The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-16
|REV. FATHER MULLER TELLS OF VISITS ID GERMAN HOSPITALS Says Great Injustice Done German Soldiers by Call
 ing Them Barbarians PRAISES AMERICA
 FOR NEUTRALITY Quotes From Letters of Soldiers to Families Showing How the
 Men in the Ranks Regard
 Their Enemies

The Rev. Father S. A. Muller. pastor of the Catholic church at Blocton, has written another interesting letter de-
 scribing conditions in Germany. Father Muller was in Germany when the war broke out and his last letter Is from the University of Bonn He lays special
 stress on the injustice done German sol
 diers by referring to them as "barba. | rians, Huns and "Vandals." Hs writes
 Bonn Germany University. Jan To. 1915.
 To the Editor of The Age-H Herald: Sometime ago l read a very interesting article in the Literary Digest (November Il, 1914 entitled American Sympathies in the War" To approach an answer to this question the Literary Digest ob- tained statements from between $50 and lo0 editors from all over the states. Fifty two statements came from the southern states, 4T were favoring the allies and l only five were pro-German. The reason? The many false and ridiculous nor,ons | about Germany, the German Emperor, ] the German army. The Age -Herald--1 l am proud to receive it again regularly, for l had missed it lately very much was. and always is, just and loves fair
 play. 1t does not blindly follow a sensa- l tlonalism against anything and every thing German during this greatest time in the history of Europe, but on the con trary, I hope that the leading Alabama paper tries to be as fairminded as ever. i From many of the answers sent to the 1.it Digest ii ba ba
 eral American press still believes in Germany"
 Using Slanderous Reports Someone has said that we never hear so many lies as in time of war. Our en- l cmies have used this weapon against us.
 Many lies, black, slanderous lies are
 making the round through the different countries. A sensational press believes them and prints them. Many people, and especially those who never use their
 brains-their number. alas, Is great-be-
 lieve them and the anost terrible things
 told about German barbarism are taken as gospel truth. In the street cars. in
 the hotels, even in the parlors men and
 women talk about these atrocities, talk
 about the war situation, speak of the
 "barbarians." the "Huns,'' the "vandals, ' and they know absolutely nothing. they are in no way capable to form a judg- ment
 Some people, however. specially the fair minded and intelligent class, do not believe all they hear and read about the "barbarians." have received letters from intelligent Americans in the Birmingham district saying: "We do not believe all the press brings in those days about and against Germany. Our American press hardly is neutral. 1t is Anglo American, it favors the English and is against Ger many. But we know too we'll that ser man soldiers are not capable to commit such crimes and atrocities we never would believe them" I am thankful to these people. they are really neutral and love fair play, they have the courage of their convictions.
 Laugh Despite the Dependency
 Sometimes when we heard of the artoc- ities attributed to the German soldiers, we had to laugh over it despite the solem- nifty of the crisis in which we are living. The world is supplied solely with news given out by our enemies. The boldest, the most impudent imagination would be unable to invent anything to exceed the false and absurd reports printed by for eign newspapers. The whole world will do well to learn that an organized man. ufactory of lies Is trying to deceive the public opinion of all the nations. There can be no doubt the German army is the best organized, the best disciplined in the world Yet how slanderously are our troops described-just as In 1870 the Prus- sian Uhlans were described as thrusting through with their lances all the French babies and pinning them fast to the walls.
 In my former letter I have. shown that Belgians neutrality did not exist any more at the time of the beginning of the war. I have shown that Louvain was itself responsible for what happened. An official German warning at the outbreak of the war reads: The reports at hand about the fighting around Liege show that the population took part in the bat