war is soon forgotten; but the cowardly
stroke by which the Kaiser sought to terrorise America, by which
he sent to a struggling death of agony in the sea, the peaceful
men and women and children passengers of the _Lusitania_, may
ever remain a cold boundary line between Germany and America
unless the German people utter a condemnation of the tragedy that
rings true and repentant.

We want to live at peace with the world when this war is over, to
be able to grasp once more the hands of those now our enemies,
but how can any American clasp in friendship the hand of Germans
who approve this and the many other outrages that have turned the
conscience of the world against Germany?

To Americans in Berlin, the sinking of the _Lusitania_ came like
a lightning stroke. No Bernstorff warnings had prepared us. I
believed I would be recalled immediately. In making preparations
to leave, I sent a secretary to see the head of one of the
largest banks in Germany, a personal friend, to ask him, in case
we should leave, to take for safe-keeping into his bank our
silver, pictures, etc. He said to my secretary, "Tell Judge
Gerard that I will take care of his valuables for him, but tell
him also, that if the _Mauretania_ comes out to-morrow we shall
sink her, too."

That was the attitude of a majority of the business men of
Germany. German casualties at that time had been great so that
the mere loss of human life did not appal as would have been the
case in a country unused to the daily posting of long lists of
dead and wounded. Consequently the one feeling of Germany was of
rejoicing, believing indeed that victory was near, that the
"damned Yankees" would be so scared that they would not dare
travel on British ships, that the submarine war would be a great
success, that France and England deprived of food, steel and
supplies from America soon would be compelled to sue for peace,
especially since the strategically clever, if unlawful, invasion
of France by way of Belgium had driven the French from the best
coal and iron districts of their country.

I do recall that one Imperial Minister, a reasonable individual
whose name I think it best not to mention, expressed in private
his sorrow, not only for the deed itself, but for the mistaken
policy which he saw, even then, would completely turn in the end
the sympathies of America to the Entente Allies. And there were
others,--among the intellectuals, and, especially, among the
merchant