The sun., 1918-08-04

only physically unprepared Tor war
but mentally and morally unfit for
war Even the telegram Of Sir Ed
WARD GREy. communicated on the dry
OF Belglum's invasion to the German
Government by the British Ambas-
sndor at Berlin, did not dispel the
illusion about Great Britain:
IN view Of the fact that Germany
declined to give the same assurance re-
speeding Belgium as France gave last
week in reply to our request made
simultaneously at Berlin and Paris. we
must repeat that request and ask that
a satisfactory reply to 1t and to my
telegram OF this morning be received
here by IL o'clock tonight. II not, you
and to say that his Majestys Govern
nent feel bound to take all steps in
their power to uphold the neutrality Of
Belgium and the observance Of a treaty
to which Germany Is as much a party
as ourselves"
Even that memorable document,
we say, did not convince Germany
that common honor still lived across
the Channel. The Foreign S<cre-
tary, Won JAGow, a mere tool Of the
Kaiser, took 1t mechanically but vow
3ETHMANN-HoLLwEG added to the
~ q
he had been in the Reichstng, he
whimpered to Sir EDWARD GosCnEN
when he saw that 80 o'clock to-
night" on paper. This account of the
conversation Is GosCHEN's, but the
German Chancellor later confirmed
the Englishman's version:
Il found the Chancelle+-Se+y agitated,
His Exce1lency at once began a ha-
rangue which lasted for about twenty
minutes He said that the step taken
by his Majesty's Government was ter
rible to a degree; just for a word
neutrality word which In war time
had so often been disregarded-just for
a scrap OF paper Great Britain was GO
ing to make war on a kindred nation
who desired nothing better than to be
friends with her"
When he added that 1t was mat,
ter of life and death" to Germany to
advance through Belgium, the British
Ambassador replied that it was "a
matter of life and death for the honor
of Great Britain that she should keep
her solid engagement to DO her ut
most to defend Belgium's neutrality
II attacked" Her utmost. Aye, she
has done 1t!
A last gasp from the German Chan
cellor: But at what price will that
compact have been kept? Has the
British Government thought of that?"
Sir EDWARD GCsCHEN replied that
fear of consequences could hardly
be regarded rs an excuse for break
ing solemn engagements" but these
words were lost. The German Chan
cellor had abandoned himself to the
contemplation of the truth; that
morning Germany mad been beaten
when II soldier stepped across line.
How long the decision might be In
dispute Observation-Disclosures could
not know, but he must have known
that, cheating, Germany had loaded
ha Itan OF hn cIdn oh
had struck fairly at France England
would have had to stand by, neutral.
The seas would be open to Germany.
If France had violated Belgium's neu-
trality-as Germany professed to be.
lieve she intended to do-England
would have attacked France, keeping
the pledge made In the Treaty of
London. But now, because England
weighed n promise and not the price
Of keeping it, there could be no swift
stroke at lone France, no dash east
ward to subdue Russia. To-day,
when Germany sees how ripe Russia
was then for revolution, the remem-
brance of that 4th Of August must be
the bitterest drop in the deep cup OF
her regret.
The items at which we have GLANCED
were not oil or even the most i'm
portant acts of Germany's dawnine
tragedy. 1t was not merely that she
revealed herself to the world, but
that she revealed herself to herself
The moving picture of Kultur, of
fake idealism, of humaneness, which
she had unreeled before our charita-
BILE eyes was stopped, and stopped
forever. The film, exposed momen-
tarily to the flame Of truth. exploded
and left on the screen the hideous
picture of Germany as she was. No
more sham for naked nation. In
went the unmasked Prussian to out
rage and murder, to bind and burn
Rape, slavery and torture came forth
from the caves of inhibition. When q
Government violated the word of the
world. why should the individual
check his passions? All the world
ut first unbelievlng, watched the pro.
cession Of horror, and then, against
its wishes, against all the ingrained
faith that the long years had stored
| within the human breast, the world
saw that it was dealing with nothing
less thin monster.