At the beginning of the war the American people questioned all these
alleged horrors, saying that all war is hell, and abuses are common to
all armies. Americans looked upon these alleged abominations as being
intellectually absurd and morally monstrous, and therefore we doubted
the evidence. But at last all alike perceive that the German war-deeds
differ from the usual abuses of war, as a cunning fiend differs from a
drunken man. Germany believes in militarism, in forty-two centimeter
guns, in submarines, in liquid fire and poisoned gases. This republic
and our Allies believe in the manufacture of souls of good quality. We
believe in schools, colleges, libraries, churches, factories, banks,
fruitful fields and a self-sufficing, intelligent and moral manhood.
From the Allied view-point, the very thought of Germany's asking
other nations to produce property while once in a generation, with
her standing army, she goes forth to pillage and loot the wealth that
industrious French or Belgians have created, is for us a monstrous
thought. From the German view-point, however, atrocities represent
military efficiency. Just as the German War Staff perfected in advance
rifles and cannon as legitimate warfare, so they prepared in advance
certain outrages from which they expected the greatest possible
results, in terms of conquered territory.