And if
we should find that the neutrality of Belgium was not binding upon any
country whose existence or whose interests were threatened by other
countries, that fact would then absolve either country from a charge
which thus far seems to have been brought against one of them.
_How was the war brought about?_ As far back as 1906 it is known, and
can be proved by the files of New York papers, to say nothing of
official correspondence now found in Brussels and elsewhere, that
measures were started by England to circumscribe or isolate the German
Empire, and treaties were entered between England, France, and Russia
(the Triple Entente) to insure joint action against Germany when
necessary.
Germany herself has been peaceful, progressive, and anxious to retain
her position as a nation undisturbed by others, as a nation that should
advance in art, in science, in population, and in all things that make
happiness through peace. What was the situation in other countries?
Since 1870 _France_ had cried for revenge (_revanche_). Its school
books, newspapers, public speakers, and political leaders were all
charged with the one great idea of seeking revenge against Germany for
having retaken Alsace and Lorraine in 1870, which France had wrongfully
occupied since the time of Louis XIV.
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