The Washington herald., 1916-10-08
German Stupidity.


Another of those astonishing intellectual
apses" of the Germans to which we recently
referred editorialy, under the title of "Words
Gertrude Atherton in the, New York Times of
October I.
1t seems that while Mrs. Atherton was re-
Gently behind the French lines at the seat of
war, slip of paper, dated Berlin, July 26, was
dropped from German aeroplane and handed
by French soldier who had picked it up, to
the officer who was conducting Mrs Atherton
through the trenches. He showed it to her and
she gives its substance in translation as follows:
"Frenchmen! Your aviators, throw
ing bombs far from the front, in Ger
many, have killed many civilians, men,
women, and children. In Karlsruhe on
June p, 1916 there were forty-eight
deaths, among them thirty innocent chill
dren. Mulheim was bombarded on June
p, Fribourg, July I6 etc. In all these
attacks the number of victims was de-
plorable both in dead and wounded. All
of these towns are of no military value,
as you see by looking at your map.
"The German military authorities hesi-
tated to believe that the French govern
ment and military authorities were capa-
bic of such culpable and barbaric acts
which have nothing in common with the
conduct ct war. 1t was believed that your
aviators had made mistake in the execu-
ton of their mission
"Frenchmen! Your aviators did not
make a mistake. We have learned to-
day that the raids were instigated by
President Poincare, whose has been
open to the base counsels of the Eng
Esh"
The insinuaton here is that the attacks by
French arships were in retaliation, at England
for the oft-repeated and long-continued
slaughter of her women and children and other
by the German Zeppelins in their
raids Great Britain.
The Germans who framed this address, must
have known that in the practice of "frightful-
ness" which they have kept up so persistenty
hundreds of noncombatants, including women
and children, had been wantonly slaughtered
long before the raids on Karlsruhe, Fribourg or
by the dropping of bombs at night
in the open country defenseless habitations
far from forts military depots, in rural Eng
land and Scotland but they may not have known
that horrible have these useless atrocities
appeared to the British authorities, that although
urged to retaliate by their allies and some OF
their own people, by slaughterng German non
they have refused to follow Germany into such
an abyss of barbarsm, or to ask their allies to
take such reprisals. Lord Bryce is among the
leading English statesmen who have taken this
stand.
How well the Germans describe such
atrocities when Germans are the sufferers! Then
they are "culpable and barbaric acts which have
nothing in common with the conduct of WARP
Surely the German authors Of the leaflet
from the sky could never have imagined that
the French soldiers were ignorant of the other
futile deviltries committed by German cruisers
in shelling undefended seaside towns (where
children were massacred on their way to schooD,
and sinking fleets of harmless fishing boats, or
by German submarines in sending to their deaths
without warning, thousands of noncombatant
crews and passengers of unarmed merchant YES
sells, many Of the victims being Americans
They surely must have known that the French
soldiers had heard Of the Lusitania and the
Sussex and the other infamiess of German
"frightfuness," which, being kept in mind by
repetition, or threats of resumption, make her
armed enemies feel that in the interest of civili-
zation and for their safety, they must not
stop the war till her military power is destroyed
1t is Germany's foolish "frightfulness" that
has prolonged the war. Germany seems to think
that Belgium has been utterly forgotten by the
world. But her ruined cities and devastated
fields still visible and hundreds of thousands
of Belgians remain in exile, and are living wit
nesses in other lands to Germany's barbarism
Germany's stupidity is so hopeless and pro-
found that it seems to be sort of judicial
blindness" which the old theologians regarded
as a judgment of God upon men and nations
who were doomed to destruction for their
transgressions. There is another and saner
Germany which may yet repudiate the respon-
sble authors of "frightfulness" and accelerate
their downfall.