The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-04-08
BY B. Fl. GERNSBACK
Editor of the Electrical Experimental.

country like yours certainly has no
raison d'etre.
And the inhabitants knew il was
coming, but were powerless on &C
count of their treaty, which forbade
the country to arm or fortify itself.
But even suppose a country OF 5Uo'-
900 inhabitants had armed Itself. me
Belgian horrors simply would nave
been duplicated on a smaller scale by
the German war machine.
Back in 1870, during the Franco
Prussian war, Germany had a log
ical reason for invading Luxembourg,
but Bismarck was chancellor then, not
Won Bethmann-Ho the knight
Of the scrap of paper. Bismarck
knew the value of a treaty, and he
also knew that invading Luxembourg
would raise big rumpus over in
London and elsewhere, SO he desisted,
Not that there wasn't casus belli,
There was a perfectly good one. Dur
ing the war Luxembourg foolishly al
lowed the French to transport some
war stores and men across the south
ern part of Luxembourg. OF course
Bismarck found Il. out and sent Eev-
eral sizzling kilograms 10 the Luxem :
bourg government. This effectively
stopped the French traffic.
No doubt the present German pow
ers that he remembered the incident.
Trust German thoroughness for that.
So one nice summer morning-to be
correct, August 2. 1S14--several car
loads Of German troops and officers
detrained and ''pussyfooted" their way
into the city. Not a shot was fired.
Why should there be? Grand Duchess
Adelaide in her auto on the Point
| Adolphe blocked the way OF the ad
vancing columns, protesting in vain
| in the name of her people and her
treaty.
prussian Way.
| Can you not see the good natured
leering smile of these Prussian officers
as they pushed by the grand duchess
auto on their way to the posfotfice'
which they captured gloriously, in
Guiding telephones and telegraph
| 1t was the first grand German Wis
| tory of the war; As imposing deed
as stealing the pennies on dead
mans eyea, not 10 forget his shoes.
The Luxembourg SCRAP OF paper" was
| the first to be scrapped, but the Bel
| GUM one-the second one--proved ia
be bigger scrap.
OF course the T4uxenbourgeois
greatly resent the German occupation
! Just as much as do the Belgians
Since the invasion the Inhabitants
| have been in "a more or less ugly mood
as testified on good authority by the
information which filters through
| from time to time. Starvation and de-
| portation may not be quite as bad ne
| in Belgium, at least not for the former
because luxembourg 10 a very wealthy
and productive country and can easily
! feed itself at all times.
| But what gals the people most Is
! the confiscation of their industries
particularly their largest one. iron
| Ana~here is the reason which prompt
ed this article.
Very little news has leaked out OF
| Luxembourg since the war; the Ger
mans themselves never mentioned II
under any circumstances. The less
said the better. No doubt tho Luxem.
bourgeois are treated well during the
war, as we'll as Is possible during the
war, for the Germans mean TO keep
the little country. small In area but
rich, rich particularly In ores. Sc
they keep pum, trusting to luck that
when they sit at the green table In
the near future the representatives
of the powers will have so many other
headaches that Luxembourg--as was
the invariable and time-honored Gus
tom. in the past---couId not be remem-
bered even with tho aid Of a micro
| seope'
The StrAngic Hold.
And IL Germany can be made to
! sysa up AlsaeszI ,errains. for Whist