Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-18
Continued from Last Issue)

The German mentality indeed Of
fered a psychological phenomenon
that was battling to the most pro-
found study, and the BelgianS had
daily examples of it. For instance,
when the city fathers of Louvaln
began to discuss the rebuilding of
the portions of the city that had
been destroyed, and Brussels arch
itects submitted plans, German
architects submitted plans, too,
with the price of what they deli
cately called the public improve
ment" indicated, .and the archi-
tects were wholly unaware that
their taste in ethics was as bad as
it is in art; it never occurred to
them that there could be any repuS-
nance on the part of the people of
Louvain to engaging German archi-
tectS to reconstruct what German
soldiers had so wantonly Destroy
ed, though perhaps there is an
other explanation in the fact that
the Germans really seem incapable
of seeing two things at the same
time.
The number OF Germans in town
seemed to increase daily; they
swarmed everywhere, not only mill
tary men but civilians. They had
almost taken over the Bots; the
officers had all the tables at the
laiterie, the restaurant once so pop
ular, where it used to be pleasant
of an afternoon at tea time, with
50 much light and life and music
and show of pretty costumes. Many
of the officers and civilian officials
had brought their wives to Brus-
sells because, it was said, it was
so much easier to live in Belgium;
and there were other officers accom-
panied by women not their wives.
There were family groups, indubi-
tably German, to be seen on the
boulevards on Sunday afternoon,
and one began to hear almost as
much German as French Indeed,
they became so numerous finally
that they created a new problem
for us in the ravitaillement; we be-
gan to wonder whether, since they
could not take the food which we
imported over into Germany, the
Germans were not gradually to i'm
port their whole population over in
Belgium to eat it up in the spot.
We solved it eventually, and justly
enough, we felt, but it was not
without it's complications.
It was estimated that there were
fifteen thousand German civilians
in Brussels, of whom six thousand
were spies. 1 have no way of YER
flying the figures, of course, but
we were always hearing of the
trouble and pain they caused and
of their unconscionable eXactions.
l knew of a family who were liter
ally driven out of their apartment
by a German family that came to
live in the same building with them:
the German family preferred the
apartment in which the family of
which | write was living, and by a
series of petty prosecutions forced
them to leave. They had no redress
because the kommandantur would
punish any Belgian on the bare
complaint of a German.
And vet / never heard a German
express the least confederation for
the sorrow there was all about them,
or saw one give evidence of the
slightest pity. Autumn was coming
on; and, while Belgians of course
were forbidden to take advantage
OF it, there were always carts and
wagonettes in the Bots, filled with
officers armed with shot guns go
ing out for game. The Foret de
SOignes echoed with the reports of
their toWling pieces; they must al
ways be shooting something.
More and more they were shoot
ing Belglans as spies, or as traitors,
as in their judicial forms they call
ed BelgianS who committed any act
that was considered inimical to Ger
man interest. Every day, almost.
there were the fresh 'affiches" on
the walls. One September morn
ing, standing before the, latest ''af-
flche," which announced the shoot
Ing VI al yOuHS dICullGCl anu a Cleih
for "trahison de guerre," (treaSOn
in wartime) an old gentleman stand
ing near the "affiche," uncovered,
and said gravely:
&c sont des martyrs, Madame"
C"They are martyrs, Madame.D
'Oui, Monsieur eyes, Sir,") said
a woman standing by.
One of the most offensive ele-
ments of the regime under the Ger
man occupation was not only the
constant denial of personal liberty.
but the contempt of all personal
dignity, so that delicate women were
not even safe from brutal intrusion
in their own boudoirS. 1t occurred
so often, as / have referred to it
often in this narrative, that we be-
came callous to it and were perhaps
not always so aStOunded and out
ragged by the amazing diSreSpeCt for
principles that are taken for grant
cd in the modern world. often one
would fear that one was becoming
hardened if not corrupted, so insid-
ious is the effect of example, so
quickly is one dragged to a lower
level l recall the concern, almost
the anguish of a wealthy manufaC-
turer in Brussels, who had large in
terests in other countries, and was
arrested in that month of Septem-
Der charged with having sent let
tcrS out of the country. The pOlit-
Zei without any warning appeared
at his offices, ovCrturning every
thing, bore off the company'S cor
rcSpondence and papers, arrested
the manufacturer and his son, and
released them only on their deposit
ing two hundred thousand francs in
cash, as a kind of bail. They were
subjected daily to interrogatories, a
host of agents pried into all their
affairs; finally they were informed
that they were to be tried by court
martial.
He contrived finally to escape
prison, though most were not that
fortunate, but he did not escape a
heavy fine and may have lost trade
secrets of his company in, those
numerous perQuisitions.
Such instances of personal indig-
nifty and injustice, arising from
individual infractions of the Ger
man rules, or offenses against Ger
man prejudiceS, were common; they
were happening all the time. But
during the history of the occupa-
ton there were from time to time
other instances of injustice which