[Sidenote: Protection of noncombatants agreed to by Germany.]
[Sidenote: But her military leaders did not acquiesce.]
In the wars waged in ancient times it was taken for granted that
conquered peoples might be either killed, tortured, or held as slaves;
that their property would be taken and that their lands would be
devastated. "_Vae victis!_--woe to the conquered!" For two centuries
or more there has been a steady advance in introducing ideas of
humanity and especially in confining the evils of warfare to the
combatants. The ideal seemed to have become so thoroughly established
as a part of international law that the powers at The Hague thought it
sufficient merely to state the general principles in Article XLVI of
the regulations: "Family honors and rights, the lives of persons and
private property, as well as religious convictions and practice, must
be respected. Private property can not be confiscated." Germany, in
common with the other powers, solemnly pledged her faith to keep this
article, but her military leaders had no intention of doing so. They
had been trained in the ideas voiced by Gen. von Hartmann 40 years
ago: "Terrorism is seen to be a relatively gentle procedure, useful
to keep the masses of the people in a state of obedience." This had
been Bismarck's policy, too. According to Moritz Busch, Bismarck's
biographer, Bismarck, exasperated by the French resistance, which was
still continuing in January, 1871, said:
[Sidenote: Bismarck's idea in 1871.]
"If in the territory which we occupy, we can not supply everything for
our troops, from time to time we shall send a flying column into the
localities which are recalcitrant. We shall shoot, hang, and burn.
After that has happened a few times, the inhabitants will finally come
to their senses."
The frightfulness taught by the German leaders had held full sway
in Belgium. This is best seen in the entries in the diaries of the
individual German soldiers.