 1915). The -smugglers of journals are therefore obliged to insinuate themselves in -secret, and their trade is not without danger; only in the suburbs of -Putte (province of Antwerp) the German sentinels killed two of them in -December 1914. - -Since the spring of 1915 the frontier has been guarded with barbed wire -and wires traversed by high-tension electric currents; the crossing has -naturally become more difficult. But "difficult" is not "impossible." - - -_Secret Propagation of News._ - -So that a greater number of readers may profit by the newspapers -smuggled into the country, the important passages, especially those -relating to military operations, are copied by means of the typewriter. -These extracts are searched after as much as the originals, but none -the less there are those who continue to prepare and to distribute -them in secret. In Brussels alone there are fifteen of these secret -sheets, each of which has its public of subscribers; many of them are -gratuitous. From time to time our oppressors scent out one of these -typewriting establishments, but some other devoted person immediately -continues the business. - -In certain well-known establishments one could, for a time, obtain -the use of a newspaper for ten minutes for one or two francs; but the -secret was finally betrayed, thanks to one or other of the innumerable -spies supported by the Government. - - -_Secret Newspapers._ - -Finally, not a few persons, possessing a typewriting machine or other -means of reproducing writing, copy and sell clandestinely, for the -profit of some charitable undertaking, articles from foreign newspapers -or reviews, which bear upon the current political situation. Many -documents have reached us in this form. - -Lastly, courageous Belgians have undertaken to print, in the midst of -the occupied territory, and in spite of all the German prohibitions, -newspapers which reach a circulation of many thousands. The two most -important are _La Libre Belgique_ and _La Verite_. In vain have our -persecutors promised the most enticing rewards to those who should -denounce the authors of these sheets; they continue imperturbably to -appear. Which proves, be it said in passing, that the Germans lie most -horribly when they state that numbers of Belgians send them anonymous -information. - - -_German Placards._ - -Our intellectual pasture also includes placards. In the first place, -the _Notices_, _Orders_, and _Proclamations_ of all kinds. Then the -_News published by the German Government_, placards usually written in -three languages, in the principal towns. In Brussels, where they are -known as _Lustige Blaetter_, they are particularly numerous. At Louvain, -Vilverde, and Mons they are in manuscript, and usually written in -German only. - -Two important sources of documentation are completely closed: -photography and correspondence by post. The taking and reproduction of -photographs is strictly prohibited, above all in the towns ruined by -the Germans. - - NOTICE. - - Whosoever produces, without authorization, representations of - destruction caused by the war, or who displays, offers for sale, - sells, or otherwise distributes, by means of postcards, illustrated - reviews, daily newspapers, or other periodicals containing such - representations, above all of buildings or localities burned or - devastated by the war, will be punished by a fine not exceeding - 5,000 marks or a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year. - The seizure of formes and plates which shall have served for - the reproduction of these representations, as well as their - destruction, may also be ordered. - - THE IMPERIAL GOVERNOR, - FREIHERR VON HUENE, - _General of Infantry_. - - ANTWERP, _1st December, 1914_. - (_Posted at Antwerp._) - - -_Regulations as to Correspondence._ - -The sending of letters by carrier is prohibited. Until about the -middle of December correspondence was carried from town to town by -the carriers who undertake the goods traffic since the suspension of -the railways; one could still, therefore, easily enough obtain news. -But, as a souvenir of his joyous entry, the Herr Baron von Bissing, -who succeeded the Herr Baron von der Goltz as Governor-General in -Belgium, suppressed this little supplementary vocation of the carriers. -Thus Senator Speyer was condemned to pay a fine of 1,000 marks and to -undergo 10 days' imprisonment for the conveyance of letters. We have -no longer the resource of sending letters by carrier pigeons, as these -are closely scrutinized by the Germans. Finally, two remaining methods -of transmitting letters were taken from us: the use of a bow and arrow -(_N.R.C._, 1st January, 1915), and enclosure in a loaf baked in Holland -and sold in Belgium. So it is needless to say that we have neither -telegraph nor telephone. - -There is nothing to be done but to go in search of information oneself, -after finding out the hours (highly variable) during which one is -allowed to "circulate" in the localities through which one has to pass. - -Since then it has become very difficult to obtain precise information -as to an event which has occurred in another locality, for obviously -one cannot trust a missive of this kind to the German post, which -accepts only open letters, and passes them through a _cabinet noir_; -moreover, it does not guarantee communication with all points. - - BY ORDER OF THE GERMAN AUTHORITY. - - After 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Belgian) there must be no lights in the - windows of the houses of the town of Herve. - - The patrol has orders to fire into every window lit up, giving upon - the street. - - AD. CAJOT, _Sheriff_. - F. DE FRANCQUEX, _Judge_. - - (_Posted at Herve._) - -It must also be explained what administrative formalities one -had to fulfil in order to obtain a lodging. Thus, from January -1915 no one could obtain a lodging in Gand, whether in an hotel, -or a boarding-house, or apartments, without first obtaining the -authorization of the _Kommandantur_. - - -_Railway Journeys._ - -Once furnished with a proper passport, one has only to set out. By -suitably arranging one's route, one can often take advantage of -the local tramways. All other means of communication are extremely -precarious. The automobile is forbidden. Horses have been requisitioned -by the military authorities. - - _November 1914._ - - OFFICIAL RAILWAY TIME-TABLE - - _of railways at present operating in Belgium under the - administration of the German Government_. With details of journeys. - Price, 0 _fr._ 10. - - GENERAL ARRANGEMENTS. - - A certain number of trains have during the last few days been run - over the Belgian railways by the German Government. - - These are:-- - - 1. Brussels--Aix-la-Chapelle. - 2. Brussels--Lille. - 3. Brussels--Namur. - 4. Brussels--Charleroi. - 5. Louvain--Charleroi. - 6. Brussels--Antwerp. - 7. Brussels--Courtrai. - - Owing to the defective state of the lines and the telegraphic and - signalling apparatus, these trains can as yet travel only at a - moderate pace, and the duration of the journey is not guaranteed. - For this reason it is prudent to provide oneself on departure with - the necessary provisions for the journey. - - * * * * * - -The time-table of the railways is often made up in such a way that the -Belgian cannot make use of the trains. Thus the only train leaving -Brussels for Mons in November 1914 reached Mons at 9 p.m. But after -9 p.m. it is forbidden to walk through the streets of Mons. The only -train leaving Mons for Brussels leaves at 12.14 a.m., but one may not -"circulate" in the streets of Mons earlier than 4 a.m. - -We see to what extremities the Belgian population is reduced. Well, -well!--despite all these difficulties, we have procured documents of -great importance. We cannot, unfortunately, publish them all at this -juncture; for they would result in the identification of those who -conveyed them to us, and expose them to reprisals; and we have learned, -to our cost, all that this term signifies according to the ideas of our -present rulers. - - * * * * * - -This work, then, will necessarily be incomplete. We publish it only -because we think it useful to demonstrate that in spite of all the -annoyances which they receive at the hands of the Germans, the Belgians -do not allow themselves to be intimidated. Moreover, whatever may be -the provisional lacunae (mostly intentional) of our documentation, we -cannot in any case be reproached with falsification. This, whatever our -enemies may think, is a point of capital importance. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Since this was written, M. Max is reported to have been released, -and to be living in Switzerland. - -[2] These documents are as far as possible translated literally, any -inelegancies of diction may probably be attributed to the German -authors, whose syntax is often peculiar.--(TRANS.) - -[3] _Commandant de Place._--(TRANS.) - -[4] We give examples of this censorship later (pp. 256-60). - -[5] The English text was soon discontinued. - - - - -BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE - - - - -CHAPTER I -THE VIOLATION OF NEUTRALITY - - -A.--The Preliminaries. - -We were too confiding. - -With the exception of the military and a few statesmen, the Belgians -were convinced that nations, just as individuals, were bound by -their engagements, and that as long as we remained faithful to our -international obligations, the signatories of the Treaty of London -(19th April, 1839), which set forth the conditions of the neutrality, -or rather of the neutralization, of Belgium (_Belg. All._, p. 3), would -equally observe their obligations towards us. - -However, in 1911, during the "Agadir crisis," our calm was a little -shaken by a series of articles in _Le Soir_. According to this journal, -all the German military writers held the invasion of Belgium to be -inevitable in the event of a war between France and Germany. - - -_The Belgians' Distrust of Germany lulled._ - -But our faith in international conventions--just a trifle ingenuous, it -may be--very soon regained its comforting influence. Had not Wilhelm -II, "the Emperor of Peace," assured the Belgian mission, which was -sent to greet him at Aix-la-Chapelle, that Belgium had nothing to fear -on the part of Germany (see _L'Etoile Belge_, 19th October, 1911). In -September 1912 the Emperor made a fresh reassuring statement. Being -present at the Swiss manoeuvres, he congratulated M. Forster, President -of the Swiss Confederation, and told him how glad he was to find that -the Swiss Army would effectually defend the integrity of her frontier -against a French attack. "What a pity," he added, "that the Belgian -Army is not as well prepared, and is incapable of resisting French -aggression." This evidently meant that Belgium ran no risk from the -side of Prussia. - -It was not only the Emperor who assured us of his profound respect for -international statutes. The German Ministers made similar declarations -in the Reichstag (_Belg. All._, p. 7). - -In Belgium itself the Germans profited by every occasion to celebrate -their friendship for us and their respect for treaties. In 1905, at -the time of the seventy-fifth anniversary of Belgian independence, -Herr Graf von Wallwitz stated at an official reception: "And as for -us Germans, the maintenance of the treaty of warranty concluded at -the birth of modern Belgium is a sort of political axiom which, to -our thinking, no one could violate without committing the gravest of -faults" (_see_ p. 185 of the _Annales parlementaires belges, Senate, -1906_). - -In 1913, at the time of the joyous entry of the King and Queen into -Liege, General von Emmich, the same who was entrusted with the -bombardment of the city in August 1914, came to salute our sovereigns -in the name of the Emperor. He spoke incessantly of the German -sympathies for the Belgians and their country. - -In August 1913 Herr Erzberger gave his word of honour, as Catholic -deputy to the Reichstag, that there had never been any question of -invading Belgium, and that Belgium might always count on the party of -the Centre to cause international engagements to be respected. This is -the very party that is now heaping up manifest falsehoods in order to -justify the aggression of Germany. - - -_German Duplicity on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of August, 1914._ - -Let us consider the days immediately preceding the war. The German -newspapers were announcing that the troops occupying, at normal times, -the camps near the Belgian frontiers had been directed upon Alsace and -Lorraine; and these articles, reproduced in Belgium, had succeeded in -finally lulling our suspicions. - -In the currents of thought which were then clashing in Belgium, it was -confidence that carried the day. Many of us who were present on the 1st -of August at a session of the Royal Academy of Belgium, were speaking, -before the session was opened, of the serious events which were -approaching, the war already declared between Austria and Serbia, and -the conflict which appeared imminent between Germany, France, Russia, -and England. Yet no one imagined that Belgium could be drawn into the -conflagration. That very morning, it was related, France had officially -renewed, through her Minister in Brussels, the assurance that she -would faithfully abstain from violating the neutrality of Belgium (1st -_Grey Book_, No. 15); and there was no reason to doubt his words. A -few days earlier the German Minister in Brussels had affirmed that his -country had too much respect for international conventions to permit -herself to transgress them; and we believed him too! Oh, simplicity! -We still believed him, on the following day, when he repeated the -same declaration (1st _Grey Book_, No. 19; _Belg. All._, p. 7). And -on the evening of that Sunday, the 2nd of August, he presented to our -Government the ultimatum of Germany (1st _Grey Book_, No. 20). - - -_The Ultimatum._ - -The telegram of the 2nd of August, by which Herr von Jagow sent the -ultimatum to the German Minister in Brussels, declared: "Please -forward this Note to the Belgian Government, in a strictly official -communication, at eight o'clock this evening, and demand therefrom -a definite reply in the course of twelve hours, that is, at eight -o'clock to-morrow morning" (_Luettich_, p. 4). Never, since Belgium's -birth, had a problem so breathless been placed before her Government. -And Germany left her twelve hours to solve it: twelve hours of the -night! She was not willing that our Government should have time to -reflect at leisure; she hoped that in a crisis of distraction Belgium, -taken at a disadvantage and forgetful of her dignity, would accept the -inacceptable. - - * * * * * - -However, the German Minister in Brussels continued to offer us -explanations which were as perfidious as they were confused and -obscure, and to assure us up to the last of the friendly intentions -of his Government. The Germany fashioned by Bismarck has assuredly -nothing about it to remind us of the Germany of Goethe and Fichte. We -might have guessed as much, for that matter, when we saw the Germans -glorifying the man who _boasted_ of having falsified the famous Ems -telegram in order to make the war of 1870 inevitable, and who succeeded -in making his countrymen accept, as a guiding principle, that "might -comes before right." - - -_The Speech of the Chancellor in the Reichstag._ - -However, we may suppose that some slight scruples lingered in the -recesses of the German conscience, since on the very day when the -Chancellor of the Empire told the British Ambassador in Berlin that -an international convention is merely "a scrap of paper,"[6] and -that neutrality is only a word, he recognized, in his speech to the -Reichstag, that the invasion of Belgium constituted an injustice; -but he immediately excused this violation of the law of nations by -strategic necessities. - - -B.--Justification of the Entry into Belgium. - -"Strategic necessities!" said the German Chancellor. These necessities -are expounded in the ultimatum, and may be summed up thus: "Germany -knows that France is preparing to attack her through Belgium." - -The first question which occurs to us is: Was France really preparing -to cross our territory, and had she massed troops near our frontier? -There is assuredly no one outside Germany who would admit this. Indeed, -if important bodies of troops had been massed in the north of France -they could effectually have opposed the advance of the Germans through -Belgium. Now in all the battles which the French fought in our country -their numbers were much too small to resist the Germans. Let us also -remark that these attempts on the part of the French were made on -the 15th August at Dinant, the 19th August at Perwez, and the 23rd -August at Semois. How then can any one believe that the French were -massed close to our frontier as early as 3rd August? Moreover, the map -published in the _N.R.C._ of the 16th December, 1914, confirms the -untruthfulness of the German allegations. - -This "strategic reason" was again invoked by the Chancellor of the -Empire on the 4th August. But owing to the irrefutable manner in which -the tardiness of the French movements disproved this assertion the -latter is no longer uttered, save in an evasive manner. The German no -longer says: "France was ready to cross into Belgium," but "France -would not have failed to enter Belgium, and we simply outstripped her." -It is thus that Count Bernstoff, the German ambassador to Washington, -expressed himself in the interview published by _L'Independant_ in -September 1914, while the same assertion is found in the manifesto of -the ninety-three German "Intellectuals" and the letter addressed by -Herr Max Bewer to M. Maeterlinck (in the _D.G.A._ of October 1914 and -the _Soldatenpost_ of the 14th October, 1914). - -Let us now ask if Germany had such suspicions of France as amounted to -a semi-certitude? In other words, was she sincere in declaring that -she knew that France was on the point of invading Belgium? We do not -hesitate to assert that she was lying: for if she had really believed -that France was ready to violate our neutrality it would have been -enormously to her advantage to wait until the violation was committed. -For Belgium has always asserted that in case of war between France and -Germany she would resist by arms the first invader and immediately join -herself to the other Power. Now Germany, however profound her political -perversity may be, had no reason to suspect the sincerity of Belgium; -she knew then--and this time she _did_ know--that by allowing the -French to enter our country she would assure herself of the assistance -of our army against her enemy. And scanty as was her esteem for the -Belgian soldiers--perhaps she has since had occasion to change her -mind!--it was none the less obviously to her interest to avoid having -them as her adversaries. - -For the rest, we may boldly assert that the very terms of the German -ultimatum prove, without possible doubt, that she did not believe -in the danger of a French irruption into Belgium. For if she had -entertained this conviction she would have said to Belgium: "I warn you -that if you do not take the necessary measures to resist the entrance -of the French I shall be fully authorized to invade your territory in -my turn, in order to defend myself." In acting thus she would have had -the right on her side ... and the German diplomatists of the day are -certainly capable of distinguishing justice from injustice in cases -where the distinction is so easy. - -We say, therefore, that the imminence of a French attack upon Belgium -was only a pretext and a bugbear; a pretext to justify the violation -of Belgium in the eyes of other nations; a bugbear to catch votes of -credit in the Reichstag without previous discussion. "We were not able -to wait for this session before commencing hostilities and invading -Luxemburg, perhaps even Belgium," declared the Chancellor. Observe -how clumsy is this "perhaps"; the German troops entered Belgium on -the night of the 3rd of August (1st _Grey Book_, No. 35), and on the -afternoon of the 4th, at the session of the Reichstag, the Chancellor -had no knowledge of it! We thought the official telegraph service -worked better than that in Germany! - - * * * * * - -What, then, were the real reasons for invading our country? They were -strategic reasons, it is true, but not those which the Chancellor -indicated in his speech! They had been known for a long time; the -German staff had always regarded a sudden attack upon France as an -unavoidable necessity, and for that it was necessary at all costs -to cross Belgium. Moreover, on the very day when the Chancellor was -still invoking the French preparations in the Reichstag, the Secretary -of State, von Jagow, openly avowed the true motive for violating -Belgium. The pamphlet of propaganda, _Die Wahrheit ueber den Krieg_, -after invoking, without insisting on, the danger of a French attack, -described at length the German plan of campaign; a sudden attack upon -France, delivered by passing through Belgium; then, immediately after -victory, a change of front, and the crushing of the Russian Army. The -same idea is expounded in an infinity of articles and pamphlets. - -There can, therefore, be no remaining doubt as to the determining -motives of Germany: she wished to pass through Belgium in order -to fall upon France before the latter was ready. Germany had been -preparing for war for several days, for she knew that she had made the -war inevitable, while France, deceived by her adversary's peaceful -professions of faith, and, moreover, anxious to preserve the peace, -which she still believed to be possible, had hardly commenced her -mobilization. Let us recall the comparison drawn by Mr. Lloyd George in -his speech at the City Temple on the 11th November, 1914. "Imagine," he -said, "that your right-hand neighbour came and made you the following -proposal: 'See, my friend, I've got to cut the throat of your left-hand -neighbour. Only as his door is barred I can't catch him unawares, and -so I shall lose my advantage over him. So you will do me a little -service; nothing that isn't entirely reasonable, as you will see. You -will just let me come through your garden; if I trample down your -borders a little I'll have them raked and put in good order again; and -if by ill-luck I damage or kill one of your children I promise you a -nice little indemnity.'" - -And it is because we would not help Germany in this task that she has -spattered us with insults. The Germans cannot understand how we could -have rejected her "well-intentioned" proposal, as the Emperor calls it -in his declaration of war. Evidently they have ideas of honour which -differ from ours. We can regard this proposal only as an insult to the -Belgian people. - - -C.--German Accusations against Belgium. - -There is one circumstance which aggravates the evil deed which has -soiled the German name. It is the insistence with which the Press and -the politicians of Germany seek to cast the blame on Belgium herself. -For if we are to believe them it was Belgium who began. - - -_Necessity of influencing Neutrals._ - -When the German rulers discovered, to their utter stupefaction, real or -feigned, that America and the other neutral States did not benevolently -accept the strategical excuse for the violation of Belgian neutrality, -their attitude underwent a sudden modification. Since the whole world, -in a spontaneous impulse of indignation, branded the conduct of -Germany, the traitor and perjurer, in assailing a nation which she was -actually under an obligation to protect, the German Government adopted -the classic procedure of evildoers, which consists in reversing the -roles, and posing as an innocent victim, driven into a corner by an -adversary who does not abide by legitimate methods of defence. What was -to be done in such a case? The German Government must seem to believe, -and then claim to have proved, that Belgium had already violated her -own neutrality before the German invasion; for then Germany could no -longer be blamed for her attitude. - - -_Absurdity of the first Accusations._ - -Immediately the German newspapers invented stories of French troops -disentraining in Belgium from the 30th July, 1914, and of French -officers teaching us how to handle Krupp guns!--of French airmen -flying over Belgium, of French and Belgian soldiers attacking the -Landwehr at Aix-la-Chapelle on the 2nd August, 1914. These pitiful -accusations were demolished by M. Waxweiler in _La Belge Neutre et -Loyale_. We will content ourselves with remarking that all these -infractions of neutrality are anterior to the 4th of August. If they -had really been committed the innumerable spies scattered about Belgium -would have warned the German Minister in Brussels, who would have -telegraphed to the Chancellor, and the latter would have taken good -care to make them the basis of a serious complaint against Belgium in -his speech to the Reichstag. What weight would not these revelations -have lent to his arguments? If he did not do thus it was because he was -not informed, and if he was not informed it was because the facts were -non-existent. They were invented--very clumsily, moreover--after the -event. - -If now we cast a glance at the tales which the Germans have imagined -to extenuate their crime against justice, we shall say, with a certain -professor of Utrecht (_K.Z._, 4th November, first morning edition), -that one might with difficulty have pardoned the German rulers for -violating Belgian neutrality if it had been proved that imperious -strategic necessities compelled them to it, but that they should have -stuck to their original declarations, "for," he adds, "we have been -painfully impressed by all the offences which have been alleged after -the event to demonstrate that Germany had the right to act as she did." - -To insult and calumniate an innocent person in order to excuse oneself -is an attitude little worthy of a self-respecting nation. - - -_A Change of Tactics. The Revelations of the_ N.A.Z. - -Week by week the German journals add an item to the indictment of -Belgium. One would say that their method of reasoning must be as -follows: "Since we cannot bring forward a single convincing proof, let -us accumulate as many as possible of any degree of value; we shall -end by crushing Belgium with the weight of evidence." In order that -we might judge of the efficacy of this procedure, Germany ought, of -course, to tell us how many bad arguments are to her thinking worth one -good one. - -Yet it was extremely important that Germany should be able to bring -forward proof of the crime of Belgium; for directly the neutrals, and -in particular America, began to doubt our political honesty they would -withdraw their sympathies and leave our executioners full liberty of -action. At the same time Germany would be able to pretend that she knew -of Belgium's intrigues, and that by invading our territory in spite of -treaties she was not, properly speaking, committing a treacherous act. - -There are reasons for supposing that Germany herself was conscious of -the insufficiency of these accusations. Hence the change of tactics -which we observe after the month of October 1914. - -The Government itself entered into the lists. In its official organ, -the _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, it commented upon the documents -discovered in the Ministries of Brussels. - -To judge of the relevance of this collection of documents we must keep -in mind the two following points: (1) That England played the part -of protector of Belgian neutrality; (2) the probability of a German -invasion in case of war between France and Germany. Let us rapidly -examine these. - -1. _England as the Guarantor of Belgian Neutrality._--Every one knows -that for centuries England has been interested, more than any other -nation, in ensuring that Belgium should not be annexed either to France -or to Prussia. - -As far back as 1677, says Sorel (_L'Europe et la Revolution francaise_, -vol. i. p. 338), a French agent in London wrote to Louvois: "It has -been voted unanimously by the Lower Chamber that the English will -sell their very shirts (this is the phrase they use) to make war on -France for the preservation of the Low Countries." During the French -Revolution, and later, under the Empire, the struggle between England -and France was largely provoked by the desire to turn France out of -Belgium. - -The Treaty of London (1839) makes no distinction between the five -guarantors of our neutrality: Austria, France, Great Britain, -Prussia, and Russia; but it is none the less unanimously admitted -that England has the most immediate interest in the preservation of -our independence, as it matters greatly to England that Antwerp--that -loaded pistol aimed at the heart of England, as Napoleon used to -say--should become neither French nor German. - -Therefore, as soon as Belgium was threatened by an armed invasion, the -traditional policy of England was at once invoked. - -It was in virtue of this policy that Great Britain, in 1870, demanded -of France and Germany whether they engaged themselves to maintain -the neutrality of Belgium. The two belligerents gave and kept their -promise. France, driven up against the Belgium frontier at Sedan, did -not even then consider that she had the right to break her word; she -preferred to allow herself to be crushed. If ever there were "strategic -reasons" which would excuse the breaking of a promise, it was then! - -All this being so, no one was surprised when in August 1914 the -newspapers announced that England had put the usual question to France -and Germany. This time again France made the reply inspired by her -sense of honour; Germany refused to commit herself. - -The historical facts which we have recalled suffice to show that the -protective role of England was not invented for the needs of the -moment, as Germany would have the world believe. The Chancellor cannot -be ignorant of these facts; they are known to all. Why then does he -persist in asserting that England would not have intervened had France -been the country to violate our neutrality? - -2. _The danger of a German Invasion._--For several years German -generals have been agreed in admitting the necessity of marching the -German army across Belgium in case of war with France.[7] In military -circles this was a _secret de polichinelle_, as the _N.R.C._ remarked -on the 22nd December, 1914 (evening edition). - -Moreover, the Germans themselves held that the Belgians could not -have been ignorant of the threat of a German invasion; this idea is -expounded, notably, in a booklet of official aspect, entitled _La_ -_part de la culpabilite de l'Angleterre dans la guerre mondiale_. - -Belgium therefore had serious reasons for expecting a German attack. -There was evidently only one thing for her to do: to demand assistance -of the country which had constituted itself the protector of her -neutrality, and on which she had always been accustomed to rely with -unshakable confidence. - - -1. THE REPORT OF M. LE BARON GREINDL, SOMETIME BELGIAN MINISTER IN -BERLIN. - -_Falsification of the Greindl Report._ - -On the 14th October, 1914, the German Government posted on the walls of -Brussels a placard entitled: _England and Belgium_ (_Documents found at -the headquarters of the Belgian Staff_). A reproduction of this placard -was distributed gratuitously, thousands of copies being issued the same -day. This document contains, first, a rapid summary of a report on the -relations which existed in 1906 between the Belgian Chief of Staff -and the British military attache. Then the placard reproduces, "word -for word," a portion of a report made by M. Greindl, dated the 23rd -December, 1911. In this report M. Greindl warns the Belgian Government -of the possibility of a French attack. - -Whosoever will attentively read the exhibited portion of this report -will at once remark that its phrases lack connection and logical -sequence. Thus, there is certainly a hiatus between the opening phrases -and those that begin with: "When it became evident that we should not -allow ourselves to be alarmed by the pretended danger of closing the -Scheldt, the plan was not abandoned, but modified, in the sense that -the English army of assistance would not be disembarked on the Belgian -coast, but in the nearer French ports." Now what is meant by this -"pretended danger"? Pretended by whom? And then "we should not allow -ourselves to be alarmed." Who is "we?" Remark that a few lines farther -on the report speaks of the eventuality of a battle between the Belgian -army and the British army; Belgium, which was just now the ally of the -British, is now their adversary, although nothing indicates how she -passed from the first attitude to the second. In the same sentence -the closing of the Scheldt is spoken of with an English landing on -the _Belgian coast_; yet we cannot imagine M. Greindl placing Antwerp -on the Belgian coast. Can we doubt after this that phrases have been -suppressed in this portion of the document? Evidently not; for it is -radically impossible to realize the bearing and the meaning of the -report by reading the portion published. What, then, is the conclusion -forced upon us? It is that the German Government has "cooked" the -text; omitting to copy certain passages which would not tally with the -deductions which it wished to draw from it, and that it has perhaps -even twisted the meaning of certain phrases. - -The publication of the complete report was demanded by the Belgian -Government (see _K.Z._, 24th October, first morning edition). But -Germany refused; the report was too long, it replied, by the medium of -the _N.A.Z._ (25th November, 1914). All that could be obtained was the -publication in facsimile, in the same issue of the _N.A.Z._, of the -heading and the two first lines. Since the German Government did not -publish the rest, we have the right to conclude that this was because -it had subjected the document to falsifications such as were introduced -in that we are now about to consider. In any case, the report as it -was published means nothing. One feels that it was intentionally made -confusing. By whom? - - -2. THE REPORTS OF GENERALS DUCARNE AND JUNGBLUTH. - -The falsifications inserted in these documents by the German -diplomatists have already been lucidly exposed (for example, by E. -Brunets, _Calomnies Allemandes_); so there would be no need to return -to the subject, had not the German Government thought fit to attempt to -use these documents in order to demoralize the Belgians. - -At the end of December 1914, and in January 1915, Germany distributed -hundreds of thousands of copies of a pamphlet containing several -documents, among which were translations (into Flemish and French) and -facsimiles of the Ducarne and Jungbluth reports. The famous words of -the "reference" are replaced in their natural position in the middle -of the fourth paragraph,[8] but--and this was a wholly unexpected -discovery--they were also found in the commentary. According to the -copy in the text, one reads: "The document bears on the margin: 'The -entrance of the English into Belgium would take place only after the -violation of our neutrality by Germany.'" - -Disconcerting fecundity of Kultur! The Germans have reason to be proud -of their chemical industry. Thanks to a special fertilizer prepared in -the offices of Wilhelmstrasse, the famous phrase, which occurs only -once in the original document, is promptly multiplied and is able to -appear twice over. - - -_The Attitude of the Belgians toward the German Falsifications._ - -Note that to give more weight to their explanations the Germans were -careful to have them printed in Flemish and in French, on the paper -and with the type habitually employed by the _Moniteur belge_. It is -then, in the last resort, the Belgian public which has paid the cost of -printing this falsification of a public document. Well, well! they have -mistaken our psychology, for despite these "revelations" our conviction -is unshaken. Not a Belgian has criticized the actions of his Government -in respect of the defensive agreement with England. It would be like -blaming a man whose house was destroyed by fire for having insured it -with a reliable insurance company. - -Confronted by the failure of their endeavours to discourage the -Belgians and to embroil them with their legitimate Government, Germany -returned to the charge. A placard dated 10th March, 1915, posted in -Brussels, stated that the Belgian statesmen replied to the publication -of the Ducarne and Jungbluth reports only after the lapse of three -months. The placard evidently alludes to the Belgian Note of the 13th -January, 1915 (_see_ the 2nd _Grey Book_, No. 101). Now the first -sentence of this Note states that the Belgians had already replied on -the 4th December, 1914. Germany could not have been unaware of this -reply; let us add that we ourselves knew of it on the 10th December, -thanks to the issue for the 7th of _L'Independance Belge_ (appearing in -London), which was smuggled into Brussels. - -The third document contained in the pamphlet of the German Government -related to the _military geographical manuals_.[9] It shows that a -final collaboration (after the violation of her engagements by Germany) -was carefully devised by the British and Belgian staffs. Truly it ill -becomes the Germans, so proud of the introduction of their scientific -method into the art of war, which leaves nothing unthought of, to -reproach others for acting in the same way, and for making meticulous -preparations at an opportune time! In two places the article insists -on the fact that the preparations of these manuals was effected in -"time of peace." But come! should the Belgians and the British have -waited until the Germans were in Belgium before thinking of measures of -defence? - -Finally, the pamphlet contains _Fresh and Serious Proofs demonstrating -the complicity of Belgium and England_. Documents were found on the -escritoire of the British Legation in Brussels relating to the Belgian -mobilization, the defence of Antwerp, and the French mobilization. The -accusation is this: these documents were found in the British Legation, -a proof that the Belgian Government had no military secrets from the -British Government, and that they had a close military understanding. - -Once again: was Belgium, aware of the Germanic peril, to deliver -herself bound hand and foot to the invader, who, not content with -forgetting his international obligations, was about to run precisely -counter to them? It would evidently have been more agreeable to Germany -to have found in Belgium a lamb all ready to allow itself to be -sacrificed on the altar of _Kultur_. Unhappily for _Kultur_, Belgium -behaved like an enraged ram, determined to sell its life dearly. - - * * * * * - -Whatever aspect of the question of Belgian neutrality we may consider, -we always come back to this fact: Germany violated this neutrality on -the 4th August, although Belgium had given her no plausible excuse for -doing so. Since then the Germans have undertaken a campaign for the -purpose of justifying their "injustice," as their Chancellor termed -it. But none of the accusations invented after the event can in the -slightest degree extenuate this injustice; their only effect has been -to render still more execrable the treachery of the perjured protector. - - -_Neutral Opinion._ - -It is pleasant, in this connection, to cite here the opinion of four -writers belonging to countries which have not taken part in the war. - -A Dutch writer published in _De Amsterdammer_ an interesting article -which was translated into French, but of which the sale in Belgium was -immediately prohibited by the Germans. - -In a lecture which has achieved a very great celebrity, Herr Karl -Spitteler, a well-known literary man of German-speaking Switzerland, -also took the part of Belgium. We know of this lecture only by the -slashing which it received in the _K.Z._ on the 30th December, in the -first morning edition. - -Here is a passage which particularly infuriated the German paper:-- - -"I consider that to take the documents from the pockets of the gasping -victim (Belgium) is, as to the spirit which inspired the act, a gross -fault of taste. It would have been quite enough to throttle the -victim; to blacken him afterwards is too much. As for Switzerland, if -it associated itself with these calumnies against Belgium, it would -commit not merely an infamy, but a mistake; for on the day when another -Power grudges us our national existence, the same accusations might be -employed against us: do not let us forget that malice is now counted -among the munitions of war." - -Another Swiss writer, M. Philippe Godet, expresses his opinions with no -less energy in the _Journal de Geneve_ (8th September, 1914). - - -_The Falsification of M. de l'Escaille's Letter._ - -In the preceding pages we have dealt only with matters relating to -Belgium. Do not let our attitude be misunderstood. We have not the -presumption to suppose that Belgium has ever occupied the foreground -in the negotiations described; on the contrary, we are perfectly -well aware of the diplomatic insignificance of our country in the -discordant "Concert of Europe" which has ended in the present war. -Our sole object is to show that Belgium has not played the unavowable -role which the Germans attributed to her. As to the origin of this -war, and the responsibility which the German rulers seek to foist -upon Great Britain, in order that their own country, and, above all, -their ally, Austria, may evade it, this is a discussion into which we -do not wish to enter, for it lies outside the programme which we have -set ourselves. We ought, however, to speak a word as to the placards -which the German authorities had posted up in Belgium during the month -of September 1914. The first is dated the 16th September; it gives -the resume of a letter written by M. B. de l'Escaille to the Belgian -Minister of Foreign Affairs. - -Ten days later a new placard appeared: this time the complete text of -the letter was given, and it was explained how it came to fall into the -hands of the Germans. - -Let us leave this last point: it concerns the criminal law, not -diplomacy. Let us examine only the summary which was published and the -conclusions which the Germans drew from it. - -Was the summary honest? To discover this let us take the essential -sentence, printed in heavier type: "They possess even the definite -assurance that England will come to the assistance of France"; and let -us compare this with the corresponding passage of the text: "To-day -they are strongly convinced in St. Petersburg, they even have the -assurance, that England will support France." The term "assistance" -(_secouer_) in the summary can apply only to military assistance, while -the text speaks only of "support" (_soutien_), which means diplomatic -action. So the second conclusion also is false--"that England did -not intervene in the war on account of Belgium, but because she had -promised France to give her assistance." - -Let us now look at the first conclusion. It is "that Germany was -actuated by pacific intentions, and sought by all means to avoid war." -In reality the text, like the summary, states only that Germany sought -to avoid a general conflict, which means that she wished to localize -the war between Austria and Serbia; in other words, Germany wished -Europe to give Austria a free hand to crush Serbia. Nowhere does the -text say that Germany did anything to avoid "the war": the only war -which was declared on the 30th July, that of Austria against Serbia. In -short, this conclusion is falsified. - -There remains the phrase which introduces the two conclusions: "By -this report of the diplomatic representative of Belgium at the Court -of St. Petersburg it is proved".... Was M. de l'Escaille really the -diplomatic representative of Belgium in St. Petersburg? Open an -administrative almanack, and you will see that _the_ representative was -M. le Comte Conrad de Buisseret-Steenbecque de Blarenghien. As for M. -de l'Escaille, he was Secretary of Legation. - -The conclusions concluding here, there is no room for further -falsifications. - - * * * * * - -It is not our intention to make an exhaustive examination of the -diplomatic documents relating to the war; the more so as this -examination has been conducted in masterly fashion by MM. Duerckheim and -Denis, by M. Waxweiler, and by the author of _J'Accuse_. It is enough -for us to prove that Germany has intentionally falsified documents, -since this simple proof disposes of all her attempts to befoul Belgium; -for he who has a good argument at his disposal is not so foolish as to -spoil it and deprive it of all real value by means of falsifications. - - -D.--The Declaration of War and the first Hostilities. - -_The three Successive Proposals of Wilhelm II to Belgium._ - -Under its dry, cold, diplomatic phrasing the reply to the ultimatum -(1st _Grey Book_, No. 22) scarcely conceals the indignation which -thrilled the heart of Belgium when Wilhelm II offered her the chance -of associating herself with his crime against loyalty. But the -German Government did not understand this indignation, neither was -it conscious of its own infamy. Otherwise how could it have repeated -the same offer a few days later--an offer at once contemptible and -full of contempt, as was so well said by M. Jules Destree before the -meeting of the Federation of Advocates, on the 3rd August, 1914. Two -remarks on the subject of this fresh proposal (1st _Grey Book_, No. -60). In the first place the United States Minister in Belgium, who was -entrusted with the German interests, refused to transmit it; as for the -Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs, he accepted the mission "without -enthusiasm." In the second place, when the Emperor affirmed, on the -9th August, that the fortress of Liege had been taken by assault, he -must have known that the fortress was still resisting; for although the -_city_ of Liege was occupied by the Germans from the 7th, the _forts_ -were intact. Let us remember that the first fort which fell was that -of Barchon, on the 8th August, 1914; that of Evegnee fell on the 11th, -that of Fleron on the 14th, that of Loncin, commanded by General Leman, -fell only at 5 p.m. on the 15th: and several forts were at that time -still holding out. - -German diplomacy naturally received a fresh indignant refusal (1st -_Grey Book_, No. 23). - -Even then official Germany, dazzled by the brilliance of its _Kultur_, -had not yet grasped the full baseness of its crime, since on the 10th -September it posted up in Brussels its new proposal and Belgium's reply. - -Could candour in perfidy go any farther? Yes! for the German -Government, during the siege of Antwerp, made proposals of peace -for the third time. This offer was secret. The terms have not been -published; even the Germanic Press sought to deny that it had been -made; but the avowal appeared in a Viennese newspaper, the _Neue Freie -Presse_, and was reproduced by order of the German authorities in _La -Belgique_ (Brussels, 13th January, 1915). - - -_Hostilities preceding the Declaration of War._ - -So the Emperor Wilhelm II did not succeed in making us his accomplices. -Needless to say, we did not tremble before the two bogies which are -given so large a place in his harangues: his store of dry powder and -his newly-whetted sabre. - -And so the sovereign of the formidable German Empire declared war upon -tiny Belgium. "He would find himself, to his keenest regret, obliged -to execute, if need be by force of arms, the measures of security set -forth as indispensable," as the declaration of war expressed it (1st -_Grey Book_, No. 27). This declaration reached Brussels at 7 a.m. on -the 4th of August. But, apparently unknown to the Emperor, the German -troops, before the telegram had reached Belgium, had crossed the -frontier during the night of the 3rd. - -We have just seen that the declaration of war reached Brussels on the -4th August, at seven o'clock in the morning. This, at least, is what -we learn from the official documents published by Belgium. What does -official Germany say upon this point? Nothing. Nowhere is any mention -made of the declaration of war, and it is this intentional vagueness -which allows the Germans to declare, without blushing, that the German -troops entered Belgium on the night of the 3rd August. They let it be -supposed that the state of war existed from the moment when Belgium, on -the 3rd, refused the German ultimatum. Thus the _Chronik des Deutschen -Krieges_ (p. 33) gives the text of the ultimatum; then, in two lines, -a summary of the reply. The first document which follows relating to -Belgium is the proclamation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army of -the Meuse (_6th Report_, I). - -This is very vague as to the political relations between the two -countries: are they at war, or are they not? No one could say. Of the -declaration of war, which should have found a place here, not a word; -there is no further question of Belgium before the telegrams of the 7th -August (p. 84). - -When we say that the declaration of war is not mentioned in any German -publication, we are going too far. _Die Wahrheit ueber den Krieg_ -("die Wahrheit!") speaks of the declaration of war; but only to say -that Belgium declared war (p. 40): _Belgien antwortete darauf mit der -Kriegserklaerung_.[10] - -The same publication appends some documents; No. 41 (p. 160) is a -reproduction of the ultimatum. One would naturally expect that No. -42 would be either Belgium's reply or the declaration of war. By no -means; these two documents are not given. Any one who reads the text -and hopes thereby to learn "die Wahrheit" concerning the war will be -no better informed by the documents. Let us in passing remark that -the German Government, in the _White Book_ published for the session -of the Reichstag of the 4th August, had also, by its own admission, -made a selection among the documents which it submitted to the members -of Parliament. This procedure is no doubt a logical consequence of -_Kultur_. - - -_The Pacific Character of Belgium._ - -Nearly all the nations of Europe cherish national animosities, racial -hatreds handed down from century to century, the heritage of conflicts -never pacified, which a mere nothing suffices to renew; or the survival -of oppressions and spoliations suffered of old by men's forbears, whose -abhorred memory is transmitted like a sacred trust from generation -to generation. And in all these countries, moreover, there is a -chauvinist, a jingo party, which urges a "war of revenge against the -hereditary enemy." In Belgium, as Mr. Asquith stated in his speech in -Dublin, there was nothing of the kind. We had no spite against any one, -and our people, laborious and peaceful, only asked to be allowed to -live in friendship with its neighbours. Never had there been in Belgium -any manifestation against a foreign country; never had a political -party inscribed in its programme any sort of hostility towards another -people. Who, then, will be persuaded that "the Belgian Government had -for a long time been carefully preparing for this war,"[11] as the -Emperor Wilhelm II asserted in his telegram to the President of the -United States (in which he also stated that his heart was bleeding!)? -No, there is no possible doubt on this point: Belgium brought into the -conflict no racial enmity,[12] and if she has found herself thrown into -the furnace, despite her constant love of peace, it is solely because -her haughty neighbour confronted her with this dilemma: either peace -with dishonour, or honour with war. The choice was not in doubt. - - -_German Espionage in Belgium._ - -It is idle to insist on the accusation of premeditation, for it is -unhappily too certain that Belgium was is no way ready for war. But -it is also incontestable that Germany had "for a long time carefully -prepared for" the invasion of Belgium. We cannot as yet reveal in -detail the facts as to German espionage, with its often odious methods, -for in most cases these revelations would expose those who have -informed us to reprisals. We must for the present be intentionally -vague, reserving preciser details for a later date. - -When the occupation comes to an end we shall report in detail the case -of a German engineer, who, in returning to us with the rank of officer, -presided over the systematic destruction by fire of the workshop -which he had managed; and the case of another engineer, who commanded -the gang ordered to set fire to the quarter adjoining the factory in -which he had been employed. Thanks to his knowledge of the locality, -he was able in a few seconds to set fire to the richest streets of -the neighbourhood. We shall be able to mark on a map the foundations -of reinforced concrete for the great German guns, constructed long -in advance, in the localities most favourable to bombardment; we -shall also point to the store of timber intended to serve for the -construction of a bridge over the Scheldt, which was found in a factory -established by Germans on the banks of the river. As for the store of -Mauser rifles discovered at Liege, our newspapers spoke of that at the -time. - -Here is a fact which can be related without danger. A German officer -dropped from his pocket--we shall state later on in what locality--a -detailed plan of the town of Soignies, in which his troops had lodged a -few days earlier. This plan gives, besides the details of streets, and -even houses, information concerning the occupants of certain buildings: -pharmacies, breweries, tanneries, the Communal treasury, the bank, and -other establishments where the army might need to make requisitions. -The large buildings are coloured blue. It was there that the troops -were lodged. This plan, drawn in Chinese ink and coloured, dates from -fifteen years back according to the indications which it contains. -But it has quite recently been revised and completed, for the latest -alterations in the town have been added in pencil; improvement of the -Senne, creation of a public square, etc. - -The case related by the _N.R.C._ of 19th August (evening) is -particularly instructive. When the Germans occupied Liege and Seraing -the Cockerill workshops naturally refused to work for them, since the -Germans wished them to make munitions for them. The German Colonel -Keppel then assumed the direction of the works, promising the workers -an increased salary of 50 per cent. And this officer did not blush to -sign his proclamation: "Attache of the German Government at the Liege -Exposition." He had consequently profited by his privileged situation -in Belgium in order to make himself familiar with the organization of -the Cockerill works. But it must be supposed that matters were too -difficult for him, for Herren Koester and Noske (_Kriegsfahrten_, p. -21) assert that he had to abandon the position. - - -_The Mentality of the German Soldiers at the beginning of the Campaign._ - -Until the very last moment our enemies deluded themselves as to the -loyalty of the Belgians: they still hoped that the latter would -only resist as a matter of form. This idea is openly expressed in -the Chancellor's speech of the 2nd December; it is also implicitly -contained in the proclamation of General von Emmich (see _6th Report_, -I). The officers and soldiers who crossed the frontier at the beginning -of the war were quite bewildered by the unforeseen resistance of the -Belgian Army; this is what the German prisoners interned at Bruges tell -their relatives; they even go so far as to deplore having to fight a -neutral country. - - -LETTERS FROM GERMAN PRISONERS OF WAR. - -We hear from Belgium:-- - -The correspondence of the German prisoners of war (to the number of -about two thousand) who, at the beginning of the war, were interned in -the barracks of the Bruges Lancers, has passed almost entirely through -our hands. - -All say they are well treated. Some even hope that the Belgian -prisoners in Germany will be as well treated as they. One wounded -soldier in a Bruges hospital relates that the Belgians treat the German -wounded like brothers; another speaks only of his "Belgian comrades"! -The good food served to them seems to make a great impression. Most -of them say, "We have enough to eat"; or even, "We have food in -abundance." Only one complains of "beer without flavour and bad wine"; -but another says with much simplicity: "The people here are very -kind to us, for we have enough to eat and drink." The word _for_ is -amusing.... - -The letters of the officers are quite different. No more joy because -their lives are safe. The war absorbs them entirely. They are warriors -at heart and the struggle interests them passionately. They know -nothing of what is happening, or rather they are not told what is -happening, and they want to know ... to know, and it is painful to hear -in each letter the same question: what news? The forced inactivity -becomes a torture. Boredom presses on them: they are discouraged and -greatly disillusioned; they had hoped to pass very rapidly across -Belgium (it must be remembered that at this time the war was only -beginning, that Brussels was not yet occupied, and that the letters -date from this period). - -The attack upon Belgium does not seem to please a great many of them. -"We have attacked a neutral country," says a medical officer, "and we -shall now have to suffer the eventual consequences." - -"When we got out of the train," says another, "we received the order -to fight against Belgium, a thing which is to me and to all highly -antipathetic. But what is commanded has to be executed." - -"The attack on Belgium was from the first a shameful thing." - -"We violated Belgium before any declaration of war had been made"! - -All the letters show how little the resistance of Liege was expected. -Many say: "Of all our company, of our battalion, of our regiment, -there are left only so many or so many men." One relates how in a -few minutes his colonel, his major, the captains, and nearly all the -lieutenants were mown down by the balls. "We are all mightily deluded," -admits another; "we were too confident; we thought the Belgians were -disheartened"! "The Belgians fight like lions," says another. - - -_German Lies respecting the Occupation of Liege._ - -It is the truth, although the news is partly from a German source, that -the Germans entered Belgium on the night of the 3rd of August; they -crossed the frontier near Gemmenich at two o'clock in the morning, and -the following night (of the 4th of August) they were already attempting -an attack upon Liege. But the official telegrams from Berlin have never -mentioned this date. To make it believed that the capture of Liege -was extremely rapid and that the German army had met with no serious -resistance, the staff pruned the siege of Liege at both ends; it made -the operation commence on the 5th August instead of the 4th, and -declared that it was already completed by the 7th August. - -We could not give a more precise idea of the manner in which the -Government and its "reptile Press" deceives public opinion than by -reproducing two telegrams relating to the fall of Liege. On the 7th of -August, having reported the entrance of the troops into Belgium on the -previous day, the telegrams announced the capture of the fortress of -Liege.[13] Note this: the capture of the _fortress_ (Festung). Now the -Germans had merely occupied the town of Liege, a town absolutely open, -without ramparts or defences of any kind. They themselves were forced -to own, on the 10th, that the forts had not been captured; but they -added that the guns were no longer firing, which was false (p. 50). - - BERLIN, _7th August_.--Our advance guard entered Belgium the day - before yesterday, along the whole frontier. A small division - attempted, with great valour, a surprise attack upon Liege. A few - cavalrymen pushed on into the city, and attempted to seize the - commandant, who was only able to escape by flight. The surprise - attack against the fortress, constructed according to modern - principles, did not succeed. Our troops are before the fortress, - in contact with the enemy. Naturally the whole enemy Press will - describe this enterprise as a defeat; but it has no influence on - the great operations; for us it is only an isolated fact in the - history of the war, and a proof of the aggressive courage of our - troops. - - (_Kr. D. des K. Z._, p. 9.) - - BERLIN, _7th August_. Official. (_Wolff Agency._)--The fortress of - Liege is taken. After the divisions, which had attempted a surprise - attack upon Liege, had been reinforced, the attack was pushed to a - successful termination. This morning at 8 o'clock the fortress was - in the power of Germany. - - (_Kr. D. des K. Z._, p. 11.) - -However, it was necessary to prevent the bad effect which would be -produced on the population by foreign communiques announcing that the -German army was continuing to besiege Liege after taking it. After the -complete success announced on the 7th the task was, in fact, rather -difficult. How was it to be effected? - -(_a_) Discredit might be thrown on news coming from abroad, for -example, by "demonstrating" its untruthfulness. _Der Luegenfeldzug_ -gives on p. 19 the announcement of the taking of Liege, and on the -_following_ page the Havas telegram stating that Liege is not taken. -What will the superficial reader conclude if he does not take the -trouble to dissect the telegrams? That the Allies are shameless liars, -going to the length of denying the obvious. But examine the dates: -Liege was taken, according to the Germans, on the 7th August, at 8 -a.m., while the Allies declare that Liege is not taken--on the 6th! -And to think that the book which perpetrates this trickery is entitled -_Der Luegenfeldzug unserer Feinde_ ("Our Enemies' Campaign of Lies")! -and that it undertakes the mission of calling attention to the lies and -calumnies of the enemy in order to correct them! - -(_b_) To establish confusion between the city and the fortress. As -early as the 7th August the false newsmongers were rejoicing over -the taking of the fortress, intentionally confusing the city and the -fortified place, so that the reader of these communiques no longer -knows what to think, and naturally accepts the official news of his own -country. - - -_The sudden Attack upon France is checked._ - -To understand how completely it was in Germany's interest to create the -belief that Liege was taken in two days by a small body of troops, we -must remember that the object of the Germans was to traverse Belgium -as rapidly as possible, in order to crush the French and capture -Paris. The author of _J'accuse_ reports the remark of old Marshal -von Haeseler, who proposed to celebrate in Paris the anniversary of -Sedan--on the 2nd September, 1914. We ourselves copied a charcoal -inscription written on the front of a house burned down at Battice, -making an appointment in Paris for the 2nd September with a certain -regiment of artillery. - -Now this sudden march was completely spoiled and the German plan of -campaign undone by the unexpected resistance of the Belgians, first at -Liege, then at Hesbays. This loss of a few days was fatal to Germany, -and Germany bears us malice on that account. - - -_The Disinterested Behaviour of Belgium._ - -One last point as to the violation of our neutrality. - -The Germans now pretend to pity the poor Belgians, who allowed -themselves to be fooled by England as much as by their King and -Government, and who, by their credulity, brought the war upon -themselves. But what am I saying?--the German Government assures the -world that we ourselves desired the war. Official Germany has become -incapable of conceiving that a people should remain faithful to its -international obligations, and if need be sacrifice itself for them. - -"Why," our adversaries ask us, "did you not accept the proposals of -Germany? You would have profited by them." And indeed our eastern -neighbours offered us L200,000 as the price of our complicity (F. -Bettix, _Der Krieg_). - -It would be very interesting to know on what data Germany calculates -the value of a nation's honour; in any case, we may assure her that no -one in the world would be so simple as to offer so great a sum for hers. - - * * * * * - -For the rest, as far as we Belgians are concerned our interest has -never entered into our calculations. It was not in order to profit -by it that we resisted Germany; it was because we judged that such -was our obligation as an honest nation. And yet, as the Minister, M. -Carton de Wiart, remarked, at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, on the 20th -December, 1914, we had, even then, the vision of our country ravaged -by the Prussian hordes; but even to-day, after suffering such terrible -atrocities, there is not a Belgian "who would change his poverty for -the profits of a bandit." - -FOOTNOTES: - -[6] The Germans do not like one to quote these words of Herr -Bethmann-Hollweg. A series of pamphlets, _Histoire de la guerre de -1914_, which has appeared in Brussels during the occupation, reports -the last conversation of the Chancellor with the British Ambassador on -the 4th of August, 1914 (p. 206), but the "scrap of paper" does not -figure therein: the censorship suppressed this too compromising passage. - -[7] See, for example, Bernhardi's _How Germany makes War_, pp. 190, -191, 192. On the 4th of March, 1882, the _Nord. Allg. Zeit._ declared: -"Germany has no political motive for violating Belgian neutrality, but -the military advantage which might result forces her thereto." Emile -Bauning, _La Belgique au point de vue Militaire et International_, -Brussels, 1906, p. 58. - -[8] Apparently such unusual honesty cannot long survive in the mind of -a German diplomatist. The phrase is in its proper place in the French -text, but it is lacking in the Flemish text, which is printed facing it. - -[9] _K.Z._, 2nd December, 1st edition, morning, published the same -revelations. This article is more complete than that printed in -Brussels. We hasten to correct a numerical error which renders the -opening of the second paragraph incomprehensible: it states that five -years had elapsed between 1905 and 1914. According to the _K.Z._ one -should read 1909 instead of 1905. - -[10] The same lie figures in _Luettich_, p. 5. - -[11] The French text here quoted is that which was posted up. The -German text, also posted, states that Belgium had long ago carefully -armed the civil population (see p. 208). - -[12] An article on "Flemings and Walloons" in _K.Z._ for 13th March -(noon edition), declares that Belgium knew nothing of chauvinism, nor -even, adds the writer, of nationalism. - -[13] These lies die hard. Herren Koester and Noske, in the introduction -of their book, _Kreigsfahrten durch Belgien und Nordfrankreich_, -literally state: "The German troops entered Belgium on the 6th of -August; on the following day the fortress of Liege had been taken by -assault." - - - - -CHAPTER II - -VIOLATIONS OF THE HAGUE CONVENTION - - -A.--The "Reprisals against Francs-tireurs." - -Under the pretext that France was making ready to attack her, Germany -hastened to invade Belgium and Luxemburg. But France was not preparing -to invade the Rhine provinces of Prussia, and this pretended threat of -aggression was merely a trick, intended to frighten Parliament, and -to obtain a vote approving the actions of the Ministry and giving it -_carte blanche_. The manoeuvre completely succeeded; the Government -received a unanimous vote, in spite of the Chancellor's admission: "We -are committing an injustice, and we are violating the law of nations; -but when one is driven into a corner as we are, all means are good." - -We discovered immediately, alas! what these words meant. Hardly had -the German soldiers crossed the frontier, when they began to burn and -massacre. - - -_Murders committed by the Germans from the outset._ - -On the very day of the invasion--the 4th August--a motor-car carrying -four German officers arrived at Herve, and then pulled up. One of the -officers demanded information of a youth of sixteen, one Dechene; the -latter did not understand, or perhaps refused to reply (which was his -right, and even his duty towards his country); we do not know, but in -any case the officer shot him with his revolver. - -On the 4th of August, too, the Germans shot peaceful citizens at Vise, -when the 2nd battalion of the 12th regiment of the line, under Major -Collyns, had the audacity to resist them. Of course they pretended that -the civilians took part in the fighting. A few days later they burned -the church and the greater part of the town. - -One sees plainly from these, and too many other examples, what -was the object of our enemies: (_a_) They wished to terrorize the -population, in order to make them more amenable to requisitions and -demands of all kinds; (_b_) they wished to make their own troops -believe that in fighting the Belgians--which they at first did with -great unwillingness--they were merely defending themselves against -treacherous attacks; (_c_) they wished to multiply opportunities of -pillage; (_d_) finally, perhaps, they reckoned that by displaying to -the Belgian Government the horrors to which its first refusal had -exposed the country, they would induce it to reconsider its position -and could obtain from it a free passage. - - -_Were there any "Francs-tireurs"?_ - -It would be impossible at this moment to state that the Belgians never, -at any point of the frontier, fired upon the invaders. Let us remark, -moreover, that if they did they would have been, from the purely human -point of view, perfectly excusable.[14] What! here is Germany, who, -pretending to be in a state of legitimate defence, falls unawares -upon an inoffensive third party! And this third party had no right to -oppose force to violence! In all logic, was it not Belgium that was in -a state of legitimate defence; was it not for Belgium that all means -were good? And notice, please, that it was not against an imagined and -imaginary menace that we were defending ourselves: the Germans had -most undeniably invaded Belgium. Would it have been astonishing if -the Belgians, exasperated by this unspeakable aggression, had seized -their rifles? In sane justice, one could not regard such action as -a grievance; on the contrary. Does this mean that we believe in the -story of civilians attacking the German army? Most certainly not; -because we know from reliable sources that in _every_ case where it -has been possible to hold an inquiry, this inquiry has shown that the -"francs-tireurs" were merely the pretext; the real motive for all the -devastation and massacre was the desire to terrorize the population. -It is, therefore, in a fashion entirely theoretical, and with the -most express reserves, that we admit, in default of opportunity to -investigate, in each case, the affirmations of our enemies, that in -some cases, certainly extremely rare, isolated civilians, or small -groups of civilians, may have been taken with arms in their hands. But -our enemies will please admit also that the attitude of these civilians -would have been amply excused by the more than brutal fashion in which -the Germans behaved from the very first moments of the war. Let us -add that when one erects terror into a system, as the Germans do, one -should understand the defensive reflexes of the victims. - -What were the rights of our enemies in these exceptional cases? They -could, as they themselves proclaim, have shot the individual offenders, -and, for once in a way, have burned their houses. But nothing in -the world could justify the executions _en masse_ and the wholesale -burnings to which the Germans surrendered themselves. - - -_The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in the German Army._ - -One point at first remained obscure to us in the German "reprisals": -how did the German officers induce their men to commit this horrible -carnage? Very simply: their minds were worked upon beforehand; they -were crammed with legends of francs-tireurs dating from the war of -1870-71, and were made to believe that the Belgian population was -revoltingly brutal. So as soon as they set foot on our territory they -expected to be attacked by civilians, and, very naturally, prepared to -sell their lives dearly. - -Nothing is more typical in this respect than the collection of -soldiers' letters published for the edification of the German nation -in _Der Deutsche Krieg in Feldpostbriefen_.--_I. Luettich, Namur, -Antwerpen._ In more than half is there mention of "francs-tireurs"; but -scarcely ever does the writer speak of having himself seen them. Read, -for example, the first letter (that is No. 2 in the volume, for Letter -No. 1 is not a soldier's letter). The writer, an officer, asserts that -during the attack on the forts of Liege, on the night of the 6th of -August, the night was so dark that it was impossible to distinguish -friends from enemies, and that the Germans were firing on one another. -Nevertheless, as they were fired on, and as they saw three men running, -they immediately shot them as "francs-tireurs." During this same night -their baggage-column having been surprised (he does not say by whom), -a village was burned and the inhabitants were shot. - -The whole mentality of the German soldier in respect of civilians is -reflected in this letter; it is so dark that the Germans fire on one -another, but that does not prevent them from recognizing that those -attacking them are "francs-tireurs," even though their men are "falling -_en masse_," which excludes all idea of francs-tireurs. - -Francs-tireurs! From the very first days of the war it is a fixed idea, -an obsession, engendered by previous reading and conversation, and -carefully nourished by the leaders. - - -_The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in the Literature of the War._ - -Francs-tireurs! This idea invades the whole of their contemporary -literature. All the books on the campaign in Belgium and France swarm -with tales of this kind. Let us add that the authors do not assert that -they themselves have seen the attacks of the "francs-tireurs." But they -have been told of them, and they hasten to repeat the story without the -slightest means of verification. - -Thus, in _Kriegsfahrten_, by Herren Koester and Noske, there is mention -of "francs-tireurs" on pages 10, 12, 13, 20, and 22; and they return to -the subject in the last chapter (p. 113). - -Herr Fedor von Zobeltitz, in _Kriegsfahrten eines Johanniters_, also -constantly heard mention of attacks by Belgian civilians: at Tirlemont -(p. 39), at Louvain (pp. 39, 53, 54, 91), at Malines (p. 49), at -Eppeghem (p. 86), and in Antwerp (p. 154). - -The volume entitled _Die Eroberung Belgiens_ is full of stories of the -same sort. Thus, of thirty-eight illustrations, which are neither maps -nor portraits, ten are devoted to the attacks of Belgian civilians. - -It is interesting to compare the tales of people who have not been -present in the battles fought in Belgium, and who speak only from -hearsay, with the narrative of Herr Otto von Gottberg, _Als Adjutant -durch Frankreich und Belgien_. He took part in September in the -battles which accompanied the siege of Antwerp. Nowhere did he see -francs-tireurs. Yet he by no means loves the Belgian civilians, and -he certainly would have been tremendously pleased to shoot down a -few. Read, for example, what he says of the provocative attitude of -the people of Brussels, and above all of the women of Brussels (p. -55), and of passing through the streets of Lebbeke (near Termonde), -where his soldiers proposed to fall upon the inhabitants who scowled -at them (p. 65). However, he says, he did not burn a single house (p. -67). We may remark that Herr Gottberg's companions showed themselves -less amiable, or at least equitable, than he, for the "reprisals" -against Lebbeke were particularly atrocious (see _9th Report_). It is, -however, highly improbable that the inhabitants would have deprived -themselves of the pleasure of firing on the little patrol led by Herr -Gottberg, afterwards to take up arms against troops which were much -more numerous. However it may be, the legend of the "francs-tireurs" -of Lebbeke was willingly accepted by Herren Koester and Noske -(_Kriegsfahrten_). - - -_The Obsession of the "Franc-tireur" in Literature and Art._ - -The obsession of the "franc-tireur" is also found outside the limits of -military literature properly so-called. Herr Bredt has just published -a book on _Le caractere du peuple belge revele par l'art belge_. The -illegal attacks of the Belgian population upon the regular German -troops, he says, were not in the least surprising to those who were -acquainted with the productions of Belgian art. - -It would be difficult to surpass, in this respect, an article which -appeared in the January number of _Kunst und Kuenstler_. It gives the -reproduction of an engraving by Callot: a camp in which musketeers -are putting to death condemned men bound to stakes. "Execution of -francs-tireurs," says the legend in German. That there should be a -question of "francs-tireurs" in the time of Callot, who died in 1635, -may in itself seem somewhat strange. But the engraver has taken care -to inscribe, under his work, some lines describing the scene which it -represents, which may be translated as follows:-- - - "Those who to give their evil nature sway, - Failing in duty, take the tyrant's way, - Infringing right, delighting but in ill, - Whose acts are full of treason and self-will, - Cause in the camp full many a bloody brawl, - So die this death, the end of traitors all." - -It is enough to read this legend to realize that they are traitors who -are being punished; but the German mind of to-day is so steeped in -the idea of "francs-tireurs" that the artists no longer understand -what their predecessors wrote, and, like the soldiers, they see -francs-tireurs everywhere. - - -_Responsibility of the Leaders._ - -But it is above all the great massacres of Andenne, Tamines, Dinant, -Termonde, Aerschot, Louvain, and Luxemburg, which are for ever -inexcusable, and will remain, an eternal disgrace, as a stain upon the -German flag. Their appetite whetted by the atrocities committed during -the first days of the invasion, the soldiers themselves invented or -simulated attacks of "francs-tireurs," in order to have the pleasure -of afterwards repressing them, killing, pillaging, and burning entire -cities. Let us say, to be just, that not the soldiers but their leaders -will bear, before the bar of history, the responsibility of this -revival of the monstrosities of barbarism. Is it not obvious that in an -army as highly disciplined as the German, an army in which the officers -drive their men into battle under the threat of their revolvers, and in -which the soldiers obey such injunctions, such deliberately prepared -tragedies as that of Louvain are possible only with the complicity -of the officers, or rather by their orders? How else can we conceive -that soldiers would post themselves in a garden and thence fire their -rifles into the streets? (_N.R.C._, 10th September, 1914, evening -edition). And it is not the subaltern officers that we have to call -to account for these butcheries, but the generals, such as Baron von -Bissing, since become Governor-General of Belgium, who counsels the -soldiery to show themselves pitiless, and not to allow themselves to be -swayed by any humanitarian consideration, for compassion would be an -act of treason (_compare_ p. 336). The soldiers are advised that it -is permissible for them "to make the innocent suffer with the guilty" -(p. 84); that they may hang, without further ceremony, those who have -committed the crime of being found present, for whatever reason, in a -house where munitions or arms have been found (p. 335); and also those -who have attempted to escape while they were being held as hostages (p. -151). The previous Governor-General of Belgium announced that soldiers -need not be sure whether suspects are accessories or not, but that "if -any hostility is displayed towards them they may raze a city to the -ground." Such is the fate that General von Buelow promised the city of -Brussels. The same general thought it incumbent upon him officially -to inform the people of Brussels, Liege, and Namur that it was with -his consent that the town of Andenne was burned, and about one hundred -persons shot (_6th Report_, IV). - -By these proclamations and others equally sanguinary the military -authorities wished to influence both the Germans and the Belgians. -The former were absolved beforehand of the horrors they committed, -and were assured of impunity for all the "reprisals" they might be -pleased to undertake. Moreover, they were kept in perpetual horror of -"francs-tireurs." Are they assailed unexpectedly by soldiers of the -enemy's army? They fall back without assuring themselves of what has -really happened, and return with the main body of the army to expend -their rage against the "francs-tireurs." This is what took place at -Tamines where more than four hundred citizens were shot down by rifle -or machine-gun fire, and also in a dozen villages of Bas-Luxembourg, -which were razed to the ground, and in which a thousand inhabitants -were shot. - - -_Animosity toward the Clergy._ - -The military chiefs bear an especial grudge against the clergy. In -the manifestoes against "francs-tireurs" the priests are specially -mentioned, which amounts to recommending them quite specially to the -savagery of the troops. The latter are convinced that the priests -incite their flocks from the pulpit, and that they place machine-guns -in the belfries. So, in the sack of a village, the worst treatment is -always reserved for the priests and the churches. - -The pastoral letter of His Excellency Cardinal Mercier gives a list of -forty-three priests shot or executed.[15] - -There is no ignominy the troops have not inflicted on the priests. A -few examples among hundreds will suffice. - -They forced members of the Louvain clergy to lie naked in the dung of -a pig-sty. - -The cure of Pont-Brule was beaten, by order of the German soldiery, by -his own parishioners. - -The January number of _Kunst und Kuenstler_ gives a drawing representing -a cure hanging from a tree. - -At Cortemarck it was the priests who were punished because an -inhabitant was in communication with the enemy (read, "the Belgians"). - -On the 30th August, 1914, the Germans arrested the dean and vicar of -a village in Brabant, under the pretext that they had made luminous -signals from the church tower. Now the priests had been prisoners -since 2.0 o'clock of the afternoon; how then could they have ascended -the tower at 5.30 p.m.? Despite their protestations they were taken -to Louvain, whence a so-called Council of War sent them to Germany. -Arriving in a prisoners' camp, they were accommodated in the latrines, -which consisted of a trench and a plank perforated with holes. Each -time a German soldier had to satisfy his need, he took the opportunity -of insulting the priests in the most filthy manner. A German major sent -for them and informed them that they were about to be shot. The vicar -asked that he might confess. "No," he was told, "hell is good enough -for you." They were led away to die ... but were sent to a seminary, -where they remained prisoners until January 1915. - - -_Animosity toward Churches._ - -Against the churches their rage was unloosed with even greater fury. -In the part of Brabant that lies north of Vilvorde there is hardly -a belfry left erect: Beyghem, Capelle-au-Bois, Haecht, Humbeek, -Pont-Brule, Sempst, Eppeghem, Houtem, Weerde, Hofstade, Elewijt, -Werchter, Boortmeerbeek, etc., are all burned. - -At Termonde all the churches have been either burned or profaned. But -in the midst of this city, where twelve hundred houses were burned out -of fourteen hundred, the Beguinage remained intact, an oasis of calm -isolated amid the calcined ruins. On the grassy plain that surrounds -the bright little houses of the beguines stood the chapel. This did -not find favour with the Germans, and its blackened walls attest that -Kultur has passed that way. Were the beguines perhaps "francs-tireurs"? - -We have already stated that the peculiar irritation of the Germans -against the clergy and their sanctuaries was due to the fact that they -regarded the cures as the leaders of the "francs-tireurs." The falsity -of this allegation was recognized by Dr. Julius Bachem, the editor -of the _Koelnische Volkszeitung_, one of the most prominent Catholic -newspapers in Germany. Dr. Bachem published, in the issue for April -1915 of the _Sueddeutsche Monatshefte_, which was principally devoted -to Belgium, an article on the religious problem in Belgium. He based -his proofs on the authority of Baron von Bissing, Commandant of the -7th Army Corps, at present Governor-General in Belgium, and also on -the special inquiry undertaken by the Union of the Catholic Priests of -the Rhine, _Pax_. This inquiry, mostly conducted with the aid of the -present military authorities in Belgium, proved that the clergy was -absolutely innocent, and that all the accusations brought against it -were purely imaginary.[16] - -The Emperor did not wait for the confirmation of the crimes attributed -to the priests before making violent accusations against them in his -telegram to the President of the United States. He has not retracted -these. - - -_Intentional Insufficiency of Preliminary Inquiries._ - -Never was there the least justification for reprisals. Read the Reports -of the Commission of Inquiry, and the narratives of ocular witnesses, -and you will find that the most horrible things are continually done -without any pains being taken to verify the facts. Soldiers greedy for -pillage say, without justification, _Die Civilisten haben geschossen_; -and that is enough. The order is given to kill the men and reduce -the neighbourhood to ashes. Or shots have really been fired on the -Germans; the civilians are suddenly accused, and without listening to -the unhappy prisoners, who offer to prove that the shots were fired by -Belgian or Allied soldiers, the Germans proceed to execution. - -A very typical case is that of Charleroi. We knew that French troops -were still occupying the town when the Germans entered. But these last -immediately accused the civilians, since, they said, shots were fired -from the interior of the houses, as though their adversaries had not -the right, quite as much as they, to take cover in the buildings. -Moreover, when they later were confronted with the proof that the -French were there, they merely remarked that the latter's mission was -to organize and to discipline the civic guards and "francs-tireurs"[17] -(_see_ Heymel's article, p. 196). Could one imagine a finer example of -preconceived opinion? - -M. Waxwieler insists emphatically on the unspeakable frivolity with -which the Germans carry out "reprisals." He cites notably the case of -Linsmeau (p. 256) and that of Francorchamps (p. 270). As this is an -essential point, I may perhaps be permitted to relate a few more cases. - -On entering Wepion on the 23rd August the Germans pretended that the -citizens had fired on them, and they shot, then and there, six of them, -among whom were the two younger Bouchats. Now those who had fired -were Belgian soldiers armed with machine-guns, who were covering the -retreat of the Belgian troops. A moment's reflection would have enabled -the Germans to realize their error, since civilians obviously had no -machine-guns at their disposal. While they were being led to their -death, one of the Bouchats begged a glass of water of their mother. But -the Germans refused to allow it to be given him: "It's not worth the -trouble now," they said. - -In August 1914 a French patrol and a German patrol came into collision -at Sibret (Belgian Luxembourg) and exchanged shots; they then retired, -leaving a wounded German on the ground. Two inhabitants of Sibret -carried the wounded man toward an ambulance; the clerk to the _Justice -de Paix_ of Bouillon, M. Rozier, accompanied them. He was carrying the -rifle slung over his shoulder and the soldier's knapsack in his hand. A -German patrol came up and questioned M. Rozier, telling him, no doubt, -to raise his hands or throw down his rifle. As neither M. Rozier nor -any of his companions understood German, and were unable to comply with -the order, the Germans fired on M. Rozier, killing him. - -Every time it has been possible to obtain any kind of inquiry from the -Germans it has resulted in their confusion; at Huy the bullets found in -the bodies of Germans were German bullets; the General was forced to -stop the burning of the village; he even admitted that a mistake had -been made. - -An example of another kind, also taken from the _N.R.C._, is equally -characteristic. During the night a German soldier fired a rifle-shot, -no one knew why, in a village of Western Flanders. Great alarm -immediately. "The village is going to be burned!" But before they -had time to get to work an important piece of evidence, the empty -cartridge-case, proved that it was really a German soldier who fired. -However, if by chance this blessed cartridge-case had not come to hand -the village would have burned. Too often, alas! the German army does -not trouble to postpone the reprisals awhile ... and the houses are in -ashes before the falsity of the accusations has been proved. It is to -be remarked, indeed, that it is never the Germans who prove the truth -of their allegations, but the Belgians who have to prove the Germans in -error. It is justice reversed. - -It is easy to understand that a _non-lieu_ does not please the German -authorities. In fact, their object is not to render justice but to -terrorize the population; and if it were necessary to examine the -_bona-fides_ of their accusations they would not be able to exercise -"reprisals," which would not suit them at all! - -If the accusations had really been justified by the attacks of -"francs-tireurs" the Germans would have taken care to establish their -existence irrefutably. For we must not forget that according to Article -3 of the Hague Convention they ought to indemnify us for all the -burnings and massacres commanded by them. - - -_A "Show" Inquiry._ - -They know, however, how contrary these summary executions are to the -spirit of justice, and they sometimes attempt to lay a false trail. -Read, for example, the chapter devoted by Dr. Sven Hedin to the -"francs-tireurs." The great Swedish geographer, of whose wonderful -Asiatic journeys every one has heard, made a tour along the Western -front. He therefore visited the occupied portion of France and -Belgium, and wrote an enthusiastic book on the German Army, _Ein -Volk in Waffen_. In the course of this work, he describes the manner -in which an inquiry is held into the circumstances of an attack by -"francs-tireurs." Everything is done as regularly as possible, and -the affair ends in an acquittal. Was the tribunal authentic, or was -it merely a parody?[18] It matters little; the essential thing for us -is that it was desired to prove to Dr. Hedin that the Germans are not -barbarians, and that they observe the forms of justice even while on -campaign. - - -_Mentality of an Officer charged with the Repression of -"Francs-tireurs."_ - -Let us now compare with the account of Dr. Hedin that of a German -officer entrusted with the repression of "francs-tireurs." Captain Paul -Oskar Hoecker gives a few curious details in his interesting book, _An -der Spitze meiner Kompagnie_. He had to clear of "francs-tireurs" a -portion of the territory comprised between the German frontier and the -Meuse. His mission consisted in this: to present himself at houses, -to ask if there were arms, and in case of a reply in the negative, to -search the house; if arms were discovered the householder was shot on -the spot; in case of resistance the house was burned (p. 83). The first -farm he visits is Jungbush, near Moresnet; the inhabitants assure him -they have no arms. They are told that if they are hiding one rifle -they will be punished with death; they repeat that they have none. And -now the soldiers bring up a boy of fifteen who was hiding under the -straw with a Belgian rifle and five cartridges. He is shot without -further inquiry (p. 26). It is permissible to ask whether it would -not have been juster and more humane to have looked into the matter a -little more closely. The remainder of the book instructs us as to the -psychology of Captain Hoecker. At the house of the vicar of Thimister, -where he passed the first night in Belgium, his bedroom door did not -lock, and this was enough to make him shake with fear (p. 29). On the -following morning he had a pigeon shot, which he suspected of being a -carrier of despatches to "francs-tireurs"; "and in truth," he says, -"the pigeon bore a stamp on the left wing" (p. 30). This proof is -perhaps somewhat slender in a country where all pigeons which take part -in matches have a mark of this kind. He confiscates all the small-arms -and parts of arms in the establishments of the innumerable armourers of -the district, and smashes everything in their workshops. On one such -occasion he burns a house whose owner does not consent with good grace -to the destruction of his plant (p. 30). On the same day he finds that -all the houses from which shots were fired have been burned; in his -satisfaction he does not even ask himself whether those who fired were -soldiers or civilians (p. 31). Neither has he a word of reprobation -for the fury which the Germans display against Belgium: Belgium, -forced to take the side of the Allies when her territory was violated -by Germany. He reaches Vise at the moment of its burning; he accepts -immediately the legend according to which the bridge has been destroyed -by "francs-tireurs" (p. 34). According to him, the Belgians of good -society do not become soldiers; he is convinced that substitution -is still in force with us, and that for 1,600 francs (L64) one can -escape from one's military obligations (p. 39). To him, therefore, all -civilians appear cowards, and he is not surprised to see them become -"sneaking francs-tireurs." When he passes through the streets of -Louvain he listens to the story that Germans have that very day been -fired upon (p. 47). Further on he admits without hesitation that the -German soldiers taken prisoners before Liege must have expected to be -shot by the Belgians (p. 71). - -We do not question the sincerity of Captain Hoecker. But why was so -credulous and so suggestible a person selected to search out and punish -"francs-tireurs"? Assuredly because it was desired that "reprisals" -should be carried out without previous discussion, and by some one -whose conscience should, nevertheless, be at rest. - - -_Drunkenness in the German Army._ - -We have just seen that massacres very frequently took place without any -pretext having been brought forward to excuse them. In nearly all cases -alcoholism was the cause of these, for the German soldiers, and above -all the officers, are scandalously addicted to drink. - -The first thing requisitioned by the officers is always wine, by -hundreds of bottles at a time. - -Turn over a collection of German illustrated papers: every time a -meeting of officers is photographed there are bottles and glasses on -the table. At the ambulance installed in the Palais de Justice of -Brussels the military surgeons have not been ashamed to steal the -wine of the wounded men, wine offered by the citizens of Brussels. The -general and his staff who installed themselves on the 21st August, -1914, in the Palais Royal of Laeken levied such vast contributions on -the cellars of the Palais that on the following morning an officer was -found, in the costume of Adam, dead-drunk in front of a bath which he -had not had the strength to enter. When they left the Palais they took -with them many hampers of wine, and a few days later they had a search -made for further hampers of the vintages which were their preference. -The cellars were soon empty. - -They were drunken soldiers who provoked the burning of Huy, the -assassinations at Canne (_N.R.C._, 23rd August, 1914, morning edition), -and in part at least the massacres of Louvain. When they occupied Gand -the police had to collect them, dead-drunk, on the very first morning; -they had already begun to fire revolver-shots. - -It was after a tavern brawl between drunken soldiers that the burning -of a portion of Tongres was decreed (_N.R.C._, 22nd August, 1914, -morning edition). In Brussels, on the 28th September, 1914, some -drunken soldiers in a German cabaret situated in the Rue de la Grande -Ile, were firing rifle-shots to amuse themselves; bullets lodged in the -house-fronts opposite. The officer whom some one went to fetch that -he might witness this misbehaviour believed that an attack was being -delivered by "francs-tireurs," and, trembling like a leaf, refused to -go thither. The _N.R.C._, 28th January, 1915 (morning edition) states -that a young girl of Eelen was arrested as a "franc-tireur" because -rifle-shots had been fired by drunken soldiers. - -Let us add that drunkenness might have had harmless consequences if -the authorities had not exerted themselves to make the troops believe -that every unexpected shot is necessarily fired by a "franc-tireur," -and that so black a crime can only be paid for by a general massacre -accompanied by the burning of the village concerned. - - * * * * * - -There is only one fashion of explaining the horrors committed by the -Germans: it is to admit that they are modelled beforehand according to -a carefully devised system of intimidation: the systematic inhumanity -of their treatment of the enemy population being intended to facilitate -other military operations. - - -_Cruelties necessary according to German Theories._ - -Compare, for example, the laws of war according to the German Great -General Staff[19] with the stipulations of the Hague Convention. As -the last is based on humanitarian considerations and seeks to lighten -the scourge of war for non-combatants, so the Germans systematically -refuse to make war less cruel; on the contrary, they start with the -principle that the more terrible the war the more swiftly and surely -will its object be attained. Read the chapter, "The Object of War," -and you will be edified. Even jurists like Baer, blinded by warlike -passions, dare to maintain that all must yield to military necessities, -including--what blasphemy!--the law of nations. The characteristic -theory that war should be "absolute" and barbarous is the idea -underlying the manifesto of von Bissing which has already been cited -(p. 70). In fewer words Hindenburg says the same thing[20] (p. 206). -So that Belgium might realize the fate that awaited her the German -authorities made haste to advertise their opinion. It is true that they -have since then posted up reassuring phrases as to the humanitarian -sentiments of the German Army for the moment. Had our butchers -renounced their attempts at terrorization? - - -_Terrorization: "Reprisals" as a "Preventive."_ - -According to this hypothesis, that the great "reprisals" undertaken at -the outset of the war would serve as examples, the Germans wished to -instil terror into the very marrow of our bones, so that they might -then be able to rule us with a small garrison of Landsturm. Reflect, -for example, that Brussels, an agglomeration of 700,000 souls, has -never had a garrison of more than 5,000 men, and has often had only -1,000. - -Such a calculation is so abominable, so fundamentally inhuman, that we -shrank from the harshness of this supposition, and accepted it with -all manner of reservations.[21] Well, our hesitation was futile. In an -article whose frankness is calculated to make one's hair stand on end, -Captain Walter Bloem, adjutant to the Governor-General, published in the -officially-inspired _Koelnische Zeitung_ of the 10th February, 1915, the -confirmation of that which we hardly dared to imagine. Here are his -exact words:-- - -"The principle according to which the whole community must be punished -for the fault of a single individual is justified by the _theory of -terrorization_. The innocent must suffer with the guilty; if the latter -are unknown the innocent must even be punished in their place; and -note that the punishment is applied not _because_ a misdeed has been -committed, but _in order that_ no more shall be committed. To burn a -neighbourhood, shoot hostages, decimate a population which has taken -up arms against the army--all this is far less a reprisal than the -sounding of a _note of warning_ for the territory not yet occupied. Do -not doubt it: it was as a note of warning that Battice, Herve, Louvain, -and Dinant were burned. The burnings and bloodshed of the opening of -the war showed the great cities of Belgium how perilous it was for them -to attack the small garrisons which we were able to leave there. No -one will believe that Brussels, where we are to-day as though in our -own home, would have allowed us to do as we liked if the inhabitants -had not trembled before our vengeance, and if they did not continue to -tremble. War is not a social diversion." - -Any commentary would weaken the force of these declarations. - - -_Incendiary Material._ - -We are not in the confidence of the German Staff, and we can only form -hypotheses as to its mentality. But here are two facts, easy to verify -and interpret, which show that the atrocities were committed with -premeditation. - -Firstly, the existence of various incendiary materials. When a town -is condemned to be burned the execution of the command is confided to -a special company of the engineers. (The _carnet_ of an officer of an -"incendiary company" was picked up in a commune of Hainaut.) Generally -a first squad breaks the windows and shutters; a second pours naphtha -into the houses by means of special pumps, "incendiary pumps"; then -comes the third squad, which throws the "incendiary bombs." These last -are of many different kinds. Those most commonly employed in Brabant -and Hainaut include discs of gelatinous nitro-cellulose, which jump -in all directions. Thanks to the inflammable vapours which fill the -houses, the latter catch fire on all their floors simultaneously. It -took only half an hour to set fire to the Boulevard Audent at Charleroi. - -No one can suppose that so perfect an organization was improvised -during the campaign. Moreover, where and how could the discs of -fulminating cotton have been procured? - -At Termonde the Germans probably employed cylinders of naphtha. At all -events one can still see, in houses which did not catch fire, holes -made in the ceilings and floors, into which holes long strips of linen -are introduced to serve as wicks. The Germans sprinkled them with -naphtha, and it was enough to put a match to such a wick in order to -set fire to the joists of the floor overhead. At Termonde 1,200 houses -were burned in a single day. - - -_The Two Great Periods of Massacre._ - -We discover, then, that the great destructive operations were conducted -according to a general plan. Let us place in chronological order the -most important of the massacres and the conflagrations, that is, those -which could not have been carried out except by order of the officers, -omitting, therefore, the killings in detail and the burning of farms -and isolated houses, attributable, no doubt, to soldiers acting on -their own initiative, or to small bands greedy for pillage. What do -we see? That apart from the atrocities which marked the outset of the -campaign, the majority of the great killings and burnings, in France -as well as in Belgium, were ordered during two periods: one from the -19th to the 27th August, and one from the 2nd to the 12th September, -1914. Now it is quite certain that in a country already occupied, -and deprived of means of communication, the "francs-tireurs" could -not possibly have agreed among themselves as to the moment of their -attacks. The only people who could transmit an order were the Germans; -and the legitimate conclusion which one forms from this lamentable list -is that the pretended attacks of francs-tireurs were elaborated in -Berlin, whence they were ordered by telegraph to break out on a given -date. - -Another interesting fact revealed by a chronological list is that -the so-called attacks of "francs-tireurs" very often do not coincide -with the entrance of the Germans into a given locality, but break -out a few days later. One might at a pinch understand that poachers, -or impulsive individuals, might fire a rifle at a patrol; but it is -wholly improbable that they would make their attempt at a moment when -they were already impressed by the formidable warlike equipment of our -enemies. This is so contrary to common sense that the Germans try to -get out of it by lying. Let us cite a case. They assert that on Tuesday -the 25th August, 1914, there was in Louvain only a weak garrison of -Landsturm, and that the civil population profited by this circumstance -to attempt an attack, which could only be repressed by incendiarism and -massacre. Now the people of Louvain had been warned that very morning -that 10,000 men were to arrive during the day, and that many houses -which had not yet billeted soldiers would do so the following night. -And, indeed, that afternoon several fresh regiments were seen to enter, -notably the 53rd, 72nd, and 7th Hussars. - -When, by exception, the Germans assert that the "francs-tireurs" have -attacked a column on the march, one almost always remarks the three -following points: (1) the attack takes place while a village is being -traversed; (2) it happens when a great part of the column has already -passed, so that the "francs-tireurs" are caught between two fires; (3) -the "francs-tireurs" are concealed in the houses. A moment's reflection -suffices to show that these are precisely the most unfavourable -circumstances which civilians could choose for their attack. - - -_Protective Inscriptions._ - -All this shows that we have not to deal with acts of indiscipline, -which are, God knows, the inevitable accompaniment of any war, yet -which are almost excusable. We have here a maturely considered system, -prepared at the Great General Headquarters, and then frigidly applied. -In other words, the "reprisals against francs-tireurs" form part of -the plan of campaign of the German army. If additional proof were -needed that they are disciplined cruelties, as the Minister of State, -M. Emile Vandervelde, remarks, it would be found in the inscriptions -and placards placed upon property which is to be respected. - -Besides the inscription which says simply that the house must not be -burned save with the authorization of the _Kommandantur_ (at Louvain, -after the great fires of the 25th and 27th August, nearly all the -houses which were spared received one of these placards), there are -others giving the reasons for the protection accorded to the building. -Here are some of these reasons: the inhabitants are respectable -(_gute_) people; they have German sympathies; they have already given -the troops all they possessed; they are protected by the Legation; an -officer knows them personally. The fact that with very few exceptions -these houses escaped disaster well demonstrates the strength of German -discipline. It is by no means astonishing, therefore, that in the -localities which are still intact the inhabitants should have taken -precautions; thus, there have been houses in Brussels which were -provided with a protective inscription. Other buildings have been -marked on a plan (_N.R.C._, 14th September, 1914, evening edition). -This reminds one of the tenth plague of Egypt and the sign which the -Jews had to place upon the lintel of their dwelling, that the Lord -might recognize it. When the Lord passed, He spared the marked houses -(Exodus xii. 7, 22). In the German plague which has settled upon our -poor country, the Destroying Angel has the aspect of an officer with a -single eye-glass. - - -_Accusations against the Belgian Government._ - -What makes the German accusations against the "francs-tireurs" -particularly serious is, firstly, the terrifying, infernal nature of -the punishments which follow these accusations; and secondly, the -fact that they involve our constituted authorities.[22] "The Belgian -Government has openly[23] encouraged the civil population to take part -in this war," says one whose word has weight in Germany, for he is -none other than the Emperor in person. And he did not content himself -with telegraphing this to America; he spread this impudent assertion -over the walls of our cities (p. 208). Had he at least the excuse of -believing what he said? Most certainly not; for years he had been -informed by his spies of the details of our military organization; he -knew, then, perfectly, what Belgium was or was not doing. - -At the time the first accusations of this kind were made the Belgian -authorities had informed Germany that, conformably with the laws of -war, they were fighting only with their regular troops (2nd _Grey -Book_, Nos. 68, 69, 71). And they posted everywhere proclamations -recommending the people to keep calm, forbidding civilians to take part -in the fighting, and counselling the citizens to deliver their arms to -the communal administrations (2nd _Grey Book_, No. 71). At the same -time the principal daily papers repeated, day by day, on the first page -and in large type, the text of these placards. - -These appeals were heard, and our compatriots, if they owned rifles, -immediately took their arms to the _maisons communales_. Would you -believe it, this measure of precaution was exploited against us! For -later, when the Germans occupied our _hotels de ville_, and discovered -the presence of rifles, each ticketed with its owner's name, they -pretended to have brought to light a proof of premeditation (_N.R.C._, -4th September, 1914, evening edition): "Look!--say the officers--with -what care the Belgian authorities have prepared for the guerilla war! -Each citizen has his rifle ready to hand at the _hotel de ville_!" -The soldiers must indeed have been ridden by the "fixed idea" of the -"franc-tireur," or they must have realized the poltroonery of such -suggestions! - -But the Germans made assertions much more extravagant than this. In -Belgium repairs to buildings are effected with the assistance of -scaffoldings suspended against the outer walls; and at the time of -building the house openings are left immediately under the cornice, -in which the cross-beams supporting the scaffolding are fixed when -required. These openings are closed outwardly by some sort of -decorative motive. Now, a German captain gives a detailed description -of these arrangements, and arrives at the conclusion that these are -_loopholes for francs-tireurs_! - -What a mentality for an officer! So fantastic an explanation evidently -will not bear a moment's reflection; but that matters nothing; it is -none the less reprinted by the work _Die Wahrheit ueber den Krieg_, to -be served to the Germans remaining in the country. The authors of the -statement know that their compatriots have lost the critical sense and -that they are ready to accept, their eyes closed, and their minds also, -anything that is told them. - -This example shows that while inciting the soldiers in order to bring -them to the required pitch of irritation, the rulers of Germany are -equally concerned to create a violent current of hatred in their own -country. It was necessary, in fact, since there was nothing with which -the Belgian nation could be reproached, and since nevertheless they -were making war upon it, to invent a few serious motives of animosity. - -In a preceding chapter we examined the wretched diplomatic accusations -which the Germans have forged in an attempt to compromise our political -circles. We shall presently deal with the abominable accusations of -cruelty brought against the Belgians. Here we will content ourselves -with citing yet one more fact relating to the "francs-tireurs." - -When the civil population of a locality was accused--or convicted, as -the butchers said--of having borne arms against the German troops, -the procedure was generally as follows: The houses were fired, and -the inhabitants driven towards a public square, or into the church. -They were divided into two groups: one of men, the others of women, -children, and old folk. Then a certain number of men were shot; -often, too, a few of the women, children, and old people. After the -execution, which took place in the presence of the whole village, the -women, children, and old people were set free to wander amid the -smoking ruins. The officers used to make it their duty to be present -at these operations, as much to encourage and, at need, to assist the -executioners, as to enjoy the spectacle. At Tamines they sat at table -in the open, drinking champagne, while the victims were being buried. -The Germans themselves realized what disgust such behaviour excited; -they tried to deny the facts, but these were proved. - - -_Treatment of Civil Prisoners._ - -What was done with the men not killed? They were sent into Germany -in order to show the "francs-tireurs" to the people. One can easily -imagine what the journey was like: in cattle-trucks, where they -remained packed together for several days, without even having room -to sit down; tortured by hunger and thirst to the point of losing -their reason--which meant being shot there and then. The stoppages in -the railway stations, when the population came to insult them, making -gestures of cutting their throats ... one can picture it all. Then the -life in camp, where they are even less well treated than the soldiers, -for at least these latter are regarded as prisoners of war, and, in -that quality, as being protected, up to a certain point, by the Hague -Convention; while the "francs-tireurs" are criminals in common law, -who are given, for food, scarcely anything but soup made of beet, -fish-heads, and slaughter-house offal. - -It is extremely difficult to obtain information as to their sojourn -in Germany from those who have returned. Before leaving, it seems, -they were forced to make a promise to reveal nothing, under penalty -of being sent back to Germany. We know, however, that certain of -these prisoners, coming from an agricultural district, were forced -to go down the coal-pits of Essen (_N.R.C._, 10th October, 1914, -evening edition), while others were made to gather in the harvest in -Westphalia. When they refused to go to work they were beaten with -sticks; a young man on the outskirts of Brussels still bears the marks -of such treatment. - -This is a revival of the deeds of antiquity. The ancients also reduced -the able-bodied inhabitants to slavery, employing them in agriculture -or the mines. It only remains for the Germans to sell us at auction, -as Julius Caesar did in the case of the 53,000 Belgians captured at -Atuatuca (_De Bello Gallico_, ii. 33). - -They sent not only "francs-tireurs" into Germany. They made prisoners -also in localities where nothing had happened. Thus they took all -the inhabitants of the non-active civic guard of Tervueren. The list -bore 135 names; as many of the men had left the commune, the Germans -completed the number by taking the first civilians who came to hand; -for they had to have 135 prisoners from Tervueren to exhibit in Germany. - -On several occasions it happened, during the period of the great -massacres, from the 20th to the 27th August, that bands of prisoners -taken into Germany were not accepted and were sent back to Belgium. -Such was the case with numerous prisoners from Louvain, who were taken -back to Brussels, then taken to near Malines, and there left in the -open country; the same was done with several hundreds of men, women, -children, and old folk from Rotselaer, Wesemael, and Gelrode. Here, in -a few words, is their Odyssey. To begin with, they were expelled from -their houses, that these might be burned, on the 25th and 26th August. -Then they were driven by the troops as far as Louvain, and there -crammed by force into cattle-trucks, which in two days conveyed them -to Germany. There they were witnesses of a violent dispute of which -they were the object, and finally, after they had been given a little -food in the railway station, they were put back into their trucks. -They reached Brussels on the 31st August, where they were restored to -liberty; that is, they were told: "Get out of here, and be off with -you." And there were these unhappy folk, turned out of the railway -station, dejected, bewildered, their glances vacant, almost dead with -drowsiness and fatigue, the men supporting the old people, the women -carrying the children. The people of Brussels who saw this lamentable -procession go by will never as long as they live forget the impression -of misery which they received. Assistance was organized immediately, -and our poor compatriots were given shelter in the various public -establishments of Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. They remained there several -weeks before daring to return "home." - -How many civil prisoners were there in the various camps of Germany: -Celle, Gutersloh, Magdeburg, Muenster, Salzwedel, Cassel, Senne, Soltau, -etc.? The lists which have been published in _Le Bruxellois_ are -very incomplete. On the other hand, persons who were believed to be -prisoners in Germany have in reality been shot. Thus, in the little -garden facing the railway station of Louvain a trench was opened on -the 14th and 15th January, 1915, in which were found a Belgian soldier -of the 6th line regiment and twenty-six civilians of Louvain, who were -believed for the most part to be in Germany; among them were two women -and the cure of Herent. - -Many of the people of Tintigny, Rossignol, and other localities, who -had been taken away as civil prisoners, were shot by the roadside. -Those of Musson escaped only because the order had come from Germany -not to kill any more prisoners: by July 1915 they were not as yet -repatriated. - - -_The Return of Civil Prisoners._ - -In November and December there returned to their "homes" (we mean to -their native towns, not to their houses, which were burned) about 450 -inhabitants of Dinant, more than 400 of Aerschot, and several hundred -people of Louvain, of the 1,200 which had been taken away. - -Many of them bore, painted in white oil paint on the back of their -waistcoats the words: _Kriegsgefangene-Muensterlager_. Until March 1915 -those living at Dinant had to present themselves regularly before the -military authorities. - -On the occasion of their return the communal administration of Dinant -was compelled publicly to thank the Germans. - - - CITY OF DINANT. - - On the occasion of the return of a portion of our civil prisoners, - I believe it my duty to invite the whole population to observe the - most absolute calm. Any demonstration might be severely repressed. - - The return of a portion of our fellow-citizens, held in captivity - for nearly three months, constitutes an act of benevolence, an act - of generous humanity on the part of the military authorities, to - whom we offer the thanks of the administration and those of the - people of Dinant. By its tranquillity the latter will endeavour to - manifest its gratitude. - - I also beg the returning prisoners immediately to resume their - labours. This measure is necessary, as much in the interest of - their families as in the interest of society. - - For the Burgomaster, absent, - E. TAZIAUX, - _Communal Councillor_. - DINANT, _the 18th November, 1914_. - -At the end of January 1915 about 2,500 inhabitants of Brabant were sent -back in a body. They had left the camps on Sunday, the 24th January, -and they reached Louvain on Friday the 29th, and Brussels and Vilvorde -on Saturday the 30th. During this five days' journey they had not been -allowed to leave the trucks into which they were crammed; for all -nourishment they received some black bread and water, and on occasion -a turnip or a beet. The Louvain prisoners had the greatest trouble -in the world to walk as far as the ruins of their houses. Those from -beyond Assche were set down at the Gare du Nord in Brussels; they -had to be carried as far as the tram for Berchem; their swollen feet -refused all service. These unhappy people were still wearing the light -clothes which they were wearing in August, when they were dragged from -their villages, and since then they had never had a fire. Those from -Tervueren were taken from the trucks at Schaerbeek; they were driven -home in carts. - - -_German Admission of the Innocence of the Civil Prisoners._ - -What crime had these unhappy folk committed to be treated in so -terrible a fashion? None. The Germans themselves admit it; none (2nd -_Grey Book_, No. 87). The German authorities communicated the following -note to the Belgian newspapers--we copy it from the _Echo de la presse -internationale_ of the 30th January, 1915:-- - - The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army has authorized the return - to Belgium of the Belgian civilian prisoners: (1) against whom no - inquiry of any military tribunal is in progress; (2) who have not - to undergo any penalty of any kind. Consequently all the women (17) - and 2,577 men will be able to re-enter the country. - -The Commander-in-Chief of the German Army is the Emperor. It was he, -then, who recognized the innocence of the civil prisoners. - -No charge, therefore, could be brought against them; these prisoners -were recognized as being completely innocent; the authorities admitted -that it was without any motive that they were kept five months in -Germany, without care, without fire, almost without food, herded -together like beasts, in perpetual fear of being shot, knowing nothing -of their families--for they were unable for many weeks either to write -or receive news. Some of them succumbed under their privations; others -were shot; many have become insane; all were so aged and enfeebled by -ill-treatment, methodically applied, that their neighbours hesitated to -recognize them. Will they ever recover from such an experience? - -No doubt the German authorities knew long ago that the deportation -of these civilians was a judicial error; or rather that they were -sent into Germany to give the people there the occasion to torment -and insult the "francs-tireurs captured alive." And yet they were not -repatriated until the moment when the fear of famine forced Germany to -organize the seizure of foodstuffs and to ration her population. It -was not at all because of a spirit of justice that the civil prisoners -from Belgium were sent home (and also part of those from France); -it was only a measure of economy; the authorities merely wished to -prevent their eating German bread, which had become too precious; they -preferred to place them in the care of the American charities. - -And when they were at last sent home, how were they treated? Did the -Germans at least show the consideration which the slave-dealers used to -show for their black cargo? No; for the slave-dealers had a pecuniary -interest in preserving the market value of their flock, while for -German militarism the Belgian civilians do not count: _Es ist Krieg_. - - -B.--The "Belgian Atrocities." - - -_The Pretended Cruelty of Belgian Civilians toward the German Army._ - -In order to organize the massacres by means of which it expected to -terrorize our country, the Great General Staff had to have at its -disposal troops on which it could count without reserve, which would -not shrink before the bloodiest task, and to which no repressive -measures would seem excessive. The Staff had to be certain it would be -obeyed without hesitation when it ordered, as at Dinant, the death of -seven hundred men, women, and children. To obtain soldiers who would -undertake such barbarous operations, and operations so contrary to the -military spirit, the obsession of the "franc-tireur" would perhaps be -insufficient; for there are soldiers even among such troops who are -brave and who do not tremble at bogy-stories; there might be honest -men among them to whom theft would be repugnant by whatever name one -adorned it, and who would not be tempted by the bait of pillage; all -were not so imbued with Kultur as that officer who proposed not to kill -the "francs-tireurs" outright, but to wound them mortally, afterwards -to leave them to die slowly, in agony, untended (p. 342). - -But these soldiers, even the more gentle, would regard it as a sacred -duty to avenge crimes committed against innocent persons. Let them be -led to believe that the Belgians have tortured peaceable tradesmen, or -have mutilated wounded soldiers incapable of defending themselves, or -that they employ dum-dum bullets, producing frightful wounds from which -recovery is almost impossible ... and immediately these soldiers will -have only one thought: to make the first Belgian encountered expiate -the crime of which his fellow-countrymen have been guilty. Before their -thirst for vengeance all distinctions disappear: children, old people, -men and women, all equally deserve to be punished. From that moment -it will be needless to order reprisals, for the army will be only too -ready to show itself pitiless, and to call for an eye for an eye and a -tooth for a tooth, in order to make all the Belgians indifferently pay -for the offences committed upon inoffensive Germans. - - -_Some Accusations._ - -It is precisely this psychology which the rulers of Germany have -exploited. Immediately after the opening of the campaign their -newspapers began to publish articles describing the horrors committed -by the Belgians; articles which make one's flesh creep. Belgian women -pour petrol over the wounded and set fire to it; they throw out of -the windows the wounded confided to their care in the hospitals; they -pour boiling oil over the troops, and thereby put two thousand out of -action; they handle the rifle and revolver as well as the men; they cut -the throats of soldiers and stone them; they cut off their ears and -gouge out their eyes; they offer them cigarettes containing powder, -whose explosion blinds them. Even the little girls ten years of age -indulge in these horrors. The men are no better; to begin with, they -are all "francs-tireurs," even when they assume the appearance of -respectable schoolmasters; besides which they crawl under motor-cars to -kill the chauffeurs; they kill peaceable drinkers with a stab in the -belly; they foully shoot an officer who is reading them a proclamation; -they saw off the legs of soldiers; they finish off the wounded on the -field of battle; they cut off their fingers to steal their rings; they -fill letters with narcotics in order to poison those who open them; -they set traps for soldiers in order to torture them at leisure; even -the humanitarian symbol of the Red Cross does not stay their homicidal -hands; they fire on doctors, on ambulance men, on motor-cars removing -the wounded. - -That the soldiers leaving for Belgium were made to believe that their -adversaries were horrible barbarians, and that the troops were inspired -with an ardent desire to avenge the innocent victims of the Belgians, -is amply proved by all the tales dating from the beginning of the war. -See, for instance, in the story of _La journee de Charleroi_ (p. 195) -the impatience with which the author awaits the moment of entering -Belgium to take part in the reprisals, and his delight when he at last -sees houses burned to ashes and a cure hung from a tree. - -Let us note in passing that the Austrians also, desirous of declaring -war upon us, resorted to the invention of "Belgian atrocities." In -its reply to the Austro-Hungarian declaration of war, our Government -protested against this defamation (1st _Grey Book_, Nos. 77, 78). - - * * * * * - -All these stories appeared, in the first place, in the newspapers. -We must not be surprised if in time of war, when men's minds are -over-excited, the journalists willingly publish articles containing -statements of the kind we have cited, without troubling to verify -their authenticity. But it is unpardonable that they should have been -reprinted in cold blood, when their falsity had become so obvious that -it must have struck even the most prejudiced. We know of two pamphlets -devoted entirely to atrocities committed by the Belgians: _Die -Belgischen Greueltaten_ and _Belgische Kriegsgreuel_. The work already -cited, _Die Wahrheit ueber den Krieg_, also deals at length with these -atrocities. Finally, there is no lack of information concerning them in -the pamphlets _Luettich_ and _Die Eroberung Belgiens_. - -One remark occurs to us immediately. The narratives are based on -details given by witnesses "worthy of credence." Now all verification -is impossible, for we are never given a hint as to the date; moreover, -the locality is very rarely mentioned; in _Die Wahrheit_ there are only -three place-names: Gemmenich, Tavigny, and Demenis. - -Demenis does not exist, and we have in vain sought to discover what -locality is meant. And what did really happen in the other two -communes mentioned? At Tavigny the Germans never had occasion to -commit any reprisals; not a man was killed, not a house burned; the -troops merely proceeded systematically to loot the place. Nor did -anything more happen in any neighbouring commune which the narrator -might have confused with Tavigny. Nor was there any confusion of names -with Tintigny; in the latter village the Germans behaved in the most -atrocious fashion, but the mode of operation was quite different. As -for Gemmenich, we have no information as to what passed there, But we -can assert that not a single house was burned there. Now it is very -certain that if the Belgians had committed the atrocities of which the -Germans tell, the latter would have set fire to the village; it is -therefore highly probable that nothing happened there. In short, of the -only three place-names given all three are incorrect. - -We cannot be expected to refute all these allegations. Many are -utterly ridiculous: for example, the story of the narcotics at the -Liege Post Office; that of the fingers cut off the dead and wounded -and then carefully preserved in a bag (one may well ask why); that of -the boiling oil is no better: try to imagine the incredible store of -oil that must have been possessed by the women who killed and wounded -therewith 2,000 Germans; moreover, either the German army does not -march down the middle of the street, or else the women had special -apparatus to throw jets of boiling liquid to a distance without danger -to themselves. - -Let us confine ourselves to examining the legend of the gouged-out -eyes. It is that which crops up most frequently under the pens of -the German publicists, so well calculated is it to arouse horror and -indignation in the readers. Well! its falsity appears from an inquiry -made by the Germans themselves. Not only have their newspapers--notably -the _Koelnische Volkszeitung_ and _Vorwaerts_--on several occasions done -justice upon this lie, but an official commission, instituted by the -German Government, has also admitted that there is not _a single case_ -in which a wounded German soldier has been intentionally blinded (see -_Belgian Grey Books_, Nos. 107, 108). - -The Germans themselves admit that the accusation is unfounded. Has -their Press for that reason ceased to make use of it? We little know -the Germans if we imagine that it has. The entire Press continues -imperturbably to spread these abominable calumnies. The _Koelnische -Zeitung_ of the 15th February (four o'clock edition), referring to an -article by Etienne Girau, pastor of the Walloon community of Amsterdam, -once more declares that the Belgians have ill-treated the German -wounded. It is enough to make one ask whether the Belgians have not -_morally_ blinded all the "intellectuals" of Germany. - -Another example. In February 1915--that is, when no honest German could -any longer believe in the legend of the gouged-out eyes--_Vorwaerts_ -protested against a little work by a Pastor Conrad, of which -150,000 examples were printed and sold at 8 pfennigs per copy to -school-children, in which the Belgians were still accused of having -blinded their prisoners (_N.R.C._, 12th February, morning edition). - -The Berlin Government also acts as though it was ignorant of the -conclusions of its own commissions of inquiry. Wishing to refuse -General Leman, a prisoner in Germany, the privilege of receiving a -visit from his daughter, it based its refusal on the atrocities of -which German soldiers have been the victims in Belgium, and on the -inhuman fashion in which the Belgians have treated the wounded and -prisoners in their hands. The second accusation is as ill-founded as -the first. The German soldiers taken prisoner by the Belgians were -interned in Bruges; they made no complaints, far from it (pp. 56-8); as -for the wounded in our hospitals, here are precise facts. - -Let us quote, first of all, from the correspondence published in the -_Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_, giving a few details from letters -written by the German wounded under treatment in Antwerp. - - -_How the Belgians treat their German Prisoners._ - - A private correspondent writes to us from Antwerp:-- - - The fact of knowing that the prisoners of war of the belligerent - States are treated as well as possible should also touch the hearts - of the Dutch.... I give you here some extracts from the letters of - wounded Germans under treatment in the hospitals of Antwerp. - - I am in a very good Belgian hospital and they treat me very well. - - KARL HINTZMAN, Military Hospital, Antwerp. - - I am very well looked after and have very good food. - - GEORG STORCK. - - They treat us very well in Belgium. What the German papers said in - the summer about the Belgians is utterly untrue. The Germans could - not look after us better. Moreover, the nation is highly developed. - - FRANZ CRAUWERSKI. - - A number of comrades are here. We are extraordinarily well looked - after. Everybody is very kind to us. - - RICHARD KUSTERMANN. - - Several comrades of my company are here. I am very well looked - after. One could not look after us better in Germany. - - PETERS. - - We could not hope for better care. - - WALTER SCHUMANN. - - The medical treatment is very good. We are sounded every day, and - our wounds are dressed daily. The doctors are very capable here. We - have food in abundance; all is excellent. - - HOSSBACH, - SOELLIGER (Braunschweig). - - It must not be forgotten that the majority of these prisoners fell - into the hands of the Belgians at Aerschot, where the Germans had - imprisoned several hundreds of civilians in the church, at the - time of the investment of the town. I can speak from experience. - The German prisoners are treated with fully as much kindness in - other parts of the country. At the house of the commandant of the - _service de garde_ in Bruges I saw an assortment of German books - and card games which had been sent by Mme. E. Vandervelde, who had - visited the prisoners a few days earlier in the company of her - husband, Minister of State and the Socialist leader of Belgium. The - latter wished to make sure that the prisoners lacked for nothing. - - We can say that Belgium does not seek to avenge her unheard-of - sufferings by maltreating the German victims of the war. Suffering - evokes pity in a sane mind. I can only express the hope that these - proofs may fall into the hands of German readers. - - (_N.R.C._, 8th October, 1914, morning edition.) - -But we have something better than these documents of a private nature. -The German authorities exhibited, at Spa, a statement that the German -wounded there were perfectly well cared for. At the moment when the -Germans dispensed with the collaboration of the clinical staff of the -Red Cross in Brussels, they did homage to its devotion and competence. - - SPA, _18th August, 1914_. - - _To the Burgomaster of Spa._ - - The Commander-General of the 10th Army Corps thanks the Burgomaster - of Spa for the good reception accorded to his troops by the city - of Spa on the 11th and 12th August, 1914. Thanks to his care and - efforts, he recognizes that the wounded in the hospitals of Spa are - particularly well cared for. - - HOFFMANN, - _Lieutenant-General_. - - FREDERIC-AUGUST, - _Grand Duke of Oldenburg_. - - (_Les Nouvelles_, published under control of the German military - authority, 22nd September, 1914.) - - GERMAN GOVERNMENT, - _Headquarters, Medical Service_. - - BRUSSELS, _31st August, 1914_. - - _To MM. the President and Members of the Red Cross of Belgium, Rue - de l'Association, 24._ - - GENTLEMEN, - - The German Government assures you of the expression of its grateful - sentiments for the devoted care which you have given to all the - wounded collected in the capital. - - Ambulances have been organized in great numbers, and the necessity - of a concentration henceforth indispensable compels us immediately - to take the following measures.... - - In bringing these measures to your knowledge and in begging you to - assist us to realize them promptly, we again express to you the - thanks which we address to all the members of your association and - especially to the ladies of the Red Cross, whose complete devotion - we have appreciated. - - I beg you to accept, Gentlemen, the assurance of my high - consideration. - - Prof. Dr. STUERTZ, - _Oberstabarzt_. - -It is useful to observe that these declarations have been made -spontaneously, since it is obvious that we were powerless to exert any -pressure on the Germans. They have, therefore, nothing in common with -those which the Germans have forced the Belgian wounded or prisoners to -sign. - - -_The Pretended Massacres of German Civilians._ - -There remain the famous massacres of Germans in Brussels, Antwerp, -Liege, etc. According to witnesses "worthy of credence," inoffensive -Germans, even women and children, were killed and martyred in various -Belgian cities. At Liege alone more than 150 persons, of whom -three-fourths were women and children, were said to have lost their -lives. - -As to Liege, we have inquired of inhabitants of the city, several of -whom are closely connected with the administration of justice; no -one had any knowledge of any such occurrences. They have therefore -been invented, lock, stock, and barrel, by the "witnesses worthy of -credence," and we defy the Germans to mention the name of a single one -of these 150 "victims." - -At Antwerp we can oppose, to the testimony of those who were "present" -on the occasion of murders and serious assaults upon German women, -the official report, which admits that shops were broken into by -the populace, but which at the same time attests that no German was -wounded. Let us add that the German Weber was _not_ assassinated, but -is quietly living in Antwerp. - -Let us proceed to the doings in Brussels; and let us quote, from -_Greueltaten_, the most serious occurrences there mentioned. We have a -story, based on hearsay, which tells, of course, of gouged-out eyes, -as well as three reports of ocular witnesses. The first is that of a -witness "worthy of credence" who saw a child thrown from a window and a -woman dragged by the hair until she was insensible; he also witnessed -the murder of a German druggist, one Frankenberg, who was betrayed by -his own wife, a Belgian. The second witness is the correspondent of -the Wolff Agency. He saw only what the people of Brussels themselves -witnessed: that is, that the populace pillaged the German shops and -cafes on the 4th and 5th August. But he had not been able to discover -any acts of violence against the person; those he mentions, in a couple -of words, without insisting on them, had been related to him; but he -does not even add that the witnesses were "worthy of credence." - -Finally we have a priest, who complains that he was arrested as a spy -and beaten by the gendarmes. Perhaps he was a spy; in any case, not a -few German spies disguised as priests have been discovered in Belgium. - -If we confine ourselves to the really serious occurrences, to the -cases in which Germans have been killed by the populace, we find that -as against some 155 anonymous cases, which cannot be verified, there -are only two in which names are mentioned. These names are Weber and -Frankenberg. Now these two cases are apocryphal. Herr Weber has quietly -reopened his hotel in Antwerp; Herr Frankenberg continues to breathe -the air at Anderlecht, a suburb of Brussels. Compare with these two -cases the three names of places mentioned in _Die Wahrheit_ (p. 101). - - * * * * * - - -_Preventive and Repressive Measures taken by the Belgian Authorities._ - -The truth is that in the various cities of Belgium there was, quite -at the beginning of hostilities, an intense popular effervescence, -by which evildoers profited to pillage the German shops. These -disturbances were so unexpected and assumed, with such rapidity, such -large proportions, that the police were at first powerless to restrain -them. - -Moreover, it must be remembered that the police had just been reduced, -a large proportion of the police agents and gendarmes having left for -the front. - -But measures were promptly taken, and by the 7th August there was -no longer anywhere the least disorder of this kind. As for the "spy -mania," it raged in Belgium as in all countries affected by the -war.[24] But the newspapers, and the official measures taken, got the -better of this fresh cause of disturbance. - -The newspapers of the neutral countries, for example the _Nieuwe -Rotterdamsche Courant_, also reported material damage, but they do not -relate more serious occurrences in any part of Belgium. - -We can consequently assert, in the most categorical fashion, basing our -statement on the official data furnished by the courts, that no serious -offence against the person has been proved either in Brussels or -elsewhere. Does this mean that we excuse the fishers in troubled waters -who sacked the German shops? Obviously not; but it must be owned that -there are bad elements in all agglomerations, and that the populace of -Berlin behaved no better than that of Brussels: witness the remarks -of the British Ambassador in Berlin, and the excuses put forward by -the German authorities when his windows were broken as the result of -an article in the _Berliner Tageblatt_. Here we immediately perceive -a contrast of mentalities: the German newspapers incite their readers -against foreigners, while ours, on the contrary, do their utmost to -calm popular manifestations. - -A detail which we regard as symptomatic, and particularly revolting, -in the German publications, is the fact that in these cases, as in -the matter of the "francs-tireurs," our enemies seek to involve the -legal administration of our country. Now, not only did our authorities -immediately intervene to repress the disturbances and to provide a -military guard for the _Deutsche Bank_ and the _Deutscher Verein_ in -Brussels, but they did more than their strict duty in protecting German -families, and enabling them to return to their own country. Nothing -is more characteristic in this respect than that which happened in -Brussels on the nights of the 8th, 9th and 10th of August, at the time -of the Germans' departure from the city. The latter assembled at night -in a building belonging to the city; in the trams which took them -thither every one hastened to render them every imaginable service; at -the place of assembly the Civic Guards prepared hot drinks for them; -then, during the short journey to the Gare du Nord, the same Civic -Guards helped them to carry their children and their luggage. Mr. Brand -Whitlock, United States Minister in Brussels, who was looking after the -interests of Germany, was present in that quality at the departure of -the German families, and he expressed his gratitude to the Belgians in -a letter made public at the time. - - - THE UNITED STATES MINISTER DOES HONOUR TO THE HEROISM AND THE - KINDNESS OF THE BELGIANS. - - The German Minister, before leaving Brussels, requested the United - States Minister, Mr. Brand Whitlock, kindly to take over the - interests of Germany in Belgium. - - The United States Minister consented to protect the archives of the - German Legation. - - It was in this capacity that Mr. Brand Whitlock was the witness, - two days ago, of the goodness of the people of Brussels, who, with - Mme. Carton de Wiart, the wife of the Minister of Justice, and our - brave Chasseurs of the mounted Civic Guard at their head, provided - hot drinks and refreshments for the four thousand Germans leaving - Belgium who were assembled at the Royal Circus. - - The spectacle profoundly affected the eminent diplomatist. - Thanking the Belgian Government, His Excellency, Mr. Brand - Whitlock, writes to the Minister of Justice:-- - - "The Belgians display a heroism in dying on the field of battle - which is equalled by their humanity to non-combatants." - - (_Le Soir_, 11th August, 1914.) - -In Germany the United States Ambassador, Mr. Gerard, had also occasion -to intervene; but there it was to protect the British Ambassador from -the fury of the populace. - -These examples will suffice, we think, to show that the Belgians -were as thoughtful in their behaviour towards their non-combatant -adversaries as the Germans were violent and brutal. And what was the -result of our courtesy? Our enemies picked a groundless quarrel with us -in order to inflame the minds of their soldiers against us. - - -C.--Violations of the Hague Convention. - -Nothing would be easier than to show that our enemies have not -respected a single one of the articles of the Hague Convention. But it -is not our intention to draw up this inventory. We prefer to confine -ourselves to a few facts which no one can dream of contesting, so -patent are they and so well known to every one in Belgium. And we -shall refer only to those which will enable us to compare the two -mentalities: that of the German, crafty and tyrannical, and that of the -Belgian population, refusing to bow the head to military despotism. We -exclude from our list those data which have already been recorded in -other publications: Belgian _Grey Books_, _Reports of the Commission -of Inquiry_, _La Belgique et L'Allemagne_, etc. Lastly, we shall deal -only with what has happened in Belgium itself, so that we shall speak -neither of prisoners of war nor of the wounded. - -These eliminations lead us to omit the whole of Section I: _The -Belligerents_. The three first articles apply to "francs-tireurs," -Articles 4 to 21 relate to prisoners, the wounded, etc. - - - ARTICLE 22. - - _Belligerents have not an unlimited choice of means of injuring the - enemy._ - - - ARTICLE 23. - - _Besides the prohibitions established by special conventions, it is - notably forbidden_:-- - - (_a_) _To employ poison or poisoned weapons;_ - - (_b_) _To kill or wound by treachery individuals belonging to the - hostile nation or army;_ - - (_c_) _To kill or wound an enemy who, having laid down his arms, or - no longer having means of defence, has surrendered at discretion;_ - - (_d_) _To declare that no quarter will be given;_ - - (_e_) _To employ arms, projectiles, or material calculated to cause - unnecessary suffering;_ - - (_f_) _To make improper use of a flag of truce, of the national - flag, or of the military insignia or uniform of the enemy, as well - as of the distinctive signs of the Geneva Convention;_ - - (_g_) _To destroy or seize enemy property, unless such destruction - or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war;_ - - (_h_) _To declare abolished, suspended, or inadmissible the - right of the subjects of the hostile party to institute legal - proceedings._ - - _A belligerent is likewise forbidden to compel the subjects of - the hostile party to take part in the operations of war directed - against their own country, even if they were in the service of the - belligerent before the commencement of the war._ - -The violations of this Article are numerous. The Germans themselves -cannot deny that the employment of toxic gases, such as those which -were used in the attack upon Ypres on the 22nd April, falls under the -condemnation of paragraph (_a_). We shall recur to this matter further -on. Let us remark for the moment that we are not speaking of gas -released by the bursting of shells, but of clouds of gas intentionally -produced. - -As to paragraph (_e_), the _7th Report_ speaks in a precise manner of -the employment of dum-dum bullets. After the German occupation we shall -be able to mention other irrefutable cases, of which it would now be -too dangerous to speak. - -The prescriptions of paragraph (_f_) have often been violated. At the -fort of Boncelles, on the 7th August, and at Landelies, near Charleroi, -on the 22nd, our enemies abused the white flag. At Ougree and at -Grez-Doiceau they wore Belgian uniforms to deceive their enemies. This -action was repeated during the siege of Antwerp; but this time the -Belgians were warned of the German mimicry, so that the "asses clad in -lions' skins" were nearly all left on the battle-field. - -We shall deal later on, when speaking of pillage, with the infractions -of paragraph (_g_). - - -_Military Employment of Belgians by the Germans._ - -The last paragraph of Article 23 forbids belligerents to compel their -adversaries to take part in operations of war directed against their -own country. Let us see how the Germans respect this principle where -civilians are concerned. At Liege (_N.R.C._, 23rd August, evening), at -Vilvorde (_N.R.C._, 27th August, morning), at Anderlecht (_N.R.C._, -28th August, evening), at Dilbeek (N.R.C., 31st August, evening), at -Eppeghem (_see_ photograph in _1914 Illustre_, No. 5), at Soignies, and -at Neder-Over-Heembeek, the inhabitants were compelled to dig trenches -for the Germans. A Dutchman (an extreme Germanophile, however), saw -peasants from the outskirts of Spa compelled to perform the same task. - - SPA, _15th August, 1914_. - - ... The man, who had to return home (it was about noon), - accompanied us, and, while conversing, he pointed to the road to - Creppe, parallel to that which we were following, and at some - ten minutes' distance from the latter. They were working hard at - entrenchments there, about a quarter of an hour from the city. - There were some 150 Belgian workmen there, excavating the soil - under the threat of the rifles of German soldiers placed behind - them. - - (_N.R.C._, 22nd August, 1914, evening edition.) - -At Bagimont, on the 24th August, 1914, the inhabitants were forced -to prepare the ground for the landing of German aeroplanes. The same -villagers were forced to build huts for their enemies. - -We have the names (at the disposal of a commission of inquiry) of -twenty-nine inhabitants of a village of Brabant, who were forced, -with horses and carts, to follow the German troops for several weeks, -transporting munitions and baggage. The Germans had the right to -requisition horses and vehicles, but not to compel our countrymen to -accompany their teams. - -Let us remark, while dealing with these violations of Article 23 of the -Hague Convention, that Germany signed this Convention. But on her part -this was merely a comedy, for it is a rule with her rulers that they -cease to follow its prescriptions as soon as they are in opposition to -the _Usages of War_, according to the Great General Staff. Now among -the duties which the occupier may impose on the inhabitants--according -to Germany--is the supply of transport and the digging of trenches. -In other words, Germany, though she readily approved of the Hague -Conference, makes war according to her own principles, which are far -less humane; but she none the less demands that her adversaries should -observe the rules of the Convention. - - * * * * * - - -_Measures of Coercion taken by the Germans._ - -On several occasions our enemies have sought to force the Belgian -population to manufacture explosives and munitions for them. But the -Belgians have always refused, even when their resistance inevitably -condemned them to starvation. The workers of the explosives factory of -Caulille, in the north of Limburg, resumed their tasks only under the -most terrible threats (_K.Z._, 21st December, morning edition). - -The case of Caulille, announced to its readers by a German newspaper, -shows the cynicism with which our enemies violate the Hague Convention, -which is in part their own work. - -The same effrontery appears in the placard of the 19th November, 1914; -this threatens severe penalties against Belgians who dissuade their -compatriots from working for Germany. One could understand that the -Germans might punish those who used force or threats to prevent any -one from working for them; but to punish those who "attempt" to act by -simple persuasion! - -This was a mere timid beginning. On the 19th June, 1915, our enemies -posted about Gand a placard stating that severe measures were about to -be applied to factories which, "relying on the Hague Convention, had -refused to work for the German Army." - -The Communal Administration of Gand has supplied us with the following -notice:-- - - NOTICE. - - By order of His Excellency the Inspector de l'Etape,[25] I call the - attention of the commune to the following:-- - - "The attitude of certain factories which, under pretext of - patriotism and relying on the Hague Convention, have refused to - work for the German Army, proves that there are, in the midst of - the population, tendencies whose object is to place difficulties in - the way of the administration of the German Army. - - "In this connection I make it known that I shall repress, by all - the means at my disposal, such behaviour, which can only disturb - the good understanding hitherto existing between the administration - of the German Army and the population. - - "In the first place I hold the Communal authorities responsible for - the spread of such tendencies, and I call attention to the fact - that the population will itself be responsible if the liberties - hitherto accorded in the most ample measure are withdrawn and - replaced by the restrictive measures necessitated by its own fault." - - LIEUTENANT-GENERAL GRAF VON WESTARP, - _Commandant de l'Etape_. - - GAND, _10th June, 1913_. - -Here, then, they declare that they are on the point of intentionally -violating the Hague Convention. - -Certain articles which appeared in _Het Volk_, a Christian-Democratic -journal of Gand, on the 15th, 17th, 19th, and 22nd June, 1915, tell us -what these measures are. - -The workers of the Bekaert factory at Sweveghem having refused to -make barbed wire for the Germans, the latter began by arresting three -notables, of whom two were promptly released. Then, to force the men -to resume work, they decided that the commune should be placed under a -ban; it was forbidden to ride a bicycle or to use a wheeled vehicle, -and the introduction of foodstuffs was prohibited. The men still -persisted in refusing to make the barbed wire on which their sons and -brothers were to be caught in the battles of the Yser. Sixty-one men -were sent to prison. The rest hastened to leave the village. What did -the Germans do then? They seized the wives of the fugitives, shut them -up in two great waggons, and took them to Courtrai; at the same time -they posted up the names of those who had fled, and enjoined them to -return. Before the threat of seeing their wives remain in prison until -their children perished in their empty homes, the workers, with death -in their hearts, had to resume their fratricidal task. Truly _Kultur_ -is a fine thing! - -In Brabant they went a different way to work. They had requested M. -Cousin to make barbed wire for them in his factory at Ruysbroeck (in -the south of Brussels). He refused. They offered to buy his factory. He -refused. They requisitioned his works. He was forced to submit. They -installed themselves in the factory and tried to begin making barbed -wire. But the machinery was worked by electricity, and the electricity -was provided by a central station situated in Oisquercq. Naturally -the Oisquercq works refused to supply current. The Germans arrested -M. Lucien Beckers, the managing director of the company, and kept him -several weeks in prison. - - * * * * * - - -_Living Shields._ - -It remains to examine a final violation of Article 23; a violation so -revolting that neither those present at the Hague Conference nor the -Germans themselves in their _Kriegsbrauch_ had been willing to consider -it. We are referring to the use of "living shields" (_7th Report_). - - * * * * * - - -_A German Admission._ - -_Belgians placed before the Troops at Charleroi._ - -Our enemies are aware of the abomination of which they are guilty in -placing, in front of their troops, Belgians intended to serve as a -shield. They are eager to deny such acts. Unfortunately for them one of -their own officers has described a case of the kind (p. 196). His first -care on reaching the suburbs of Charleroi was to capture civilians -in order to force them to walk in front of and among the cavalry. He -waxes indignant over the lamentations uttered by the wives of these -unfortunates. "If nothing happens to us," he told them, "nothing will -happen to the civilians either." Could one more cynically express the -idea that the Germans made use of these hostages in order to prevent -their adversaries from firing on their troops? At the first volley -fired by the French, who were posted behind a barricade, some of the -hostages were killed. The Germans promptly replaced them by others, -notably by priests. - -At Nimy and Mons, the same method was employed. The burgomaster of -Mons, M. Lescart, was himself placed before the German troops. - -At Tirlemont, on the 18th August, 1914, during their march on Louvain, -they seized upon certain "notables," including the burgomaster, M. -Donny, and pushed them before them in order to obtain shelter from the -Belgian bullets. They did not release them until the following day, at -Cumptich. - - * * * * * - - -_Belgians placed before the Troops at Lebbeke, Tirlemont, Mons._ - -More significant still was their conduct at Lebbeke, near Termonde, on -the 4th September, 1914. Scarcely had they entered the village, in the -early morning, when they seized as many civilians as possible--about -300--and forced them to march before them. On passing through St. -Gilles-lez-Termonde they requisitioned more men to serve as "living -shields." When the Belgians attacked the German troops ten civilians -were killed; many were wounded (_9th_ and _10th Reports_). - -The same evening the survivors were sent into Germany as -"francs-tireurs." - - -_Belgian Women placed before the Troops at Anseremme._ - -At Anseremme it was behind women that the Germans took refuge. They -had committed the blunder of sending all the men to Germany, as civil -prisoners, on the 23rd and 24th August, so that only the women were -left. They placed these in a line along the river-wall on the bank of -the Meuse, and prudently hidden behind their skirts they rested their -rifles on the women's shoulders in order to fire at the French on the -opposite bank. - -The French ceased fire as soon as they saw that they were firing on -women. At night the Germans herded the unhappy women, with their -children, in a field; but on the following morning they brought them -out again to serve as a protective screen along the river. - -Such is German heroism! As we at present understand the real sense of -the words _Den Heldentod Gestorben_ (died a hero's death), which the -Germans inscribe on the tombs of their soldiers, they mean that these -soldiers were unable to avoid the bullets, although they heroically hid -themselves behind Belgian women. - -As far as we know one must go back to Cambyses, in the sixth century -B.C., to find another example of the "living shield." At the time of -his expedition into Egypt this prince, who was, the historians tell -us, famed for his cruelty, conceived the idea of placing cats, which -animals were worshipped by the Egyptians, in front of his troops. -Thanks to his stratagem he prevented the Egyptians from attacking his -soldiers. Neither Attila, nor Ghenghis Khan, nor Tamerlane made use of -this method; it was left for the Germans of the twentieth century once -more to put it into practice, with the increased ferocity suggested by -_Kultur_. - - -_Belgians forcibly detained at Ostend and Middelkerke._ - -There are other circumstances also under which the Germans have made a -rampart of the Belgians. From the middle of October 1914 they occupied -that portion of the Belgian coast comprised between Lombartzyde and the -Zeeland frontier. From time to time the British ships and aeroplanes -bombarded the coast; they would undoubtedly have continued to do so -if the Germans had not taken pains forcibly to retain numbers of -Belgians in these localities. According to the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche -Courant_ of the 1st November they forbade the people of Middelkerke -and Ostend to leave those towns. Obviously the British were as far as -possible sparing Ostend and Middelkerke, and directing their fire by -preference on the road joining these two places, and on that running -from Middelkerke to Westende. The Germans were perfectly aware of -this, and had precisely for this reason forbidden any Belgian to leave -Ostend or Middelkerke. An officer at the _Kommandantur_, from whom our -informant tried to obtain some favour for a couple of Belgians, replied -as follows: "If we allowed the population to leave these places the -English would hasten to bombard the two towns, and we should be the -sufferers" (_N.R.C._, 1st November, 1914). - -However, at the end of December they expelled all the men from -Middelkerke, with the exception of four. But the means of transport -placed at the disposal of the expelled inhabitants were insufficient -to enable them to take their families with them, so that they had to -leave many of their wives and children behind. Every time the British -drop shells on the coast the Germans hasten to post up the news in -Brussels, adding that the bombardment has resulted in fatalities among -the Belgians. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GENERAL GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BOMBARDMENT OF COAST. - - BERLIN, 24th _November_ (official, noon to-day).--British vessels - arrived yesterday off the French coast and bombarded Lombartzyde - and Zeebrugge. Among our troops they caused only very slight - damage. A certain number of Belgian citizens, on the other hand, - were killed and wounded. - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, 28th _December_ (official telegram, noon to-day).--Near - Nieuport the enemy renewed his attempted attacks without success. - In these he was supported by firing from the sea, which however did - us no harm, but killed or wounded some inhabitants. - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, 26th _January_ (official telegram, noon to-day).--The - enemy yesterday fired as usual on Middelkerke and Westende. A - considerable number of inhabitants were killed or wounded by - this fire, among them the burgomaster of Middelkerke. Our losses - yesterday were very insignificant. - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, 13th _February_ (official telegram).--Along the coast enemy - aviators yesterday again dropped bombs, which did very considerable - damage among the civil population, while we suffered no appreciable - damage from a military point of view. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - BERLIN, 8th _March_ (official telegram, noon to-day).--Enemy - aviators dropped bombs on Ostend, which killed three Belgians. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - -They therefore fully appreciate the advantage to be derived from -retaining on the coast a population which serves as a living buckler. - - -_Belgians imprisoned in the Lofts of the Ministries._ - -At Brussels they behaved in a similar fashion in order to prevent the -Allied aviators from bombarding the premises which they occupy in the -Ministries. Inhabitants of Brussels are sent to the _Kommandantur_ on -the most impossible pretexts. They first remain for several days shut -up in the lofts of the Ministries. Then, after trial--and, obviously, -sentence--they are again confined in the lofts until there is room for -them in the ordinary prisons. Every one in Brussels knows this, and of -course the Allied aviators are aware of it. - - ARTICLE 25. - - _The attack or bombardment, by any means whatever, of undefended - towns, villages, dwellings, or buildings is forbidden._ - - -_Bombardment of Open Towns._ - -Many violations of this Article have been discovered by the Commission -of Inquiry (_7th Report_). Here again clearly appears the contradiction -between the fashion in which the Germans make war and that which they -require of their enemies. When their dirigibles drop bombs on open, -undefended districts--as they did on the night of the 26th September, -at Deynze, when they wounded an old man in the hospital of the Sisters -of St. Vincent de Paule--their newspapers related this prowess -exultingly (_Duesseldorfer Tageblatt_, 29th September; _Duesseldorfer -Zeitung_, 29th September, 1914). They may do such things, but no one -else. When the Allied aviators bombarded Freibourg in Brisgau on -the 10th December, 1914, the Germans denounced them amid universal -indignation. One can only agree with the writer in the _Times_ who -said: "If we want to know what conduct we should observe in this war it -is useless to consult the laws; we must simply ask the Germans if our -conduct is agreeable to them or not." - - ARTICLE 26. - - _The officer in command of an attacking force must do all in his - power to warn the authorities before commencing a bombardment, - except in case of assault._ - -General von Beseler followed the prescription of this Article -during the siege of Antwerp; he announced on the 8th October that -the bombardment of the city would commence at midnight (_K.Z._, 9th -October, first morning edition). Everywhere else the Germans have -thrown their shells without previous warning. This was notably so in -the attack upon Antwerp by a dirigible on the night of 24th August; -the bombs found twenty victims. It is true that Herr Bernstorff has -declared that previous advice is not necessary. In this he is in -agreement with the laws of warfare according to the Germans. - - ARTICLE 27. - - _In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps must be taken - to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to public - worship, art, science, or charitable purposes, historic monuments, - hospitals, and places where the sick and wounded are collected, - provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes._ - -Not content with setting fire to our monuments, as they did at Louvain, -Dinant, Termonde, and a host of villages, the Germans never hesitate to -bombard those they cannot otherwise reach. - -The most characteristic example is that of the Cathedral of Reims.[26] -On Tuesday, the 22nd September, we learned of the bombardment from -a placard. The telegram, dated Monday, the 21st, asserted that the -monument would as far as possible be spared. That was enough; we knew -then that it was destroyed. And sure enough, the French newspapers -smuggled through to us on the following day--Wednesday--stated that the -cathedral had been burning since Saturday, the 19th. - -Little by little the information received grew more precise. The French -certified that they had not placed any military post of observation on -the towers; neither were there batteries near the cathedral. Moreover, -they declared that the cathedral should have been doubly respected, -since an ambulance had found asylum there--which, be it said in -passing, is denounced as an infamy by the German newspapers (_K.Z._, -4th January, morning edition; _Niederrheinische Volkszeitung_, 4th -January). - -The Wolff Agency reported the bombardment of Reims Cathedral as quite -a natural thing, a commonplace operation. But before the indignation -of the entire civilized world (_N.R.C._, 22nd September, 1914, evening -edition) the Germans were forced to display a hypocritical regret and -to justify their aggression. - -Then official telegrams were posted up the same day; two reflected -German opinion, the third professed to express the opinion of a -Frenchman who had favoured the _Times_ with his confidences (placard -dated 23rd September, 1914).[27] The conclusion, naturally, was that -the Germans had nothing to reproach themselves with: their conscience -was clear as on the first day; they bombarded the Cathedral of Reims -because they were forced to do so, despite their admiration for this -marvel of Gothic architecture ... but the presence of a military -observation-post on the towers had left them no alternative. - -Three weeks later, a fresh bombardment (placard dated 15th October). -Then, after two weeks' quiet, they once more began to throw shells -on what still remained standing (placard of 30th October). On the -following day they announced that they had protested to the Roman -Curia. A few days later they applied themselves to the destruction of -the Cathedral of Soissons, but once again because the French forced -them to do so. - -What respect for the Hague Convention! How touching the solicitude -displayed toward monuments of art and religion! Only in the very -last extremity do the Germans resolve to smash them to bits; still -protesting, of course, against the violence done to their aesthetic -feelings! Still more touching is their sincerity. On the 10th -November they announce that the Vicar-General of Reims has admitted -that the towers have been used for military operations, and that -the Chancellor has communicated this avowal to the Vatican (_Le -Reveil_, 11th November, 1914); on the 17th they are forced to note the -Vicar-General's denial, but they maintain their accusations. - -To estimate at their true value the German declarations concerning -Reims Cathedral, it is enough to compare one of the three placards of -the 23rd September with the "official communique" which they forced -upon _L'Ami de l'Ordre_. Here are these two documents: - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _23rd September_ (official telegram, yesterday - evening).--In spite of these facts we have been able to verify the - presence on the tower of a post of observation, which explains the - excellent effect of the fire of the enemy's infantry opposing our - infantry.... - - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - - MILITARY OPERATIONS IN FRANCE. - - (_Official Communique._) - - ANTWERP, _27th September_ (communicated by the French - Legation).--The French Minister has received from M. Delcasse the - following telegrams.... - - II. The German Government having officially declared to various - Governments that the bombardment of the Cathedral of Reims - was undertaken only because of the establishment of a post - of observation on the basilica, General Joffre asserts, in a - telegram communicated by the Ministry of War, that no French - observation-post was placed on this building. - - P.S.--The German Government did not invoke the presence of an - observation-post on the cathedral, but the presence of pieces of - artillery behind this church, so that it was impossible to reach - these guns without firing in the direction of the cathedral and - hitting the latter. - - This was necessary to dislodge the French artillery. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 29th September, 1914.) - - -On the 23rd September they pretended that there was an observation-post -on the tower. On the 27th they declared that they had never made any -such statement. German sincerity! - -On the 7th July they placarded Brussels with a document in which they -made a display of their artistic feeling. We asked ourselves what fresh -crime they were about to commit. Next day our curiosity was satisfied; -the newspapers informed us that the German army had set fire to the -cathedral at Arras. - - * * * * * - - -_Bombardment of the Cathedral at Malines._ - -Let us now consider how they behaved in Belgium. The commander of -the army besieging Antwerp three times bombarded Malines without any -strategical excuse, for the town was absolutely empty of Belgian -troops. He had informed the Belgian authorities that his troops would -not fire upon monuments so long as these latter were not serving any -military purpose (_N.R.C._ 13th September, 1914, evening edition). -Better still, he published, in the German newspapers, a statement that -he could not bombard Malines for fear of touching the Cathedral of -Saint-Rombaut, but that the Belgians had not the same scruples. What -truth was there in the last assertion? None, of course; if the Belgians -dropped shells on the outskirts of the town it was while the German -troops were there, a fact which our enemies themselves recognized. -For the rest, it is easy to discover whether the damage done to the -cathedral was the work of Germans or Belgians. The Belgians were to -the north and west of the town; the Germans to the south and east. Now -all the damage done to the cathedral is without exception on the south -and east faces. The reader may draw his own conclusion. Here we have -a reappearance of the usual German system, which consists in blaming -others for their own misdeeds. At Dinant, too, they pretended that the -collegiate church was destroyed not by them but by the French. - - -_The Pretended Observation-post on Notre-Dame of Antwerp._ - -Of course they accused the Belgians of using their belfries as -observation-posts. The accusation is false. We may cite Malines as an -example (_N.R.C._, 25th November, evening edition), and Courcelles -(_Die Wochenschau_, No. 46, 1914); but the most typical case is that -of Antwerp. They reproduced in their illustrated journals (_Die -Wochenschau_, No. 48, 1914; _Kriegs-Kurier_, No. 7) a photograph--or -properly speaking, a drawing--published by an American newspaper -(New York _Tribune_, 22nd October, 1914) representing a military -observation-post on the tower of Notre-Dame. - -Even if we grant the picture a documentary value which it does not -possess, it proves nothing, for according to the American journalist -(_N.R.C._, 15th November, evening edition), the military post existed -on the tower at a period when Antwerp was not besieged, nor even in -danger of being so; the city had then to defend itself only against -dirigibles, which on two occasions paid it nocturnal visits, with the -accompaniment of bombs. It will be understood that the _Wochenschau_ -does not inform us of this; it pretends that the soldiers were on the -tower to observe the German troops and their heavy artillery during the -siege. - - -_German Observation-posts admitted by the Germans._ - -Let us now see whether our enemies have abstained from employing -monuments for military operations. The _Algemeen Handelsblad_ -(Amsterdam) of the 3rd January states that machine-guns are placed -on the belfry of Bruges and on other towers of the city. This fact -is confirmed by M. Domela Nieuwenhuys Nyegaard, a pastor of Gand, a -convinced Germanophile, who witnessed an attack by British aviators, -upon whom the machine-guns installed on the tower of the Halles opened -a violent but ineffectual fire (_Uit mijn Oorlogsdagboek_, p. 319, in -_De Tijdspiegel_, 1st April, 1915). - -Perhaps the Germans will contest this statement. Here is another. Those -who require of their adversaries so scrupulous a respect for Article 27 -of the Hague Convention placed an observation-post on the tower of St. -Rombaut, during the siege of Antwerp, in order to control their fire -upon the Waelhem fort. And this at least is indisputable, for in their -cynicism or lack of conscience (let them choose whichever they please) -they published a photograph of this infraction of the Hague Convention -in the _Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung_ (No. 44, 1914, p. 752). - -This is not the only case admitted by them. _Zeit im Bild_ (No. 43, -1914) reproduces on its cover a photograph of a "military post on the -tower of an Hotel de Ville." In this we see German soldiers armed with -rifles, watching an imaginary enemy. This photograph was taken at -the Palais de Justice in Brussels, as is proved, without possibility -of error, by the church of La Chapelle, whose very characteristic -tower rises in the distance. The Germans were so delighted with this -violation of the Hague Convention that they reproduced the photograph -in the illustrated supplement of the _Hamburger Fremdensblatt_. And -what is most curious in this affair is that they boasted of an offence -which they knew they had not committed. For, firstly, the soldiers were -not posted "on an Hotel de Ville"; secondly, they were not even posted -_on_ the Palais de Justice, but to one side of it, as may easily be -determined on the spot; thirdly, German soldiers have never been placed -there to overlook an enemy! - -Since mid-October of 1914 it is in Western Flanders that the fighting -has taken place. Did the Germans eventually, before the universal -reprobation which greeted their exploits at Louvain, Reims, and so -forth, determine to respect the international agreement to which they -are parties? By no means. They are far too contemptuous of conventions, -as is proved by the photographs of monuments bombarded in the region of -the Yser, which are published in the illustrated newspapers, notably -in _Panorama_, a Dutch illustrated paper which surreptitiously enters -Belgium. - - Ypres: _Panorama_, 23_b_, 25_a_. - - Dixmude: _Panorama_, 23_a_, 23_b_; _Berl. Ill. Zeit._, Nos. 2 and - 3, 1915; _Kriegs-Echo_, Nos. 22, 24; _Zeit. im Bild_, No. 3, 1915. - - Pervyse: _Panorama_, 21_a_, 21_b_, 23_a_. - - Nieuport: _Panorama_, 22_a_. - - Ramscapelle: _Panorama_, 23_b_. - -Among the monuments destroyed artists especially deplore the marvellous -Halles of Ypres, and the churches of Nieuport, Ypres, and Dixmude. This -last contained a very remarkable Gothic rood-screen, of which Herr -Stuebben, one of the most eminent architects of modern Germany, stated -that its loss would be irreparable. It escaped the shells, but not the -German soldiery, who destroyed it with the butts of their rifles, after -the capture of the town. Always _Kultur_! - - -_Pillage._ - - ARTICLE 28. - - _The giving over to pillage of a town or place, even when taken by - assault, is forbidden._ - - ARTICLE 46. - - _Family honour and rights, individual life, and private property as - well as religious convictions and worship, must be respected._ - - ARTICLE 47 - - _Pillage is expressly forbidden._ - -"Family honour and rights!" The cases of rape prove the respect of the -German army for these prescriptions! - -"Individual life!" By the end of September 1914 the Germans had killed -more civilians than soldiers. This simple statement says more than -could a long exposition. - -"Private property!" Theft and pillage are phenomena so commonplace -that the inhabitants no longer insist upon them; if they mention the -subject it is to say: "The Germans behaved well here; they only took -all we had." We shall therefore confine ourselves to citing a few cases -particularly typical of the German mentality. - -It is indisputable that the conflagrations started under the pretext -of chastising "francs-tireurs" were in reality designed to conceal the -pillage committed by the German army. This was certainly the case at -Aerschot (_4th Report_) and at Louvain. The officers who gave orders -to start these fires were therefore accomplices of the pillaging -soldiery. For that matter, how could they have disavowed the thefts -of their men, seeing that they themselves largely took part in the -scramble? Whole trains left Brussels, Louvain, Malines, and Verviers -for Germany, loaded with "war booty for officers." During their -journey to Belgium, Herren Koester and Noske, on the 23rd September, -at Hubesthal, saw numerous trains passing which were laden with war -booty (_Kriegsfahrten_, p. 8); there were at that time no serious -battles either in France or in Belgium, so that there was no capture -of war booty in the Western sense of the term.[28] The trains observed -by the Socialist authors could only have been carrying the fruits of -pillage; they came probably from Malines, which the Germans at this -time were scrupulously emptying, as well as the numerous chateaux of -the neighbourhood. - -Not a district has been visited by the Germans that has not been -totally despoiled. Of course, the silver was taken first. One -officer, after plundering the entire store of silver of a villa at -Francorchamps, confided to a neighbour that he was going to have it -melted down in Germany, with the exception of one spoon, which he would -keep as a "souvenir." Is it not typical and delightful, this German -cult of the "souvenir" as a veneer of sentimentality on a basis of -rapacity? According to the definition given by the Kaiser, this officer -displayed his civilization but not his _Kultur_. - -Another "requisition" of plate. In the railway station of Mons, towards -the middle of February 1915, a merchant unloading a truck-load of -merchandise had his attention attracted by a coffin which was being -removed from a neighbouring van; suddenly he heard a metallic clink: -the bottom of the coffin had given way, and an avalanche of spoons, -forks, napkin-rings, and other articles of silver tumbled out! - -Nothing is sacred to the Huns. They smash the tabernacles, treasuries, -and poor-boxes of the churches as readily as the coffers of the -People's Banks (_Maisons du Peuple_). At Auvelois they seized upon -43,000 frs. in the Maison du Peuple, this being the entire capital of -the Socialist Young Guard, the Freethinkers, the newspaper _En Avant_, -the Miners' Union (_syndicat_), and other mutual aid societies. - -At Beyghem, near Grimberghen, before setting fire to the church, they -broke open the safe in the sacristy. Being unable to perforate it, they -demolished the wall dividing the church from the sacristy, in which it -was imbedded, so that they were able to attack it from behind. - -In most of the churches which were burned in the north of Brabant (p. -73) the strong-box and the tabernacle were broken open. It was the same -in the province of Namur. - -As soon as the approach of the Germans was signalled, many people -hastened to pack up their furniture and valuables, in order more -readily to transport them in case of evacuation. This foresight almost -always failed in its object, owing to the impossibility of finding a -horse and cart at the moment of departure. These packing-cases and -hampers, all ready corded, presented an insurmountable temptation; the -officers were never able to resist it, and the goods were sent straight -to the railway station. - -We are informed that at the beginning of the German occupation officers -were frequently mistaken as to the actual value of the articles which -they removed; so that they sent their families worthless rubbish "made -in Germany." To avoid these unpleasant misconceptions, they made their -inspections in the company of experts who directed their choice. - -Need we add that the wine-cellars were always methodically exploited? -The bottles which could not be drunk on the spot were packed for later -consumption, or to be sent to Germany. In a chateau near Charleroi the -officers had the doors--which were beautiful examples of joinery--taken -off their hinges, and used to make packing-cases for the bottles. - -We must not forget that drunkenness has played an important part in the -atrocities committed by the German army. - -The Germans were not content with making a clean sweep of the private -houses and chateaux; they also stripped the Governmental offices which -they occupied in Brussels of their furniture. In the Ministry of Public -Works a portion of the maps of bridges, buildings, etc., was burned, -and a portion sent to Germany. - - -_Thefts of Stamps._ - -As to those who despoiled the Ministries, we will give them the credit -of supposing that they acted by order and in the interest of their -Government; but we cannot thus excuse the conduct of one officer who, -having possessed himself, goodness knows how, of a number of Belgian -stamps, attempted, in a stationer's shop, to pay for 80 frs.' worth -of goods by means of these stamps. Meeting with a refusal from the -shopkeeper, he had to content himself with paying for only a portion -of his purchases in this manner. In a neighbouring watchmaker's he -did better, for he was able to get rid of 100 frs. in stamps; at a -discount, of course.[29] He informed the watchmaker that he possessed -4,000 frs.' worth of Belgian stamps. The latter was not so indiscreet -as to ask how he obtained them. - -Better still: the Germans do not conceal the fact that they are -thieves. The _Matin_ (Paris, 9th June, 1915) reproduced the photograph -of an announcement published by a Swiss newspaper. - -"It informs us that a thief of the German army, desiring to realize -the 'war booty' which he collected in Antwerp, offers for sale unused -stamps of values between 10 centimes and 10 frs. In his 'stock' of -booty are 19 different stamps of a total value of 29 frs. 70 (oh, -that 70 centimes of pillage!) which he offers for 3 frs. 50.--All -Germany--philosophical, political, military, and commercial--is -contained in this little advertisement." - -At Tamines, having burned about 250 houses, on the 21st and 22nd -August, 1914, and having forced the living to bury the 416 unhappy -people shot on the evening of the 22nd, they sent all the survivors -to Velaines-sur-Sambre. There they were given their liberty, and told -that they might go to Namur or to Duesseldorf, but not to Tamines. Why -not to Tamines? They understood a few days later, when they were bold -enough to return despite the prohibition. The Germans had completely -emptied all the shops and all the private houses in the place. It is -evident that this operation can be effected in a more methodical and -comfortable manner when there are no children running between your -legs, or women begging you to leave them some souvenir for which they -have a particular affection. - -At Louvain they acted in the same manner; they proceeded to wholesale -pillage only after the 27th, when they had sent all the inhabitants -away. - -Sometimes the love of pillage got the better of discipline. At Jumet, -on the road from Brussels to Charleroi, on the 22nd August, 1914, the -troops were ordered to burn all the houses, because the French of the -110th Infantry had dared to attack them with machine-guns. But some -soldiers who had entered a tobacconist's amused themselves by stealing -cigars and cigarettes, and were so absorbed that they forgot to set -fire to the shop, so that it has remained intact in the midst of a long -row of burned-out buildings. - -What disgusts us most in all this pillage is not that the German -troops should have marked our unhappy country for pillage; it is the -indisputable complicity of the leaders of the army. Nothing more -clearly proves the benevolent intervention of the military and civil -authorities in the operations of brigandage than the regular transport -of "war booty" into Germany. The officers make no secret of sending -to their homes such things as pianos, pictures, jewels, furniture, -glass, etc. They do it openly, with the obvious complicity of the -railway officials. The latter are entrusted with the organization of -the rapid transportation to the Fatherland of mountains of cases, -containing the results of the methodical exploration of our houses -and chateaux and shops and warehouses. It is a vast organization of -brigandage, hierarchically regulated, in which every one steals without -hiding the fact from his fellows. Who knows whether the coffin full of -silver-plate which burst in the Mons railway station did not belong -to some officer who had swindled his accomplices? We in Belgium have -witnessed the regular working of a system of "co-operative brigandage -under the august protection of the authorities." - -Let us note, finally, that theft and pillage are expressly forbidden by -the German _Usages of War_. Articles 57, 58, 60, 61, and 62 prohibit -all destruction of private property. But we must suppose that their -_Usages of War_ are applicable only in times of peace, since from the -very first days of the war the German army began to pillage the regions -which it occupied. This spoliation has been pursued with the systematic -spirit which characterizes _Kultur_. - - -_Illegal Taxation._ - - ARTICLE 43. - - _The authority of the power of the State having passed de facto - into the hands of the occupant, the latter shall do all in his - power to restore, and shall ensure, as far as possible, public - order and safety, respecting at the same time, unless absolutely - prevented, the laws in force in the country._ - - ARTICLE 48. - - _If, in the territory occupied, the occupant collects the taxes, - dues, and tolls payable to the State, he shall do so, as far as - is possible, in accordance with the legal basis and assessment in - force at the time and shall in consequence be bound to defray the - expenses of the administration of the occupied territory to the - same extent as the national Government had been so bound._ - - ARTICLE 49. - - _If, in addition to the taxes mentioned in the above Article, - the occupant levies other money contributions in the occupied - territory, they shall only be applied to the needs of the army or - of the administration of the territory in question._ - -Two placards exhibited in Brussels on the evening of the 12th December -(Saturday) attracted general attention. - -They first convoked the Provincial Councils for the 19th December, -and imposed upon them, not simply a general "order of the day," but -an imperative mandate to vote a war-tax. The second gave details of -this tax: 480,000,000 frs. was to be paid in monthly instalments of -40,000,000 (L19,200,000 in twelve payments of L1,600,000) (see _Belg. -Allem._, p. 120). - -Baron von Bissing thus advertised, seven days in advance, the decisions -to be taken by the Provincial Councils. Doubtless he was made to -understand that the proceeding was a little extreme, and contrary -both to the law and to common sense; for on the following morning the -second placard was covered with a blank sheet of paper. Better still, -the "Official Bulletin of Laws and Decrees for the occupied Belgian -Territory" gave in its issue of the 19th the text of the two decrees; -but this number was suppressed, and in its place another placard, -numbered 19, was distributed, which included only the first decree. - -On the 19th December our nine Provincial Councils assembled. They -could not do otherwise than vote the crushing tax of 480 millions; but -several of them protested eloquently against the illegality of this -proceeding. - - - _Speech delivered by M. Francois Andre at the meeting of the - Provincial Council of Hainaut, on the 19th December, 1914, in the - presence of the German Governor and Dr. Daniest, President._ - - ... We have met by order of the German authorities to vote a - war-tax; to make one word of many, we have met to furnish arms - to the formidable invader of our country, to be used against our - heroic little Belgian army.... - - We are thus assembled to vote, _by order_, a war-tax. - - I wish to protest--against both the form and the substance of this - tax. - - As to the form, I regard this extraordinary session as absolutely - illegal; the Provincial Councillors are not qualified to vote - war-taxes affecting the whole country; moreover, the councillors of - the various provinces, in concerting as to the measures to be taken - in common, so to speak, which are matters beyond the scope of their - jurisdiction, are committing an offence in Belgian law, which law - no German decree has abrogated. As to the substance: Admitting that - the German authorities have the right to levy taxes on the whole - country, while our 120,000 soldiers are still in occupation of our - territory, it is very certain that according to the terms of the - Hague Convention no tax may be levied except for the needs of the - army of occupation. - - What is an army of occupation? - - It is that which, finding itself in a conquered territory, - undertakes the policing and safeguards the security of that - territory. - - This is why it may appear legitimate for the army to force the - occupied territory to support it. - - But our country--as Field-Marshal von der Goltz has declared, - and as is perfectly obvious--our country has become the basis - of military operations against the Allies. According to the - spirit of the Hague Convention, there is no army of occupation, - properly speaking, in our country, and in any case the 35,000 - men concentrated in Namur and the artillery assembled at Liege - cannot in any respects be regarded as making part of an army of - occupation. - - It is, therefore, contrary to law and contrary to reason that these - 480,000,000 frs. are demanded from the country. - - Are we then going to vote this formidable war-tax? - - Assuredly if we listened only to our hearts we should reply: No, - no; 480,000,000 times no. - - For our hearts would tell us: - - We were a small nation, happy to live by its labour; we were an - honest little nation, having faith in treaties and believing in - honour; we were a confident little nation, and unarmed, when - suddenly, violently, Germany hurled two million men upon our - frontier, the greatest army that the world has ever seen, and she - told us: "Betray your given word; let our armies pass that I may - crush France, and I will give you gold." But Belgium replied: "Keep - your gold; I would rather die than live without honour." - - History will one day reveal the greatness of the action which - forever magnifies us in the eyes of the future. For nothing in the - annals of the past equals the sacrifice of this people, which, - having nothing to gain and all to lose, preferred to lose all in - order that honour should be saved, and deliberately cast herself - into an abyss of distress, but also of glory. - - The German army thus invaded the country in violation of solemn - treaties. - - "It is an injustice," said the Chancellor of the Empire; "the - destinies of the Empire forced us to commit it; but we shall repair - the wrong done to Belgium by the passage of our armies...." - - This, then, is how they mean to repair that wrong: - - Germany will pay---- - - But no! Belgium will pay Germany 480,000,000 frs.! Vote this money! - -As a matter of penal legislation, the Germans have systematically -ignored Article 48, as is proved by the eloquent protest of the -President of the Bar of Brussels. - -Yet another typical instance of the manner in which Germany disregards -our laws. At Aerschot the Germans provisionally invested a German, Herr -Ronnewinkel, who had inhabited the district for several years, with the -functions of Burgomaster. On the 6th November, 1914, they proclaimed -him permanently burgomaster. - -Here was a German appointed burgomaster by the will of the district -commander, although by the terms of the law only a Belgian appointed -by the Government could be burgomaster. Moreover, they did the same at -Andenne. The communal autonomy of which Belgium was so proud was thus -trampled underfoot. - -We see, then, that in despite of Articles 43 and 48 of the Hague -Convention and Article 67 of their own _Usages of War_ the Germans have -shown no respect whatever for the legislation in force. We cite here -only the most flagrant of these illegalities, those which any person of -common sense can understand and judge. - - ARTICLE 44. - - _A belligerent is forbidden to compel the inhabitants of territory - occupied by it to furnish information about the army of the other - belligerent, or about its means of defence._ - -This article was not accepted by Germany; she remains faithful to her -_Usages of War_: Article 53, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paragraphs, and applies -their principles with extreme severity. - -Nothing better illustrates the severity with which the Germans -act than the little manual of conversation which terminates the -_Tornisterwoerterbuch_, published by the Mentor publishing house in -Schoeneberg, Berlin. It is a small dictionary, costing 60 pfennigs, -and intended, as the title indicates, to be carried in the soldier's -knapsack. The French dictionary and the English are conceived according -to the same method; after information concerning the country in -question they give a summary of the rules of grammar; then comes the -dictionary properly so-called, with phonetic pronunciation; finally, -a few common phrases, which to us are the most interesting part of -the book, since their choice naturally reflects the requirements of -those expected to employ them. Here are a few passages from paragraph -4: _Service of Outposts and Patrols_. In each passage we copy all the -phrases without exception, so as to avoid misrepresenting the spirit of -the work; and this spirit, as will be seen, is ferocious. The volume is -not dated; but the 42nd edition, from which we quote, describes (p. 44) -the French campaigning uniform of 1912. These phrases were therefore -printed at least five years after the second Hague Conference (18th -October, 1907). They show clearly that the acts of cruelty committed -by the patrols against those who refused to betray their country were -not improvised by the cavalry taking part in these reconnaissances, but -were systematically premeditated. - - P. 175-- - - Silence! Speak only when I question you! - You seem to me a suspicious person. - Where is your pocket-book? - I must search it. - Remain here for the moment. - At the first attempt at flight you will be shot. - Sir, where does this road lead? - - P. 176-- - - Is this village occupied by the French? - When did the troops arrive there? - What is roughly their composition? - Roughly? Two or three companies? - How many officers, roughly speaking? - Have they any artillery? - How many guns? - Have you seen cavalry too? - Tell us the truth. The least lie might cost you your life! - - P. 177-- - - Has the village been placed in a state of defence? - Are there no cross-roads leading to the windmill? - Remain by my horse. - On the first attempt at flight, or if you try to mislead - me, I shall send a bullet after you. - Stop here! I will call the miller myself. - Hey! Miller! - Have any French troops passed this way? - You lie! Here are visible traces, and quite fresh ones. - -A little manual of conversation costing 20 -pfennigs--_Deutsch-Franzoesischer-Soldaten-Sprachfuehrer_, by Captain S. -Th. Hoasmann, is conceived on the same lines. Here are a few examples. -The soldier, making a reconnaissance, declares: "Speak the truth or you -will be killed!" In the chapter on "Posts and Telegraphs" we find the -phrase: "It is forbidden (on pain of death) to send telegrams." And the -sentinel should be able to say: "If you lie you will be shot," etc. - - ARTICLE 50. - - _No collective penalty, pecuniary or otherwise, shall be inflicted - upon the population on account of the acts of individuals for which - it cannot be regarded as collectively responsible._ - -This article proclaims the principle that in no case must the innocent -suffer with the guilty, nor in their place. We have already seen that -our enemies oppose this idea; they maintain that the innocent should -suffer with the guilty, and even that if one cannot lay hands on the -guilty one may punish the innocent in their place (p. 84). It was by -the application of this German principle of collective punishment that -Louvain, Dinant, Termonde, and other towns were burned. - -The placard of 1st October, 1914, clearly displays the German -mentality; it states that villages will be punished without mercy, -whether guilty or not. - - NOTICE. - - On the evening of the 25th September the railway and telegraph - lines were destroyed between Lovenjoul and Vestryck. In consequence - of which the two localities mentioned were, on the morning of the - 30th September, called to account and forced to supply hostages. - - In future the localities nearest the spot at which such acts have - been committed--no matter whether they are guilty of complicity - or not--will be punished without pity. To this end hostages have - been taken from all localities adjacent to railway lines threatened - by such attacks, and at the first attempt to destroy the railway - lines, or telegraph or telephone wires, they will immediately be - shot. - - Moreover, all troops charged with the protection of railways have - received orders to shoot any person approaching railway lines or - telephone or telegraph wires in a suspicious manner. - - THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _General Field-Marshal_. - - BRUSSELS, _1st October, 1914_. - -Fully to appreciate the horrible nature of this placard we must recall -the fact that during the siege of Antwerp (which terminated only on -the 9th) Belgium patrols were penetrating into the midst of the German -troops, venturing thirty-five miles and more from Antwerp, their -mission being to harass the enemy's communications and to destroy the -railways and the telegraph and telephone line. It was one of these -bodies of Belgian cyclists which cut the railway and telegraph line -between Louvain and Tirlemont on 25th September, 1914. Von der Goltz -was evidently aware that this destruction was a perfectly legitimate -military operation, so that his placard was intended simply to -embarrass our military authorities by showing them that in defiance -of all justice Germany intended to hold the Belgian civilians -responsible for the activity of our army. In short, instead of saying -"no matter whether these localities are guilty of complicity or not," -von der Goltz would have given a greater proof of sincerity had he -said, "although I know that these localities are in no way guilty of -complicity." - -Here are two other placards, printed in Germany, which show plainly -that it is according to a system that our oppressors hold the entire -community responsible for the act committed by a single person; or -rather, as we shall see, for the acts of the Belgian army. - - PLACARD PRINTED IN GERMAN, FRENCH, RUSSIAN, AND POLISH, SURROUNDED - BY A BORDER OF THE GERMAN COLOURS. - - NOTICE. - - Any person who shall have damaged a military telephone or telegraph - will be shot. - - Any person removing this notice will also receive the severest - punishment. If the guilty person is not found, the severest - measures will be taken against the commune in which the damage has - been caused or the present notice removed. - - THE GENERAL COMMANDING THE ARMY CORPS. - - (_Posted at Bieghem, copy made 22nd October, 1914._) - - NOTICE. - - All damage done to the Telegraph, Telephone, or Railway lines will - be punished by the Military Court. According to the circumstances, - the guilty person will be condemned to death. - - If the guilty person is not seized the severest measures will be - taken against the commune in which the damage has been done, - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - Printed by H. A. Heymann, Berlin, S.W. - - (_Posted at Tervueren, copy made 15th April, 1915._) - -Very frequently the penalties with which the community is threatened -are not specified in these placards. One may suppose that it would -consist of a fine; this is indeed the punishment most frequently -applied, doubtless because it is the most productive. Here are some -examples, for cutting the telegraph wires, various localities in -Flanders were forced to pay fines in December 1914. - -The military chest does not lack for money; for in a garrison command a -fine may be inflicted more readily than elsewhere. Here is an example. -An officer was choosing some music in a shop; and found, amidst a heap -of pieces of music, a copy of the _Marseillaise_. Now it has never -been stated that one must not possess the _Marseillaise_. Result: the -shopkeeper was condemned to pay a fine of 500 marks or to twenty days' -imprisonment. "I prefer the imprisonment," said the unfortunate man. -"But, my good fellow, you can avoid going to prison! Pay the fine!" "I -know, but I have not got 500 marks. I could only scrape together 150 -frs. at most." "All right, give them to me!" - - * * * * * - - -_Fines for Telegraphic Interruptions._ - -The military chest is also replenished by the fines paid because the -telegraph and telephone do not work properly. Now it has often happened -during the last six weeks that communication has been obstructed in -Flanders. The smallest communes have been forced to pay fines. - -Here is a brief list of such fines: - - Gand 100,000 marks - Ledebourg 5,000 " - Destelbergen 30,000 " - Schellebelle 50,000 " - Sweveghem 4,900 " - Winckel Sainte-Croix 3,000 " - Wachtebeke 3,000 " - - _(N.R.C._, 30th January, 1915, evening edition.) - - -_Fines for "Attacks by Francs-tireurs."_ - -We may observe, in passing, that in September 1914 the accusation--the -accusation, we say, not the offence--of having allowed a telegraph -wire to deteriorate was punished, in Brussels, by a stoppage of the -telephone service; but in December the Germans preferred to fill -their treasury. The same observation is true of Mons and Bilsen; the -accusation of "francs-tireurs," which in September 1914 would have -ended in a massacre of the inhabitants and the burning of the town, -was in October the motive for a tax of 100,000 frs. At that time it no -longer seemed essential to terrorize; the Germans no longer required -blood, but money. - - ON BEHALF OF THE GERMAN MILITARY AUTHORITIES. - - WARNING. - - The City of Mons has been forced to pay a tax of 100,000 frs. - because a private person fired upon a German soldier. - - (_Posted at Louvain._) - -And indeed it is money that is demanded everywhere--5,000 frs. from the -commune of Grenbergen, near Termonde, because an inhabitant allowed -his pigeons to fly. 5,000,000 frs. was required of Brussels because -a police agent maltreated a German spy (p. 157). It was with a money -fine that Mons was threatened should an Englishman be discovered on its -soil (placard posted at Mons, 6th November, 1914), and the city of Mons -and the province of Hainaut if any inhabitant retained for his own use -any benzine or a motor-bicycle (placard posted at Mons, 6th October, -1914). At Seraing, in February 1915, it was again money that was -demanded, because a bomb had burst within the limits of the commune. -The more surely to obtain the sum, a few hostages were imprisoned, with -the promise that they would be sent to a fortress in Germany if the -communal treasury did not pay their ransom; but the hostages themselves -advised the commune to refuse. The Germans, fearing to be left in the -lurch, reduced their demands by half; finally, having obtained nothing, -they released the hostages. Singular justice, to regulate its penalties -not by the gravity of the offence, but according to the temper of the -victims! We are waiting for the German newspapers to publish a schedule -of penalties as affected by the docility of the victims and the season. - -Here is an amusing instance of a penalty which was inflicted upon -Antwerp. When the Germans posted up a statement that they had captured -52,000 Russians and 400 guns in Eastern Prussia, a playful citizen -replaced the first letter of _Russians_ in the Flemish text by an M -and concealed the two first letters of _canonen_. The new version -announced that the Germans had captured 52,000 sparrows and 400 nuns. -The Germans were annoyed and imposed a fine of 25,000 frs. on the city. -At Tirlemont, where the same pleasantry was perpetrated, the Germans -contented themselves with making vague threats. - -The adventure of Eppeghem also deserves to be told in a few words. - -In November 1914 a German soldier walking in the country fired at a -hare or a pigeon. An officer turned up and questioned the soldier. As -all sport is reserved for officers, the soldier, to avoid punishment, -threw the blame on to the peasants. The matter was referred to -Brussels, and on the following day officers arrived with forty Uhlans. -A fine of 10,000 frs. was inflicted on the commune. - -Some women living in a house which had by chance remained standing, -near the field in which the soldier had fired, asserted that no -inhabitant had fired a shot, but that they had seen the soldier fire. -No one listened to them. "We must have 10,000 frs., and at once." But -in this village, ruined from end to end, where scarcely a house was -habitable, from which all the men had been deported into Germany, -there was no means of collecting such a sum of money. "Since that is -so, hostages will be taken," said the officers. The Uhlans organized a -hunt, and seized the cure and three laymen, the only ones they could -find; and even of these one was an inhabitant of Vilverde, who had -obligingly been acting as a citizen policeman at Eppeghem. They were -taken to Brussels, but on passing through Vilverde the inhabitant of -that place was released, owing to the protests of his fellow-citizens. -After ten days' imprisonment Baron von der Goltz, finding that there -was nothing to be extracted from the communal treasury of Eppeghem, -and that the cure and his two parishioners were being kept and fed at -a loss, set them at liberty. - - -_Hostages_ - -The taking of hostages is also in flagrant opposition to the provisions -of Article 50, but in conformity with the German _Usages of War_. The -hostage guarantees with his own life that his fellow-citizens, with -whom he has no influence, shall faithfully execute the orders of the -German authorities. - -The first care of enemy troops arriving in any locality is always to -demand the provision of hostages; these are usually the cure, the -burgomaster, the notary, the schoolmaster, and a few other notables. -We may recall Liege, where the bishop, Mgr. Rutten, was taken hostage; -Spa, Louvain, Charleroi, Gand, and Mons. In Brussels they demanded the -delivery of 100 hostages, but afterwards withdrew the demand. - -As to the fate which awaits the hostages if the German army is -attacked, it is plainly stipulated in the proclamations: they will be -shot, "without previous judicial formalities." Thus, it would have been -enough for a Belgian patrol to renew its usual activities near Forest, -and two hostages would have immediately been shot "without previous -judicial formalities." - - GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - TO THE PEOPLE OF FOREST. - - Despite my repeated warnings attacks have again been made during - the last few days by the civil population of the neighbourhood - against German troops, and also upon the railway between Brussels - and Mons. - - By the order of the Military Governor-General of Brussels each - locality must consequently provide hostages. - - Thus at Forest the following are arrested: - - (1) M. Vanderkindere, Communal Councillor. - (2) M. le cure Francois. - - I proclaim that these hostages will immediately be shot without - previous judicial formalities if any attack occurs on the part of - the population upon our troops or the railway lines occupied by us, - and that moreover the most severe reprisals will be carried out - against the commune of Forest. - - I request the population to keep calm and to refrain from all - violence; in this case it will not suffer the slightest harm. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE LANDSTURM, - HALBERSTADT BATTALION, - VON LESSEL. - - FOREST, _26th September, 1914_. - -If hostages try to escape they will be hanged and their village burned. - - WARNING. - - As fresh attempts at assassination have been made upon persons - forming part of the German army I have had persons from many - localities arrested as hostages. These will guarantee with their - lives that no inhabitant will again dare to commit a malevolent - action against German soldiers or attempt to damage the railway, - telegraph or telephone line, or other objects useful to the - operations of our army. - - Persons not belonging to the army surprised in committing such - actions will be shot or hanged. The hostages of the surrounding - localities will suffer the same fate. I shall then have the - neighbourhood burned to the last house, even if important towns - are in question. If the hostages attempt to escape the locality to - which they belong will be burned, and if captured the hostages will - be hanged. - - All inhabitants who give proof of their goodwill toward our troops - are assured of the safety of their lives and property. - - THE COMMANDANT ENTRUSTED WITH THE - PROTECTION OF THE RAILWAYS, - FREIHERR VON MALZAHN. - - (_Posted at Spa, Aywaille, Chatelineau.... 17th August, 1914._) - -We do not know if hostages were shot or hanged in Belgium. But in the -north of France, according to a military correspondent of the _K.Z._, -at least one hostage was killed; this assassination was the more -criminal in that it punished not a hostile act of the inhabitants, but -a perfectly normal and regular operation of war: a bombardment. - - A WAR PICTURE. - - ... A chateau stands beside the highway, at the back of a courtyard - protected by a French spear-headed railing. It is intact, and - shelters the staff of an infantry regiment. Facing it is the ruined - facade of an incredibly pretentious building on whose pediment - sprawls in letters of gold the one word, "Bank." Beside it is a - wholesale corn-chandler's and a wholesale wine-merchant's. All - this belonged to a single man. It was necessary to shoot him as - hostage, because the French were persisting, despite all warnings, - in throwing shells into the neighbourhood. In the wine-cellars - stores of unexpected importance were found; according to the - estimates there are more than half a million litres of red and - white wine of very good quality. A great part of the wine was - pumped out of the tanks and received, like an old acquaintance, by - the comrades far and near. - - The rich man of this quarter of the town had a companion who was - more lucky, who in due time sought safety in flight. - - (_K.Z._, 21st February, 1915.) - -A very curious case of the punishment of innocent people in the case -of "guilty" ones is the following: On the 7th October, 1914, the -Germans posted statements that the militia-men of the occupied regions -could not rejoin the Belgian army, and that in case of disobedience -the young men would expose themselves to the risk of being sent into -Germany as prisoners of war. So far, nothing illegal. But the placard -then declared that in case of the departure of any militia-man his -family would be held responsible. Now, how are the parents guilty, -if their son intends at all costs to fulfil his obligations to his -native country? On the 30th December, 1914, there was an aggravation of -this measure: the burgomasters also were to be punished. On the 28th -January, 1915, a new notice appeared: all Belgians between the ages -of sixteen and forty years were to be regarded as capable of military -service. So when a man of forty goes to join the Belgian army the -members of his family will be punished! Truly the notice might have -stated whether children would be punished for not preventing their -father's departure! - -Have there been cases of repression? The _N.R.C._ states that at -Hasselt the Germans actually arrested the fathers and mothers of the -young men who escaped. - -The _Tijd_ learns from Ruremonde: - - At Hasselt and in the neighbourhood the Germans have hunted down - the fathers of those young men who, liable to be called to the - colours, have been able, in spite of strict prohibition and active - supervision, to enter Holland, there to pass through England and - France with the intention of eventually joining the army. - - But as soon as they heard that the fathers were being arrested, - these latter also crossed the frontier, and the Germans found that - a great many birds had flown. - - They did not stop then: the mothers were arrested in their place. - - At the same time the Germans made it known that all these people - would be transferred to the well-known camp at Muenster, and - warned the women to provide themselves with as much body-linen as - possible. The whole of the little town was in consternation. Later - arrived a telegram from General von Bissing, announcing that the - departure for Muenster was postponed for a week, and the prisoners - were taken to Tongres. - - (_N.R.C._, 3rd February, 1915.) - -A last example of punishment inflicted upon the innocent, when the -"guilty" person had already suffered punishment. A Belgian, having made -signals to the enemy (that is, to the Belgian army), was killed while -being arrested. Immediately the cure and the vicar were sent to Germany -as being responsible for the members of their parish. - - IMPORTANT NOTICE. - - Alidor Vandamme, inhabitant of Cortemarck, committed espionage by - making signals to the enemy. Resisting arrest, he was killed by a - rifle-bullet. - - The German authority has taken the following measures of coercion - in consequence of the crime committed by Vandamme: - - 1. The cure Blancke and the vicar Barra, responsible for the - members of their parish, will be deported as prisoners of war to - Germany. - - 2. The commune of Cortemarck must pay a fine of five thousand marks - (5,000 M.). - - (_Posted at Thielt_, _Termonde_, _etc._) - -This iniquity was not enough for the German authorities: they -advertised it all through Flanders (we copied it at Thielt and -Termonde), and forced _Le Bien Public_ to give it publicity. Through -lack of conscience or insolence? - - -_Contributions and Requisitions._ - - ARTICLE 51. - - _No contribution shall be collected except under a written order, - and on the responsibility of a General in command._ - - _The collection of the said contribution shall only be effected - in accordance, as far as is possible, with the legal basis and - assessment of taxes in force at the time._ - - _For every contribution a receipt shall be given to the - contributories._ - - ARTICLE 52. - - _Requisitions in kind and services shall not be demanded from local - authorities or inhabitants except for the needs of the army of - occupation. They shall be in proportion to the resources of the - country, and of such a nature as not to involve the inhabitants in - the obligation of taking part in military operations against their - own country. Such requisitions and services shall only be demanded - on the authority of the commander in the locality occupied._ - - _Contributions in kind shall as far as possible be paid for in - ready money: if not, a receipt shall be given and the payment of - the amount due shall be made as soon as possible._ - -The last paragraph of Article 23, already cited, in reality presupposes -that passage in Article 52 which forbids the occupant to force the -inhabitants to do work which would assist operations directed against -their country (p. 112). - -Among the forms of contribution included in Article 49 we must -give first place to that which fixes the value of the mark. The -_Duesseldorfer Zeitung_ of the 4th September announces that the military -commander of the occupied portion of Belgium and France fixed the value -of 100 marks at 130 frs. And indeed placards posted at Charleroi, -Saint-Trond, Namur, and Liege required the Belgians to accept German -marks at this exaggerated tariff, which has caused certain of our -merchants to lose considerable sums. - - PROCLAMATION. - - The circulation of German money having given rise to perplexities, - _the value of the German mark has been fixed at 130 centimes_. - - The attention of the public is called to the fact that all German - paper money must be accepted in financial transactions at the same - rate as German coin. - - THE GOVERNOR. - _The 25th August, 1914._ - - (_Posted at Liege._) - -The fraudulent intention in this measure was only too evident. A month -later Baron von der Goltz made it known that until further notice the -mark was to be valued at the lowest at 1 fr. 25 (placard of the 3rd -October, 1914). In reality the mark was worth only 1 fr. 08 to 1 fr. -15, so that the Belgians naturally endeavoured to refuse German notes; -whereupon fresh placards were exhibited, compelling their acceptance -(placards of the 4th and 15th November, 1914). We must mention an -unhappy phrase in a placard posted at Mons; it states that the mark -must be accepted _at the actual value of the coin_, and further on -fixes this value at 1 fr. 25, which is obviously incorrect. - - -_Contributions demanded from the Cities._ - -Let us now consider the pecuniary contributions demanded from the -cities. The most important were: Liege, 20 million frs.; Namur, 32 -millions; Antwerp, 40 millions; Brussels, 45 millions. The discussions -excited by this last contribution are extremely instructive; they -have been reported by the _N.R.C._ We learn how the Germans violated, -successively, all the different agreements which they concluded with -the city; finally they imposed a fine of 5 millions, which enabled -them, in spite of everything, to complete the sum of 50 millions which -they had promised themselves they would extort from the capital. - - CONTRIBUTION IMPOSED UPON BRUSSELS. - - FROM ONE OF OUR WAR CORRESPONDENTS - - ... In the course of this journey I once more heard people speaking - of the reasons which resulted in the city of Brussels being fined - the sum of fifty millions of francs, as every one knows. What I - relate here I had from one of the most eminent members of the - magistracy:-- - - At the time of their entry here, the Germans demanded fifty - millions from the city, and--don't cry out at this--450 millions - from the province of Brabant. The communal council of Brussels - tried to demonstrate that the city could not pay this tax, and that - the tax imposed on the province was utterly exorbitant, seeing - that Brabant, which draws on the budget for an annual sum of five - to six millions, employed this money before it was paid, and could - not, therefore, pay a fine, since the province had first to provide - for its expenditure.... Having discussed the matter at great - length, the Germans finally released Brabant from this war-tax, - and at the same time gave the communal council a week to find the - fifty millions, during which period they would suspend all other - requisitions. - - Burgomaster Max then had posted the well-known placard announcing - that for the coming week no requisitions whatever would be made by - the German authorities. - - But on the following day the burgomaster was called upon to justify - his action, and although he produced the written convention before - the new Governor of the city, the latter gave him to understand - that his predecessor might possibly have granted such a delay, - but that he, being of superior rank, did not recognize the clause - at issue. Fresh negotiations were commenced, and it was at last - arranged that twenty millions should be paid in five instalments of - four millions each. Four of these instalments were punctually paid, - and the fifth was about to be paid, when Max was summoned by the - Governor, who asked him what his arrangements were concerning the - remaining thirty millions. - - Max did not conceal his extreme surprise, stating that he fully - understood that the remainder of the tax had been remitted, and - that the twenty millions constituted the whole amount. - - The German Governor was by no means of this opinion, and demanded - the remaining thirty millions. Thereupon Max immediately sent an - order to the bank to suspend payment of the last four millions, - which were ready for payment, until he was certain that the Germans - would accept them as the final instalment. There was then on either - side an equal degree of obstinacy. The Governor maintained that Max - was breaking his engagements; Max, on the other hand, maintained - that the Germans had failed to keep their word. The result was - that the burgomaster was arrested, and he is at the present moment - imprisoned in a fortress at Glatz in Silesia. - - The communal council was then warned that it would be deprived - of its functions, and that the Germans would take over the - administration of the city if the war-tax was not paid. - - There were again interminable negotiations, and it was arranged - that in all forty-five millions should be paid. - - The sum was paid. Still the Germans wanted to get hold of the five - remaining millions, so a police agent who had shown lack of respect - for an officer was condemned to five years' imprisonment, while - Brussels was fined five million francs. - - One might ask whether, if the Germans continue to act in this - fashion, the city of Brussels will be forced to pay a fine each - time one of its functionaries is guilty of offence: for it is - impossible that the city can control all its employes. - - In this case the German officer who was insulted was in civilian - clothes. Now to a complaint of the communal council the Governor - had replied, some time previously, that there were no secret agents - at work in civilian clothing; so that the police agent could not - have known that he was dealing with an officer, since the latter - was not in uniform. - - It may be imagined that lively protests were made, but once more - the Germans threatened to assume the direction of the commune - if the sum was not paid by the 10th November at latest; so, - although the council presented a memorandum on the affair, it was - nevertheless forced to pay in order to pursue its mission in peace. - - (_N.R.C._, 9th November, 1914.) - - -_Exactions of a Non-commissioned Officer._ - -Fines without rhyme and reason, and exorbitant war contributions have -become so normal and so customary that the Germans have finally learned -to exploit the situation. The _N.R.C._ for the 21st May, 1915, reported -that the Council of War in Coblenz had condemned to eighteen months' -imprisonment the non-commissioned officer Garternich, who had demanded -from several occupied Belgian communes a war contribution of 3 frs. -per head, and had thus acquired, for his own personal profit, a sum of -27,393 frs. Does not this simple fact reveal the habitual squeezing to -which our poor country is subjected? Eighteen months' imprisonment for -having emptied the communal treasuries already officially despoiled by -the authorities--that truly is not much; especially when we compare -this sentence with those pronounced upon the communes when a telegraph -wire breaks down: the threat of burning a whole neighbourhood or a -formidable fine. - - -_Requisitions of Raw Materials and Machinery._ - -_Requisitions may only be demanded_, says Article 52, _for the needs -of the army of occupation_. Now our enemies have removed from Belgium -enormous quantities of raw material, and machinery which evidently -cannot be of use to the army of occupation (see _Belg. Allem._, pp. -113, 116, 117). What can the army do with raw cotton, wools, spun -cotton, nickel, jute, etc.? It can be of use only to the industries of -Germany, paralysed by the suppression of the mercantile marine. Among -these requisitions are included machine-tools for the manufacture of -shells (notably those removed from the national arsenal at Herstal and -the royal cannon foundry at Liege), and metals, such as copper, which -are indispensable to the manufacture of munitions; so that the articles -which have been taken from us, contrary to Article 52 of the Hague -Convention, subscribed to by Germany, are thus directly employed in -fighting against us. - -The Germans cannot pretend that these requisitions of machinery -were made by over-zealous officers ignorant of the laws, for Baron -von Bissing himself, in his quality of Governor-General, signed -the proclamation of the 17th February ordering the despatch of our -machine-tools to Germany. Moreover, in Berlin even people are perfectly -aware of these requisitions, and of their destination (_N.R.C._, 22nd -February, 1915, morning edition). - -We must insist on the fact that all these raw materials of industry, -all this machinery, etc., is not bought, but requisitioned. There is -here no case of a commercial transaction, nor even an expropriation; -for we have no redress against the decision arrived at in Berlin as to -the prices which will be paid after the war. It is a theft, to express -the matter in a word. - -_Requisitions in kind and in services ... shall be in proportion to the -resources of the country_, says Article 52; which evidently means that -requisitions must not exhaust the country to the point of jeopardizing -the lives of the inhabitants. If this stipulation had been respected -we should not have to deplore the famine which is ravaging our country, -and to which we shall return later on. - -We shall confine ourselves--in order to give some idea of the excessive -and inhuman manner in which requisitions have been made--to referring -the reader to certain articles written by eye-witnesses, particularly -those who have seen what has happened near the frontier, and at Gand. -It will at once be recognized that the requisitions made exceed that -which the inhabitants can reasonably provide (see _N.R.C._, 10th -January, 1915, morning; 23rd January, 1915, morning; 16th January, -1915, evening; 30th January, 1915, evening; 12th January, 1915, -morning; 22nd December, 1914, evening). - -The Germans have always taken good care to demand wine. They demanded -enormous quantities in the little villages of the Campine of Limburg -(_N.R.C._, 15th January, 1915). Elsewhere they took for their own use -all the cellars of the wine-merchants and the inhabitants, without -allowing the latter to make use of them (see _Belg. Allem._, p. 118). - -A last point as to requisitions. They shall _as far as possible be paid -for in ready money; if not, a receipt shall be given_. - -Very often no receipt has been given to the owners of property taken. -Elsewhere the receipts are fantastical and valueless. - -It is the truth that those who do receive vouchers are requested -to satisfy themselves of their accuracy, but this prescription is -obviously a dead letter. Imagine, on the one hand, a peasant, Fleming -or Walloon, terrorized into a condition of helplessness, and incapable -of reading a voucher scrawled in German; and on the other, soldiers -whose customary arguments are shooting and burning. - - ARTICLE 53. - - _An army of occupation shall only take possession of cash, funds, - and realizable securities which are strictly the property of the - State, depots of arms, means of transport, stores and supplies, - and, generally, all movable property belonging to the State which - may be used for military operations...._ - -From the very first days of the occupation the Germans, in defiance -of law and justice, seized upon the communal treasuries and the funds -deposited in the branch establishments of the National Bank, the -post offices, etc. They were obliged to recognize the justice of the -protests made by the Belgian Government; but their love of pillage is -incorrigible; on entering Gand, on Monday, the 12th October, their -first care was to lay hands on the 1,800,000 (L72,000) contained in the -communal treasury. - -According to Article 55 the Germans had no right to remove the -furniture of the Ministries of Brussels (p. 134), since this property -was not of a kind to be useful in military operations. - - ARTICLE 55. - - _The occupying State shall be regarded only as administrator and - usufructuary of public buildings, landed property, forests, and - agricultural undertakings belonging to the hostile State, and - situated in the occupied country. It must safeguard the capital of - such properties and administer them in accordance with the rules of - usufruct._ - -The German respect for legality did not restrain them from violating -this Article. From the very first days of the war they employed the -churches which they consented to leave standing as stables; on reaching -Liege they took possession of the Palais de Justice and made a -barracks of it. Why did they expel Justice? Herren Koester and Noske -tell us (p. 30), it was simply because the position is central and easy -to defend (see a photograph facing p. 32). They did not take account -of the fact that such employment of the building is doubly contrary -to the Hague Convention, since they did not respect the nature of the -monument, and exposed it to bombardment by Allied aviators on the -look-out for the German garrison. - -It was the same with the Palais de Justice of Brussels, which also -serves as a German barracks. To adapt it to its novel use, the soldiers -have destroyed a great part of the magnificent furnishings which -adorned the halls; the immediate surroundings have been fortified, -and the cupola serves by night as a station for signalling to -dirigibles. In short, all preparations have been made with a view to -the bombardment of Poelaert's masterpiece by the Allies. - -It is obviously with the idea of preventing their adversaries from -attacking them that they take up their quarters in our monuments; these -are to serve them as artistic bucklers, just as our compatriots are -employed as living bucklers. - -The violations of Article 55 are past counting. We will confine -ourselves to mentioning a few in Brussels; they will give us some idea -of the diversity of the transformations which our property has suffered -at German hands. The offices of the Ministries are transformed into -bedrooms for officers. The Palais des Academies has become a military -hospital; God knows in what condition we shall find its libraries. -In the Parc Royal of Brussels, in the centre of the city, they have -installed an automobile depot, a riding-track, and a rifle range; on -the 28th October a shot fired from this range wounded a lady through -the windows of the Schlobach _magasin_ in the Rue Royale. - - ARTICLE 56. - - _The property of local authorities, as well as that of institutions - dedicated to public worship, charity, education, and to science - and art, even when State property, shall be treated as private - property._ - - _Any seizure or destruction of, or wilful damage to, institutions - of this character, historic monuments and works of science and art, - is forbidden, and should be made the subject of legal proceedings._ - -The first paragraph of this Article has been scrupulously observed; -the property of the communes, etc., has indeed been treated as private -property has been treated: the latter has everywhere been sacked and -looted, and the Germans have done the same to collective property. - -As to the intentional character of these acts of vandalism, it is -indubitable. How otherwise explain the fact that in numerous villages -the church has been the prey of the flames, in many cases even when -the surrounding houses have remained intact? A few examples will -suffice. The village of Haecht was occupied on the 19th and 20th -August. On the 24th the Belgians in Antwerp made a sortie which was -repulsed. The Germans, infuriated, shot 17 civilians and pillaged all -the houses, particularly remembering the wine in the cellars. Then the -inhabitants were expelled. A fresh sortie of the Belgians took place -from the 9th to the 13th September; at noon on the last day our troops -fell back; in the afternoon the Germans set fire to the church and 41 -houses. The strong-box of the church was broken open after the fire. -The destruction of the monument did not strike them as sufficient, -and they dynamited the whole on the 16th (or 17th) September. In -the neighbouring village of Werchter, after the battle of the 25th -and 26th August, they shot 6 civilians and burned 267 houses out of -the 513 which formed the village. After the second fight, on the -15th September, they burned the church. In both villages most of the -houses round the churches were spared; it will therefore be difficult -for the Germans to pretend, as at Louvain, that the burning of these -churches was an accident (_Brandunglueck_) due to burning fragments -carried by the wind (p. 220). We have already (p. 73) noted another -more significant case, that of the chapel of the Beguinage of Termonde, -which was alone burned, in the centre of the Beguinage, not a dwelling -of which was touched. - - -_Conclusions--The Famine in Belgium._ - -Germany had need, in the conflict with France, of all the men who -passed through Belgium; also she could leave in Belgium only weak -garrisons of the Landsturm. To safeguard them against possible attack -on the part of the Belgian population, it was necessary to terrorize -the latter to such a point that it no longer dared to stir. Such was -the object of the carnage and incendiarism which marked the beginning -of the campaign, as was frankly admitted by Herr Walter Bloem, adjutant -to the Governor-General in Belgium (p. 84). No doubt the massacres of -Louvain, Andenne, Tamines, and Dinant, committed to order between the -19th and the 26th August, appeared insufficient, for a new series was -organized between the 4th and 13th September. - -At the news of this butchery a resounding cry of horror and indignation -went up from all the nations of the earth. That the Belgian Army, -on the field of battle, should have paid large tribute to the war -unloosed upon us by Germany--that was to be expected, but no one -would have dared to suppose that Germany, after participating in the -second Hague Conference, would display towards our civil population -such an implacable cruelty, such exterminating fury, as history has -never recorded since the Thirty Years' War. But facts are facts; one -must needs submit to the evidence; the German Army has destroyed our -treasures of art and science, has shot down in cold blood, often by -machine-gun fire, hosts of men, women, even old people and children; -it has ordered the burning of thousands of houses; it has turned whole -districts into deserts. - -Still, some semblance of motive was necessary; with a mathematical -regularity the pretext of "francs-tireurs" was alleged. "_Man hat -geschossen_"--that was enough; immediately the neighbourhood was given -over to massacre, pillage, and fire. Never was any inquiry made, no -matter how summary. Yet when it was desired to show a foreigner of -note--for example, Dr. Sven Hedin--how they proceeded in the matter of -punishing "francs-tireurs," a regular Council of War was constituted -... which brought in a verdict of _non-lieu_ (p. 78). We defy the -Germans to cite a single case in which a tribunal of this kind has sat -_before_ reprisals. In the few rare cases when witnesses, etc., have -been questioned the examination has taken place _after_ the firing of -houses and the shooting of inhabitants. This is why we declare without -the slightest reservation that _not one single attack by civilians_ has -been established by any kind of proof. - - -_The Flight of the Belgians._ - -The inhabitants of our towns and our countryside soon realized to -what they were exposing themselves if they awaited the arrival of -the Germans in their own homes. So, as the Germans advanced, a void -appeared before them. After the taking of Antwerp, the majority of -the peasants of the "Campine" of Antwerp fled in all haste toward -Holland. If to them we add the people of Antwerp, who had been driven -out by the bombardment, and above all the innumerable villages of -Brabant, Limburg, and the provinces of Liege and Antwerp, whose homes -had been pillaged and reduced to ashes, we shall not be astonished to -find that in October there were more than a million Belgian refugees -in Holland.[30] To our northern neighbours we owe our profoundest -gratitude for the fraternal manner in which they welcomed our -unfortunate compatriots. - - -_The Causes of the Famine._ - -The horror provoked by the butchery at Dinant, Aerschot, etc., -relegated to the background the purely material crimes. But these--the -pillage, methodically conducted, of our towns, villages, farms, -and chateaux--the outrageous requisitions of provisions and of the -raw material of industries--the formidable taxes which drain us -of coin--the fines which rain upon the communal administrations -and on private persons--and many other infractions of the Hague -Convention--have exercised on our economical life an extremely -depressing effect, but have produced no echo abroad: doubtless because -only those can understand the whole extent of our misery who daily rub -shoulders with the thousands of starving and unemployed people who drag -themselves from one end of the town to the other in quest of work that -is not to be found, or who mingle with the interminable files of women -who go in search of rations of bread and soup for their families. - -Let us briefly consider the principal causes of famine which prevails -in Belgium. - -1. Exaggerated requisitions, out of all proportion to the resources of -the country. They are of two kinds:-- - -Firstly, those which have emptied the country of grain, cattle, forage, -and other foodstuffs. - -Then the requisitions of the raw materials intended for the factories, -which have completely paralysed industry, especially in the Flanders. -One example will suffice. All the workshops of Termonde were burned -save one--the Escaut-Dendre establishment, which makes boots and shoes. -But the Germans sent into Germany both the leather and the shoes which -were in the warehouse. The factory is thus condemned to stand idle for -lack of raw material, and also for lack of funds. Those industries of -which the machinery has been removed are also, of course, doomed to -paralysis. The German authorities threaten to despoil our factories of -all the copper forming part of the machinery, which would reduce them -one and all to impotence. It is an ironical fact that this measure was -announced by a propagandist leaflet addressed to the Belgians. - -2. Having made a clean sweep of the greater portion of all that was -indispensable to us, the Germans have been careful to take our money -from us. Under every imaginable pretext, and often without any pretext -at all, they have imposed crushing taxes upon us. The regular payment -of these taxes showing that the public coffers were not yet quite -empty, the Germans hastened to impose fines upon us, which vary from 5 -frs. to 5 millions. The private banks, too, are threatened every moment -with the removal of a portion of their funds. - -3. It is needless to insist on a third cause, which reduces our -working-class families to idleness and poverty: the destruction of an -enormous number of factories--some bombarded, but most of them burned -of set purpose. - -4. We have already seen that many factories which remained intact are -condemned to inactivity by the lack of raw material, or because they -have been deprived of their machinery. The others are equally paralysed. - -The stoppage of traffic on the railway lines, the impediments of all -kinds placed in the way of inland navigation, the absence of maritime -navigation, are causes more than sufficient to prevent the importation -of raw materials and the exportation of manufactured products. Of all -these obstacles the most important is assuredly the suppression of -goods traffic on the railways. "Why," say the Germans, "do not Belgian -employes return to their work, since our military trains would in any -case be run by our own men?" Hypocrites! The slowness and irregularity -of the trains is highly inconvenient to the German army, and it would -much like to see them resume their normal speed; but for this it -requires the assistance of the Belgian staff. Is it not obvious that -if our railway-men resumed their labours they would at the same time -facilitate the transport of German troops and munitions? - -Let us again cite the prohibition of "circulation" between 8 or 9 -o'clock and 6 o'clock, which is an obstacle to night work, which is -quite indispensable to the large industries; and the suppression of the -special trains by which the workers travelled. - -5. Commerce has suffered no less than industry. There is no telegraph, -no telephone, no posting of closed letters; that is, no means of -sending or receiving orders. No railway, no horses, no motor-cars to -deliver goods or to supply customers. And, to cap all, the slightest -journey necessitates all sorts of exaggerated expenses: there is the -acquisition of a passport, the train journey at the rate of 10 cm. -per kilometre, hotel expenses, etc. The expenditure might be a minor -matter, but what of the waste of time? Before 1st July, 1915, any one -going from Liege to Brussels for business purposes had first of all to -waste one or two days in procuring his passport; the journey occupied -at least half a day; and after interviewing his client he would find -that there was no train back to Liege on the same day. In short, he -would have to allow four days for a journey which in normal times took -half a day. - - * * * * * - -Other causes of famine are: - -The scarcity and high cost of provisions. - -The financial difficulties in which the public powers are involved. - -The paralysis of industry and commerce, resulting in unemployment--that -is, in suppression of wages. - -In short, a diminution of resources, accompanied by an increase of -expenditure; so that the public coffers are almost powerless to come to -the aid of private distress. - -That is how we stand in Belgium. - -It is not our intention to depict the poignant distress which has -overwhelmed our country. We shall merely explain briefly how we try to -cope with it; this will suffice to give some idea of it. - - -_Creation of Temporary Shelters._ - -Let us first of all consider the country districts. Even when a few -houses only of a village have escaped incendiarism the inhabitants have -returned thither and have resumed their customary labours. Must they -not plough and sow, under penalty of preparing for themselves another -year of wretchedness? Where houses exist no longer they live in a -cellar, or an outhouse to which some kind of roof has been improvised; -families passed the winter of 1914-15 in a potato-silo,[31] under -the shelter of a few mats of straw. In the ruined villages the first -anxiety of the public powers and the relief committees was therefore to -provide provisional shelter. - -In the towns and industrial districts the most urgent necessities are -of another kind. What is lacking most particularly is employment. The -administrations have therefore set themselves to provide the unemployed -with paid occupations which do not demand apprenticeship--the clearing -of ruins, the levelling of soil, the digging of reservoirs, etc. -The communal coffers being empty, communal vouchers are issued. -_L'Evenement Illustre_, in its fourth issue, gives reproductions of -some of these vouchers, of which, it states, there are more than -500. In the communes near Louvain, where the poverty is particularly -poignant, it has been necessary to create vouchers for 2 centimes (at -Wilsele) and 5 centimes (at Herent). - -From the outset stringent measures were taken to make up for the -insufficiency of provisions and to prevent speculators from obtaining -possession of existing stocks. The most important of these regulations -are the following:-- - - (_a_) Fixing of maximum prices. - - (_b_) Prohibition of the exportation of provisions from the commune. - - (_c_) It is forbidden to give animals provisions intended for human - beings. - - (_d_) Collective exploitation. Many communes have set up in - business as bakers, butchers, restaurant-keepers, coal merchants, - dealers in colonial produce, etc. They prepare bread and soup - daily, and these are provided gratuitously to the poorest, or - sold at a low price to those who still have a few savings. In the - Brussels district there had been distributed by the 31st January, - 1915, to adults, 30,060,608 rations, comprising soup and bread, - and to the children 932,838 rations, consisting chiefly of milk, - phosphatine, and powdered milk. - -Certain communes also sell meat; others have installed communal stores -for the sale of all kinds of provisions, especially preserved foods, -dried vegetables, salt, potatoes, etc.; almost everywhere coal is sold -retail; petroleum was sold as long as it could be obtained. Moreover, -the collectivities are distributing enormous quantities of clothes; in -the Brussels district alone by the end of January 660,865 frs. worth of -clothing and footwear had been given to the necessitous. Abuses have -as far as possible been guarded against, (1) by the "household card," -the _Carte de menage_, which indicates the number of persons composing -each family; and (2) by the limitation of the quantity of each kind of -goods which the household can obtain during the week. - -The basis of alimentation is bread. Therefore particularly Draconian -rules have been elaborated for the bakeries. - - -_The National Relief Committee._ - -Many problems presented themselves simultaneously, and with an -extreme urgency. In all communes local committees have been set up, -entrusted with the equitable distribution of provisions among all the -inhabitants. We say "all the inhabitants," for the reader must not -form any illusions as to our condition: there is not a single Belgian -family which, if left to itself, could obtain its daily bread; the -general rationing to which the whole population is subjected makes rich -and poor equally dependent on the National Committee of Relief and -Alimentation. - -To organize the feeding of the public would have been a task above our -strength if Belgium, in her present distress, had been abandoned to -her own resources. But the misfortunes which have come upon us because -we could not consent to comply with the orders of a tyrannical and -perjured neighbour--the poverty which cripples us more completely day -by day, as requisitions, pillage, taxes, and fines deprive us of our -last resources--the massacres and the incendiarism which have turned -into deserts the most fertile and most densely peopled provinces -of Europe--the molestations and annoyances which have reduced to -unemployment a working population whose activity is proverbial--in -short, the unmerited misfortune which _Kultur_ has inflicted upon -us--all this has awakened, in all the civilized nations, a current of -sympathy and solidarity with poor Belgium. - -By Germany our country was condemned to perish of starvation. The -miracle which alone could save us has been effected by the charity -of Spain, Scandinavia, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, New Zealand, -Australia, Canada, the Argentine Republic, Brazil, and, above all, -the United States. Since the month of November 1914 vessels laden -with provisions have been regularly leaving the American ports for -Rotterdam, whence the food is despatched, principally by means of -barges, into Belgium, and distributed, in the smallest villages even, -by the care of the National Committee of Relief and Alimentation. This -Committee is an extension throughout the whole country of a commission -which was formed early in September 1914 to succour the Brussels -district; it is under the patronage of their Excellencies the Marquis -of Villalobar, the Spanish Minister, and Mr. Brand Whitlock, the -United States Minister. In January and February 1915 the Committee was -induced to concern itself also with the country round Maubeuge, and the -Givet--Furnay--Sedan district. - -The mission of the National Committee is equitably to distribute relief -and provisions. But it does not itself collect these resources; as -they derive more particularly from the United States it is an American -Committee, the "Commission for Relief in Belgium," which undertakes -to collect and administer funds. It is the American Committee which -despatches to Rotterdam, from American ports, the steamers carrying -food and clothing. In each province the American Commission has a -delegate who supervises the distribution of provisions and relief; he -assures himself that nothing is diverted to the use of the German army. -The Commission for Relief in Belgium sits in London, its chairman being -Mr. Herbert Hoover. - - * * * * * - -A serious difficulty cropped up immediately. Foreign beneficence was -eager to aid the Belgians, but not, obviously, the butchers who occupy -our country. It was therefore necessary at all costs to prevent the -German army from seizing the provisions and subsidies despatched by -America. - -On the 16th October, 1914, the German authorities undertook to -exempt from all requisitions the provisions imported by the National -Committee. But this promise was promptly violated. The Germans, it is -true, did not requisition the wheat, but they did requisition the bread -made from that wheat. Moreover, they pretended that their engagement of -the 16th October, 1914, general as it was, did not affect Flanders, a -_territoire d'etape_ not subject to the Governor-General. This is the -effect of their letter of the 21st November, 1914. Up to the present -it has been impossible to get them to keep the engagements to which -they subscribed on the 16th October; for although they have extended to -cattle-foods the promise that nothing should be requisitioned by the -troops placed under the orders of the Governor-General--the _territoire -d'etape_ being thus excluded--they have, on the other hand, forced -the communes of Flanders to open grain markets, in which they make -purchases, thus continuing to impoverish the food-stores of the country. - -While they exclude Flanders from the region exempted from requisitions, -they take care not to breathe a word of this exemption in their own -newspapers. The _K.Z._, on the 4th January, and _Der Volksfreund_ -on the 5th declared that requisitions of foodstuffs were suspended -throughout Belgium. - -Despite the difficulties raised by the Germans, the National Committee -of Relief and Alimentation has rendered our country inestimable -services, which only those who have visited our towns and rural -districts and have seen the work of the local Committees can form any -conception. - -We borrow from the report of the Executive Committee for the month of -January 1915 (published in Brussels 15th February, 1915) a few figures -(_see_ table, p. 176) as to the distribution of relief during the month -of January. - -But the National Committee extends its beneficent action over many -departments which are not mentioned in this table. - -Here, according to the same report, is the list of these departments:-- - - I. Department of Alimentation (Foodstuffs). - II. Agricultural Section of the National Committee. - III. Relief Department: - 1. Subsidies to Provincial Committees. - 2. Construction of Refuges (100,000 frs. for Luxemburg) - 3. Organizations patronized: - A. Central Refugee Committee. - B. Assistance and support of families of officers and - under-officers deprived of their means of sustenance - by the war (first subvention 50,000 frs.). - C. Assistance and support of Belgian physicians and - druggists ruined by the war (first subsidy of - 10,000 frs.). - D. Assistance and support of artists (first subsidy - 10,000 frs.). - E. Assistance and support of infantile charities. - F. Assistance and support of destitute persons. - G. Assistance and support of the homeless (Accommodation - section). - H. Assistance and support of destitute churches (two - subsidies of 5,000 frs. each). - I. Assistance and protection of the unemployed. - J. Assistance and protection of lace-makers (subsidy - of 129,749 frs.). - K. Union of Belgian Towns and Communes. - L. Belgian Intelligence Agency for Prisoners of War - and Persons Interned (monthly subvention of - 3,000 frs.). - 4. Co-operative Society for Loans and Advances. - 5. Advances to Provinces and Communes. - 6. Clothing. - - -DISTRIBUTION OF FOODSTUFFS, CLOTHING, AND SUBSIDIES IN MONEY, IN THE -PROVINCES - -NATURE OF MERCHANDISE. - -_Quantities in Tons._ - -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- -Despatched|Wheat | Flour|Rice|Peas | Salt|Po- |Ba-|Maize|Sun-|Cloth- |Subsi- - or | | | |and | |ta- |con| |dry | ing | dies to -Remitted | | | |Beans| |toes| | | | (value|Provin - to-- | | | | | | | | | | in | cial - | | | | | | | | | |Francs)|Commit- - | | | | | | | | | | | tees (in - | | | | | | | | | | | France) -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- -Province | | | | | | | | | | | - of | | | | | | | | | | | - Antwerp | 3,525| 1,247| --| 126| --| 2| --| 713| --|100,880| 300,000 -Brussels | | | | | | | | | | | - and | | | | | | | | | | | - District | 3,371| 1,329| 13| 247| 6| --| --| 90| 82|379,058| 300,000 -Brabant | 2,962| 1,486| --| 31| 116| 4| 24| 548| 57|101,916| -- -Western | | | | | | | | | | | - Flanders | 542| 519| 59| 48| 20| --| --| --| 23| 41,059| 170,000 -Eastern | | | | | | | | | | | - Flanders | 4,419| 1,982| 37| 46| 4| --| 3|1,120| 14| --| 300,000 -Hainaut | 5,602| 3,739| 258| 350| --| 74| --| 181| 293| 81,493| 550,000 -Liege | 3,356| 1,242| --| 5| --| --| --| 200| 80| 4,860| 280,000 -Limburg | 1,539| 1,466| 11| --| --| 22| --| 200| 35| 41,477| 160,000 -Luxemburg | 209| 853| 1| 58| --| --| --| --| --| 16,656| 160,000 -Namur | 1,011| 346| --| 60| --| --| --| 150| 89| 95,307| 203,000 - General | | | | | | | | | | | - Stock, | | | | | | | | | | | - Brussels | 446| 119| --| 8|2,268| 38| --| --| 239| --| -- -Various | | | | | | | | | | | - Charities| --| --| --| --| --| --| --| --| --| 9,687| -- -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- -Totals |27,476|14,338| 359| 979|2,414| 140| 27|3,202| 912|822,379|2,423,000 -----------+------+------+----+-----+-----+----+---+-----+----+-------+--------- - -Since the month of January 1915 the National Committee has not ceased -to extend its activities. But it is impossible to give more precise -data. The German authorities no longer permit the Committee to publish -its reports. In their dry, official manner they show us only too -clearly what we are to think of the present "prosperity" of Belgium and -the "normal state of the situation." - - * * * * * - -It will be seen that the activities of the National Committee are -fruitful and extensive. But more and more money is required, as savings -are exhausted and as the public coffers are emptied by the Germans. - -In January 1915 the Sovereign Pontiff surrendered the Belgian -contribution to Peter's Pence. - -As 40 million frs. per month (L1,600,000) is being paid to the Germans, -poverty is rapidly increasing. The number of Belgians deprived of -all resources and obliged to live entirely on charity had risen by -February to 1,500,000. It was estimated that by June it would be -2,500,000, or more than one-third of the total population. In February -the nourishment of this famishing host already demanded 10 million frs. -(L400,000) per month; soon it will demand 12 to 13 millions. In this -conjuncture Mr. Hoover, the President of the American Commission, went -begging to the British Government, which promised L100,000 per month -provided Germany would cease to make requisitions in Flanders and levy -the tax of 40 millions. Germany refused. How will it end? - - -_Belgium's Gratitude to America._ - -Belgium knows that she owes her relief to the United States. Without -American charity our country would perish in the distress into which -the German exactions have plunged her. No one in Belgium will ever -forget this, and it is in the name of the whole nation that King Albert -has publicly thanked America. - -It was in sign of homage, and also of gratitude, that on the 22nd -February, 1915, on the anniversary of American Independence, the -Belgians wore in their buttonholes a medallion of the Stars and -Stripes, while thousands of the citizens of Brussels left their cards -at the hotel of His Excellency Mr. Brand H. Whitlock. Baron von Bissing -spoke of this as childishness; at Liege German officers even snatched -the American colours from women and young girls. Massacre and arson are -more familiar to _Kultur_ than gratitude. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[14] And also justified by the laws of warfare as affecting invasion. -Moreover: "The rules which affect a _levee en masse_ (a general rising -of the people to repel invaders, without organization) should be -generously interpreted. The first duty of a citizen is to defend his -country, and provided he does so loyally he should not be treated as a -marauder or criminal." The Germans could not at the outset know that -there was no _levee en masse_.--(TRANS.) - -[15] The Germans have tried to persuade Rome that these priests were -not assassinated but killed in battle. - -[16] To give an idea of these accusations, it was said that in the -cellars of a Louvain convent the corpses of fifty German soldiers were -discovered, murdered by the monks. - -[17] If organized and disciplined, the civic guards and francs-tireurs -would have formed part of the Belgian forces, provided they wore a -recognizable sign and bore arms openly.--(TRANS.) - -[18] We shall see later (p. 221) that at Louvain Dr. Hedin was -shamefully deceived by the military authorities who were guiding him -through the city. It is this which makes us fear that there may also -have been deceit in the case of the villagers tried as "francs-tireurs." - -[19] _Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege._ Professor J. H. Morgan has published -a translation, with an introduction (John Murray). For a comparison -between German, French, and English usages see _Frightfulness in Theory -and Practice_, by Charles Andler, ed. Bernard Miall (T. Fisher Unwin). - -[20] They are all, with a truly German lack of originality, with -the genuine intellectual slavishness of the "blonde beast," simply -repeating the words of Clausewitz, as all German military philosophers -have done for the best part of a century.--(TRANS.) - -[21] A perusal of Clausewitz, von Hartmann, and the _Kriegsbrauch_ -would have dispelled all doubt. None of these theories is new: how -often does a German develop a _new_ theory? This peculiarly bloodless, -mechanically ferocious barbarism is nearly a century old. The French -had seen it in action before.--(TRANS.) - -[22] The Germans even accuse the Belgian Government of paying its -"francs-tireurs" "by the piece"; that is, so much per German killed. - -[23] If it had _openly_ encouraged the civil population it would -merely have ordered the _levee en masse_, which it had a perfect right -to do: as Germany did in 1813. But it is interesting to note that in -1813 the German francs-tireurs were required _not_ to wear distinctive -uniforms or badges, and were allowed to use any weapons and any means -of injuring the enemy. Germany invented the franc-tireur, and now -expects Belgium to do what she would do in a like case. _The bogy so -feared by the German soldier is, indeed, his own shadow._ Actually, of -course, the Belgian Government called upon civilians to keep quiet and -to surrender arms.--(TRANS.) - -[24] Thus _Der Grosse Krieg_, pp. 51 and 52, published a Wolff telegram -on the 3rd August, 1914, saying that many spies had already been shot -in Germany, but that the public should none the less be careful to -report suspects, particularly those who spoke a foreign language. - -[25] _Etape_ (_etappen_, Germ.), stores, rations, or a -halting-place.--(TRANS.) - -[26] If we mention Reims it is because the Germans have on eight -occasions posted placards in Belgium bearing declarations relating to -this crime against civilization. - -[27] We have not been able to verify the authenticity of the quotation -from the _Times_. - -[28] In Germany the phrase has a meaning _sui generis_. - -[29] Names will be published later. - -[30] See photographs in _Panorama_, 9B (26th August, 1914), 17A (16th -October, 1914), 18A (16th October, 1914). - -[31] A pit for storing potatoes in good condition. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE GERMAN MIND, SELF-DEPICTED - - -In those chapters in which we have dealt with the violations of -international treaties, and of the Hague Convention, we have often -been led to comment on the mode of thought displayed by those who -committed these crimes. But hitherto we have touched upon the subject -of German mentality only in an incidental fashion; it will doubtless be -interesting to consider it more closely. - -We shall utilize, by preference, documents of German origin. In cases -where these are lacking, for example, in the case of the cruelties -committed, we shall have recourse to observations which we ourselves -have collected, and whose authenticity is indisputable. - -In place of passing in review all the peculiarities of the modern -German mind, which would occupy too much space, we shall confine -ourselves to those from which Belgium has suffered most cruelly; but -we shall not speak--it would be superfluous--of the obscene spirit of -rape, and rapacity, and drunkenness. The three psychological elements -which we shall consider are pride, duplicity, and spitefulness. - - -A.--Pride. - -_Some Manifestations of Pride and the Spirit of Boasting._ - -"The German nation is the Chosen People, and God is with us." That is -the prevailing idea of the speeches and proclamations of the Kaiser. -In his Speech from the Throne on the 4th August, 1914, he declared: -"It is not the spirit of conquest which urges us forward; but we are -animated by the inflexible determination to retain the position in -which God has set us, for ourselves and for all the generations to -come." - -In her pride Germany is unanimous. No German is permitted to doubt -the indisputable superiority of his nation over all other nations. As -soon as he learns to lisp his first words, his brain is steeped in the -conviction that no people is comparable to his own, even remotely. - -This longing to exalt his own country is accompanied by a corresponding -desire to abase all others. Hardly is a discovery of any kind made in a -neighbouring country than a German appropriates it in order to give it -a new trade-mark. One example will suffice. - -All the world knows that Louis Pasteur was the founder of the science -of bacteriology, a science whose consequences, in the spheres of -hygiene and medicine, are incalculable. Germany ignores Pasteur and has -heard only of Koch. A Belgian, who attended the Berlin celebrations -in honour of Koch, returned disgusted with the fact that the name -of Pasteur was systematically suppressed throughout the ceremonies. -In an obituary notice devoted to Koch a Belgian bacteriologist, M. -Jules Bordet, remarked with great justice, in speaking of the German -biographies of the scientist who had just died:-- - -"They made Koch the absolute creator of modern medicine: all other -glory pales before his; he is the founder of bacteriology. Their -obituary articles, emanating, for the most part, from disciples of -the master, and which are, one feels, steeped in pious gratitude, -and also, perhaps, to a certain extent, in a somewhat exclusive -patriotism, attribute to him the honour of having shown the organic -origin of contagious diseases." "It would be," said Herr Pfeiffer, -the distinguished Breslau bacteriologist, "a real act of justice were -posterity to divide the history of medicine into two periods, one -before Koch and the other after him." - -Reading such notices it would almost seem as though Pasteur had never -lived! - -We think M. Bordet shows himself far too indulgent toward the German -biographers when he says, in conclusion: "And one could not take it -amiss of these disciples if, in their filial solicitude, they left on -the tomb of their Master a few leaves from the laurels of Pasteur." - -Here is another example of boasting, interesting principally by reason -of the _charlatanesque_ manner in which it was published. Every one -has heard of the Cooper-Hewitt mercury-vapour lamp, with its strange -blue-violet light, so rich in ultra-violet rays. The most summary -treatises on physics explain that quartz will allow the ultra-violet -rays to pass, and that the Cooper-Hewitt quartz lamp is in constant -employment in the laboratories. But if you read the communication which -the Germans imposed upon _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ on the 27th December, 1914, -you will see that the Germans invented the whole affair. - -If you want to be initiated into the perfections of the German, Herr -Momme Nissen, in _Der Krieg und die Deutsche Kunst_, will enumerate -them for you. "The qualities of the German," he says, "integrity and -courage, profundity of mind and fidelity, insight and the sense of -inwardness, modesty and piety, are also the ornaments of our art." - - -_The Germans compare themselves with their Allies._ - -Here is a last point to be considered. The Germans do not merely -consider themselves to be superior to their adversaries; they are -equally modest on behalf of their allies. To their minds, and in their -writings, the present war is "the German war." The most complete -chronological compilation which has appeared hitherto is entitled -_Chronik des Deutschen Krieges_. The official publications deliberately -ignore the Austrians, Hungarians, Czechs, Croats, Turks, etc. The first -of the pamphlets of propaganda distributed by the Germans (_Journal -de la Guerre_) begins thus: "The name this war will one day bear in -history is already determined; it can only be the _German War_, for it -is a war destined to establish the position of the German nation in the -world." By what name shall we call the German's sense of superiority -over all other nations: is it pride, presumption, or impudence? - -Herr Paul Rohrbach, who is generally more moderate in his expressions, -has written a pamphlet entitled _Warum es der Deutsche Krieg ist_ ("Why -this is the German War"). - -It would be useless to insist on the general aspects of the question. -Let us consider only a few of the immediate consequences of this frame -of mind: militarism, disdain for others, cynicism, and absence of the -critical spirit. - - -1. MILITARISM. - -_Might comes before Right._ - -Bismarck has given us a precise formula of the cult of brute force, -"Might comes before right!" Nietzsche has gone further, "Might creates -right." "You say that a good cause sanctifies even war? I tell you that -a good war sanctifies any cause!" (_Thus Spake Zarathustra_). - -Herr Maximilian Harden, the well-known polemical writer, expressed -the same idea in a lecture delivered at Duisbourg and reproduced in -_K.Z._ (8th December, 1914). It is expressed with equal lucidity in an -article published in _Zeit im Bild_ (19th November, 1914), and signed -_Vitus Bug_; the author, after inquiring into the reasons which make -Germany hated, adds: "Let us be victorious, and people will immediately -discover that we were in the right!" - -It is, consequently, towards the army that the essential aspirations -of the German nation converge; everything must give way to the -military interest; the moment this is in question there is no longer -any room for morality, says Professor Rein, of the University of Jena -(_N.R.C._, 22nd January, 1915, morning), nor for humanity, says Herr -Erzberger (_N.R.C._, 6th February, 1915, evening), nor even for the -law of nations, declares Professor Beer, of the University of Leipzig -(_Voelkerrecht und Krieg_). In other countries people have remained -simple enough to believe that it is precisely in time of war that the -prescriptions of international law should be most strictly respected. -Nothing of the sort, say the Germans; the moment war breaks out -everyday justice can only efface itself. On the slightest accusation, -the least pretext, or even without any, they begin to shoot and to -burn. If by accident those put to death are innocent, or if there was -in truth no complaint to be made against the inhabitants of the houses -burned to ashes, it is obviously regrettable; but such commonplace -considerations will not prevent the German army from inflicting on the -nearest village a punishment any less exemplary. _Es ist Krieg_: in -this phrase is contained the whole psychology of the German soldier in -war-time. "Do you suppose," said a German at Louvain, "that we've got -time to make inquiries?" (_N.R.C._, 9th September, 1914, morning). "You -understand clearly," said an officer at Francorchamps, "that we cannot -stop the German army to inquire if this man has really fired on us; he -was accused of doing so; isn't that sufficient reason for shooting him?" - - * * * * * - -Before leaving the subject of militarism, we will cite one -insignificant fact which, however trifling, clearly reveals the -importance which the military idea has assumed in the conceptions of -the German people. According to the _N.R.C._ of the 6th February, 1915 -(evening), _Vorwaerts_ has protested against the following measure: The -German wife whose husband is under arms cannot be expelled from her -dwelling for non-payment of rent; but if her husband should be killed -in the war the landlord immediately recovers the right to turn her out. - - -2. DISDAIN OF OTHERS. - -We have seen that the Germans are seeking by all possible means to -accentuate their superiority over their neighbours. An elementary -procedure for increasing the vertical distance between them and their -rivals consists in depreciating the latter. Germany has so often, in -every tone of voice, proclaimed the irremediable inferiority of all -the other peoples inhabiting our planet, that she has at last come to -believe it herself, and has begun to act in conformity with her belief. - - -_Some Inept Proclamations, etc._ - -Thus, to speak only of our own experience, they assuredly -under-estimated our national integrity when they believed us capable -of becoming accomplices in the violation of an international treaty. -They also greatly under-estimated our army's powers of resistance, or -they would have taken good care not to lose a fortnight in Belgium, -a delay which spoiled their sudden attack upon France. Finally, they -show us every day, by their placards, that they do not think much of -our intelligence. Some of those entitled "News published by the German -General Government" are really inimitable. - -Imagine our laughter when the authorities to whom we are forced to -submit officially announced that a German squadron had captured fifteen -fishing-boats; or that the Serbians had taken Semlin in order to obtain -food; or that the star of Paschitsch was growing pale; or that the -Austrians had evacuated Lemberg for strategic and humanitarian reasons; -or that the British Army is so ill-equipped that the soldiers are -without writing-paper and shoelaces; or that the river of the "gifts of -love" continues to flow; or that General Joffre (in a French that could -only have come from a German pen) informs his troops that "the moment -is come to profit by the weakness which offers itself to us, after we -have reinforced ourselves in men and material." In the last days of -September 1914, when a citizen of Brussels met a fair-haired comrade, -he hastened to measure him, to make sure that he was not Charles-Alice -Yate, "being about 5 ft. 9 in. in height." - -Here are some of these placards:-- - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _6th September, 1914_.--The Austria-Hungarian Ambassador - publishes the following dispatch which has been forwarded to him by - the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vienna:-- - - "The Russian news on the subject of the battle of Lemberg and - the triumphant capture of the city is a lie. The open town of - Lemberg was evacuated by us without a battle for strategical and - humanitarian reasons." - - THE GENERAL GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - LONDON, _8th September, 1914_ (Reuter's Agency).--A German - squadron, composed of two cruisers and four torpedo-boats, has - captured fifteen English fishing-boats in the North Sea, and has - brought numerous prisoners to Wilhelmshaven. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _22nd September, 1914_.--On the night of the 19th September - Major Charles-Alice Yate, of the regiment of the Yorkshire Light - Infantry, escaped from Torgau, where he was prisoner of war. Yate - is that English officer of superior rank concerning whom it was - announced the other day that he did not deny, upon inquiry, that - the English troops have been supplied with dum-dum bullets; in the - course of this interrogatory he declared that the soldier must - obviously use the ammunition which is furnished to him by the - Government. - - The fugitive is about 5 ft. 9 in. in height; he is slender, - fair-haired, and speaks German well. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - VIENNA, _29th September, 1914_.--The _Reichspost_ announces from - Sofia: The correspondent of the _Volja_, the organ of Ghenadjev, - writes from Nish: The Austrian offensive has serious consequences - for Serbia; rebellion is muttering in the country and the army, and - every day may see the outbreak of the revolution. During the last - few days several regiments of artillery have revolted. A certain - number of guns have been demolished.... - - King Peter has returned; he is completely apathetic, and the Crown - Prince Alexander does not know what to do. The star of Paschitsch - is paling, and it is feared there may soon be victims in his - entourage. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - -L ONDON, _6th October, 1914_.--The _Daily Chronicle_ announces that - at Aldershot, in round figures, 135,000 militia belonging to all - arms should be prepared to depart for the army as soon as they - are ready. However, the training, despite the most brilliant - efforts, could not give satisfactory results, the troops being - insufficiently equipped. The newspaper appeals for the assistance - of the public, and remarks that, for example, no officer of Lord - Kitchener's first army possesses field-glasses. They also lack - socks, handkerchiefs, shoelaces, writing-paper and materials, and - drums and fifes for the Scottish regiments. - - THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - -What is even more strange than their insistence in offering us their -sophisticated views, is their virtuous indignation when they discover -that we are not receptive of this kind of truth. Thus the people of -Liege, who would not believe the German placards and preferred their -secret newspapers, were warned by Lieut.-General von Kolewe that they -were in danger of appearing ridiculous in the eyes of intelligent -people. - - TO THE POPULATION OF LIEGE AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. - - Considering the continual successes of the German troops, it is - impossible to understand why the people of Liege are still so - credulous as to believe the absurd and frivolous news spread by - the manufactories of falsehoods installed in Liege. Those who busy - themselves in propagating such news are risking severe punishment. - They are playing a dangerous game in abusing the credulity of their - fellow-citizens and in inciting them to reckless actions. The - reasonable population of Liege will resist all temptations of the - kind. - - Otherwise it is exposing itself not merely to the gravest - disappointment, but also to appearing ridiculous in the eyes of - intelligent people. - - KOLEWE, - - _Lieut.-General and German Governor of the - Fortress of Liege_. - - _It is forbidden to tear down this placard or to paste another over - it._ - - -_Lies concerning the Situation in Belgium._ - -Before other placards the shrugging of shoulders gave way to disgust. -Baron von der Goltz, at Sofia, boasted of having rendered "the -situation in Belgium entirely normal." What of it? We were so glad -to be rid of him that we were ready to overlook any ineptitudes. But -when his successor, Baron von Bissing, after levying a contribution of -480 million frs. (L19,200,000), had the audacity to declare that he -hoped "to do much for the economic situation," and would especially -apply himself "to doing everything to assist the weak in Belgium, and -to encourage them," he passed the bounds of cynicism and presumption. -However, two months later, on the 18th February, 1915, after having -despoiled us of 120 million francs, he found occasion to go still -farther, affirming his "solicitude for the welfare and prosperity of -the population." - - -_Lies concerning "Francs-tireurs."_ - -What shall we say of the accusations made against Belgian civilians? -From August, at the time of the first sortie of our troops from -Antwerp, the Germans posted up statements in Brussels that the Belgian -population was again taking part in the conflict. - - OFFICIAL STATEMENT BY THE COMMANDANT OF THE GERMAN ARMY. - - BRUSSELS, _28th August, 1914_.--On the 26th and 27th August several - Belgian divisions made a sortie from Antwerp in order to attack - our lines of communication, but they were repulsed by those of our - troops left behind to invest the city. Five Belgian guns fell into - our hands.... - - The Belgian population almost everywhere took part in the fighting. - It became necessary to take the most drastic measures to repress - the bands of francs-tireurs.... - -Now certain of these battles took place at a distance of only six miles -from Brussels; peasants were shot at Houtem (a hamlet of Vilvorde) and -at Eppeghem: that is, in villages whence people went into the city -every morning with vegetables, milk, etc., so that the inhabitants -of the capital were perfectly informed as to the behaviour of the -German troops toward the Belgian civilians. They knew, too, that these -pretended attacks of "francs-tireurs" had been delivered by detachments -of the Belgian army (_see_ E. Waxweiler in _La Belgique neutre et -loyale_, p. 219). The keen indignation against the German liars was -still further aggravated when, three weeks later, the Kaiser repeated -these calumnies. The fact of their having placarded the walls of -Brussels with these obviously false accusations shows once more in what -low esteem the Germans hold the mental faculties of their victims. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BRUSSELS, _7th October_.--From the leader of a troop of cyclists - near Hennuyeres written instructions were taken, intended for the - leaders of the so-called "destructive detachment," in which they - are told, among other things: "Spread false news: landing of the - English at Antwerp, Russians at Calais." - -That the Germans should seek to deceive their own compatriots as to the -situation is natural enough--they are quite content with official news. -But in Belgium we still, in spite of all obstacles, continue to receive -foreign newspapers, which keep us informed of the military operations. -Why, then, did the Germans try to impose on us over the battle of the -Marne, when nothing was easier than to learn the truth from the _Times_ -and the French Press? - -A still more curious case was that of the battle of Ypres. During a -whole fortnight the official placards daily informed the Belgians -of the latest German success ... and at the end of three weeks the -army was still as far from Ypres. The whole of this Yser campaign -is interesting as throwing a light upon the German mentality. From -the outset the Germans tried to establish a confusion between the -"canalized" Yser and the "canalized" Yperlee, that is, the canal -running from Ypres to the Yser. What they call "the canal of the Yser" -in their placard of the 22nd October is the canalized Yser between -Dixmude and Nieuport. In the placard of the 2nd November they spoke -of the "canal from the Yser to Ypres, near Nieuport," an absolutely -fantastic description. Finally, on the 4th April, when they claimed to -have crossed "the Yser canal" to occupy Driegrachten, it was really -the Yperlee that was in question, and not the Yser at all. This is, as -will be seen, on a par with the intentional confusion which they sought -to create between the city of Liege and its forts (pp. 50, 58). Such -confusions may deceive the Germans, but the Belgians, familiar with the -geography of their country, naturally laugh at them. - -Another point relating to this astonishing campaign on the Yser: On -the 2nd November the Germans announced that operations were rendered -difficult by the inundation. On the following day, having expressed -their pity for the Belgians "whose fields were devastated for a long -time to come," they added that the water was in parts deeper than a -man's height, but that they had lost neither man, nor horse, nor gun. -How can they impose such idle stuff on people who know the _polders_ -of the coast region, with their innumerable canals and ditches, and -who know, moreover, than an inundation there renders all retreat -impossible? - - -3. CYNICISM. - -They must require a good stock of effrontery to put before us such -assertions as that of the Kaiser, whose falsity is obvious at sight. -They cannot be ignorant of the fact that these impostures are instantly -exposed. But this consideration does not give them pause; German -superiority appears to them so indisputable that they have no need -to trouble about the opinion of other people; if they occasionally -indicate the reasons for their actions, it is to reassure their own -conscience, not to justify themselves to their victims. They are, in -short, in the situation of the sportsman who brings down the game -passing within gunshot, but is not required to render an account of -it to the rabbits and partridges. To the sportsman's way of thinking -there is no cynicism in so acting: between the hunter and the game -there is too great a difference to make such a justification necessary. -Similarly, the Germans occupy, in the scale of _Kultur_, so exalted -a position as compared with the Belgians, that they believe in good -faith that all is permitted to them in dealing with this horde, and -that they need not justify their actions. They behave toward us as the -Conquistadores toward the Aztecs. - -More, they actually advertise their contempt for the rules of justice. -We have already mentioned the placard posted at Gand, according -to which they openly placed themselves in conflict with the Hague -Convention. They have gone yet farther in this direction. What are we -to say, for example, of the placard posted at Menin, in July 1915, by -order of Commandant Schmidt, in which it is ordained that the families -of those "who do not work regularly on the military works" shall be -allowed to die of starvation? - - ORDER. - - From to-day the town can no longer grant relief--of whatever kind, - even for families, women and children--save only to those workmen - who are working regularly on the military works and on other works - prescribed. - - All other workmen and their families cannot henceforth be assisted - in any way whatever. - -And this is not the gem of the collection. At Roubaix and the vicinity -(in French Flanders, close against the Belgian frontier) they -advertised their decision to prevent all sales of comestibles if work -were not resumed by the 7th July, and they even threatened completely -to suppress "circulation," which would have resulted in the lingering -death of the whole population. - -And this is not the worst. In a neighbouring town, Halluin, Commandant -Schranck caused a declaration to be read to the assembled notables -which stated that he denied their right to invoke the Hague Convention, -since the German military authorities had determined to enforce the -fulfilment of all their demands, "even if a city of 15,000 inhabitants -had to perish." - - (_Read at Halluin, on the 30th June, at 11.30 p.m., to the - Municipal Council and notables of the Town of Halluin._) - - GENTLEMEN, - - What is happening is known to all these gentlemen. It is the - conception and interpretation of Article 52 of the Hague Convention - which has created difficulties between you and the German military - authority. On which side is the right? It is not for us to discuss - that, for we are not competent, and we shall never arrive at - an understanding on this point. It will be the business of the - diplomatists and the representatives of the various States after - the war. - - To-day it is exclusively the interpretation of German military - authority which is valid, and for that reason we intend that all - that we shall need for the maintenance of our troops shall be made - by the workers of the territory occupied. I can assure you that - the German authority will not under any circumstances desist from - demanding its rights, even if a town of 15,000 inhabitants should - have to perish. The measures introduced up to the present are only - a beginning, and every day severe measures will be taken until our - object is obtained. - - This is the last word, and it is good advice I give you to-night. - Return to reason, and arrange for the workers to resume work - without delay; otherwise you will expose your town, your families, - and your persons to the greatest misfortunes. - - To-day, and perhaps for a long time yet, there is for Halluin - neither a prefecture nor a French Government. There is only one - will, and that is the will of German authority. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE TOWN, - SCHRANCK. - -Do you not agree that a cynicism so shameless is a sign of perplexity -and an admission of impotence? The Germans realize that they are driven -to the worst expedients! - -A host of similar facts might be cited, but it would mean useless -repetition. Let us rather examine some examples of graphic cynicisms. - - -_Photographs and Picture Postcards._ - -The Germans have published, in their newspapers, photographs -representing the population of a village, consisting principally of -women, being driven away as prisoners (_Berl. Ill. Zeit._, No. 36, 6th -September, 1914); a military observation-post installed by them on the -tower of Malines Cathedral during the siege of Antwerp (_Berl. Ill. -Zeit_., No. 44, 1st November, 1914); doctors detained as prisoners in -Germany, contrary to the Geneva Convention (_Berl. Ill. Zeit._, No. 15, -11th April, 1915); soldiers taken prisoners, whom they are forcing, -despite Article 6 of the Hague Convention, to do work directed against -their country (_Die Wochenschau_, No. 44, 1914). - -We find the same effrontery in respect of the conflagrations started -by their troops: Scharr and Dathe, of Treves, have edited and placed -on sale, in Belgium itself, a series of fifty picture postcards, -representing localities which the German army has destroyed by fire. -We may mention Dinant, Namur, Louvain, Aerschot, Termonde; and in -Belgium, Luxemburg, Barranzy, Etalles, Ethe, Izel, Jamoigne, Musson, -Eossignol, Tintigny. Let us add that these photographs commonly show -German soldiers and officers striking triumphant attitudes amid the -ruins. The most instructive card of this kind which we have seen is one -representing General Beeger amid the ruins of Dinant. To understand -the full significance of this card, one must remember that it was this -officer who ordered 1,200 of the houses of Dinant to be burned and 700 -of the inhabitants to be massacred. It is surprising that he did not -have a few corpses of "francs-tireurs" arranged about him when the -photograph was taken--preferably selected from the old men, women, and -children at the breast. - -After the torpedoing of the _Lusitania_ they sold in Belgium a series -of cards entitled _Kriegs-Errinerungs-Karte_, edited by Dr. Trenkler -& Co., of Leipzig, which pictured the operations of submarines. Card -No. 2, of Series XXXIII, represents--very inaccurately, by the way--a -German submarine stopping the _Lusitania_. It is as well to recall the -fact that in this disaster more than 1,500 non-combatants perished, -among them Mme. Antoine Depage, the wife of the well-known Belgian -surgeon. - -Nothing ought to surprise us on the part of those who prove that every -means is good provided it is efficacious. Here is what a newspaper, -much respected in Germany, the _Hamburger Fremdenblatt_, has to say in -its weekly illustrated supplement for the 16th May, 1915:-- - - "In the situation in which Germany now finds herself, attacked on - three sides at once with all the means that cruelty and perfidy - can invent, we must not ask ourselves whether a means of defence - is permitted or prohibited; but whether it is effectual. All that - facilitates the defence must be employed; this is especially true - of the submarine war, and consequently of the destruction of the - _Lusitania_." - - -_Alfred Heymel on the Battle of Charleroi._ - -We have already spoken of the articles of Alfred Heymel and Walter -Bloem. Here are some extracts from an article by the former:-- - - THE BATTLE OF CHARLEROI. - - One regiment of cavalry was detrained near the enemy frontier. For - a little while it halted on a manoeuvring ground where the division - to which we were to be attached as scouts was to assemble. - - Already many of us were impatient at having to wait longer before - marching to the front; we heard the growling thunder of the - howitzers of the great fortress near the frontier, around which - there had been violent fighting these last few days; we were told - of cruelties that made our hair stand on end, committed, in its - fury, by a people which had for years been excited against us deeds - of cruelty committed against our compatriots, soldiers, civilians, - women and children, because of our violation of a neutrality which - it had itself violated a thousand times over in advance. On our - side we were boiling inwardly to avenge these infamies.... We - breathed more freely only when, in our march beyond the frontier, - we saw the first houses burned in reprisal; a cure, who had - revolted, was hanging from a tree in a neighbouring thicket, - swinging at the will of the wind, when at last the noise of battle - grew plainer.... - - (They arrive near Charleroi.) - - The head of one regiment, led by my friend Lieutenant S----, - trotted forward again, and seized as hostages what civilians it - could catch; some 12 to 16 persons, old and young, fat and thin, - had to march before or between the lancers; more, this portion of - the regiment had received the order from its comrades not to ride - too far ahead. - - Something that alarmed me quite particularly, giving me a - presentiment of misfortune, was the fact that the wives of these - civilians burst into weeping: one red-headed woman, frantic, threw - herself down in the road and gave vent to wild screams; others, - behind us, their emaciated arms stretched in the air, threatened - us, although they were several times assured that so long as - nothing was done to us nothing would happen to their husbands, - sons, friends, and lovers. All these significant scenes took place - in the side streets.... - - (A volley is fired from a barricade--or a railway crossing the - street; it is not clear which.) - - I saw two or three cavalrymen fall back in front, and with them - the hostages fell to the ground; my friend was standing, near his - horse. A violent and rapid fire alternated with volleys; we could - not escape on either side; naturally we immediately faced about and - returned in the direction whence we had come; there was a furious - pursuit along the uneven road, with the balls whistling at our - backs. The horses fell, one after another.... - - Thus from the advance-guard we had become the rear-guard. We had - to consider how we could regain the main body of the troop. In the - first place hostages were taken, some cures among them; the cavalry - and artillery were no longer marching alone and unprotected, but - flanked by the infantry and pioneers; one soon learns when once - one has been caught. With great difficulty we again penetrated - the streets in the smoke and heat, in the midst of the flames - we ourselves had lit; now we continually heard the popping of - cartridges, bursting harmlessly, piled up in the houses, and - betraying the friendly intention of the ex-inmates![32]... - - We learned later, when we had found the uniforms, that two - battalions of crack French infantry were distributed everywhere, - in order to organize and discipline the fire of the Belgian - civic guard and the francs-tireurs. The rumour (of marksmen on - the neighbouring heights) spread.... I thought I perceived--this - chilled my heart, and I still hope I was mistaken--that my - cavalrymen, otherwise so brave, did not really feel inclined to - go forward; their gait became slower and slower; they continually - observed more minutiae and took a longer time in seizing civilians; - in short, I saw the necessity of intervening, at need, against my - own troops, the most heart-breaking thing that can happen to you in - war. In any case I prepared myself, with a heart full of pain, to - face even the abyss of this prospect.... - - _Kunst und Kuenstler_, January 1915 (Amm. xiii, part 4). - -We must not overlook an article by Captain Walter Bloem, adjutant to -General von Bissing. Herr Bloem, who is greatly admired in Germany, -and whose novels may be seen at this moment on the shelves of the -travellers' libraries installed in our railway stations, does not -hesitate to declare that the conflagrations at Battice and Dinant -were not intended to punish the population, but to terrorize them (p. -84). The article already mentioned, which incidentally describes the -shooting of a French hostage, is highly typical. One sees that the -death of this man--shot because the French army does not consent to -cease its bombardment--does not in the least affect the writer, who -finds the conduct of his countrymen quite natural. - -Referring to the systematic pillage effected by the German army, -we have already mentioned (p. 132) the fact that "war booty" was -despatched openly. In this respect, effrontery and impudence have -surely nowhere been carried to greater lengths than in the valley of -the Meuse. All the villas were as a matter of course emptied by the -officers; when they were situated close to the banks of the river -the furniture, etc., was transported on a little steamer, one of -those tourist boats which in summer run between Namur and Dinant. The -boat would stop before each villa, and--without the least attempt to -conceal the nature of the proceedings--the pianos, beautiful pieces -of furniture, clocks, pictures, etc., were piled on the deck. To cite -one case among hundreds, it was thus that the villa of Mme. Wodon, at -Davos, was emptied. - -Cynicism and impudence often lend one another mutual support. Let us -recall, for example, the question of asphyxiating gases. Article 23 of -the Hague Convention forbids the employment of poisons. Even in the -siege of Liege our enemies were making use of shells which discharged -poisonous gases at the moment of explosion; it was one of them that -all but poisoned General Leman. It might, however, be supposed that -these toxic vapours were the inevitable result of the detonation of -the explosives with which the shells were loaded. But in April 1915 -the Germans suddenly began to accuse their adversaries of the use of -asphyxiating shells (see the German official communiques of the 9th, -12th, 14th, and 21st April). At the same time they made it known that -their chemists, far abler than those of France or England, were about -to combine substances whose detonation would liberate products far more -toxic than those of the enemy's shells. And on the 22nd April they -preceded their attack on the trenches to the north of Ypres by a cloud -of smoke of a yellowish-green colour, which asphyxiated the French and -Canadians (see _N.R.C._, 29th April, 1914, morning). Now the falsity -of their bragging allegations is obvious. They will not persuade any -one to believe that between the 8th of April and the 22nd May they had -had time to invent the combination of substances capable of giving -off toxic vapours, to manufacture them in sufficient quantities, and -finally to forward the cylinders to the field of battle. - -Let us add, moreover, that we knew before the end of March--that is, -before the accusations made against the French--that the Germans were -making experiments on a large scale in the aviation camp at Kiewit, -near Hasselt. They were asphyxiating dogs. It may be supposed that -they presently realized that they had gone a little too far in their -cynicism, for in its issue of the 3rd May, 1915, _Die Wochenschau_, -commenting on the affair of the 22nd April, stated that the attack had -been "ably seconded by technical means." - -Still, the palm for cynicism goes to the high authorities. What are we -to think of Baron von der Goltz, whose proclamations state that the -innocent and guilty will be punished without distinction? (p. 144). -Here we begin to see into the mentality of the Germans; swollen with -pride, they consider that all things are permitted to them as against -a people so uncivilized as the Belgians. - -Well, incredible as it may seem, the Germans have surpassed themselves -in this department. The same action, accordingly as it is performed -by them or against them, is denounced as a crime or highly approved. -We have already seen this in connection with the bombardment of towns -by aeroplanes and dirigibles. What shall we say of the action of the -German cavalryman, who, surprised by superior forces, surrendered; but, -as he was giving up his arms thought better of it, broke the head of -one of his adversaries, and fled. If a Belgian or a Frenchman had been -guilty of such treachery the Germans could not have found sufficient -terms of abuse to heap upon his head; but as he was a German his action -became _ein kuehnes Reiterstueckchen_ (a "Bold exploit of a Cavalryman"). -More--this incident is reported in the first number of the pamphlets -of propaganda distributed by order of the German authorities--the -_Journal de la Guerre_. Not only do they find no cause for blame in a -soldier who has committed so vile an action; they are proud of him, and -take pains to celebrate his glory in neutral countries. - -Here are two other examples, bearing on matters of much greater -importance. On the 4th August, 1914, the very day on which they were -violating the neutrality of Belgium, and were commencing to punish -us, at Vise, for having dared to resist them, they expressed their -satisfaction in the fact that Switzerland was scrupulously remaining -neutral. M. Waxweiler (p. 52) calls our attention to this contradiction -in their attitude toward the two neutral countries--Belgium and -Switzerland. Moreover, they had the impudence to placard their -satisfaction in the neutrality of Switzerland about the streets of -Brussels. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - BERNE, _7th February_.--The representative of the Bund has been - received in Berlin by Herr von Jagow, Secretary of State for - Foreign Affairs, who spoke of Switzerland in the most friendly - manner. Herr von Jagow says: The strictly neutral attitude of - Switzerland has produced the most favourable impression in Germany. - We take a very keen interest in a neutral, independent, and - powerful Switzerland. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - -While in Belgium they burn houses and torture civilians, on the pretext -that the latter have fired on them, they congratulate the Hungarian -peasants who took up arms to defend their country against the Russian -invader. The contrast here is so obvious that it even struck one -German--Herr Maximilian Harden. In an article in _Jingoism, a Disease -of the Mind_, he reproaches his compatriots with having two weights -and two measures (published in _Vorwaerts_, August 1914). - -They push their effrontery to the point of photographing their own -francs-tireurs, so that no doubt may be left in our minds. The _Berl. -Ill. Zeit._ of the 16th March, 1915 (p. 261), gives a photograph "from -the theatre of the war in the Carpathians"--"Ruthenian Peasant employed -in the Austro-Hungarian Army to guard roads and telegraph-lines." The -peasant, without uniform, carries a rifle. - -Lastly, let us cite a case in which cynicism is allied to pedantry. On -the calcined walls of the Hotel de Ville of Dinant (burned on the 23rd -and 24th August, 1914) is a chronogram. The letters are cut in a slab -of marble let into the wall facing the Meuse. The fire had rendered the -inscription illegible, but the commandant of the town, in March 1915, -had the slab re-painted black and the letters re-gilt. This is the -inscription:-- - - PAX ET SALVS - NEVTRA LITATEM - SERVANT IBVS DETVR. - - ("May peace and security be granted to those who preserve - neutrality.") - - (1637.) - -Herr Otto Eduard Schmidt, returning from the French front by way -of Dinant, was struck by this inscription. "I could not learn for -certain," he says, "by questioning passing soldiers of the Landsturm, -whether the inscription had lately been placed there or had merely -been re-gilt. But in any case, I should regard it an insult to German -authority, and I am astonished that this insult should be tolerated" -(O. E. Schmidt, _Eine Fahrt zu den Sachsen an die Front_, p. 131). What -would Herr Schmidt say if he knew that it was his own countrymen who, -in a fit of shameless cynicism, caused this inscription to be renovated? - - -_Surrender of the Critical Spirit. Refusal to Examine the Accusations -of Cruelty._ - -Painfully moved by the horrors committed in Belgium, M. Charles Magnet, -the National Grand Master of Belgian Freemasonry, wrote on the 9th -September to nine German lodges, requesting them to institute, by -common consent, an inquiry into the facts. Since the Germans denied the -atrocities of which their troops were accused, and, on the other hand, -were accusing the Belgians of maltreating the wounded, such an inquiry -could only have a happy result. Two lodges only replied. "The request -is superfluous; this inquiry would be an insult to our army," replied -the Darmstadt lodge. "Our troops are not ill-conducted; it would even -be dangerous to recommend them to display sensibility and kindness," -replied the Bayreuth lodge. - -The argument may be summarized thus: "We know, as Germans, that we -possess the truth; it is useless, therefore, to go in search of it with -the help of an impartial commission." In a second letter M. Magnet -commented on these evasions, as contrary to the spirit of brotherhood -as to the scientific spirit. - -Let it not be supposed that the refusal to examine, objectively and -impartially, the German and the Belgian accusations, is peculiar to -Freemasonry. On the 24th January, 1915, Cardinal Mercier requested the -German authorities in Belgium to set up a commission comprising both -Germans and Belgians, under the presidency of a representative of a -neutral country. His request was accorded no reply. - -Thus the Germans refuse to allow any light to be thrown on their -actions and those of the Belgians. Why this opposition to a faithful -search for the truth? They fear, perhaps, that the truth will be -unfavourable to them. That is undoubtedly one of their reasons; but we -do not think it can be the only reason; and the principal reason for -their refusal is without doubt the voluntary blindness to which they -have one and all subjected themselves since the outbreak of the war. - -They have decided, one would imagine, to accept, without any -discussion, whatever is decreed by authority, which they invest with -the absolute truth; every German calmly receives that portion of the -truth which the Government thinks fit to dispense to its faithful, and -no German permits himself to ask for more. _Magister dixit_: the Staff -has spoken! - -Since the month of August a strict censorship has been exercised over -the Press. _Vorwaerts_ and other Socialist sheets have several times -been suspended. The _Koelnischer Volkszeitung_ was suspended on the 11th -September, 1914, for having published articles disposing of at least a -part of the so-called Belgian atrocities.... And then, apparently, it -proceeded to take them for granted; for afterwards it even aggravated -the accusations brought against the Belgians. - -The _Vossische Zeitung_ itself, official as it is, had its issue of the -1st December, 1914, seized on account of an article on a commission of -the Reichstag (_N.R.C._, 3rd December, 1914, evening). At the same time -the Government was careful to stop all foreign books and newspapers. -This prohibition is so strict that Dutch working-men going to work -in Germany are not allowed to wrap their sandwiches in newspaper -(_N.R.C._, 10th December, 1914, evening). - -In Germany even people are beginning to find the censorship a little -too strict. Before the Budget Commission of the Reichstag Herr -Scheidemann, the Socialist deputy, complained that in the district -of Ruestringen certain of the German official communiques even were -prohibited. The newspapers may not leave blank the spaces caused by the -censorship, as the latter must not appear. At Strasburg the censorship -prohibited the publication of articles dealing with the increased price -of milk. At Dortmund the Socialist newspapers were subjected to a -preventive censorship for having inserted an article by the sociologist -Lujo Brentano, one of the "Ninety-three," professor at the University -of Muenich (_N.R.C._, 16th May, 1913, morning). - -Does the German public, knowing that the newspapers publish none but -articles inspired by authority, or at least controlled thereby, accept -this sophisticated mental pabulum in good part? Or does it make an -effort to procure foreign publications? One must believe that it does -not, for in that case the "intellectuals," better informed, would cease -to blindly accept the official declarations. - -"But," it will perhaps be said, "since the Government forbids the -introduction of foreign newspapers, it is radically impossible to -obtain them." We do not know just how the Germans could obtain -pamphlets and newspapers, but we do know that in Belgium we read -prohibited literature every day--French, Dutch, and English. Any one -who does not intend to resign himself to living in an oubliette will -succeed, in spite of everything, in opening some chink that the light -may shine through; and this light, when we have received it, we hasten -to share. It is forbidden, under the severest penalties, including the -capital, to introduce newspapers into Belgium; it is forbidden, under -the same penalties, to publish and distribute "false news," as our -masters call it. It makes little difference to us; not an article or -book of importance appears abroad but it reaches us, and two days later -it is secretly distributed in thousands of copies. There will be a -curious book for some one to write when the war is over, on the subject -of the strange and ingenious means employed by the Belgians, prisoners -in their own country since August 1914, to obtain and distribute -prohibited letterpress. - -There is accordingly no doubt that if the Germans really wished it -they could without great difficulty obtain reliable "documentation." -But they do not wish it. They, of late so proud of their critical -spirit, who made it their rule, so they professed--and their glory, -as was thought--to accept only that which their reason commanded them -to believe! They have abdicated their critical faculty; they have -sacrificed it to the militarist Moloch. And to-day, with eyes closed, -they swallow all that the Government and its reptile Press presents to -them. - - -_The Abolition of Free Discussion in Germany._ - -What am I saying? Not only are they ready to swallow all the lies -offered to them; they have even abolished liberty of speech among -themselves. A striking example of this fact was given by the _N.R.C._ -(of the 16th November, 1914, morning edition). Dr. Wekberg, one of the -three editors of a German periodical, the _Revue des Volksrechts_, -retired from his editorship because his colleagues refused to insert an -article in which he declared that Germany's attitude towards Belgium -was perhaps disputable. It would be difficult to push intolerance of -criticism much farther. - -In the same connection we may recall the sessions of the Reichstag -of the 4th August, 1914, the 2nd December, 1914, and the 20th March, -1915. At the first session not a voice protested against the war. At -the second, the Socialist deputy, Dr. Karl Liebknecht, asked leave -to present some objections, which indeed were timid enough; he was -at once disowned by his party. On the 20th March the deputy Ledebour -permitted himself to criticize the proclamation of Marshal von -Hindenburg, prescribing the burning of three Russian villages for any -German village burned by the Russians. Both these deputies expressed -the opinion that it is iniquitous to punish the innocent in the place -of the guilty. Immediately the whole assembly, Socialists included, -copiously abused and insulted the two speakers. We may remark that Herr -Ledebour was discussing not a strategical measure, but a prescription -that was merely inhuman (see _K.Z._, 20th March, 1915, evening). - -These few examples are enough to show that the Socialists lend -themselves to militarist domestication with the same docility as the -"bourgeois" parties. As for the Catholic remnant in the Reichstag, its -docility surpasses even that of the Socialists. - -In short, all the political parties, without exception, have abdicated -their liberty of thought, to accept, obsequiously and without the -slightest attempt at discussion, the ready-made opinions provided by -authority. Such, in Germany, is the power of discipline, that all -have submitted without protest--one might almost say wantonly--to -the voluntary extirpation of the critical spirit. But the inevitable -results of this servility were not long in showing themselves; having -renounced the employment of reason, the Germans now accept the most -extravagant lies. - - -_German Credulity._ - -We have remarked that one day a curious book may be written as to the -expedients invented by the Belgians to obtain news from abroad and to -distribute it throughout the country. Equally interesting--but how -discouraging, from the standpoint of the progressive evolution of -the human mind--will be the book containing the amazing examples of -credulity afforded by the Germans during this war. When speaking of -the German accusations against the Belgians we cited the case of the -rifles collected in the Hotel de Ville, which were exhibited to the -German soldiers as the irrefutable proof of the official premeditation -of the "franc-tireur" campaign (p. 90). Not only were the soldiers -thus deluded. A well-known novelist, Herr Fedor von Zobeltitz, -visiting in Antwerp a museum of arms, which contained war weapons of -the Middle Ages, cried: "See how Belgium made ready for the war!" Was -he sincere? It is difficult to say, for artists often allow their -sensibility to run away with them. One may say the same of the Kaiser, -who also declared that Belgium had long been preparing for the "war -of francs-tireurs"; and even, perhaps, of Herr Bethmann-Hollweg, who -spoke, in his manifesto to the American newspapers, of gouged-out -eyes and other atrocities whose falsity he could very easily have -ascertained. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GOVERNMENT. - - BERLIN, _10th September_.--The _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_ - publishes the following telegram addressed by the Emperor to - President Wilson of the United States:-- - - "I consider it my duty, Mr. President, to inform you, in your - quality of a most distinguished representative of humanitarian - principles, of the fact that my troops discovered, after the - capture of the French fortress of Longwy, in that fortress, - thousands of dum-dum bullets made in special workshops by the - Government. Bullets of the same kind have been found on dead - soldiers, or wounded or prisoners, of English nationality. You know - what horrible wounds and sufferings are caused by these balls, and - that their employment is forbidden by the recognized principles of - international law. I therefore raise a solemn protest against such - a mode of making war, which has become, thanks to the methods of - our adversaries, one of the most barbarous of history. - - "Not only have they themselves employed this cruel weapon, but - the Belgian Government has openly encouraged the civil population - to take part in this war, which it had carefully for a long time - prepared. The cruelties inflicted, in the course of this guerilla - war, by women and even by priests, upon wounded soldiers, doctors, - and hospital nurses (doctors have been killed and hospitals fired - on) have been such that my generals have finally found themselves - obliged to resort to the most rigorous means to chastise the guilty - and to prevent the bloodthirsty population from continuing these - abominable, criminal, and hateful acts. Many villages, and even - the city of Louvain, have had to be demolished (except the very - beautiful Hotel de Ville) in the interest of our defence and the - protection of our troops. My heart bleeds when I see that such - measures have been rendered inevitable, and when I think of the - innumerable innocent persons who have lost their homes and their - belongings as a result of the deeds of the criminals in question. - - "WILHELM I.R." - THE GERMAN MILITARY GOVERNMENT. - - DECLARATION OF THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EMPIRE TO THE ASSOCIATED AND - UNITED PRESS, NEW YORK. - - ... In this way England will tell your compatriots that the German - troops have burned and sacked Belgian towns and villages, but - she will carefully conceal the fact that young Belgian girls have - gouged out the eyes of wounded men stretched defenceless on the - field of battle, that the functionaries of Belgian towns have - invited German officers to dinner and have treacherously shot - them dead at table. Contrary to international law, the whole - civil population of Belgium has been called to arms[33] and has - treacherously risen against our troops with concealed arms and a - perfidy incredible after having first of all feigned a friendly - welcome. Belgian women have cut the throats of German soldiers - quartered on them while they slept.... - - _Journal de la Guerre_ (an organ of German propaganda). - -We will suppose, for the time being--to be extremely generous to the -Kaiser and his Chancellor--that they accepted, in good faith, the -accusations of cruelty brought against the Belgians, and that they -carefully refrained from investigating them, so that they should not be -forced to recognize their imbecility. - - -_Voluntary Blindness of the "Intellectual._" - -Perhaps it will be objected that the examples hitherto cited emanate -chiefly from politicians and literary men, who are not accustomed to -exercise their judgment. But there are also the manifestoes of the -professorial body, that is, those whose essential mission consists in -passing facts and ideas through the sieve of criticism, to isolate the -true from the false, and to extract from error the fragment of truth -which may have fallen into it. For what is the effect of teaching, of -whatever degree, if it is not the constant alertness of the critical -spirit, which seeks, in all things and at every moment, to separate -that which is true and which should therefore be communicated to the -disciple from the medley of false and useless things which may with -impunity be abandoned to oblivion? And when the teacher is also a -seeker, has he not once more unceasingly to exercise his critical -spirit, that he may recognize in the host of ideas which present -themselves to him those which may lead him to the desired end--and, -once this is attained, those which he may use as a touchstone to test -experimentally the validity of these deductions? In short, for the -professor and the scientific worker there is no intellectual faculty -more indispensable than the critical spirit. - -Now among those who have dashed into the lists to champion, with their -pens, the rights of Germany, and to crush her adversaries, we must -make a quite special mention of the professors and schoolmasters. Let -us begin with the latter. Their principal argument in denial of the -barbarous conduct of which the German troops have been accused, is -that it would be incompatible with the flourishing condition of the -educational institutions of Germany. As though elementary education -was capable of eliminating from humanity the profound imprints of its -intimate mentality! Instruction may hide them, as under a veneer, but -it can never cause their disappearance. - -The Germans, after Sadowa and the war of 1870-1, declared that the -whole honour of their victories was due to their primary education. -"The French campaign is the triumph of the German schoolmaster." Those -who in Belgium have seen the villages devastated by fire and the graves -of the civilians shot, and above all the pillaged homes, with furniture -and crockery broken into small fragments, and the filthy beds, will -carry away the impression that "the Belgian campaign is the bankruptcy -of the German schoolmaster." - - -_The Manifesto of the "Ninety-three."_ - -The famous manifesto of the "ninety-three Intellectuals" to the -civilized world is only too well known, and has already been so -universally execrated, that there is no need to discuss it at length. -The reading of this document, which ought to be carefully preserved -for the edification of future generations, might almost make us doubt -the sanity of the signatories. How could they have imagined that "the -civilized world" would accept their affirmations and their denials? -Both are equally devoid of proof. To cite only one proposition--what -are we to think of the amazing declaration that not a single Belgian -citizen has lost his life or his property--except in the case of -the bitterest necessity? Have they never seen the train-loads of -"war-booty" entering Germany? It would certainly be interesting to -hear them explain what is the "bitter necessity," under whose empire -pianos and pictures have to be carried off from Belgium, or that which -compels the Germans to force the collecting-boxes in the churches, or -that which made them shoot Father Dupierreux for writing in his diary -impressions unfavourable to the Germans! - -It would be cruel to insist. The "Ninety-three" have already earned, -as the first penalty of their evil action, the disgust of the whole -world. Further dissection of their libel inevitably leads us to the -conclusion that the signatories display therein either their lack -of intelligence or their servility; and that their only plausible -excuse is that they allowed themselves to be carried away by their -German pride, the most incommensurable, intolerant, and insupportable -which the world has ever known. We will confine ourselves to -referring the reader to the principal replies which were made to the -manifesto of the "Ninety-three." They are those of M. Seippel, Mr. -Church, the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, the French Academy of -Inscriptions and Belles Lettres, the French Academy of Medicine, the -French Universities, the Zoological Society of France, the English -"intellectuals," M. Ruyssen, M. Vandervelde, and _Simplicissimus_. - -There is yet one point to be mentioned. The declaration of the German -"intellectuals" was first made known to us by an article in the _Kriegs -Echo_ of the 16th October, 1914, entitled _Es ist Nicht Wahr_, and -giving the whole manifesto, excepting the signatures and the paragraph -referring to Louvain. Well! when we had read this tissue of flagrant -lies we attributed it to some journalist who dared not even sign his -name to his lucubrations. And when, later, we were told that the -authors--or more exactly the signatories--comprised some of the most -celebrated writers in Germany, we believed the whole thing must be a -hoax. But we had to admit the evidence. It was for many of us a very -painful moment when our illusions as to the stability of science in -Germany were thus dispelled. - - -_The Manifesto of the 3,125 Professors._ - -Did the Government consider that the representatives of science and -art were not yet sufficiently compromised, and that they had not yet -sufficiently involved the fate of the Universities with that of -Militarism? In any case, only a few days after the publication of the -manifesto of the "Ninety-three" a fresh declaration appeared, devoted -entirely to the promotion of the solidarity of superior education -with the army, and signed by 3,125 names, or those of almost all the -professors of Germany. - -The mentality of the masters pales before that of the disciples. -The Brussels correspondent of the _N.R.C._ relates (_N.R.C._, 11th -November, 1914, morning), that of the innumerable soldiers whom he -has seen passing, the only ones whose attitude was insolent were -young university students of Berlin. Moreover, the German Socialists -who visited our _Maison du Peuple_ avowed that the troops who burned -Louvain were principally composed of "intellectuals"! - -Besides the intellectuals of the teaching profession and the arts, -those "barbarian scholars," as M. Emile Boutroux calls them, there -is another category, which has likewise been mobilized to defend the -militarist spirit and the Hohenzollern dynasty. This is the clergy: -Protestant pastors, Catholic priests, Israelitish rabbis; all without -distinction have been touched by the militarist grace and have entered -the campaign for the good cause. - - -_The Protestant Pastors._ - -Honour where honour is due! Herr O. Dryander, first preacher to the -Court of Berlin, published a collective letter, drafted by himself, -Herr Lahusen, and Herr Axenfeld, in reply to M. Babut's appeal for a -declaration from the Christians of the belligerent countries, demanding -that the war should be conducted conformably with Christian principles -and the laws of humanity.[34] Herr Dryander and his acolytes refuse -to entertain the idea that "a step of this nature could be necessary -in Germany in order that the war shall be conducted conformably with -Christian ideas and the claims of the most elementary humanity." -Without cross-examination, without any sort of discussion, they adopt -the accusations made against the armies of the Allies, and they deny -the actions of which the Germans are accused. This is, as will be seen, -the same method as that of the German Freemasons in an analogous case. -Then they naturally sing the old refrain: "The war has been forced upon -Germany" (they do not say "by Belgium"). In short, there is no need to -throw any light on the subject, as there is already light within their -minds, and the German mind is of course the only mind one must take -into account. - -The same theologian has published several pamphlets of sermons; -_Evangelische Reden in Schwerer Zeit_. The general theme remains -the same. "We have been compelled to accept war" (1, p. 5); "We are -fighting for our _Kultur_ against the absence of _Kultur_--for German -morality against barbarism--for the free German personality, attached -to God, against the instincts of the disorderly masses" (1, p. 7). "If -God be for us, who can be against us?"[35] "Now if ever there was a -just cause assuredly it is ours" (1, p. 9). "War is a duty only when -it is undertaken for legitimate defence.... Let us thank God that in -the present war our state of legitimate defence is so secure and so -evident, and that it is almost every day stayed up by fresh proofs; -also we have unshakable confidence in our right and in the purity of -our conscience" (2, pp. 38-9). - -Here is a sermon of a somewhat peculiar kind. Herr Busch, having -explained that Germany is like a peaceful stroller who suddenly finds -himself attacked by two assassins, and then by a third (p. 5), declares -that "in spite of all the German soldiers love their enemies." "God -be thanked," he says, "we have already read of most touching examples -in the newspapers. A German sergeant-major, who had been obliged to -have a man and woman shot, in Belgium, after a council of war, adopted -their only child, a little girl of two or three years; for he was -himself without children; as his regiment soon afterwards left for -Eastern Prussia, and was passing through his own town, he took the -child to give it to his wife" (p. 9). Pray God--we might add, whose -civilization is only Belgian--that there are not too many married men -without children among the soldiers of the Kaiser, for they have a way -of making orphans in order to adopt them which would cost our country -dear. - -Herr Correvon, pastor of the Reformed Church (French-speaking) in -Frankfort-on-Main, preached a sermon on the 9th August, 1914, on the -text: "If God be for us, who can be against us?" His arguments amount -to this: Germany, having the right on her side, will have God on her -side also. He naturally speaks of "the firm and admirable speech of the -Chancellor, a man whom I can only compare with a Duplessis-Mornay, the -minister of Henri IV" (p. 11). Then, having summarized the Emperor's -speech, he cried: "To solve the alarming problem of these social -questions ... it needed only the potent gesture with which the God who -is always the strong city, the '_feste Burg_' of Germany, the God of -Luther, the God of Paul Gerhard and Sebastian Bach, has pronounced the -terrible and perhaps the liberating word: 'You wish for war, you shall -have it'!" - -We see that from the very first days of the war, before any one could -have verified the statements of the Chancellor, the Protestant pastors -of Germany, even those of foreign origin, unhesitatingly accepted the -official assertions. Is it as pastors that they stand forth as the -stern defenders of the rights of truth? Are they not rather spiritless -courtiers, we might almost say like the sheep of Panurge? - - -_The Catholic Priests and Rabbis._ - -The Catholic priests have given proofs of equal docility. Mgr. the -Cardinal Felix von Hartmann, Archbishop of Cologne, says in _The Divine -Providence_, a pastoral letter read on the 25th of January, 1915:-- - - "Our warriors have gone forth to the bloody conflict, with God, for - King and Country! With God, in the conflict which has been forced - upon us, the fight for the salvation and the liberty of our dear - German land; with God, in the war for the sacred possessions of - Christianity and its beneficent civilization. And what exploits - have not our warriors accomplished, under the protection of God, - under the leadership of their wonderful chiefs, the Emperor and - the German Princes, exploits whose glory shall shine in times to - come! And more, what precious treasures of devotion, of love for - one's neighbour, and of nobility, has not this war revealed, in our - country as on the field of battle!" - -The curate August Ritzl, however, falls into the sin of pride. - - "Kultur has received an unheard-of impulse in Germany; the human - spirit has subjected the most diverse forces of nature.... A - glance at the map shows us the German Empire as the centre of - Europe. On all sides, near and far, enemies are intent on the ruin - of our country. To the east the giant empire of Russia threatens - us--to the west, violent France, still strong despite her moral - decay--allied with English perfidy and Belgian cruelty; Japan, - Serbia, and Egypt have also declared war upon us" (pp. 26-27). - -Well, reverend sir, before proclaiming the cruelty of the Belgians, -before asserting, from the vantage of the pulpit of Truth, that Serbia -and Egypt have declared war on Germany, a little circumspection and -critical sense would not have been out of place! - -Let us also cite the sermon preached on the 9th August, in the -synagogue of Schwerin, by Dr. S. Silberstein, rabbi of the Grand Duchy -of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. "They have forced us to put our hand to the -sword; we execrate the perfidy with which our enemies are fighting us; -we wish to ward off the danger that threatens us in honourable combat." -So the Jewish rabbis knew as early as the 9th August that it was -Germany that had been attacked, and that the other nations were forgers! - -Useless to prolong the series.... We should be only repeating -ourselves; for all the preachers, of whatever confession, repeat the -same lesson, almost in the same words: "The war which has been forced -upon us ... our treacherous enemies ... our loyal allies ... the cruel -Belgians ... our excellent soldiers, allying goodness to bravery ... -our heroic leaders...." - - -B.--Untruthfulness. - -To describe frankly and completely the attitude of the Germans in -Belgium during the present war, without speaking of their duplicity, -would be an impossible task; so that the reader must not be surprised -that on every page of our record we have pinned down at least one -lie. We must not forget that modern Germany follows the examples of -Bismarck, and that Bismarck himself proclaimed that he had caused the -outbreak of the war of 1870 by a skilful falsification of a Government -despatch. At the time of the centenary of the Iron Chancellor's -birth--the 1st April, 1915--the German newspapers gave their lyric -enthusiasm a loose rein; but none of the endless dithyrambics -consecrated to the glorification of the Great Man contained a single -word of blame for the forgery itself--abominable as it was--nor for the -ostentatious impudence with which its author confessed it. - -What honesty can we expect in a people which praises to the skies a -forger because he was a forger, and a forger proud of his skill! - - -1. A FEW LIES. - -Number 50 of _Die Wochenschau_ (1914, p. 1588) contains a photograph -in which we see sailors loading a gun installed among sand-hills. The -inscription underneath (translated from the German) reads: "Belgian -gun, captured and served by German sailors on the coast of the -Channel." The Channel! The Germans have never been there: they did set -out, full of enthusiasm, for Calais, and then the shore of the Channel, -and then London. But in that direction they never got farther than -Lombartzyde, on the right bank of the Yser. But they prefer to let it -be believed that they command the Channel, so they have chosen the -Channel coast for the site of their gun--on paper. Then this "Belgian -gun" is of a curious type for a piece of Belgian artillery; our guns -have a rectangular shield, while the shield of the German guns is -round--just like that in the photograph! Finally, one may ask what the -gunners are aiming at on this seashore, with their small gun? Certainly -not one of the English vessels bombarding the Belgian coast, for these -lie much too far out to sea; perhaps the Germans are amusing themselves -by firing shells at the shrimpers, to repeat their memorable exploit of -the 8th September, 1914? Well, that makes three flagrant lies to one -single photograph! - -Number 15 of _Die Wochenschau_ (1915) gives on page 463 a view of -the interior of the Palais de Justice in Brussels. Here is the -description--a French translation is given: "German soldiers in the -hall of the Assize Court in the Palais de Justice of Brussels. Brussels -having become the seat of the German General Government for Belgium, -has naturally a strong garrison and a very animated military life. The -famous Palais de Justice on the Place Poelaert also houses a great -number of soldiers. Nothing is more singular than the picture presented -by this imposing and luxurious building with the new inmates in -'campaigning grey' who are installed there. A thousand precautions are -taken so that nothing shall be spoiled; and while wherever the enemy -has trodden on German soil it will be necessary to work for a long time -rebuilding the buildings he has destroyed, no one will perceive, who -sees the superb halls of the Palais de Justice in Brussels, that the -German soldiers are billeted there." - -To understand the full beauty of this pleasantry one has only to look -at the picture. One sees there the linen which these soldiers are -drying on clotheslines stretched across the "luxurious hall"; this, -apparently, is one of the "thousand precautions" taken in order that -nothing may be spoiled. - -It was desired to prove that England had already been forced to send -marines into France. No. 27 of the _Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier_, -a semi-official, subsidized organ, represents "President Poincare -visiting the British forces in France. One sees him reviewing the -artillery of the Royal Marines." And we do see President Poincare -passing in front of two ranks of British soldiers armed with rifles. -But was it in France that this review took place, during the present -war? Consult the July number of the French illustrated periodical, -_Lectures pour tous_, for 1913. On page 1245 you will find a -photograph entitled "The Consecration of the Entente Cordiale. M. -Poincare, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, reviewing his guard of -honour on his arrival at Portsmouth (24th June, 1913)." Now the same -personages and the same soldiers figure in the two photographs; and the -surroundings are the same. The only difference is that one photograph -was taken a moment later than the other. - -It seems that trickery of this kind is believed not to be a German -speciality. Our neighbours accuse the Russians and the English of the -same fault. But a kind of lie of which Germany may boldly claim the -paternity and the exclusive monopoly is that which consists in denying, -or at least in considerably diminishing, the extent of their acts of -vandalism. On the other hand, they try to deceive their readers as to -the causes of the destruction of Belgian towns. - -Thus they are now trying to make people believe that Louvain was not -intentionally burned, but that the town suffered a bombardment. This -is the legend which they related to Dr. Sven Hedin, while calling his -attention to the accuracy of their fire:-- - - "Eleven miles to Louvain. Once in the town one goes a good way - before coming to the first ruins. By no means all Louvain has - been destroyed by the bombardment, as is imagined. Hardly a fifth - of the town is destroyed. It is true that this fifth included - many precious buildings, which cannot be replaced; particularly - regrettable is the loss of the library. In the midst of this - destruction, however, like a rock in the midst of the sea, rises - the Hotel de Ville, the proud jewel of the period of 1450, with its - six slender open towers. I went right round the Hotel de Ville, and - I could not with the best will in the world discover a scratch on - these walls, with their prodigal richness of ornamentation. Perhaps - there may somewhere be a scratch from a shell-splinter which - escaped my eyes. Thanks to the excellence of the German fire not a - single moulding of the six towers has been damaged. The reason for - the bombardment of Louvain is known. The civil population fired - from the windows on the German troops at the time of their entering - the town, and as this crime could not be punished otherwise, the - houses were burned by bombardment. When the German soldiers sought - to extinguish the flames in the houses adjacent to the Hotel de - Ville the francs-tireurs again fired on them with their carbines. - _Any other army in the world would have done the same_, and the - Germans have themselves profoundly regretted that they were forced - against their will to resort to such means." - - (SVEN HEDIN, _Ein Volk in Waffen_, p. 149.) - -They told the same story at Termonde to Herren Koester and Noske: "It -is certain," say these gentlemen, "that Termonde was not intentionally -burned." - -On the other hand, the Germans try to dissemble the extent of the -damage inflicted. In the October issue of the official and propagandist -_Journal de la Guerre_ they give a plan of Louvain on which the parts -destroyed are shown by shading. Now this plan is falsified in two -ways. In the first place, no distinction is made between the portion -built on and that occupied by market gardeners, which is considerable; -so that the ratio of the part destroyed to the part left intact is -distorted. Secondly, this portion is absolutely diminished; many -quarters burned are shown as intact; to mention only one example, the -Old Market, where only the College of the Josephites and a few adjacent -houses have been left standing, is marked as untouched by fire. - -There is yet another kind of graphic lie which is peculiar to the -Germans. They are experts at displaying sentimentality to order; a -sentimentality, by the way, which goes ill with their incontestable -cruelty. Thus they have several times published photographs -representing German soldiers sharing their bread or soup with French -and Belgian women or children. One is particularly inclined to let -oneself be touched by the kindliness of these German warriors, -who, after having been so treacherously attacked by the terrible -"francs-tireurs," now take the bread from their own mouths to feed -the starving population.... What these public demonstrations of -German generosity and magnanimity are worth one may judge from the -photograph published in No. 16 of the _Illustrierte Kriegs-Kurier_. (It -is interesting to note that it is always the _Kurier_, semi-official -and subsidized, which bears the palm for sincerity.) The illustration -shows that "the soldiers of the German Landsturm share their bread with -French children." Now, this little scene, otherwise very convincing, -is not laid in France but in Belgium, in the railway station at -Buysinghen, near Hal. It is wholly "faked." - -This is not the only instance in which the Germans have built up -scenes to be photographed or cinematographed. Here is another. On the -20th October, 1914, a military band had been playing on the terrace -of the Botanical Gardens of Brussels, and some German officers were -strolling round the musicians. At the same time a cinematographic -camera was set up in the Rue Royale. It was naturally hoped that large -numbers of the public would gather near the band, so that a nice -film could be obtained, showing a crowd of Belgian citizens present -at a military concert, and fraternizing with the German officers. -Alas, the Germans had counted without the hatred which the people -of Brussels entertain for anything which concerns our oppressors! -At the first thumps of the big drum the promenaders rapidly melted -away, and the disappointed officers were left alone. The scheme -had failed! A fresh attempt was made on the 26th, on the Boulevard -Anspach, near the Bourse; that is, at the busiest spot in Brussels. -The number of passers-by there is always so great that it is easy to -give the impression of a crowd. Yet those who had occasion to preside -over the unwinding of the film discovered that not a few people were -ostentatiously turning their backs upon the musicians. This, by the -way, is the favourite attitude of the people of Brussels when, at -about eleven o'clock each morning, the military band--a true barbarian -orchestra--passes down the Rue Royale and along the Park. - -No. 31 of this semi-official journal shows "the band of the German -Marines which plays every Sunday at Zeebrugge." Now a street like that -represented, with tall contiguous houses and large shops, does not -exist in Zeebrugge. - -No. 3 of the same paper (it must certainly justify the Government -subsidy) shows us, in these photographs, the entry of the German -Marines into Antwerp. Only the photographs were taken in Brussels, at -the corner of the Rue de la Loi and the Rue Ducale. - -The same number contains two photographs of the Hotel de Ville, -Louvain: "Before and after the Bombardment"(!) - -Naturally our Washingtonian enemies do not miss their opportunities -of falsifying picture postcards. In January 1915 they were selling in -Belgium a card entitled _Kriegsoperationskarte als Feld-Postbrief_ -(published by Forkel, Stuttgart), according to which they were -occupying, in Flanders, a region considerably to the west of the Yser; -their front reaching to Oost-Dunkerke and Poperinghe. Another card, -showing the country round Verdun, is even more flagrantly untruthful. - - -_Written Lies._ - -Let us pass on to the written lies. - -The reader will remember the innumerable lies told by the German Press -respecting the attitude of the Belgian population toward the German -residents in our towns (p. 106), the German wounded (p. 99), and the -German troops passing through or billeted in them. We shall not return -to these again, save to refer to other inventions which the Germans -employed to excite their troops against ours. - -Not content with accusing us of the most unspeakable crimes against -their army, the Germans have even accused us of odious crimes against -our own countrymen. In this way they seek to prove the bestially -ferocious character of the Belgians. - -In the booklet entitled _Sturmnacht in Loewen_ (A Night of Alarm in -Louvain) Herr Robert Heymann, after reminding his readers of the -cruelties of which the Belgians were guilty in Antwerp, Brussels, etc., -adds that these savage deeds were by no means surprising on the part of -a people which does not even respect its own fellow-citizens. Then (p. -8) he relates the "Brutalities committed against a Convent." This is -too interesting an effort to suffer a word of suppression. - - BRUTAL ATTACK ON A CONVENT. - - Let us hear one of those concerned relate his tribulations. The - story constitutes an important document, testifying to the high - level of Germany as regards morality and _Kultur_: Germany, who has - something better to do in this war than to commit any bloodthirsty - action. - - A great mission has fallen to Germany, and the day is no longer - distant when all the neutral nations will realize this. - - This is the "story of the Brothers of Silence." - - The convent of the Jesuits is situated quite close to Liege, on a - hill about 600 yards from the southern fort (_a_). I had been a - brother of the convent for two years. We brothers do not read the - newspapers, and by reason of our vow of silence (_b_) we do not - speak either, so that we knew nothing about the war. - - On Tuesday, the 6th August, I, simultaneously with seven other - brothers, took the watch from noon to midnight. In the night, at - 11.15, I suddenly heard a sound completely unknown to me. I went - out into the courtyard, whence, to one side, I could see Liege and - its forts. I saw, at some distance, in the sky, a little light; - this told me that the thing was in the air. I intended to pursue my - rounds, but the snoring sound which was approaching, although the - life of the world has no interest for me, made me halt. The light - came nearer and nearer; the noise had ceased. The idea occurred - to me that this might be a dirigible; but no, all of a sudden a - blinding light illumined the earth. It is the star of the Magi, - announcing something, I thought; I will follow it with my eyes. - In the radiance down below I saw everything plainly--portions of - the fortress and other things. Then, lit up by reflection from the - illuminated earth, I saw that there really was a powerful dirigible - there (_c_). I felt inclined to shout for joy; I had never yet - seen a dirigible. The light lasted only a few seconds, but to me - it seemed a long time. My eyes were not yet accustomed to the - darkness of the night, when I heard a crash. I looked up to the - sky; I saw nothing; the little light was quietly moving away; but - down below there was plenty to see--fire, and smoke! In the light I - could easily see everything. I also heard the echo. I had not had - time to recover from my great alarm when a second light appeared - on the earth, rather close to me. This time I could see still more - clearly that it was a dirigible. It seemed to me that at the end of - a long cable was suspended, very low down, a metal car, in which - stood a man. I saw him distinctly with his two hands throwing an - object into the illumined part. Immediately afterwards the light - on the ground disappeared. I continued, however, to gaze at the - same spot. A mighty sheaf of fire gushed up, while great blocks - were thrown into the air on every side. What a terrible crash! My - ear-drums seemed broken; I was as though deaf. The earth trembled - so violently underfoot that I staggered. Greatly alarmed, I still - watched the same place. The blinding sheaf of fire had turned - into a dense mass of smoke, which was rising slowly into the air. - Little by little it grew lighter, like a white vapour. Finally the - vicinity lit up as though on fire. - - I tried to note whether the fire was spreading, when I was - shaken by a fresh crash. This terrible spectacle repeated itself - continually, but was gradually moving away. From 11.15 to - midnight 12 bombs were thrown on the forts. In the interval of - the explosions one heard the snoring of the motors. After the - last explosion the dirigible rose, moved off, and disappeared. I - remained with my eyes fixed in the same direction; the clock of the - convent struck midnight. - - The seven brothers who had been keeping the watch and I myself - remained in the courtyard with those who came to relieve us. No - one could think of sleep. The other brothers and the fathers (we - were 500) remained indoors, watching the burning fortress from the - windows. - - As I was no longer on guard I went to seek a ladder, and in order - to see better I climbed a wall situated a little farther down, and - some 10 feet high. I remained there until four o'clock. About two - o'clock there began, down below in the city, a sound of isolated - rifle-shots, and shouts which soon grew louder and louder. - - At last an infernal uproar reached my ears, and numerous fires - broke out in that part of the city neighbouring on the convent. - - At four o'clock the bell called us to the church. It was an - extraordinary thing: despite our alarm we all remained obedient - to our vow of silence. We must not speak! But it became a real - torment, for our devotions lasted for two long hours. - - By the shock of the explosions the beautiful stained-glass windows - were bent inwards like sails swollen by the wind. The walls of - stone, nearly 3 feet in thickness, which surrounded the courtyard, - showed long, deep fissures. When at 6 a.m. we left the church the - shots and the shouting were still more terrible, and the fires more - numerous and farther towards the interior of the town. - - As usual, the porter opened the gate at six. How alarming! Hundreds - of Belgians from the neighbourhood rushed into the courtyard. As - we feared the convent might be sacked (_f_), the porter attempted - at first to drive them back. A brother said: "Go! you shall have - all you want!" The misguided populace immediately seized knives and - killed 20 of our brothers and one father. I myself rushed to the - bell in the courtyard and rang the alarm. Armed with pitchforks - and manure-forks and spades (_g_), the brothers rushed into the - courtyard and drove out the mob. Two brothers, who during the fight - were carried away in the crowd, were discovered hacked to pieces, - mangled as though by wild beasts. Their bodies were a dreadful - sight. A Belgian brother, hearing the alarm, seized a fork, and - so armed he rushed towards the gate, thinking to fight German - soldiers. When he saw that his assailants were his compatriots he - turned his arms against us, his brothers, shouting like a madman: - "You are mad, you are mad!" After a brief struggle the fork was - torn away from him. He was seized and thrown over the wall. He had - turned his arms against his brothers; but above all he had broken - his vow of silence. - - The fight had lasted barely a quarter of an hour. After the gate - was closed--at 6.15, our usual breakfast hour--we assembled in the - refectory for our meal. - - Despite these extraordinary events I was extremely hungry. We - now felt safe. But when, after the twenty minutes which our meal - lasted, we returned to the courtyard, we saw that the Belgian - brutes had in two places set fire to the convent. They had dragged - our corn and hay under the wood-shed which stood not far from the - convent; they had also pushed carts loaded with corn in the shock - against the buildings and outhouses (_g_), and had set fire to the - whole. The flames were already reaching the gable. It was no use - dreaming of saving anything, for all the buildings were connected - with one another. This was a sore trial. But it could not break our - vow of silence, and, doubly mute, we watched the flames. Our sorrow - found vent in tears when we saw our Superior burst into sobs. He - came into our midst; as all the fathers may speak, he said aloud: - "Go and save what you can!" and we carried out his orders. - - Rapidly we telephoned to the Belgian authorities at Liege to obtain - help and protection. But to our great alarm _German soldiers_ - appeared at this moment. As Germany does not allow us Jesuits - within her frontiers, we were extremely anxious. On account of the - presence of the German troops we wanted to carry back into the - convent the precious treasures already brought into the court; but - the leader of the German troops explained to our Superior that - this portion of Liege was already in the hands of the Germans. We - therefore placed ourselves under their protection. We had no reason - to regret it. The German escort came with eight automobiles, which - bore our inestimable treasures into Germany; paintings, which in - our haste we cut from their frames and rolled like paper; our - sacred golden vessels, and our fathers (_h_). In great haste we had - dug a huge ditch, in which, without religious ceremony and without - words, we buried our 20 assassinated brothers and the father who - was killed. While the fire continued to burn the hundreds of - brothers remaining ran hither and thither in unspeakable disorder, - seeking their clothes and shoes. I had wooden shoes on and could - not find shoes to fit me; but I saw, to my great amazement, four - pairs of shoes in my box. Everything was stuffed into the boxes and - forced down with the feet, in all haste. - - So, on Saturday (_i_), at dawn, 350 brothers left the still - smoking convent to cross the German frontier. For three hours each - painfully dragged along what modest belongings he had saved. One - old brother of eighty years remained behind; he declared, when - abandoned: "I wish to die here." Although the German soldiers - protected us as we proceeded, the Belgian people still attacked us - frequently. I received violent kicks, blows on the legs, and all - over my body. For two nights none of us slept, and in addition we - were greatly perturbed and in terrible trouble. - - When, after unheard-of exertions, we dragged ourselves across the - frontier, we let ourselves fall exhausted in a meadow, where we - slept, a leaden slumber, protected and watched by the Germans, from - morning to sunset. - - (ROBERT HEYMANN, _Sturmnacht in Loewen_, pp. 8-13.) - -As will be seen, this is a story to make the flesh creep. Still, it -seems to us to present certain difficulties. - -(_a_) There is no convent of Jesuits near Liege about 600 yards from -one of the southern forts (Boncelles, Embourg, and Chaudfontaine). - -(_b_) The Jesuit brothers are _not_ compelled to keep silence. No -doubt the author chose the Jesuits because the order is excluded from -Germany, so that he would expect his compatriots to know nothing of the -rule of the Jesuit communities. - -(_c_) How did these brothers, who read no newspapers and never spoke, -know of the existence of dirigibles? - -But apart from all this, the facts are incorrect. At no time did a -dirigible fly over Liege during the siege. - -The people of Liege saw a German dirigible for the first time on the -1st September, 1914, at 10 p.m. On the following day, at 6 p.m., they -saw another. - -(_d_) Therefore fires could not have been lit by the bombs from these -dirigibles. - -(_e_) Where have stained-glass windows ever been seen to bulge like -sails under the shock of an explosion capable of cracking walls over 30 -inches in thickness? - -(_f_) Nothing had happened so far to give any one the idea that the -convent was about to be pillaged. - -(_g_) Since when have the Jesuit convents owned farms, etc., or been -equipped with hay-forks, manure-forks, spades, hay-carts, etc.? - -(_h_) It is delightful to note that in enumerating the precious -possessions of the convent the Jesuit fathers occupy the very last -place, after the pictures and the gold plate! But this impertinence is -more apparent than real; for the narrator has just stated that the 150 -Jesuit fathers were packed, together with the pictures and the sacred -vessels, in _eight_ motor-cars! Evidently they were very tiny Jesuits. -It must have been their minuteness that saved them; for the author -has reminded us that Jesuits (of ordinary size) are not admitted into -Germany; but these, happily, passed unperceived. - -(_i_) It was not Saturday, but Friday. - -It is by such inventions--presented as the narratives of eye-witnesses, -and not as romances--that the Germans excite against us both their -troops and their home population. The method has given excellent -results; nothing gives better proof of its efficiency than the first -paragraph of the story of _The Battle of Charleroi_, in which we read -that at the beginning of August many trucks passed through Belgium -which bore the inscription:-- - - _Gegen Frankreich mit Mut, - Gegen Belgien mit Wut._ - - (Against France with courage; against Belgium with rage.) - -Which shows to what a pitch the minds of the German troops had been -excited against us. - - -_A "French Dirigible" Captured by the Germans._ - -Other inscriptions on the railway carriages and vans are not -uninteresting to the student of _Kultur_. - -On the 5th March, 1915, we learned from ocular witnesses that a German -dirigible was lost, on the 4th, at Overhespen, near Tirlemont. _La -Belgique_ of the 6th March contained a few details. - - BRUSSELS, _5th March_ (Official).--The Zeppelin dirigible L8, - returning yesterday from a fruitful voyage of exploration, came - to earth in the darkness near Tirlemont, and, during the process - of landing, struck against some trees. It was rather seriously - damaged, so that it seemed preferable to dismantle it. The - operation was completed very rapidly by the soldiers of the - aviation department of Brussels, who were despatched to the spot. - The dismantled parts will be transported to Germany, there to be - rebuilt. - -In reality the "rather serious damage" meant that the balloon was -completely destroyed, and that twenty of the twenty-eight occupants -of the cars were killed. So far we would not describe the report as -a lie, as it does not exceed the habitual limits of our enemies' -official telegrams. But this goes a little too far: At Tirlemont the -report was spread that the dirigible in question was French, and that -it was skilfully captured by German troops; and on the trucks which -bore the metallic remains of the Zeppelin to Germany was written, in -large letters: _Erobertes Franzoesisches Luftschiff_ (Captured French -Airship). This is no longer a manipulated truth, but a downright lie. - - -_The Transportation of the German Dead._ - -Here is another fraud of the same kind. When the number of the German -dead is too great for burial on the field of battle they evacuate the -surplus into other districts. The bodies are usually transported in -closed vans. But sometimes these are lacking, and the bodies have to -be packed into goods wagons. Nothing outside indicates the contents of -these wagons; it may be supposed that the authorities have no desire -to publish the extent of their losses. For this reason the corpses are -always hidden under something else; one sees passing, for example, what -appears to be a trainload of sugar-beet, but in reality the bodies -of soldiers are being transported. A biologist might call this an -interesting case of protective mimicry. - - -_Some Lying Placards._ - -The German authorities have no scruples about posting up false news. -For several weeks one might read, on the walls of the Hotel de Ville at -Vilvorde, the following placard:-- - - NOTICE. - - Antwerp surrendered to-day with its army. - - THE DISTRICT COMMANDANT. - (Signature illegible.) - - VILVORDE, _9th October, 1914_. - -With its army! When the Germans were all crestfallen at having laid -hands on an empty nest! - -This is merely grotesque; but here are three placards which belong to -the system of intimidation _a outrance_. - -We have already stated (p. 147) that placards exhibited in Louvain -stated that the town of Mons was forced to pay a fine because a -civilian had fired on the German army. Now the fact was wholly -imaginary; never did any civilian of Mons fire on the Germans; never -did they accuse one of having done so; so that they never had occasion -to fine the town on that account. All is false here, from the first -word to the last. - -While at Louvain they were posting up the placard relating to Mons, -they were exhibiting at Mons a notice according to which certain -inhabitants of Soignies had fired on the German troops. This also was -a sheer falsehood. No such action was imputed to any inhabitant of -Soignies. At Charleroi they advertised the statement that they had -inflicted a penalty on Anderlues for a similar offence. Here, once -more, both accusation and penalty were pure inventions. - -Here is an equally untruthful placard. It was posted up at Cugnon -(Luxemburg) early in October, 1914, between the fall of the first forts -at Antwerp and the taking of the city. It announces the destruction of -the line of forts between Verdun and Toul, and the march on Paris (a -month after the battle of the Marne!). Its principal interest lies in -the signature: the burgomaster did not know of the placard until it -was posted; the military authorities had simply forged his name. This -did not prevent them from forcing the commune of Cugnon to pay for the -printing of these lies. - - -_M. Max's Denial._ - -The most interesting example of lying by placard is undoubtedly that -which was revealed by the burgomaster of Brussels. On the 30th August -one might read, on the walls of the capital, a notice in which M. Max -gave the lie to a placard posted at Liege. This is it:-- - - CITY OF BRUSSELS. - - The German governor of the city of Liege, Lieutenant-General von - Kolewe, yesterday had the following notice exposed:-- - - _To the Inhabitants of the City of Liege._ - - "The burgomaster of Brussels has informed the German commandant - that the French Government has declared to the Belgian Government - the impossibility of assisting it offensively in any way, as it is - itself forced to assume the defensive." - - _To this assertion I oppose the most positive denial._ - - THE BURGOMASTER, - ADOLPHE MAX. - - BRUSSELS, _30th August, 1914_. - -Since their burgomaster declared the assertion to be false, no doubt -could remain in the minds of the people of Brussels. But, curiously -enough, beside M. Max's placard there remained a German placard, which -had been posted two days earlier, and in which it was stated:-- - - On the 25th inst. the official French newspapers published a - communication from the French Government stating that the French - armies being forced to assume the defensive would no longer be in a - position to assist Belgium in the matter of a military offensive. - - BRUSSELS, _23rd August, 1914_. - -The only serious difference between the two texts was that at Liege -the burgomaster of Brussels guaranteed the truth of the _communique_. -So the impression was given that it was Herr von Kolewe who had the -idea of bringing M. Max's name into this ridiculous statement, in -the hope of giving it some weight. But no! Von Kolewe was innocent -of the forgery; it was the work of the German General Staff, and -was distributed by the Wolff Agency, as we learned a little later. -The Liege _communique_ is precisely the official German telegram as -published everywhere--for example, in _Les Nouvelles_, "published by -the authorization of the German Military Authority," at Spa, on the -30th August, 1914; by the _N.R.C._, on the 28th August; by the _K.Z._ -(see _Kriegs-Depeschen_, p. 41); and by the _Frankfurter Zeitung_ (see -_Der Grosse Krieg_, p. 172). - -What, then, is the meaning of the first telegram posted in -Brussels--that of the 25th August, in which no mention of the -burgomaster occurs? Simply this: the German Government was announcing -to the whole world an item of "news" whose improbability required to -be supported by the word of an honest man, such as the burgomaster of -Brussels. A lie so gross and flagrant might be published at Liege, but -not in Brussels itself. Unfortunately the Germans had not succeeded in -cutting off communication between Liege and Brussels; on the day after -its appearance the Liege placard had reached M. Max, and he was able to -issue his famous denial. The effect was tremendous. From that moment -the people of Brussels no longer believed any "official news."[36] Did -the Germans make any attempt to reply to the denial? None: why attempt -the impossible? But they prohibited, with their usual heaviness, the -publication of any placards, even by the municipality. - - - IMPORTANT NOTICE. - - The publication of placards, unless they have received my special - permission, is strictly prohibited, those of the municipality of - the city being included. - - (_Signed_) VON LUETTWITZ, _General_. - -Translated into the vulgar tongue this means: "When we Germans lie we -do not wish attention called to the fact." - - -_How the Officers Lie to their Men._ - -Hitherto we have considered only those German lies which were addressed -to the Belgians. But there are better lies than these: they lie -to their own troops. At the outset of the invasion of Belgium the -German soldiers were led to believe that they were already in France, -quite close to Paris, even in October and November 1914. Germans in -cantonments near Roulers, in Flanders, believed that they were only -eight miles from Paris, and they used to ask the correspondent of the -_Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_ to show them "a place they could see the -Eiffel Tower from." This, it may be said, proves that in all armies -there are soldiers of small intelligence, even in the German Army. No: -it proves that in this latter army the officers lie with method. You -may judge. The soldiers tended in the hospital of the Palais de Justice -in Brussels used to date their letters "Paris"; and it was by order of -their superior officers that they deceived their families. The official -journal, _Deutsche Soldatenpost_, in its issue for the 16th October, -1914, contains a little poem entitled "Hindenburg," whose third stanza -commences: - - _Vor Paris aber steht das deutsche Heer..._ - (But the German host stands before Paris.) - -This, be it noted, on the 16th October, more than a month after the -battle of the Marne. About the same time a soldier in Antwerp learned -from his officers that if the German army had not yet entered Paris it -was merely to avoid the plague, which was raging there (_N.R.C._, 20th -October, 1914, morning). - -After that, who can doubt that systematic lying forms part of the -duties of an officer towards his men? - - -2. PERSEVERANCE IN FALSEHOOD. - -Nothing is left to chance in the campaign of lies any more than in the -military campaign proper. The Great General Staff organizes everything -with the same care--the attacks of "francs-tireurs," the benzine -syringes, the pastilles of fulminating cotton employed in the rapid -starting of conflagrations--just as it organizes the manoeuvres of the -Press intended to direct the mentality of the troops towards a policy -of pitiless repression. - -They even try to educate (which means, to pervert the minds of) the -prisoners of war in their concentration camps. Thus in No. 5 of _La -Guerre_, a journal especially intended for prisoners of war (published -the 10th March, 1915), a passage is reproduced from the "Records of the -War," by Houston Stewart Chamberlain. Here is an extract: "Finally, -one should read the notices on the detestable attitude of the civil -population of Belgium, of both sexes, in the present war: notices -officially confirmed and attested in writing by several priests: -according to which the populace, behaving a hundred times worse than -ferocious beasts, have horribly mutilated and gouged out the eyes -of poor wounded German soldiers, afterwards slowly stifling them by -pouring sawdust into their nose and mouth." - -It will perhaps be objected that those who write of such things are -blinded by the militarist spirit; that they have, like everybody in -Germany, abolished in themselves the critical faculty; and that they do -not even dream of disputing the statements of the official journals; -in short, that they do not, properly speaking, lie, because they are -sincere. But can they really be sincere? Could they, on the 10th March, -pretend that they still believed that the Belgians gouge out the eyes -of wounded men and choke them to death with sawdust when _Vorwaerts_ -had succeeded in getting at the truth, and had been protesting against -these lies since the month of January? Besides, the Germans know their -own "reptile" Press, and they ought to realize that their newspapers do -not merit credence, least of all in time of war. - -But even if we absolve these writers of the crime of lying, to accuse -them of nothing worse than inconceivable credulity, we cannot on any -pretext extend the same indulgence to those who are incontestably in -a position to know the truth. To cite only one example--is it not -shameful that Baron von Bissing the younger should publish _in April -1915_, in the _Sueddeutsche Monatshefte_, an article on Belgium in which -he repeats the accusations against the "francs-tireurs," and the tales -of Belgians mutilating the German wounded? And what are we to say of -the reply made by the German Minister of War to Mlle. Leman according -to which the German troops have never ill-treated priests (p. 72), nor -touched the property of the Church? A visit to Bueken (near Louvain) -gives the reply to this twofold assertion. In May 1915 one could still -see, in the sacristy, the muniment chest which had contained the sacred -vessels; it had been broken open by the Germans with the aid of a -bell-clapper. As for the cure, M. De Clerck, we know what he suffered; -he was shot after his ears and nose were cut off. With the cure his -assistant was killed: Father Vincentius Sombroek, a conventual, born at -Zaandam, in Holland.[37] - -The picture-postcard has, of course, not been forgotten. The Germans -had on sale in Brussels, for their soldiers, a coloured card of -_The Uhlans_ _before Paris_. It shows groups of German cavalrymen -contemplating Paris and the Eiffel Tower. This card is published by R. -and K., and bears the number 500. - -This same firm fabricated some remarkable cards relating to the -military operations in Belgium. No. 507 represents the bombardment of -Antwerp. It shows the city in flames, seen from the Tete de Flandre, -and it also shows guns installed in the same locality. Now the Germans -never had guns on the left bank of the Scheldt. No. 502 shows the -bombardment of Namur by means of guns firing from Jambes, which again -is incorrect. These cards, it should be noted, were still being sold -in June 1915; that is, when every one knew that these pictures were -"faked." - - -_The Germans' Treatment of Mgr. Mercier._ - -There are other examples of continuity of falsehood than those relating -to violations of the Hague Convention and the Treaty of London (1839). -For example, a long series of lies was directed against one single -individual--Mgr. Mercier, Cardinal-Archbishop of Malines, Primate of -Belgium. - -The facts are so well known that there is no need of lengthy comment. - -1. Mgr. Mercier went to Rome for the Conclave. We learned in Belgium, -by a placard dated the 8th September, that the Cardinal was returning -to his country "with a safe-conduct, passing through the German lines." - -_A lie._--The Cardinal never had any German safe-conduct. He returned -to Belgium by way of Lyons, Paris, Havre (where he delivered a speech), -London, and Holland. - -2. During his stay in Rome the Cardinal made declarations very -unfavourable to the Germans. A placard of the 12th September, 1914, -assured us that he protested against the interview in the _Corriere -della Sera_. - -_A lie._--The _Corriere della Sera_ is a neutral journal (in the sense -that the Belgian _Le Soir_ is neutral), and the Germans wished to -produce the impression that the Cardinal had been interviewed by a -correspondent of this newspaper. Now he was interviewed by the editor -of the Catholic journal, the _Corriere d'Italia_. This is merely one of -the "errors" of Cardinal von Hartmann's rectification. The whole is in -keeping with this; but it is too long to consider in detail. - -3. Baron von der Goltz, at the moment of leaving Belgium, of which he -had been Governor-General, thought fit to assert that he had come to an -agreement with Mgr. Mercier as to the reopening of the courses in the -University of Louvain (_Le Reveil_, 1st December, 1914). - -_A lie._--There was never any question of resuming these courses. - -4. The Cardinal published his famous Pastoral Letter, which was sent -to all the churches of his diocese, to be read from the pulpit. It -recalled the present sufferings of the country, and adjured Belgians to -"remain faithful to their king and their laws." - -Directly the Germans, informed by their spies, knew of the existence -of this pastoral letter they withdrew Cardinal Mercier's authorization -to visit the other bishops in his motor-car. At the same time they -forbade the cures to make the letter known to their parishioners; they -even proceeded to seize the pamphlet in the presbyteries. Naturally -the priests refused to obey the German injunctions, and the beginning -of the _mandamus_ was read from the pulpit on Sunday, the 3rd January, -1915. The Germans were furious, and forbade the cures to continue -the reading of the letter; and, the more readily to obtain their -submission, showed them a German declaration, signed by von Bissing, of -which this is the translation:-- - - BRUSSELS, _7th January, 1915_. - - TO THE CLERGY OF THE DIOCESE OF MALINES. - - As a result of my remarks, Cardinal Mercier of Malines has declared - to me verbally and in writing that he had no intention of exciting - or alarming the population by his pastoral letter, and he had not - expected any such effect. That he had particularly insisted on the - necessity of obedience on the part of the population towards the - occupier, even if a patriot should inwardly feel in a state of - opposition. - - In case I should nevertheless fear an exciting effect, the Cardinal - did not insist on requiring of his clergy the repeated reading of - the pastoral letter on the succeeding Sundays, provided for in the - conclusion of the letter, nor the distribution of the letter. - - My hypothesis has proved correct. - - I therefore repeat my prohibition of the 2nd January of this year, - concerning the reading and the diffusion of the pastoral letter. - I draw the attention of the clergy to this point--that they will - be acting in contradiction to the written declaration of their - Cardinal in disobeying his prohibition. - - BARON VON BISSING, - _Colonel-General_. - _Governor-General in Belgium._ - -_A lie._--This declaration is false. Mgr. Evrard, Dean of St. Gudule -in Brussels, went to see Mgr. Mercier at Malines, and obtained proof -of the falsehood. He at once warned all the cures of Brussels and the -district of the manoeuvre, and on Sunday, the 10th January, the reading -of the letter was resumed. - - BRUSSELS, _9th January, 1915_. - - MONSIEUR LE CURE,-- - - I have returned from Malines. - - Despite the written prohibition received yesterday, His Eminence - the Cardinal wishes his letter to be read. This written prohibition - is cunning and spurious. - - "Neither verbally, nor in writing, have I withdrawn anything, - nor do I now withdraw anything of my previous instructions, and - I protest against the violence done against the liberty of my - pastoral ministry." - - That is what the Cardinal dictated to me. - - He added: "They have done everything to make me sign mitigations - of my letter; I have not signed them. Now they seek to separate my - clergy from me, by forbidding them to read it. - - "I have done my duty; my clergy know if they will do theirs." - - Accept, M. le Cure, the homage of all my respect. - - (_Signed_) E. EVRARD, _Dean_. - -5. Baron von Bissing published in the newspapers a _communique_ stating -"that no hindrance of any kind had been put in the way of the exercise -of the pastoral duties of the Cardinal-Archbishop." - -_A lie._--The Cardinal contradicted this assertion in a Latin letter -addressed to his clergy. - - MECHLINIAE, - _Dominica infra Octavam Epiphaniae_. - - REVERENDI ADMODUM DOMINI ET COOPERATORES DILECTISSIMI,-- - - Habuistis, ut puto, prae oculis nuntium a Gubernio Generali - Bruxellensi publicis ephemeridibus propalatum, quo declarabatur - "Cardinalem Archiepiscopum Mechliniensem a munere suo ecclesiastico - libere adimplendo nullatenus fuisse impeditum." Quod quam a - veritate alienum sit, e factis elucet. - - Milites enim, vespere diei primae Januarii - necnon per totam noctem insequentem, domus presbyterales - invaserunt, Litteras Pastorales e manibus parochorum vel - arripuerunt vel arripere conati sunt frustra, easque ne populo - fideli praelegeratis, etiam sub poenis gravissimis, vobis metipsis - aut parochiae vestrae infligendis, auctoritate episcopali despecta, - prohibuerunt. - - Nec dignitati nostrae pepercere, Die namque secunda Januarii - orto nondum sole, hora scilicet sexta, jusserunt me, die eadem - matutina, coram Gubernatore Generali, epistolae meae ad clerum et - populum rationem reddere; die autem postero, Laudibus Vespertinis - in Ecclesia cathedrali Antverpiensi praeesse me vetuerunt; tandem, - ne alios Belgii episcopos libere adeam, prohibent. - - Jura vestra, Cooperatores dilectissimi, et mea, violata fuisse, - civis, animarum pastor et Sacri Cardinalium Collegii sodalis, - protestor. - - Quidquid praedixerint alii, experientia nunc compertum est nullum - ex epistola illa pastorali enatum esse seditionis periculum, sed - eam potius animarum paci et publicae tranquillitati haud parum - adjumento fuisse. - - Vobis de officio fortiter et suaviter impleto gratulor, cui animo - virili et pacifico, fideles estote memores verborum illorum quibus - mentem meam plane et integre jam expressi: "Soyes a la fois et - les meilleurs gardiens du patriotisme, et les soutiens de l'ordre - public." - - Caeterum, "Spiritu sitis ferventes, Domino servientes, spe - gaudentes, in tribulatione patientes, orationi instantes, - necessitatibus sanctorum communicantes."[38] - - Ne mei, quaeso, obliviscamini in observationibus vestris, nec - vestrum obliviscar; arcto fraternitatis vinculo conjuncti, - unanimes Antistitem, clerum et populum fidelem commendemus Domino, - "ut et quae agenda sunt, videant, et ad implenda quae viderint, - convalescant."[39] - - Vobis in Christo addictissimus, - D. J. CARD. MERCIER, - _Archiepisc. Mechl._ - - Expostulatur a R^{do} admodum D^o Decano relatio de iis quae in - parochiis decanatus evenerunt. - - N.B.--Non desunt in dioecesi clerici qui vestibus laicis ad tempus - usi sunt. Jam nunc habitum clericalem resumant omnes. - - (_S._) D. J. - -[_Translation._] - - MALINES, - _The Sunday of the Octave of the Epiphany_. - - VERY REVEREND GENTLEMEN AND WELL-BELOVED COLLEAGUES,-- - - You have, I think, had sight of the message from the General - Government of Brussels, published in the newspapers, in which it - is declared that "the Cardinal Archbishop of Malines has in no - manner been prevented in the free performance of his ecclesiastical - office." - - The facts will show that this assertion is contrary to the truth. - As a matter of fact, on the evening of the 1st January, and during - the whole of the night, soldiers entered the presbyteries and took - from the priests, or vainly endeavoured to take, the pastoral - letter, and, in contempt of episcopal authority, forbade you to - read it to the assembled faithful, under the threat of extremely - severe punishment which would be inflicted on yourselves or on your - parish. - - Even our dignity was not respected. For on the 2nd of January, - before sunrise even, that is, at six o'clock, I was ordered - to present myself on the morning of that same day before the - Governor-General, to justify my letter to the clergy and the - people; on the following day I was forbidden to preside at - Benediction in the Cathedral of Antwerp; lastly, I was forbidden to - visit the other Belgian bishops. - - As a citizen, a pastor of souls, and a member of the Sacred College - of Cardinals I protest that your rights, well-beloved brothers, and - my own, have been infringed. - - Whatever has been pretended, experience has proved that no danger - of sedition has resulted from this pastoral letter, but rather that - it contributed greatly to the peace and tranquillity of the public. - - I congratulate you with having accomplished your duty firmly and - harmoniously. Remain devoted to it with a manly and peaceable - heart, recalling those words in which I have already fully and - entirely expressed my thought: "Be at once the best guardians of - patriotism and the supporters of public order." - - Moreover: "Be fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing - in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; - distributing to the necessities of the saints."[40] - - Do not forget me, I beg you, in your supplications; neither - will I forget you. All together, closely united by the bond of - brotherhood, let us recommend the bishop, the clergy, and the - faithful "that they may behold their duty and be strong to fulfil - it."[41] - - Yours very faithfully in Christ, - D. J. CARDINAL MERCIER, - _Archbishop of Malines_. - - The Very Rev. the Deans are begged to report what has happened in - the parishes of their Deanery. - - N.B.--Members of the clergy have for a time worn civil clothing. - Let all now resume their ecclesiastical clothing. - -6. On Sunday, the 3rd January, 1915, the Cardinal did not go -to Antwerp, as he had intended. The Germans announced in the -newspapers--in _L'Avenir_ (Antwerp), for example--that the Cardinal's -absence was voluntary. - -_A lie._--They had forbidden Mgr. Mercier to leave Malines. - - * * * * * - -We have mentioned that while these things were happening the clergy -continued to make the pastoral letter known in all the churches, -except in those cases where the Germans had succeeded in subtracting -the copies of the letter. But even there the reading of the letter was -resumed after a brief interval, when fresh impressions of the letter -had been printed and distributed all over the country. This propaganda -was, of course, secret; an official _communique_ published at Namur, on -the 12th January, 1915, leaves no doubt as to that. It threatens the -infliction of severe punishment on those who should distribute this -document. To give some idea of the activity with which the pastoral -letter was distributed throughout Belgium, we may mention that we know -of twelve different editions in French and two in Flemish; there are, -moreover, at least two typewritten editions. Each impression numbered -thousands of copies; of one single edition the Germans seized 35,000 -copies! We may add that a German translation also has appeared, but -this is _ad usum Germanorum_. The interesting passages are suppressed. - -The pastoral letter was not without results in Rome. The Belgian colony -there organized a mass for the priests put to death in Belgium, a list -of whom was given by the Cardinal. The organ of the Vatican, the -_Osservatore Romano_, translated "put to death" by _caduti_, "fallen." -This vague term might allow it to be supposed that the priests had -fallen on the field of battle, not that they were assassinated by the -German troops. The German newspapers were jubilant. The _Koelnische -Volkszeitung_, one of the leading Catholic organs in Germany, edited -by Herr Julius Bachem, published an article to show that the Holy See -had not been duped by the tricks of the Belgians, and refused to credit -the tale of priests put to death by the Germans (see _Het Vaderland_, -31st March, 1915, 2nd sheet, evening). The _Duesseldorfer Anzeiger_ -also contained a long and far-fetched article in its issue of the 29th -January. - - -3. THE ORGANIZATION OF PROPAGANDA. - -With the methodical spirit which they boast of possessing, the Germans -have from the outset of the war created bureaux for the propagation of -the "German idea" throughout the world. Some of these organizations of -propaganda have for their province the neutral countries, among which, -in the first rank, are the United States, the Scandinavian countries, -Italy, Holland, and Switzerland. Others deal with the occupied -countries, or enemy countries, through the intermediary of prisoners -of war and civil prisoners. Finally, there are those that deal with -Germany and her allies. If we add to the bureaux of propaganda situated -in Germany, and operating thence, those established and operating -in foreign countries, we shall begin to understand the power of -expansion and penetration possessed by such instruments in the hands of -unscrupulous people. - -Again, we must reckon not only with the official or semi-official -propaganda, devoid of the mercenary spirit, whose only object is the -triumph of Germany. There are a number of publishing concerns which -pursue the same objects. - -Besides her printed propaganda, Germany makes use of other means, -apparently accessory and occasional, but whose effects may become -very appreciable; visits of German scholars and German politicians, -especially socialist politicians; letters written by Germans to friends -or relations abroad; inquiries addressed to the scholars of neutral -countries; promises made to notable persons, in the hope of obtaining -their co-operation. - -One word before examining the working of these organizations. Should we -really classify them under the heading of "falsehoods"? After what we -have said of the methods of the German Press, and the mentality of the -German rulers, no one will hesitate, we fancy, as to the place which -falsehood must be accorded in this propaganda. But so that no doubt -shall remain in the reader's mind, we will give a few quotations from -the propagandist literature relating to Belgium. - - -(_a_) _Propagandist Bureaux operating in Germany._ - -The most important of the propagandist pamphlets appearing in Germany -is a monthly publication. It is known, in French, as the _Journal de -la Guerre_. We know it also in German and in Dutch; probably it is -translated into yet other languages. Each number consists of 40 to -72 pages, and contains general information, a chronicle of the war, -photographs and drawings, tales of the battles, etc. ... in short, -everything that can influence the public opinion of neutral countries. -In almost every number is an article tending to prove that Germany was -forced, for reasons of self-defence, to invade Belgium; that Belgium, -moreover, had violated her own neutrality in advance; that the Belgians -amply deserve their fate, on account of their wicked treatment of -wounded men (gouging out their eyes, etc.). We have already mentioned -the _Journal de la Guerre_ with reference to a "faked" map of Louvain. - - * * * * * - -The _Journal de la Guerre_ published an article by Herr Helfferich on -a journey through Belgium, undertaken in September 1914. It is teeming -with inaccuracies, but it would be waste of time to refute them all. -We will confine ourselves to the first sentence, which states that -the burgomaster of Battice has been shot. Now, this is untrue: the -burgomaster of Battice, M. Rosette, who has filled his office for many -years, is in excellent health, and is still living in Battice. - -Another publication--_La Guerre--Journal periodique paraissant durant -la guerre de 1914-15_--is intended for prisoners of war. - -The best method of impressing the prisoners is assuredly to show them -that in their own country people are already beginning to realize -the indisputable superiority of Germany. So _La Guerre_ frequently -publishes articles reprinted from _La Gazette des Ardennes_; only -it forgets to mention that _La Gazette des Ardennes_ is a newspaper -established, edited, and printed exclusively by Germans, since -the occupation. Shall we take another example of duplicity? For -the Belgians, naturally, what their priests tell them has great -weight with them. No. 14 of _La Guerre_ reproduces a passage from an -article (which is mentioned on p. 129) originally published by "the -priest Domela Nieuwenhuis, of Gand." Here is a falsehood: M. Domela -Nieuwenhuis is not a priest; he is a Protestant pastor in Gand. In -the quotation M. Nieuwenhuis says: "If we Flemings had been properly -informed...." (_La Guerre_, No. 14, p. 217). - -"We Flemings," M. Nieuwenhuis is supposed to have said ... and he is a -Dutchman. This is curious. Let us compare this with the original text -in _De Tijdspiegel_, p. 316, 1st April, 1915. There we find: "_Indien -wij hier in Vlaanderen ... zouden zign voorgelicht...._" ("If we, here -in Flanders, had been informed....") The German forgers have been at -work, and by a little tinkering at the text, they have made a Dutch -pastor pass for a Flemish priest! To what are they not reduced! - - * * * * * - -The pamphlet _Die Wahrheit ueber den Krieg_ speaks on p. 93 of an -international propagandist organisation established in Berlin: the -_Commission for the publication of impartial news abroad_ (we translate -from the Dutch version). This Commission publishes _Correspondence for -Neutrals_, which aims solely at "distributing positive news concerning -the working of social, juridicial, economic, and moral institutions -and general culture in Germany." Its articles are especially intended -for use by the Press. It appears two or three times a week, in ten -different languages, and will continue to do so during the war. It -asserts that its expenses are covered entirely by private subscriptions. - -At the Superior Technical College of Stuttgart is established the -_Sueddeutsche Nachrichtenstelle fuer die Neutralen_ (South German News -Bureau for the Neutrals). It publishes propagandist leaflets at -irregular intervals and of various dimensions, which are intended to -furnish "the verifiable truth as to the origin, course, and results of -the war." - -The professors of the University of Leipzig sent abroad a special -number of the _Leipziger Neueste Nachrichte_ of the 25th August, 1914, -which gave, in chronological order, "the truth about the causes of the -war and the German successes." The truth! Its capital falsehoods are -too numerous for examination here. - -At Duesseldorf is the _Buero zur Verbreitung deutscher Nachrichten im -Auslande_ (the German Bureau for distributing German news abroad). The -French version of this title is _Bureau allemand pour la publication -de nouvelles authentiques a l'Etranger_. Observe, in passing, that -_Deutsche Nachrichten_ is translated as "authentic news," which will -not fail to surprise the reader. This Bureau used to publish _Le -Reveil_, a remarkable journal sold in Belgium and the occupied parts of -France. - -The _Deutscher Ueberseedienst_ (German Overseas Service) busies itself -particularly with the falsification of public opinion abroad. Its -publications are usually distributed gratis. - -For Americans living in Europe, Germany provides _The Continental -Times, Special War Edition and Journal for Americans in Europe_, edited -at the Hotel Adon in Berlin. To judge of the veracity of this journal, -it is enough to read, in the issue for the 8th February, the article by -Herr J. E. Noegerath, devoted to his journey through Belgium. In this -we learn that "Malines was bombarded simultaneously by the Belgians and -the Germans; the cathedral, somewhat seriously damaged, is about to be -repaired by the Germans." St. Rombaut repaired by the Germans! This -exceeds even the German limits! Well, the Americans in Europe have a -chance of obtaining positive information. - -_The League of German Scientists and Artists for the Defence of -Civilization_ (in French they make it _La Ligue pour la defense de la -civilisation_--for the _prevention_--which is just what it is!) is -installed in the Palace of the Academy of Science in Berlin, Unter den -Linden, 38. It publishes pamphlets; for example, that of Herr Riesser, -on _The Success of the German War Loan_. As far as we know it has -published nothing about Belgium. - - * * * * * - -A very interesting method of propaganda is that which consists in -attaching to business letters leaflets printed on very thin paper, -giving "authentic" news in the language of the recipient. _The -Hamburger Fremdenblatt_ has published many of these, at 10 pfennigs for -10 copies. They include, notably, _Appeals to Christians_; _An Appeal -to the Catholic Missions_, in German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, -French, and Italian; _An Appeal to the Protestant Missions_, in German, -English, and Portuguese. - -Another series of leaflets to be inserted in letters is published by -the _Bureau des Deutschen Handelstages, Berlin_ (Bureau of the German -Commercial Conference of Berlin). Nine different leaflets appeared. No. -10 and the succeeding leaflets are of different origin; these leaflets -are now published by the _Kriegs-Auschuss der Deutschen Industrie, -Berlin_ (Military Commission of German Industry). No. 10 reproduces a -proclamation by Dr. Schroedter, threatening to strip the Belgians of -all their copper, "down to the last door-handle." - -In Germany also are published leaflets bearing no indication of their -origin. One of these, entitled _What is the Cause of the Severity of -the War?_ is curious for more reasons than one. - - -(_b_) _Propagandist Matter issued by the Publishing Houses._ - -There are, to begin with, the numerous low-priced pamphlets which carry -the gospel to the soldiers in the trenches, and enlighten the home -population. The most voluminous and the most perfidious of these books -is that of Major Viktor von Strantz: _Die Eroberung Belgiens_. - -Several publishing houses issue series of booklets, under some general -title. We may mention:-- - - _Krieg und Sieg, 1914, nach Berichten der Zeitgenossen_ (War and - Victory, 1914, according to the Accounts of Eye-witnesses). - - _Der Deutschen Volkes Kriegstagebuch_ (The German People's Diary of - the War). - - _Der Weltkrieg, 1914_ (The World-war of 1914), at 20 pfennigs. - -Besides these works, which are intended rather for the masses, we must -mention others, intended for a more intellectual public. - -Such are:-- - - _Reden aus der Kriegzeit_; _Deutsche Vortrage Hamburgischer - Professoren_; _Zwischen Krieg und Frieden_; _Der Deutsche Krieg_; - _Kriegsberichte aus den Grossen Hauptquartier._ - -To these we may add works appearing in small isolated volumes at a low -price, containing more especially diplomatic documents:-- - - _Deutschland in der Notwehr_ (Carl Schuesemann, Bremen); _Das - Volkerringen, 1914_, F. M. Kireheisen (Universal Bibliothek, - Leipzig). - - _Urkunden, Depeschen und Berichte der Frankfurter Zeitung. Der - Grosse Krieg. Eine Chronich von Tag zu Tag_ (Frankfurt, 1914-15). - -We must not overlook the numerous illustrated publications, among -which we may mention the _Album de la Grande Guerre_, published by -the _Deutscher Ueberseedienst_, with explanations in German, English, -Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. This collection contains a -number of illustrations relating to Belgium: for example, in No. 2 we -have "A Zeppelin bombarding Liege," which never happened (p. 229): and -No. 3 gives us a view of the Place des Bailles at Malines, "a quarter -where the houses were destroyed by Belgian artillery" (whereas the -Belgian artillery destroyed nothing in Malines, and the Place des -Bailles was not bombarded but burned). - - -(_c_) _Propangandist Bureaux operating Abroad._ - -Not content with flooding neutrals with literature fabricated in -Germany itself, to such an extent that the former complained of the -German importunity, the Germans have also set up bureaux of propaganda -in foreign countries. The most important of these, without doubt, is -that which has been operating in the United States, under the direction -of Herr Bernhard Dernburg, ex-Minister of the Empire. Herr Dernburg -has neglected no means of action, and has not feared to mount into the -breach himself in his efforts to ensure the triumph of his cause. - -In Belgium the propaganda was of a multiple nature. In the first -place, the Germans were careful to inform us, daily, by means of -placards, as to the "actual" results of the military operations, and -they distributed tens of thousands of copies of circulars relating to -the "Anglo-Belgian Conventions" (p. 43), the Griendl report (p. 41), -the retirement of Italy from the Triple Alliance, etc. As these might -not have enlightened us sufficiently, the German authorities took the -Press in hand, the result being such journals as _Le Reveil_ and the -_Deutsche Soldatenpost_. They then censored the Belgian papers in -various manners. - -(1) The Germans wished to compel various papers to appear under their -control. All those in the capital refused; but in the provinces certain -newspapers, such as _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ (at Namur) and _Le Bien Public_ -(at Gand), accepted the German conditions. _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ was -really and truly forced to appear; as it admitted, in a covert fashion, -in its issues of the 20th and 27th August, and explicitly in those of -the 7th October and the 6th November. - -(2) The German authorities forced these journals, and others which have -since been established, to publish propagandist articles, imposing -penalties in case of failure. Thus _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ (it was suggested -that it might be called _L'Ami de par Ordre!_) was obliged to publish -stories of "francs-tireurs" which it knew were inventions; and after -the burning of the Grand' Place at Namur (concerning which it knew very -well what to think) it published, in large letters, on the 28th August, -1914, a protest against francs-tireurs. On the 1st September followed -an article describing the punishment of Louvain after an attack by -civilians. On the following day was further mention of the "leaders" -who brought such terrible reprisals on their fellow-citizens. In -order to make these flagrant lies "go down," the journal is compelled -from time to time to repeat that it prints nothing but the truth (for -example, on the 7th September). - -Incontestably imposed, also, are the articles which basely flatter -the Germans; notably its excuses after its suspension (7th and 8th -December) and its thanks to the Military Government of Namur when -the latter ceased to take hostages (on the 29th September). In this -last issue is an equally characteristic article on the subject of the -Cathedral of Reims; in this the German Government pretends that it did -not allege the presence of an observation-post on the Cathedral. But -one has only to read the official communiques of the 23rd September in -order to prove that _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ has been forced to lie to its -readers. - -Of course the Germans deny that they demand the insertion of these -articles (see _Le Bien Public_, 1st November, 1914); otherwise their -readers would cease to give any credence to these "Belgian" papers. - -(3) The principal mission of the censorship consists in suppressing -all that displeases it and all that it regards as compromising. Thus, -for two months _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ did not publish a single communique -from the armies of the Allies, although it pretended the contrary in -its issue of the 7th October. It was only on the 26th that it began -to publish them; but it then borrowed them from the German papers, -which was not perhaps a guarantee of exactitude. At the same time _Le -Bruxellois_ stated that there were scarcely any French communiques. -As for _Le Bien Public_, it was suspended during the whole of May -1915, because the censorship would no longer allow it to publish the -communiques of the Allies. - -The censorship had promised the journals whose publication it permitted -(or demanded) that it would not mutilate articles, but would suppress -them entirely (_Le Bien Public_, 1st November, 1914). Of course, it -did not keep its engagements; for what engagement did our enemies ever -keep? To realize how the censorship mutilates, curtails, and falsifies -one has only to compare the official telegrams contained in the French -newspapers with those which are vouchsafed us by the expurgated -journals. Here are a few examples; it will be seen that the censorship -suppresses not only sentences and parts of sentences, but single words, -and even parts of words. We will confess that this last procedure was -totally unexpected, even on the part of Germany, although her scholars -have certainly acquired a habit of splitting hairs. - -The words in italics are those suppressed by the censorship:-- - - _La Belgique_, Tuesday, 26th January, 1913,--PETROGRAD, _23rd - January_. (Official telegram from the Great General Staff).... - German attempts to pass to the offensive in various places have - been _easily_ defeated _by our artillery_.... On the 21st January - enemy troops, in strength about a division of infantry, and - supported by artillery, attacked our front in the Kirlibaba region, - _but they were repulsed_. Up to the morning of the 21st January our - troops had maintained themselves in their positions. _We have made - 200 prisoners._ - - _La Belgique_, Monday, 1st February, 1913.--PARIS, _29th January_. - (Official, 3 p.m.)--In Belgium, in the Nieuport sector, our - infantry has gained a footing on the great dune which was mentioned - on the 27th. _A German aeroplane was brought down by our guns._ In - the sectors of Ypres and Lens, as in the sector of Arras, there - have been, intermittently, artillery duels of some violence, and - some attacks of infantry were attempted but immediately _thrown - back by our fire_. Nothing fresh to report in the Soissons, - Craonne, or Reims districts. _It is confirmed that the attack - repulsed by us at Fontaine-Madame on the night of the 27th cost - the Germans dearly...._ PARIS, _the 29th January_ (_official, 11 - p.m._).... _This morning, the 29th, a German aeroplane was forced - to the ground east of Gerbeviller. Its passengers, an officer and - an under-officer, are prisoners._ - - _La Belgique_, Thursday, 4th February, 1915.--PARIS, _1st - February_. (Official telegram, 3 p.m.).... To the south-east of - Ypres the Germans have attempted an attack upon our trenches to the - north of the canal, an attack which was _immediately_ checked by - our artillery fire.... In the Argonne, _where the Germans appear - to have suffered greatly in the recent fighting_, the day has been - comparatively quiet.... - - PARIS, _1st February_. (Official telegram, 11 p.m.).... On the - morning of the 1st February the enemy violently attacked our - trenches to the north, Bethune--La Bassee. He was thrown back - _and left numerous dead on the ground_. At Beaumont-Hamel, to the - north of Arras, the German infantry attempted to carry one of our - trenches by surprise, but was forced to retreat, _abandoning on the - spot the explosives with which it was provided_.... - - _La Belgique_, Friday, 12th February, 1915.--PARIS, _9th February_. - (Official telegram, 3 p.m.).... Along the road from Bethune to - La Bassee we have reoccupied a windmill in which the enemy had - succeeded in establishing himself. Soissons was bombarded _with - incendiary shells_. - - _La Belgique_, Saturday, 13th February, 1915.--PARIS, _10th - February_. (Official, 11 p.m.).... In Lorraine our outposts - _easily_ repulsed a German attack on the eastern edge and to the - north of the Forest of Purvy. - - _La Patrie_ (Brussels).--COPENHAGEN, _2nd March_.--According to a - communication from London in the _Berlingske Tidende_ the Swedish - painter, Johnson, who was arrested as a spy, because he was making - pretended luminous signals to German ships of war, is _said to have - been_ acquitted for lack of evidence. - -To appreciate at its full value the mutilation of the official -communiques by the German censorship, it must be recalled (1) that -it had undertaken to leave the official communiques untouched, and -(2) that the subservient portion of the press continued to call them -"official telegrams." - - -_Sincerity of the Censored Newspapers._ - -At the outset the censorship used to allow newspapers to leave a blank -space in the place of an article, phrase, or words deleted. But this -procedure was too frank for the Germans, and the readers were aware -of it; so the German authorities forced the newspapers to fill up the -blanks; and in order to facilitate their task they published a special -typewritten journal, appearing in French and in Flemish, _Le Courrier -Belge_, in which "all the articles had passed the censorship." Editors, -therefore, had only to select an article of the desired length in order -to fill the gaps left by the official scissors. - -We may add that by the terms of a decision given in the Court of -First Instance in Brussels, the journals at present appearing in -Germany under the German censorship may not claim the title of Belgian -newspapers. - -It may readily be imagined what the censored journals have become under -this delightful system. But a story which is told in Belgium will -perhaps give the reader a better idea of their vicissitudes. The soul -of a soldier presents itself at the gate of Paradise. "Who are you?" -says St. Peter. After a long hesitating pause (for no one cares to -make such a painful confession) the soul replies: "I am the soul of a -German soldier." "You are an impudent liar!" cries St. Peter. "I read -the Belgian newspapers with the greatest care, and they have not yet -announced the death of a single German soldier!" - -On the 7th June, 1915, the Germans had a unique opportunity of proving -that the German journals in Belgian clothes, such as _L'Ami de -l'Ordre_, _La Belgique_, _Le Bien Public_, etc., were still capable on -occasion of speaking the truth. But they allowed the opportunity to -slip. However, here are the facts:-- - -On the night of Sunday, the 6th June, 1915, towards 2.30 a.m., we were -awakened by a furious cannonade and the explosion of bombs: Allied -aviators were bombarding the shed of the dirigible at Evere, to which -they set fire, destroying both shed and balloon. On the same day we -learned that a second German dirigible had just been destroyed at -Mont St.-Amand, near Gand, by a British aviator. We awaited the next -day's papers with curiosity. Would they report the two incidents, -making as little of them as possible, or would they keep silence? -They merely stated that the German air-fleet had raided the English -coast on the night of the 7th. Of what happened on its return, not a -word. In the _Koelnische Zeitung_, again, there was nothing said as to -the disasters at Evere and Mont St.-Amand. So the muzzled Press of -Belgium and Germany may speak of German successes (we are supposing, -of course, that the bombardment of open towns _is_ a success), but as -to the failures they are dumb. These are two facts which are known -to hundreds of thousands of persons, and are therefore impossible of -concealment. To keep silence, therefore, could have only one result, -namely, to prove that the German communiques are "faked," and that -the Belgian journals are muzzled: in short, that all news which comes -from Germany is adulterated. If our oppressors had published a short -paragraph dealing with these two "accidents," then a few Belgians, more -credulous than their fellows, might have continued to believe that the -word "German" can still on occasion be spoken in the same breath as -the word "sincerity." But in their incomparable stupidity the censors -(who are doubtless diplomatists out of a job) failed to realize that by -preserving silence as to the raids of the British aviators they were -for ever destroying the value of their newspapers. They rendered us a -similar service, on this occasion, to that which they rendered when -they forbade M. Max to publish the statement that they were liars (p. -233). We were well aware that the German was a shocking psychologist, -but we hardly realized how shocking!... The incident is, as will be -seen, the pendant of the story of the Liege Zeppelin. This dirigible -raided Liege on the night of the 6th August, and the raid was described -in the German newspapers and even illustrated. Unfortunately the raid -never took place! - -A few days later the Germans plunged even deeper into the mire. On the -night of the 16th June the people of Brussels once again heard the -sound of guns, this time from Berchem; but no one saw an aeroplane. -Next day the papers contained a paragraph stating that an attack by -enemy aviators had been repulsed. Did the raid really take place? It is -doubtful; and in any case it does not matter. The essential point is -that on this occasion the newspapers were allowed to speak. - -The Governor-General, who has a keen sense of the fitting opportunity, -chose this moment to inform us that a mischievous Press was circulating -in Belgium (see _La Belgique_, 14th January, 1915). Nothing could be -truer, as the reader has just seen. - - -_Persecution of Uncensored Newspapers._ - -Naturally, the desire to obtain foreign newspapers became keener than -ever in Belgium as the untruthfulness of the censored journals became -more apparent. To the notices published by the Germans forbidding the -distribution of "false news" (p. 187) we may add an official communique -which was reproduced in _L'ami de l'Ordre_ on the 17th October:-- - - "Any person who shall spread similar false reports, or cause them - to be distributed, will be shot without mercy." - - -(_d_) _Various Propaganda._ - -Lastly, let us mention--without insistence, as they are already -sufficiently familiar--various methods of propaganda which are -individual, and apparently spontaneous, but from which the Germans -expect very happy results. - -All those Belgians who have friends or relations in Germany, and all -those who are themselves of German origin, have incessantly been -receiving, since correspondence between the two countries has been -permitted, letters in which they are told that Germany is sure of -victory, that the Belgians have been deceived by England and by their -king, that the Germans do no harm to any one, etc. These assertions -are repeated with such regularity and monotony that they produce -the impression of a lesson that has been learned; so, to avoid this -unfortunate impression, the correspondents are careful to declare that -they are only expressing their personal opinion. - -Next, we may mention the foreign visits of German scholars; for -example, that of Herr Ostwald (one of the Ninety-three) to Sweden, and -that of Herr Lamprecht (another of the Ninety-three) to Belgium. Herr -Ostwald's lectures have evoked a great sensation, but it was perhaps -hardly the sensation Germany had hoped for; moreover, the University -of Leipzig declared that it did not subscribe to the ideas of its -sometime professor. The effort of Herr Lamprecht was more discreet; it -was preceded by a written effort, but letter and visit had the same -negative result. - -More insidious are the visits made to Belgium by prominent German -socialists: Wendel, Liebknecht, Noske, Koester, etc. They, too, hoped -easily to convince us of the rights and, above all, of the superiority -of Germany. They went back with an empty bag; one may even venture to -assert that they were rather shaken, since Herr Liebknecht complains, -in a conversation with an editor of the _Social-Demokraten_, a -Norwegian organ, of the part which the Socialist missionaries were made -to play (_N.R.C._, 28th December, 1914, evening). - -The _Vossische Zeitung_ has discovered another means of propaganda. -This journal sent a paper of questions to Dutch and Scandinavian -scholars, asking them what their science owes to Germany. A shallow -trick, this; every nation has naturally produced men of mark, to whom -science has cause for gratitude. - - -4. THE VIOLATION OF ENGAGEMENTS. - -The war began by the violation of a solemn treaty, to which Germany -subscribed in 1839. The entire conduct of the war has been, as -far as Germany is concerned, a long series of violations of the -Hague Convention of 1907. Germany alleges, in her own defence, that -circumstances have altered since the period when these pacts were -signed; that she was obliged to forestall France; that in case of -absolute necessity, such as that in which she stood, she has the right -to use all means of injuring the enemy, permitted or not (p. 83); -and moreover, that the torpedoing of the _Lusitania_ (p. 194), the -employment of living shields (p. 117), the use of toxic gases (p. 198), -and terrorization by fire and assassination (p. 164), having proved -efficacious, it is in her interests not to neglect them out of mere -humanity, or a simple and childish respect for her own signature. - -It is hopeless to discuss the matter; it would be wasted pains, Germany -having decided to let her conduct be shaped by the impulse of the -moment, without hampering herself with any anterior promises. She -is fighting for her life, her publicists and statesmen never cease -repeating, and she is free to throw all her engagements to the wind. -"_Not kennt kein Gebot_," declared the Chancellor, on the 9th August, -and this convenient maxim has lost nothing of its popularity. - -But there are other engagements, engagements which Germany has entered -into with Belgium since the beginning of the war, and which she has -broken with the same ease: a promise to restore Belgium's independence; -a promise to respect our patriotism, a promise to pay cash for all -requisitions once the tribute of 480 millions frs. was paid, etc. Our -enemies can invoke no extenuating circumstances to mitigate these -breaches of faith, for no change had occurred between the dates of -making these engagements and their violation. - - -_The Independence of Belgium._ - -On the 4th August, 1914, the very day on which our country was invaded, -the Imperial Government made one last effort to extort from England a -promise of neutrality. It gave an assurance that even in the case of an -armed conflict with Belgium, Germany would not on any pretext annex her -territory (_Livre Bleu_, No. 74). On that very day the Kaiser and the -Chancellor made similar declarations: "We shall repair the injustice -which we are committing towards Belgium," said the Chancellor. Directly -they had a newspaper at their disposal in Belgium our invaders -published an article assuring the Belgians of their respect for -whatever engagements they had entered into (see _L'Ami de l'Ordre_, -29th and 30th August, 1914). - -Words, idle words! - -Hardly were the Germans, in boasting mood, able to style themselves -conquerors, than they hastened to trample their promises underfoot. Are -the engagements of the Berlin Government anything more than so many -scraps of paper, which may with impunity be declared null and void? -Such men as Erzberger, Losch, Dernburg, Maximilian Harden, etc., all -partaking in the public life of their country, found nothing was more -urgent than to disregard whatever the Emperor and the Chancellor might -have said, no matter how solemn the circumstances, and to make plans -for the future in which Belgium would remain wholly or in part annexed. - - -_The Promise to respect the Patriotism of the Belgians._ - -"I ask no one to renounce his patriotic sentiments," said Baron von der -Goltz in the first of the somewhat extraordinary declarations with -which he gratified us during his stay in our midst in his quality of -Governor-General (placard of 2nd September, 1914). - - -_The Forced Striking of the Flag._ - -Every one was anxiously asking himself what was really the thought -at the back of the Baron's head; for we already knew the Germans -sufficiently to realize that so honeyed a phrase concealed some peril. -But what? Two weeks later the riddle was solved; it meant that the -Belgian national flag was "regarded as a provocation by the German -troops" (placard of 16th September, 1914). A provocation of what or -whom? Of their national sentiment? Well, and what of ours, which the -Governor-General was not asking us to renounce? It is true that after -the appearance of this placard the Military Governor announced that -he had "by no means the intention of wounding the dignity or the -feelings of the inhabitants by this measure; its sole purpose is to -preserve the citizens from any annoyance." In short, it was for our -good that we were forced to haul down our flag. What was to be done? -To resist would be to give the scoundrels who were oppressing us an -occasion for exercising their murderous and incendiary talents on -Brussels. By a very dignified and very moderate notice, M. Max, the -burgomaster, counselled his fellow-citizens to yield. This placard, -which was not subjected to the censorship, despite the order given by -the Germans, displeased them to the point of having it immediately -covered with blank sheets of paper. But these were torn away by the -people of Brussels, or else they were rendered transparent by means of -petroleum: in a word, every one could read the burgomaster's protest. -But as it was expected, with a good show of reason, that the Germans -would soon cause it to disappear completely, many persons copied the -placard, or even photographed it; and for a long time numbers of the -inhabitants of Brussels carried upon their persons, like a precious -relic, a copy or a photograph of M. Max's famous placard. - - -_The Belgian Colours forbidden in the Provinces._ - -While the withdrawal of the Belgian flag was demanded, in the provinces -a hunt was conducted for the Belgian colours used in the decoration of -shop-windows. The German police would enter the shops and demand the -immediate removal of all tricolour ribbons decorating the windows. - - MILITARY COURT. - - Henry Dargette, of Namur, Place Arthur Borlee, 32, was punished - with a fine of 10 marks, or 2 days' subsidiary detention, in - accordance with Sec. 13 of the Imperial decree of the 28th December, - 1893, for having disregarded the communique of the Imperial - Government of Namur of the 22nd April, 1915. He had exposed in his - shop-window boxes of tin-plate with the French, British, Russian, - and Belgian colours. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 3-6 July, 1915.) - -In Brussels it was a long time before they decided to take measures -against the wearing of the tricolour rosettes which so many people -carried in their buttonholes; in the streets, at least two persons -in three displayed our colours. This persistence on the part of -the Belgians in publicly displaying their patriotic sentiments is -extremely annoying to the Germans. For proof we need only turn to the -letter from Brussels published in the weekly illustrated supplement -of the _Hamburger Fremdenblatt_ for the 18th April, 1915: "One does -not see a schoolboy, not a schoolgirl, not a lady, not a gentleman, -who does not wear, in an obvious fashion, the Belgian cockade." In -certain towns--for example Lessines, Gand, and Dinant--this kind of -manifestation is prohibited. At Namur the fine may amount to 500 frs.; -the placard which threatens this penalty is conceived in the involved -and nauseating style which we encounter every time the Germans inflict -on us a particularly disgusting piece of hypocrisy. In particular it -is stated that it is forbidden "_publicly_ to display the Belgian -colours." No doubt it is permissible to have them floating about in -one's pocket, or to decorate the interior of one's chest of drawers -with them. This is how the Teuton Tartuffe "asks no one to renounce his -patriotic sentiments":-- - - - GOVERNMENT COMMUNIQUES. - - One may observe, of late, in a great proportion of the inhabitants - of the town, as well as in the young school-children, a tendency to - manifest their patriotic feelings by wearing, in an open manner, - the Belgian colours, under different forms. - - I am far from wishing to offend their feelings; on the contrary, I - esteem and respect them. - - But, on the other hand, I cannot but perceive, in this form - [of display], that it is desired thereby PUBLICLY to express a - demonstration against the present state of affairs and against the - German authority, which I expressly forbid. - - I consequently direct: - - It is strictly forbidden to place in view, publicly, the Belgian - colours, either on oneself, or on any objects whatever, in no - matter what circumstances. - - Contraventions will be punished by a fine which may amount to - 500 frs., unless, according to the gravity of the case, the - contravention is punished by imprisonment. - - This regulation does not at any time prevent the wearing of - official decorations by those who have the right to do so. - - LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BARON VON HIRSCHBERG, - _Military Governor of the Fortified Position of Namur_. - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 15th November, 1914.) - - -_Prohibition of the Belgian Colours in Brussels._ - -Suddenly, without any pretext, the sight of the little tricolour -decorations worn by the people of Brussels began to offend the Germans, -and the national emblem was prohibited from the 1st July, 1915. The -prohibition was posted only on the 30th of June. It made a distinction -between the Belgian colours, the wearing of which was tolerated if it -was not provocative, and the colours of our Allies, the display of -which, even if not provocative, was absolutely prohibited. How were -our German bumpkins going to make this much too subtle distinction -between provocative and non-provocative display? This evidently left -the door open to all sorts of arbitrary actions. So the people of -Brussels judged it prudent to renounce their badges entirely. A few, -however, replaced the rosette by an ivy-leaf, the emblem of fidelity -in the language of flowers. What were the Germans to do now? Prohibit -the wearing of the ivy-leaf, perhaps, for by the 5th July they had -forbidden the manufacture and sale of artificial ivy-leaves, whether of -cloth or paper. But they did not persist in this course. For the first -time since we had been subject to them they conceived a witty idea. -They themselves began to display the ivy-leaf; from that moment this -emblem could not decently be worn by any of us. It would be interesting -to know who inspired them with this ingenious idea. - - -_The "Te Deum" on the Patron Saint's Day of the King._ - -Let us note the date of _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ which contained Baron von -Hirschberg's announcement: the 15th November, the patron saint's -day of the King. The same copy of the paper reproduced an article -from _Duesseldorfer General Anzeiger_, which doubtless had escaped -the censor, doing homage to the valour of the King and Queen. On -the following day _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ had to announce that the usual -_Te Deum_ would not be performed. Why was the ceremony suppressed? -The paper did not say; but we can easily guess; the superior German -authorities had decided otherwise. - -In Brussels also the _Te Deum_ of the 15th November was prohibited. It -was decided to replace it by a mass which would be sung at 11 o'clock -in the church of St. Gudule. By 10.30 the church was overflowing with -people; but towards 11.0 a priest passed quietly through the ranks -of the faithful, announcing that the singing of the Mass had been -prohibited by the Germans, and that it would be replaced by a Low Mass. -After this some hundreds of persons repaired to the Palais Royal, to -the gate in the Rue Brederode; they expected that a book would be -there, as usual, to receive their signatures. The register had been -there, but the German authorities had removed it. The callers then -decided merely to leave their cards; but a Palace servant came to -inform them that the Germans, after removing the register, had also -forbidden the formation of assemblies near the Palace, and had even -made some arrests; he therefore begged the public to disperse. More -respect for patriotic sentiments! - - -_The Portraits of the Royal Family._ - -Since then it has been forbidden to sell portraits of the Royal -Family published since the outbreak of the war. In particular those -picture-postcards are prohibited which represent the King as a -soldier, the King with his Staff, the King in the trenches, the King -on the dunes, the King with General Joffre, the King at Furnes, the -Queen as a nurse, Prince Leopold as a trooper, etc. The prohibition is -applied with an incoherence which accords ill with the wonderful spirit -of organization with which our persecutors are credited. In certain -parts of Brussels the vendors have never been disturbed; in others, -they may sell the cards in the shops, but may not expose them in the -windows; elsewhere it is a crime even to have the cards in stock. In -short, all is left to the caprice of the police. These make the round -of the stationers' shops, seizing all prohibited cards, and very often, -too, seizing other cards on their own initiative and for their own use. -To a stationer who was privily selling us some prohibited cards, we put -the question, whether the police did not often enter his shop, in order -to seize whatever displeased them. "What displeases them?" he replied. -"No, no; they seize more particularly whatever pleases them!" Another -merchant, who was summoned to attend at the German police bureau in -the Rue de l'Hotel des Monnaies, was assured by the commissioner that -the police had the right to take "everything that might excite the -patriotism of the Belgians." This official put his own interpretation -on Baron von der Goltz's regulations with regard to patriotism. - -Not far away, at St. Gilles, on Sunday the 14th February, an -under-officer brutally snatched away the national flag which covered -the coffin of a Belgian soldier. Here is another example of individual -ideas as to the respect to be paid to patriotism and piety. - -While in Brussels the Germans prohibited only the more recent -Royal portraits, at Gand, in February 1915, the commandant of the -Magazine,[42] in order to show his zeal, forbade the sale of any -portraits of the Royal Family, of whatever date or nature. - - The Burgomaster of Gand has received the following letter, the - communal administration sending us a translation of the same:-- - - 2. mob. Etappen Kommandantur. - Reference No. 1095. - - GAND, _4th February, 1915_. - - To the Burgomaster of the City,-- - - I beg you again to draw the attention of all the booksellers, - stationers' shops, etc., by hand-bill or by means of the - newspapers, that they are forbidden under any circumstances to - display the portraits of the Royal Family of Belgium, either in the - windows or in the interior of the shops. - - Those who act otherwise will be severely punished. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE MAGAZINE, - P.O. - - (_Signed_) HENZ. - - (_Le Bien Public_, 13th February, 1915.) - -The German persecutions were resumed with renewed vigour on the -approach of the 8th April, the King's birthday. At Antwerp the Germans -took care to forbid, in advance, anything that might have passed for -a royalist manifestation; but the inhabitants succeeded, none the -less, under their enemies' noses, in celebrating their Sovereign's -anniversary. - -Elsewhere the Germans, in their incorrigible meanness, had a different -inspiration. They suddenly had an intuition that the communal -administrations of Brabant were going to dismiss the schools in honour -of the King. Immediately circulars were distributed, forbidding the -closing of the schools on that day. But these ineffable blunderers -had forgotten one thing: namely, that the 8th of April fell in the -middle of the Easter holidays! Certain communes permitted themselves -the malicious delight of inquiring of the Germans whether they must -recall the pupils for the 8th of April? The Germans, of course, missed -the irony of the situation, and replied that it would not be necessary -to resume the classes. Their second letter contains a particularly -delightful sentence: "My will is merely that instruction shall not be -specially interrupted in honour of the anniversary of H.M. the King -of the Belgians." Another example of the unshakable determination to -respect the Belgians' patriotism! - - -_Obligation to Employ the German Language._ - -These letters are written in German. For that matter, it has become -a rule with our enemies to write only in their own tongue, and often -even in German characters. Better still: at Liege and Namur (_L'Ami de -l'Ordre_, 31st August, 1914) they required the Belgians also to write -in German. Yet another way of respecting our patriotism! - - -_The Belgian Army is our Enemy!_ - -Far from making an effort to respect our feelings, one would even -imagine that they must make it a point of honour (German honour) to -wound our loyalty. Thus, when they punish any one for rendering service -to the Belgians, instead of expressing the matter simply, as we have -done, they announce that the Belgian is convicted of relations with the -enemy. They are speaking of their enemies. But "the enemy" implies that -the Belgian Government or the Belgian army is the enemy of the Belgian -people. - -Better still: they inform us, by means of placards, that to aid the -Belgian army is "treason." The Belgian becomes a traitor by rendering -a service to his country! What a singular conception of honour! - - WARNING. - - The military tribunals have lately been compelled to condemn to - hard labour for attempted treason a large number of Belgians, who - had assisted their compatriots subject to military service in their - attempt to join the enemy army. - - I again warn [the public] against committing such crimes against - the German troops, in view of the severe penalties which they will - incur. - - THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL IN BELGIUM, - GENERAL VON BISSING, - _Colonel-General_. - - BRUSSELS, _3rd March, 1915_. - - -_The "Brabanconne" Prohibited._ - -At Namur the _Brabanconne_ was declared seditious on the 23rd March, -1915. But a month later the execution of the _first four verses_ was -declared to be permissible. What did the Germans mean by that? Let us -remember that none of the known versions of our national song (the two -versions of Jenneval and that of Rogier) consists of more than four -verses. Which, then, are those that our persecutors forbid? In their -rage for prohibition they have prohibited something that does not -exist!--unless they were speaking of the verse invented by _La Libre -Belgique_, and published in its tenth issue. It would be amusing if -the German authorities had fallen into a snare set by a prohibited -newspaper! - -In Brussels the Germans had not dared openly to interdict the -_Brabanconne_, as they did another national anthem which had, -so to speak, the freedom of the city of Brussels: we mean the -_Marseillaise_ (placard of the 27th March, 1915). Never did one -hear the _Marseillaise_ so often as after the Germans forbade us to -sing or play it; only it was now whistled. So, as might have been -expected, whistling the _Marseillaise_ was made a crime. As for the -_Brabanconne_, it was prohibited in an underhand sort of way. It used -to be sung every day in a school in Brussels; but two German soldiers -of the Landsturm, who were guarding a neighbouring railway, heard -it, and felt offended. Hence a letter to the communal authorities, -demanding that the national anthem should be sung or played with more -discretion. It is now seldom played save in the churches: at High Mass -on Sunday and the funeral services for soldiers. - - -_The National Anniversary of July 21st._ - -In July 1915 the people of Brussels hit on a new method of celebrating -the national anniversary of the 21st July. Since our tyrants would -obviously forbid us to fly our flag at half-mast, in token of our being -for the time in mourning for our country, a number of shopkeepers -announced, by means of a small printed notice, that "the shop would -be closed on Wednesday, the 21st July." The Germans were displeased; -moreover, they issued a decree forbidding all demonstrations. - - 21ST JULY. - - _Order of the Governor of Brussels dated 18th July, 1915._ - - I warn the public that on the 21st July, 1915, demonstrations of - all kinds are expressly and severely prohibited. - - Meetings, processions, and the decoration of public and private - buildings also come under the application of the above prohibition. - - Offenders will be punished by a term of imprisonment not exceeding - three months and a fine which may amount to as much as 10,000 - marks, or by one of these penalties to the exclusion of the other. - -They also announced, by means of the newspapers in their pay, _Le -Bruxellois_ and _La Belgique_, that the closing of the shops might be -regarded as a demonstration. Their pains were wasted. On the morning -of the 21st the shops and cafes remained closed; in private houses -the shutters were not opened. In all Brussels only a few taverns were -open--taverns frequented by the Germans, which a Belgian would never -compromise himself by entering. All that day it was a comforting and -impressive spectacle to see the crowd, in its Sunday clothes, grave -and deeply affected, with never one uplifted voice, passing along the -streets of closed houses. Never had the like been seen in Brussels. -No one would have dared to hope for such unanimity of feeling after -eleven months of occupation. The Germans were raging. They brought out -troops, who, with bayonet and cannon, occupied the principal public -squares; they ran an armoured motor-car up and down the most frequented -streets; they dragged artillery along the avenues surrounding the city. -But they did not succeed in fomenting the slightest disturbance; the -Brussels public was too firmly determined to preserve its dignity and -its tranquillity. - -In all the churches the _Te Deum_ was replaced by a High Mass, followed -by the playing of the _Brabanconne_; the latter was sung in chorus by -the congregation, who were moved to tears. - -The comic note was struck by the Germans. Suddenly, in the afternoon, -motor-cars began to hustle the crowds that had gathered; they bore -red placards, which were immediately pasted up, announcing that the -cafes, cinema-halls, etc., were to be closed at 8 p.m. Now all these -establishments had been closed since the morning. The Germans must have -lost their heads to make so grotesque an exhibition of themselves. - -As a sort of reprisal, the authorities suspended the two newspapers -which had not appeared on the 21st July: _Le Quotidien_ and _L'Echo de -la Presse_. Immediately _La Belgique_, which had appeared, suspended -itself, in order to produce a belief that it was not German! As for the -_Bruxellois_, it said not a word of the striking demonstration of the -21st. - -In other Belgian towns the shops were closed. In Antwerp more than the -shops were closed; the bureau of German passports, in the Place Verte, -announced, by means of two written notices, in German and Flemish, that -it was closed for the 21st July. The Germans were trying to repeat the -trick of the ivy-leaf. In vain, however, since the 21st was to occur -only once! - -At Gand the Germans forbade the closing of the shops. And the latter -were all open. But in many windows one saw, instead of the usual -display of goods, a group of articles which comprised a bucket of -water, a scrubbing-brush, and a chamois leather, with an inscription: -"Cleaning To-day." - - -_The Anniversary of the 4th August._ - -We must suppose that the unanimity with which the houses of Brussels -were kept shut up touched the Germans in a sore place, for they -prohibited the repetition of their manifestation on the 4th August, -the anniversary of their entrance into Belgium. - - NOTICE. - - I warn the population of the Brussels district that on the 4th - August any demonstration, including the decoration of houses by - means of flags and the wearing of emblems as a demonstration is - strictly prohibited. - - All gatherings will be dispersed regardless by the armed forces. - - Also I order that on the 4th August all the shops, as well - as cafes, restaurants, taverns, theatres, cinemas, and other - establishments of the same kind shall be closed after 8 o'clock in - the evening (German time). After 9 o'clock in the evening (German - time) only persons having a special written authorization emanating - from a German authority may remain in or enter the streets. - - Persons contravening these orders will be punished by a maximum - imprisonment of five years and a fine which may amount to 10,000 - marks, or one of these penalties to the exclusion of the other. - - The shops and establishments beforementioned which, as a - demonstration, shall close during the day of the 4th August will - remain closed for a considerable period of time. - - THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT, - VON KRAEWEL. - - _1st August, 1915._ - -The placard announcing these prohibitions forbade us to deck our houses -with flags! Flags, good God! Who then would have dreamed of flying -flags in commemoration of the rupture of an international pact! At the -most the people of Brussels had intended to wear in the buttonhole a -little "scrap of paper." But the wearing of emblems was forbidden. - -What the Germans did not think of forbidding was the little -demonstration of sympathy which they received on the evening of the -4th. In conformity with the order, all doors were closed at 20 hours -(9 o'clock German time). But in several of the popular quarters of -Brussels the inhabitants were no sooner indoors than the upper windows -were thrown open, and a deafening concert issued forth, in which -phonographs, alarm clocks, and saucepan-lids were predominant. The -patrols demanded the closing of the windows; but the people climbed on -the roofs to continue their _charivari_ there. The military commandant -was not pleased. It took him only five days to think of an appropriate -punishment. - - OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION. - - M. Maurice Lemonnier, acting burgomaster of the City of Brussels, - has just had posted the following communication:-- - - "_To the Inhabitants of the Rue de l'Escalier and the Rue du Dam_: - - "I place before you the translation of an extract from a letter - which I have just received from the German authorities. - - "I call your attention to the penalties announced against those - who shall contravene the measures ordained by the German Military - Government." - - BRUSSELS, _9th August, 1915_. - - _At the Sheriff's College, Brussels._ - - ... Even if I am willing to recognize that the Administration - of the City endeavoured, by means of its organs, to obtain the - application of the prescribed measures on the 4th of this month, - there yet remains the fact that in two streets isolated individuals - were guilty, in a demonstrative manner, of gross misconduct toward - the German patrols. - - It is to be regretted that it has not been possible to discover the - persons individually guilty; consequently nothing is left me to do - but to take measures against the streets in which the offences were - committed. - - Consequently I order the following as regards the two streets, Rue - de l'Escalier and Rue du Dam: - - From Monday, the 9th of this month, and for the space of fourteen - days, that is to say, until the 23rd of this month inclusively: - - A. All business houses and cafes will be closed after 7 o'clock in - the evening (German time). - - B. After 9 o'clock in the evening (German time) no one must be - found out of doors, in the street. After that time all windows - giving on the street must be closed. - - It is incumbent on the city to communicate the foregoing to the - inhabitants of these streets, to apply the aforementioned measures, - and to exercise a strict supervision in order that they may be - observed. - - Also I beg you to see that these streets are sufficiently lighted, - until 11 o'clock at night (German time). - - Moreover, I shall have these streets inspected by German patrols. - If on this occasion fresh offences are committed against the German - patrols, these latter will make use of their weapons. - - With my utmost consideration (Avec haute consideration distingue), - - (_Signed_) VON KRAEWEL, - _Governor of Brussels_. - -Our tyrants appeared greatly to fear popular demonstrations. The people -of Liege had planned to honour, on the 6th August, in the cemetery, -the soldiers who died for their country during the defence of the city -in August 1914. Immediately the Germans made public their restrictive -measures. - - CITY OF LIEGE. - - _To the Population._ - - Colonel von Soden, Commandant of the Fortress of Liege, has just - addressed to me the following letter (in translation):-- - - "In the course of the morning of Friday, the 6th August, - commemorative ceremonies will take place at the tombs of the - soldiers killed in combat. - - "I beg you to bring the foregoing to the notice of the population. - - "I particularly insist that, during the visit to the tombs, or in - case of participation in the military ceremonies, no demonstrative - manifestation of any kind must occur." - - LIEGE, _the 2nd August, 1915_. - - THE BURGOMASTER, - G. KLEYER. - - (_Posted at Liege._) - -The people of Liege retorted by putting their shops in mourning, and on -the 6th August it was an impressive spectacle to see the shop-windows -throughout the centre of Liege hung with deep violet. - - -_School Inspection by the Germans._ - -In the schools the children were for a long time able to sing _La -Brabanconne_ on the sly; but this was not to last. The German -authorities passed a decree against Germanophobe demonstrations in the -schools. - - ORDER. - - _Article First._ - - The members of the teaching staff, school managers and inspectors, - who, during the occupation, tolerate, favour, provoke, or organize - Germanophobe manifestations or secret practices will be punished by - imprisonment for a maximum term of one year. - - _Article Second._ - - The German authorities have the right to enter all classes and - rooms of all schools existing in Belgium, and to supervise the - teaching and all the manifestations of school life with a view to - preventing secret practices and intrigues directed against Germany. - - _Article Third._ - - Whosoever shall seek to oppose or prevent verifications and - inquiries relating to infractions mentioned in Article 1, or the - measures of supervision ordained by Article 2, is liable to a fine - of 10 to 1,500 marks or to a maximum imprisonment of six months. - - _Article Fourth._ - - The infractions provided against in Articles 1 and 3 shall be tried - by the military courts. - - BRUSSELS, _26th June, 1915_. - - DER GENERAL GOUVERNEUR IN BELGIEN, - FREIHERR VON BISSING, - _Generaloberst_. - -Our children will have to unlearn the national anthem, which, in the -present circumstances, is evidently Germanophobe; and the teachers of -history, too, must keep a watch upon their words. During the French -lesson there must be no more recitations of Andrieux' _Le Meunier -de Sans-Souci_. It may even be necessary to make deletions in the -Latin classics; for one can see the military tribunals inflicting -severe penalties on Tacitus, for even in his days _Gallos certare pro -libertate, Batavos, pro gloria, Germanos ad praedam_ (The Gauls fight -for liberty, the Batavians for glory, the Germans for pillage). Another -Latin author who would certainly be proscribed is Velleius Paterculus; -he states in his Roman History: _At illi_ (_Germani_), _quod nisi -expertus vix credat, in summa feritate versutissimi natumque mendacio -genus_ (The Germans ally an extreme ferocity to the greatest knavery; -they are a race born to lie; and one must have mingled with them to -believe this). Velleius Paterculus was a good observer. - - * * * * * - -The morality--or immorality--of this long series of broken engagements, -which might be indefinitely prolonged, has had the result that no one -can any longer put his trust in Germany. None the less does Germany -continue to make promises, and is even annoyed and irritated when one -doubts her word. Thus the Chancellor said, in a speech delivered to the -Reichstag on the 23rd May, 1915, at the time of the negotiations with -Italy:-- - -"Germany had given her word that the concessions offered [by Germany] -should be actually accorded [by Austria][43]; consequently there could -no longer be any reason for distrust." Italy, strong in the experience -acquired by Belgium, decided, on the other hand, that there was reason -for distrust from the moment Germany pledged her word; and accordingly -she broke off negotiations in order to declare war. - - -C.--Incitements to Disunion. - -_Divide et impera_ ("Divide in order to rule") is a maxim which has -largely inspired the Germans in their relations with the Belgians. They -therefore do their utmost to divide the nation from its King, to excite -the Belgians one against another, and finally to kindle discord between -our Allies and ourselves. - -We have just seen by what unjustifiable methods, after promising to -respect our patriotism, they proceeded systematically (as they do -all things) to thwart our sentiments of fidelity to our King and our -nationality. Not content with opposing--sometimes openly, sometimes -with hypocrisy--all our loyalist manifestations, they endeavour to -embroil us with our Sovereigns. - - -_Incitements to Disloyalty._ - -While they accuse the Belgian nation of having sold itself to the -Triple Entente, they hold the King personally responsible for this -"conspiracy." Having become the "valet" or the "slave" of England, the -Sovereign could not accept the friendly hand which the Kaiser tendered -him on two occasions--the 2nd and the 9th of August, 1914. - -At Antwerp the Germans alone appear to have heard the absurd -declaration, that he vowed to "die in the city with his last -soldiers." Then he betrays his army and "takes to flight, amid the -maledictions of his subjects," deserting them for those that seduced -him. - -Then we have him on the Yser, the melancholy king "abandoned by God." -He would ask nothing better than to conclude peace. But England holds -him still in her toils, and prevents him from accomplishing this -wise project. It is _Le Reveil_, that peculiarly truthful newspaper -of Duesseldorf, which reveals this sinister exploit of Albion. The -_Hamburger Nachrichten_ receives the same report from Brussels. - - KING ALBERT WISHES TO MAKE PEACE. - - HAMBURG, _14th November, 1914_. - - From Brussels the _Hamburger Nachrichten_ hears from a very - reliable source that the report is confirmed which states that - serious differences exist between Belgium and England--that is, - that all personal relations are interrupted between King Albert and - the British Staff. - - The King desires an understanding with Germany, which Great Britain - is endeavouring by all means to prevent. - - (_Vossische Zeitung_, 15th November, 1914.) - -The propagandist pamphlet _Luettich_ is less severe to our Sovereign, -since it invokes, as an extenuating circumstance, his "blindness, -which verges on stupidity." Incommensurable pride or imbecility--such -are the characteristics of King Albert! Do these paladins of tact and -delicacy show any greater respect for our Queen? Be sure they do not! -An article on King Albert and the Triple Entente, in the _Deutsche -Soldatenpost_ of the 10th October, 1914, a newspaper intended both for -the troops and the Belgian public, states: "From the outset the Queen -was initiated into the King's plans. She has not uttered a single word -of reproach for the horrible brutalities of which the principal victims -were innocent young German girls in Brussels and Antwerp." - -Well, we know that none of these "proofs" have shaken our fidelity. -Despite all prohibitions, despite all the fines imposed, thousands of -copies of the portraits of the King in the midst of his troops, and of -the Queen, our dear little Queen, tending the wounded, are sold every -day of the year. The patriotism of the Belgians is certainly incurable! - - -_The Walloons incited against the Flemings._ - -So the Germans sought a new device. As they could not cause disunion -between the people and the Sovereign, they tried to sow dissension -between the citizens themselves, by envenoming the problem of language -and reviving political rancour. - -At first they exploited, in the most virulent manner, the -Flemish-Walloon conflict. As in all countries in which several tongues -are spoken, there is naturally in Belgium a struggle between the -Flemings, who speak a Germanic language, and occupy the northern -portion of the country, and the Walloons, who speak a Latin tongue, -and occupy the southern provinces. But this conflict, however lively -it may have been, has never touched the foundations of our national -conscience, and we have always felt ourselves Belgians before -everything. - -At the outset, confesses Herr Kurd von Strantz, the Germans did not -realize what profit they might derive from the antagonism of races in -Belgium: an antagonism which they believed to be profound, but which -was only skin-deep. Since the month of August, however, they have been -trying to make up for lost time; they no longer lose a single occasion -to excite the Flemings against the Walloons, and in particular they -seek to make the latter believe that the Flemings already entertain -feelings of sympathy towards their executioners. - -Only two months after the occupation of the capital the Germans, -organizing their conquest, attempted to win over the Flemings -by feigning to espouse their grievances and by exploiting their -racial relationship, in order to divide them from their Walloon -fellow-citizens. Suddenly, in the official communiques, Flemish took -the place until then occupied by French, and the German newspapers -began to display a touching sympathy for their "Flemish brothers," -and for their country and their art. We did not even need to read the -article published by the _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_ on the 11th -December (which was seen by M. Paul Hymans), in order to divine, at the -root of these sudden and simultaneous manifestations, the orders issued -by the German official circles. - -For it was not thus during the first weeks of the occupation. Then -correspondence was permissible only in French and German: Flemish was -not tolerated. The official notices were printed in French and German -only. Then, on the 25th August, the Government placards appeared in -German, French, and Flemish. Finally, on the 1st October, Flemish had -the advantage of French. Although from the standpoint of Belgian law -the latter measure was legal in the Brussels district, the by-law -ordering the cinema-houses to publish their programmes in Flemish -as well as French was not so; very often the manager is innocent of -Flemish, and the Flemish programme is spelt in the most fantastic -manner. Absolutely illegal, too, is the by-law compelling shopkeepers -in Bruges and Ostend to replace their French shop-signs by signs -written in Flemish. Still more galling was the outcome of a certain -trial at Tongres. Some young men, Flemings and Walloons, were accused -of the same offence. They were inscribed on separate lists, according -to their origin. The Walloons were condemned to severer penalties than -those inflicted on the Flemings. One sees the double object here: to -mollify the Flemings and to make the Walloons suspicious of them. We -may compare this with the fact that the majority of the Flemish civil -prisoners have been repatriated, while the Walloons are still in -Germany. - -However, the daily task of insinuation and persuasion is undertaken -by the German press. In the first place it lays stress on the great -affinity of character, historical past, origin, and language between -the Germans and the Flemings (_Duess. Gen. Anz._, 4th December, 1914). -The Germans must humour the Flemings and make friends with them. One -reason why it would not do to treat Belgium more harshly (as had been -demanded) is that there is a racial relationship between a portion -of the population and that of Germany. There is no Belgian people -(_Voss. Zeit._, 1st March, 1915). Much is made of the distant echoes -of the linguistic quarrel (_Voss. Zeit._, 1st March, 1915; _K.Z._, -18th March, 1915; _Frankf. Zeit._, 24th March, 1915; Osswald, _Zur -Belgischen Frage_).--The ill-feeling of the Flemings toward the "purely -Walloon" Belgian Government must be fomented (_Frankf. Zeit._, 24th -March, 1915), and also their dislike of the Belgian press printed in -the French tongue, both Government and press having been long ago -won over to France and the hatred of Germany (_K.Z._, 15th November, -1915). _La Croix Rouge_ is published in three languages, Flemish -preceding even German, and the French occupying only the extreme right -of the sheet; each number contains only one _feuilleton_, and that is -a novel in Flemish. A little Flemish conversation manual--_Vlamischer -Sprachfuehrer_--is published in Duesseldorf for the use of Germans, -and of soldiers in particular. In order to compromise the Flemish, -the Germans pretend that well-known Flemings are already working -hand-in-hand with the German administration. It is even stated that a -pro-German group of young Flemings exists (_K.Z._, 18th March, 1915). -In verse translations, the _Dietsch_ or _duitsch_ of the Flemish poets -is rendered by "German," whereas these words signify simply the Flemish -or Dutch language (_Luettich_, p. 127; _Koeln. Volksz._, 25th January, -1915). Herr Karl Lamprecht, the well-known historian, who knew that his -translation was dishonest, was one of those who translated _dietsch_ -by "German" (_Die Woche_, No. 12, 1915). Better still, in the same -article Herr Lamprecht feigns to believe that by the expression _Noord -en Zuid_ Emmanuel Hiel intended to denote the Germans and the Flemings; -whereas he is speaking--and no confusion is possible--of the Dutch -(Noord-Nederlanders), and the Flemings (Zuid-Nederlanders). - -A short story by M. Maurice Sabbe was published in the _Berliner -Tageblatt_ on the 25th December, 1914, with an introduction which was -peculiarly compromising to the author's patriotic sentiments. His -extremely plain reply was as follows:-- - - HOW FRAEULEIN DAEMCHEN WAS BURIED. - - (_Reproduction prohibited._) - - By MAURICE SABBE, - - Professor of Germanic Languages at the Malines Athenaeum. - - (The sketch was preceded by a brief introduction, which we quote.) - - The sketch we publish here deserves particular attention. Maurice - Sabbe is a scholar and a Flemish writer of repute, who, during the - bombardment of Malines, fled into Holland. Sabbe knows Germany, - thanks to a long residence at Weimar, and the military situation - has not succeeded in destroying his feeling, which is exempt from - prejudice, for Germany and Germanism. He expresses his opinion with - sympathy in the lectures which he is delivering in Holland, and, - in the same spirit, he has addressed, through his translator, to - a German journal, the _Berliner Tageblatt_, this short story of - life in Malines, which describes an episode of the war: the first - contribution which, coming from Belgium and written by a Belgian - during the war, has been destined to find publication in Germany. - - THE EDITOR. - (_Berliner Tageblatt_, 25th December, 1914.) - - BUSSUM, _28th December, 1914_. - - SIR, - - I beg your hospitality for the following lines:-- - - In the November number (1914) of the review _Onze Eeuw_ I published - a literary version of an episode of the bombardment of Malines. - A Dutch writer, M. E. Meier, requested my permission for the - publication of a translation of this sketch in a German newspaper. - I granted it him without hesitation and even with a certain - pleasure. My narrative emphasized the kindness and magnanimity of - my countrymen towards their enemies, and, at a moment when the - German press was accusing every Belgian of being a franc-tireur, - I thought myself fortunate to be able to place a contrary example - beneath the eyes of the German public. - - I left the choice of newspaper to my translator, and the - translation appeared in the Christmas number of the _Berliner - Tageblatt_. - - But here the plot thickens. Unknown to me, the editors of the - _Berliner Tageblatt_ prefaced my story with a notice highly - compromising to me. It asserts, in short, that I have German - sympathies which the war has not succeeded in shaking, that I am - giving lectures in Holland in order to express these feelings, and - that I wrote my short story especially to be published in Germany! - - The last assertion is already contradicted by the fact that the - sketch in question is a translation of the text which appeared in - a French review two months ago. As for my sentiments, they are - what they have always been, those of a Belgian unshakably attached - to his unhappy country and his noble King. These, and no others, - are the feelings I have expressed in my lectures in Holland. My - numerous auditors can testify to this. - - You will give me a sensible pleasure, sir, by inserting this - letter, thus assisting me to avoid any misunderstanding. - - Accept, etc., - MAURICE SABBE. - -This is only a detail in the conflict we are sustaining against -invading Germany, but it is a very instructive detail, because it shows -that before accepting any assertion on the part of our oppressors we -must always ask ourselves how much of it is a lie. The same question -arises _a propos_ of a letter written by a Fleming living at Liege -and speaking "in the name of the Flemish population of Liege," which -aspires to live under the German domination. By the singularities of -his syntax and his orthography this Fleming from Liege can only be of -German origin (_Duess. Gen. Anz._, 11th February, 1915). - -Once there was even a kind word spoken for the Walloons, vindicating -the dignity of their dialects, which are by no means dependent on -the French. (It is true this bold assertion comes from Herr Kurd von -Strantz.) - - -_Inciting the People against the Belgian Government._ - -On the other hand, they hope to detach the Belgian people from its -Government. Especially during the siege of Antwerp did they heap -effort on effort of this kind. It was then greatly to their interest -to send as many troops as possible to the Western front (so says -Lieutenant-General Imhoff, in his introduction to Delbrueck's _Der -Deutsche Krieg in Feldpostbriefen_, pp. 11 to 13). Now hundreds -of thousands of their men were delayed in Belgium by the siege of -Antwerp. At all costs these had to be liberated in order to lengthen -the battle-front towards the north-west and the sea. Towards the -middle of September they did not hesitate for the third time to make -peace proposals to the Government--proposals which were rejected with -disdain, as were the previous ones (pp. 50-1). After this repeated -diplomatic failure they attempted trickery, a speciality in which -they shine to more advantage. As they could not succeed in directly -influencing the leaders of Belgian politics, they endeavoured to act -on them indirectly through the people. A newspaper was established, -_L'Echo de Bruxelles_, "for the general welfare," to which a certain -"Aristide" contributed. He professed to be an occasional correspondent, -although his articles were really the pretext for issuing the paper. - -In the first number he published a detestable letter in which he -called upon the Belgian Government at all costs to make peace with -Germany. This proceeding was so improper that the _N.R.C._ even, while -reprinting the letter, could not refrain from criticizing it harshly. -In No. 4, which appeared on the 4th October, 1914, and which was -entirely devoted to an attempt to cause mental anxiety in the people -of Brussels, he condemned as unpatriotic "the man who does not rise -up to cry to the people of Antwerp that they must cease from this -sanguinary, disastrous, and useless struggle for a cause which is not -ours." The same accusation was made against "those divisional Generals -whom the laurels of General Leman will not allow to sleep." "The -laurels of General Leman, great God!" he adds, and thereupon he moves -heaven and earth to prove the notorious insufficiency of the valiant -defender of Liege. No, he says, "the true and only heroes of this -melancholy war in Belgium are those who ... have proposed to treat with -Germany. These, Ministers and generals, have given proof of courage -and wisdom, exposing themselves to the vengeance of a mob over-excited -by a system of lies and delusions.... And the public will kick out -these French journalists and these hawkers of French journals who for -years have whispered hatred of neighbour against neighbour, the latter -being the best customer Belgium possessed." We have cited only the -more scandalous portions of this article, ignoring the merely ignoble -passages. - -While "Aristide" was endeavouring to influence the civil population, -aeroplanes were distributing to the Belgian troops in Antwerp -circulars, printed in French, and in another language which had a -certain resemblance to Flemish; and these strange handbills informed -the Belgian soldiers that they had been deceived by their officers and -by the authorities; that the Belgian army was fighting for the British -and the Russians, etc. - - DECLARATION. - - BRUSSELS, _1st October, 1914_. - - BELGIAN SOLDIERS, - - Your blood and your whole salvation, you are not giving them at - all to your beloved country; you are only serving the interest - of Russia, a country which desires only to increase its already - enormous power, and, above all, the interest of England, whose - perfidious avarice has given birth to this cruel and unheard-of - war. From the commencement your newspapers, paid from French and - English sources, have never ceased to deceive you, telling you - nothing but lies as to the causes of the war and the battles which - have followed, and this is still done every day. Consider one of - your army orders which affords fresh proof of this. This is what it - contains: - - "You have been told that your comrades who are prisoners in Germany - have been forced to march against Russia beside our soldiers." Yet - your common sense must tell you that this would be a measure quite - impossible to execute. When the day comes when your comrades who - are prisoners return from our country and tell you with how much - benevolence they have been treated, their words will make you blush - for what your newspapers, and your officers, have dared to tell - you, in order to deceive you in so incredible a manner. Every day - of resistance makes you sustain irreparable losses, while with the - capitulation of Antwerp you will be free from all anxiety. Belgian - soldiers, you have fought enough for the interests of the princes - of Russia, for those of the capitalists of perfidious Albion. Your - situation is one to despair of. Germany, who is fighting only for - her life, has destroyed two Russian armies. To-day no Russian is to - be found in our country. In France our troops are about to overcome - the last resistance. If you wish to rejoin your wives and children, - if you wish to return to your work, in a word, if you wish for - peace, put an end to this useless struggle, which is ending only - in your ruin. Then you will quickly enjoy all the benefits of a - favourable and perfect peace. - - VON BESELER, - _Commander-in-Chief of the Besieging Army_. - -When examples of this circular were brought to us in Brabant, we at -first thought it was a hoax. But we had to submit to the evidence; the -idea of this proclamation had really been conceived and executed by the -Germans. - -After the fall of Antwerp the campaign continued. Was it not necessary -to prevent the Belgians from going to join the Allies in the direction -of Flanders? With this end in view, the Germans attempted to throw -suspicion on the conduct of the Belgian military authorities at the -time of the taking of Antwerp. It was again the _Echo de Bruxelles_ -which was entrusted with the publication of the first false news. -Shortly after the accomplishment of this pleasant task, the _Echo de -Bruxelles_ disappeared for ever: doubtless it was no longer required. - -As for the defamatory libels which were uttered in November and -December, in order to incriminate the conduct of the civil authorities -of Antwerp, it is not yet known by whom they were instigated, worded, -and distributed; but we have a reasonable conviction that the Germans -were not unaware of them. In any case they did what they could to -profit by this disagreement, and they also did their best--in vain--to -revive the question when the Belgians, by common accord, had settled -their differences. - -But the Germans had not yet given up the idea of fomenting conflicts -among us. In an article entitled _Belgische Umstimmigkeiten_ (Change -of Temper in Belgium) the _Koelnische Zeitung_ of the 22nd November, -1914 (2nd morning edition) referred to a telegram from Berlin which -stated that news received from Breda (according to the _Berliner -Lokal-Anzeiger_) asserted that seven Belgian officers had deserted -and had there been interned. To verify this was very difficult, the -more so as in November 1914 no postal or telegraphic communication was -permitted between Belgium and Holland. The rest of the article informed -us that on the 5th November--a fortnight before their desertion--these -officers had received from King Albert the Cross of the Order of -Leopold: they had thus waited to desert until they had been made the -object of special distinction, which is at least peculiar. And then, -setting out from the Yser, they crossed the German lines to be interned -at Breda, in Northern Brabant. Strange! strange! And all this in order -to inform us that these officers, disheartened by the servile and -treacherous attitude of the King, refused again to send their men into -battle, for the sake of the English. - - -_Inciting the Belgians against the English._ - -It will be remarked that the English always receive a good share of the -venomous slime which the Germans, as M. Spitteler says, spit upon the -King, the Government, and the Belgian authorities. "England--there is -the enemy!" says the _Hassgesang Gegen England_--i.e. _Song of Hatred -of England_, the work of Herr Ernst Lissauer. - - _We love but with a single love, - We hate but with a single hate; - We have one foe, and one alone-- - England!_ - -It would be tedious to mention all the innumerable articles intended -to arouse in us a hatred of England. We may mention the opinion of -Dr. Hedin, reproduced on the placard of the 9th November, 1914; -the proclamation of Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, inserted, for -our edification, in _Le Reveil_ (29th October), as well as the -declaration imputed to the Flemish "poet" Cyrid Buysse (placard of -12th December, 1914). But these lovers of truth forgot to announce, -a few days later, that M. Buysse denied the truth of the German -declaration. A mere instance of forgetfulness, no doubt, unless the -Amsterdam-Copenhagen-Berlin-Brussels route, which was covered by the -so-called declaration, had suddenly grown too long for truth to travel -by. - - -D.--A Few Details of the Administration of Belgium. - -The preceding chapter has informed us how the Germans bore themselves -towards the inhabitants of the territory occupied in conformity -with--or rather in contravention of--Articles 42-56 of the Hague -Convention. Treachery and untruthfulness are the chief weapons -employed by our enemies. We need not return to the subject. We desire -now merely to refer to some details relating to the administration. -Details, we said; and in truth we shall consider neither the financial -administration of the country, nor its judicial administration, nor -its political administration, nor any of the other great cog-wheels -essential to the life of a nation. We shall confine ourselves to very -simple facts which any one can remark and understand. - - -(_a_) _Present Prosperity in Belgium._ - -There is nothing of which the Germans are more proud than their -talent--real or illusory--for organization. Accordingly they professed -their intention of re-establishing the normal state of affairs in -Belgium, in spite of the war, and they are always informing the whole -world that everything has resumed its regular course in our country. - - -_Assertions of the German Authorities._ - -Even in his inaugural proclamation (2nd September, 1914), von der -Goltz took the trouble of informing us that work was to be resumed. -But the Germans had placed such impediments in the way of inter-urban -relations that all activities were necessarily suspended. In October -he accorded "facilities of communication," as we were informed by -the announcement of the 15th, which meant that "circulation" was no -longer absolutely prohibited, and that he who had the means to obtain -a passport, and could spend a day or two in procuring it, would -thereafter be authorized to travel from Louvain to Malines, or from -Namur to Liege. As these measures, though so full of solicitude for the -general welfare, did not produce all the results that were expected of -them, the communal authorities were advised to refuse relief to the -unemployed (6th November, 1914). Nothing came of that advice! - -To the numerous obstacles already mentioned we must add one other: the -railway-workers and the artisans employed in many of the foundries -and workshops of Belgium were perfectly well aware that their labours -would principally benefit the Germans, so that by returning to their -workshops they would be committing an unpatriotic action. To overcome -this passive resistance the Germans multiplied their proclamations in -the industrial centres. It was wasted effort. - -In the meantime the Governor-General, in the vain hope of galvanizing -the labour organizations, sent to Germany for well-known Socialists, -who, under the pretext of having a chat with the leaders of the trades -unions, were really to inculcate the idea that it was their duty to -urge a resumption of work. The visits of the German Socialists have -been described by M. Dewinne, of Brussels, a militant worker, in the -Parisian journal _L'Humanite_. - -Infatuated as the Germans might be, they could hardly delude themselves -as to the failure of their attempts at subornation. This did not -prevent Baron von Bissing from issuing declarations dealing with the -situation which were truly touching in their sincerity. - - NEWS PUBLISHED BY THE GERMAN GENERAL GOVERNMENT. - - NORMAL SITUATION IN BELGIUM. - - VIENNA, _19th December_.--The Sofia correspondent of the _Neue - Freie Presse_ has had an interview with Field-Marshal von der - Goltz, who declared: "The situation in Belgium is entirely normal. - The Belgian population is acquiring the conviction that the Germans - are anything but cruel." - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - BERLIN, _15th December_.--To the correspondent of the _Hamburger - Korrespondent_, the new Governor-General in Belgium, General - Baron von Bissing, has made the following declarations: I wish to - maintain order and tranquillity in this country, which has become - the base of operations for our troops. Our army must know that - order prevails behind it, so that it may always give its attention - freely only to what lies before it. I hope also that I shall - succeed, hand in hand with the civil administration, in doing a - great deal for the economic situation. When the Emperor appointed - me Governor-General he charged me, with particular insistence, to - do everything to assist the weak in Belgium, and to encourage them. - - THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT IN BELGIUM. - - -_The Parasitical Exploitation of Belgium admitted by Germany._ - -But, you may ask, had not Germany other than military reasons for -wishing to revive the economic life of Belgium? A semi-official -article in the _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, which was brought -to our cognizance by the _Duesseldorfer General-Anzeiger_ of the 30th -December, 1914, informs us upon this point. The article emanates -from Governmental circles in Brussels, probably from the immediate -_entourage_ of the Governor-General. Its object is to reply to the -complaints formulated in Germany, according to which the authorities -deal too gently with the Belgians. Instead of trying to revive Belgian -industry, it would be better, say the critics, to crush it completely, -in order to suppress future competition: on the other hand, it is -claimed that the contribution of 480 million frs. is insufficient to -reduce us to impotence, and that we ought to have been more severely -"squeezed." The German Government in Belgium defends itself briskly -against the reproach of sentimentality; it asserts that it has never -allowed itself to be guided by an exaggerated mildness (and we are -ready to declare that on this point at least its assertions maybe -credited!). It would surely not be very intelligent, it protests, to -strangle outright a country so ill-directed. Would it not be preferable -to exploit Belgium scientifically, so as to make her yield as much as -possible? The argument amounts to this: do not let us kill the goose -that lays the golden eggs; but of course it is understood, although one -need not express it explicitly, that when it is no longer in condition -to lay, we shall not hesitate to cut its throat. - - -_The Tenfold Tax on Absentees._ - -Many Belgians have left the country. That is easily understood. Those -who were present at the massacres of Vise, Louvain, Dinant, Termonde -... hastened, in their terror, to abandon those haunts of horror. -Those who lived in the towns left intact, such as Brussels and Gand, -but who heard people talk of the massacres and the burnings, had also -only one idea: to fly before the arrival of the Germans. Even those -Belgians who did not leave at the outset eventually grew weary of the -insupportable vexations inflicted on us by the authorities. Others took -flight because they knew themselves to be threatened with imprisonment. -Moreover, many of those who had means had prudently retired to foreign -countries, to the great fury of the Germans; there was no way of -getting at these "bad patriots," as it seems a German-Swiss journal -called them (_K.Z._, 11th February, 1915); no way of forcing them -to pay war-taxes. Moreover, it was these _emigres_ who should have -kept alive the industries _de luxe_; finally, they were conspiring -together abroad, and rendering services to the Belgian Government at -Havre. If only they could be forced to return! Our enemies accepted -with enthusiasm an unlucky proposal--made by certain communal -administrations and immediately withdrawn by them--that the absent -persons should be subjected to a special tax, equal to ten times the -personal tax. The communal councils which conceived the idea of this -tax immediately realized its illegality, but Baron von Bissing seized -the occasion which this afforded him of persecuting the _emigres_. He -published, on the 16th January, a special decree on the subject of -the "additional extraordinary tax upon absentees" (_Belg. All._). It -may be remarked that the tax touches only those who possess a certain -competence. - -Here are two facts which show how far life was normal in Belgium in the -spring of 1915, and how far the Belgian workers were delighted to place -themselves at the service of Germany. - - -_Railway Traffic in Belgium._ - -(_a_) An article in the _Duesseldorfer General-Anzeiger_ of the 19th -April, 1915 (morning), asserts that the traffic on the Belgian railways -is beginning to revive; indeed, says the writer, there are thirty-eight -trains daily leaving the Gare du Nord in Brussels. He exaggerates -slightly. Six weeks later, when traffic had become more active, a -table, dated the 30th May, 1915, which appeared in the "Belgian" -newspaper _L'Information_, gave the movements of trains in the Gare du -Nord and Gare du Midi of Brussels for the month of June. We find that -only thirty-four departures are given for the two stations. Thirty-four -trains in June 1915--and in June 1914 there were 292. Compare the -figures. - - -_Trouble with the Artisans of Luttre._ - -(_b_) The insufficiency of the number of trains is in reality one of -the things that most embarrasses the German authorities (see _Frank. -Zeit._, 16th January, 1915, first morning edition). In and about the -railway workshops, for example, on the sidings at Luttre, there are -hundreds of locomotives out of repair and waiting for attention. But -the workers employed in these shops do not intend to work for the -Germans. In vain do the latter protest that engines repaired by the -Belgians shall be employed only for Belgian traffic. What guarantee -have they that the locomotives will not serve to transport German -troops, or munitions intended to kill our brothers? Is it not a matter -of public notoriety that a contract is merely a scrap of paper? - -To enable the workers to resist the solicitations of the Germans the -necessary relief has been distributed for the maintenance of their -families. The Germans know very well that it is this money which -prevents them from subduing the workers to their will. They therefore -proceed with the utmost severity against the persons whose duty it is -to distribute the relief. Early in April 1915 they imprisoned thirty -of the notables of Luttre, Nivelles, and the neighbourhood, whom -they accused of assisting the working staff of the Luttre workshops. -A German official declared that the prisoners had been arrested -neither by the civil authority nor the military, and that they would -not proceed to trial. At the same time the administrations of the -communes neighbouring upon Luttre were forced to display a proclamation -requiring the men to resume work. Among the promises made to those who -should resume work was one that the prisoners should be liberated. -So thirty notables were thrown into prison, and kept there, in order -to force Belgian artisans to work for the Germans! When it was found -that in spite of everything the men would not return to the shops, the -prisoners were sentenced to undergo various punishments, the maximum -term of imprisonment being three months. As for the recalcitrant -workers, many were sent to Germany, where they were treated in the most -inhuman fashion. - - -_Traffic Suppressed at Malines._ - -At the construction shops of Malines the Germans went a different way -to work. There again workers were needed to repair railway material. -Three hundred were called for. As they did not present themselves their -addresses were obtained, and one fine morning soldiers called at their -houses and _manu militari_ led them to the shops. But there the men -folded their arms and persisted in doing nothing. The Germans had to -let them go. - -How to obtain their submission? The Germans threatened to suppress -all traffic in Malines. A singular fashion of punishing workless men -who refuse to betray their country, especially after declaring that -the only "guilty" persons were those who had organized the collective -refusal to work! (_La Belgique_, 9th June, 1915). But, in accordance -with the juridical principle that "the innocent must suffer with the -guilty," our enemies punished the market-gardeners of the Malines -district and prevented them from sending their cabbages and rhubarb and -peas and asparagus to market. - -After the lapse of some days the Governor-General removed the -prohibition. But he did not wish it to seem that he had repented of his -decision, however unreasonable the latter might be, so to keep himself -in countenance he posted up a statement that a sufficient number of -workers had resumed work (placard of 10th June, 1915). However, the -Baron von Bissing cannot have been ignorant of the fact that none of -the strikers of the Malines workshops had returned; the only workers -whom the Germans had been able to recruit were some unemployed persons -from Lierre, Boom, and Duffel, who had never set foot in the shops -before. As they could not be employed in the manufacture of railway -material, they were made to dig trenches in the direction of Wavre-Ste -Catherine and Duffel. - -The workers whom the soldiers led to the shops by force related that -their escort begged them not to resume work, because they would then -be obliged to leave Malines and to go to the Yser, a prospect which -inspired them with the keenest terror. - - -(_b_) _The Germans' Talent for Organization._ - -"The industrial and commercial prosperity" which Belgium is at present -enjoying is, of course, due to the Germans' incontestable spirit of -organization. "This sense of discipline and order, which the foreigner -calls militarism" (_Voss. Zeit._, 12th February, 1915, morning), has -enabled the officers of the reserve to accomplish such wonderful things -that Herr Oswald F. Schuette, correspondent of the _Chicago Daily News_ -(see _K.Z._, 6th May, 1915, first morning edition) can scarcely find -the words to describe them. "We understand," adds the same journalist, -"that the Government at Havre does not look with a favourable eye upon -the success with which the German administration has once more made -life worth living in Belgium." - -They are certainly something to be wondered at, the officers who are -administering our country. Would you have proof? The Belgian officials -of the Bridges and Highways Department refused to obey the Germans, -so that the latter appointed their engineer officers to direct the -work of repairing roads. But the work was naturally carried out by -Belgian contractors. On macadamized roads the breaking of stones, which -formerly cost from 18 to 22 centimes per square metre (about 2d. per -square yard), now costs 60 to 65 centimes. Good business, you will say, -for the contractors and their men. But no!--the difference goes into -the pockets of the officers. - - -_Conflict between Authorities._ - -This method of procedure naturally results in conflicts between the -various administrations. We have already related (p. 157) that the -city of Brussels was condemned to pay a fine of half a million francs -because the civilians and the soldiers were in disagreement. Muddles -of this kind testify to something quite different from a brilliant -talent for organization, which the Germans would have us believe is the -distinguishing mark of their administration. - - -_Suppression of the Bureau of Free Assessment._ - -In order to give the impression that they alone are capable of -re-starting the economic machine in Belgium, the Germans begin by -dislocating the existing machinery. Thus, a group of advocates and -surveyors created a bureau for the gratuitous assessment of the damage -caused by the war to real estate. This body was working to the general -satisfaction, when suddenly, in March 1915, the Germans decided to -take its place. Now observe their methods. The applicant who wishes -the damage suffered by his property to be estimated has to begin by -paying a provisional deposit, after which he finds that the costs of -the assessment have to be paid out of his own pocket. What this really -comes to is this: the Germans, having burned a house and reduced its -owner to poverty, demand that the latter shall pay in advance for the -evaluation of the damage done. - - -_The Belgian Red Cross Committee Suppressed._ - -Another example of the suppression of a body working in a normal -manner. As soon as they occupied Brussels the Germans began to meddle -in the doings of the Directing Committee of the Red Cross Society, -and appointed a delegate to the Society. They then tried to force -the Red Cross to exceed its duties, which were clearly specified -by the international convention known as the _Convention for the -Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the -Field_. Neither in the text of the Convention of 1869, nor in that -of the Convention of 1906, is there any question of other patients -than soldiers wounded during hostilities. Doubtless it is a matter -for praise if the Red Cross of each country should extend its action -to needs existing in time of peace; in Belgium, for example, the Red -Cross has organized ambulances in the International Exhibitions. But -it is none the less true that its essential mission, and the only -mission foreseen by the International Convention, is to ameliorate the -condition of soldiers who are victims of warfare. It was therefore an -abuse of the Red Cross to impose other aims upon it; to compel it, -for example, to organize "the relief and support of women by means -of labour." The Red Cross of Belgium decided, with abundant reason, -that it could not in time of war assume novel functions, nor, above -all, could it set apart for the same sums of money which were largely -derived from private subscriptions entrusted to it for the succour of -the wounded; it therefore refused to involve itself. After lengthy -negotiations the Governor-General suspended the Belgian managing -committee from its functions, and seized the funds. - -We should mention that the Central Administration of the Red Cross, -sitting in Geneva, decided that the Brussels Committee was in the right. - -Attempting to justify their illegal attitude, the German authorities -established a special journal, _La Croix Rouge, Bulletin officiel de la -Croix Rouge de Belgique_, printed in Flemish, French, and German. This -journal continues to pretend that the Belgian Committee was legally -dissolved, as it would not "assist the people in the present melancholy -situation." - -In vain did the Germans endeavour to put the world off the scent -as to their intentions. They knew perfectly well that the National -Committee of Relief and Alimentation patronized and subsidized -without distinction all the benevolent undertakings which applied to -it (p. 176). The real aim of our enemies is to supplant the National -Committee. This committee is a private institution in which they have -no voice, which greatly annoys them; at most they can endeavour to -make it believed that the revictualling of Belgium is effected with -their assistance. But this, as may be supposed, is not enough for them; -their real aim, their unavowed object, is to obtain entire control of -the National Committee, in order to exercise there also their talent -for organization--or, more precisely, their talent for peculation. -The 40,000,000 frs. per month does not sate their appetite. What an -indefinite perspective of fleshpots could they only lay hands on the -revictualling of Belgium! - -The whole affair of the Red Cross was conducted with annoying -duplicity--annoying even to us, who nevertheless were beginning to -grow accustomed to their campaign of lies. For months there were -negotiations between the Belgium Managing Committee and the German -authorities, represented by the Graf von Hatzfeld-Trachenberg. At each -interview the latter brought forth fresh demands on the part of the -Governor-General, but he always added that he was acting reluctantly, -and that in his opinion the demands were unjustified; only, of course, -he had to obey. (This is, by the way, the classic procedure. Whenever a -German commits a dirty action he entrenches himself behind discipline.) -These lame discussions lasted until the 16th April, 1915; upon a final -refusal on the part of the Belgian Committee to exceed its proper -functions, Graf von Hatzfeld-Trachenberg gave orders for the decree of -dissolution to be read. - - -(_c_) _The Belgian Attitude toward the Germans._ - -Our enemies spread the report that the relations between occupants and -inhabitants were greatly improving, and that the Belgians had abandoned -their provocative attitude, which was so unpleasant at the outset of -the war. They also asserted that by the end of October the people -at Antwerp had ceased to display any antipathy towards them (_Koeln. -Volksz._, 30th October, 1914, morning edition).[44] But, in truth, they -flattered themselves when they stated that the Belgium people regarded -them with glances full of hatred. Hatred? No; merely glances full of -disdain, when by chance one could not do otherwise than gaze at them; -but, as a rule, the Belgians turn their eyes away, as they turn their -backs upon German music. - -At Liege, in Brussels and Antwerp, and at Malines, when an officer -addresses a Belgian the latter pretends not to hear (_N.R.C._, 20th -October, 1914, morning edition), or simply states that he has not -time to speak to the other; or he replies in Flemish; or else, having -affected to listen to him with all the marks of the most exquisite -politeness, he leaves the German standing still without replying a -word. The ladies more often reply, but it is only to beg the Germans -not to speak to them. The officer who asks his way is almost certain to -be sent in a contrary direction; while he who climbs on the platform of -a tram finds that all the passengers immediately turn their backs upon -him; and this rotation is executed with the regularity and precision -of a reflex movement. The officer who begs a a passer-by to lend him -his cigar that he may obtain a light, sees the other disgustedly -throw away the cigar which an enemy has touched. The child whom an -officer condescends to caress pushes away his hand with an indignant -expression, and makes the ugliest grimace he knows of. In short, they -are the objects of universal detestation. - -Perhaps it will be said that this attitude is peculiar to the towns -which have been little or not at all affected by the war. But no! In -localities which were largely burned down, such as Aerschot, Eppeghem, -Dinant, and Louvain, the population behaves in a manner even more -characteristic. At Dinant the children sing at the tops of their voices -a _Marseillaise_ with new words, expressly anti-German, in which a good -deal is said about pigs. At Louvain some officers who used to amuse -themselves with a phonograph which reproduced the record of the song -_Gloria, Vittoria_, had to give up using it in June 1915, because the -passers-by accompanied the refrains with other words: _Gloria, Italia_. -At Eppeghem and Aerschot the children play at soldiers, with Belgian -police bonnets on their heads, yelling _La Brabanconne_. One would say -the sight of those calcined ruins, far from intimidating the Belgians, -as the butchers had hoped, only whets their rebellious spirits, and -that the certainty of final success has completely effaced, in the soul -of the people, the memory of the terrors experienced at the time of the -burnings and killings. - -Not only is the Belgian population far from fraternizing with them, -as they try to make the world believe, but it neglects no opportunity -of proving that it is animated by very different feelings. It must be -confessed that when we openly wear the Belgian or American colours it -is with a double object: to advertise our attachment to our country, -or our gratitude to America, and also to make the Germans furious. The -little celluloid portraits of the King and Queen which one wears in the -buttonhole serve the same purposes. After the Germans had imprisoned -M. Max in a German prison many people displayed his portrait. This was -extremely disagreeable to our enemies (_Koeln. Volksz._, 30th September, -1914, morning edition); but precisely for that reason people persisted -in wearing the little medallion until the German police demanded its -forcible removal. - -When the Governor-General, in the interviews which he granted the -correspondents of the _N.A.Z._ and the _Berliner Tageblatt_, pretended -to regard the wearing of the Belgian or American colours as a piece of -childish mischief, he was simply trying to put them off the scent, for -he of all people had no illusions as to the significance of the ribbons -which the Belgians are wearing in their buttonholes. This significance -was as follows: The Germans pretend (1) that their armies are -victorious and will remain so; (2) that they will be able to dictate -their terms, and will annex Belgium; (3) that this will be easy, as -the Belgians are already abandoning their provocative attitude, and -are beginning to fraternize with their persecutors. For the moment we -cannot reply publicly to lies 1 and 2; as to 3, any Belgian who wears -a little rosette tacitly proclaims that he does not wish to be taken -for a craven, and that his anti-German feelings have lost none of their -keenness. - -Other Germans try to deceive their compatriots as to the feeling of the -Belgians for their oppressors. Here is what Herr Walter Nissen says, -the Bruxelles correspondent of the _Duess. Gen.-Anz._ (23rd July, 1915): - - "Opinion in Belgium is daily becoming more conciliatory. Belgium - may, for the moment, be compared with a woman who is beginning to - love despite herself, and who, through pride and vexation, says - 'No!' as loudly as possible, for fear anyone should see what is - happening to her. But one does see it, despite the ribbons of the - national colours--indeed precisely on that account." - -Is this incurable blindness? Is it an ineradicable spirit of falsehood? -Does Herr Nissen really doubt the sincerity of our anti-German -manifestations? During the months he has lived in our midst he must -have discovered that we do, systematically, everything we can to -displease the Germans, until they issue decrees of prohibition. - -Here is a last trait which can leave no one in doubt as to the feelings -of the Belgians. In March 1915 the German authorities organized a -concert in the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. There were only three -known Belgians present, among them a professor of the University of -Brussels. The University showed its disapproval by sending him to -Coventry. - - -(_d_) _Behaviour of the German Administration._ - -The preceding pages have already informed the reader that the Germans -have not accustomed us to look for either gentleness or sincerity. But -hitherto we have not insisted on their administrative procedure, which -nevertheless deserves examination. - -But first let us picture to ourselves the mental condition of the -Belgians since August 1914. Cut off from all intellectual relations -with foreign countries, we receive independent newspapers only in -secret, at the peril of our liberty, or even of our lives. Every -day, on the other hand, the newspapers, mutilated by the censorship, -printing only the news--often false--which is favourable to the -Germans, are instilling their slow poison into our brains. No -matter: the people still repulse all attempts to foment disunion and -demoralization; they pull their belts a little tighter rather than -go to work for the enemy; they continue, to the last, to display our -colours; in short, they have retained, unshaken and unshakable, their -faith in our just cause and the final victory. - -The German newspapers are full of admiring articles describing the -firmness of mind evinced by the German people, for they, too, consent -to certain privations to ensure the success of their arms. Wonderful! -The German people are unfailingly encouraged by their newspapers, -their pastors and priests, their schoolmasters and professors, and by -lectures and innumerable pamphlets. Everything that might cause their -resolution to falter is carefully concealed from them. They are, -moreover, accustomed to hold no other opinions than those which are -officially presented to them. To falter, under these circumstances, -would be almost incomprehensible. But in our country, on the other -hand, everything is done to exhaust us, to dishearten us. The least -success of the German arms becomes the "final crushing" of the enemy; -the executions of Belgians who have aided their country are immediately -advertised on every hand; and, finally, we are prevented, by every -imaginable means, from spreading good news or preaching confidence. -That in spite of all the Belgian should retain his tranquillity of mind -and even his good humour is almost unbelievable, but it is true. - -Here, then, is a population which is systematically refused the -least item of comforting information, but which, on the other hand, -is treated prodigally to everything of a nature to demoralize it; -a population which, in order not to sink into despair, has to -make an effort every moment of the day; a country in which it is -strictly forbidden to do anything to encourage those who may suffer -from a temporary depression, or to sustain and reassure those who -feel themselves threatened. Is it not obvious that such pitiful -psychologists as the Germans will resort to intimidation to reduce this -population to their mercy? Everything is magnified into an offence, -and all offences are punished by the heaviest penalties; the Germans -even going so far as to threaten with death him who spreads "false -news"--that is to say, who communicates news to his fellow-citizens -which is displeasing to the Germans. - - -_The Appeal to Informers._ - -The placards already cited show amply the diversity of the offences -which may be committed, and the punishments which may be inflicted. But -we must not forget those notices which order the inhabitants, often on -pain of death, to inform against those persons who possess arms; to -denounce those who are _believed_ to be strangers to the commune; and -those _suspected_ of acting in a manner contrary to the orders of the -German authorities. - -Here are some of these notices: - - DETENTION OF ARMS. - - The communal administration forwards the following document:-- - - _Important Warning._ - - It has come to my knowledge that the inhabitants of the country are - still hiding arms and munitions in their houses. - - Those who still have arms in their possession (whether firearms, - bows, cross-bows, arquebuses, or knives and swords of any - description) will not be punished in any way if the arms and - munitions are deposited by the 15th December (noon precisely German - time) at the house of the burgomaster of the commune, to be handed - over to the military commandant. - - After the date indicated all persons found in possession of arms - or munitions will be shot. An account also will be demanded of the - burgomasters concerned, and also of all the inhabitants of the - houses or farms in which arms or munitions are found, as well as - the neighbours of the guilty persons. - - The death penalty will be imposed on all who learn of the existence - of arms or munitions without warning the burgomaster of their - commune, who must warn the military commandant. - - The present decree forms the last appeal to the population to - surrender their arms, and once the 15th December is past the - severest action will be taken. - - The burgomasters are personally responsible for ensuring that this - warning receives the widest publication. - - They are required to deposit with the nearest military authority - not later than the 15th December (at six o'clock in the evening, - German time) the arms and munitions that shall be delivered to them. - - THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. - - THIELT, 5/xii/14. - - (_Le Bien Public, 11th December, 1914._) - - BY ORDER OF THE MILITARY AUTHORITY. - - The inhabitants of Dieghem are strictly forbidden to assemble in - groups. - - Moreover, the inhabitants are required to bring to the Secretariat, - Chaussee d'Haecht 48, those persons whom they believe to be - strangers to the commune, in order to verify their identity. - - THE BURGOMASTER, - G. DE CONNICK. - - (_Posted at Dieghem, October 1914._) - - ON THE ORDER OF THE GERMAN MILITARY AUTHORITY. - - The Commissary of the Arrondissement of Verviers calls the - attention of the communal administrations and the inhabitants of - his jurisdiction to the following regulations:-- - - The severest penalties will be inflicted upon offenders: whosoever - shall damage the roads, telephones, or telegraphs will be HANGED. - The same penalty will be inflicted on every person in whose house - arms, ammunitions, and explosives shall be found. The house in - which these objects are discovered will be destroyed by fire, and - all the men encountered on the premises will be HANGED. - - Rigorous penalties will be inflicted on localities in which roads, - telephones, and telegraphs shall be damaged. - -For their own safety the inhabitants of communes are invited to make -known to the commandants of _etapes_ those persons suspected of -disobeying the present order or of opposing the measures taken. - -On the other hand, those communes which remain tranquil, and in which -this order is strictly obeyed, will enjoy the full protection of the -German Government. - - VON ROSENBERG, - _Colonel commanding the 29th Brigade_. - - VERVIERS, _22nd August, 1914_. - -Those who are _believed_ to be strangers; those who are _suspected_ of -acting contrary to orders ... it is a regime of organized suspicion, -a reign of terror, informing erected into a governmental process. - -The most abominable thing which the Germans have conceived in this -respect is that they encourage the denunciation of militia-men by -their fathers, mothers, wives, or sisters. It is a principle admitted -by all civilized nations--and also, no doubt, by Germany--that the -Courts definitely abstain from evoking a conflict between the paternal -and maternal instinct and the duty owed to justice. It is considered -that it would be revoltingly inhuman to force a father or mother -to bear witness against a son. Sophocles, in the _Antigone_, ranks -this prejudice among "the immutable laws, unwritten, which are from -all eternity." Now, in Belgium, when a young man leaves his family -to rejoin the Belgian army, the German authorities enjoin upon his -parents, his brother, or his sister, the duty of denouncing the absent -man; in other words, his father or his mother--yes, we said his -mother--must deliver up the son because he is doing his duty toward -his country (notice of the 9th April, 1915). And the Germans are not -content with threats. If the Germans forget their promises, at least -they scrupulously carry their threats into execution. At Hasselt they -imprisoned a woman whose son had rejoined the Belgian army (p. 152). At -Namur they have on many occasions punished the parents of soldiers who -had not committed the crime of denouncing them. And not content with -inflicting these disgraceful penalties--disgraceful to those who impose -them--they have forced _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ to give publicity to these -sentences, to the number of ten or more. Here are the details of one -sentence: - - According to Sec. 3, No. 2, of the Imperial decree of the 28th - December, 1893, concerning the extraordinary proceedings of the - Council of War for foreigners, the Governor of the fortified - position and the province of Namur has pronounced a deprivation of - liberty against the following Belgian subjects: the farmer, Felix - Duquet, of Jemeppe, two months; his wife, Victoire Duquet, _nee_ - Swain, one month. They had harboured their son, Clement Duquet, - Belgian soldier, who had lost his regiment, for several months, - instead of notifying him to the German authority; by so doing they - acted in contravention of the proclamation of the Government of - Namur, dated 19th September, 1914. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 8-9th July, 1915.) - -Assuredly for the Germans the word "humanity" is void of meaning; they -have replaced it by "Germanity." No doubt they regard maternal love -among the Belgians as being of an essence so inferior that they need -not take it into account. Yet in order not to wound the sensibilities -of their own soldiers, nor those of their "brothers by race," the -Flemings, they omitted any mention of mothers in the German and Flemish -texts of their notice of the 4th April. As we have already stated, -they feel that they need not observe towards the feelings of the -Belgians--and above all of the Walloons--the same consideration as is -shown towards those of the Germans. - - -_German Espionage._ - -Informing cannot exist without espionage. Now we know that the -Germans are past masters in this art. Every one of our towns has -been favoured by a swarm of spies, male and female. In the streets, -on the promenades, in the cafes, in the trams[45]--everywhere one is -conscious of the invisible inspection of secret agents. Woe to him who -utters aloud an opinion unfavourable to Germany, or complains of a too -outrageous placard or announcement, or criticizes a passing officer or -any one connected with Germany, or abuses the German army: immediately -a lady or gentleman hails a German soldier, and the offender is taken -to the _Kommandantur_. And when a Belgian enters the _Kommandantur_ -he does not know when he will come out again; there he awaits, -sometimes for several days, his turn to be interrogated; and after that -imprisonment is certain. Not, of course, that he is always condemned; -it sometimes happens that the offence has not been proved; but even -so, "his hash is settled," for while he has been waiting his turn his -house has been searched, and where is the house that does not contain -some letter from a son or a brother who is a soldier? Prohibited -correspondence! Sentenced! - - -_Agents-provocateurs or "Traps."_ - -A close espionage surrounds those who undertake the carrying of -letters or the introduction of newspapers. In this case the spies -work principally by means of "traps"--_agents-provocateurs_. A -spy introduces himself to the person suspected of dealing with -correspondence; he pretends he has a letter to send or receive. If the -suspect listens to him, a picket of soldiers and policemen arrives -on the following day to make a search. Other spies will speak in the -street to a seller of newspapers; they will ask for a French or English -journal, and scarcely has the vendor taken the forbidden journal from -his pocket than a hand falls upon his collar. - -It is also by means of "traps" that the Germans catch those who enable -our militia to escape from the country. A young man, of the proper age, -goes in search of the suspected person, and by means of false papers -passes himself off for a patriot who wants to take his place at the -front. Arrangements being made, the spy departs; but a skilfully set -trap enables him to catch a whole group of young fellows. It matters -little to our cause, however, since for every one arrested hundreds -cross into Holland every week. Many Belgians devote themselves to this -patriotic task, though they well know that in case of failure they -will be sent into Germany or shot. It should be said that their most -active helpers are the soldiers of the Landsturm, the guardians of -the frontiers, who, according to an established tariff, for the sake -of alcohol or money, close their eyes as our militia-men cross the -frontier. - -One step further along the path of the informer, the spy, and the -"trap," and we come to means whose ignominy is such that even the -Germans themselves are forced to admit their dishonesty. - -Thus, at Liege most of the letter-boxes on the house-doors are closed -by means of nails. Why? At the end of 1914 many citizens of Liege used -to receive _Le Courrier de la Meuse_, a newspaper edited and printed at -Maestricht by Belgian refugees. There was no great mystery about its -distribution; the paper was simply slipped into the letter-box. But -the German agents spied on the vendors, and having done so, searched -the houses at which the newspaper was delivered. The subscriber, of -course, was condemned to pay a fine. Did part of this go to the spy? -It is probable; in any case it was not long before the spies were -importing _Le Courrier de la Meuse_ in order themselves to place it in -the letter-boxes of well-to-do houses. A search conducted immediately -revealed the prohibited article, and, in spite of the indignant -denials of the victim, the fine was inflicted. - -At Ferrieres, near Jemelle, worse than this was done. A German priest -pretended that the cure of Ferrieres had repeated, before a witness, -a private conversation held some hours earlier. Moreover, he wanted -to garble the conversation. The abbe's action was repugnant in such a -degree that even Baron von Bissing himself was a little uneasy about -the matter, and revoked the punishment awarded to the Belgian. - -While the mission of the spies and _agents-provocateurs_--including -the _abbes-provocateurs_ or ecclesiastical "traps"--was to procure the -condemnation to various penalties of as many Belgians as possible, -other "agents" in the pay of Germany commenced a vast inquiry, in -order to prove, in the face of the evidence itself, the crimes of the -"francs-tireurs." Well!--in spite of all the manoeuvres of spies and -_provocateurs_ and the inquirers themselves, in spite of the personal -rancour which impelled a few rare Belgians to become the accomplices -of the Germans, and to denounce, in a spirit of vengeance, certain of -their fellow-citizens, never did the Germans succeed in mentioning a -single name, not one single name, of a Belgian civilian accused of -having fired upon the German troops. We say expressly "accused," and -not "convicted," to show that nowhere, in village or provincial town, -although petty rivalry is so acute, and although informers, even though -anonymous, would have been welcomed with joy by the Germans, nowhere -was any one found to assert that a Belgian civilian had fired on the -German troops. No, it was so improbable, so manifestly false, that not -even the most miserable of wretches would have dreamed of formulating -such a calumny. - -The Germans wanted to make us believe that anonymous letters were -pouring in upon them, but that they, as upright administrators, refused -to follow up these accusations (Declaration, 4th May, 1915). Obviously -a lie. We know them capable of themselves fabricating these anonymous -accusations, simply to cause the Belgians mental uneasiness, and to -give rise to mutual suspicion. This is yet another attempt to cause -dissension. - -For the rest, they have since then admitted that they have invited -denunciation. Worse than this: denunciation is enough to procure -condemnation; it is not necessary for the offence to be proved. - - NOTICE. - - Cases are increasingly frequent in which letters are sent to - Belgian soldiers at the front by means of intermediaries. - - I remind the public that this is strictly prohibited. Any person - denounced to the German authorities for such action will be - subjected to a severe penalty. - - THE GOVERNOR OF THE FORTIFIED POSITION - AND THE PROVINCE OF NAMUR. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 13th June, 1915.) - -We should never come to an end were we to mention all the tricks and -shifts that enter into their methods of administration. We will confine -ourselves to relating one or two more. - -According to the Hague Convention, the functionaries of an occupied -territory who remain at their posts must declare that they will -undertake nothing, and will refrain from everything, that may be -contrary to the interests of the occupier. Note two essential points: -it is only the _officials_ who are required to sign this agreement, and -they undertake to _refrain_ from anything that may be hurtful to the -occupier. - -Now in January 1915 the German administration of Namur wished to force -the entire male population of the canton of Eghezee between the ages of -eighteen and forty to sign the following declaration:-- - - "I the undersigned promise, conformably with the Hague Convention - of the 18th October, 1907, to continue scrupulously and loyally - the fulfilment of my functions, to undertake nothing against the - interests of the German Empire, and I promise to prevent all that - might be injurious thereto." - -In certain communes the inhabitants, meaning well and imperfectly -informed as to their rights and duties, signed this declaration, which -is an improper one, as it was required of all the inhabitants, and not -only of the officials; moreover, it made the signatories promise to -_prevent_ what was injurious to the Germans, not merely to _refrain_ -from it. Up to a certain point, therefore, all the inhabitants were -obliged to place themselves at the service of the German authorities. -Some burgomasters refused to allow the document to be signed as it -stood. They added, on their own authority, the following sentence:-- - - "With the reservation of being able to respond freely to the appeal - of the Belgian Government if the latter comes to resume possession - of the country at present occupied by the German armies." - -The Germans did not accept this addition; they proposed a new form of -words:-- - - "I the undersigned promise, conformably with the provisions of the - Hague Convention of 18th October, 1907, to continue scrupulously - and faithfully in the performance of my functions, to undertake - nothing against the interests of the German Empire, to refrain from - all that might injure it." - -In many villages the people again refused to sign. Men between 18 and -40 years of age cannot promise to continue in the performance of -functions which they have never fulfilled. What did the Germans do? -They forced all the male inhabitants of the recalcitrant communes to -present themselves daily at Eghezee, the chief town of the canton. -But eventually they realized that it was iniquitous to make these men -lose half their day every day simply because they, the Germans, were -demanding an absolutely illegal thing. So the daily muster at Eghezee -was abandoned. - -The German administration falsely invoked the Hague Convention of -1907 in addressing the peasants, who doubtless did not even know the -Convention by name, and it tried twice over to take advantage of -their good faith. It is not surprising that the inhabitants of the -province of Namur should have become suspicious, so that they would not -willingly put their names to any paper presented by the Germans. In May -it was only after long negotiations and threats that the young men of -Rhisnes and Emines signed their identification cards, which, according -to the Germans, "imposed no engagement on the signatory." We have not -ourselves seen the wording of this card, so we cannot speak as to its -tenor; but it is curious that the Germans should be so insistent upon -the signing of a card having so little significance. - -They also wished to impose, on the civic guard of Rhisnes and Emines, -the engagement that they would no longer bear arms against Germany. -More than half the men refused, and were sent as prisoners of war to -Germany. - - Monday, 3rd May, in the morning, sixty-nine Belgian militia-men - of the communes of Rhisnes and Emines were arrested because they - refused to sign their identification cards, which contained - nothing else than the information as to their persons necessary - to complete such a document. They were taken to the prison of the - fortress. On 6th May they were questioned a second time, and, - having all without exception signed, they were immediately released. - - Tuesday, 4th May, 107 members of the civic guard at Rhisnes were - arrested because they refused to sign the declaration that they - would not bear arms against Germany and her Allies during this war. - In the course of the same day forty-nine signed the declaration and - were released. The other fifty-eight maintained their refusal, and - were transported to Germany as prisoners of war on Tuesday evening. - - Wednesday, the 5th May, eighty members of the civic guard of Emines - and Warisoulx were arrested for the same reason; forty signed the - declaration and were released. The rest were transported to Germany - on the evening of the 6th May as prisoners of war. - - Similarly on the 5th May, in the afternoon, 170 men, part being - members of the civic guard and part militia-men of the communes - of Taviers, Dhuy, St.-Germain, Hemptinne, Villers-lez-Heest, - and Bovesse, were arrested because they refused to sign their - identification cards. The Government hopes that these men will - reflect and hear reason, and that they will submit spontaneously to - this measure, which serves only for purposes of registration, so - that they may be released. - - It is expressly added that the signature of the identification - cards imposes no engagement on the signatory; these cards contain - only information as to identity, and all the Belgian militia-men, - as well as the members of the civic guard, have been several times - informed upon this point. - - (_Communicated._) - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 7th and 8th May, 1915.) - -Let us look into this case. - -In the first place, there never was a civic guard at Rhisnes nor at -Emines, so that it is absolutely fraudulent to give this title to all -the male adult inhabitants; and since they have not been civic guards -they have never borne arms against Germany, and cannot therefore engage -to cease doing so. Here again appears the German duplicity in all its -beauty. The men of Rhisnes and Emines assure us that the paper said -"no longer bear arms against Germany." The Germans have imposed a -communique upon _L'Ami de l'Ordre_ which gives another version--"not to -bear arms." - -But in the communique provided by the German authorities and published -in _La Belgique_ on the 5th June, our enemies recognize that the -document said "no longer bear arms." However, a German communique is -never entirely truthful; and this one forms no exception to the rule. -Conforming to the truth in this respect, it departs from it in another. -It says, in effect, that the men of Rhisnes "regarded themselves as -still belonging to the Belgian Army." What absurdity! They refused to -sign precisely because the Germans wished to make them say that they -did belong to the Army! - -In August and September 1914 the Germans were sending Belgians into -Germany as civil prisoners; in May 1915 they were sending them as -prisoners of war. The difference is important, since the Hague -Convention states that the cost of maintenance of war prisoners falls -upon their country of origin, but that it is not speaking of civil -prisoners. This is why the civilians of Rhisnes and Emines went -to Germany as prisoners of war, as did the cure and the vicar of -Cortemarck (p. 72). - -We have already cited (p. 233) one case of premeditated abuse of a -signature. Here is another: In October 1914 the German authorities of -Mont St.-Guibert (between Ottignies and Trembloux) had the following -placard posted:-- - - NOTICE. - - 1. All the male inhabitants of the commune aged from 18 to 45 - years, rich or poor, must present themselves to-morrow, Tuesday, - morning, the 6th October, at 7 o'clock in the morning (Belgium - time) at the railway booking-office. - - 2. These inhabitants can no longer change their place of residence; - their names have been given to the military authorities. - - Those who do not carry out this order, who seek to escape, will be - made prisoners and will render themselves liable to be shot. The - families of offenders will be taken as prisoners and their property - destroyed. - - 3. English, French, or Russians who are in the locality must be - delivered to the military authorities. The same with Belgians - having belonged to the Army who are deserters or have been - prisoners. Offenders will be punished by death. - - 4. Fire-arms of all kinds which are still in possession of the - inhabitants must be deposited immediately with the commandant - of the railway-station. Those who are discovered to be still in - possession of these arms, after the publication of this notice, - will be shot. - - 5. Assemblies for roll-call will be held from time to time. The day - and hour will be given in advance. - - 6. Umbrellas and sticks are forbidden at the station. Men must not - present themselves in a state of drunkenness. - - Mont St.-Guibert, 5th October, 1914. - The Burgomaster, - E. WAUTIER. - - The Commandant of the Railway-station, - HAMICH, _Sergeant_. - -This placard threatens penalties, even shooting, for the failure to -attend at the railway-station; moreover, the offender's family is of -course held responsible. So far it is commonplace enough. We will say -nothing as to the grade of officer who thus disposes of the lives -of citizens--he is a sergeant; but we know that the humblest German -soldier possesses every right. What does rather surpass the usual level -German administrative procedure is the fact that the burgomaster, whose -name figures at the bottom of the placard, knew nothing of the latter -until it was posted. The sergeant had used his name without deigning -to consult him. - -To give a complete idea of the administrative methods employed by the -Germans against our country, it will be as well rapidly to describe how -they behaved in a certain locality immediately after proceeding against -the "francs-tireurs." Hitherto we have dealt only with places where -they did not have to carry out "reprisals." We will now select Andenne, -on account of the particularly savage character of the "repression" -which drenched this unhappy town with blood and fire. Here are the -facts in their tragic sequence:-- - -The German patrol which penetrated into the town on the 19th August, -1914, went straight to the house of the communal receiver and seized -the funds: 2,232 frs. - -On the following day the bulk of the troops arrived. That evening, -between 6 and 9 p.m., a very sharp fusillade broke out. Immediately the -civilians were accused of having fired, and the troops began to shoot -down the inhabitants and burn the houses. - -On the following morning--the 21st August--all the inhabitants not yet -shot were driven into the Place des Tilleuls. The men were herded on -one side, the women on the other. From time to time Major Scheunemann, -who commanded the operations, had a few men shot, sometimes before the -whole population, sometimes a little apart. During the morning the -soldiers dragged the corpse of the burgomaster, Dr. Camus, into the -Place. As soon as Major Scheunemann learned of the death of the first -magistrate, he appointed as burgomaster M. de Jaer, who was one of -the group of persons waiting their turn to be shot. From that moment -the order was given to kill no more; they contented themselves with -sack and pillage. There were then 300 houses burned at Andenne and at -Seilles, and 300 inhabitants were shot (_11th Report_). - -We will confine ourselves, as regards the events which followed the -burning and the massacre, to reprinting the placard posted at Andenne -during the first ten days of the occupation:-- - - INHABITANTS OF ANDENNE. - - By order of the German military authority occupying the town of - Andenne:-- - - All the men are held as hostages. - - Per shot fired on the German troops, there will be _at least_ two - hostages shot. - - The hostages will be fed by the women, who will carry them the - necessaries close to the bridge at 6 in the evening and 8 in the - morning. - - Women are strictly forbidden to converse with the hostages. - - All the streets and public places will immediately be cleaned by - all the women of the town, on pain of immediate arrest. - - It is strictly forbidden to move about the town after 7 in the - evening and before 7 in the morning, on pain of severe repression. - - The dead will immediately be buried without any formality. - - Young people over 14 and the women must give their assistance in - every case of requisition. - - It is strictly forbidden to show oneself at the windows. - - By order of the German military authority, - The Burgomaster Designate, - E. DE JAER. - - The Secretary, - MONRIQUE. - _Andenne, the 31st August, 1914._ - - PROCLAMATION.[46] - - On the 20th August of this year there was firing from numerous - houses of the town of Andenne on the German troops who were passing - through the town; bombs also were thrown. It is certain that the - first outbreak of firing occurred, according to a certain plan, at - precisely the same time in several streets: in the Rue Brun, the - Rue de l'Hotel de Ville, the Place des Tilleuls, and several other - streets. A number of soldiers have been killed or wounded and war - material damaged. - - After denying the first attacks, there was again firing from many - houses for several hours, and again on the 21st August, at two - o'clock in the afternoon, an under-officer was killed by a shot - from one of the houses in the Rue de l'Hotel de Ville. - - Those guilty inhabitants who have hitherto been found have been - shot by the Council of War, but it was not possible to find the - persons who arranged the plot. - - We appeal, however, to the honour of the City of Andenne, which - appears in the eyes of the civilized world as a nest of murderers - and bandits. - - Perhaps it is possible to restore the honour of this town; this - is why the inhabitants are invited, in their own interest, to - communicate to the military authority all that may make it possible - to make progress in revealing the plot and its authors. - - He who delivers proofs capable [of revealing, etc.] receives - according to their value a reward of 500-1000 frs. - - The measures which have been taken will or might be sooner - mitigated as soon as inquiry shall have made progress to make known - the guilty. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE CITY. - - _Andenne, the 22nd August, 1914._ - - _Andenne, Sunday, 23rd August, 1914._ - - OFFICIAL NOTICE. - - Between Saarburg and Metz there has been a great battle. The German - troops have made 21,000 French prisoners. - - Long live His Majesty the Emperor of Germany, King of Prussia and - Margrave of Brandenburg! - - SCHEUNEMANN, - - Major and Chief of Department. - - OFFICIAL NOTICE. - - The revictualling of the population will be effected by the - efforts of the Military Administration, assisted by the Civil - Administration of Andenne constituted by the German Government, as - far as possible. - - 1. In this connection, the sale of provisions and commodities is - strictly forbidden. - - 2. Householders are advised to report at once the quantity of - their provisions. Commodities will be taken for cash or redeemable - voucher. - - 3. It would be in the interest of the population to announce - exactly the quantity of their provisions. - - 4. Provisions not exceeding two days for the family need not be - reported. - - 5. All the available forces of the commune are in the care of the - Administration for the harvest. - - Properties abandoned will be harvested as the rest. - - THE COMMANDANT OF THE TOWN OF ANDENNE. - - _27th August, 1914._ - - PROCLAMATION. - - I have confidence in the Administration and in the population, - that now each will be careful to obey as strictly as possible the - orders of the Kommandantur in order to soften as far as possible - the misfortune caused by the criminal deeds of a few inhabitants. - - This is why I object to all that prevents the free circulation of - the inhabitants. I trust that none of the inhabitants of Andenne - and Seilles will make use of their liberty save for the prosperity - of the commune. - - The Administrations of Andenne and Seilles are working with me day - and night to bring about a settled state of affairs. - - All questions of revictualling and welfare must be addressed - directly to the Administrations of Andenne and Seilles, which have - also the power to require the inhabitants to work. - - The German Army displays the greatest severity and energy if it is - perfidiously attacked by the inhabitants, but it sincerely desires - to use justice and humanity towards the people, if the conduct of - the inhabitants permit. - - Der Kommandant, - SCHULTZE, - Hauptmann. - - _Andenne, 25th August, 1914._ - - TO THE INHABITANTS OF ANDENNE. - - We call the attention of the population to the proclamation which - the Military Commandant has just handed to us on leaving. - - I am leaving this town in the expectation that it will perform, - as during the last few days, and also in the future, all that may - ensure orderly conduct towards the German Army. - - I hand over the new bridge to the town for its use, and require - it to be responsible for its safety and to maintain it in good - condition. - - For the present a small garrison will remain here, which will be - fed and lodged by the town. - - If all energies are permanently directed upon the prosperity of the - town of Andenne and Seilles these localities will soon be cured of - the grave wounds which the war has inflicted upon these communes, - by their own fault. - - SCHULTZE, - Hauptmann. - - _Andenne, 28th August, 1914._ - - We are profiting by this occasion to congratulate and to thank the - inhabitants of Andenne for the admirable manner in which they have - behaved, during these latter days, and we urge them strongly to - assist the Communal Administration to repair as far possible the - great misfortunes which we have experienced. - - The Burgomaster delegated by - the Military Authority, - E. DE JAER. - - The Secretary, - MONRIQUE. - - _Andenne, 28th August, 1914._ - - PROCLAMATION.[47] - - 1. From _Saturday, 29th August, 1914_, midday, all the clocks must - be set to the German time (one hour earlier). - - 2. Assemblies of more than three persons are strictly forbidden - _under penalty of fines_. - - 3. To move about after 8 p.m. the authorization of M. le Commandant - is required. - - 4. Arms must be deposited with the guard _at the Casino, by noon on - the 29th inst_. - - Where arms are still found in the houses after this date, the - householder will be hanged. - -5. The German troops requiring absolute tranquillity, workmen can -return to work at once. Tho least revolt on the part of the inhabitants -will result in the complete burning of the town, and the men will be -hanged. - - SIMONS, - Lieut.-Col. and Commander-in-Chief. - - _Becker_, - _Captain and Commander-in-Chief._ - - -DEAR FELLOW-CITIZENS, - -We are happy to announce to you that the military authority will show -the greatest goodwill towards us if, as we doubt not, the worthy -population of Andenne continues to remain perfectly quiet, to labour -with courage, and to obey authority with docility, _as it has done_ up -to the present, for which we thank it. - -At a military fete, at which the military authority expressly invited -us to be present, all the troops, including the officers--in our -presence, and before many of the notables of Andenne, and Dean Cartiaux -in particular--repeatedly shouted "Hurrah for Andenne!" - -In the name of all of you, much affected, we expressed our thanks. - -Dear friends, have confidence in us; we are working with all our souls -for the safety of Andenne. - -We have assured the military authority that the soldiers might be -perfectly at ease in our midst, that none of us would wish to commit -the least aggression--that, on the contrary, we shall all treat the -Germany Army with _complete loyalty_. We have been responsible for -you. In return, we ask you only one thing: it is, to continue to do -what you have done until to-day, and, if, by some impossible chance, -there should be among us an ill-conditioned person who might be capable -of compromising honest people, point him out to us; for our worthy -fellow-citizens must not be responsible for the crimes of a scoundrel. - -Let the German Army be sure that the communal administration will with -the utmost promptness hand over to it any one guilty of an act of -ill-will, whoever he may be. - -Dear fellow-citizens, patience and courage to support privation. Be -easy in your minds; we are with you. - - The Burgomaster delegated by - the Military Authority, - - DR. LEDOYEN, E. DE JAER, - - Councillor Lahaye. - - The Secretary, - - MONRIQUE, - - _Andenne, 30th August, 1914_. - -PROCLAMATION. - -I am under the impression that the greater portion of the inhabitants -desire tranquillity, therefore I invite them not to leave the town. - -Before employing violent means, I shall make a strict inquiry to -discover the guilty persons in case a revolt should break out. - -I therefore expect of the population of Andenne that it will do -everything to ensure that no German soldier shall be molested otherwise -I shall be forced to act in accordance with the measures of my first -proclamation. - - BECKER, - Captain, L.I.R. 29, and Commandant-in-Chief. - -One word as to these placards. - -_Placard of the 21st August._--The men are all regarded as hostages; -the women have to feed them; they also have to clean up the town. - -_Placard of the 22nd August._--The military authorities declare, on the -22nd of August, that Andenne, where the "attacks of francs-tireurs" -were repressed during the night of the 20th and the morning of the -21st, is already regarded by the whole civilized world as "a nest of -murderers and bandits." It offers a reward of 500 to 1000 frs. to any -one who will denounce the author of the plot. It also promises, to -excite the zeal of the informers, that the severe measures in force -will be mitigated as soon as the leaders are discovered. (No one was -denounced.) - -_1st Placard of the 23rd August._--This announces the great victory -between Sarrebourg and Metz: 21,000 French prisoners were taken. (An -attempt to demoralize the population.) Note that the Wolff Agency -reported only 10,000 prisoners; where did Major Scheunemann find the -other 11,000? - -_2nd Placard of the 23rd August._--The Germans are attending to the -revictualling of Andenne. (In reality the people of Andenne were -starving.) - -_Placard of the 25th August._--The German administration is strict, but -just. (The people of Andenne had noticed the severity.) - -_1st Placard of the 28th August._--Once again the inhabitants are urged -to remain calm, and are congratulated on their good conduct. (The -burgomaster was forced to countersign this proclamation. Had he seen it -first?) - -_2nd Placard of the 28th August._--The German time is made compulsory. -Assemblies of more than three persons are prohibited. If arms are found -in a house their owner will be hanged. At the least disturbance, the -complete burning of the town and the hanging of the men. - -_1st Placard of the 30th August._--The German troops, having pillaged -Andenne and shot down its inhabitants, now shout "Hurrah for Andenne!" -Then a fresh appeal to informers. - -_2nd Placard of the 30th August._--The German authorities now promise -to make an inquiry if there is another revolt. (This inquiry would have -been a novelty.) - - -E.--Ferocity. - -We may be brief, for the cruel character of _Kultur_ is so obvious, and -appears so plainly from the documents cited, that it would be idle to -insist upon it. - -If it were necessary to justify our aversion, we need only remark that -the cruelties recorded were systematically premeditated. Do not the -_Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege_ (_Usages of War on Land according to the -Great General Staff_) state that the observation of these usages is not -"guaranteed by any sanction other than the fear of reprisals," and that -the officer, the child of his age, carried away by the moral tendencies -which affect his country, must protect himself "against exaggerated -humanitarian ideas," and must realize that "the only true humanity -often resides in the unmitigated employment of these severities?" If -such principles are professed by the highest authorities, the German -soldier will not shrink from any degree of violence; for he knows that -wickedness will not merely provide him with amusement; it will also -help to achieve the final aim of warfare. - -So that the officer shall be in no danger of forgetting the spirit in -which he should conceive his relations with the enemy population, he -carries some such aid to memory as the _Tornister-Woerterbuch_. If he -has letters or proclamations to draft, he has recourse to _L'Interprete -Militaire_ of Captain von Scharfenort, professor and librarian at the -Academy of War in Berlin. M. Waxweiler (in _La Belgique Neutre et -Loyale_, p. 265) has already drawn attention to the cruel and odious -character of this _vade-mecum_, so we will not enlarge upon it. It was -after consulting _L'Interprete Militaire_ that a certain placard posted -in Belgium in the August of 1914 was drafted. It gives no details as -to the "lugubrious cruelties"; it applies both to towns and villages; -it speaks of the "mayor" instead of the "burgomaster"; it is neither -dated nor signed; in short, it presents all the characteristics of an -"emergency placard," drafted beforehand. - - PROCLAMATION. - - We are not making war upon citizens, but only on the enemy army. - - In spite of this, the German troops have been attacked in great - number by persons who do not belong to the army. They have - committed _acts of the most lugubrious cruelty_ not only against - combatants, but also against our wounded and our doctors who are - under the protection of the Red Cross. To prevent these brutalities - I order that which follows: - - 1. Any person who does not belong to the army and who is found arms - in hand, will be shot instantly. He will be regarded as outside the - laws of nations. - - 2. All arms, rifles, pistols, Brownings, sabres, daggers, etc., - and all explosive material, must be delivered immediately by the - mayors of every village or town to the commander of the German - troops; if a single weapon is found, no matter in what house, or if - any act has been committed against our troops, our transports, our - telegraph lines, our railways, etc., or if any one gives asylum to - _francs-tireurs_; the guilty persons and the hostages who will be - taken in each village will be shot without pity. Besides this, the - inhabitants of the villages, etc., in question will be driven out. - The villages and towns even will be demolished and burned. If this - happens on the road of communication between two villages or two - towns, the inhabitants of the two villages will be treated in the - same manner. - - I expect the mayors and populations will be able, by their prudent - supervision and conduct, to ensure the safety of our troops as well - as their own. - - In the contrary case, the measures indicated above will come into - force. - - Signed: THE GENERAL COMMANDING-IN-CHIEF. - - (No name.) - -The appeal to brutality comes from above. In 1900 the whole world -shuddered at the advice which Wilhelm II gave the expeditionary corps -setting out for China. "Follow the example of the Huns," cried the -Kaiser. Why, then, do the Germans profess to be annoyed when compared -to-day with the soldiers of Attila--or when their motto is spelt _Gott -mit Huns_? - -A German lieutenant, whose military note-book we have had before us, -does full justice to his companions. After the massacre and burning -of Ottignies on the 20th August, 1914, he wrote as follows (we -translate):-- - - The inhabitants were in the square, under a guard of soldiers. - Several men were condemned by the Council of War and at once put - to death. The women, dressed in black, as in a solemn procession, - then departed. Among those who had just fallen, how many innocent - were shot! The village has been literally sacked: the "blond brute" - has shown himself for what he is. The Huns and the freebooters of - the Middle Ages could not have done better. The houses are burning - now, and when the action of the fire is not enough we raze what - remains standing. - -Very suggestive too is the placard of the 26th April, 1915, in which -Baron von Bissing informs us that according to Mr. Fox, an American -journalist, the Germans have committed no useless "cruelties." Then -there are useful cruelties? Really the Governor-General, who seems to -know his subject, ought to publish a table differentiating the various -qualities of cruelty. - -But a thing that does surprise us is that the virus of cruelty should -already have contaminated civilians--I mean the Catholic members of the -Reichstag. Herr Erzberger, the same who asserted, and who perhaps is -asserting still, that the Belgians invaded Germany on the 2nd August, -wrote what are perhaps the most coldly ferocious words imaginable: -"_Above all, no sentimentality!_" (_N.R.C._, 6th February, 1916, -evening edition). - -Such advice bore fruit, as we shall discover when we come to -examine, in succession, the physical and moral tortures in which -our executioners delight. But first let us cite a few examples of -_aggravations_. By that we mean acts of malice which do not endanger -the life or reason of the victims, but which reveal, perhaps the more -clearly for that, the desire to torment. - - -1. AGGRAVATIONS. - -A general remark occurs to us at once: it is that the Germans have -failed in their object. For instead of exasperating us to the point -of forcing us to commit some imprudence, which they would have been -obliged to repress, they simply made sure of our profound contempt. To -tell the truth, each fresh persecution makes us furious for a day; but -the sense of irony soon regains the upper hand, and then we have only -one anxiety: to make their latest form of vexation ridiculous by all -the means in our power. - -Nothing better shows the contrast between the German mentality and the -Belgian than the manner in which we have obeyed the decree concerning -the German time. - -After only a week's occupation the inhabitants of Andenne were obliged -to set their clocks to the German time. At Namur, too, this was -required from the 31st August. Elsewhere the German time was enforced -only at a much later date, and only in respect of the clocks in cafes. -Many cabaret-keepers merely stopped their clocks; others had fitted a -second small hand, an hour in retard of the first; others wrote beneath -the clock "German Time," or even "This clock is an hour fast." In the -window of a Brussels watchmaker, in the midst of many clocks which -indicated more or less precisely the German time, was one which was -specially labelled "Correct Time"--and that one told, of course, the -Belgian time. In short, every one did what he could to avoid letting -his customers regard the German time as the true time. And really, if -one has adopted, as is the case in Germany and in Belgium, the system -of hourly segments, it is obvious that Belgium ought to form part of -the segment of Western Europe, not part of that of Eastern Europe. It -is, therefore, solely in a spirit of aggravation that Germany forces -her time upon us; and she is fully aware of this, as her public -notices are always careful to speak of "German time," not of "Central -European time." - - -_Treatment inflicted upon Belgian Ladies._ - -What do you think of the additional suffering inflicted on ladies -condemned to several weeks' imprisonment for having conveyed letters -from Belgian soldiers to the parents of those soldiers, or for speaking -a little too boldly before an officer, or for some other crime of a -like nature? It is a delicate idea to shut them up in common with half -a score of other prisoners, in a room containing no convenience but a -pail furnished with a cover. They are lucky if the company does not -include some very dubious characters. - - * * * * * - -We need not insist: these are aggravations, not serious at bottom, but -their irritating nature can only be fully appreciated when one suffers -them daily, or hears them described by friends or relatives who have -been their victims. - -After the examples of collective and impersonal malfeasance dictated by -some high officer desirous of justifying the fair fame of _Kultur_, we -will take those cases in which the personality of the author clearly -reveals itself, and, let us say at once, in which this personality -instantly excites the disgust and indignation of all merely civilized -persons. - -The Germans reached Capelle-au-Bois on the 30th August. But on the -31st they were repulsed by Belgian troops. On the 4th September they -returned in force and forced back the Belgians; not without difficulty, -however, for they had many killed, of whom nineteen were buried at -Capelle-au-Bois. With the Belgian troops as they withdrew went all the -inhabitants of the village, leaving behind them only a few helpless -old people. In this all but empty village, where no one was left to -offer them the least resistance, the Germans hastened to kill several -inhabitants--four, it is believed. Then, under the orders of Captain -von Puttkammer, the strong-boxes were broken open, the objects of value -packed and sent to Germany, and the wines carried to the bank of the -canal and into the houses occupied by the officers. On the evening -of the 4th September the troops set fire to the village. Thanks to -incendiary pastilles and benzine pumps, the fire spread rapidly; 235 -houses were burned of the three hundred which formed the heart of the -village. So far all was as usual; but here is the characteristic fact. -The better to enjoy the spectacle the troops spent the evening on the -bank of the canal; there they organized a little orgie, over eight -hundred empty bottles being afterwards discovered. - -At the same period the Germans established a few miles further to the -west, at Londerzeel, pillaged and then burned the house of the notary, -M. Van Hover. They had tried in vain to open the safe, so, furious -at their failure, they poured benzine into it and set fire to it, -procuring at least the satisfaction of knowing that all the papers -would be reduced to ashes. - -What are we to think of the officer who, lodging in the house of a cure -in the province of Antwerp, found it amusing to tear pages from the -books which formed his host's library, or to gum them together, so that -in seeking to separate them the owner himself would tear them? Note -that it was no clown who devised this kindly pastime, for he took care -to choose, in the Latin books, the pages bearing the most important -passages.[48] - - -_Filthy Amusements._ - -Others preferred to defile things. When in August and September 1914 we -were told that the Germans were amusing themselves by depositing ordure -in their beds we refused to believe in such perversion. But a walk -through Eppeghem, Sempst, and Weerde was enough to enlighten us. Not -only had they emptied all the houses, rich or poor; not only had they -taken the trouble to smash into quite small pieces all the glass and -crockery they could not carry away; not only, in the grocers' shops, -had they delighted themselves by mixing snuff with the butter, and -tacks with the cloves, and pepper with the flour, but all the bedding -bore the malodorous traces of their visit. - -Let it not be imagined that this mania of beastliness is peculiar to -the common soldiers. The officers who spent the night of the 19th -August, 1915, at Cortenburg, between Louvain and Brussels, were -infected by the same _Kultur_. In a certain house they carefully laid -the table in the dining-room, without forgetting the serviettes, -and then deposited a souvenir on every plate. In another house -in Cortenburg they chose, as a receptacle, the tall hat of the -householder. In the chateau of Malderen (Brabant), having taken all -that pleased them and broken the rest into small pieces, they opened a -card-table, deposited their excrement there, and carefully closed it -again. - -Another manifestation of the scatological mania: Many hundreds of -German Army surgeons met in congress during the Easter holidays of -1915, in Brussels. On the last day of the congress, Wednesday, the 7th -April, a banquet was held, on the premises of the Palais de Justice. -On the Thursday morning it was discovered that the surgeons had left -souvenirs behind them; they had evacuated the surplus of food and -liquor consumed by the three natural orifices, and had chosen for their -purpose the most beautiful halls of the Palais. Frankly, we should not -have expected this from the doctors; it is true, however, that they -were German military doctors. - -A man amuses himself as he can--or, to put it more plainly, according -to his mentality. After all, these beastly habits, disgusting as they -are, are not those whose results are most disagreeable. - -There are others who seek violent contrasts. Thus, at Houtem, while -the church was burning, on the 13th September, 1914, a military band -was playing its liveliest selections at a few yards' distance. At -Monceau-sur-Sambre, on the 22nd August, officers were playing the piano -in the chateau of the demoiselles Bourriez, on the Trazegnies road, -when the soldiers had already lit the upper floors. At Louvain, on the -25th August, 1914, in a cafe near the railway-station, soldiers set -fire to the upper floor without warning the proprietor, and remained -below, where they kept a mechanical piano going. They were thus able to -enjoy the despairing expressions of the inmates when they discovered -that they could no longer hope to save anything. - - -2. PHYSICAL TORTURES. - -We shall not here refer to the innumerable cases of torture cited -in the Reports of the Commission of Inquiry, nor those reported in -Nothomb's _La Belgique Martyre_. We will confine ourselves to facts of -which we have personal knowledge. The Germans will, of course, seek to -deny them. So it is as well to begin by a declaration of their own. -_Vorwaerts_, on the 23rd August, 1914 (the very day on which the chief -atrocities were committed in the Dinant district), protested against -the proposal made by a German officer, not to kill francs-tireurs -outright, but to wound them mortally and leave them to die slowly in -agony, while forbidding any one to go to their assistance. What to our -mind is even graver than the proposition itself is the fact that the -_Deutsches Offizierblatt_ accepted it as quite a natural thing. - - It is clear that where they are proved, the cruelties committed by - our enemies must be denounced, and that everything must be done to - prevent their repetition. However, we must not allow the recital - of these cruelties to force us to resort to a sort of policy of - retaliation, or lead us to wash out what others have done with - innocent blood. - - What are we to say when we find an organ like the _Deutsches - Offizierblatt_ expressing its sympathy for the following - proposition: The "brutes" captured as francs-tireurs should not be - shot outright, but should be fired upon and left to their fate, all - succour being prevented? What again are we to say when it is added - that the destruction, in reprisal, of whole localities even does - not represent "a sufficient vengeance for the bones of a single - Pomeranian grenadier assassinated"? These are the imaginings of - bloodthirsty fanatics, and we are ashamed to perceive that men - capable of speaking thus exist in our nation. Such expressions, - even if they are not carried into action, are truly of a nature to - place our struggle in an unfavourable light all the world over. - - (_Vorwaerts_, 23rd August, 1914.) - - -_The Fate of the Valkenaers Family._ - -One of the most horrible tragedies of this war was the massacre of -the Valkenaers family, at Thildonck, on the 26th August, 1914, while -Louvain was burning. Because they had not prevented the Belgian -soldiers from utilizing their farms as points of support, the members -of the two Valkenaers households were shot down in cold blood. Of these -fourteen unfortunate people three were grievously wounded and seven -killed. The better to amuse themselves, the Germans forced the elder of -the young girls to wave a sort of flag. - -During the preceding night (that of the 25th August), in Louvain, they -had savagely mangled the corpse of a young woman. - -On the afternoon of the 25th, being still in the immediate -neighbourhood, at Bueken, they had seized the cure and cut off his nose -and ears before giving him the _coup de grace_ (p. 238). At the same -time began the torture of the cure of Pont-Brule, to end only on the -26th. - -At Elewijt, on the 27th, they amused themselves by amputating the hands -of four men--the three brothers Van der Aa and Francois Salu. - -A little further to the east the first German troops who had passed -through Schaffen, near Diest, on the 13th or 14th August, had there -tortured the blacksmith Broeden. All day long he had laboured, shoeing -the horses of the enemy's cavalry. Early in the evening he repaired to -the church, with the sacristan, with the object of saving some precious -articles which had not been placed in security. He was surprised by the -soldiery and seized. Successively the Germans broke his wrists, his -arms, and his legs; perhaps he suffered yet other tortures. When he was -practically lifeless the soldiers asked him whether he thought that he -would in future be capable of undertaking any kind of labour. On his -replying, in an almost inaudible voice, that he did not, they declared -that in that case he ought not to continue to live. Immediately they -threw him, head first, into a ditch dug for the purpose; then the ditch -was filled, leaving his feet protruding. - - * * * * * - -In other parts of the country also the most varied tortures. At -Spontin, near Dinant, on the 23rd August, 1914, they pierced the cure -and the burgomaster with bayonet-wounds until death ensued; but first -they had bound each man with a strong cord, drawn violently tight round -the waist by the combined efforts of two soldiers. It must be supposed -that the officer who presided over the "severities" at Spontin had -quite a special affection for cords, for having taken alive some 120 -inhabitants of the place (the rest were killed, shot down while they -were trying to escape), he had them all tied together by the wrists and -conveyed them towards Dorinn; but many were shot before reaching that -village. - -On the same day, in Dinant prison, a soldier strangled a baby in the -arms of its mother because it was crying too loud. - -At Sorinnes, still in the Dinant district, and on the same day, Jules -and Albert Houzieaux were burned alive. - -At Aiseau, on the 21st August, the Germans shut two men into a house, -to which they set fire. But the unexpected arrival of a shell -prevented them from enjoying the sufferings of their victims. - -At Hofstade chance favoured them better; they threw Victor de Coster, -whom they had just stripped, into the furnace provided by his own -house; his servant shared his fate. - -We must suppose that the Germans take great pleasure in the contortions -of the hanged. Herr Heymel had to content himself with admiring the -corpse of a priest swinging in a tree; and his friend, Herr Klemm, -was careful to devote, to the memory of this comforting spectacle, a -drawing, published in _Kunst und Kuenstler_ (January 1915). Herr Heymel -expresses his great satisfaction before this spectacle; but what -pleasure he would have experienced could he have witnessed the hanging -of the men whom the Germans boast of having hanged to the trees of -the Herve district; or could he have assisted to hang that inhabitant -of Evelette, whom the soldiers put to death at Andenne, on the 20th; -or the cabaret-keeper who was strung up to a lantern before the -Louvain railway-station, on the night of the 26th; but our fastidious -_litterateur_ would have tasted the keenest delight at Arlon, when an -old man was put to death; he remained hanging for hours, with his feet -just grazing the soil (p. 351). - -The Germans, perhaps, will say--supposing they think they ought to -excuse themselves--that these executions were carried out as a result -of the attacks of francs-tireurs, or after the mutilation of the German -wounded by Belgian civilians. But it will be impossible for them to -allege these lies as circumstances extenuating the inhuman treatment -which they inflicted upon Belgian soldiers at the time of their first -attacks on the forts of Liege, on the night of the 4th August; that -is, a few hours after the commencement of hostilities. Not only did -they maltreat in every imaginable manner their Belgian prisoners, but -certain German soldiers pushed _Kultur_ so far as to refuse water to -poor wounded fellows dying of thirst; more, they even gave themselves -the atrocious pleasure of spilling on the ground the water contained in -the wounded men's own flasks, and this before their eyes. - - -3. MORAL TORTURES. - -The physical tortures which the Germans have inflicted upon us cannot -rival their methods of moral torture. In these they have achieved -refinements worthy of the inventive genius of an Edgar Allan Poe. - - -_Moral Torture before Execution._ - -To force those about to be shot to dig their own graves, as they did at -Tavigny,[49] is quite a commonplace method. In the Fonds de Leffe, on -the 23rd August, 1914 (p. 360), they perfected their mode of operation. -They had called up eight men of Dinant to bury the victims as they -were shot (there was so much work to do that it had to be entrusted to -experienced hands). In the evening each of the gravediggers dug his own -grave; four were shot, and buried by their colleagues; just as these -were about to suffer the same fate an officer "pardoned" them: not out -of humanity (that would have been too decent), but simply because their -services would be required during the following days. - -At Dinant, during the bloody days of the 23rd and 24th August, they -invented many other moral tortures. On the morning of the 23rd they -shot, in a meadow of the Fonds de Leffe, a group of thirteen men. But -instead of leading them all together before the firing platoon, they -cunningly prolonged their pleasure; the thirteen unfortunates were -tied, in succession, to the same tree, and shot down one by one. - -The whole of the 23rd was consecrated, in the Fonds de Leffe, to -killing the men in small batches of half a dozen; these were shot -either before their wives and children, or at a short distance, but -within earshot, so that the family should lose none of the groans of -the dying. - -When, later on, the women and children were shut up in a windmill, -having first been marched in front of the corpses, the Germans allowed -themselves the distraction of lighting fires before the windows from -time to time, in order to make the women believe that they were about -to be burned alive with their children, and to delight in their anguish. - -While men were being shot in the Fonds de Leffe, horrible massacres -were being committed at Leffe and at Dinant, at only a few minutes' -distance. Here, too, men were shot before their families--for example, -Victor Poncelet and Charles Naus--and the survivors were forced to -pass through the midst of the corpses. The officers, too, devised more -complicated diversions; for instance, allowing a group of women and -children to escape into the mountains, in order to shoot them down from -a distance. - -A moral torture commonly employed is that which consists in making -people believe that they are going to be killed. All the inhabitants -of Sorinnes were placed before machine-guns, and a German chaplain, -speaking French, ceremoniously shook each man by the hand. At Dinant -two or three hundred persons were lined up against a wall; then a -pastor recited the prayers for the dead (perhaps the chaplain of -Sorinnes had found another opportunity for his pleasantry), and an -empty machine-gun was pointed at them. An officer laughed as though his -sides would split while he threatened, with his revolver, some fifteen -women shut up in the convent of Premontre, at Leffe. - -Pretended executions and threats of execution were everywhere in common -usage. At Wepion, near Namur, on the 23rd August, 1914 (the day of the -Dinant horrors), the Germans packed the women into boats, and told them -to row into the middle of the Meuse. They took aim at them several -times; then, having sufficiently amused themselves, they allowed them -to return to the bank. - -On the 28th September, 1914, a group of civil prisoners from the north -of Brabant were going towards the railway-station, whence they left for -Germany. The procession was preceded by a military band, which played -funeral marches, so that they were convinced that they were being led -to execution. - -Two citizens of Brussels, taking a walk on Sunday, the 30th August, -ventured as far as Koningsloo, in the suburbs. They were seized by -German sentinels, and imprisoned at the post. From time to time an -under-officer approached them, held his revolver under their noses, -and grimaced at them: "Ah, ah, walk's over, walk's done!" (_Fini, -promenade!_). One of the prisoners asked the guard if they were -really going to be shot; in which case they would wish to make certain -arrangements. But the soldier reassured them: "Don't be afraid," he -said, "it's only a game of our officer's; he does it every day to amuse -himself." And sure enough, towards evening the two prisoners were set -free without further ceremony. - -Sectional execution--execution by small groups--under the eyes of those -awaiting their fate, was applied on a large scale at Arlon. On the 26th -August, 123 (or 118, or 127) inhabitants of Rossignol and neighbouring -localities were taken thither, and were killed in groups of ten or -twelve. Madame Hurieaux was reserved for the last; she saw her husband -and all her companions in misfortune perish first; and she died crying -"Vive la Belgique! Vive la France!" - -It will be of interest to reproduce here the narrative of a medical -student who was present at the executions which took place at Arlon. -It may be taken as a sample, so to speak, of the German procedure: -massacre and incendiarism, with no previous inquiry; the most varied -moral and physical tortures; capricious condemnation or liberation of -prisoners; pillage of the communal funds, etc. - - At the beginning of August I left Y----, where my parents live, to - go to the village of X----, lying to the north of my native town. - - Two days later the French arrived, making towards the north of - Luxemburg. There were movements of troops in different directions, - and soon one could see that battles would be fought in the - neighbourhood. - - I thought I could make myself useful by opening a small ambulance, - which I did. - - I was lodging with one of my aunts, who has a son of my own age. - - One day an engagement took place between the French and the German - troops, and a wounded German soldier was brought into my little - ambulance; his name was Kohn. - - I gave him first aid; I apologized for not being able to do more, - and I told him that towards evening it might be possible to carry - him to Arlon, where he would receive all necessary care. - - I returned to my aunt's house; I found her in tears; they had just - taken away her son, my cousin Jules, on the pretext that he had - fired on them. It was a piece of stupidity, for there was nothing - in the whole house but one revolver, and I was carrying that on me. - I had had it on me all the time I was at the ambulance. I hastened - to hide it under a chest, and I decided to go and demand my cousin - of the Germans. I speak their language a little, and I was so - convinced of my cousin's innocence that I imagined a few words of - explanation would make them give him up. - - I soon found him, tied to a tree, beside other prisoners. - - I began to parley with a German officer. - - He replied that there was nothing to do for the moment, that the - prisoners would be sent to Arlon, and that he was convinced that if - I followed them I should be able, at Arlon, to obtain justice for - my cousin. - - We set out for Arlon; I was beside the prisoners. At a determined - spot we were handed over to other soldiers. I was greatly - astonished, at a given moment, to see that I had become a prisoner - myself; I was no longer accompanying my cousin, to save him; I was - sharing his fate. - - We arrived at Arlon; we were lined up against a wall. There were - with us, notably, a woman, with two young children of nine and ten, - an old villager with his son, and other people whom I did not know. - - An officer on horseback approached us. He was, it seemed a judge. - He turned to the soldiers and asked, pointing to each of us: "Did - that one fire?" And the soldiers always replied in the affirmative. - - Now it should be noted that these soldiers had seen nothing, and - could have seen nothing, for they were not those who seized the - prisoners in the village in which they were arrested. - - The head-dress of the troops was entirely different; the first had - helmets, and the second caps. - - When the officer had finished pointing at us, we were informed that - we were all condemned to death. - - An old man was seized; I myself was seized; and we were pushed to - one side, to be shot. - - The old man's son rushed towards him and tried to drag him away - from the soldiers. The result was that the son was seized, to be - shot with the father. - - This is how things happened: - - The two were put against a wall; a platoon of soldiers commanded by - an officer took up their position in front of them. - - The officer commanded all their movements with a deliberation - calculated to increase the torture of the victims. - - "Load!"... Then a pause. "Take aim!"... Then a pause. "Fire!"... - - The two unhappy men fell to the ground, groaning. - - The officer went up to them, recognized that they were not dead, - and again gave orders to fire, with the same deliberation and the - same method. This time the father ceased to move; it took a third - volley to finish the son. - - We were then all led to a guard-house. - - There we remained for three days. We were given nothing to eat. We - fasted from the morning we were taken; it was only on the following - day, or the day after that, that we received a little water. - - In that room we were literally tortured. - - We were forced to stand upright; an old man was groaning he was - so thirsty that his tongue protruded from his lips and the flies - settled on it. As he could not stand any longer, the Germans passed - a cord round his neck and attached it to a ring-bolt in the wall, - so that he was supported only on his toes. The cord stretched and - the wretched man fell now to this side, now to that. The soldiers - made him stand upright again by striking his face with the butts of - their rifles. - - At one time his trousers fell down and we saw he was wounded in the - thigh, by bayonet-thrusts. Later he became insane. In his delirium - he cried: "Prepare food for the cows."[50] It was a horrible scene. - - At another time the woman was taken out, with her two little - children, and all three were shot against the wall of the Palais - de Justice at Arlon. The soldiers asserted that they had "found a - German soldier's purse" in this woman's house. - - The time passed in the most atrocious moral anguish and physical - suffering. We had lost all notion of time. The soldiers insulted - us, spat upon us, made signs that our throats would be cut, that we - were going to be shot. They took a pleasure in drinking in front of - us. - - At a certain moment an officer of superior rank entered the room. - He came up to me and asked: "Why are you here?" - - I replied: "They accuse us of having fired on the troops." - Immediately he turned his back upon me, but I cried, with energy: - "Yes, and far from having fired on them, I looked after them. If - you want the proof of this, ask the soldier called Kohn who must be - in the hospital here at Arlon." - - I then told him of Kohn. He went to the hospital, and returned some - time later; he had found the soldier Kohn, who confirmed my story. - - An officer on horseback (the judge) came to the door of the - guard-room: we were sent out, my cousin and I, and without even - questioning us he said, "You are acquitted." I protested, saying: - "There are still five or six people there of my village who are no - more guilty than we are." - - They were sent out, and the judge told them, as he told me, without - any further inquiry, "You are acquitted." - - As for the unhappy old man, I will tell you later how he escaped. - He returned to his village; he is crippled. - - * * * * * - - I remained at Arlon until the end of August, at the house of one of - my relatives, whose business brought him daily into contact with - the Belgian authorities and the German army. I was thus able to - obtain a good deal of precise information. - - * * * * * - - The Germans entered Arlon on the 12th August. They came from - Mersch, in the Grand-Duchy. Several days earlier, all the weapons - the inhabitants possessed had been deposited at the Hotel de Ville. - The people of Arlon knew from the newspapers what atrocities the - Germans had committed in the neighbourhood of Liege, at Vise, - Herve, Battice, Warsage, etc., and they were far from meditating - any disturbance. - - On entering the town the Uhlans began to break in the doors with - the butts of their rifles. - - On the following day Commandant von der Esch, commandant of the - town, had a notice posted up, which I have copied _verbatim_. - - PROCLAMATION. - - Luminous signals have been made to-night between Freylange and the - lower part of this town; one of our patrols has been attacked; our - telephone wires have been cut. To punish the population guilty of - these acts of ill-will, I order for to-day at 3 o'clock the burning - of the village of Freylange and the sack of 100 houses in the west - of Arlon. I also condemn the town to pay a war contribution of - 100,000 frs., which must be paid over before 6 p.m., or I shall - have the hostages shot. - - VON DER ESCH. - - * * * * * - - While the communal administration of Arlon was deliberating on - the subject of the war contribution, the burning of Freylange and - the sack of 100 houses of Arlon was carried out according to the - programme. - - After the 100,000 frs. had been paid to the Germans, they summoned - to the general headquarters, established in the Hotel de Ville of - the northern portion of Arlon, a police agent, named Lempreur, and - instructed him to proceed to arrest those who had fired on the - German troops. He came back to say that he had found no one. "Ah!" - they told him, "you are going about it unwillingly! Very good; you - shall pay for the others." And without listening to his pleading, - without allowing him to see his wife or children again, he was - placed with his back to a door and a firing platoon shot him down. - - I saw the door at the Hotel de Ville; it was riddled with bullets. - - A few days later another army division replaced the first. - Immediately the town was condemned to pay a fresh war contribution: - a million francs. - - The town could get together only 238,000 frs. It was let off the - remainder. - - * * * * * - - From the day when I was set at liberty we used almost daily to hear - of executions in Arlon; they were of prisoners, brought just as we - were, from the neighbouring villages, notably from Rossignol and - Tintigny, who were shot in small parties. - - One of these executions took place in the courtyard of the Church - of St. Donat. The Dean succeeded in obtaining pardon for two of the - condemned. - - The most important execution was that of 123 (others say 127) - inhabitants of Rossignol and its immediate surroundings, who were - shot on 26th August. They were taken near the viaduct which passes - over the Arlon railway-station (towards the connecting station). - They were killed in small groups of ten or twelve. Those who were - not dead were finished with the bayonet. Each group had to climb - over the surrounding corpses. They kept to the last a lady of - Rossignol, Mme. Hurieaux, who thus had to see her husband and the - greater part of the inhabitants of her village killed before her - eyes. She died crying "Vive la Belgique! Vive la France!" - - Here is one little detail which I was able to verify. When - the receiver and examiner of Customs of Arlon learned of the - approaching arrival of the Germans they removed all the money - from the safe, leaving only copper coin to the value of about a - franc. The Germans immediately proceeded to break open the safe, - but succeeded only after two days' work. Infuriated by this - discomfiture, they used the safe as a commode. - -But whatever the moral sufferings inflicted on those who were executed, -the tortures which the Germans applied to those against whom no -accusation was brought were a hundred times more atrocious. Think of -the martyrdom of Mme. Cambier, of Nimy, who was forced to tread on her -son's brains; and the sufferings of the innumerable men and women of -whom the Germans made a living shield, at Anseremme, Mons, Tournai, and -Charleroi (p. 195). As to Charleroi, here is a detail not recorded by -Herr Heymel. The prisoners collected at Jumet and Odelissert were tied -in couples by the wrists, to prevent them from trying to escape when -the French should fire on them. Moreover, they had to walk with their -hands raised. When, by reason of fatigue, they dropped their arms, the -soldiers struck them with the butts of their rifles. We know a man who -was thus placed before the German troops, who saw one of his relatives -killed at his side, and two of the latter's sons. He himself received -three bullets, one in the right wrist, one in the left arm, and the -third under the chin. He escaped, but is lamed for life. - -Imagine also the tortures suffered by the civil prisoners who, in -defiance of all justice, were sent to Germany. Hunger, thirst, -threats, and insults; packed into cattle-trucks, they had no room -to lie down, or even to sit. Above all, they had no news of their -families. On the 4th September, 1914, more than 100 inhabitants of -Lebbeke, near Termonde, were placed as a screen in front of the German -troops marching against Termonde. In the evening, those who had not -been shot were added to others just captured, and all together, in all -some 300, were sent into Germany. At the moment when these unhappy -folk were leaving Lebbeke the Germans set fire to some of the houses, -and kindly informed the prisoners that the whole village was about to -be burned. Moreover, they said, the women and children would in part -be killed, and the rest driven off in the direction of Termonde and -Gand. Imagine, if you can, the sufferings endured by these unfortunate -people for the two months during which they remained without news of -their homes, in the conviction that their families were massacred or -wandering wretchedly across the devastated country. While by means of -these cruel lies, whose horrible effect was systematically calculated, -they filled with despair the hearts of those who were departing, the -soldiers amused themselves also by wringing the hearts of the poor -women--mothers, wives, sisters, daughters--who remained in the village. -For they, too, were for long weeks without news from the prisoners, and -the abominable manner in which the German troops, drunk with carnage, -had assassinated, on the day of exodus, twelve of their fellow-citizens -(_9th Report_), permitted them to entertain the most frightful -suppositions. - -Make no mistake: the case of Lebbeke is far from being exceptional. All -the civil prisoners were treated with the same barbarity, a barbarity -utterly unjustified, since, in the judgment of Baron von Bissing, no -complaint had been formulated against the civil prisoners who have been -sent back to their homes. But all have not returned. In June 1915, for -example, most of the prisoners from Vise were still in Germany. As for -those taken from Rossignol and so many other localities in Luxemburg, -they will never return, alas! They have been shot without pretext. - -Another horrible torture consists in the suppression of communications -between the Belgian soldiers and their parents. Since mid-October 1914 -all connections have been severed between the Belgian army which is -fighting on the Yser and the Belgians remaining in Belgium. Those who -seek to establish communication between the Belgian soldiers and their -relatives are spied out and sentenced. - - Against Jules-Arthur de Cuypere, bachelor, domiciled in the last - instance at Liege, a deprivation of liberty of five months has - been pronounced, because, contrary to the known regulations, he - took charge, during a number of journeys to the Dutch frontier and - into Holland, of a large number of letters from Belgian soldiers - in France and interned Belgian prisoners in Holland; and delivered - these letters, addressed to different members of families of Namur - and the environs, at their addresses, by carrying them thither. At - the same time he rendered himself guilty by crossing the frontier. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre_, 5-6th July, 1915.) - -Since the spring of 1915 the posts have been operating between -Belgium and Holland, so that those few privileged persons who have -a correspondent in Holland might thus indirectly obtain news if the -Germans had authorized correspondence through an intermediary. But they -have strictly forbidden it (pp. 22-3). They could easily organize a -service enabling soldiers to write to their relations: "I am going on -all right ... I am wounded ..." and enabling the relations to reply, -so that the soldiers' families would be reassured; while now the only -news arrives by precarious methods, and often goes astray. But what -our enemies desire is to make the poor relatives suffer as much as -possible. We do not believe that such a form of torture has ever in -any previous war been inflicted on a whole population. It is untrue, -it seems, that Bismarck was the first to use the words which have been -attributed to him: "In territories occupied by our victorious troops -the inhabitants must be left nothing but eyes to weep with." But he -quoted them with an approval that made them his own. Now they have come -true. - -Here is quite another kind of moral torture. The Germans are fond -of leading small groups of Belgian prisoners through the streets of -Brussels at moments when the latter are as busy as possible: for -instance, on Sunday afternoons. One can imagine the humiliation of the -poor soldiers exposed to the curiosity of the crowd; but it delights -their guardians. It was evidently the desire to enjoy, simultaneously, -the misery of the prisoners and the impotent anger of the spectators -which led the Germans, at the time of their entry into Louvain on the -19th August, and into Brussels on the 20th, to place a few Belgian -countrymen, with their hands tied behind their backs, at the head -of their columns. In ancient Rome captives used to walk before the -triumphal car of the conqueror. Do not the Germans realize how utterly -this practice is contrary to the humane principles enjoined by Article -4 of the Hague Convention? We must suppose that they do not; for not -only do they not abandon the practice, but they make use of it to coin -money. - - CONDEMNATION OF THE TOWN OF ROULERS. - - AMSTERDAM, _29th May_ (Havre Agency).--The town of Roulers - is condemned to pay a fresh fine of 1-1/2 millions, because the - population cheered Belgian prisoners passing through the town. - - (_L'Ami de l'Ordre._) - -Impossible, it will be said, to invent tortures yet more diabolic. But -no, when it is a question of doing evil, _Kultur_ can surpass itself. - -Imagine the mentality of the person who sent to M. Brostens, of -Antwerp, the identity-disc of his son, who was taken prisoner. And -imagine the inward joy of the sender in picturing the parents' despair -on receiving the medal! - - REFINED CRUELTY. - - When they make prisoners they sometimes detach the - identification-discs from the men and send them, unaccompanied by - comment, to the parents, to make them believe that their son is - dead. - - This is what has just happened to M. Brostens, Lieutenant of - Customs, of Antwerp. Having received, a few days ago, his son's - regimental number, he went into mourning. So yesterday morning, - what was not his amazement to see his son return, who, having - been made prisoner at the beginning of the war, had succeeded in - escaping. - - (_Le Matin_, Antwerp, 14th September, 1914.) - -Here, perhaps, the culprit was an uncultivated soldier. But what are we -to think of the mentality of Baron von der Goltz, when he informs us by -placard that a record is kept in a register of all aggressions against -the German army, and that the localities in which such attacks have -taken place may expect to receive their punishment? - - GENERAL GOVERNMENT OF BELGIUM. - - It has recently happened, in the regions which are not at present - occupied by the German troops in more or less force, that convoys - of wagons or patrols have been attacked, by surprise, by the - inhabitants. - - I draw the attention of the public to the fact that a register is - kept of the towns and communes in whose vicinity such attacks have - occurred, and that they may expect their punishment as soon as the - troops are passing through their neighbourhood. - - The Governor-General in Belgium, - BARON VON DER GOLTZ, - _General-Field-Marshal_. - -When one learns on what ultra-trivial hints the German troops have -based their condemnation of the inhabitants, one may conclude that not -a commune will escape repression. It was evidently this generalized -terror which the Governor wished to inspire. He, too, wished to have -the pleasure of inflicting moral torture. - - * * * * * - -To give point to the contrast between the mentality of our oppressors -and our own, between their _Kultur_ and our civilization, we should -like to reproduce a letter in which a young girl, living in Gand, -invited Belgian women to enter the hospitals for the purpose of -assisting the wounded, Germans as well as our own, to write to their -families. Committees of this kind were immediately constituted, notably -in Brussels. - - BELGIAN COMPASSION. - - M. Paul Fredericq, Professor at the University of Gand, writes to - the _Soir_:-- - - "A young girl of Gand has had a touching inspiration. - - "She wished Belgian women who can write English and German, - forgetting international hatred, and listening only to the voice - of compassion, to attend at the ambulances and hospitals, in order - to place themselves at the disposal of wounded foreigners, without - distinction, and to write, at their dictation, letters intended to - reassure their relatives. - - "This truly Christian work of charity would put an end to the - anguish of so many mothers, who know that their sons are engaged on - the Belgian battlefields. - - "I am certain that this appeal to the good hearts of our girls and - women will not have been made in vain." - - While the Germans are butchering our sons and wives, this is what - Belgian hearts are thinking of. - - (_Le Peuple_, 10th August, 1914.) - -Finally, to close with, here is a numerical example which, better than -any reasoning, gives you the _Kultur_ of the German Army to the life:-- - -On the morning of Sunday, the 23rd August, 1914, the population of -Fonds de Leffe (a suburb of Dinant) comprised 251 men and boys, -including some fifteen inhabitants of neighbouring communes whom the -Germans had dragged away with them. By the evening of the following day -243 had been put to death: none of those taken was spared; the eight -who escaped the massacre had succeeded in fleeing. "Happily"--we were -told by a woman whose father, husband, and four brothers-in-law were -massacred--"happily many of the men had left for the army and were -fighting on the Yser. A strange war, in which the soldiers are less -exposed than the children, the old folks, and the sick who are left at -home!" - -FOOTNOTES: - -[32] Apparently our author had never heard timber burn before.--(TRANS.) - -[33] As the Chancellor must have known, if the civil population _had_ -been called to arms it would have been a perfectly legal measure. But -the Germans, who claim the right to do what is forbidden to others, -would forbid others to do even those things that are lawful.--(TRANS.) - -[34] See the _Taegliche Rundschau_ supplement, 24th September, 1914; and -_Hamburger Fremdenblatt_, weekly supplement, 4th October, 1914. - -[35] Epistle to Romans viii. 31. - -[36] The bill-stickers of Brussels take a malign pleasure in refraining -from pasting other matter over the burgomaster's denial. In July 1915, -eleven months after it was posted, one could still read the famous -denial in several parts of Brussels. - -[37] Nothing was known of the torture inflicted on the cure of -Bueken until, at the request of the Dutch Government, the body of -Father Vincentius Sombroek was exhumed, at the end of September 1914 -(_N.R.C._, 1st October, evening). The body of M. De Clerck was found at -the same time, and it was then seen that he had been mutilated. This -was known to his parishioners, but they had never dared to speak of it. -What other horrors shall we learn of when tongues are again unloosed? - -[38] Rom. xii. 12, 13. - -[39] Oratio in Dominica infra Octavam Epiphaniae. - -[40] Rom. xii. 12, 13. - -[41] Prayer for the Sunday in the Octave of Epiphany. - -[42] _Etappen_, a provisioned halting-place for troops.--(TRANS.) - -[43] The words in brackets are ours. - -[44] Other witnesses, however, more sincere, admitted in May 1915 that -the attitude of the people of Antwerp had remained just as hostile as -at the outset (see the article by Dr. Julius Burghold, in _K.Z._ for -the 29th May, 1915, 1 p.m. edition). - -[45] In Brussels the tramways had issued, up to the 15th July, 1915, -1,032 gratuitous permits to German spies. - -[46] The French of this proclamation is so bad that literal translation -is impossible, but I have kept as close to the original as is -consistent with intelligibility.--(TRANS.) - -[47] The passages italicized were underlined in pencil on the placard -posted at Andenne. - -[48] We shall give names at a later date. - -[49] At least, they boast of having done so. - -[50] I was told later that this old man was a sand merchant of -Chatillon, and was in a state of senile dementia. He was well known to -the people of Arlon. - - - - -INDEX - - - Absentees, tenfold tax on, 298-9 - - Accusations, German, of Belgian cruelty, why made, 36; - absurdity of, 36-7; - progress of, 38-49; - against the Belgian Government, 89-92 - - Administration, German, of Belgium, 295-338 - - Aerschot, return of prisoners to, 95; - German burgomaster of, 140-1; - massacre at, 166 - - Agadir Crisis, 27 - - Agents-Provocateurs, 317-20 - - Aggravations, 336-41 - - Agreements, attempt to enforce illegal, 320-4 - - Air Raids, German, 122-4, 259-60, _see_ Dirigibles - - Albert, King, 178; - his patron saint's day, 268-9; - portraits of, 269-71; - his birthday, 272; - German abuse of, 282-3 - - America, Germany desires to influence, 38; - sends help, 173; - Belgium's gratitude towards, 178 - - Andenne, massacre at, 164, 326-33 - - Andre, M. Francois, speech by, 139-40 - - Anseremme, men sent to Germany, 119; - Germans hide behind women at, 119-20 - - Antwerp, siege of, 51, 144; - bombardment of, 123-4, 128-9; - the city fired, 148; - sorties from, 163; - flight from, 166 - - Arlon, massacre at, 349; - narrative of an eye-witness, 349-54 - - Arms, surrender of, 90, 207 - - Army, Belgian, the "enemy," 272-3; - correspondence with, 356-7 - - Army, German, _see_ German soldiers, Prisoners, Wounded, Officers - - Assessment Bureau, suppressed, 304 - - Asquith, Mr., speaks in Dublin, 53 - - Atrocities, pretended Belgian (98-108); - refuted by _Vorwaerts_, 102-3; - by German wounded, 104-5, 106-8 - - Atrocities, German, 63, (70-88); - responsibility for, 70; - formula for excusing, 74-5; - method of, 91-2; - repetition of, 164-5 - - August 4th, Anniversary of, 276-9 - - August 6th, Anniversary of, 279-80 - - - Baer, on "military necessity," 82 - - Bas-Luxembourg, massacres in, 71 - - _Belge Neutre et Loyale, La_, by E. Waxweiler, 37, 49, 75, 189, 200 - - Belgian Army, _see_ Army - - Belgian Government, proposals made to, 50-1; - accusations brought against, 89-92; - preventive measures taken by, 108-11; - people incited against, 289-94 - - Belgium, invaded, 30-2; - her attitude in defence of her neutrality, 33; - invasion of, 34; - pacific - character of, 53; - disinterested behaviour of, 61-2; - offered a bribe, 61, 140; - famine in, 164; - present administration of, 295-333; - _see_ Invasion - - Bernstoff, Count, 32, 124 - - Bethmann-Hollweg, his "scrap of paper" speech, and denial of same, 31; - the "strategic necessities" speech, 31-2, 34; - admits injustice of invasion, 63, 140; - refers to "gouged-out eyes," 207; - libellous declaration by, 209, 263-4, 281-2 - - Bismarck, 9, 31; - boasts of Ems telegram, 218 - - Bissing, Baron von, 23; - incites to massacre, 70, 83, 139; - cynicism and audacity of his lies, 188, 238, 336 - - Blinded soldiers, legend of, 99-100, 102-3 - - Blindness, deliberate, of German "intellectuals," 204, 209 - - Bloem, Captain, on theory of terrorization, 89, 164, 197 - - Boiling oil, legend of, 99-100 - - Bombardment, of coast, 121-2; - of open towns, 123-4; - of monuments, 124-8 - - _Brabanconne_, the, prohibited, 273-4 - - Brabant, return of prisoners to, 96 - - Bredt, on Belgian art and character, 69 - - Brussels, supposed "francs-tireurs" in, 81; - return of prisoners to, 94; - pretended outrages on Germans in, 107-8; - the truth, 110-11; - the city fined, 147; - contributions imposed upon, 156-8; - Palais de Justice in, 162; - Belgian colours prohibited in, 268; - shops closed as demonstration, 275 - - Brutality, the Kaiser calls for, 335 - - Bueken, the cure of, tortured and murdered, 238 - - Buisseret-Steenbecque, Count, 49 - - Buelow, General von, responsible for massacres, 71 - - - Caesar, sells Belgians into captivity, 93 - - Camps, prisoners', 92, 94 - - Capelle-au-Bois, atrocities at, 338-9 - - _Carte de menage_, the, 172 - - Catholic priests, German, servility of, 216-17 - - Censorship, the German, 14-16, 204; - censored papers, 258-9; - examples of censorship, 259-60 - - Chamberlain, Houston Stewart, shameful libel by, 237 - - Chancellor, the German, _see_ Bethmann-Hollweg - - Charleroi, atrocities at, 75; - German story of, 100, 118; - Alfred Heymel's account of, 195-7, 230, 354 - - Churches, German hatred and destruction of, 73-4 - - "Circulation," prohibited, 169; - allowed, 296 - - Civil population, attitude of, 89-90; - accused of guerilla warfare, 91-2; - more civilians killed than soldiers by Sept. 14, 131; - lying accusations made against, 188-90 - - Civil Prisoners, _see_ Prisoners - - Clergy, German hatred of, 72; - murdered and tortured, 72-3, 238, 343 - - Cockerill workshops, 55-6 - - Coercive measures taken by Germans, 115-17 - - Collective penalties, illegal, 143-9 - - Colours, Belgian, prohibited, 265-7; - wearing of the, 309 - - Communal trading, exploitation, etc., 170-1 - - Communes, property of, requisitioned, 163-4 - - Commission for Relief, the American, 173 - - Committee of Relief, the National, 173 - - Conrad, Pastor, author of libel, 103 - - Contributions, illegal, 154-6; - imposed on cities, 156; - on Brussels, 156-8 - - Cooper-Hewitt lamp, claimed as German, 181 - - Correspondence, regulations as to, 22-3; - with the Army, 356-7 - - Credulity, German, 207-9 - - Critical spirit, German surrender of the, 202-5 - - Cruelty, necessity of, 82-3; - is it effectual? 195; - supposed Belgian, _see_ Atrocities - - Cugnon, lying placard at, 233 - - Cynicism, German, 191-3 - - - Dead, German, transport of, 231-2 - - Declaration of war, 50; - ignored by German newspapers, 52 - - Demonstrations, prohibition of, 274-80 - - Destitution, statistics of, 178 - - Destree, M. Jules, 50 - - _Deutsch-Franzoesischer-Soldaten-Sprachfuehrer_, 143 - - Dinant, return of prisoners to, 95-6; - massacres at, 98, 164, 166, 194, 347, 360 - - Dirigibles, at Deynze, 123; - Antwerp, 124; - imaginary tale of raid on Liege, 225-6, 229-30; - Germans lose one and pretend it is French, 230-1 - - Discussion, liberty of free, abolished, 205 - - Disdain of others, German, 184 - - Disunion, incitements to, 282-9 - - Drunkenness, in German Army, 80-2, 134 - - Dryander, Dr. O., servile complacency of, 213-15 - - Ducarne Report, the, 43-4 - - Dum-dum bullets, 113; - the Kaiser accuses Belgians of using, 208 - - Duplicity, German, 29 - - - Economic depression in Belgium, 166 - - Egoism of German character, 182 - - Emblems, wearing of, prohibited, 268 - - Ems telegram, the, 131; - Bismarck boasts of, 218 - - Engagements, violation of, 262-4 - - England, as the guarantor of Belgian neutrality, 39, 41-3; - Germany attempts to obtain promise of neutrality from, 264; - Belgium incited against, 294-5 - - Eppeghem, fined, 148-9, 189 - - _Eroberung Belgiens, Die_, propagandist publication, 252-3 - - Erzberger, Herr, objects to sentimentality, 336 - - Escaille, M. de l', 47-9 - - Espionage, German, 54-6, 316-20 - - Evere, air-raid at, 260 - - Executions, insufficiency of inquiry before, 74-6 - - - Factories, destruction of, 168 - - Falsifications, German, of documents, 41-9 - - Famine in Belgium, causes of, 166-7, 169 - - Ferocity, instances of German, 333 - - Filthy tricks and amusements, 340-1 - - Fines, illegal and absurd, 146-9, 232 - - Flag, Belgian, prohibited, 265-8, 277 - - Flemish tongue, favoured, 285-7 - - Fleming-Walloon problem exploited, 284-9 - - Flight of Belgians before invasion, 166 - - Fonds de Leffe, massacre at, 360 - - Forest, hostages taken at, 150 - - France, Germany accuses, 31-3; - were her suspicions genuine? 33; - pacific mood of, 35; - accused of entering Belgium in July, 36-7; - sudden attack on checked, 61 - - Francorchamps, atrocities at, 75; - plundering of, 132 - - "Francs-tireurs," the German pretence of (63-80); - were there any? 64-5; - an obsession, 66-70; - Germany's invention of, 89; - method of "repression," 86-7; - the Great General Staff prepares the Army for, 98-9; - fines for attacks by, 147-9; - pretext for massacre and pillage, 165; - German lies concerning, 188-90, 196, 207; - organization of "attacks," 236; - proposal to torture, 342 - - Frankenberg, pretended murder of, 107-8 - - Freemasons appealed to, 202 - - - Gand, coercion at, 116; - Belgian girl's proposal, 359-60 - - Gas, poisonous, use of, 112-13, 198-9 - - German Administration in Belgium, 295-333 - - German character, classical authors on, 281 - - German language, attempt to enforce, 272 - - German mentality, 56-8, 67, 179-360 - - German Prisoners, letters of, 56-8 - - Germans, Belgian antipathy to undiminished, 307-11 - - Germany, Belgian distrust of, 27-8; - - Gerard, Mr., 111 - - Godet, M. Philippe, 47 - - Goltz, Baron von der, 23, 144, 149, 188, 199, 264-5, 296, 358 - - Gottberg, Herr, narrative of, 68 - - Graphic Lies, 218-24 - - Great General Staff, the German, murderous tactics of, 98-9; - methodical care of, 236-7 - - Greindl Report, falsification of, 41-3 - - - Haecht, massacre at, 163 - - Hague Convention, violations of the, 12, 111-78 - - Hainaut, incendiarism in, 85; - Provincial Council convened, 139 - - Hate, Hymn of, 294 - - Harden, Maximilian, 183, 200 - - Hedin, Dr. Sven, deluded by Germans, 77-8, 165, 221 - - Herve, massacre at, 63 - - Heymann, Robert, lying narrative of attack on Jesuits, 225-8 - - Heymel, Alfred, on the Battle of Charleroi, 195-6, 345 - - Hindenburg, 83, 206 - - Holland, refugees in, 166 - - Honour, Belgian, German price of, 61, 140 - - Hoover, Mr. Herbert, 174, 178 - - Hostages, taking of, 149-51, 195-6, 327 - - Hostilities, precede declaration of war, 51 - - Houtem, atrocities at, 189 - - Humanitarian sentiments, claimed by German Army, 83 - - Huns, the Kaiser invokes the, 335 - - Huy, atrocities at, 77, 81 - - - Identification cards, 322-3 - - Incendiarism, methods of, 84-5; - a cover to pillage, 132; - organization of, 236 - - Incendiary material, 84-5 - - Information, extraction of, 141-2 - - Informers, appeal to, 313-16 - - Innocent, to suffer with or in place of guilty, 84, 143-9, 199 - - Inscriptions, protection, 87-8 - - Insults, German, reason of, 36 - - Intellectual life in Belgium, 12 - - Intellectuals, German, wilful blindness of, 209-10; - the "Ninety-three," 211-12 - - International law, suppressed by war, 183 - - _Interprete Militaire, L'_, 334 - - Invasion, of Belgium, reasons for the, 34-5; - danger of recognized, 40-1; - the Greindl Report, 41-3, 58; - reason for, 63 - - Ivy leaf, wearing of, 268 - - - Jagow, Herr von, sends ultimatum, 30, 34 - - Jesuit Convent, lying tale of, 225-8 - - _Journal de la Guerre_, German propagandist journal, 247-8 - - Jungbluth Report, the, 43-4 - - - King of Belgium, the, _see_ Albert, King - - Kitchener's Army, German account of, 187 - - Koch, the apotheosis of, 180-1 - - Koester and Noske, authors of _Kriegsfahrten_, 59, 132, 162, 221, 262 - - _Koelnische Volkszeitung_, suspended, 203 - - _Kriegsbrauch im Landkriege_, 137, 141, 159, 333 - - - _La Guerre_, German propagandist journal, 248-9 - - Ladies, treatment of, 338 - - Laeken, orgies at, 81 - - _L'Ami de l'Ordre_, propagandist journal, 254-5 - - Latin authors, on German race, 281 - - Law of Nations, violation of the, 12 - - _Le Bien Public_, propagandist journal, 255-6 - - Leaflets, propagandist, 251-2 - - League of German Scientists and Artists, 251 - - Lebbeke, atrocities at, 68, 119, 354-5 - - Leffe, massacre at, 347 - - Leffe, Fonds de, massacre at, 347-8, 360 - - Legation, British, documents found in the, 45-6 - - Leman, General, 198, 238 - - Liege, German lies concerning forts of, 50; - occupation of, lies concerning, 38-60; - warned against Belgian news, 187; - marvellous tale of Jesuit convent near, 225-8; - keeps anniversary of August 6th, 279-80 - - Lies, concerning the situation in Belgium, 188; - concerning "francs-tireurs," 188-90, 217-282; - photographic, 218-20, 222-4; - written, 224-31 - - Lissauer, Ernst, author of the "Hymn of Hate," 294 - - Living shields, Belgians used as, 117-22, 263, 334-5 - - Lloyd George, speaks at City Temple, 35 - - Loot, _see_ Pillage - - Louvain, atrocities in, 87; - protective inscriptions, 88; - return of prisoners to, 95-6; - massacre in, 164; - lies concerning, 220-1 - - _Luegenfeldzug_, 60 - - Luttre, strike at, 300-1 - - _Lusitania_, sinking of the, 194 - - - Machinery, requisitioned, 158-9 - - Magnet, M. Charles, appeals to Freemasons for inquiry, 202-3 - - Malines, bombardment of cathedral, 126-8; - traffic in suppressed, 301-2 - - Manuals, military, 45 - - _Marseillaise_, the, shopkeepers fined for selling, 146, 273-4 - - Max, M., imprisoned and released, 10; - and the Governor of Belgium, 156-9; - his denial of a lying placard, 233-5, 265; - portrait worn, 309 - - Massacre, the two great periods of, 86-7, 131, 164-5; - _see_ Atrocities, Reprisals, etc. - - Massacres, pretended, of German civilians, 106-8 - - Mentality, German, 179-360 - - Mentality of a German officer, 78-80 - - Mercier, Cardinal, 202, 239-46 - - Meuse, pillage on the banks of the, 197-8 - - Middelkerke, Belgians detained at, 120-1 - - Might before Right, 183-4 - - Militarism, 182-4 - - Military employment of Belgians, 113-14 - - Militia, Belgian, escape of, 152-3 - - Mons, pillage at, 133 - - Monuments, destruction of, 124-8, 130-1 - - Murders, German, 63-80 - - Music, censored, 16, 146, 273-4 - - - National anniversary, the 274-6 - - National Committee of Relief, 172-8; - food, etc., distributed by, 175-7 - - Neutral opinion, necessity of influencing, 36, 38, 46-7 - - Neutrality, Belgian, violation of, 12, 27-62; - justification of, 31-2; - Germany accuses France of violating, 31-2; - England guarantees, 39-40 - - News published by the German Government, 185 - - News, secret propagation of, 20-1, 204-5 - - Newspapers forced to appear by the German Government, 13; - censored, 15; - authorized German newspapers, 16; - official, 17; - Dutch, 18-19; - introduced surreptitiously, 19-20; - secret, 21 - - _Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant_, correspondence in, 103-5 - - "Ninety-three Intellectuals," the, 11, 211-12 - - Nissen, Herr Momme, on German virtues, 181; - pretends the Belgian attitude conciliatory, 310 - - _Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung_, 38 - - - Observation-posts, pretended, 128-9, 130 - - Officers, German, lie to their men, 235-6 - - Organization, peculiarities of German, 303 - - Ostend, Belgians detained in, 120-1 - - Ottignies, account of atrocities at, by German officer, 335-6 - - - Pasteur, ignored by Germans, 180-1 - - Pastoral Letter, Mgr. Mercier's, 240-6 - - Pastors, Protestant, servility of, 213-16 - - Photographs and picture-postcards, 193-4; - "faked" photographs, etc., 218-20; - showing Germans before Paris, etc., 238-9 - - Pillage, 131; - officers join in, 132-4; - methodical nature of, 136-7; - prohibited by _Kriegsbrauch_, 137, 166; - systematic, 197; - on the Meuse, 197-8 - - Placards, German, 22 - - Plague, lying report of, in Paris, 236 - - Poison-gas, _see_ Gas - - Poincare, President, 220 - - Pope, the, surrenders Peter's Pence, 177 - - Portraits of Royal Family, 269-71, 309 - - Postcards, _see_ Photographs - - Preventive measures, _see_ Reprisals, Terrorization - - Pride, German, 179 - - Priests, _see_ Clergy - - Prisoners, civil, treatment of, 92-5; - return of, 95-6; - admittedly innocent, 96-8, 324; - torture of, 354-5 - - Prisoners, German, letters of, 56-8, 104-6 - - Proclamations, some absurd, 185-8 - - Professors, manifesto of the, 3, 125, 212-13 - - Propaganda, perfection of German, 11; - organization of, 246-7; - bureaux in Germany, 247-53; - abroad, 253-7 - - Provincial Councils convened, 138 - - - Queen of Belgium, the, 11; - German abuse of, 283-4 - - - Railway journeys, 24 - - Railways, stoppage of, 168-9, 300 - - Rape, 131 - - Raw material, requisitioned, 158-9, 167-8 - - Red Cross, Belgian, suppressed, 105-6, 304-7 - - Refugees, Belgian, 166 - - Reims, bombardment of Cathedral, 124-6 - - Relief, measures of, 171; - food, etc., distributed, 175-7 - - Relief, National and American Committees, 172-8 - - Repression, measures of, 152-3; - at Andenne, 326-33 - - "Reprisals," against "francs-tireurs," 63-80; - excuse for, 74; - frivolity of, 75; - _see_ Atrocities - - Requisitions, illegal, 158-61; - in kind and service, 159-60, 166; - of forage, 167; - of provisions intended for relief, 174 - - Royal Family, portraits of, 269-71 - - Ruysbroeck, coercion at, 117 - - - Sabbe, M. Maurice, denies German libel, 287-9 - - Sacrilege, 133 - - School inspection, 280-2 - - "Scrap of paper," the, 31 - - Shelters, temporary, 170 - - Sibret, atrocities at, 76 - - Socialists, German, docility of, 206-7; - visit Belgium, 262, 296 - - Sorel, E., 39 - - Sorinnes, atrocities at, 347-8 - - Spontin, torture and murder of priest and burgomaster at, 344 - - Spitteler, Herr Karl, 46 - - Stamps, theft of, 135 - - State property, treatment of, 161-2 - - Submarine campaign, 194-5 - - Sweveghem, coercion at, 116-17 - - - Tamines, atrocities at, 135-6, 164 - - Tavigny, atrocities at, 346-7 - - Taxation, illegal, 137-41, 166, 168; - of absentees, 298-9 - - Telegraph and telephone wires, fines, etc., for damages to, 145-9 - - Termonde, incendiarism at, 73, 85, 164, 167, 221 - - Terrorization, 64; - uses of, 83; - Bloem on theory of, 84; - the theory of the German Staff, 98-9; - in practice, 164 - - Tervueren, prisoners from, 93 - - Theft, _see_ Pillage - - Time, aggravation in respect of, 337-8 - - _Tornisterwoerterbuch_, 141-3, 334 - - Torture, inflicted on priest, 238; - recommended, 342; - another priest tortured, 343; - other cases, 343-6; - moral and physical, 346-60 - - Trade, stagnation of, 168-9 - - Traffic, suppression of, 168-9 - - Treaty of London, 39 - - - Ultimatum, the, 30 - - Uncensored newspapers, 261-2 - - Unemployment, 168-70; - patriotic reasons for, 296 - - Untruthfulness, German, 217-82 - - Useful cruelties, 336 - - - Villalobar, Marquis of, 173 - - Violation of Belgian neutrality, _see_ Neutrality, Belgium, Invasion - - Violence, claimed as legitimate, 84, 263 - - Vise, massacre at, 64 - - _Vorwaerts_, protests against German lies, 102-3, 184; - suspended, 203, 237; - protests against incitement to torture, 342 - - - War, _see_ Ultimatum, Invasion, etc. - - War Booty, 132, 135, 197, 249-50 - - War Tax, monstrous, 139-40 - - Waxweiler, M. Emile, 37, 49, 75, 189, 200 - - Weber, pretended murder of, 107-8 - - Wepion, atrocities at, 75 - - Werchter, atrocities at, 164 - - White flag, abuse of, 118 - - Whitlock, Mr. Brand, 10, 110-11, 173, 178 - - Wiart, M. Carton de, 61-2 - - Wilhelm II, his "well-intentioned proposal," 35; - his three successive proposals, 50-1; - his telegram to President Wilson, 54, 89; - tacitly admits innocence of civilians, 97, 180, 189, 191, 207; - text of his telegram, 208, 264, 335 - - Wilson, President, Kaiser's telegram to, 34, 208 - - Wounded, German, letters from, 104-5; - Houston Chamberlain on Belgian treatment of, 237; - _see_ Atrocities, pretended Belgian - - - Zobeltitz, refers to museum specimens - as proving Belgium's preparation for war, 207 - - -_Printed in Great Britain by_ - -UNWIN BROTHERS, LIMITED, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritical markings were corrected.0 - -Inconsistent hyphenation was made consistent. - -P. 5: Contributions and Requsitions -> Contributions and Requisitions. - -P. 34: German troops entered Belguim -> German troops entered Belgium. - -P. 46: sacrified on the altar of Kultur -> sacrificed on the altar of -Kultur. - -P. 60: pepetrates this trickery -> perpetrates this trickery. - -P. 64: It would be impossible as this moment -> It would be impossible -at this moment. - -P. 157: degree of obstinancy -> degree of obstinacy. - -Latin letter on pp. 242-3: - Militess onim -> Milites enim. - dignitate nestrae -> dignitati nostrae. - di eadem matutina -> die eadem matutina. - aminarum pastor -> animarum pastor. - potius aminarum -> potius animarum. - decenatus evenerunt -> decanatus evenerunt. - -P. 298: German Goverment -> German Government. - -P. 354: proceded to break open -> proceeded to break open. - -Index entry for Propaganda, bureaux in Germany changed from 274-53 to -247-53. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BELGIANS UNDER THE GERMAN EAGLE*** - - -******* This file should be named 51716.txt or 51716.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/1/7/1/51716 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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