New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-22
Science and Barbarism in War.

Science is surrosed to be the handmade Of civil
zation. But if the Germans are right. scientific
progress can be turned in time Of war TO the SER
vice Of pure barbarism. With the growth of the
humanitarian spirit the world has risen slowly
and painfully 70 the point of limiting the saw
ageries Of warfare. But now a great forward
step in civilization like the invention Of aircraft
is being seized upon as preteXt for ignoring
the same limitations Of civilized war codes and
for going back TO the wanton brutality OF three
or four centuries ago.
The German public is described as eNulting al
the success of the airship raid Of the English east
coast. But any satisfaction exhibited over IN
juries inflicted haphazard on the detenceleSs
civilian population Of half dozen English towns,
without the slightest shadow Of military neces-
sty. is strangely out Of touch with twentieth CEN
fury feeling. II belongs TO the age Of Illly and
Warenstein To strike terror into the hearts OF
an enemy by any means whatever-the only pos
sible motive Of such an expedition as the German
air feet was sent on--is q military doctrine which
was abandoned when armies gave up pilage and
Quit putting all the inhabitants of conquered
cities-men. women and children-to the sword
The fact that raiders use aigships does not
relieve them Of the restraints Of civilized war. It
is true that the special Hague convention for
bidding the discharge of bombs and explosives
from airships was not ratified by Germany or by
France. and therefore does not hold in this con-
test. It may also be claimed that since the
Hacue treaty of 1907 undermining the rules Of
war on land was not ratified by all the powers
now engaged in hostlities II cannot by It's own
terms apply 10 the present situation. But waN-
ing the validity Of the last Hague convention does
not wipe the slate clear Of all codes for human
;zinq warfare. There remains the earlier Hague
convention Of 1899, whose life was expressly
extended so as to cover hostilites between powers
which had signed it and should fail 10 sign the
amended 1907 code. Behind that compact are the
general customs Of international law. The
preamble of the convention Of 1899 expressly pro
vided that in cases not included in the conven-
ton populations and belligerents remain under
the protection and empire Of the principles OF
international law. as they result from the usages
established between civilized nations, from the
laws Of humanity and the requirements Of the
public conscience
The convention Of 1899 says that "the right Of
begerents to adopt means Of injuring the enemy
is not unlimited" But anything more unlimited
than the discharge of bombs from airships oper-
ating in the dark unable TO know against whom
the attack is directed, cannot be imagined. The
convention also says that "the attack or bonn
bardment Of towns, villages, habitations or build
ings which are not defended is prohibited The
airship raiders did attack undefended towns and
their civilian population and could not help doing
so under the conditions which governed the raid.
Such an attack, having no military object or
purpose. does not differ in essence from an at
tempt 10 massacre non-combatants Is the world,
lust because II has discovered new military
CINE the aeroplaue or Zeppelin, to drift back to
the standards Of Indian warfare? a German
army landed in England would not dare to do
what German airmen did there the other day.
The German public is wholly Indifferent to civil
lied opinion if it can rejoice at such barbarian
exploits. Civilization reyolts at the relapse from
humane military methods which this war has
demonstrated 20 be under way, and IT will find
eventually some means 20 stamp out the recru-
descence of brutality which subjects women, chill
dren and male non-combatants to the same treat
ment as armed men.