d morally repellent was the very recent
statement by Major-General von Disfurth, in an article contributed by
him to the _Hamburger Nachrichten_, which so completely illustrates
Bernhardiism in its last extreme of avowed brutality that it justifies
quotation _in extenso_.

No object whatever is served by taking any notice of the
accusations of barbarity leveled against Germany by our
foreign critics. _Frankly, we are and must be barbarians, if
by these we understand those who wage war relentlessly and
to the uttermost degree...._

_We owe no explanations to any one. There is nothing for
us to justify and nothing to explain away. Every act of
whatever nature committed by our troops for the purpose of
discouraging, defeating, and destroying our enemies is a
brave act and a good deed, and is fully justified....
Germany stands as the supreme arbiter of her own methods,
which in the time of war must be dictated to the world...._

_They call us barbarians. What of it? We scorn them and
their abuse. For my part I hope that in this war we have
merited the title of barbarians._ Let neutral peoples and
our enemies cease their empty chatter, which may well be
compared to the twitter of birds. Let them cease their talk
of the Cathedral at Rheims and of all the churches and all
the castles in France which have shared its fate. These
things do not interest us. Our troops must achieve victory.
What else matters?

These hysterical vaporings of advanced Junkers no more make a case
against the German people than the tailors of Tooley Street had
authority to speak for England, but they do represent the spirit of
the ruling caste, to which unhappily the German people have committed
their destiny. It would not be difficult to quote both the Kaiser and
the Crown Prince, who on more than one occasion have manifested their
enthusiastic adherence to the gospel of brute force. The world is not
likely to forget the Crown Prince's congratulations to the brutal
military martinet of the Zabern incident, and still less the shameful
fact that when the Kaiser sent his punitive expedition to China, he
who once stood within sight of the Mount of Olives and preached a
sermon breathing the spirit of Christian humility, said to his
soldiers:

When you encounter the enemy you will defeat him. _No
quarter shall be given, no prisoners shal