reaching the boundary line. To prevent Belgians taking refuge in
Holland and to prevent escaped prisoners, and even German soldiers,
from crossing the line into this neutral country, where, if they were
in uniform, they would be interned for the rest of the war, the Germans
had built all along the line three barbed wire fences, six feet apart.
The center fence was charged with electricity of such a voltage that
any human being coming in contact with it would be instantly
electrocuted. This triple barrier of wire was guarded by German
sentinels day and night.
Lieutenant O'Brien reached the barrier in the night, and hid himself
when he heard the tramp of the German sentinel. He waited until the
sentinel returned and noted carefully how long he was gone, in order to
learn how much time he had in which to work.
He thought he could build a ladder out of two fallen trees by tying
branches across them, and in this way get over the ten-foot center
fence. He succeeded in getting his ladder together, by working all
night, and with it he hid in the woods all the next day. When night
came, he shoved the ladder under the first barbed wire fence and
crawled in after it. He placed it carefully up against one of the posts
to which the charged electric wires were fastened and began to climb up
it, when all of a sudden it slipped and came in contact with the live
wires. The trees out of which he had constructed it were so soaked with
water that they made good conductors of electricity, and he received
such a charge that he was thrown to the ground unconscious, where he
lay while the sentinel passed within seven feet of him.
He gave up the ladder and decided to dig under the live wires. He had
only his hands to dig with, but the ground was fairly soft. After some
hours, he had a hole deep enough and wide enough to crawl through
without touching the live wire. He found a wire running along under the
ground. He knew this could not be alive, for the ground would discharge
any electricity there might be in it. So he took hold of it and, after
much struggling, was able to get it out of the way. Then he crawled
carefully under the live wires and was a free man in Holland, for he
wore no uniform and would not be interned.
At the first village he came to, some of the Dutch people loaned him
enough money to ride third-class to Rotterdam. He said he was glad he
was not riding first-class, for he would have looked as much out of
place in a first-class compartment as a Hun would in heaven.
The English consul at Rotterdam gave him money and a passport to
England, and from there he came to see his mother, in a little town in
Illinois, called Momence.
FOOTNOTES:
[10] BY COURTESY OF HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK.
RAEMAEKERS
There are many ways of fighting, and the Germans, in their forty-four
years of planning to conquer the world, thought of them all. The only
forces they neglected were the mighty forces of fairness, justice,
innocence, pity, purity, friendship, love, and other similar spiritual
forces that Americans have been taught to look upon as the greatest of
all.
There is a force called Rumor which sometimes speaks the truth, but
which usually lies, that is a great power for evil and rarely for good.
The Germans used this with the Italian troops in Italy, sending into
their lines, by dropping them from airplanes and in other ways, all
sorts of rumors about Austria and Italy, about the coming collapse of
the Allies, about what great friends the Russians and Germans had
become when the Russians realized that it was foolish and wrong to
fight,--until the Italian soldiers lost the spirit which had carried
them over the Alps and very near to the conquest of Austria, and were
then easily defeated in the next powerful Austrian attack.
German agents spread stories through the papers of the United States to
help Germany in the eyes and minds of the American people. They bought
leading papers in Paris and one in New York to use in misleading people
as to Germany's actions and aims. They printed lies for their own
people to make them believe the war was forced on Germany, and that
they were fighting against the whole world, for their lives and for
liberty. They published cartoons in German papers in great numbers to
carry, even to those who could not read, the ideas about the war and
about her enemies that German rulers wished the people to believe.
The German leaders, in all lines, realize the power of advertising, and
they tried to fill men's eyes and ears with false statements of the
German cause. Not long ago almost any kind of advertisement was allowed
in the papers published in the United States. Pictures of a man
perfectly bald were printed side by side with others of a man with
flowing locks, all the result of a few applications of Dr. Quack's
Wonderful Hair Restorer, or some other equally good. Letters were
published, bought and paid for, often from prominent people, declaring
that two bottles (or more) of some patent medicine had made them over
from hopeless invalids to vigorous, joyous manhood or womanhood.
Falsehoods, or at least misleading statements, were given about
foodstuffs, either on the packages or in advertisements about them.
But the United States government soon put a stop to this
misrepresentation and compelled advertisers and food manufacturers not
only to stop lying, but even to print the truth; and the manufacture
and sale of things injurious to the public health were controlled. The
American people want honesty, frankness, and fair dealing in all
things.
The Germans seem to be a different kind of people in every way. It is
to be hoped that sometime they will cease to act as manufacturers of
patent medicines and adulterated foods were accustomed to act; but as
long as Germany is after material gain, as these manufacturers were
after money, it is very likely that she will seek to get it by deceit
and lying, until the governments of the earth oblige her to be honest,
or quit business.
It is said that it takes a long time to catch a lie. It depends,
however, upon how many get after it and how swift and powerful they
are. German lies have been counted upon as a considerable part of her
fighting forces. She has spent millions of dollars and used thousands
of men in this service. Is it not strange that one little, almost
insignificant looking Dutchman, hardly heard of before the war, has
been able almost alone to defeat the money and the men used by Germany
to hoodwink the world? But this Dutchman, Louis Raemaekers, working for
the _Amsterdam Telegraf_, had for years seen through German ideas and
aims. He says, "Germany has never made any secret of her ideas or her
intentions, She has always been frank, as selfish people often are. I
have seen through the German idea for more than twenty years. A
generation ago, I saw, as every one who cared to see did, what it was
leading us to; in fact, Germany told us."
And he adds about the German people: "There is only one way to reach
the modern German. Beat him over the head. He understands nothing else.
The world must go on beating him over the head until he cries 'Enough';
or the world can never live with him."
Knowing Germany, and that German victory meant the loss of all that is
really worth while in this world, the loss of liberty, and the
destruction of any government that is what Lincoln said all governments
should be, "of the people, for the people, and by the people"--Louis
Raemaekers fought Germany with his pen and his brush, and fought her so
well that the German government offered a large reward for him dead or
alive, and a leading German writer said he had done more harm to the
Prussian cause than an armed division of Allied troops.
The _Cologne Gazette_, in a furious article dealing with Raemaekers,
declared that after the war Germany would settle accounts with Holland
and would demand payment with interest for the damage done Germany by
his cartoons.
[Illustration: CIVILIZATION UNDER THE LASH
Taken from "Raemaekers' Cartoon History of the War," by
permission of The Century Company.]
Some of the Dutch people feared Germany so greatly that they succeeded
in bringing Raemaekers to trial for having violated the neutrality of
Holland. German influence was strong in Holland, and Raemaekers was
hated by many of his own people; but the better sense of the Dutch
triumphed, and he was acquitted.
One of his first cartoons represented Germany in the form of the
Kaiser, wearing a German uniform and spiked helmet, with a foot upon
the body of Luxemburg and a knee upon the prostrate form of Belgium,
whom he was choking to death. He holds an uplifted sword in his hand
and is saying, "This is how I deal with the small fry."
Another shows with almost sickening force the heart-breaking suffering
of Belgian mothers, as contrasted with the cruelty and hard-heartedness
of the Huns. A Belgian woman is kneeling beside a pile of dead from her
village, with an expression of almost insane suffering upon her face. A
German officer is passing, with one hand thrust into his coat front and
a cigar in his mouth. He stops to say, "Ah! was your boy among the
twelve this morning? Then you'll find him among this lot."
A third shows a German looting a house and carrying away everything
that he thinks is of value to him. The furniture is smashed and a woman
and child lie dead on the floor. The Hun is saying, "It's all right. If
I had not done it some one else might."
A fourth shows a line of hostages standing in front of a wall to be
shot for an offense that the German officer in command claims some one
in the village committed. Those taken as hostages are innocent of wrong
doing. The cartoon shows the ends of the barrels of the German muskets
pointed at the hearts of the hostages and a German officer with his
sword raised and his lips parted to give the order to fire. It shows
but four of the hostages: an old man, probably the mayor of the town; a
white-haired priest; a well-to-do man, and his son, about fourteen
years of age. The boy is asking, "Father, what have we done?"--the cry
that went up to their Heavenly Father from thousands of martyrs in
Belgium.
It is no wonder that the German rulers fear this Dutch artist more than
they do a division of soldiers. His fighting against the Huns and their
atrocities and against the German nature and teaching that made these
atrocities possible will continue in every nation of the earth, as long
as printing presses furnish pictures and people look at them.
His pen or pencil wrote a language that all could read, and they spoke
the truth so that it turned all who read it against the modern Hun.
When he visited England, one of the leading papers declared that he was
a genius, probably the only genius produced by the war; and that long
after the most exciting and interesting articles in newspapers and
magazines were forgotten, and the great number of books on the war had
been lost or stowed away in dusty garrets, his cartoons would live and
stir the indignation of men yet unborn; and that Louis Raemaekers had
nailed the Kaiser to a cross of immortal infamy.
France has honored him as one of the great heroes of the war, and has
given him the Legion of Honor.
George Creel says, "He is a voice, a sword, a flame. His cartoons are
the tears of women, the battle shout of indomitable defenders, the
indignation of humanity, the sob of civilization. They will go down in
history."
One of the wonderful painters of old Japan put so much of himself, of
his soul and heart, into every stroke of his brush that it was said,
"If a swift and keen sword should cut through his brush at work, it
would bleed."
Through the pen and brush of Louis Raemaekers has pulsed the heart
blood of suffering Belgium and horrified humanity; and for this reason,
his cartoons are inspired and move the hearts and minds of all men to
despise and condemn those who could commit such inhuman deeds.
THE GOD IN MAN
A soldier on the firing step, aiming at the enemy, is suddenly struck;
and he drops down to the bottom of the trench. His nearest comrade must
keep on firing, but two stretcher-bearers are ready at their posts.
They rush forward, take the first-aid packet from the soldier's pocket,
cut his clothes away from the wound, and quickly dress it. They carry
him to the trench doctor, who treats the wound again. Then they take
the soldier from the trenches to the nearest field ambulance, where his
wound is again cared for.
He is so badly hurt that he needs to recover far from the sound of the
thundering cannon. But he is not so seriously injured that he cannot
stand a short journey. So he is placed, as comfortably as possible, in
an ambulance train, with skilled Red Cross nurses to attend to him. The
train arrives just in time to meet the hospital ship at the port. The
soldier is carried on board, and soon finds himself in a quiet hospital
in London--all in little more than twenty-four hours, a day and a
night.
So thousands of men have been cared for each week, by a never-ending
line of devoted Red Cross stretcher-bearers, doctors, and nurses, on
the battlefield, on the trains, on hospital ships, and in the home
hospitals, in London, and in every fighting country in the world.
Somewhat back from the lines are the stationary hospitals, where many
soldiers are left who cannot be carried farther, but must be treated
there. "Mushroom hospitals" they are called; for, although they have
the appearance of having been there before, they really have sprung up
only since the war started. The wards are spotlessly clean, filled with
rows and rows of beds, also spotlessly clean. Beyond are the operating
rooms, baths, kitchens, and gardens filled with flowers, where the
wounded men may breathe fresh air and get back the strength which they
have so willingly lost in service. All the time, hundreds of new
patients are arriving, hundreds are leaving, either to go to more
distant hospitals, or to go back to the lines to fight.
In comes one soldier who does not see or know where he is, nor who it
was that brought him. But when at last he opens his eyes, he finds
himself in a spotlessly clean white bed for the first time in months.
He looks about, and yes, there is Bobby, his own pet collie, sitting
beside him. He had lost him when he went over the top in the fight; but
somehow Bobby had followed him here, and somebody had been kind enough
to let him stay beside his master in this clean and pleasant room.
By and by the wounded soldier grows well enough to be carried out into
the garden. There he and Bobby sit and watch the men caring for the
flowers. These men are not hired; they are wounded soldiers helping
about the hospital. The garden itself was made by a soldier who was a
gardener before the war. Every man helps with his knowledge of some
trade. The napkin rings and salt cellars used in the hospital were made
by a soldier tinsmith out of old biscuit boxes.
One day our wounded soldier becomes so well that he may walk away with
Bobby, and a nurse brings him his suit, his rifle, and all his
equipment, nicely cleansed and put in order.
So everybody does his bit in the hospitals. Dentists and
eye-specialists, surgeons and nurses, wearing the Red Cross, work
tirelessly from morning till night and sometimes both day and night, to
save the brave wounded men. They do their work as best they can,
sweetly and cheerfully, caring for the German soldiers as well as for
their own Allied soldiers. To know of them, to watch them in their work
of mercy, is to realize that there is something different from the
beast in man--there is the God in man, the spirit of love and tender,
skillful care, which they dare to give in the face of awful danger.
One of the brave nurses wrote home to America something of all she was
doing. Among many things, she said: "The Huns were pouring down in
streams to attack our men. I immediately began to get the hospital
ready to receive the wounded.
"Our surgeon was away on leave, but another equally good arrived. On
Tuesday, the wounded men began to come in. Wednesday and Thursday I
served from early morning until midnight. Bombs were bursting in the
distance, and news came that the Huns were within a few miles of us.
"A Red Cross unit came, and one English nurse arrived to help us. She
had lost the others in her party, and had walked miles to get here. It
seemed as if God had sent them all from heaven!
"All the surgical supplies that I could save from those you sent me
from the Red Cross, I had put away for emergency. I don't know what we
would have done without them!
"I had to see that the surgeons had whatever they needed, and from all
sides every one was calling for help. Through it all, I was up every
morning at four and never went to bed till midnight. The cannon were
roaring, star shells exploding, bombs dropping around us,--but nothing
touching us!
"For eight days our men fought gloriously. They were a wonder and such
a surprise to the Huns. Now perhaps they know what they have to face!
"The little hospital was able to save many, many lives. We have sent
away most of our wounded to-day, and are now waiting in suspense for
what may come next--but we are ready to do our best, whatever comes.
"We do not dare keep the seriously wounded now for any length of time,
for no one knows when the Huns may fight their way through. We know
what the 'front line' really means. No one goes in or out except by
military or Red Cross camion. No private telegrams can be sent, and to
our joy, we do not have to bother with food-ration cards, for a while
at least. _Boches_ are over our heads all day, and cannons booming. I
am so used to it now that I don't mind it.
"I am so homesick to see you all, but I will not leave my work until
the end of this horrible war, if God will give me health and strength.
Don't worry. I intend to stick to my post to the end, and if the Huns
come down upon us, the Red Cross will get us out."
Nor are these all of the ways in which the Red Cross shows the God in
man. From the beginning of the war until March, 1918, over $36,000,000
of American money alone was spent in the following ways:
FRANCE, $30,936,103.
Established rest stations along all routes followed by the
American troops in France.
Built canteens for use of French and American soldiers at the
front, also at railroad junctions and in Paris.
Supplied American troops with comfort kits and sent them
Christmas gifts.
Established a hospital-distributing service that supplies 3423
French military hospitals, and a surgical dressing service that
supplies 2000.
Provided an artificial-limb factory and special plants for the
manufacture of splints and nitrous oxide gas.
Established a casualty service for gathering information in
regard to wounded and missing, this information to be sent to
relatives.
Opened a children's refuge hospital in the war zone and
established a medical and traveling center to accommodate 1200
children in the reconquered sections of France. Fifty thousand
children throughout France are being cared for in some measure
by the Red Cross.
Planned extensive reclamation work in the invaded sections of
France from which the enemy has been driven; this work is now
being carried out with the coöperation of the Society of Friends
and alumnæ units from Smith College and other colleges.
Established a large central warehouse in Paris and numerous
warehouses at important points from the sea to the Swiss border,
for storing of hospital supplies, food, soldiers' comforts,
tobacco, blankets, clothing, beds, and other articles of relief.
Secured and operated 400 motor cars for the distribution of
supplies.
Opened a hospital and convalescent home for children; also
established an ambulance service for the adult refugees, who are
now returning from points within the German lines at the rate of
1000 a day.
Improved health conditions in the American war zone before the
coming of American troops.
BELGIUM, .,086,131.
Started reconstruction work in reconquered territory, supplying
returned refugees with temporary dwellings, tools, furniture,
farm animals, and supplies essential to giving them a fresh
start in life.
Appropriated $600,000 for the relief of Belgian children,
covering their removal from territories under bombardment and
the establishment and maintenance of them in colonies.
Provided funds for the operation of a hospital for wounded
Belgian soldiers and for part of the equipment of a typhoid
hospital.
ITALY, $3,588,826.
Provided the Italian army with 60 ambulances, 40 trucks, and 100
American drivers.
Contracted for 10 field hospitals complete for use by the Sanita
Militaire and the Italian Red Cross.
Supplied 1,000,000 surgical dressings. Opened relief
headquarters in 9 districts of Italy.
Established a hospital for refugees at Rimini.
Planned and made appropriations for extensive work among the
refugees in all parts of Italy.
ROUMANIA, .,676,368.
Rushed more than $100,000 worth of medical supplies and
foodstuffs into Roumania immediately after the retreat to Jassy.
Carried general relief work into every part of the stricken
country not invaded by the Teuton and Bulgarian forces.
UNITED STATES, $8,589,899.
Organized and trained 45 ambulance companies, totaling 5580 men,
for service with American soldiers and sailors.
Built and maintained four laboratory cars for emergency use in
stamping out epidemics at cantonments and training camps.
Started work of bettering sanitary conditions in the zones
immediately surrounding the cantonments.
Established camp service bureaus to look out for comfort and
welfare of soldiers in training.
Supplied 2,000,000 sweaters to soldiers and sailors.
Mobilized 14,000 trained nurses for care of our men.
Established a department of Home Service and opened training
schools for workers.
Planned convalescent houses at all cantonments and training
camps. Increased membership from scant half million to
approximately 22,000,000.
For War Relief in other countries, including
Great Britain, Russia, and Serbia $7,581,075
To supply food to American prisoners in
Germany $343,304
For supplies purchased for shipment abroad $15,000,000
The Jewish Relief Societies of this country have also forwarded large
sums of money to relieve the terrible suffering among their people in
Russia, Poland, Turkey, Palestine, and others of the war-stricken
countries. Approximately $24,000,000 was sent abroad for this purpose
during the first four years of the war.
One evening the train drew into the station of a little town in France.
It stopped long enough for half a hundred tired, dusty soldiers to gain
the platform, then puffed away out of sight. They were not the fighting
soldiers--they were engineers. The men looked about in a bewildered way
for the train with which they were supposed to connect. But it was
nowhere in sight; it had gone. They were sorry not to meet the rest of
their company, but there was nothing for them to do but remain in the
town overnight. They walked the streets, and found that every hotel,
boarding house, and private home was filled to the last cot. Thousands
of American troops were in the town, on their way to the front. The
engineers had ridden for many hours and were very hungry, but their
pockets were nearly empty.
Suddenly they stopped before a large building painted a deep blue, and
bearing the sign,
Knights of Columbus
Everybody Welcome.
The half a hundred men walked in, passed group after group of soldiers
and sailors, and found the secretary. Soon they were dining on Knights
of Columbus ham and eggs, without money and without price! The
secretary himself served them.
They entered the large lounging room, found tables covered with good
reading books, easy chairs and writing benches set about the room, and
a stage at the back with piano, victrola, and a moving picture screen.
So when they least expected it, but most wanted it, they found a place
that seemed like home. Knights of Comfort, the Knights of Columbus have
been called, and comfort they have given to thousands of soldiers and
sailors. About $50,000,000 has been raised by the society for one year
of such good work.
Almost on the very battleground is another source of comfort to the
fighting men,--the little huts with the sign of the Red Triangle,--the
Y.M.C.A. There is hardly one American home which has not received from
some soldier a letter on paper marked with the little red triangle.
Thousands have been written at the benches inside the huts, and
thousands of books and magazines found in the huts have been read in
spare time by the soldier lads.