The Benson signal., 1918-05-11
SpoIiation of Two Provinces by
Beast of Berlin's Barbarians
Continues.
ART TREASURES TAKEN AWAY
Objects of Priceless Historic and Ar
tistic Worth Carried Off to Supply
the Demand of the New
Rich.

With the French Armies.-Ger-
nany's latest spoliation of Alsace-Lor-
raine consists of the carrying away
rom the latter of all the old antiqui-
ties and objects of art in which the
:wO provinces for centuries have been
unusually rich.
The exodus of all these objects,
many of priceless historic and artistic
worth, across the borders of the two
provinces and over into the big Ger
man cities would appear to consti-
tute Germans final effort to squeeze
out Of Alsace and Lorraine the last
thing of value while she still has it
within her power to do so.
During the seventeenth century AL
SAGE and Lorraine became very much
center for various lines of art and
especially for the making Of the vari-
GUS styles of furniture which have
since won for themselves fixed places
In the history and development of
artistic furnishings. Because Alsace
and Lorraine were the centers of the
various trades, art crafts and manu-
facturers that were employed in the
production of these. historic styles of
furniture, thousands of the best
pieces remained in the two provinces
where they became heirlooms in the
native families.
Treasures Forced on Market.
It is largely this class of art OBJ
jects that the Germans are now
searching out and carrying off to Ber-
lin, Munich and other German CEN
ters. Owing to the fact that the Ger
man authorities are now forcing the
liquidation and sale of all homes and
other properties owned by French
ritizens and often of Alsatians guilty
only of French .sympathies, thousands
Of these old pieces of furniture are
being thrown onto the market in a
manner that enables the German anti
quarians to buy them at nominal fig
ures. In other instances, the anti
quarians search out families that have
been impoverished by the war and
force them to part for a little ready
money with objects of the greatest
artistic value.
This exploitation of the two prov
lnces by German antiquity dealers ap-
pears to have reached such a proper
ton that even the German press,
notably the Kleine Press of Frankfort
have printed articles pointing out the
iniquitous practice. The Hagenauer
Il Ill 4I,.o
following manner:
"The lovers of the art objects and
antiquities Of Alsace are becoming
alarmed over the fate of all the beau
tiful and precious art treasures that
are now actually leaving the country.
From all parts of the German empire
antiQuarianS are now arriving and
gaining possession of hidden treas
ures from the very bottom of the two
frontier provinces for the purpose Of
reselling them at fabulous prices to
their clients at Berlin, Munich and
elsewhere.
"The hour is propitious for such
purchases Numerous auction sales
and foreclosures offer favorable Occa-
sions for the acquisition Of objects of
real STYLE Many small middle-class
families Of the villages have need Of
money, and without too much insist
ence will give up a bureau Of the
Louis XVI style which has come down
to them from a grandmother and
with what they receive they can pro-
cure other articles more indiSpens-
able.
"In the seventeenth century the art
crafts were veEy flourishing in AL
SAGE. The house furnishing which one
encountered even in the smallest,
most faraway villages we're elegant