The Crucifixion of Belgium. notwithstanding the oceans of blood that has been shed and the millions that have suffered, because no peace under these conditions is possible. Such practices must perish or civilization must perish. There can b ?n peace whUe r ? maiI l S ^ exponent of Principles that means the de- struction of civilization as exemplified by her treatment and tor- ture of Belgium today. The unlawful brutalities of Germany, however, need cause no surprise to those who are familiar with its military history for the last fifty years. Some of you may recall the statement Bismarck made to his troops when they left Berlin for their conquest of France, m 1870 In an address to them before their departure he said, Leave to the peoples who you conquer, naught but their eves with which to see, and to weep," and that is the policy they are now enacting m Belgium. The German nation regards with great pride the so-called ceremonial of the baptism of fire for its army. There have been but two occasions between the War of 1870 and the present one, in which the German troops have experienced this ceremony, and it was my fortune, or misfortune, to be pres- ent on both these occasions. One was in 1900, in the so-called Boxer War, when the allied armies of the world crucified Christianity in China, in their mon- strous treatment of the Chinese, who, in their misguided judgment were merely trying to save their country from vivisection by the vultures of Europe. In an address which the Emperor of Germany delivered to his troops on their departure for that expedition, he told them to"be- have like Huns," and their record of murder and devastation in that country has left a blot on their escutcheon which will never be erased. Their army arrived in Pekin several months after the so-called war was over, but they at once began a system of puni- tive expeditions on the helpless Chinese, among whom there was no more fight than in a warren of rabbits, and continued it for months, committing crimes of murder, rape and looting that would shame the record of Attila. The other occasion occurred in German Africa, when I also chanced to be present. The Hereros, one of the finest native tribes of that country, had protested against the monstrous hut tax which the Colonial Government had imposed upon them. That Govern- ment had robbed them of their land and prevented them shooting the game. It had restricted them from all the privileges they had enjoyed for immemorial ages, and imposed upon them a tax so large that it required the wage of half a year's work in the cotton fields, or in the making of the roads, for which they received about a penny a day, to accumulate enough to pay the tax. The natives protested against this payment and other cruel- ties and restrictions, and attempted to create a rebellion. On learning this, the German authorities promptly arrested all the leading men of the tribe, the Chiefs, the medicine men, the priests and the heads of families of the section of the tribe where this massacre occurred, and held them awaiting the arrival of the Colonial Governor. He was a fellow passenger with me, on a steamer running down the African Coast, and when we reached the place at about eight o'clock in the morning, the situation was immediately placed before him. In less than an hour, two hundred and eight of these representative natives, the most influential and powerful of the tribe, were brought from the prison and hung to the limbs of the mango trees in the village. The priests and medi- cine men had told the natives that they need not fear the ettect ot the German guns, as they shot only water. To prove that this was not true and to instill terror among the remaining inhabitants, tne wives, the children and the parents of the condemned men— in- deed, all the inhabitants of the village,— were invited down to tne mango trees where their husbands and fathers had been hung, and a detachment of German soldiers was ordered to fire upon the sus- pended bodies until they were literally blown to pieces, so it is not surprising to me to see the same monstrous policy developed in Belgium, where the methods seem to be naught but to terrorize and to exterminate. . , . How long, oh Lord, how long, will America stand by and see these crimes committed without a protest, so vigorous as to com- pel their cessation. As a veteran or observer, I have been in nine wars, in almost every section of the civilized and uncivilized world, from the Moros of the Philippines to the jungles of Africa but it has been reserved for this war to furnish cruelties and barbarities which surpass anything I have witnessed elsewhere, and prove that civilization is a failure, unless the nations who are free from the direct sufferings of the war, will protest with sufficient vigor to compel some regard for international law and for the salvation of humanity. On August 28, 1914, when the recrudescence of barbarism, now devastating Europe, had shocked the civilized world, I sent the following cablegram from Antwerp to President Wilson. It had the endorsement of the Belgian Military authorities, and every word in it has since been verified by Viscount Bryce, in his report to Parliament. It is as follows : "Antwerp, August 28, 1914. "My dear Mr. President: "Unless the barbarism of the German Kaiser ceases, the civ- ilization of Europe will be set back a century. The rules of The Hague Tribunal have been grossly ignored. Innocent women and children have been bayoneted. Old men and non-combatants have been shot. The white flag and red cross ambulances have been fired upon. A Belgian Red Cross officer was shot while assisting at the burial of a dead German. Villages of non-combatants have been burned and historic monuments desecrated. Churches have been sacked and hostages murdered. This morning, bombs dropped from a Zeppelin in an attempt to assassinate the royal family, killed eleven citizens and desperately wounded many more. This is not war, but murder. As Vice-President of the Peace and Arbitration League of the United States, I implore you in the name of humanity and justice, to back American protest so vigorously that German vandalism must cease, and the future disarmament of Europe made possible. Respectfully yours, Louis L. Seaman. Mr. Wilson at that time had every opportunity to prove the truth of my report, but it was disregarded, and he failed to pro- test against the greatest crime of history— the monstrous infringe- ment on International Law, and the fundamental rights of human- ity. Had he then protested in the name of The Hague Tribunal, and civilization — and made immediate preparations to enforce his protest, his name would have gone down to history coupled with that of Washington and Lincoln. Instead, it is more likely to be coupled with that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There would have been no Lusitania and Arabic murders to commemorate, and no Belgian deportations to shock the world, and America would have maintained the ideals, for which, your forbears and mine since the days of Magna Charta, were not too proud to fight. Some day the murderous cataclysm now raging in Europe will cease, and what will be the conditions existing then? It will find most of the Continental Nations hopelessly wrecked finan- cially, and saddled with debts, many of which will never be liqui- dated. It will find America prosperous and in possession of wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, but without a friend in the world. It will find Europe, jealous of our prosperity and envious of our riches. Prosperity without protection is a peril. Envy and jeal- ousy are the most fruitful causes of war. Unless we are prepared to resist unjust demands, war will undoubtedly follow. Congress and the President have already wasted most valuable time in failing to make adequate preparation for the preservation of our Peace. Unless this is done, and done immediately, our country will certainly receive the treatment it will deserve — vivisection, with but little sympathy for the patient under the scalpel. You may remem- ber Bismarck's significant reply when asked what he thought of America. " America," said he, "is a fine fat hog; and when we're ready, we will stick it." While in the hospital at La Panne with Surgeon General de Page, a few weeks ago, I was invited to a private audience with H. M. Queen Elizabeth, Belgium's noble queen. She spoke in keen- est praise of America's generosity to her people, who, but for this wonderful assistance, would have perished from the earth, — and of the deep obligation of her suffering country to our land. She is a rare jewel without the setting, proving the royal character without its pageantry, a fitting mate for the king who will pass into history as the greatest hero of this monstrous war. She is living by the sea, in a villa near the hospitals which she visits al- most daily in her work of devotion, and her soul is wrapped in the welfare of her suffering people and her desire to help them. One Sunday evening, we dined with Madame Henri Carton De Wiart, wife of the Belgian Minister of Justice, in an ancient castle near Havre, given to her by the French. It was in strange contrast to the prison for criminals in Berlin, where for three months she was incarcerated in a cell but little larger than her dining table, for mailing a copy of the pastoral letter of Cardi- nal Mercier, who is now himself, a victim of German tyranny. When asked by the tribunal which convicted her, whether she had sent the letter, she answered, "Yes, and I am ready to pay the penalty." Our Embassy, and that of Spain intervened on her be- half, but when our Ambassador, called to see her, the interview was allowed only in the presence of a German Officer. When asked regarding- her food, she said "I had not known these dishes before, but I know them now." The following day the German Officer visited her again, and said "Madam, you will be allowed the privi- lege of purchasing your own food." She answered, "For a privi- lege one must say thank you. I cannot say thank you to a German. You say I may pay for my food. That money would go to a Ger- man. I would rather starve than have my money go to a German." She endured her imprisonment to the end, thus typifying again the spirit of Belgium, which neither shell nor torture can conquer. On the sea shore, near the hospital, at La Panne, stands a rude little chapel, recently erected. It is known as the Relic Church, and its pulpit, its font, and its altar, were rescued from the wreck- age of Nieuport and Ypres, and the ruined churches of Belgium. Many sacred pictures of rare beauty and age are there, and ancient Crucifixes, marred and scarred by the enemies' shells. In strange contrast, in one corner was piled a heap of brown stone cannon balls, that had been unearthed by the soldiers while digging the trenches near Nieuport and which had been used in the Battle of the Dunes, centuries before. For more than a thousand years, Belgium has been the cockpit of Europe, but the spirit of its people is still unconquered. From La Panne, we visited Havre, the present seat of the Bel- gian Government where we met several of the Ministers of State and were told of the work already inaugurated for the restoration of the Belgian People, and of the Colonies of Orphans in various centers in France where they are being carefully educated. On a hill overlooking the City, Le Comte de Renesse Breidack has built an Institution that reflects the spirit of Belgium better than words can picture. Here, the human wreckage of the Army is being made over, into self-supporting, self-respecting wage earners in various trades, in an atmosphere of self-content and happiness. Shops for various industries are filled with legless shoemakers and tailors, and printers, who are now earning a fair competence. Basket and barrel making, metal-lathe workers, cooks and bakers, and toy makers are here, and many peaceful arts are being taught to artisans who are lame and blind, but whose indomitable wills are conquering their cruel fate. The spirit of the Count, who from wealth and power, was driven to poverty, is bringing inspiration through his personality, to thousands of men — from the depths of despair to contentment and self-support. When in London, we visited St. Dunstan's, memorialized by Thackeray in Vanity Fair, but now a Home for the blinded soldiers and sailors of Great Britain, of which Sir Arthur Pierson, who is also blind, is the Chairman. "This place," said he, "is the happiest house in London, prob- ably in the world, and I'll tell you why : It is so full of sympathy." The institution typifies the moral tone and spirit of all the Allies today — it is the spirit of hope, of life, of victory. "It is the spirit of our ancestors, of '76, the spirit of confidence, of success, of the irresistible determination to rescue freedom and civilization from this terrible tragedy — the spirit of Lincoln at Gettysburg when he prophesied for our country a government of the people by the people, for the people, which shall not perish from the face of the earth." 6 gression of the Hun will not cmUa «+ nil P, red atory ag- {S«af * n m the end of this piratical conflict in which the ideals of liberty and freedom and honor, for which mv lnce,to« fought and died are at stake, I am heart and soul wiKe AJl?i The traditional friendship between the Allied 3 aJ^- strengthened by the destruction of scraps of papfr fSmeri^dS treaties, would have been only a memory, had not thf grLtwt Relief societies of our country kept it alive; and it is to them and to our surgeons and hospitals and nurses, our splendid Ambu- lance corps and brave avions, and not to the weak-kneed vacOlat ™ inSV/rf f Wa ^ Kn * P ° liCy ° f ° Ur Present admim^tiX&i we are indebted for the preservation what remains of the friendship SL^V^WS* 8 * bGtween our countries today King Albert through M. Henri Carton de Wiart, his Minister of Justice and M. Louis de Sadeleer, his Minister of State, now in New York, asks America, in this crucial moment, to compel a regard for international law by Germany, and thus prevent the lurther deportation and enslavement of his people. Is this hu- mane and righteous request of Belgium's King to be heard, and Germany be made to respect the laws of honor and civilization regarded as sacred by all other nations :— or is the world to re- lapse to barbarism and the savagery of the Dark Ages? That is the question America, which too long has been morally asleen i« now expected to help to answer. The following resolution was prepared and read by the Rev. John A. Wade, Rector, and at the conclusion of the service, was passed by unanimous vote. Hon. Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States, Washing- ton, D. C. Sir : We, citizens of the United States, have followed for two years with profound sympathy, at times mingled with horror the story of the people of our sister nation, Belgium. While German armies have flouted the laws of God and man to an extent unparalleled in modern history, we have remained governmentally neutral. That neutrality, however, is not to be considered as the heart sentiment of the people of the United 7 States. Wave after wave of burning indignation has passed over our land, and we doubt not that the same sentiment would imbue the hearts of the great mass of the German people if they knew the truth. We can no longer restrain our i^ipation at the Impen^ order for the compulsory deportation of the ^P 1 ® °^ V B ^ U ™ 5™ Northern France, an act so brutal as to be unworthy of a nation calling itself civilized, and as a people happy m the feWW of Political freedom we register our most solemn protest against this crime ^and we™ereby extend our heartfelt sympathy and moral support to our outraged fellow-men. We think we express the sentiment of the great mass of the American People in stating that to further turn a deaf ear to the fry of Belgfum would stultify the noblest emotions of which our people are capable, weaken our moral fibre, and compel us to wear indelibly as a nation the brand of shame. This is a time for a moral bludgeon, and we respectfully im- plore the President of the United States to voice the nation s soul Fn term which the German Emperor will not fail to understand It is our earnest hope that similar action will be taken in the near future by every church throughout the land. Rev. John A. Wade, Rector, Church of St. John the Evangelist, Protestant Episcopal. New York, December 10th, 1916. &