New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-13
"LIEGE l9l4-l915."

to await the French entry into Belgium, but
she acted on a policy that "an attack IS the
best defence" and we know how Germany,
with the most wonderfully equipped and
trained army that ever existed, swept
through Belgium and France till she was
stopped at the Marine l do not see how
anybody can condemn Germany. Good fore
sight brought her army to standard where
il could fight all corners. With that pre-
raredness she was able to carry the war into
the enemy's grounds. Belgium, though, may
attribute her present miserable condition TO
the Anglo French intrigue which provoked
the Teuton to invade her She thought that
the Allies would be able to invade Germany,
for they probably imagined that going TO
Berlin was like promenading on the boulc-
ward of Paris, but they were sorely disap-
pointed.
/ am indeed surprised to find that The
Tribune has not yet digested the fable about
the atrocities The committing of atrocities
is one of the accompanying phases of the
war In peace we even read of the most
horrible crimes; we read of brutal methods
Of taking life, and we too often read of
lynchings, where people claiming to be CIV
iized take a criminal whose guilt often has
not been proven, hurl him into fire, kill
him in the most cruel fashion imaginable,
rejoice over his pain, applaud his shouts OF
agony and then take the terribly mutilated
body and riddle it with bullets. Any per-
son can readily imagine how degenerate
man will be when amid bursting shrapnel
and the rain of bullets and the sight of his
dying brethren. Passion will be excited and
the animal instincts in him will be aroused.
IL man acts with inhumanity in peace, in war
he will be even worse. Inhumanity exists in
all armies. That the majority of atrocities
will be committed in the Allied army is very
probable. When we consider that in the
Allied ranks there fight negroes whose me-
nus resemble the canribals' meal ticket,
when We find that in the Allied ranks there
serve Turcos and Algerians, Ghurkas, Sikhs
and Hindus, Mongolians and Tartars, plus
a lesser sense of obedience, we may, with
out hurting our conscience, attribute the
majority of atrocities TO them. What proof
is there for the German crimes? Stories
that were circulated have been disproved
by an American commission, and the Bryce
report is a mere wish. The believers of
Bryce will also think Munchausen great
man and take faith in Doc Cooks North
Pole expedition" And as to civilization -
we'll, Germany's progress in the last forty
years is sufficient proof
Louvain is being rebuilt. One part was
gwen to flames because the civilians fired
on the Germans. The destruction was re-
prisal. And it helped, too, for when the
Germans entered Brussels and Antwerp
there was no more Of that treacherOus
shooting as in Louvain, Dinant, etc.
Last but not least, the Lusitania, The loss
Of life is very deplorable, but it could not
be avoided. II could have been minimiZed
had the steamship authorities taken the nee
essary precaution. Whosoever enters the
war zone does 80 at his own risk People
are foolish to intrust themselves TO the
care of a nation that at present is unable
TO protect those at sea. When blasting is
going on in New York there will be men
warning to keep away from the place. They
do not deny anybody the right TO go there.
But whoever trespasses a certain place and
~ hurt has only him or her self to blame
This may be taken as parallel TO the Lusi-
tania and the war zone.
sincerely hope that the Allies, who are
the instigators of this war, will lose. For
wars sake Russia used Serbia and England
used Belgium as q tool; France and Italy
followed like fools into the hopeless con-
fict so as 70 lessen Engand's and Russia's
burden. FRITZ ROSENTHAL.
New York, Aug. 8, 1915.