There is nothing more pathetic in some ways to-day than the position of
the small neutral countries in Europe, and especially those which
directly adjoin Germany. And there is nothing more galling than the
inability of the Allies to give them any help. For the hour they are
absolutely at the mercy of Germany, or would be, if she had any, and
they know it. They are certainly liable and exposed to all her flouts
and cuffs and to any displays of bad temper or bullying or terrorism it
may please her to exercise. And none perhaps is worse off in this
respect than Holland. It suits Germany to be fairly civil to
Switzerland, who could give her a good deal of trouble by joining France
and Italy; and no doubt it suits her too to some extent to consider
Denmark, for Denmark commands the entrance to the Baltic; and, further,
Germany does not wish to bring all Scandinavia down upon herself just at
present. That can wait; but Holland is in the worst plight of all. She
has the terrible spectacle of Belgium, ruined and ravaged, just on the
other side of the way. And she has a very considerable and valuable
mercantile marine.
The great and good Germany cannot be troubled to distinguish between
Dutch and other boats, and if occasionally a Dutch ship is captured or
sent to the bottom, it is a useful reminder of what she might do to her
"poor relation" if she really let herself go. Fighting for the freedom
of the seas! Holland has fought for them herself. Holland has a great
naval tradition. She knows quite well what England has been and is. She
knows too, and can see, how her sons and brothers in South Africa were
treated by the British in England's last war, and how they regard
England and Germany now.
Raemaekers' cartoon is very skilful. If we had not seen it done, we
should not have believed it possible to produce at once so clever a
likeness of Von Tirpitz and so excellent an old fox. But the goose is by
no means a foolish bird, though its wisdom may sometimes be shown in
knowing its own weakness. It was they, and not the watchdogs, that saved
the Capitol. In old days it was the custom to call the Germans the "High
Dutch" and the inhabitants of Holland the "Low Dutch." It was a
geographical distinction. The contrast in moral elevation is the other
way.