WHO ARE THE HUNS?

Private Property in War. 179
perty, is permitted when this is, for military reasons, unavoidable.
It is often necessary, for example, for troops to
•cause a certain amount of unavoidable damage to the country.
The carrying-on of war requires the razing of many houses or
other buildings, the destruction of bridges, railways and telegraph
stations.
The inhabitant is obliged to endure these things, and also
the possible requisition of his house and possessions for the
.shelter and care of troops or of wounded, and also, if necessary,
the use of his property as an observation point, defence or
fortification. But it is absolutely forbidden to commit any
purposeless destruction or devastation in the hostile country,
and the German soldier who transgresses in this respect is
treated as an ordinary criminal. Not the slightest damage may
be wantonly committed by the private soldier, but the greatest
damage may be inflicted upon private property by the express
command of the General Staff, as appears from the following
semi-official observations in the German press:
"In Louvain our soldiers, who had been betrayed in the
most shameless manner, were able, despite this, to save not
only the priceless Town Hall, but also to preserve all the
churches and valuable architectural monuments. This was also
the case in other places. Of course, where franc-tireur warfare
has taken place, in violation of international law, neither persons
nor property can remain immune. This also applies to
cases where the inhabitants forcibly lock their doors against
the invader. Bismarck once declared: "War is war. When the
soldier freezes, he must warm himself, and if he is unable to
find any other fuel, he must make use of mahogany furniture.
One could hardly expect that the living bodies of our soldiers
should be frozen to death in the open field in order that their
last words to the French may be: 'We have spared your mahogany
furniture'."
Fortunately, the French scarcely penetrated 20 kilometres
into German territory. Their conduct in Lorraine, especially
in Saarburg, as well as in Upper Alsace, demonstrates in the
clearest manner, the kind of deeds of which this people would
have been capable towards defenceless Germans and their property,
in the event of a French victory. Certain witnesses from
12*