The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-04-08

Stewart cred according
to Hoyle. Aside
from the ones regulating homicide,
there were other rules that re-
spectacle belligerents observed.
Women were supposed TO be re-
spected, children spared and mis-
cellaneous massacres Of civilians
were deprecated.
That such principles were q good
deal disregarded, even during the
dark ages, there's no question.
Nevertheless, fighters who did dis
regard 'em were looked on askance
by their own contemporaries and
they've come down in history as
barbarians.
Now everything goes.
The Japs. to be sure, profess
still TO stand pat FOR chivalrous
ideals. embodied in their Spirit OF
Bushido's schedule.
Horrible Outrages
Wen, they've occupied a good bit
OF white mans territory in the
course Of their recent operations,
and all the testimony is to the ef-
feet that, everywhere they've done
SO, they've perpetrated the most
horrible outrages, with women
particularly as their victims. II
appears that their commanders
have deliberately encouraged this
program. with q view TO knocking
Caucasian morale into a cooked
hat. II mayn't have that effect IN
the long run, but It's the Jap plan,
anyway.
There's their Spirit OF Bushido
for you!
In the countries the Nazis have
overrln there naturally is plenty
OF native resentment at the Ger
man conquerors' presence and an
inclination, on the home folks part,
TO bump of one Of the invaders,
when two or. three Of 'em catch
him alone on a dark street and can
get away with it. Such an Incl
dents an informality undoubtedly,
and, If the Germans are able to pin
one OF EN- onto its real authors,
its rather TO be expected that
they'll deal with him summarily.
Generally, though, they can't catch
'em. II not, they're customs to
round up about 100 Of the local
population, who haven't done a
thing to be punished for, and eX-
ecute 'em.
II that doesn't constitute a series
of massaeres. what is it equiva-
lent TO?
One old-fashioned notion was
that poison wasn't a legitimate
weapon to employ against an
enemy people. Latest dope is TO
the purport that Germany and
Japan both are about to resort to
it-but with modern improvements.
Scientists weren't familiar with
disease germs back in antiquity.
Plain poison was the only stun
available to any belligerent unethi-
cal enough TO utilize H. and 1t was
unhaHdy to disseminate. A well,
for example, could be poisoned, but
after a few individuals had drunk
from its contents and fallen into
commissions, other folk steered
clear Of 1t.
Disease germs, though, spilled
from an airplane, say, or planted
by a "hfth eolumnist," will attend
to their own distribution.
They could start, ilustratively,
q typhus epidemic.
It's a campaign that Herr Hitler
and the Mikado are suspected of
intending to inaugurate.
Health Service Watching
Surgeon General Thomas Parran
OF the United States Public Health
Service has been consulted on the
subject and is on the alert to take
the necessary steps TO meet the
situation the minute the first germ
begins TO manifest itself.
Personally I don't see why it's a
much dirtier trick to kill a man
with a germ than with chunk Of
lead or a scrap OF shrapnel. To
the killer It's obviously immaterial
which way he does 1t, and I'd
think IL would be equally inmate
rial 10 the killee, but old timers,
with bows and arrows, theorized
differently.
It's true, indeed, that germs
don't discriminate between actual
scrsppers and women, children and
assorted civilians, but neither does
an airplane, bombing an open city,
and that, IN our current genera
ton. is quite customary and u rec
ogniZed as fair warfare.
Submarines are kinda sneakin'
also, but they don't seem as much
so as germs, because were more
accustomed TO EN-.
However. 10 the world any more
civilized than II was eight or ten
a =. L ~.