ck
Aix and Cologne, cut off Germany's line of supplies, and thereby help
win the war for the cause of justice. I am not writing this answer in
any official capacity, but I have reason to believe that I write what
most of my fellow-countrymen feel upon the subject.

Holland is neutral. The country is just as neutral as Belgium would have
been had she not been invaded; as neutral as Denmark and Switzerland and
the other small countries which are suffering so severely through this
war. If any power should attack Holland, Holland would no longer be
neutral, but would inundate the central part of the provinces of North
and South Holland, would occupy the very strong position around
Amsterdam, and would fight to the end. But unless attacked directly
Holland will take no part in this war.

Mr. Wells hints at the idea of the righteousness of the cause of the
Allies. All races and all colors have been brought together to beat
Germany. Now Holland ought to do the same. She is in a position to
exercise great power with her fresh troops. In the name of humanity,
which has been so grievously maltreated in Belgium, let her join. I
think that the answer of the greater part of our people would be
somewhat as follows:

No quarrel was ever made by a single person. It takes two to start a
fight. England and Germany are fighting for the supremacy of commerce.
In the course of this quarrel Belgium has been sacrificed. We are
extremely sorry. We have opened our frontiers to all of our southern
neighbors, They were welcome to flee to us with all their belongings. We
shall take care of them so long as they wish to stay. Our position is
not always easy. The Dutch and the Belgian characters are very
different. We do not always understand each other. But in the main the
Belgians know that we shall share our food with them until the last,
that in every way we shall make them as comfortable as we can. We are
not a very graceful people. We often lack a certain charm of manner. The
little potentates who are the Mayors of our small frontier towns are not
always very tactful. But these things are minor matters. Holland is the
natural place of refuge for her southern neighbors, and as long as they
suffer from the German domination they know that with us they are safe.
But should we have gone with the Allies when the Belgians suffered
through no fault of their own?

For France there is in Holland the greatest personal sympathy. But she
is far away f