New-York tribune., 1918-08-18

tney nad naQ no warning, SnOul0 ap-
proach them, they would again take
hasty flight to their swamps and for
ests and would be as content with
these as they formerly were eager to
roam all over the world, mere
vagrants, without any understanding
of distance or world relationships"
DIR. Muehlon makes a fine distinc.
ton between a German and Euro
pean, and declares that If Germans
should at any time gain the hege
mony of Europe "a general exodu.
of Europeans will occur. The re.
mote corners of Europe will become
the most desired places of refuge
With pride and horror every one
would insist that he be delivered
from the sight of German"
Late in August, 1914, when
things were going badly with
France, DR.. Muehlon assures him.
self, at least, that France will not
perish, that, even though she is
overrun, she will be able to save her
soul, if not her territory.
"Some think that France will turn
away from England, and, to save
herself. make common cause with
Germany against England. But these
people are fools. France is no trader,
like Germany. Her convictions are
not for SALE"
Kaiser Urges
No Quarter
In a simple, direct note Muehlon
pillories the Kaiser. He writes:
"A letter from the front brings me
the news that the German Kaiser
personally stated before an assem-
blage of officers that he has now
enough prisoners and that he hoped
the officers would see to it that no
more were taken. This news is en-
tirely trustworthy"
An entry tells how the Crown
Prince of Bavaria is developing into
a similar braggart.
"This gentleman, the brother-in-
claw of the Queen of the Belgians,
issues on Belgian soil an address to
his army in which he tells his SOL
diers that they have now the honor
of fighting against the English. Eng
land is solely responsible for the
war; his troops should, therefore,
take ruthless revenge for the evil
wrought on the world by England.
This sounds like an incitation to give
no quarter. 1t is an encouragement
to brutality Compare it with the
tone in which the English COM
mander in chief has addressed his
troops: DO your duty; do honor to
the English name; conduct your
selves respectable
DR.. Muehlon contrasts the conduct
of German troops in Belgium and
northern France with the conduct of
Russian troops in East Prussia:
81 get news at first hand that the
commission for the investigation of
Russian outrages in East Prussia,
with the Minister of the Interior,
the OberPrasident, ETC., at it's head,
has returned without findings, cx-
cept such as could be constructed
from the heated fancies of their fell
low countrymen. 1t has not been
able to verify single one of the re-
ported outrages. This is important
enough to go into further.
Embarrassing details of Russian
barbarity had been given us. Pub
lie opinion credulously accepted
these tales, even though they ran to
frghtful extremes-for instance,
that the Russian soldiers made a
practice of railing the hands of
little country children to tables. For
with us in Germany the Russian
soldier is regarded as a mere beast
OF prey, whose brutality. cruelty,
shamelessness and passion for de-
struction cannot be paralleled, to
an equal degree. in any other por-
ton of the human race.
II had already doubted the repre-
sentative character Of this picture
and, on the basis of various impress
sions of Russia, had imagined that
the Russian soldier may we'll be still
more lacking in judgment and still
more excitable than the German SOL
der is, but yet milder, more good
humored and more altruistic than
the latter. 1t must be considered
that in Russia there are many and
very dissimilar stocks, but I found
my conception confirmed in the mi
mute portraits Of the Russian mujik
drawn by the great Russian authors
and in the current news about intel
lectual movements in all parts of
Russia. II any ono replies that tho
Russian soldier blindly obeys his
leaders, then must say that these
leaders seem to be, with all their
other defects, far superior to our
own in whatever concerns hon.
est, humane feelings and inclina-
tions toward Justice and magma
nimity."
Germans, be still now and bow