The Detroit times., 1916-12-05
The Great WOrld-IlOaX
sY OR. FRANK CRANE
(Copyrght. 1915. by Frank Cmncl

Following is an extract from "Jason'S
History of the Twentieth Century pub
iiShed in the year Poll \. D.:
The strangest era in the worlds his
tory was that of the years l9li-l9l6,
when there occurred what is known as
the great war hoax
1t seems that the entire population of
the earth were the victims of the most re-
markable delusion, and for over two years
imagined that all civilization was at war.
Dispatches announcing great battles APP
peared daily in the newspapers Reports
were circulated that huge passenger
steamers were torpedoed in the Atlantic,
that the most terrific massacres had
taken place in Turkey and that the most
trlghttul and abhorrent crueltes had
been practised in France, Belgium and
England, IN manner before unheard of.
We know now, of course, that such
things could not possibly have happened.
In brilliant review by Dr. Hofgartner
of Munich, in 1888 it was conclusvely
proved that the whole affair never hap
pened at ALL
Il was said that the combatants sunk
a huge ocean liner, the Lusitania, carry
ing many women and children, giving
them no chance 10 save their lives, and
that they defended this and boasted Of
II; that they used poisonous gases in
their trench warfare, inncting the most
eXcruciating agonies upon their victims;
that they dropped explosive bombs from
a!rships upon undefended towns: and
that their whole campaign seemed to
nave been actuated by a strange fright
fllness
These reports were universally believ-
Ied as sleeping men believe their dreams,
IN spite Of their inherent incredibility.
First, il was demonstrated that the
Germans, being a singularly intellectual
people, could not have undertaken TO op-
pose. much less conquer. the entire world.
Such an act would have been madness.
They could not do it, Consequently they
did not.
II is-#eIl known also that the two
most considerable social forces in Europe
We're Socialism and Christianity It
would have been absurd for a government
20 expect n population influenced by
such beliefs to 90 out to make war like
. mediaeyal province.
Many other reasons existed which in
/ time convinced mankind that the reports
Iof monstrous and hdeous battles be-
tween men burrowing in the ground, mill
lions Of men. we're the products of pure
fancy. They did nothing Of the sort.
They could not have done it.
/ Scientists now agree that at that per-
nod our planet was passing through an
ethereal zone Of some sort of gas the
effect Of which was 20 work kind Of
-redulous madness in the minds of hu-
man beings.
II was not until the spring Of 1917 that
the earth passed out Of this gas zone and
Its denizens awoke to realize that they
had been subject to hideous hallucina-
ton
Their common sense, it would appear,
might have told them as much, but the
vagaries of the phenomena Of delusion
are infinite.
This amazing hoax, however, resulted
/ in one good effect, the organization of the
World Court and World Police, by the
IDiet of Nations. in 1917 When mankind
woke from its nightmare it realized
what it might have suffered and took
steps to prevent its possible occurrence
in reality.
A COSTLY PRECAUTION.