Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-14
BELGIAN CIVILIANS
MANNED GERMANS
MontcIair Woman Says the
kaiser's Men Were Hor-
ribIy Mutilated.

That German soldiers have suffered
barbarous maltreatment at the hands
OF civilians in Germany is the state
ment OF Mrs. Mary e. Gray, of Is
| Cottage place, Montclair, who re-
turned last Thursday from Germany.
In a number of cases. she says. she
saw German soldiers with their ears
and noses cut off. Some had their
eyes poked out.
Mrs. Gray was in Germany in the
interest of New Jersey housewives to
study the servant problem from the
German standpoint, and to take the
summer course in domestic science at
Lette Verein, Berlin. Although the
mobilization and the other prepara-
tons for war prevented her getting
all the information she was seeking
on household economics and the edu-
eating of the household, employee, she
received many suggestions of worth
from employment offices In Hanover
and Hildesheim for the housewives
and their assistants-the housework-
ers.
1T is with the deepest regret that
| find so little sympathy expressed
by Americans for the Germans in
their terrible struggle to protect their
Gray said. 81 am sure it comes from
a lack of understanding and appre-
citation of the Germans as a nation.
had unusual opportunities for
knowing the real cultured German,
and to understand them as a nation
We ind vulgar. fighting and insanely
Jealous people among all nations, but
am sure Germany has fewer men
and women of the excitable, hasty,
crazy type than any other nation
except, of Course, America.
Il was in Germany for five weeks
after war was declared, and | never
saw such wonderful system during
the mobilization and while the troops
were being sent to the battlefield.
The crowds continually tramping the
streets for news, and standing by
the men who were being called to
the 'front.' were a marvel of order
and quiet. IF it had not been for the
constant tramp, tramp, tramp, night
and day, and the ceaseless low chant
ing OF their national hymns, II would
nave been impossible to realize the
magnitude of the war--or its Begin
ming.
II do not believe that the Germans
nave committed the crimes and horri-
Die deeds of vengeance as reported
OF men, judging from the THOUSAND
l saw, and the hundreds I watched
ana talked with as they were practic-
ing the stacking of guns and packing
or clothing and food for rapid move
ment along their lines of march. With
the exception OF the few young SOL
diers, none were eager for war and
none anxious to murder their English,
french. and Belgian brothers. They
went forth with heavy hearts. but
with determination to protect their.
country against invasion and to win if
possible, no matter how great the
cost. On all sides we heard them say:
We do not want land, but we want
what belongs to us, and to continue
living in the peace and happiness we
nave been enjoying for over forty
years
THE horrible hacking of the Ger
man soldiers by the civilian mobs in
Belgium can be attested to by many
Americans who were in HAMBURG.
when the train loaded with the brave
men was taken to Hamburg. Their
ears were cut off and eyes poked out,
and noses frightfully mutilated. In
the face of all this suffering they
did not fail to speak of the bravery
of the Belgian soldiers and let the
world know that they We're not to
blame for these dastardly crimes as
eyinced by the condition they pre-
sented
Germany has gone into this war
with the idea OF peace as It's climax
for all-not with any paramount
spirit of antagonism toward any
other nation. 1t is nation of peo-
pie who work hard because they are
ambitious for intellectual progress,
and are not ashamed of any kind Of
work which viii develop perfection
and cultivation. This war. from all
the probing ] have done for true
facts. I believe inevitable-with the
boiling-pot in Russia. The Kaiser
and Germany should be supported by
the United States in their struggle
for the supremacy of future peace
and the Teuton."