Evening star., 1914-10-08

| Their monuments, which have been re-
| spected during the centuries in all the
| constant wars of which Belgium has
been the theater, were deliberately de-
| stroyed. Open cities were bombarded-
| Exhorbitant taxation was imposed
upon conquered towns, and when the
Inhabitants inha were unable to pay the
| were set on fire. That is what hap
| pened to Wavre, among other cities.
| whose $500 Inhabitants were unable to
| 10000 Inhabitants. was utterly de-
stroyed. On the 18th of September
| there only remained in that town 2S2
houses out of 1,400. The town Of Aer-
schot. with 5000 Inhabitants, is now
| nothing but mass of ruins and more
| than $50 of it's inhabitants have been
shot Dirigible balloons have thrown
bombs at night into Antwerp. 1t can
| not be maintained by those who were
in the balloons that they were trying
to hit the forts, as the forts are out
side the boundaries of the town. and
good distance outside them as well.
any effect upon the forts. which are
even stronger than those of Liege.
There was no warning of this bonn
bardment, a fact which constitutes
convention of The Hague, and more
than dozen people were killed, all of
them non-combat and several OF
them women and children.
No Mercy Shown Louvain.
The town of Louvain. with it's 1870
Inhabitants, was one of the centers of
Belgian culture. 1t had no mercy shown
to it and has been nearly obliterated
Several quarters Of the town were set
on fire, the Church of ST. Pierre, a
marvellous example Of Gothic art; the
buildings of the university, including
the library, with more than 10000 VOL
umes, Of which a large number were
ancient manuscripts; the collections
belonging to the university, nearly all
the scientific institutions and nearly all
the houses of the town were deliberate
ly burned They are now nothing more
than heaps of ashes Their destruction
has been loss to the whole civilized
world.
women and children lost their lives
in the fire which started by the order
of the German military officials. OF
those who were saved several thou
sand, including women enfeebled by
age and children in arms, are today
wandering homeless over the roads
without food or clothing. They are not
to blame for anything, unless it is be-
cause they belong to a nation which
has refused to purchase peace at the
price of dshonor. That can be the only
crime accounted to them, and it is for
that they have lost all their possess
sions upon the earth.
From the declaration made by the
imperial German chancellor it may be
seen that the German government is
conscious of its wrongdoing. AS one
Of the guarantors of Belgium's neu-
trality it wanted to force Belgium to
relinauish it's neutrality for Germany's
benefit. Because Belgium would not
consent to this perjury. and because
Germany could not reproach her with
anything else, Germany invaded and
covered with blood and ruin small
peaceful country of hardworking and
honest people, country which it had
promised to protect.
This attack upon her neutrality is
the first violation for which Belgium
asks judgment from the universal con-
science.
The entire Belgo-German qustion
today is dominated by the fact of this
violation of the neutrality of Belgium.
Therefore there is not a single shot
fired by German soldier in Belgium
which is not manifestly and avowedly
belying most sacred things, the keep
ing of a solemn pledge and the right
for an honest nation that never want
ed war nor showed aggressive dispo-
sitions to be allowed to live it's peace
full and neutral life.
Such is the Belgian case. Humanity
will judge it,