The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-11
Review of German War
Practices by Committee
on Public information
LAYS BARE STORIES
OF AWFUL ATROCITIES
st. Maurice Burned and Anyone Who
Came Out of a Blazing House Was
Part of a General Policy

ord Of "'deedS that make one despair
of the future of the human race, are
found in a book named German War |
Practices, which has Just been issued |
at the government printing office ny |
the committee on public information
for free distribution 1t is edited by |
Prof. Il. e. Munro, of Princeton, and |
other scholars.
The dumbfounding evidence which
this book presents to the jury Of man
kind is drawn mainly from German
aud American sources, and Includes
official prorlamations and uttcrane2s Of
the responsible heads of the imperial
German government, letters and diaries
of German soldiers. quotations from
German newspapers. and material
drawn from the archives Of the state
department which lay bare the story
of Uncomfortable atrocities.
The purpose Of the book is to show
that the system of frightfulness, itself
the greatest atrocitv, is the definite pol
icy OF the German government, 50 sin
lister that German soldiers have them
selves ut times rcyolted. Individual
I sl'tN bl NdulOH 81 utitN anu bdl iIC
destruction are cited only TO illustrate
the operation of the remorseless system.
The book supplements the Bryce re-
port which was the first official survey
OF the path of horror, ruin. and death
i left by the German army on the lands
+ of innocent and defensaless people
+ The book Is supplemented also to the
j official reports by the Belgian commits
I sion and the French minister of for
eign affairs, and it reveals more of the
i damning German war philosophy as eX-
/ pressed in the German white book and
various official utterauces, extenuating
revolving crimes on the grounds of ex
pedlency and the advancement of that
= kultur which now mocks its OWL
name throughout the civilized world.
/ The humanity of German soldiers was
so torn by the system Of brutality that
4 they cried out in letters to Ambassa
i dor Gerard, one expressing his protest
against the slaughter Of the Russians
IN the Masurim lakes and swamps 10y
saying, - There is no God, there is nc
morality, and no ethics any more.
there are 10 human beings any more
but only beasts.
The Illuminating reports of Brand
Whitloek, minister to Belgium. tell o.
miscries inflicted upon the Belgian
people, Mr.. Whitlock saving: lone is
ao overwhelmed with the horror Of the
thing itself, hat it has been. and even
now is difficult to write calmly and
Justly about it.
Herbert Hoover, writing for this
book Of his experiences in Belgium
says: The sight of the destroyed
homes and cities, the widowed and
fathcrless, the destitute, the physical
misery OF the people but partially nour
ished at best, the deportation OF men
by tens of thousands to slavery in Ger
man mines and factories. the cxccutio
Of men and women for paltry effusions
Of their loyalty to their country, the
sacking Of every resource through linan-
cial robbery, the fattening of armies
on the slender produce of the country
the liquidation OF the country Of cattle
horses, and textiles; all these things We
had to witness. dumb to help other than
by protest and sympathy, during this
long and terrible time and Stin these
are not the events of battle heat. but
the effects OF a grinding heel of race
4 demanding the mastcrship of the world
4 All these things are known to the
world-but what can never be known
4 is the dumb agony of the people, tn,
Il cXprcs,ionlesS faces Of millions whose
souls have passed the whole gamut OF
-, emotions. And Why Because these
a free and democratic people, dared
plunge their bodies before the marcl
4 OF autocracy.
/ Frederick e. Waleott 5 description ri
| devastated Poland comprehends tax
4 monstroua woes inflicted by the Plus
4 sian system upon those defenseIess PEG
|. lie.
In statement prepared for the book
4 Vernon kellog said: Il went into Bel
+ GUM and occupied France a neutral
and | maintained while there stead
I tasty neutral behavior, but | came our
no neutral. | went in also ,
| halter Of war but | came out a NOR,
ardent hatcr of war; but, also | cam,
/ out with ineradicable conviction, again
that the only way III which Germany
/ under its present rule and in its pres
/ ent state of mind can be kept from
doing what il has done is by force 0,
arms.
The book gives excerpts from the dia