The Robesonian., 1918-01-28
GERMAN WAR PRACTICES

Some of the Blacklist Pages in All
History Are Found in a Book
Issued by the Government Print
ing Office.
Some Of the blackest pages in all
! history, comprising a documentary
record Of "deeds that make one des-
pair Of the future of the human race"
are found in book named German
War Practices" which has just been
issued at the Government Printing Of
flee by the Committee on Public In
formation for free distribution. 1t
is edited by Prof. C. D. Munro, Of
Princeton, and other scholars.
The dumfounding evidence which
this book presents to the jury Of man
kind is drawn mainly from German
and American sources, and includes
Of the responsible heads Of the I'm
and diaries of German soldiers, quo
/ tations from German newspapers, and
material drawn from the archives of
the State Department which lay bare
the story of inconceivable German
4 atrocities.
The purpose Of the book is to show
that the system Of frightfulness, itself
the greatest atrocity, is the definite
policy Of the German Government, SO
sinister that German soldiers have
themselves at times revolted. Individ-
ual acts Of wanton cruelty and barbar-
ic destruction are cited only to illus
trate the operation Of the remorseless
system.
The book supplements the Bryce re-
port which was the first official sur
vey of the path Of horror, ruin and
death left by the German army on the
lands Of innocent and defenseless peo-
1 pie. The book is supplemental also
to the official reports by the Belgian
Commission and the French Minister
more Of the damning German wa
philosophy as expressed in the Ger
man White Book and various officia
utterances, extenuating fevoltin,
crimes on the grounds Of expedienc,
and the advancement Of that "Kultur
. which now mocks its own nam
4 throughout the civilized world. TIL
humanity of German soldiers was s
: torn by the system of brutality tha
:. they cried out in letters to Ambasss
| dor Gerard, one expressing his protes
! against the slaughter of the Russian
in the Masurian lakes and swamps b
saying, 'There is no God, there is n
morality, and no ethics any more; ;thei
! are no human beings any more, bl
| only beasts"
| The illuminating reports of Brar
| Whitlock, Minister to Belgium, tell {
miseries inflicted upon the Belgis
people, Mr.. Whitlock saying: Zone
80 overwhelmed with the horror
the thing itself, that it has been, al
even now is, difficult to write calm
and justly about it."
Herbert Hoover, writing for tn
book of his experiences in Belgiu
says: "The sight of the destroy,
homes and cities, the widowed al
fatherless, the destitute, the physic
misery Of tie people but partial
neurished at best, the deportation
men by tens Of thousands to slave
in German mines and factories, t
execution Of men and women for n,
try effusions of their loyalty to the
country, the sacking Of every resour
through financial robbery, the fatte
. ing Of armies on the slender produ
of the country, the dendation of t
country Of cattle, horses, and textile
all these things we had to witnes
dumb to help other than by prote
and sympathy, during this long a,
terrible time, and still these are n
the events Of battle heat, but the {
fects Of a grinding heel Of race q
manding the mastership of the wor
All these things are known to t
world-but what can never be knoy
is the dumb agony Of the people, t
expressionless faces of millions who
souls have passed the whole gamut
emotions. And why? Because the:
a free and democratic people, dar
plunge their bodies before the mar
of autocracy."
Frederick c.. Walcott's descripti
of devastated Poland comprehends
monstruous woes inflicted by thePrl
sian system upon those defensele
people.
In a statement prepared for
book, Vernon Kellog said: II went
to Belgium and occupied France
neutral, and I maintained while thu
steadfastly behavior, but came {
- steadfastly neutral behavior, but
. came out no neutral. went in a
hater of war but came out M
ardent hater of war; but, also l ca