Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-18
BELGIANS, IN CITY,
AREPLEASED WITH
PRESIDENT WILSON
Representatives Who Bore
Protest From King Albert
Visit independence Hall.
Statement Expresses Craft
fcation.

The Bolgian Commission, which, in the
name of the King and people of Belgium
came to this country to lay before the
President OF the United States and the
american public protest against the
violation Of the neutrality of Belgium by
Germany and the alleged atrocities OF
The German army. came to Philadelphia
today to lay the same protest before the
,hrine of American liberty
The commissioners left Washington
early this morning and arrived at Broad
street station early in the afternoon.
They were met at Broad Street Station
by NJ. Paul Hagemans. OF Overbrook'
! Belgian Consul in this city, and a. B.
Anderson, an attache of the consulate
They were taken to the Bellevue-Strat-
ford for lunch. after which they went
IL an automobile on a sight seeing trip
through the city, which included visit
to Independence Hall, Carpenters Hall,
historic points in Germantown and other
places of interest. They will leave for
New York tonight.
In the party. which was headed by the
chairman of the commission, III. Carton
dc Wiart, Minister of Justice, were M
Paul Hymans. Minister of state: NJ. Louis
dc Sadeleer. Speaker of the Belgian far-
Lament: NJ Emil Nandervelde minister OF
state, and Count de Lichtervelde' secre-
taTy to Baron de BroqueVille, Prlme Mih-
lister of Belgium.
'rhe commissioners issued the following
statement before leaving the Bellevue
Stratford
I'VE are more than gratified with the
reception rendered to the members OF the
Belgian Commission by the President OF
the United States.
"The stirring sentiments OF respect ex-
pressed by him for our King. and the
warm friendship and admiration for our
nation will, be have no doubt, be CRATE
fully received in Belgium, and the coun-
try, in the midst of it's present affection,
cannot help being comforted by the heart
felt sympathy of the American people
we were not unprepared for the att-
t,de If neutrality adopted by the United
states in the present European crisis.
and the President in his reply, insisted
upon this neutrality. Nobody can better
than ourselves understand the duties OF
this neutrality, for it is on account OF our
neutrality that we are at present sur
fering.
"Wc handed to the President OF the
United States the proceedings of the in
uuiry and which prove the atrocities COM
mitted by German troops from the begin
ming OF the invasion of our territory
There cannot be found in these documents
any more than in our minds, precon-
ceived idea: we realize that war is essen
TALLY cruel thing: but we cannot believe
that conventions, regulating the laws ana
customs of warfare between civilized peo-
pies, can be considered as scrap of pa
per- of no value.
LAS to the destruction of Louvain, Mr..
Bonar Law has justly said that this crime
puts an ndelible spot on the honor or
the Germanic race and Mr.. Asquith, the
Prime Minister Of Great Britain, justly
declared that this was the greatest crime
committed against civilization and culture
since the Thirty Years War
1T Is not without the utmost surprise
therefore, that we read in America, IN
The Independent" an article signed by
the German ambassador, Count Berns-
dorff, which article advances for the de-
struction of Louvain an explanation
which nobody, to our knowledge, had
hitherto thought of in Europe. II We
were to take his word for it, Belgian
priests in LOuvain had distributed among
the population arms, melting the civilians
to use them against German troops, This
exclamation is Of the dime-novel variety,
and seems to have been inspired by
"reminiscences of the famous 'Benedic-
tion of the Swords scene from Meyer
beers 'Huguenots.' 1t would have been
discrester, after having committed mis-
take of such magnitude. not to attempt
to shield il by such puerile explanations,
which their authors-we are certain-can-
not in any way prove.
"Cnpararal.eled in history, is this crims,
since the crime of Calf Omar, who des-
troyed the library of Alexandria. and in
this 10Th Century we loath to believe in
the dcstruction-without any excuse Of a
museum Of thoughts and OF human intel
lgence'