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< 214 eiji
treating,”-so he writes--“they ordered the destruction
ofeverything likely to be of benefit to the invaders;
consequently, hundreds of once fiourishing Lithuanian
towns and cities have been reduced to ashes. Millions
of people have been left without any-shelter by virtue
‘of the orders sent broadcast by the Russian Govern-
-ment to destroy everything; and they are still enduring
‘great suffering.”
Nevertheless the unsigned article of No. 1 insists
that the “barbarous and greedy invaders” are to blame
for all the Russians are known to be responsible for
and, adding another charge, claims that “the able-
bodied male inhabitants were taken to Germany and
forcibly enrolled in the enemy’s ranks.” To claim, as
is done here, without producing ‘even the shadow of
proof, that the Germans have taken the able-bodied
male inhabitants of the conquered Lithuanian territory
to Germany and that they have forcibly enrolled them
in their army, exposes the authorof such an accusation
to the charge of slander, from which only incontro-
vertible proof or abject retraction will free him! -
In the same supercilious and irresponsible manner
other equally, and even more, serious charges are laid
against the Germans in the article by I. F.-“Mok-
sleivis,” the same “Moksleivis,” by the way, who, on
p. 29 of his contribution, unreservedly admits the Rus-
sian authorities to have ordered the Lithuanians to
burn their possessions and to fiee from their homes.
In flagrant contradiction to this admission he asserts
on p. 31 that “The relief committee were now unable to
aid their brethren, for the approaching Germans had
forced them to withdraw not only from Vilna, but also
from Lithuania,” that “it is even stated that they
would take the last morsel of bread from the children
and the old men” (p. 29) and that, so he adds, “a com-
plaint of the German treatment was sent to the Pope,
setting forth these outrages committed on the people,
and especially those committed on the female sex” (pp.
29-30).
That such a complaint has been sent to the Pope is
no proof that the outrages alleged therein have actually
been committed, except, perhaps, in the overworked
brain of Mr. Moksleivis” himself. In fact, the Pope
has been deluged with such complaints sent by the
self-styled “Holy Alliance.” Butthe Pope, as was to
be expected, does not consider the sending of a com-
plaint as proof of the guilt of the accused. “The Holy
See, which is unable to inquire, finds itself unable to
decide,” such is in part the answer of the Pope's Secre-
tary of State to the demands of England and Belgium
that the Holy 5ee condemn the [alleged] German
atrocities on the strength of the reports of their “atro-
city committees.” (Lit. Dig. July 31, 1915.) -
‘If the allied atrocity mongers could only depose the
obstreperous Benedict and set up in his place the more
obliging Reverend from Phila., Pa., with the “superior”
knowledge about German atrocities, gathered in the
U. S. A., and especially with that furnished by Joseph
Kudirka in his “Recollections of the Past,” chapter:
German Atrocities, No. 5, pp. 24-25 of the “Plea,” the
Reverend J. J. K. as Popemight well see his way clear
to do the Allies’ bidding. ‘
The “genuine" character ofthis knowledge emanat-
ing from the pen of the Honorable'Kudirka can best
be judged by the following gem: “The Germans”-
so he makes bold to write-“we're much displeased with
the acts of the Russians in Prussia, therefore the ma-
jority of the soldiers tried to take revengeby attacking
the peaceful inhabitants [of Lithuania], who were in
no way benefited by the.Russian atrocities committed
in Germany. This feeling of revenge was manifested
especially by the Prussian soldiers.‘ The Bavarians
and the VVurtembergers [sic], who are Catholics, con-
ducted themselves properly, and scarcely ever troubled
ISSUES "AN D EVENTS
‘the peaceful inhabitants.” To the Catholic. readers of
the “Plea” it should-if I am permitted to Judge from
my own feeling in this matter”-give the greatest satis-
faction to learn that the “Wurtembergers” are Catho-
lics. Be it suggested that for the sake of the “newly
discovered truth” (i’) Mr. Kudirka impart this start-
ling piece of news to the Encyclopedia Britannica
and to Meyer’s Conversations lexicon, both of which
still labor under the old.and apparently erroneous
conception that of the population of Wurtemberg not
more than 30 per cent. are Catholics and of the remain-
ing 70 per cent. about 69 are Protestants! It is to
be expected that Mr. Kudirka, the champion discoverer
of the age, also has data enabling him to correct the
above mentioned authorities’ figures with regard to
Prussia, since both still place the number of the
Protestants of Prussia at about 22,000,000 and that of
the Catholics at more than half that figure.
Unfortunately, however, Mr. Kudirka himself con-
siderably cheapens the quality of his “superior” knowl-
edge when, referring to alleged German outrages to
the female sex he admits that such are “conjectured.”
Here are his own words: “Near Mariampolis and
Kalvarija the bodies of fourteen Lithuanian girls were
found in the German trenches. This is conjectured to
be the work of German ofiicers.” Sapienti sat!
In the unsigned article of No. 1 of the “Plea” the
reader is asked to believe that the people of France
and England have “long proclaimed” this “great”
humanitarian principle [that every race be the mistress
of her own destiny”.] Some of the more skeptical
readers may be tempted to ask for a few particulars as
to how long, for instance, France and England have
proclaimed this humanitarian principle and why, if it
can be proved that they have proclaimed it “so long,”
they have up to the present not found time nor occasion
to apply it to some of the unfortunate races enslaved
by themselves, as for instance those of Morocco, Egypt, .
India, Ireland ?--and again, why they have not been
moved to entreat their present ally, Russia, to guaran-
tee at least now complete independence to the Lithuan-
nians, Poles, Finns and civil rights to the downtrodden
Jews?
What the great Seeley has remarked, that “in pro-
portion as history becomes literature it sacrifices its
proper aim of exact truthfulness” is a thousand times
more true when history is made to serve partisan
propaganda! J. MATTERN.
Baltimore, Md.
RIDDLES.
What is the difference between a tunnel and an car i
trumpet? V
One is hollowed out and the other is holloaed in.
Why didn’t the last dove return to the ark?
‘Because she had sufiicient ground for remaining.
When is an author like spirit?
. When he’s at proof.
d. Wby are authors who treat of physiognomy like sol-
l6I'S
Because they write about face.
What is the difference between the Czar and a beg-
gar.
‘One issues manifestoes ; the other manifests toes
w1thout’is shoes. I
‘Why is a child with a cold in its head like a winter's
night? ‘
Because it blows, it snows (its nose).