Serbia has suffered the fate of Belgium. Germany and Austria, with
Bulgaria's aid, have plunged another little country "in blood and
destruction." Another "bleeding piece of earth" bears witness to the
recrudescence of the ancient barbarism of the Huns. Serbia's wounds,
"Like dumb mouths,
Do ope their ruby lips,"
to beg for vengeance on "these butchers." Turkey, whom the artist
portrays as a hound lapping up the victim's blood, is fated to share the
punishment for the crime. But the prime instigator is the German
Emperor, whose Chancellor, with bitter irony, claims for his master the
title of protector of the small nationalities of Europe. Herr von
Bethmann-Hollweg can on occasion affect the mincing accents of the wolf
when that beast seeks to lull the cries of the lamb in its clutches. The
German method of waging war has rendered "dreadful objects so familiar"
that the essential brutality of the enemy's activities runs a risk of
escaping at times the strenuous denunciation which Justice demands. But
the searching pencil of Mr. Raemaekers brings home to every seeing eye
the true and unvarying character of Teutonic "frightfulness." All
instincts of humanity are cynically defied on the specious ground of
military necessity. Mr. Raemaekers is at one with Milton in repudiating
the worthless plea:
"So spake the fiend, and with necessity,
The tyrant's plea, excused his devilish deeds."