rive
worthily at reconciliation in peace.

The Germans are paying today for their fault of 1870-71, because that
fault has corrupted and poisoned them. I have said it a thousand times.
In order to keep those two unfortunate provinces under their domination
it has been necessary for them to use force, to institute a regime of
force. * * * It has been necessary to prevent revolts by repressive
measures, as at Saverne, which have disgusted, and even disquieted, the
whole world; that ignominious brutality become sovereign mistress, by
the force of circumstances, even against the will of the Kaiser and
against the protestation of all the elite of Germany, of such men as
Zorn, Foerster, Nippold, and Bebel, has ended by being a menace and a
danger to Germany itself. All this is connected, and, whatever happens,
Germany cannot emerge victorious from a war which is itself but the
logical result of the abuse of her victories. She cannot conquer
civilization; it is impossible. * * *

Comprehend this well, repeat it, publish it if you wish; France,
Belgium, and England may suffer check after check; they are prepared for
this, they expect it, but they will not be discouraged. The German
armies may exhaust themselves uselessly in killing, burning, and
destroying. They will destroy themselves in the end. Our national policy
is to take them in their own trap and to wear them out.

The day of reckoning is coming, when the inexorable advance of the
Slavic race, always increasing in numbers--it little matters whether it
is well or badly organized--will come from the rear to attack the
Germans at the time when they are confident of victory and to drown them
in the floods of blood which they have caused to flow; terrible
punishment for a war which we and our friends have done everything to
prevent. The victims of this punishment will be at least a half million
of French, Belgians, and Englishmen, together with a whole nation which
desired peace as we did, but which has allowed herself to be misled by a
Government mad enough to wish to reconcile the irreconcilable, namely,
the maintenance of peace and the spirit of conquest. May this punishment
at least begin an era of new peace! Alas! how may we hope for this when
we see the human beast awakening in a delirium of fury and getting
beyond our control to destroy the masterpieces of human genius.

*Fourth Letter.*

PARIS, Sept. 11, 1914.

The Germans appear to have comprehended that th