New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-19
The Threat to Venice
Let 1t Be Answered With the Promise
of Retaliation

| Are Venice, Milan, Padua, Verona and Ma
VIENNA to be treated as the Huns have treat
ed Arras. Rheims, Louvain and harmless
Noyon? Already damage has been done to
the Dream City By many air raids OF tne
Austrian foe. And we still shrink from de-
claring war against Austria-Hungary, the
relentless ally Of the German Empire.
Humanity has been staggered more than
once by the barbarities Of 1eutonism. IL
.huddered at the first use of poison gas. IL
was Mortified by the wrecking OF Rheims
! Cathedral. the destruction Of Senlis, the
sinking Of the Lusitanis, the havoc wrought,
out Of sheer wickedness, by the London air
raids. But the bare possibility OF seeing
Venice ruined sets one quivering. Inc
crime is threatened 1t may be achieved.
/ To submit 10 it without some return Wouid
: be inane. For to rebuild the wonderful
Dream City would be impossible. The stones
of Venice arc so many poems. They SPEAK
OF love and dreams and glorious Legends
Art, beauty history, the romance of centu-
ries, still lend their spell TO the Venetian
isles. They cling to every corner OF the
city, from the Giardino Pubblico to the
Giudecca. from the Riya del Schiayoni to
the Rialto and the palaces on the canals.
| II the Huns were satisfied with obliterat-
ing the factories which dishonor the ap-
proaches to Venice-if they shattered the
Arsenal and laid waste the Lido-few would
mind But the Palace of the Doges, the
Duomo of st. Marks, the Tintorettos and
Titans, the great reconstructed Tower, the
Piazza and the Pazzetta, these are ire
placeable. To destroy them, or the Ca d'Oro,
or the home Of Browning on the Canale
Grande, or the Rialto immortalized oy
Shakespeare. would be more brutal than even
the undoing Of Rheims anG Arras. Every
artist, every traveller, would join IN
chorus of execration and cry "Vengeance'
on the beasts who could conceive and give
effect to such an atrocity.
The Spirit of the Hun
Nv now we know, if we shall ever know,
that it is Idle to hope for anything from ger
man and Austrian decency. To reach their
ends the Teutons will 60 any lengths. lhey
will lie and cheat and sack and rape ana
slav. they will spurn mercy, shame ana
right They are ravaging the world ana
laughing loud at what TO them seem cnluish
scruples which prevent their puritanicai aa-
yorsaries from paving them back with thelr
ou,n medicine. Till the meaning OF such
crimes as they have systematically, eo'u
bloodedly and scientifically perpetra'eu 10
bro,.eht home to them-brougnt nome w
tbem literally-they will continue to XIII
soInIoss women and children, 20 wipe OUT
historic monuments and murder art. Long
hofore Cadorna was hurled back from Monte
San.o and the Bainsizza Plateau they mao
tbroatened to wreck Venice and humiliate
Ttalv for deserving them. They have gam
bled on the inveterate squeamlsnnesS Vi tue
Allies, on their unwillingness 10 retaiiaVe
in kind for the barbarities OF their enemies
Is il not time We met their threats with
counter threats? Is it not time we MADE u
clear that, il we chose, we could STRIKE nard
and deadly blows at the Hun heart!
Reprisals Necessary
tn shrink from reprisals after all that has
boen done by our satanic foes abroad smacks
~ bvnocrisy We have used poison gas IN
ronIv N poison gas. We have promised air
roids without ruth on German towns. Inc
Frercb indeed have done much more than
nromise. To ayenge the attacks on Bar-le-
Duc and other cities they have hurried
bombs into the crowded streets OF karls-
ruhe STUTTGART and other Prussian centres.
Wbv stop at that? Why balk at going
further. when Venice, the most beautiful
citv in the world, is menaced with destruc-
ton? Can we assume that after shattering
Rheims Cathedral, the most sacred church IN
France. the Huns will care what harm they
do St. Marks? The lessons of the past
foretell the future. In a week-a month
the irreparable may have happened. IN
less. unless, we fling away our scruples and
act quickly. To avert further outrages we
must put fear into the Teuton hearts at
once, fear of retrbution, swift and terrible.
We hold hostages. In this country there
arc hosts of hostile aliens, who at the iirst
hint of harm to the art treasures Of the won
derful Dream City should be intemed. If this
proved useless, we might try much sterner
measures nation which does not hesitate
to cut the throats Of prisoners, to fire on
lifeboats filled with defenceless passengers,
to dshonor countless women and young
girls, to approve, if not to instigate, the
massacre of Armenians and to blot out the
historic landmarks OF the earth can have
no claim upon humanity. II should be smit-
ten without pity or remorse.
Threaten reprlsals. warn the nuns that
they will pay for the ruin of st. Marks or
the Palace Of the Doges with the destruction
Of Cologne Cathedral. And make it plain that
we will do just what we say 1t would be
terrible, of course, to have to initiate the
German ruthessness. But, l repeat, in
many cases we have done so already. Prom
Use the invading hordes dose of their own
"schrecklichkeit." Then, if we must, fulfil
our promise. In Germany there are many
halowed fanes outside Cologne-some with
in easy reach Of our avengng airplanes. And
a million Teutons are still unrestrained here
exclusive of hyphenates.
CHARLES HENRY MELTZER.
Arrochar, Staten Island, Nov 16, 1917
Why Assail German Artp
To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Cfr. Tho neonla NJ our Land ara JaooIr