New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-23

/
you have compelled to fight against us,
your kin.
Was there any anger on the part of
English mothers regarding the crime
against the holy traditions Of humanity
when you unleashed them? Is the STAN
mering child in the cradle more precious to
the English mother than the gifted boy In
the full bloom Of his first youth? 1t is
exactly the memory of those German fam
lily scenes Of which you were a witness
which should have prevented you writing
that accusing letter.
German Mothers Should Have
Risen in Revolt
But you are stepped in the delusion that
it was Germany who picked the quarrel in
this terrible war. German mothers who,
like the women Of ancient Sparta, with
bright eyes sent their sons to the field,
are in your eyes really guilty ones. They
should have risen in revolt. ] am wom-
an, and you must credit me with the simple
natural logic of woman. That logic tells
me that the country which during forty
four years, alone of all the countries In
question, had not drawn the sword, the
times the appeal to the final arbitrament
in order to obtain the realization Of its
wishes, did not begin this war.
All countries allied against us have car
ried on warfare, and warfare of conquest,
too. We know England to be the author of
this war. We women, though we know
nothing of politics, attribute the Matching
of this world war to that land which fell
on another people in order to despoil it,
like the wolf on the sheepfold. We be-
lieve that our government-which unfort-
unately in all world affairs is rather too
yielding than too stern-may come before
the mothers of Germany with clean hands.
Your reproach that motherhood, the
greatest power in the state, could and
should have revolted against the war will
not stand. For continuation Of this grim
misfortune we are also guiltless. If any
thing prompted the German government
last year, despite all military success, to
hold forth the hand Of honorable peace it
was the grief of mothers. The pain which
speaks out Of the eyes of bereaved moth
ers had for Germany louder and more
claimant voice than desire for glory and
thirst for conquest. But you disdainfully
thrust aside that offered hand.
Were there English mothers who cried
halt TO your statesmen? Where were the
English mothers who placed humanity and
brotherhood higher than all else? They
were not TO be found.
Two Hundred Children Killed
At Circus
Do you know Karlsruhe? Do you know
that friendly oldtime town in model little
Baden, a little town with clean streets,
picturesque houses, ancient castle, beauti-
full park, and pleasant gardens? 1t lies
far from noisy traffic, has no factory, but
only couple Of barracks, like, indeed,
every fair-sized town in Germany. From
the military point Of view 1t is perhaps
the most innocent and harmless Of all
towns, because as the residential city Of a
grand ducal family, and as the frequent
resort Of the Queen Of neutral Sweden, 1t
could not be brought into relation with
! the war.
Do you know that IN that town two hum
ored innocent children, witnessing circus
| Performance, were killed by the most friv-
olous wantonness of French or English
hiers? What did English mothers say to
that? Did they cry In anger against the
barbarity Of their own countrymen? We
addressed no open letter to the mothers Of
England to rouse their pity for those poor
children, and for even more pity deserving
mothers. We shed our tears In silence over
those dear sacrifices Of unholy war.
could simply have said regarding the
innocent London child victims that we were
ouits-fair play-but no. The Karlsruhe
murders cry to heaven. The unfortunate
sacrifices in London cry--against your
government. How could they make the
capital Of the country into fortress, into
depot for war material, into gathering
place of reinforcements, into magazine Of
supplies, into, indeed, the heart Of the war?
We do not hold the cold-hearted doctrine
that charity begins at home. Germsny's
policy has not as its highest wisdom that
unethical catchword "My country, right or
wrong" Consider, Mr.. Hall Game, what
conclusions the simple logic Of woman
must draw from those truisms, and then
ask yourself if you are entitled to threaten
with the murder of thousands of children
the mothers of that country, the highest
principle of which Is do right and fear
no ons."