d souls, unshriven,
From life and all its joys at once are riven,
Behold the Kaiser now 'neath Mars' red star!

A stern and sombre, gray-haired figure he,
And standing midst the wreck of youthful dreams
Sees he at times through battle smoke the gleams
Of rippling waves on blue Ionian Sea?
Thinks he not sadly on the days now gone,
And dreams he dreamed at fair Achilleion?

Germany's Strategic Railways

By Walter Littlefield.

Germany's explanation of her violation of Belgium's neutrality has thus
far assumed two successive phases which have been placed on record by
the Imperial Chancellor in as many speeches in the Reichstag. Before
that body Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg said on Aug. 4, 1914:

Our troops have occupied Luxemburg, and perhaps have also
found it necessary to enter Belgium territory. This is
contrary to international law. The French Government has
declared in Brussels that they will respect the neutrality of
Belgium as long as she respects the opponent. We know,
however, that France was ready to invade Belgium. France could
wait; we, however, could not, because a French invasion in our
lower Rhein flanks would have proved fatal. So we were forced
to disregard the protests of the Luxemburg and Belgian
Governments. We shall try to make good the injustice we have
committed as soon as our military goal has been reached. Who,
like we, are fighting for the highest, must only consider how
victory can be gained.

On Dec. 2 last Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg said:

When, on Aug. 4, I spoke of the wrong which we were committing
with our march into Belgium, it was not yet established
whether the Belgian Government at the last moment would not
desire to spare the country and retire under protest to
Antwerp.... Now, however, that it is demonstrated by documents
found in Brussels how the Belgians surrendered their
neutrality to England the entire world knows two facts. One is
that when our troops on the night of Aug. 3-4 entered Belgian
territory they were on the ground of a State which had given
up its neutrality long ago....

To both these charges the Belgium Government has made reply. To the
first it said that, while the assurance that France would not invade
Belgium was sufficient, yet if France did take the initiative the
Belgian Army stood ready to d