duct a second campaign against the
cultured peoples of Western Europe, then she will not forget to add the
above articles to her equipment in any future war against such
opponents. Pitying mother earth covers the murdered victims."

This eloquent lawyer has overlooked the aid which the art of photography
affords, and as the German army was well equipped with cameras, some
tangible proofs could still have been procured--assuming there were any
shred of truth in Germany's accusations. The Berlin Government has
circulated photographs of dum-dum bullets, _i.e.,_ English and French
bullets with the points cut off. It is true no statement is offered
regarding the time and place of the points being cut off, which leaves
us free to believe that captured ammunition was "doctored" in this
manner by the Germans themselves. "Necessity knows no law" is a
principle capable of the widest application.

Grasshoff's work was only published a few months ago, so that he had
ample time to collect facts and proofs--the result is, six detailed
cases with the names of his German informants and their regiments. In
each case the "evidence" is of an exceedingly doubtful character; in
view of the gravity of the charges, the lack of corroboration (each case
is "proved" by one witness alone), and the partisanship of all
concerned, we may safely conclude that no court of justice would convict
on it.

The same criticism applies to the official White Book, published in June
or July of the present year. Every witness had previously sworn an oath
to protect the German flag (_der Fahneneid_) which precludes the
probability of all impartiality in the witness and makes bias
(_Befangenheit_) his simple duty. Another important factor to be borne
in mind is the hysterical, morbid self-importance of the German nation
in general, which causes police and members of the German army to shoot
or cut down with the sword their own civilians for the most trivial
offences, even in times of peace.

The White Book in question contains a six-page introduction stating the
charges against Belgian civilians, and three hundred and seventeen pages
of sworn evidence of German officers and soldiers taken for the most
part in Belgium and France. A few extracts from the introduction will
suffice to make the German side clear.

"Finally, there is not the slightest doubt that Belgian civilians robbed
and killed German wounded; in short, mutilated them in a barbarous
manner; eve