Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-06-28
The Truth About Belgium
Continued from Last Issue)
BY BRAND WHITLOCK


Meanwhile fresh troops poured
through Brussels every day anu
every morning along the oouleNaIuS
the Germans paraded the enormous
Austrian cannons that were moNihs
mn TO the siege, and when IL was ~
cannon it was m1tralleuSes' ~
their sinister warning TO the peop0
And all about the Palais de JusIiSe
-sndbags were piled TO make OarrI-
cade. and guns gaped over the ramp
toward the quarter OF the MaroillehS
Just below.
The Arrogant German Officers
In the afternoons German officers
rode their horses along the avenues
s=z into the Bots. 1t was the hour
of the promenade in the avenue
T.ouise under the chestnut trees that
blossom twice a year along the Wlde
plaisance. broad parterres where on
pIeasant days one used to meet
everybody one knew. Along the
nromensde on pleasant afternoons
there used to be ladies ana genIle
men walking, bows and Smiles anu
lifted hats, pretty children, toy ooss
with jingling harnesses, old women
selling toy balloons ana sirs
selling fiowers-notes or bright Color
an the ensemble. In those days
those DAYS OF expectancy, the peop'e
chung to the old habit and TOOK tue
ar there as before, though there
we're no more smiles and the mats
we're lifted solemnly, and one oy one
the ladies all appeared in mourning.
pu. the children. with the charming
tnsouciance OF childhood, still played
there. and the gay little Grinons ana
tha staggering Pekinese were all un-
concerned. and the old woman wao-
61ad about with the great cluster OF
TOW balloons in all their translucent
coIors. bobbing against each other
above her head. 49,
And II was precisely along this
--o-,enade and not in the orlole
5afh the tan bark road across the
- ss1'aIIee reservee aux caVa-
liers'' 1.-THE path reserved for riders
,bst the German officers would
xallop, straight, erect viii Ine
nonocIes fixed in the arrogant 49,
that bore the scars OF their pEuus1
dueIs. while the children anu
nursemaids scattered right ana leLt;
watched them in amazemenI anu
a feeling rising in my breast thas
one would rather not avoW-ano
there lust across the way was the
soft tan bark, empty and unused.
And one evening after / had des-
Matched some business with Ger
man officer OF high rank. could
not resist the impulse TO ask MIN
INV the officers must needs gallop
along the promenade when a Few
vsrds away there was such an ex-
ceIIent tan bark route, made ex-
nresslv for riding. He shrugged MS
shoulders and replied sententiously;
ssSont les Prussiens!" C'They
are Prussians.D
He checked himslf as though re-
GREETING the admission, and then ne
added:
ssFaut pas repeter celia; vous
saver on doit mater les Belges."
THAT must not be repeated, you
know. we must mortify the Bel
gians.D
And he brought down a closed
fist on the table.
Two days later, however, barriers
were put up across the dAACC ACSSA fSS
aux pIetons (path reserved or pedes-
triansl with openings just large
enough to permit one to pass. The
children played there again, the
daily Dromenades were resumed, and
the officers rode thereafter along
the bridal path. 1 never knew
whether my remark had anything to
do with that or not. Probably not.
post hoe, ergo prOpter hoe" is one
of the logical faIlacies 1 used to
read in Jevons.
/ could be more certain Of the ef-
feet of the paper which General
Baron Won Luttwitz so kindly gave
me to protect the villa at Quatre
Bras. Bois-Fleuri, where during all
those troubled weeks the rabbits
had been nibbling>at the rose leaves
unmolested. had procured the pa
per to quiet Victor's apprehensions,
but one afternoon Victor came into
town and reported that on three oc-
casions German soldiers had over
run the house, rummaging every
where, and that finally when he
produced the paper and showed it,
the officer in command said:
"Oh, yes, this is the house Of the
American minister, and we have or
ders not 10 visit it, even il there