The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1915-01-28

lay little Belgium with splendid rail
roads. fine open fields, and in tW
weeks it would be "Hoch der Kaiser
in the streets of Paris.
Now remember the teaching o
Treitzschke. Bismarck and Bernard
that a nation s first law of life is self
preservation, and that anything nee
essary to that preservation is JUST
fed. Let us see what the policy OF
blood and iron," of might makes
right" will do when there stands the
open door to Paris and between only
scrap of paper-and honor! There
is no hesitation, and into the waste
basket goes the scrap of paper.
The Kaiser serves demand upon
King Albert that he allow him to
push his troops through Belgium and
strike at France, and if Belgium will
do this, all damages will be paid.
Yes, all damages to land, to rail-
roads, to cities, but who will pay the
damages to her honor? That is the
question which confronts Albert.
For her honor was al stake 10
allow that was to allow nation
who had been as much a friend to
her as Germany had ever been to be
stabbed in the back while she held
the door open. 1t is as though you
lived between two Quarrelsome
neighbors One day one dema nds
that you let him through your yard
to get at the throat of the other one.
You have always liked them both,
and to both you are a friend. The
one agrees to pay you for your lawn,
your flower beds if only you will let
him through to strike while the other
sleeps. But there is some sense Of
honor left in you, and you refuse as
you have a right to refuse. Your
neighbor knows only one law and
that is the law of necessity and pro-
ceeds to tear down your fence and
90 anyway. And now what shall
Albert do? 1t is easy to let them 60
AID his land will be intact and he
will be repaid handsomely and why
not? Just honor, and thank God
honor is not a possession alone of
the ancients.
But England too remembers that
scrap of paper" and makes the
same demand on Germany that she
had on France-will she get the
same answer? No. Germany is
in the philosophy of the
military school. In 1911. again in
1918 aud even as late as August 2,
1914, Germany had assured Belgium
that she had nothing to fear. But
the German minister i'll Brussels
who gave the assurance that day
does not understand the military
clique of Berlin, and that very night !
the ultimatum to Belgium is issued
in accordance with every long-stand
ing plan in the war office of Berlin
which had planned the next attack
Belgium whether or no, In
the conversation which took place
between the German chancellor and
he British ambassador there clashed
two moral ideas, The German chan
cellor uttered these words which will
be celebrated for all time: Just
;or a word, Neutrality, word which
n war times has so often been dis |
regarded; just for scrap of paper.
Great Britain is going to make war
IN kindred nation The reply Of
England was in accordance with the
spirit of Gladstone. and England re-
fused to stand by while little ma
ion was violated and a serious and
II BILE treaty was thrown into the
scrap heap. That Germany herself
the immoral course she
was pursuing was admitted in the
words of the German
uttered before the Reich
stag on August 4, before the Kaiser
and the war lords could censor them:
Gentlemen, we are now in state !
Of necessity, and necessity knows no
aw. Our troops have occupied Lux
and perhaps are already on
Belgian soil. That. gentleman. is
to the dictates of interna
tional law.
France could wait, we could not
wait. So we were compelled
to override the justified protests of
Gutenberg and Belgian govern
ments. The wrong-I speak openly
that we are committing we will
endeavor to make good as soon as
our military goal is reached
I think history will record no
franker admission of great wrong
than just that. Probably Germany's
greatest loss will not be in the de-
feat of her armies, but that, even
though she is victorious, henceforth
her word and her name attached to
treaties will be taken hv all the |