New-York tribune., 1918-01-16

Fivc months imprisonment 7oas tho penalty
Professor q. r. Nicolai, of The University Of
Berlin had to suffer for f'riting u boo6 ON
"Tho Biology Of War Moreouer, he had
TO 90 to Scitseridmd 10 get the book pub
lished. We are indebted TO William Archer,
in "7ho Wostn,inster Gazette" Of London for
somo EXTRACTS from and comments on the
1Iritings that 80 displedsed tho Kaiscr's gou-
ornment.
Ills point Of rie7u, indeed, IS cueryzchere
Thoroughly German" says Mr.. Archer "Uc
shores none of tho vehcment rerol against
the crimes Of his country schich characterize,
for instance, the author of 'JAccusc'. AH the
more impressire, then, Is his calmly judicial
rejection Of the theories zchich hare led Ger
many to set the zcorld on fire and the prac-
tices Whereby she has deliberately redoublod
tho horrors Of the conflogrnticn." the nrki-
Gle Is IN part as follozrs:
AS to Germany's refusal to be bound in
her conduct Of the war, by any consideration
of humanity or respect for international con-
ventons, DR.. Nicolai admits, and even insists,
that it is strictly logical. Nevertheless he
dcplores the breach Of these conventions, or,
tions in which men recognized the principle
that there is something higher than the at
tainmcnt of military Objects" He proceeds
when in 1889 the perpetual neutrality Of
Belgium proclaimed, Germany and France
rendered against each other more diff
cult, and they knew from that day forth thai
at the frontier of this neutral state there
stood an insurmountablc wall, based upon
their own word.
"When in 1856 the Declaration Of Paris
laid it down that captured ships must be
brought before properly constituted prize
court, the nations placed prohibition on the
secret sinking Of ships.
when in 1899 the Hague convention for
badc The employment of sufocating or pois-
onous gases, the nations voluntarily deprived
themselves Of one OF the most serviceable i'm
plements of warfare, which technical prog
ress promised to render every day more eff
fectivc
Fatal to Human Honor
"Whatever one may think Of the value and
significance Of such conventions, after they
are once concluded all discussion of them
must cease, for henceforth any breach of them
not only damages the enemy, but inlcts ir-
reparabe injury on ones own honor.
Therefore there has been nothing so mel
ancholy in this war the violation Of Bel
gian neutrality, the 'U'-boat campaign, and
the use of suffocatng gases
"For these things fatal, not only to
human life, but to human honor
1t need scarcely be said that Dr. Nicolai is
very far from taking the conventional Ger
man view as to the alleged "franc-treur war"
In Belgium. He rates at its true worth the
legend Of chvarous and spotlcss army
driven to stern but just reprisals by the out
RACES committed by n trcacherous peasantry.
Ills own experience as q military doctor (i,,
the fortress of Graudcnz) has supplied him
with ample evidence Of the brutalzing ni1u-
cnce OF war upon character He says:
"A very estimable officer has told me, with
retrospective horror, how he himself once
threatened his host with death if lost purse
people (for example, hostage) of whose per
sonal innocence they must be convinced. At
the very beginning of the war; when a Prus-
aian officer shot himself rather than carr
cut such al order, his comrades characterized
his 'seif~sacrticc on moral grounds as hyper
sensitive Weakness
'An officer explained 10 me the technique Of
loraying. Y ou go into shop, point YOUR re-
vo.ver at the article you want (or at the shop
keeper and say, ga penny for that! and so
you pay honorably for everything you take"
fle says in another place:
"a short time ago one of our most highly