WHO ARE THE HUNS?

French and Belgian "Atrocity Books." 231
of the report becomes obvious—the systematic and unrestrained
vilification of our army in other lands.
Even in France this point of view regarding the "Atrocity
Stories" is meeting with a growing recognition. The "Eclair"
of Paris regrets that the French Government should have encouraged
the discussion in the press as to what is to be done
with the children of French women alleged to have been violated
by German soldiers. The "Eclair "remarks:
"We believe that such instances are extremely rare. Not
a single authentic case has been made known to us. We are of
the opinion that all discussions of such things are entirely
regrettable."
"L'Humanité" also takes up a strong position of protest.
The opinion of neutral-minded foreign countries as to this
deluge of French atrocity tales, is shown by the following:
The "Basler Nachrichten" of March 28th, 1915, contains an
article by Professor Wernle of the University of Basel, dealing
with the circulation in enormous quantities of the report of
the French commission in connection with alleged atrocities by
Germans in the occupied districts. He cites two striking cases
-—after which he appears to have had enough of all these hopelessly
unsubstantiable horror stories, unwitnessed and unverified.
The Professor remarks: "And such things are accepted
as authentic by the Committee of Investigation and presented
to the Premier!"
Two points are made by Dr. Wernle at the close of his
article. First, that the entire official report has merely a psychological
and historical value in showing what the imagination of
an excited people in times of war is capable of attributing to
the enemy whose inroads it has been forced to endure, and how
even educated men, entrusted with the duty of investigation,
are liable to be infected by this excited state of mind. The
most elementary sense of justice would decree that in every
reliable and trustworthy examination, it would be necessary
to listen to the other side, and to eliminate all passion prejudicial
to a calm consideration of the facts or any other factors
liable to influence the truth. But there is no trace of all this
in the reports in question. There is, on the contrary, a distinct
eagerness to attribute to the enemy all that is vile, and to