estroy institutions in German territory. It is
plain that both France and Russia desired to compel Germany to make the
first step in declaring war, so that the appearance of having broken the
peace might, in the eyes of the world, rest upon Germany. The Russian
Government even attempted to disseminate through a foreign news agency
the report that Germany had declared war on Russia, and it refused,
contrary to the usage among civilized nations, to permit to be
telegraphed the report of the German Ambassador that Russia had rejected
the final German note concerning war and peace.

Germany for its part, in the hope that peace might yet be maintained,
subjected itself to the great disadvantage of delaying its mobilization
in the first decisive days in the face of the measures of its probable
enemy. When, however, the German Emperor realized that peace was no
longer possible, he declared war against France and Russia honorably,
before the beginning of hostilities, thus bringing into contrast the
moral courage to assume the responsibility for the beginning of the
conflict as against the moral cowardice of both opponents, whose fear of
public opinion was such that they did not dare openly to admit their
intentions to attack Germany.

Germany, moreover, cared in a humane and proper manner at the outbreak
of the war for those non-combatant subjects of hostile States--traveling
salesmen, travelers for pleasure, patients in health resorts, &c.--who
happened to be in the country at the time. In isolated cases, where the
excitement of the public grew disquieting, the authorities immediately
intervened to protect persons menaced. In Russia, however, in France
and especially in Belgium the opposite of decency and humanity
prevailed. Instead of referring feelings of national antipathy and of
national conflicting interests to the decision of the battlefield, the
French mishandled in the most brutal manner the German population and
German travelers in Paris and other cities, who neither could nor
wished to defend themselves, and who desired solely to leave the
hostile country at once. The mob threatened and mishandled Germans in
the streets, in the railway stations and in the trains, and the
authorities permitted it.

The occurrences in Belgium are infamous beyond all description. Germany
would have exposed itself to the danger of a military defeat if it had
still respected the neutrality of Belgium after it had been announced
that st