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OCR
THE FA’1‘I>IERLAND 7
on paper, the nations outside are so easily convinced that it ex-
ists for all alike, even for the “Alien Enemies.” In practice your
amiable police inspector and magistrate gives the printed letter
his own interpretation:
“Six months hard labor or i100-or both,” according to the
“Royal Order in Council" for-
The German "who is found in possession of a telephone"-no
matter whether he is a partner in a business, shop or house
dependent for an existence on a telephone connection;
The German “who is found in possession of fire arms"- though‘
he might have presented his old rabbit rifle immediately on
the outbreak of the war to his old coachman; why-six
months for the Coachman, too, for “aiding and abetting";
The German “who is found outside five miles from his resi-
dence"-irrespective of whether the location of his oliice or
his legitimate business compelled him to overstep the legal
limit. Of course, “police permits” were provided for by the
circumspect law, but rarely and only after fulfilment of
onerous, vexing formalities were they obtainable for a busi-
ness man, and scarcely ever for a penniless, destitute German
who might wish to find employment in other localities.
The “Five-Mile Restriction" is especially calculated to make
:1 German's life in Britain a veritable hell on earth. Any time
of the day or night policemen, “specials,” or detectives will visit
houses where Germans are known to be living; at any moment
you may be stopped ad lib in the street or on the high-road and
be asked for the Certilicate of Registration or the Special Permit,
containing thumb-print and photograph. A motley crowd is
never slow to collect anywhere in the United Kingdom, and the
“THC unemployed population is nowadays deeply thankful for
the opportunity to hiss and threaten any inoffensive German,
notably in London where now the Allies, the East End Hooligan,
the French Refugee and the Jap hold supreme sway.
Yet, there are neutrals who may hold that all these harsh re-
strictions and extra-legal imposts on the Germans are perfectly
comprehensible, even necessary-c’est la guerre! No doubt, it
IS the war that made these special laws, probably for no other
reason than panicky fear of the large number of “Alien Enemies”
within their borders.
However, people inclined to support these laws, unless they
fire bereft of all sense of fairness-not Fairness, the highly pol-
lshed English counterfeit coin pawned off on all the world--will
at least concede this: Nothing under Heaven justifies the ruth-
less, inhuman cruelties which were and are continually per-
Detrated, with cold blood and calculation, on the non-combatant
Germans and Austro-Hungarians, especially those of the poorer
Classes. who could not leave England after the declaration of the
“'51? Or were captured, since, in vessels brought in from abroad-
All men of military age were at once segregated and in-
terncd in Concentration Camps. They were Protccled 35 PFi5'
oners-of-war according to international usage. It was not the
‘"811-in-arms, but the babes-in-arms they sought to PCFSCCUW2 the
children, women, young and old, and all the white-haired old
men who were left behind. In the treatment of these innocent
990916 on whom rests not a vestige of blame for the W511‘ and its
horrors, the much-vaunted British superiority in their stock-in- '
“W18, humanitarianism, showed itself in its stark nakedness!
Visitors from France, England and the States h?“"3 3 habit
Oi deriding the German policeman and his methods. H6 P70‘
mks 3 topic which, duly distorted, lends itself Pi“ S-“C5“e“Ce
l0 Exploitation in a campaign against Militarism and Prussianism.
What Overwhelming material could a clever iuggl" 0f ‘Vmds’
h"‘V9VCr, collect behind the sinister, well-guarded Walls Of the
police stations of Britain, for a brilliant P133 385"“ Navyism
“"1 "Brittania Rules the Waves.” But the 8'93‘ Public does mt
hnoxv and is not invited to look through the5e Poll“ 90”“ “'a“5‘
For it goes against the English grain to show their true nature,
their inborn brutality, in public. Oliicially, all is tolerance, gen-
erosity, fair-mindedness, but what is there to be found unoliicial-
ly? It matters little-such a trifle as the life of a German woman
or child! They don't speak English, they cannot tell of their
sufferings, or if they can, intimidation goes a. long way to shut
their mouths.
Deprived of the protecting arms of their men, these unhappy
non-combatants are now deliberately left to their fate. Brave
German and Austrian women, haggard and fainting from ex-
posure and anxiety, can be seen dragging along their starving
little ones. Blue children’s eyes look wistfully up into yours,
wondering why they must suffer all this; why father and brother
were taken away nobody knows where; why baby, mother and
grandfather have no house and no bed to lay their tired heads
on; nothing to eat since yesterday when the kindly German,
pastor, now arrested “for assisting the enemy,”,told them not
to make the long journey again, as he had no more soup, no
more bed tickets to give them.
Too proud and too frightened to beg, the weary throng pushes
slowly on to the next station in their grim pilgrimage, the police
office. Only grandfather has been left behind, broken down by
the church wall where one of his countrymen, himself near
starvation, takes pity on him.
Glowering, malignant looks receive them inside the police
court gates where they are huddled together in rain and squalor.
In rough, abrupt accents which one is supposed to expect only
of the military Berlin “Schutzmann," the English police ofiicer
orders them about like cattle: “XVotyerwant?" Can he suggest
any help? “Nol See the inspector!" The inspector in charge‘
appears. “Who are these?” Germans, sir. VVant assistance!
“What, assistance? The police court ain't no benevolent insti-
tutionl VVhy should we help you Germans, anyhow? If you
are destitute: To the workhouse, all of you l" ’
Shrieking with horror they flee. On to the street, back into
the gutter, to the parks with the dripping benches and the wet
grass, until they are shut out there, too, at midnight. And then!
Numb with exhaustion, beaten, defeated, in bottomless despair,
they return the only way, to the police and thence, to consum-
mate their doorn, to the English Poorhouse.
There is no God in Heaven if swift and terrible vengeance
is not wreaked on the nation who authorized and committed these
numberless crimes against humanity! Justice has never yet
stood by with her swort sheathed while defenseless human be-
ings whose protection should have been a sacred trust were first
driven from their homes and hearths and then calmly, brutally
delivered to their destruction.
Let us be silent in future when they speak of British civiliza-
tion and let us remember the thousands of German and Austrian
women and children whose wretched fate calls aloudfor instant
and universal succorl
I know, of course, that Americans have been looking upon
Germany through English eyes, and have considered it only as
a nation which has unduly exalted militarism at the expense of
everything else. VVe level the objection of Germany that she is
nothing but a collection of soldiers; but there is another side to
the question of militarism, recognized by Ruskin, the lover of
peace.
“All the great and noble arts of peace," he says, “are founded
on war; no great art ever yet was born on earth but amongst
a nation of soldiers. There is no art among a shepherd’ people,
if it remains at peace.”
Considering what German civilization has been and what it is,
considering the strength and growth of the Church in Germany,
considering the character of the German people, we cannot but
pray that, for the sake of the world, no matter what the outcome
of this war, civilization may not suffer; with all its other losses,
the impetus that German hearts, German strength and German
intelligence can continue to give to the cause of religion and
progress. '