The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-09-30
Babes Shield
Huns March
Non Combatanls Sent Ahead
Of Invading Army in
Belgium.
BY Mary Roberts Rinchart

just why are VIC in this war? For
For the ancient law among nations
that the word of a people is its oath"
Perhaps for all Of them. PERHAPS,
too. because we could not keep out.
We tried. Whatever may have been
our record in the past. 1t can never be
said of us that we brought this war on
ourselves or that We failed to use every
honorable method to keep out of the
death grip of Europe. If We were
long in coming to our decision. It was
because we remained incredulous. We
were asked to believe something that
was hard to believe.
So we waited and hoped and stressed
every point Of international law to the
breaking point because of this thing
VIC would not believe. We were a
clean and n humane people We can
understand individual cruelty. We
have had sad experiences of the hys-
tera of crowds. But We cannot under
stand. and today we hardly credit, the
cruelty of a government
We have ourselves constructed II
government that is dignificd, Just, slow
to wrath and humane.
outrages Against Humanity.
But for three wears Il conviction has
been growing among MS that one of tho
nations in tho world war Is none of
these things not disnified not Just.
not humane. Had GcrnauN's erueltirs
time have made hcr case before the
world -, 1,
wretched country she has been cover
ing her tracks
But GERMANY has hunglrd. She has
disclaimcd friehtfulncss IN Helgium
only to bring il home to the world at
large. She has introduced into war
fare such crucltics Of killing such in
human methods. such destruction such
contempt Of the laws of war as have
set the world pale with horror She
has added hate to the vocabulary OF
| war, and hatred Is a eontagion.
Yet, pcrsistentlv and in the face of
the evidence, she has disclaimcd the
/, atrocities in Belgium. She has been
willing to shoulder the sinking Of
| women and children in unarmcd ships.
She is proud of the invention Of poison
gases and of liquid fire. She believes
| that the Smelling of unfortified cities
| and the use of the submarine against
| helpless fishing boats will. on her in
! itiative be accepted by the next Hague
| convention as ethical and legal.
Dead Men Tell No Tales. :.
But she continues to disrlainl the
atrocities in Belgium. Why should
! she not The thousands who died In
| protectin. the advance of her army.
| the other thousands who were shot
without inquiry against the brick
| walls of captured towns. those men
| who were bayoneted while trying t.
| protect their women from the assaults
| of drunken soldiers. the little children
| whose bodies lay lnburied by the road
| side---none of them will ever tell thu
story.
The atrocities in Belgium are true
| They are matters of record. German
| soldiers themselves have set down tn.
details In the diaries their govern,
| ment gave them. | have read som.
of those diaries. Not all German sol
| ,licrs turned into beasts In belgium
There are some who record that TIN
horrors sickened them. II Is not tru'
that the German government ordered
assaults on women. But il did orde
lootins and arson aud wholesale muir
der.
The result of that order for lootint