The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-02-12
Cardinal Mercier's Pastoral Letter Arrives
In Detroit-Why Germans Arrested Him

The Times has received a copy OF
the pastoral letter OF Cardinal Mer-
lcier, OF Belgium letter for which
he was detained I'm his residence
and forbidden to preside at religious
ceremony,
The translation is printed by Burns
q Oates, Ltd. OF London. and permits.
sion Is given The Times to print such
parts Of II as we care TO use. The
letter, which has caused worldwide
sensation. was seized by the German
military authorities at the Belgium
printers ONCE and $4,000 copies de-
stroyed. Priests we're forbidden TO
read II. The treatment Of the cardi-
nal called forth protest from the
Catholic world.
Cardinal Mercier's letter consists OF
about 5000 words and. therefore. Is
too long to print In It's entirety In
this newspaper. The greater part OF
the communication Is given up to the
most exalted religious sentiments and
IL evidently intended to comfort the
stricken Belgian people. II calls upon
them In the strongest terms to look
to God In their. sufferings.
Comparatively very small part Is
given up TO patriotism and TO the de-
vastation and other acts of the Ger
man military. but this part caused the
cardinals virtual arrest and the burn
Ing Of the printed copies Of the. letter.
Here are the parts which moved the
Germans to- attempt to suppress the
cardinal
Destruction % He Saw u.
Better than any other man, per
haps. do know what our unhappy
country has undergone. Hearths are
desolate: dire poverty spreads. an
guish Increases.
AT Malines, Mt Antwerp, the people
OF two great cities have been given
over. the one for six hours, the other
for 81 hours. Of continuous lombard
ment, to the throes OF death.
Il have traversed the greater part
OF the districts most terribly devas-
tated In my diocese: and the ruins
beheld. and the ashes, were more
dreadful than I. prepared by the sad
dest OF forebodings. could have mag
ined.
"Other parts of my diocese, which
have not yet had time to visit. have
In like manner been laid waste.
Churches. schools, asylums, hospitals,
converts In great numbers, are in
ruins. Entire villages have all but
disappeared. At Werchter- Wacker-
ssel. for Instance. out of $50 homes.
$50 remain; at Tremeloo two-thirds
OF the village are overthrown; at
Bueken. out Of 100 houses. 20 are
standing; at Schaffena lS9 houses out
OF 200 are destroyed-l1 still stand.
Cardinal Describes What Happened
at LouvaIn.
AT LOuvain the third part of the
buildings are down; 1914 dwellings
have disappeared: on the town land
and In the suburbs. 1928 houses have
been burned.
I'm this dear city OF Louvain, per.
petually In my thoughts. the magnifi-
cent church OF st. Peter will never re-
cover its former splendor. The an
Client college of st. Ives, the art
schools, the consular and commercial
schools of the university. the old mar
kets. our rich library with it's collec-
tions. its unique and unpublished man
uscripts, it's archives, It's gallery OF
great portraits of illustrious rectors.
chancellors. professors, dating from
the time of Ii foundation, which pre-
served for masters and students alike
q noble tradition and were an incite-
ment In their studies--all this accu-
mutation OF Intellectual, Of historic
and OF artistic riches, the fruit OF the
labors Of five centuries--all Is In the
dust.
Thousands OF Belgian citizens have
been deported to the prisons OF Ger
many. to Munsterlager, TO Celle,s to
Madgeburg. At Munsteriagen alone
800 civil prisoners were numbered.
History will tell OF the physical and
moral torrents of their long martyr
dom.