"THE LION OF FLANDERS."

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 276, 18 May 1917, Page 2 (Supplement)

"THE LION OF FLANDERS."

THE TRUE HISTORY OF THE SLAVE RAIDS IN BELGIUM

By ALFRED NOYES,

rpHE worst outrage that can be wreaked upon mankind has at last been wreaked on the wounded body of ,1 country whose only crime was its scrupulous adherence both to the letter and the spirit of international law. The only crime of Belgium was that she kept her word and desired to maintain her neutrality. From tlio very first Belgium, as a little neutral country has turned her eyes with a noble faith towards the greatest of neutrals. Every American, I think, might feel proud of the pathetic confidence of his little Belgian brother. It took England a long time to prepare; but she is doing her utmost now. I have seen the roads of France pouring the whole might of the British Empire towards Belgium ; and I have heard the continuous sound of the guns, like tlio sound of the Atlantic in storm against tlio coasts of Maine, unbroken for a single moment, pounding their difficult way onward, foot by foot. I havo seen our wounded coming back from tlio trenches; and the men digging new graves by the hundred in readiness, while the shells whined above them to provide new tenants for the clay. And I think I have heard, occasionally, the big brother saying in his sleep that all the nations—including his little brother —have "sinned equally," and that we are "all war-mad." And new conies the final outrage. Americans knew something of the meaning of slavery. Have they forgotten ? But they have never known a slavery like this, whero innocent men are suddenly torn away from their families, in the heart of a highly civilised community, and set to work against the lives of their own people. It is the crowning infamy of Germany, the most damning indictment cf her civilisation, that she should have perpetrated this appalling horror. But the world has supped so full on horrors that it seems impossible to convey all that this new crime means. Does the big brother realise that women and children, at this hour, throw themselves in agony before the trains that are carrying their husbands and eons and fathers away into this new slavery; that even the destinations of the slaves are unnkown; and that thousands are simply lost ,probably forever, to tho.se whom they love, for it becomes more and more difficult to trace them in their enforced wanderings? THE EVIDENCE. I have had exceptional opportunities of obtaining the full history of this latest German outrage from the lips of the most responsible Belgian citizens, including one of the most distinguished members of the University of Louvain. The evidence proves conclusively that the crime had been long premeditated, and that it is part of the general scheme of German domination. I feel that it is something like a duty to present this evidence to American readers. Let me, first of all, destroy at once any illusion that this slave system has been forced upon the Germans. They declare that they have adopted at for humanitarian reasons in order to help the unemployed. This is perhaps the most hypocritical lie in history; and it is the only defence offered by the Germans. It is well, then, that the reader

should have the complete answer before him at once, and tliat he should read what follows iii the light oi that answer. Tlio Germans have taken a very large proportion of students, teachers, and business men who were not only engaged in comparatively well paid work, but also had money of their awn. They were expressly invited by the Germans themselves to bring this money with them in the preliminary notice announcing that they were to be called up. Moreover, the Germans deliberately shut down, in many cases, the perfectly innocent business upon which theso men were engaged, in order to create for Germany the excuse slio needed.

The history of the whole affair can bo stated briefly.

In a placard issued on September U, 1914, Baron von der Goltz, the Acting Governor-General of Belgium, relieved the fears of the Belgians by saying: " I ask no one to renounce his patriotic sentiments; but I expect from you Jill a. reasonable submission and an absolute obedience to the orders of the GovernorGeneral." This placard was posted in Brussels.

In November, 1914, the Belgian refugees in Holland were actually invited to return to Belgium. The Germans pledged themselves to restore "normal conditions". An official declaration was made by Baron von Huehne. military governor of Antwerp, and read in all the parish churches of the city. ''Young men," it declared, "need have no fear of lxnng deported to Germany, either to bo enrolled in the army or to bo subjected to forced labour." Baron von der Goltz announced that this declaration applied to the whole country, and lie made this solemn promise to Cardinal Meroier, in the presence of two German staff officers and the private secretary of the Cardinal. FIRST MEASURES OF PERSECUTION". Thefo promises were not kept; for they were German promises. They were followed in (piick succession by the forced striking of the Belgian flag, the suppression of the Belgi.in '-.'olours in Brussels and in tho provinces, the forliididng ol the "To Deuni" on the name day of the King, of the sale of portrait* of the royal family, and of the playing or sinning of the national anthem. Then came tho obligation to use the German language, together with the German school inspection. All this was done, of course, to destroy so far as possible not only the patriotism but the nationality, the soul, of Belgium. Largo numbers tired to o-eape over the Dutch border. But electric wires (death-dealing to any who tried to (loss them) were postis! all along the frontier, and the population wan entrapped completely. It became more and more difficult to obtain news of what was hapjtenmg behind the electric death barrier. THE FIRST OUTRAGES ON THE WORKING PEOPLE. At the end of April. 101. facts of the utmost gravity worn brought to the knowledge of the Belgian Government. Workmen had been persecuted, and even tortured, for refusing t'> do work of a nrlit.iry character for thu Germans. The demand that they should do this. of (onr-e, was in direct defiaire ol international law. The raliwavs. which were now the ttios(, important part of the German liulital v line I ino, uere run bv Gorman

workmen till April, 191"), when the resources of German man power were running low and the men were recalled to their military depots. Belgian workmen were called upon }to take their places; but tlicy refused to assist the enemy. Starvation and imprisonment failed to force them into submission as completely as the former offers of payment: and one hundred and ninety workmen were then deported to Germany, where they were treated like convicts mid cruelly tortured. The nineteenth report of the Belgian Commission of Inquiry gave the story of their martyrdom in full . A month later the same methods of " frightfulncss" were employed at Malmes. The men of the "arsenal" wore taken from their houses and brought to the workshops under military escort. Still they refused to obey, 'and the German method of terrorissition was once more applied; for not only these workmen, but the whole town was sentenced to punshment. A poster signed "von Bissing" and dated May 30, 1915, stated that " the town of Malinos must be punished as long as the required number of workmen have not resumed work." Let American citizens in their great free Republic consider for a moment this amazing iniquity, crowning even the other niouity.

The same methods were adopted at tho sn.me time with the workmen of factories at Ghent, Bruges, .Tupille, Coutrai, Roulcrs, and many other places, Lieutenant-General Graf von Westarp Issued a proclamation to the citizens of Ghent stating that "the attitude of certain factories which refuse to work for the German Army under the pretext of patriotism proves that a movement is afoot to create difficulties to the German Army." The reasoning of this is as naive as it is cvnicallv oblivions to international law.

"If such an attitude is maintained," he continued, "I will hold the communal authorities responsible, and the population will have itself to blame if the great liberties granted to it until now are suspended.'' The innocent civilian population of Belgium, however, obeying every other demand of their uninvited visitors, justly and honourably refused to work for the German military machine against the lives of their own sons and husbands in the trenches. The demand was unspeakably infamous—ihc sort of demand that might have been made by a devil suffering from softening of t-iie brain. But the threats with which it was accompanied were meant in grim earnest, and one by one they were carried out till the crucifixion; of Belgium was completed. In the very face of the generous efforts made on her behalf by the American people, in the face of the considered judgment of the civilised world, Belgium was subjected—as I shall show —to a slave system without parallel in the annals of mankind. Even tiio German Chancellor admitted that the invasion of Belgium was an injusieo which the Germans would do their best to repair when the war was over. There are in every country followers of this kind of logic, who declare that this kind of necessity is paramount in war. But if this first injustice of invasion and murder was a necessity (and it was a necessity, of course, only to Germany, certainly not to Belgium.) what will history say of this enslavement of an innocent people? And what does America say? THE GERMAN LEGALISATION OF FORCED LABOUR. Up to this time there had been 110 special German decree 011 the forced enlistment of Belgian workmen. As lato as the 2oth of July, 1015, Governor von Bissing issued' a placard telling tho peoplo that " they should never be compelled to do anything against the interests of their country."

But this was as hypocritical as tho earlier enticements of the German (authorities ; for they had already prepared tho ground for the wholesale deportations which are now being carried out. Von Bissing announced on August 10, 1915, that any one dependent on public charity who refused to undertake work "without sufficient reason" should bo given from fourteen days' to six months' imprisonment. "Anyone 011ccuiragng such refusal to work by granting relief would be liable to a fine of five hundred pounds or a year's imprisonment.'' I do not know what the American Relief Organisation thinks of this_ remarkable decree, but it certainly gives the lie to the humanitarian professions of the Gorman authorities, and makes their sordid purpose quite unmistakable.

This decree, however, left it to the Belgian tribunals to decide what reasons were sufficient. On May 2, 1916, the. decision was taken out of their hands and placed in those of the German military authorities. This meant, of i ourse, that all Belgian lalwur was now entirely at tho dsposal of the German Army. Step by step the process had l>eon completed. The machinery of the slav,'.i system was ready and waiting tor the touch of the lever.

On Hay 13 another decreewas issued, whereby " the governors, military comliianders, and chiefs of districts are allowed to order the iincni|>loyed to he taken by t'crce to the spots where they have, to work." Hitherto there had Iveen 110 forced lahour outside Belgium. But now, not only were the Belgians to submit to Germany's enforced visit, with its accompaniment of tire and massacre and midnight murder, hut tlicy theinsclves were to I;;• taken oii't. ol their own country liv force to work as -lave-, for the inva.dcr, in an alien land. In the whole ratine of hum in history there lias licit no injustie like this. The Kaiser's heart "hied." we are told, over the invasion which harrowed the conscience of his Chancellor. WliaL philosophy has brought balm to those two "iivat men!' Or were they always liars and Hypocrites' It is the nio-t couti mptihle recorded net of an l ? nalii.n or anv tribe of savafres, imioble beyond li.-'lief. tlie filial evidence tli.it (lerinany is dead. The G'rniaiis fitxlit duels, and they talk ol warlike chivalry. Mut where is th 'ir chivalry to the little nation, this David anions the nations. that dared to ta<e the wliole of Germanv in arms rather than licak her word!" 1 Onlv a G.rniany whose soul was d<»ad could have done this a (lerinany dead heyund hope of resurrection. Ahout the middle of last October the G rman M ini.ster Held ■ •rich announ« d iu il'i< I' lh il lorce,| 111 <nr would now he niUKised on the pooulation of the occupied territorv : and the General 11 ead<| II 11 ICI s of the German Arniv is-11 d a. notice to all the i ominn sol Flanders. This noiie.. ware d all t hose '' uho are lit to work Iha I

1 hey may be forced to do so, even outside their place of residence, if they arc obliged to havo recourse to public charity either for themselves or those ' dependent on them." { Refusal to work in these circumstances is punished with three months' ixn-. prisonm.ent or a line of ten thousand marks. The slave raids had already begun at Bruges, and they were e.i-1 tended after Octol>er 12, to Alost, 'l'er-. monde, Ghent, Courtrai, Mons, Ni- [ vclles, Florenues, Antwerp, and finally Brussels, where the first deportation was announced for November IS. I THE METHOD. | Let tiiosc who bow down and wor-, ship before the idol of efficiency take noto that the method of this devilry was —for temporal purposes — quite efficient. The Germans had tried for some time to obtain information about, the unemployed. The National Relief Committer and the municipalities who kept the lists refused to nand them' i.ver, despite threats and —frequently—j ilie use of force. They were then subjected to blackmail. So anxious were the Germans to relieve the di.s- j tress of the " unemployed" that they fined the city of Bruges 200,000 marks outright, with 20,000 marks for every day's delay in producing the lists. The members of the municipality were ar- | rested and imprisoned. Still failing to obtain the lists, however, the Germans used the electoral lists and their own lists of men of military age, or round- j ed up the able-bodied men in tho streets. The philosophy of this meth-' cd, pernaps was that, rf they deported all these whom they could find, there might Iw more work for the unem-' ployed whom they could not find. It would not l)e too curious a piece of reasoning for the logic of Prussia or thy humanitarianism of tho GermanArm v. I

The men were usually called together at sonw mustering place, where they ; were examined as to their fitness tor j certain kind* of work, lack of employ- ( ment not being a factor one way or the other. In many cases, indeed, the un- 1 employed were sent back to their homes. Rich and poor alike were deported, and skilled artisans —who n.'ver | lacked employment — were usually preferred. In some places every ablebodied man was taken, I Only twenty-four hours were allowed between the calling up and the deporta- | tion, and this time had to be spent in preparing a special outfit, particulars of which were given, together with the announcement which I mentioned above, that "money could be taken.'' Surely a g/.'nerous, a dangerously generous, excess ot the spirit of liberty \ I

The ik'w slaves were then torn away from their families, herded into cattle trucks, and sent off to unknown destinies. It is known, however, that largo numbers were conveyed to some places In-hind the German lines in France, and that they are digging trenches both in France and in Belgium, helping to construct aerodromes, una doing other kinds of military work. Others were deported to Germany, as is attested b\ the numerous trains passing through Hi rhesfal. But the ilesfination of the great- majority of individuals is unknown, and they are completely lest t-i their families, who, in turn, may be forced Iroin their place ot residence long befone tliey meet again. It seenis • 11>11111t'ul whether many ot these l.roki n ianuli.'s will ever be rennfted. But the Kaiser's ■' bleeding heart" will, no doubt, subdue their homelier griefs into a hemming silence. So august are '.lie sorrows of Kniperors! At Ghent and Antwerp th.» men weiv i.iki nto concentration camps and invited to sign agreements to work m Germany at the munificent rate of thiYcpence a day. part of which was to he d. ilneted lor their food. The agreement was described as "voluntary. Then, in a decnv published at Antwerp on November L'. follows the suhi|in Iv naive declaration that "'those rclusinir to sign the voluntary agreement will lie immediately deported to Germanv. 'liiepmiit ot destination will he sonic place in Germany. Th" workmen u ill I(list ribuied anions the German fa> tories-, where they will have to work."

I iidoiibti d'\ the German devil is s U IFr. in a progressive solti lung ot the brain ; lor Ins stupidity is as a.ppal-

ling as his brutality. The throbbings of the heavy brain can be follow,ed by a child. There is obvious method in his deeds, however, though his thoughts contradict ono another. "Every deported workman," said the Belgian bishops, " is another soldier for the German Army," and tho Belgians so deported release others for the front. The Belgians refused, almost without exception, to sign "tho voluntary agreement.'' Some of tliem were promptly deported. Others were starved into "voluntary" submssion after they had been deprived of food for two or three days. But those who were deported, unexhausted by starvation, showed ail the sublime courage of the'r nation, a little nation winch has leaped to the first rank among all the nations of history during these tragic years of war. For Belgium, at least, is immortal now with Greeco and Rome, a beacon light of civilisation. And as her sons were carried away into their temporal captivity, all along the railway lines there fluttered " scraps of paper" of another sort, which had been thrown out by the deportees. They bore the legend, "Wy zullen nooit werken voor den Duitsch, noch onzen naam op papiej zitten. I-ang leve Konig Albert!" (We will never work for tho Germans and never sign an agreement. Long live King All>p-rt!) Within a week more than 15,000 of these men were taken from Flander-. In tho Mons district 2o per cent, of the male population has been carried away. And this wholesale de'.iortnt'-on continues. Five train-loads cross the frontier daily. The Germans say they need 300,000 men. In the slave trains they are treated worse thau cattle. Sixty men are crammed into a wagon for forty. Tha wagons are open to wind and rain, and no food, or very little, is provided. Yet as these trains of slaves (who can never be slaves while life remains to them) roll into the stranger's land .the s'lent crowds who watch them hear the thunder of their national songs; hear a nobler music than all tho art of Germany could ever produce; hear the?*} prisoners, that are kings, chanting the "Brabaconne "and "The Lion of Flanders."

•' We used to think that music crude," said a Belgian to mc recently, •' but we cannot hear it now without tears."'

liO Isolgi> sortiint du tombcau A roconquis pas son courage Soil noni, .sos droits, ct son drapeau; Etta main, soiivcrnine t't tie re, Pcuple, dosormais indoinpte, Grava sur ta vieille hanniero 1,0 Hoi, la Loi, la Liberte."

And what a symphony i.s there, tr;iunending anything that the imagination of Beethoven conceived! There, over the *obs and cries of the women and children, with the mutter of the redeeming guns already upon the horizon, rises that, mighty chorus, as tne trains move out with their triumphing loads ci white slaves; and circumstances have added a little to that song

They never shall tame linn to slavery. The proud Lion ol I'landers. Their letters may menace his freedom, Vet Ins treedoni endure. Tliev never ■-hall tame h'ini to slavery, Tne proud Lion ol !• landers, So long as the claws ol the Lion C'an"strike, and one Fleming draws lireatli.

Tune nuikcs a havoc of cit'es. Thrones may perish I'ke snow. Annies are hurled to divUru'tion Tlu> people, the people shall live. Our enemies come in the'r harness With the shadow of death they surround us. W,. laugh, we laugh, at tneir tury, The I.'on of Fhnidcrs is here. Woe tn the foe ui hll folly Who coincs with his heart lull of treason, I'Yinn -t''' aress t lie old Lion. And then lii'u his hand up to strike. Av. when tliev think lie is dying. And spurn bun, and ne.uk at his V. i';l!v•, The I .'nil nf I ' ■ udel's ,i ri-es And lifts th.> Ju'.v wrath of his m.ire. Tliev ii ". r •!: '! tame hmi t-i slavery. The proud I. on of Flinders Tl <• " o■,t]•0■,t]• ok." N«'w *1 oik.